Bellevue-Chardonnière is a communal section in the Western Department of Haiti. It is the fifth communal section of Pétion-Ville.
History[]
Bellevue-Chardonnières, formerly Charbonnière, was originally known as the seventh rural section of the town of Pétion-ville, district of Port-au-Prince. There are sources on the houses Fréres, Grosjean, Métivier, Berthé, Pernier, and Madame, Habitations, the latter located between the two rural sections of Bellevue-Charbonnière and Bellevue-la-Montagne.
• On June 3, 1791, Sonthonax and Polverel, unable to resist the English at Port-au-Prince, went to Bellevue-Charbonniere.
• In 1889, the Northerners fortified themselves at the Marlique habitation against Pétion-Ville. Water at Marlique comes from the Duplan spring.
Geography[]
The section is partly composed of plains to the east and mountains to the north. There are numerous habitatons. The rural school is in Freres; it is perhaps the most advanced in the country.
The general basin of distribution of the Cul-de-Sac Plain, which supplies the water to all the habitations of this vast plain, is in the limits of this rural section and the commune of Croix-des-Bouquets.
The Bellevue-Charbonnière mountain depends on the Saddle Mountain Range.
Neighboring sections
Northwest  1re Turgeau, PAP |
North |
Northeast
4e Bellevue, TBR
|
|---|---|---|
| West
2e Aux Cadets
|
5e Bellevue-Chardonnière
|
East 3e Petit-Bois, CDB |
| Southwest Ville de Pétion-Ville |
South
3e Etang-du-Jonc
|
Southeast
8e Belle-Fontaine, CDB
|
Pernier[]
Pernier was a coffee plantation located in the rural section of Bellevue Charbonnière, in the commune of Pétion-Ville. The estate contained natural springs and bordered the section of Sourcailles. It became the scene of a significant confrontation in the early phase of the Haitian Revolution.
Background[]
In the aftermath of the Battle of Nérette in June 1791, the Petits Blancs of Port-au-Prince, upon seeing the bloodied survivors of Grand-Fond entering the city, resolved upon a violent expedition. On the night of July 1–2, 1791, they departed with the National Guard, reinforced by:
- 100 artillerymen with six field pieces under Praloto,
- 200 soldiers from the Normandy and Artois regiments,
- 200 sailors from the station.
The sailors were given sacks to be filled with the severed heads of mulatto combatants, each head valued at 80 gourdes. The white column advanced into the Cul-de-Sac plain, and established camp at the Pernier plantation.
The Battle of Pernier[]
Meanwhile, freedmen had gathered at Trou-Caïman, at the foot of the Mirebalais mountains, and marched in three columns under the leadership of Lambert and Bauvais. The men advanced prancing, laughing, and singing, though their commanders forbade them to attack the whites.
The vanguard had already passed beyond Pernier when Aubrant, who led the center column, halted and rode back to urge Doyon, commander of the rearguard, to attack. Doyon refused, citing Bauvais and Lambert’s prohibition. Aubrant then returned at the head of his troops and confronted the officers of Artois and Normandy directly, asking if they wished to remain “the instruments of tyranny.” Outraged, the whites rushed him; he fired a pistol, killing one, and the battle was joined on July 2, 1791.
The center column sustained heavy fire from Praloto’s artillery, but held firm. At the sound of the cannons, both the vanguard and rearguard rushed to support Aubrant. The white forces, attacked from all sides, were routed and cut to pieces, losing all their artillery. The discovery of the sailors’ sacks intended for severed heads inflamed the fury of the freedmen, who slaughtered nearly all of the sailors.
During the rout, an officer of the Artois battalion was about to be killed when a young man of color intervened. Throwing himself between the victim and the swords of the victors, he cried: “Thanks to the victors, let us not soil our life with acts of cruelty.” The officer was spared. That young man was Alexandre Pétion, marking the beginning of his military career with an act of clemency.
Throughout the battle, Bauvais distinguished himself for his composure and rare courage.
Aftermath[]
Following the victory at Pernier, the men of color withdrew again to their base at Trou-Caïman. The clash at the plantation became remembered as one of the earliest decisive encounters in the Haitian Revolution, introducing Pétion as a military leader and demonstrating the resolve of the freedmen’s forces against the combined might of the colonial militias, regiments, and sailors.
Peguy-ville
Tête-a-l'Eau
View from Vivy Mitchell
Belvil (from Fine Fleur)
Michael Vedrine is a miracle