Saint-Domingue Volunteers–Chasseurs facts for kids

The Chasseurs-Volontaires de Saint-Domingue was a special military group formed on March 12, 1779. It was made up of free people of color from Saint-Domingue, which is now Haiti. Even though most of the soldiers were non-white, the leaders (officers) were usually white. One important leader was Laurent François Lenoir, Marquis de Rouvray, who was in charge of the group. This regiment was active for a few years and was officially ended in 1783.

How the Regiment Started

When the Chasseurs-Volontaires first began, it was planned to have 10 companies. A company is a group of soldiers. These companies were light infantry, which means they moved quickly. They were organized into two larger groups called battalions. Each company was supposed to have 79 men.

Anyone who was a gens de couleur (a term for people of mixed race) could join. This included not just free people, but also enslaved people. Enslaved people were promised their freedom if they joined the regiment and returned safely.

On April 21, 1779, the group was allowed to become even bigger. Each company then grew to 100 gens de couleur soldiers. They also had three white officers leading them. The soldiers included 88 fusiliers (soldiers with muskets), two drummers, eight corporals, four sergeants, and one "fourrier" (a type of quartermaster). The main leaders of the whole regiment, like the colonel and major, were all white.

Fighting at the Siege of Savannah

The Chasseurs-Volontaires joined a large group of soldiers led by Comte d'Estaing. They traveled to fight in the American Revolutionary War. Some soldiers left the group, but about 545 men still took part in the Siege of Savannah. Another group, the Grenadiers-Volontiers, which was also from Saint-Domingue, had 156 men join the fight.

The expedition, led by d'Estaing and his second-in-command Jean-Baptiste Bernard Vaublanc, left Cap-Français on August 15, 1779. They arrived in Savannah, Georgia, on September 8, 1779. Their job was to help the American rebels. The British forces, led by Lieutenant-Colonel Archibald Campbell, had taken control of Savannah in 1778.

Official lists showed that both the Chasseurs-Volontaires and the Grenadier-Volontiers were part of the siege. However, they were mainly assigned to dig trenches.

On September 24, the British Army attacked before dawn from their defenses. The Chasseurs fought back bravely. They lost one man, and seven others were wounded. Comte D'Estaing was also wounded. The siege ended without success on October 9, 1779.

A famous person named Pierre Charles L'Enfant, who later designed Washington, D.C., was also hurt in this battle. A 12-year-old enslaved boy named Henri Christophe served as a drummer in the regiment. He later became the King of Haiti.

What Happened Next

The French government did not end the Chasseurs regiment after Savannah. Instead, they continued to use the unit. Some of the men went with d'Estaing and Rouvray to Versailles in France. These Chasseurs did not return to Saint-Domingue until 1780. Most of the regiment stayed in Saint-Domingue and served as soldiers protecting the area.

A company of 62 men went with the wounded soldiers from Savannah to Charleston. They then helped defend Charleston in the spring of 1780.

About a third of the regiment, around 150 to 200 men, were stationed in Grenada. Even in mid-1782, about 100 of them were still there.

Lasting Impact

In 2007, a special sculpture was put up in Savannah, Georgia. This memorial honors the Chasseurs-Volontaires de Saint-Domingue for their service.