Bulletin of the ISPAN, No. 22: La Crête-à-Pierrot, Site of Feats of Arms
Summary: The fort of la Crête-à-Pierrot, which specialists agree was the work of the English who occupied Saint-Domingue from 1794 to 1798: its position within gun range of the bourg of Petite-Rivière places it in that typology. The issue also covers the rescue of works of art.
Key Findings
- The bulletin describes the Fort de la Crete-a-Pierrot as an irregular quadrilateral with four corner bastions, an average parapet thickness of 90 cm, and a highest elevation of 370 cm.
- The site is described as a strategic lookout about 24 m above the Artibonite valley and river, controlling access toward the Cahos gorges and the Mirebalais border region.
- The narrative says Leclerc sought to trap about 12,000 troops of Toussaint Louverture in the Artibonite operation that began in February 1802.
- At Crete-a-Pierrot, Toussaint moved 15 artillery pieces, arms and provisions into the fort and used the position to divert French forces while he struck their rear lines.
- The bulletin states that the battle had already cost the French more than 1,500 dead while only 1,000 to 1,200 soldiers resisted inside the fort.
- The issue also reports that since September 2010 more than 5,000 works had been handled in cultural rescue work, including cleaning and storage of 4,062 paintings on canvas, and notes a one-million-euro grant convention linked to pilot precadastre work.
Full Description
The fort of la Crête-à-Pierrot, which specialists agree was the work of the English who occupied Saint-Domingue from 1794 to 1798: its position within gun range of the bourg of Petite-Rivière places it in that typology. The issue also covers the rescue of works of art. One issue of the Bulletin de l'ISPAN, the monthly bulletin of Haiti's Institut de Sauvegarde du Patrimoine National, which ran from June 2009 to at least November 2011 and documented one monument, site or historic center per issue.
How to cite
Institute for the Protection of National Heritage (ISPAN), 2011, Bulletin of the ISPAN, No. 22: La Crête-à-Pierrot, Site of Feats of Arms, https://www.haiti.org/