April 7, 1803 · Northern Province Theater
April 7, 1803
Toussaint Louverture died in his cell at Fort de Joux, France, on April 7, 1803, of pneumonia and malnutrition. He had been imprisoned since June 1802 in a cold, damp stone cell in the Jura mountains, interrogated repeatedly about alleged hidden treasure, denied adequate food and medical care, and watched as his health failed. Napoleon's prefect of police reported that 'the cold has done all that we expected of it.' Toussaint's last known words, spoken to his jailers, were: 'In overthrowing me, you have done no more than cut down the trunk of the tree of black liberty in Saint-Domingue. It will spring back from the roots, for they are numerous and deep.' He was approximately 60 years old. He never knew that his prophecy would be fulfilled within less than a year.
Commanders