Louverture dictated letters through secretaries while barely speaking French
Evidence
Louverture’s extensive correspondence allows us to explore his actions and ideals. These letters were not written by his hand. Indeed, Lacroix recalled that he “spoke French poorly” and often turned to creole in communicating his ideas. “Nevertheless a divine instinct enlightened him about the value of words” in French. He kept his secretaries working constantly, with several of them writing different versions of a letter until they had found “the turn of phrase that was the appropriate expression of his thought.” He never stopped thinking: “Journeying across the colony on horseback at lightning speed, seeing everything for himself, he prepared his actions. He meditated as he galloped; he meditated as well when he pretended piously to pray.” — Dubois, Laurent, Avengers of the New World_ The Story of…, 595
Categorization
Category: Factual Claims
- QUESTION: How much of Louverture’s voice survives in letters polished by French secretaries — a source-critical question for reconstructing his arc.