Rochambeau imported man-eating dogs from Cuba to terrorize insurgents

Evidence

Late in 1802, crowds in Le Cap lined the streets and covered them with flowers to greet a series of new arrivals in the colony. They were carried into the town in cages: dogs purchased in Cuba, accompanied by trainers who nourished them with blood and had them attack wicker figures—apparently made to resemble “a negro”—stuffed with “animal entrails and blood.” Leclerc’s replacement, Rochambeau, had ordered this new weapon to help in the floundering campaign against the insurgents. He was following in a venerable tradition: three centuries before, dogs had been introduced on the island by Columbus in order to terrorize the indigenous population. Aiming to “lift white morale,” he set up a public demonstration of the dogs’ abilities, establishing a “circus” in the courtyard of Le Cap’s Government House, the old home of the Jesuits. (Fond of euphemisms for the horrors he was inflicting, Rochambeau referenced the practices of ancient Rome in calling the punishment of being eaten alive by dogs “descending into the arena.”) Although some principled individuals refused to attend the event, a huge crowd gathered to watch as a black prisoner— the domestic of a French officer—was placed at the mercy of the dogs. — Dubois, Laurent, Avengers of the New World_ The Story of…, 1031

Categorization

• SHARE: The ‘descending into the arena’ euphemism plus the dog lore is a great detail to send to anyone into colonial atrocity history.
• CANDY: Man-eating dogs in a circus in the old Jesuit compound is a vivid, tweetable image.