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Rochambeau's Goal To Reinstate Slavery
- Rochambeau embodied old-style colonial racism and sought to restore white supremacy and slavery in Saint-Domingue.
- He openly asked in January 1803 for permission to formally restore slavery and framed the revolt as a war of white color against the others.
French Forces Crippled By Disease And Defections
- Rochambeau inherited a shattered expedition: roughly 30,000 Europeans sent but only about 3,000 fit for duty by late 1802.
- Most colonial troops (black and gens de couleur) defected, leaving France with a defensive posture and few reliable soldiers.
Terror Tactics Echoed Slave Regime Cruelties
- Rochambeau revived plantation-era tortures as exemplary punishments to terrorize rebels rather than reconquer hearts.
- Methods included drownings, immolation on cane beds, sulfur gas in ship holds, and grotesque renaming of punishments.