Henri Caesar
Encyclopedia
Henri Caesar, also known as Black Caesar, (fl.
1791-1830) was allegedly a 19th century Haitian revolutionary and pirate. Efforts to find historical evidence of his existence have been unsuccessful. According to works of fiction, he was a participant in the Haitian Revolution
under Dutty Boukman
and Toussaint Louverture as well as active in piracy for nearly a 30-year period during the early 19th century.
, torturing him with a saw
. Joining the rebel forces led by Dutty Boukman
and Toussaint Louverture, he remained with the revolution until its independence from France
in 1804, when he left to try his luck at sea. Based in Port-de-Paix
, he captured a Spanish ship in 1805 and soon began attacking small villages and lone vessels near Cuba
and the Bahamas
. Adopting the name Black Caesar, he was very successful during his piratical career before his disappearance in 1830. Although his fate is unrecorded, he most likely fled the area after President Andrew Jackson
ordered an expedition against pirates active on the Florida coast after its purchase by the United States
in 1828. There is one story of his capture in west Florida and, taken to Key West
, was tied to a tree and burned to death. The widow of a preacher, whose eyes had been burned out under torture from Black Caesar, had been used to light the fire.
He is supposed to have buried between $2 and $6 million at several locations throughout the Caribbean
including Pine Island
, White Horse Key, Marco Island, Elliot Key and Sanibel Island
, although none has ever been recovered. He is said to have been associated with another pirate, Jose Gaspar
or Gaspar
illa, however his existence is doubted among historians.
Floruit
Floruit , abbreviated fl. , is a Latin verb meaning "flourished", denoting the period of time during which something was active...
1791-1830) was allegedly a 19th century Haitian revolutionary and pirate. Efforts to find historical evidence of his existence have been unsuccessful. According to works of fiction, he was a participant in 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...
under Dutty Boukman
Dutty Boukman
Dutty Boukman ' was a Jamaican born houngan, or Haitian priest who conducted a religious ceremony in Haiti in which a freedom covenant was affirmed; this ceremony is considered a catalyst to the slave uprising that marked the beginning of the Haïtian Revolution.-Background:Boukman Dutty was a self...
and Toussaint Louverture as well as active in piracy for nearly a 30-year period during the early 19th century.
Biography
Henri Caesar was allegedly born to a slave family kept by a French plantation owner known as Arnaut. He worked as a houseboy on the estate and, as a young man, worked in the lumberyard. He was apparently mistreated by the supervisor and later killed the man during the slave insurrectionHaitian 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...
, torturing him with a saw
Saw
A saw is a tool that uses a hard blade or wire with an abrasive edge to cut through softer materials. The cutting edge of a saw is either a serrated blade or an abrasive...
. Joining the rebel forces led by Dutty Boukman
Dutty Boukman
Dutty Boukman ' was a Jamaican born houngan, or Haitian priest who conducted a religious ceremony in Haiti in which a freedom covenant was affirmed; this ceremony is considered a catalyst to the slave uprising that marked the beginning of the Haïtian Revolution.-Background:Boukman Dutty was a self...
and Toussaint Louverture, he remained with the revolution until its independence from France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
in 1804, when he left to try his luck at sea. Based in Port-de-Paix
Port-de-Paix
Port-de-Paix is a city and the capital of the département of Nord-Ouest in Haïti on the Atlantic coast. It has a population of 250,000 ....
, he captured a Spanish ship in 1805 and soon began attacking small villages and lone vessels near Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
and the Bahamas
The Bahamas
The Bahamas , officially the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, is a nation consisting of 29 islands, 661 cays, and 2,387 islets . It is located in the Atlantic Ocean north of Cuba and Hispaniola , northwest of the Turks and Caicos Islands, and southeast of the United States...
. Adopting the name Black Caesar, he was very successful during his piratical career before his disappearance in 1830. Although his fate is unrecorded, he most likely fled the area after President Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson was the seventh President of the United States . Based in frontier Tennessee, Jackson was a politician and army general who defeated the Creek Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend , and the British at the Battle of New Orleans...
ordered an expedition against pirates active on the Florida coast after its purchase by the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1828. There is one story of his capture in west Florida and, taken to Key West
Key West
Key West is an island in the Straits of Florida on the North American continent at the southernmost tip of the Florida Keys. Key West is home to the southernmost point in the Continental United States; the island is about from Cuba....
, was tied to a tree and burned to death. The widow of a preacher, whose eyes had been burned out under torture from Black Caesar, had been used to light the fire.
He is supposed to have buried between $2 and $6 million at several locations throughout the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
including Pine Island
Pine Island
- United States :*Pine Island * Pine Island , an island in the Missouri River-Towns:*Pine Island, Florida, in Hernando County*Pine Island, Minnesota*Pine Island, New York*Pine Island, South Carolina*Pine Island, Texas...
, White Horse Key, Marco Island, Elliot Key and Sanibel Island
Sanibel Island
Sanibel Island is an island located on the Gulf coast of Florida, just offshore of Fort Myers. In 2000, it had an estimated population of 6,064 people...
, although none has ever been recovered. He is said to have been associated with another pirate, Jose Gaspar
Jose Gaspar
José Gaspar, known by his nickname Gasparilla , was a purported Spanish pirate, the "last of the Buccaneers," who is claimed to have raided the west coast of Florida during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Though he is a popular figure in Florida folklore, no evidence of his existence...
or Gaspar
Jose Gaspar
José Gaspar, known by his nickname Gasparilla , was a purported Spanish pirate, the "last of the Buccaneers," who is claimed to have raided the west coast of Florida during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Though he is a popular figure in Florida folklore, no evidence of his existence...
illa, however his existence is doubted among historians.
In popular culture
- The 1980 book Black Caesar, Pirate by Cliff Gardner, is a work of fiction, but appears to have been confused with fact.
Further reading
- Gardner, Cliff. Black Caesar, Pirate. Atlanta: Peachtree Publishers, 1980.
- Ferlinghetti, Lawrence. City Lights Anthology. San Francisco: City Lights Books, 1974.
External links
- Florida's Fabulous Treasures by Jeffrey Kramer
- The Pirate's Realm: Black Caesar