Hundreds of suspected colonial soldiers chose mass suicide over French imprisonment

Evidence

During the previous weeks these soldiers had demonstrated their loyalty to the French, staying behind as many of their comrades defected to the rebel side, but Leclerc nevertheless suspected them of treason. As they were being transported to Port-au-Prince in the hold of a ship, the prisoners, led by their commanding officer, carried out their final act of war. As Leclerc reported, all but three “strangled themselves,” choosing suicide rather than imprisonment by the French. “These are the kind of men we have to fight,” Leclerc lamented. — Dubois, Laurent, Avengers of the New World_ The Story of…, 1018

Categorization

• QUESTION: How did hundreds of prisoners coordinated-strangle themselves in a ship’s hold, and why did Leclerc recount it as evidence of their quality rather than their fanaticism?
• SEED: The mass suicide of loyal black soldiers who preferred death to French capture is a vivid crystallizing image for an essay on honor and despair among colonial troops.