Poland's Caribbean Tragedy

A Review of Jan Pachonski and Reuel K. Wilson, Poland's Caribbean Tragedy: A Study of Polish Legions in the Haitian War of Independence 1802-1803

By Bob Corbett <bcorbett@crl.com>

For years I have been hearing the stories about how Polish legions, supposedly fighting for Napoleon in the last days of the revolution, were said to have gone over to the Haitians and fought side by side with the oppressed blacks. The old story continued that the Poles then settled in Haiti and that even today there can be found Haitian Poles, blue eyed, blond, with European features.

Thus when I ran across Pachonski and Wilson's book, Poland's Caribbean Tragedy, I was thrilled to have a chance to get the story from the source as it were. Well, if that sort of slant is why one goes to this book it will be a huge disappointment. First of all one will have to be patient, since they do address this old Haitian myth, but not until the second last chapter, pages 307-317 is this tale discussed, and then for only 10 pages at that!

In short, the story of the Poles as friends of Haiti and as settlers is greatly exaggerated to understate the case. However, Pachonski and Wilson do address the interesting question of how the myth grew, and they attribute it in great measure as being a creation of Jean-Jacques Dessaline himself. On Pachonski and Wilson's view, Dessaline was much taken by the fact that the Poles tended to treat the Haitians better than other Europeans and to have less regard for the French. The Poles did not want to be in Saint Domingue and, in general, opposed the war, however, they did follow their own orders and fought for the French cause. At the same time they expressed strong criticism for the French, had great sympathy for the Taino/Arawak Indians whom the Spanish had eliminated, and were not at all as racist as the French.

With Dessaline's prodding, the Haitians tended to treat the Poles much better when they captured them. On one Pole's account this meant that they killed them straight off rather than torturing them as they did the French!

In sum there were about 5200 Poles sent to Saint Domingue by Napoleon. More than 4000 died, primarily of yellow fever. Some returned to France, some were subsumed into the British Colonial Army, and only about 400 remained in Haiti. Even then, 160 of those received permission from Dessalines in 1806 to return to France, and were even sent there at Haiti's expense. Thus, only about 240 Poles actually became and remained Haitian citizens.

Likewise the stories of Poles deserting the French for the Haitian cause are grossly exaggerated with only 120 to 150 Poles ever going over to the Haitian cause, and those are more likely to have do so to save their own lives than as a matter of principle.

I came away from the book having a better sense that the Polish story is one of those myths which every country's history has, based more in wishful thinking than fact, but interesting nonetheless. What is most interesting is the fact of how vigorously Haitians believe the myth and perpetuate it, and the history of its roots and origins.

Along the way, there are many more things in Pachonski and Wilson's book which are quite worth the read. First of all, what were the Poles doing in Haiti to begin with? A bit of background. In 1772 Russia, Prussia and Austria each annexed portions of Poland and there was no nation of Poland. Many of her soldiers, hopeful of uniting in some way to win back Polish territory, made alliance with Republican France and joined her army, but as distinct Polish units. The understanding was that they would fight enemies of France who were allied with Russia, Prussia and Austria, militating for the situation when a frontal attack on former Polish territory could be made and Poland once again established.

Napoleon had other ideas. Wanting to regain the colony of Saint Domingue, but not wishing to deplete his own army any more than he had to, he chose to send Poles, Germans and Swiss and less favored units of his own army to Saint Domingue. Napoleon genuinely wanted to retake the island, reestablish slavery and keep Saint Domingue as a colony, but he didn't believe it would take any serious effort on the part of European troops, thus he could cut corners.

Certainly the Poles had little desire to be in Saint Domingue, and also had a natural sympathy for people fighting for their own independence, which probably gave true cause for Dessaline's beliefs that the Poles were a cut different from the French. (Much of what is said of the Poles in this book also applies to the German and Swiss troops. In general, if the Haitians discovered that captured troops did not speak French, they were automatically singled out for better treatment.)

But the Poles did obey orders, came to Saint Domingue and did their duty as best they could. One of the things which Pachonski and Wilson do emphasize is that the Poles were not really prepared to fight in the style necessary for Saint Domingue. First of all, they were not used to the climate, and dressed in uniforms which were much too hot for them. Secondly, they tended to fight only in tight formations which made them much easier targets for the Haitians, who, on the authors' account, were not very good shots.

A great portion of the book is quite technical, being a listing of how the Polish troops fared battle by battle, and bout of yellow fever by bout of yellow fever. It might be very interesting to people interested in either Polish genealogy or very technical aspects of Polish military history, but not to many others, and this portion of the book would not be of interest to scholars of things Haitian.

The impact on Poland of these troops in Saint Domingue is probably more significant than the impact of the Poles on Saint Domingue. This colonial experience undermined the belief on the part of all Poles that France had good intentions toward Poland. It also led to a wide-spread conspiracy theory, which is almost certainly false, that Napoleon deliberately sacrificed Poles in Saint Domingue. Lastly, nearly 2/3 the existing Polish soldiers were killed or disabled, greatly weakening the hope of an immediate recovering of Polish territory by acts of arms.

However, there is one wonderful service of this book for those of us interested in Haiti. In following the plight of the Polish units, the authors trace down the last days of the revolution, battle by battle, town by town, following the evacuations and defeats of dozens of villages, towns and cities including Jacmel, Jeremie, Les Cayes, Port-au-Prince, Cap Haitien and finally, the last struggle at Mole St. Nicholas. It is a fascinating picture, sort of like the song 99 bottles of beer on the wall, and one by one they fall. First the interior, then the smaller towns in the west, then the whole south, followed by Port-au-Prince, and so on, a genuine domino effect. This way of reporting the last days of the revolution is most interesting and informative.

In the second last chapter, which addresses directly the question of Polish descendants in Haiti, the authors find that there is much more rumor than documented fact. Various journalists and anthropologists, many of them Polish, have attempted to find and document modern day Polish Haitians. Their main suspected regions are: Cazale, La Vallee de Jacmel, Fond des Blancs, especially the near-by village of La Baleine, Port Salut and St. Jean du Sud. But little of substance is found. Again, rumor, a few Polish sounding names, some vague reports of blond, European-looking Haitians, but no photos or documented evidence.

The book itself is not terribly original. In significant measure it is a critical elaboration of an unpublished work by Kazimierz Lux and Peter Bazyli Wierzbicki called History of the Polish Legions, only available in a hand written copy and written roughly just after the Saint Domingue campaign.

Pachonski and Wilson are at pains to check out the data when and where they can, and there is some laborious scholarship in doing that. But, when in doubt or when other sources aren't available, which is often the case, then this current book is a reiteration of Lux and Wierzbicki's work.

Below are just some random notes I took while reading the book I just reviewed -- Poland's Caribbean Tragedy. I thought I would share them with you since perhaps a single note here or there might spark some interest for different people and a few lines of discussion might result.

Any comments?

This book is mainly a retelling, shortening and organizing of one source, the handwritten book of Lux and Wierzbicki, which is actually a sort of memoir.

Worthwhile secondary sources enrich (and correct) the Lux and Wierzbicki account, making this book even more valuable.

This book has more printing errors than any book I've ever read from a professional printing company.

p. 25 Code Noir, 1685, required mulattos be freed on their 25th birthday.
p. 27. Fouchard says this was a unique situation in the Caribbean: People of one continues to do the work (Africa) in another (Caribbean / Americas) for profit of another (Europe)
War of Knives: More about class than color.
p. 43: Toussaint executed Moyse Oct. 25, 1801. This alienated left wing of anti-white blacks.
p. 45. Napoleon's admission that he erred in not dealing with Toussaint and the blacks at Saint Domingue.
p. 49. French dynamited Crete-a-Pierrot after taking it. Thus the present Crete-a-Pierrot is not what it was during the battle? I visited here with a group of students in 1989 and was astonished at how small it is.
p. 54. Chilling account of yellow fever. Clinical.
p. 60-64. Interesting story of Belaire whom Dessalines hated, captured and turned over to the French. He was shot.
p. 66. 1st Pole -- General Jablonowski died of yellow fever. Sept. 29, 1802 in Jeremie. Only in Haiti a little over a month. He was part black! 32 years old. Generals were young in those days!!!!
p. 74. Most contemporaries of France knew Napoleon was [in] Saint Domingue to rid himself of troublesome army units.
p. 75. Jun 1802. 2,270 Poles arrived at OKap.
p. 104-107 Recounting of a debate as to whether Poles participated in the massacre of 400 black FRENCH soldiers in St. Marc. Seems to be the ground of the popular belief that Poles were sympathetic to the Haitians.
p. 108. After disastrous earthquake of 1770, Port-au-Prince was rebuilt in wood, not stone.
p. 113. Fairly detailed story of Rochembeau's human-eating dogs.
p. 119-120. Black rebel pirates using canoes took a French ship, killed the men, raped the women and threw them overboard. When captured some were taken to Leogane and were killed by mobs of women!
p. 122. Dessaline's wife saved many whites' lives.
p. 201. Given the war with Britain, Napoleon preferred an American presence in North America to a British one, and he knew Louisiana wasn't defensible. The author's analysis of the Louisiana Purchase.
p. 211. First mention of Poles remaining in Haiti. Part of the defenders of Jeremie.
p. 213. Corbett's role as an agent!!!! Edward Corbett. See his papers in Jamaica. Hey, a good genealogical excuse to go to Jamaica! He was a British spy!
British declared war again on France in May 1803. They then aided the Haitian rebels a great deal, but also served as a useful out for the French, giving them someone to surrender to other than the Haitians.
p. 242: Why the French defeat? The authors argue this order:
1. The rebels' determination and organization.
2. Yellow fever.
3. The renewed war with England.
p. 244. Authors claim that the only solvent government in Haitian history was Christophe's.
p. 248. Strategic reason for Dessaline's murder of all the French in 1805:

This would totally alienate the French and the Haitians.
Would keep the country on a military footing.

p. 249. British slavery: Stricter conditions than in Saint Domingue. British halted slave trade in 1808 and slavery in 1833.
Some Polish who made it to Cuba worked as privateers against the British.
Masonic order played a role in the revolution. One group of Poles were allowed to continue on from Jeremie to safety in Cuba because their commander shared a secret Masonic handshake with the British commander. In general many French and Haitian elite were Masons.
General Ferrand (French commander) set up in Santo Domingo in 1805. He used privateers to harass American traders with Haiti, claiming that it was illegal activity. The Americans responded with naval force to protect trade.
Privateering ended by 1809 when France and Spain were at war and the French had to give up Santo Domingo.
p. 296: Jan. 1806. In January 1806, France and Spain convinced the America government to declare a trade embargo against Haiti.
Whoa! This is not the main line I normally hear. Is this so? [I'll have to] check it out.
p. 297 ff. About Lux and Wierzbicki themselves.
Poles in sum sent 5280 people.

4000 dead
400 remained in Haiti
700 returned to France
20 to U.S.
Some in Cuba.

Total loses for whole revolution (from Leclerc expedition only)
total loses of Europeans: 50,271
total loses of Haitians : 80,000 approx.
Haitians liked the Poles because:
1. Poles mainly opposed the war (though they fought it out of a sense of duty)
2. Poles sympathized with the Arawak/Taino Indians.
3. Poles were not as racist as the French.
Dessaline had a demibrigade called Les Polonais. these were newly arrived Africans, so named because like the Poles, they spoke bad Creole.
p. 309: Again: Freemasonry: widespread among Haitians.
p. 310: In Haiti it was (and still is) widely believed that Poles supported Dessalines in significant numbers, i.e. that entire units deserted together with their officers.
But, the authors claim that any white contribution to the revolution was insignificant. (This seems to me false of the British and American support!)

Only 120 to 150 Poles joined the rebels.

Of the 400 Poles who stayed in Haiti none had been officers. They mainly farmed. 160 got permission to leave in 1805.

By 1900 only 50 families with Polish surnames were reported to live in Haiti. (But, surnames were changed because they were hard to pronounce.)

Where would Polish Haitians be today?
Cazale
La Vallee de Jacmel
Fond des Blancs (La Baleine)
Port Salut
St. Jean du Sud
p. 317. Short biography of Faustin Wirkus (Polish American on his mother's side.) He died in 1945.
Effects of Polish experience in Saint Domingue on Poland:

Undermined belief in France's good intentions toward Poles.
Many believed Napoleon deliberately sacrificed Poles in Saint Domingue.
Loss of 2/3 of army personnel was serious blow to Polish aspirations.

Autre monographie a part celle de Jan PACHONSKI (ci-dessus) .... Laurore ST JUSTE. Presence Polonaise en Haiti (1983) 57 p. ; 28 cm.

En fiction: Roger Dorsinville's, Ils Ont Tue' le Vieux Blanc, ou titre tres proche.

Michel P.