Nothing short of absolute independence in both government and commerce will satisfy us. This we shall have or cease to live.”

—Henri Christophe

Chasseurs-Volontaires de Saint-Domingue

The Volunteers of Saint-Domingue was a force of over 500 black soldiers sent from a French colony —later becoming the Republic of Haiti, located in the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean Sea — to join American revolutionaries in fighting against the British during the siege of Savannah.

After the American Continental Army proved itself by defeating British General John Burgoyne’s forces at Saratoga, New York in October 1777, France signed both a valuable commercial treaty and formed an invaluable defensive alliance with the embattled American revolutionaries. 

In early 1778, French King Louis XVI ordered a large squadron of French battleships to cross the Atlantic Ocean for the first time in its history to combat the British directly on the American Atlantic coast. 

In 1779, the 500 Volunteers of Saint-Domingue under the command of French nobleman Charles Hector, which included ten companies of light infantry, fought bravely alongside American colonial troops and its calvary, led by a Polish nobleman.

The city had been under British control since December 1778. For the history books, the battle was named the Second Battle of Savannah. It was the second deadliest battle of the American Revolution.

However, the Continental Army was soundly defeated by British forces, and many among the Saint-Domingue volunteers lost their lives bravely fighting on behalf of the Americans.

The heroic efforts of many Savannahian military leaders during the American Revolution has long been celebrated by the city. The Pulaski Monument in Monterey Square celebrates the life of Casimir Pulaski, a Polish military commander who once distinguished himself by saving the life of General Washington.

Pulaski was killed leading a cavalry charge during the Second Battle of Savannah. Fort Pulaski, later built just outside of Savannah, was named for him in 1833.

William Jasper was killed during the siege of Savannah in October 1779, as well. A monument to Jasper sits in Madison Square to honor his heroism at the Battle of Sullivan’s Island near Charleston in 1776.

George Washington, Nathanael Greene, and the Marquis de Lafayette are among other Revolutionary War heroes celebrated by Squares and monuments located in the Historic District of Savannah.

This Plein-air is of The Volunteers of Saint-Domingue. It is located in Franklyn Square, named for another celebrated leader of the American Revolution, Benjamin Franklyn. It was completed in 2013.

Like so many other contributions made by Africans to the building and creation of this beautiful American city in the deep south, recognition of and celebration for what these black volunteers did for Savannah and for the American Revolution came much later than deserved.

The young drummer depicted in this monument was Henri Christophe. A former slave, Christophe became the leader of the Haitian Revolution — then in 1811, Christophe became King Henry I of Haiti.