By spring 1794 Louverture was arming slaves for general liberty against Spain
Evidence
Louverture began to chart a course increasingly independent both from his Spanish commanders and from his superior in the insurgent army, Biassou, with whom he was in open conflict by late March 1794. In early April a representative of the French émigrés serving with Spain complained that in the region under Louverture’s control “rebel negroes” were “assassinating, pillaging, and burning our properties in the name of the execrable Republic.” Instead of fighting them, Louverture was “arming all the slaves and removing them from their plantations,” promising them “general liberty” and telling them that they would be free if they dared “to kill the whites.” — Dubois, Laurent, Avengers of the New World_ The Story of…, 614
Categorization
- QUESTION: A French émigré accuses Louverture of inciting slaves to kill whites — is this reliable or propaganda aimed at discrediting him with Spanish command?