Southern départements; Gabart was given command of the Artibonite. They were all animated by the one thought to be ready for an energetic defense in case of an attack by their former opponents. The soldiers were constantly kept on the alert. Profiting by the experience acquired on the battlefields, they began fortifying all the valleys and the summits of hills and mountains where it would be easy for them to stand their ground against an enemy superior in forces[1] Every citizen was compelled to join the army.
The municipal and judicial powers were all in the hands of the military authorities: Haiti was an immense military camp.
The task of the new Government was a difficult one. Everything had to be organized. Rochambeau's crimes had so much incensed the natives that the Frenchmen who had not accompanied the remainder of their army had been put to death. All functionaries of the Government and administration had to be created, from policemen to statesmen. In reality there were many worthy and gallant officers and brave soldiers; but experts in civil administration were scarce. Notwithstanding the absence of special knowledge on this subject, the natives to a man were determined to preserve the independence of the country they had just conquered. Dessalines courageously set to work. He began by rejecting the insidious overtures made by Great Britain. This power, whose advances to Toussaint Louverture had not met with success, believed that these people, whose existence seemed to be so precarious, would be more than happy to have its protection. In consequence the Governor of Jamaica lost no time in despatching Edward Corbed to Haiti with the object of obtaining the exclusive right to the commerce of the
- ↑ Christophe undertook the building of Laferrière, which later on became the Citadelle Henry; Pétion built Fort Jacques and Fort Alexandre. In the South Geffrard erected the Fort des Platons. Forts Campain, Cap Rouge, Bonnet Carré, Marfranc, Desbois, etc., were built in the mountains around Léogane, Jacmel, Anse-à-Veau, Aquin, and Jérémie, etc.
