Dessalines told African-born fighters that death would return them to Africa

Evidence

According to Descourtilz, Dessalines had convinced the “Congos” who fought with him that it would be a blessing if they were killed by the French, for they would “immediately be transported to Guinea, where they would once again see Papa Toussaint, who was waiting for them to complete his army, which was destined to reconquer Saint-Domingue.” — Dubois, Laurent, Avengers of the New World_ The Story of…, 1040

Categorization

• DEEPTHINKING: This reverses the usual meaning of death-as-return-to-Africa: rather than an escape from the colony, it is reframed as a summons to rejoin Toussaint’s ghost army destined to conquer Saint-Domingue, collapsing the distinction between freedom-from and freedom-for.