Autograph Letter Signed by General Leclerc to Artillery Brigade Commander Alex – October 3, 1802
Le Cap: October 3, 1802. 1 leaf, manuscript on both sides. Printed heading: “Armée de Saint-Domingue, le Général en Chef. Liberté, Égalité.”Dated 11 Vendémiaire an XI (October 3, 1802). Written at the Headquarters of Le Cap (Quartier-Général du Cap, today Cap-Haïtien). Signed by General Charles Leclerc. 2 pages. Edges slightly chipped, not affecting legibility. Very good condition.
Autograph letter by General Leclerc detailing artillery defenses at Le Cap during the final weeks of the doomed Saint-Domingue expedition.
In this letter, General Charles Leclerc provides detailed orders to Artillery Brigade Commander Alex concerning the defense of Le Cap (formerly Cap-Français), a strategic port during the Saint-Domingue expedition. Leclerc outlines the artillery requirements for specific defensive positions in the event of an attack, specifying the type and number of cannons and howitzers, their placement, and required munitions. He instructs Alex to coordinate with General Claparède at Fort L’Hôpital and Fort Bel-Air, and to accompany Claparède on an inspection of the entrenchments at La Petite-Anse to assess their condition and artillery strength. Leclerc also notes his intention to contact General Latouche regarding the supply of gunpowder at the naval station.
Charles Leclerc (1772–1802), Napoleon Bonaparte’s brother-in-law, was appointed commander of the Saint-Domingue expedition, tasked with restoring French control over the colony and reestablishing slavery, abolished during the Haitian Revolution. Despite initial military success, the expedition failed following fierce resistance and the devastating yellow fever epidemic. Leclerc died of the disease in November 1802, and France’s defeat culminated in Haitian independence in 1804—the first Black republic and the only nation born of a successful slave revolt.
The letter references General Michel Marie Claparède (1770–1842), promoted to général de brigade during the expedition, and Vice-Admiral Louis-René Levassor de Latouche Tréville (1745–1804), who played a key role in naval operations in Saint-Domingue and previously served in the American Revolutionary War. Both officers were central to the French campaign and also suffered from yellow fever, with Latouche returning to France shortly before his death in 1804.
A rare, strategic wartime letter from Leclerc’s final weeks in command, providing insight into the military challenges of a collapsing colonial campaign.
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Price: €8,000.00