Charlemagne Péralte
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Charlemagne Masséna Péralte (1886 - 1919) was a Haïtian nationalist leader who opposed the US Invasion of his country in 1915. Leading guerilla fighters called the Cacos, he posed such a challenge to the US forces in Haïti that the occupying forces had to upgrade their presence in Haïti. Péralte remains as a highly praised Haïtian hero.
[edit] Early life
Born in 1886 in the central city of Hinche, Péralte was of Dominican ancestry, as his name shows (Péralte comes from the Spanish name Peralta). Péralte is revered in both sides of the island, in Haïti and in the Dominican Republic.
[edit] Guerrilla Resistance
An officer by career, Charlemagne Péralte was the military chief of the city of Léogane when the US Marines invaded Haïti in July of 1915. (See United States occupation of Haïti (1915-1934))
Refusing to surrender to foreign troops without fighting, Péralte resigned from his position and returned to his native town of Hinche to take care of his family's land. In 1917, he was arrested for assaulting the home of an American Officer of the occupation troops, and was sentenced to five years of forced labor. Escaping his captivity, Charlemagne Péralte gathered a group of nationalist rebels and started guerrilla warfare against the US troops.
The troops led by Péralte were called "Cacos", a name that harked back to rural troops that historically took part in the political turmoil of late 19th century Haïti. The guerilla warriors of the Cacos were such strong adversaries that the United States upgraded the US Marine contingent in Haïti and even employed airplanes for counter-guerilla warfare.
[edit] Death and Aftermath
After two years of guerilla warfare, leading Péralte to declare a provisional government in the north of Haïti, Charlemagne Péralte was betrayed by one of his officers, Jean-Baptiste Conzé, who led disguised USMC second lieutenant Herman H. Hanneken to the rebels camp, near Grand-Rivière Du Nord.
Péralte was shot in the heart during the short skirmish that ensued.
In order to demoralize the Haïtian population, the US troops took a picture of Charlemagne Péralte's body tied to a door, and distributed it in the country. The effect was the opposite. Betrayed and killed at the age of 33, Charlemagne Péralte took the dimension of a martyr for the Haïtian nation.
Charlemagne Péralte remains were unearthed after the end of the US occupation in 1935. His mother was able to identify the corpse because of his gold teeth. A national funeral, attended by the then-President of Haïti, Sténio Vincent, was held in Cap Haitien, where his grave can still be seen today.
A portrait of Charlemagne Péralte can now be seen on the Haïtian coins issued by the government of Jean-Bertrand Aristide after his 1994 return under the protection of US troops.
As a footnote, for his daring exploit, Second Lieutenant Hermann Hanneken (1893-1986) was awarded the Medal of Honor for killing the "chief bandit of Haïti". He later served in World War II, notably at Guadalcanal and ended his career as a Brigadier General. In his late days, he constantly declined to comment on his exploits in Haïti, notably to Haïtian journalist asking for interviews on the 100th anniversary of Péralte's birth, in 1986.
