Charles Deslandes
Encyclopedia
Charles Deslondes was one of the slave leaders of the 1811 German Coast Uprising
, a slave revolt that began on January 8, 1811 in the Territory of Orleans. He led more than 200 rebels against the plantations along the Mississippi River toward New Orleans. White planters formed militias and ended up hunting down the rebels. The slave insurgents killed two white men, and the militias and executions killed 95 slaves.
, Deslondes was described in some accounts as mulatto
or mixed race. He was brought to the Louisiana Territory by his master after the Haitian Revolution
, when thousands of French Creoles brought their slaves and mixed-race refugees also left the island. Of the 9,059 immigrants in 1809, about 30 percent were white and 35.6 percent were slaves; the remainder were free people of color
.
Deslondes worked as a driver (overseer of slaves) on the Woodlawn plantation
of Col. Manuel André, who had a total of 86 slaves. In a letter printed in the Philadelphia Political and Commercial Advertiser on February 19 that year, Deslondes was mistakenly described as a free person of color.)
for revolt in what is now St. John the Baptist Parish
, called the German Coast (of the Mississippi River) because it had been settled by many German immigrants. As he led his forces, they recruited other slaves from plantation along the way southeast into St. Charles Parish
before turning back. Reports were that he led some 200 insurgents in total, although accounts vary. The men killed two whites near the beginning of their march, and burned down three plantation houses and some crops. They captured a limited number of weapons, although they had planned on more.
On January 11, a planter militia led by Col. Manuel André attacked the main body of insurgents at Destrehan Plantation
west of New Orleans. André and his son had been the first targets of the insurrection, and the younger André had died as a result of his wounds. The militia killed about forty slaves in their immediate confrontation. They killed fourteen more slaves in other skirmishes and captured numerous men. After they interrogated the captives, they quickly tried and executed eighteen slaves at the Destrehan plantation. They tried and executed eleven slaves in New Orleans. A total of ninety-five insurgents were killed in the aftermath of rebellion.
As for Deslondes, upon capture the militia did not hold him for trial or interrogation. Samuel Hambleton described Deslonde's fate: "Charles [Deslondes] had his hands chopped off then shot in one thigh & then the other, until they were both broken — then shot in the body and before he had expired was put into a bundle of straw and roasted!"
While the number of slaves in the 1811 Louisiana revolt was the largest in U.S. history, they killed only two white men.
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1811 German Coast Uprising
The 1811 German Coast Uprising was a slave revolt that took place in parts of the Territory of Orleans on January 8–10, 1811. The revolt took place on the east coast of the Mississippi River in what are now St. John the Baptist and St. Charles Parishes, Louisiana. While the slave insurgency was...
, a slave revolt that began on January 8, 1811 in the Territory of Orleans. He led more than 200 rebels against the plantations along the Mississippi River toward New Orleans. White planters formed militias and ended up hunting down the rebels. The slave insurgents killed two white men, and the militias and executions killed 95 slaves.
Early life
Born into slavery in HaitiHaiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
, Deslondes was described in some accounts as mulatto
Mulatto
Mulatto denotes a person with one white parent and one black parent, or more broadly, a person of mixed black and white ancestry. Contemporary usage of the term varies greatly, and the broader sense of the term makes its application rather subjective, as not all people of mixed white and black...
or mixed race. He was brought to the Louisiana Territory by his master after the Haitian Revolution
Haitian Revolution
The Haitian Revolution was a period of conflict in the French colony of Saint-Domingue, which culminated in the elimination of slavery there and the founding of the Haitian republic...
, when thousands of French Creoles brought their slaves and mixed-race refugees also left the island. Of the 9,059 immigrants in 1809, about 30 percent were white and 35.6 percent were slaves; the remainder were free people of color
Free people of color
A free person of color in the context of the history of slavery in the Americas, is a person of full or partial African descent who was not enslaved...
.
Deslondes worked as a driver (overseer of slaves) on the Woodlawn plantation
Plantation
A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...
of Col. Manuel André, who had a total of 86 slaves. In a letter printed in the Philadelphia Political and Commercial Advertiser on February 19 that year, Deslondes was mistakenly described as a free person of color.)
The revolt
Deslondes had organized slaves and maroonsMaroon (people)
Maroons were runaway slaves in the West Indies, Central America, South America, and North America, who formed independent settlements together...
for revolt in what is now St. John the Baptist Parish
St. John the Baptist Parish, Louisiana
St. John the Baptist Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana.The parish seat is Edgard, an unincorporated area and the unofficial parish captial is LaPlace, an unincorporated area. St. John the Baptist is one of the original 19 parishes in Louisiana. In 2010, its population was...
, called the German Coast (of the Mississippi River) because it had been settled by many German immigrants. As he led his forces, they recruited other slaves from plantation along the way southeast into St. Charles Parish
St. Charles Parish, Louisiana
St. Charles Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Hahnville. In 2010, its population was 52,780. In the eighteenth and nineteenth century, this was part of the German Coast, an area along the Mississippi River settled by numerous German pioneers in the...
before turning back. Reports were that he led some 200 insurgents in total, although accounts vary. The men killed two whites near the beginning of their march, and burned down three plantation houses and some crops. They captured a limited number of weapons, although they had planned on more.
On January 11, a planter militia led by Col. Manuel André attacked the main body of insurgents at Destrehan Plantation
Destrehan Plantation
Destrehan Plantation is an antebellum Greek Revival house located near Destrehan, St. Charles Parish, Louisiana. In the nineteenth century, the house was the center of a bustling slave plantation that produced sugar for export. The site hosted the notorious St...
west of New Orleans. André and his son had been the first targets of the insurrection, and the younger André had died as a result of his wounds. The militia killed about forty slaves in their immediate confrontation. They killed fourteen more slaves in other skirmishes and captured numerous men. After they interrogated the captives, they quickly tried and executed eighteen slaves at the Destrehan plantation. They tried and executed eleven slaves in New Orleans. A total of ninety-five insurgents were killed in the aftermath of rebellion.
As for Deslondes, upon capture the militia did not hold him for trial or interrogation. Samuel Hambleton described Deslonde's fate: "Charles [Deslondes] had his hands chopped off then shot in one thigh & then the other, until they were both broken — then shot in the body and before he had expired was put into a bundle of straw and roasted!"
While the number of slaves in the 1811 Louisiana revolt was the largest in U.S. history, they killed only two white men.
Further reading
- Dormon, James H., “The Persistent Specter: Slave Rebellion in Territorial Louisiana.” Louisiana History 28 (Fall 1977): 389-404.
- Paquette, Robert L., “Revolutionary St. Domingue in the Making of Territorial Louisiana", in A Turbulent Time: The French Revolution in the Greater Caribbean (Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University PressIndiana University PressIndiana University Press, also known as IU Press, is an academic publisher at Indiana University that specializes in the humanities and social sciences. It was founded in 1950. Its headquarters are located in Bloomington, Indiana....
, 1997), pp. 218–20. - Rasmussen, Daniel, American Uprising: The Untold Story of America’s Largest Slave Revolt
Harper/HarperCollins Publishers.
- Rodriguez, Junius P. “‘Always En Garde’: The Effects of Slave Insurrection upon the Louisiana Mentality”, Louisiana History 33 (Fall 1992): 399-416.
- Thompson, Thomas Marshall. “National Newspaper and Legislative Reactions to Louisiana’s Deslonde Slave Revolt of 1811”, Louisiana History 33 (Winter 1992): 5-29.