Haiti's Turbulent Birth Haunts Crumbling Fortress
By Douglas Farah
Washington Post Foreign Service
Sunday, April 20 1997; Page A20
The Washington Post
CITADELLE LAFERRIERE, Haiti -- High above Haiti's once-fertile northern plains, like a stone ship jutting through the clouds,
stands one of the engineering marvels of the New World, now largely abandoned to nature and the few tourists who climb the
winding cobblestone track to visit the crumbling stone fortress.
The Citadelle, built by King Henri Christophe at the beginning of the 19th century to defend against invaders, is the largest
fortress in the Western Hemisphere. It is Haiti's most revered national symbol -- of brilliance in its building but of cruelty in the
forced labor that cost up to 20,000 lives.
By Douglas Farah
Washington Post Foreign Service
Sunday, April 20 1997; Page A20
The Washington Post
CITADELLE LAFERRIERE, Haiti -- High above Haiti's once-fertile northern plains, like a stone ship jutting through the clouds,
stands one of the engineering marvels of the New World, now largely abandoned to nature and the few tourists who climb the
winding cobblestone track to visit the crumbling stone fortress.
The Citadelle, built by King Henri Christophe at the beginning of the 19th century to defend against invaders, is the largest
fortress in the Western Hemisphere. It is Haiti's most revered national symbol -- of brilliance in its building but of cruelty in the
forced labor that cost up to 20,000 lives.
Built directly on the stone, with no separate foundation, the hewed rock is held by a mortar made of limestone, molasses and
cow's blood.
The Citadelle, wrote one historian, "was the ultimate impregnable stronghold to which the king would retreat with his personal
guard and continue to fight against the worst the white man could send against him."
During the rebellion, Christophe burned the entire city of Cap-Haitien to the ground, beginning with his own house, when the
French invaded the port in 1802 to squelch the slave uprising. The move left the French with only smoldering ruins and charred
fields.
Cristophe seized power definitively in 1806 and crowned himself King Henri I in 1811.
Fearing a French invasion, he ordered up the fortress, with the architectural guidance of two Frenchmen. The original plans
have never been found. The Citadelle sits on a mountain beyond the Sans Souci palace, the seat of government that Christophe
had built in the town of Milot, 30 miles inland from Cap-Haitien.
cow's blood.
The Citadelle, wrote one historian, "was the ultimate impregnable stronghold to which the king would retreat with his personal
guard and continue to fight against the worst the white man could send against him."
During the rebellion, Christophe burned the entire city of Cap-Haitien to the ground, beginning with his own house, when the
French invaded the port in 1802 to squelch the slave uprising. The move left the French with only smoldering ruins and charred
fields.
Cristophe seized power definitively in 1806 and crowned himself King Henri I in 1811.
Fearing a French invasion, he ordered up the fortress, with the architectural guidance of two Frenchmen. The original plans
have never been found. The Citadelle sits on a mountain beyond the Sans Souci palace, the seat of government that Christophe
had built in the town of Milot, 30 miles inland from Cap-Haitien.
Historian Patrick Delatour, in charge of restoring the fortress atop a
3,000-foot mountain called Bonnet-a-l'Eveque, or the Bishop's Miter,
said understanding the Citadelle is crucial to understanding Haiti's
turbulent history as the only nation whose birth was the result of a
successful slave rebellion.
"The Citadelle was built to protect the interior of the country in case
the French tried to retake the former colony," Delatour said. "The
political decision was made to burn the land on the coast and retreat
to the mountains at the first sign of an invasion, and use the
mountain passes as choke points. The main desire was to survive
at whatever cost, and never, ever, return to slavery. The fort is a
symbol of the will to fight for one's freedom."
Delatour said the massive effort on the Citadelle, along with two
dozen other mountaintop forts, by a nation that was internationally
isolated and recuperating from devastating wars, could only be
explained by the determination of the former slaves "never to return
to the plantation."
3,000-foot mountain called Bonnet-a-l'Eveque, or the Bishop's Miter,
said understanding the Citadelle is crucial to understanding Haiti's
turbulent history as the only nation whose birth was the result of a
successful slave rebellion.
"The Citadelle was built to protect the interior of the country in case
the French tried to retake the former colony," Delatour said. "The
political decision was made to burn the land on the coast and retreat
to the mountains at the first sign of an invasion, and use the
mountain passes as choke points. The main desire was to survive
at whatever cost, and never, ever, return to slavery. The fort is a
symbol of the will to fight for one's freedom."
Delatour said the massive effort on the Citadelle, along with two
dozen other mountaintop forts, by a nation that was internationally
isolated and recuperating from devastating wars, could only be
explained by the determination of the former slaves "never to return
to the plantation."
"It is also a symbol of what Haitians can achieve when we put our minds together," Delatour said, "what we can do when we
unite instead of fight."
So impressive is the fortress, stretched across the mountain peak, with sheer cliffs on three sides and the only point of access
subject to withering cannon fire, that the United Nations included the Citadelle in its list of cultural treasures, along with the
Acropolis, the pyramids of Egypt and the temple of Borobudur in Indonesia. While some reconstruction has been done,
cannons and cannon balls litter the structure and parts of it are off-limits because they are in danger of tumbling down.
"The Citadelle reflects the dreams our fathers had for the country," said former president Jean-Bertrand Aristide. "Their dreams
of freedom and dignity.
Unfortunately, it was carried out with slavery, and hopefully today we can continue their project, but without the roots of slavery."
The Citadelle was never needed. The builder Christophe -- who had fought for the French army then aiding the Americans in
the Revolutionary War -- led Haitian troops against not only the French but British and Spanish forces in a 12-year revolt that
ended when Haiti proclaimed independence in 1804.
unite instead of fight."
So impressive is the fortress, stretched across the mountain peak, with sheer cliffs on three sides and the only point of access
subject to withering cannon fire, that the United Nations included the Citadelle in its list of cultural treasures, along with the
Acropolis, the pyramids of Egypt and the temple of Borobudur in Indonesia. While some reconstruction has been done,
cannons and cannon balls litter the structure and parts of it are off-limits because they are in danger of tumbling down.
"The Citadelle reflects the dreams our fathers had for the country," said former president Jean-Bertrand Aristide. "Their dreams
of freedom and dignity.
Unfortunately, it was carried out with slavery, and hopefully today we can continue their project, but without the roots of slavery."
The Citadelle was never needed. The builder Christophe -- who had fought for the French army then aiding the Americans in
the Revolutionary War -- led Haitian troops against not only the French but British and Spanish forces in a 12-year revolt that
ended when Haiti proclaimed independence in 1804.
During the rebellion, Christophe burned the entire city of
Cap-Haitien to the ground, beginning with his own house, when the
French invaded the port in 1802 to squelch the slave uprising. The
move left the French with only smoldering ruins and charred fields.
Cristophe seized power definitively in 1806 and crowned himself
King Henri I in 1811.
Fearing a French invasion, he ordered up the fortress, with the
architectural guidance of two Frenchmen. The original plans have
never been found. The Citadelle sits on a mountain beyond the
Sans Souci palace, the seat of government that Christophe had built
in the town of Milot, 30 miles inland from Cap-Haitien.
The fortress's 365 cannons and 10,000 rounds, along with a
massive stone cistern, were designed to allow the permanent
garrison of several thousand men to resist almost indefinitely. It took
up to three months for a single cannon to be moved from the coast
to the fortress.
Cap-Haitien to the ground, beginning with his own house, when the
French invaded the port in 1802 to squelch the slave uprising. The
move left the French with only smoldering ruins and charred fields.
Cristophe seized power definitively in 1806 and crowned himself
King Henri I in 1811.
Fearing a French invasion, he ordered up the fortress, with the
architectural guidance of two Frenchmen. The original plans have
never been found. The Citadelle sits on a mountain beyond the
Sans Souci palace, the seat of government that Christophe had built
in the town of Milot, 30 miles inland from Cap-Haitien.
The fortress's 365 cannons and 10,000 rounds, along with a
massive stone cistern, were designed to allow the permanent
garrison of several thousand men to resist almost indefinitely. It took
up to three months for a single cannon to be moved from the coast
to the fortress.
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