The revolt was led by the most favored slaves, shocking planters

Evidence

What made the “horrors” of the insurrection even worse was the betrayal of especially trusted slaves such as drivers and domestics. … One account lamented that it was the slaves “which had been most kindly treated by their masters” that were “the soul of the Insurrection.” “It was they who betrayed and delivered their human masters to the assassins’ sword: it was they who seduced and stirred up to revolt the gangs disposed to fidelity.” It was a “heart-breaking discovery” to the planters, who would see nothing but despair in the future were it not for certain acts of “invinci-ble fidelity” by certain slaves. Such loyal slaves had received their liberty in thanks, but—and this was crucial—this liberty was “the gift of their masters.” Seeking to hold onto a world that was burning all around them, white masters sought relief in stories of fidelity that provided the consoling mirage that their world could once again be as it had been. — Dubois, Laurent, Avengers of the New World_ The Story of…, 384

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the reader’s interest in small acts of decorum toward corpses and to the psychology of betrayal in revolutions generally.