Military Leader Embattled Presidency of Charles Riviere-Herard

During his short one-year rule, Charles Riviere-Herard resisted the neighboring country of Santo Domingo's efforts to form its own republic. He invaded the newly-named Dominican Republic (DR) with an infantry of 25,000 enemy combatants, determined to reclaim Haiti's sovereignty over the DR. He soon failed in the attempt, and his army was pushed back onto Haitian soil.

While fighting the DR, opposition to his rule was growing in southwestern and northern Haiti. Les Cayes was the staging area for a rural contingent of rebel soldiers, who fought under General Jean-Jacques Acaau, acquiring the name of Army of the South. Their campaign to overtake Port-au-Prince was halted in the village of Aquin however.

Simultaneously, another rebellion sprouted in northern Haiti, provoked by growing conflict of oppositional party leaders in Hérard's government. By this time, Charles Riviere-Herard had already disbanded Parliament and abolished the Constitution.

The northern rebellion capped a series of armed conflicts, which loosened Hérard's grip on power. Unable to maintain control over the latest assault on his government, he ceded power, fleeing office and exiling himself to Jamaica. His remained there until his life came to an end in August 1850.

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