Jean-Baptiste Chavannes and His Rebellion with Vincent Oge and their Philosophical Differences
Chavannes gave his life to free the slaves - Oge wanted something quite different
Jean-Baptiste Chavannes, born in 1748 in Saint Domingue, present-day Haiti, was the son of wealthy mulatto parents and received a good education. In 1779 he volunteered for an expedition with the Chasseurs-Volontaires de Saint-Domingue, a corps of Gens de Couleur from the island that consisted of Black and Mulatto soldiers. The Chasseurs were part of the fighting force under Charles Henri, Compte d'Estaing, Admiral of the French fleet that sailed to the American colonies to assist the Continental Army.
Chavannes distinguished himself during operations in Virginia and New York, especially during the retreat from Savannah in December 1778 after the failed expedition to oust the British from the city. Once the independence of the American colonies had been accomplished, Chavannes returned to Saint-Domingue.
He joined Vincent Ogé in 1790 who intended to petition the Colonial government in St. Domingue for voting rights for Gens de Couleur who owned property. Chavannes however wanted all the slaves to be declared free, but Ogé did not follow his advice and informed the assembly of his intention to take the opposite course. The mulattoes raised a force of about 1,000 men to rebel against the colonial government when their demands were rejected.
The rebels were defeated by the colonists and the colonial army. Ogé, Chavannes, and a few others fled and took refuge in the Spanish part of the island. The French colonial assembly asked for their extradition, according to a treaty with the Spanish. The jurist Vicente Faura made a powerful plea in their favor against extradition, which prompted the king of Spain to give Faura a decoration. Still, the Royal Audiencia of Santo Domingo decided against the refugees, who were delivered to the Saint Domingue authorities on 21st of December 1790.
Two months later Chavannes and Ogé were sentenced to be hammered to death (dismemberment) and the sentence was executed in the presence of the provincial assembly and authorities of Cap-Français. Chavannes bravely voiced his opposition to slavery until the very end during the gruesome execution at the square of Cap-Français, now present-day Cape Haitian. The Oge and Chavannes uprising sparked turmoil that culminated in a series of events leading up to the Haitian independence movement. Haiti achieved independence in 1804.
