Louis Delgrès, hero of the fight against the restoration of slavery in Guadeloupe
10 mai 2018Louis Delgrès was of mixed heritage and was named after his father Louis Delgrès, who was the director of the French King's estates in Tobago. Louis lived with his parents in Martinique and then in Tobago. He then began his military career on 10 November 1783. He is soon appointed sergeant, stationed in Martinique. Inspired by revolutionary movements in American colonies, he will assert his anti-slavery and abolitionist opinions throughout his military career.
Delgres left Martinique island after its conquest by the Royalists in 1791 and moved to the island of Dominique, where he participated to local Republican elections. During the last decade of the 18th century, he dedicated his life to the service of the French Republic. He fully supported the abolition of slavery by the French National Assembly in 1794 and supported the Republic twice, firstly by defending Guadeloupe against a British invasion in 1794, and secondly by participating to the Garifuna riots in Saint-Vincent in 1795 where the black population of this island rose up against British rule. His involvement in these conflicts led to his participation in major battles against England. He was captured and imprisoned twice in three years between 1794 and 1797. His reputation in the French army grew and he was promoted to Captain and became a major adviser to French Admiral Jean-Baptiste Raymond de Lacrosse.
In 1801, after the death of the General Antoine de Bethencourt, Admiral Lacrosse appointed himself Governor of Guadeloupe while much of the officer corps wanted mixed-race Magloire Pelage to be the next governor of the island. Lacrosse was removed by the French government and deported on 1st November 1801. Louis Delgres then joined the rebellion against French rule. Magloire Pelage, now Governor of Guadeloupe, appointed Delgres as Chief of the Basse Terre Distric, a jurisdictional entity of Guadeloupe. During the months of January and February 1802, immediately following his appointment, Delgres dismissed white French civil servants and officers, accusing them of communicating with Lacrosse or attempting to restore slavery to the island under the rulership of Napoleon Bonaparte. On 6th May 1802, Napoleonian General Antoine Richepance arrived in Guadeloupe with a French Army to reestablish slavery. Whilst Governor Magloire Pelage quickly surrendered, Delgres and his men decided toto fight Napoleon’s troops. On 10th May 1802, Delgres signed a call to insurrection written by his secretary, citizen Monnereau, titled “The Last Cry of Innocence and Despair.” This revolutionary document called on the people of Guadeloupe to rise up against the invading French forces “who just want Black men (…) in the chains of Slavery.”. This call inspired many local people from Guadeloupe to embrace the motto, “Live free or die”.
Louis Delgres and his followers resisted the much larger French Army for 18 days. On 20 May 1802, Delgrès and his troops were forced to retreat to the fort of basse-Terre which they then had to abandon on 22nd May 1802 (escaping secretly with his men) to take refuge at the foot of la Soufrière in Matouba, towards Saint-Claude.
On 28 May 1802, when it became clear that they would be defeated, Louis Delgrès and his 300 companions committed suicide by exploding their reserves of munitions. By doing so, they took their own lives and those of some of the many French soldiers arrayed against them under the revolutionary motto "Live free or die".