their headquarters at Carrefour, at a distance of three leagues from the capital.
Salnave tried to come to terms with them; but failing in his attempt, he determined to rely henceforth on his energy and valor in maintaining his authority. He had the advantage of the unity of command over his opponents; for the rebels in the South had numerous leaders: Domingue, whose headquarters were at Cayes, Normil at l'Anse-à-Veau, etc.; whilst in the Artibonite, Nissage Saget's authority was fully acknowledged. In consequence of a counter-revolution which occurred at Léogane and in the mountains of Jacmel, the insurgents were compelled to raise the siege of Port-au-Prince on the 17th of July, 1868. They now felt the necessity of organizing their government; therefore, on September 19, 1868, Nissage Saget was proclaimed at Saint-Marc provisional President, whilst on the 22d of September Domingue was acknowledged President of the Meridianal State, with headquarters at Cayes.
Salnave's intrepidity gave him for a while all the chances of crushing his foes. He had purchased a steamer in the United States to replace the two men-of-war, Le 22 Décembre and Le Geffrard, which had gone over to the insurgents. The new steamer, which was given the name of Alexandre Pétion, arrived at Port-au-Prince on the 19th of September, 1868. The next day Salnave went on board and sailed for Petit-Goave, in which harbor the two steamers belonging to the rebels were anchored. The Alexandre Pétion opened fire on Le 22 Décembre, which was sunk; the commandant of the Geffrard blew up his ship so as to prevent her being captured.[1]
- ↑ Salnave's ship was under the command of Captain Nickells, an American citizen. She entered the port of Petit-Goave flying the American flag, which was hauled down and replaced by the Haitian colors at the moment that she opened fire on Le 22 Décembre. Deceived by this abusive use of the colors of a friendly Power, the two steamers of the insurgents were taken by surprise and in this manner were easily destroyed.
In October, 1868, Salnave transgressed once again upon international law. He was on board the Alexandre Pétion, which was bombarding Jérémie, when the American steamer Maratanza entered this harbor. Her owners were negotiating with the Haitian Government, which desired to purchase her. The diplomatic agent of the United States, Mr. G. H. Hollister, was on board, on his way from Port-au-Prince to Jérémie, there to confer with his Consul as to the best way of protecting American interests and citizens. Salnave went on board the Maratanza, which he bought at once. The American flag was hauled down and the Haitian colors were hoisted. Mr. Hollister was not allowed to land at Jérémie; and whilst he was still on board, the Maratanza joined in the bombardment of the town, in spite of his protest. (Papers relating to Foreign Affairs, Washington, 1869; part II, p. 364.)
