Petite Riviere de l'Artibonite - Haiti Observer Blog

The Haitian Revolution was fought in the town of Petite Rivière de l'Artibonite from 1791 to 1804 between the Haitian and French Armies. Haiti was led by Jean-Jacques Dessalines and easily defeated the French Army lead by Rochambeau. After such brilliant heights, Haiti's Army was dissolved in 1995 due to several severe human rights abuse claims. For the Army to become official again, a vote by Parliament is required.

The Haitian President Michel Martelly is currently building an army utilizing 41 high school aged recruits who have just completed training in Ecuador. The soldiers will spend additional time training under Ecuadorean Military Engineers who will work with them in rice fields, on road repair, and other public service projects. The needs of Haiti are not protection from war or invaders but more so to rebuild the country that was devastated just three short years ago. Mechanics and engineers are needed for reconstruction.

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It may be a small town but Petite Rivière de l'Artibonite has a great significance to Haiti. Why? Because this is where the battle for Haiti's independence was fought. Petite Rivière de l'Artibonite is one of the four communes in Artibonite Arrondissement, the other three being the Dessalines, Grande Saline and Desdunes.

Petite Rivière de l'Artibonite is located near the east of Saint Marc. In 1802, Jean Jacques Dessalines led the forces of black people in a revolution against the French and defended the port of Crete-a-Pierrot in this town. The French colonial army under the leadership of General Charles Leclerc tried to take over the fort but Dessalines' forces held on and defended it. When the Haitian revolutionaries ran out of food and ammunitions, they were forced to leave the fort and pass through the French defense en route to Cahos Mountains. The French side then managed to gain control over the fort but with heavy consequences as it lost a lot of its people. The fighting then led to a deciding battle, wherein the Haitian revolutionaries drove away the French forces who decided to retreat.

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