Siege of Savannah and Haitian Contribution
advertisement
Established in 1733 as the colonial capital of the Province of Georgia, the city of Savannah was captured during American War of Independence by the British army in 1778. On October 9, 1779, in an attempt to take back Savannah from the British army, France and America joined their forces and put a siege on Savannah. It was reported that during this battle Count Kazimierz Puaski who was fighting for the US was killed. The attenpt to remove the British from Savannah failed and the British army remained in control of Savannah until the end of this war.
The Haitian participation during the Siege of Savannah was very significant. A force of more than 500 free black from Saint Domingue, now known as Haiti, participated in that battle, fighting along the side of the French and American soldiers. It is reported that Henry Christophe who later participated in the Haitian war of independence, was among these Haitian Fighters in Savannah.
After more than 230 years, the Haitian contribution on the Siege of Savannah was officially recognized with the erection of a bronze monument featuring statues of six uniformed soldiers located in Franklin Swuare near the downtown riverfront in Savannah.
Questions:
Does anyone know how many of the Haitian soldiers actually died in that battle?
Does the American people know the contribution of Haitian people in their own independence?
Should Americans give more respects to Haitians for that reason?
Why do you think Haitian contribution in America War of Independence has not been included into the American history?
