At the Foot of Vesuvius (18)

In Chapter 18 (At the Foot of Vesuvius) of Hochschild’s “Bury the Chains” a large revolt takes place in the French colony of St. Domingue. The end of the 18th century was a time of upheaval around the western world. On August 22 a volcano erupted, and the island became chaos, whites were being slaughtered by the hundreds and plantations destroyed. Toussaint, an ex-slave and now slave owner, lead the rebellion. He had witnessed the brutality that the slaves endured, such as owners shooting fruit off slaves’ heads. This revolt was sparked from the news of the French Revolution and gave inspiration to the outnumbering slaves. Many lives were lost on both sides and news traveled and it made the slaves appear as savages and hurt their hopes of freedom. Because St. Domingue was the most profitable, “crown jewel”, of the West Indies it would be difficult to surrender to rebels. The island was well developed and even had an active social life such as theaters, and even a competitive prostitution ring. People fled here to escape their past troubles back in Britain. On February 4, 1794 France declared freedom of all slaves; however, it was the slaves on St. Domingue who freed themselves. Soon, Britain took back the island and put the black back into slavery and a war between the slaves, French and British ensued. Toussaint rallied a great force to defend the island, while the British slowly decayed from malaria and poor strategy. The humid climate was not suitable for the British’s signature heavy red coats. The British soldiers got a brief taste of the harsh conditions that slaves have lived under, and some soldiers would eventually give testimonies. Still, slaves continued to be traded amongst the war. Toussaint’s few hundred followers had grown to 14,000 and the diminishing British army was forced to retreat. It was a small victory in the global abolitionist movement.