Jean-Louis Ferrand (December 13, 1758 – November 7, 1808) was a French general and military commander. He made some campaigns in France at the beginning of the French Revolution, and took part in the failed expedition into Saint-Domingue (now Haiti). Unwilling to accept defeat, he widthdrew to Santo Domingo (now Dominican Republic). As governor, he dealt with intense conflicts with Haitian Emperor, Jean-Jacques Dessalines, who enacted a failed siege of the colony in 1805. By 1808, his rule, as well as other ongoing conflicts in Europe, triggered anti-French uprisings and a desire for a return to Spanish rule. These conflicts would erupt into the Spanish reconquest of Santo Domingo, which ended in his suicide on November 7, 1808, in the Battle of Palo Hincado led by the Dominican Criollo leader, Juan Sánchez Ramírez.
Jean-Louis Ferrand | |
|---|---|
 Portrait of General Jean-Louis Ferrand | |
| 70th Governor of Captaincy General of Santo Domingo | |
| In office 1803 – November 7, 1808 | |
| Preceded by | Antoine Nicolas Kerverseau |
| Succeeded by | Joseph-David de Barquier |
| Personal details | |
| Born | December 13, 1758 Besançon, France |
| Died | November 7, 1808 (aged 49) El Seibo, Santo Domingo (now Dominican Republic) |
| Awards | Legion of Honor |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  France |
| Branch/service | French Army French Revolutionary Army |
| Years of service | 1770s–1808 |
| Rank | General |
| Battles/wars | American Revolutionary War French Revolutionary Wars Haitian Revolution Spanish reconquest of Santo Domingo |
Early life
editFerrand was born on December 13, 1753, in Besançon, France. He made some campaigns in France at the beginning of the French Revolution, and later took part in the 1802 invasion of the French colony Saint-Domingue under the command of General Charles Leclerc whom he replaced in command when he died. Faced with the imminent French defeat by Haitian forces, the head of the French troops in the Cibao, Louis Ferrand, refused to capitulate, instead occupying neighboring Santo Domingo (now the Dominican Republic) and thus preserving France dominion of the eastern Hispaniola.[1]
Military career
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From 1804 to 1808, the French general Louis Ferrand presided over a slave regime in Santo Domingo that bordered the new emancipationist nation of Haiti. Ferrand established a paternal government, protected by a decree of Napoleon Bonaparte in 1803 by which he ordered respect for Spanish customs and practices, especially in what concerned legal organization. The truth was that there was collaboration between the population and the authorities, although Ferrand, convinced that Hispanic sentiments were still alive among the great majority of the population, avoided as much as possible the occasions of making them feel his power.[citation needed]
Among other economic measures taken by Ferrand are: a) He prohibited by decree all commercial dealings with Haitians. b) He ordered French troops to occupy lands near the border; thus he ordered Haitians to be hunted and captured, to be sold as slaves. c) He encouraged the cutting of precious woods, especially mahogany. d) He promoted agriculture, particularly the production of sugar cane. e) He declared Santo Domingo a free port, promoting trade with the United States.[citation needed]
Death
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Louis Ferrand endured the reprisal of Jean-Jacques Dessalines in 1805; after which a new uprising forced him to accept a battle in which he was completely defeated by Dominican forces under Juan Sanchez Ramirez in the Battle of Palo Hincado, which led him to commit suicide in 1808.[2]
Honors and recognition
editThe Montboucons fort in Besançon is named after Boulanger de Ferrand in his honour.[citation needed]
He posthumously received the Legion of Honor.[3]
See also
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References
edit- ^ Adélaïde-Merlande 2000, p. 209
- ^ Didier Davin. "Un soldat colonial à Saint-Domingue (1791-1809)" (in French). Retrieved 10 July 2014..
- ^ Rodriguez Demorizi, Emilio (1955). Invasiones haitianas de 1801,1805 y 1822. Ciudad Trujillo: Editora Caribe. pp. 101–104.
Bibliography
edit- Jean-Louis Ferrand, dans Charles Mullié, Biographie des célébrités militaires des armées de terre et de mer de 1789 à 1850, 1852 [détail de l’édition]
- Adélaïde-Merlande, Jacques (2000). Histoire générale des Antilles et des Guyanes - des Pre-Columbians à nos jours. L'Harmattan. ISBN 978-2-738429-72-8.