Savannah
planners approve monument to Haitian soldiers
RUSS BYNUM
Associated Press
SAVANNAH,
Ga. - City planners approved a $500,000
monument Friday to Haitian soldiers who fought in the American Revolution's
bloody siege of Savannah, just as Haiti's prime minister planned a weekend visit
to help raise money for the project.
Supporters
hope to unveil the bronze monument in October, 226 years after more than 500 Haitian
troops joined American colonists and French soldiers in an unsuccessful attempt
to drive the British from Savannah. Haitians made up the largest military unit
to fight in the 1779 siege.
Savannah's
Historic Sites and Monuments Commission approved the monument unanimously Friday.
It now goes to the City Council, which is expected to give final approval.
"I'm
excited and I know our dream will come true with the help of Savannah," said
Daniel Fils-Aime, chairman of the Miami-based Haitian-American Historical Society,
which has lobbied for the project since 2001.
Haiti's
role in fighting for American independence may not be well known in the U.S. But
it's a point of national pride for Haitians, whose Revolutionary War veterans
led the rebellion that drove out French colonists in 1804.
Haitian
Interim Prime Minister Gerard Latortue planned to fly to Savannah on Saturday
from Rome, where he attended the funeral of Pope John Paul II, for an invitation-only
dinner with potential donors.
The
Haitian-American Historical Society needs to raise $542,633 to pay for the monument
and a required escrow account for maintenance.
So
far, the group has raised only about $100,000. Fils-Aime said Latortue's appearance
should change that.
"By
him coming here, it will show people he has faith, he believes in us," Fils-Aime
said. "It will make a big difference."
The
monument will include six life-size bronze soldiers on an octagonal pedestal 14-feet
in diameter. It will be placed beneath a canopy of live oaks in Franklin Square
near Savannah's downtown riverfront.
"It's
as grand a monument as you could possibly have," said John Duncan, chairman
of the monuments commission. "You see nothing like it south of Washington,
D.C., just because of the size and scale."
The
statues include a likeness of Henri Christophe, depicted as an adolescent drummer,
who served in the Revolutionary War and later became king of Haiti after the island
nation won independence from France.
U.S.
Monument Planned for Haitian Soldiers
Friday April 8, 2005 9:01 AM
By
RUSS BYNUM
Associated
Press Writer
SAVANNAH,
Ga. (AP) - After 226 years, Haitian soldiers who made up the largest military
unit in the Revolutionary War's bloody siege of Savannah may finally get a monument
in their honor.
A
proposed $500,000 bronze monument was expected to be approved by city planners
Friday. Underscoring the project's importance to Haitians, Interim Prime Minister
Gerard Latortue scheduled a visit to meet with potential donors Saturday.
Though
not well known in the United States, Haiti's role in fighting for American independence
is a point of national pride for Haitians.
In
October 1779, a force of more than 500 Haitian free blacks joined American colonists
and French troops in an unsuccessful push to drive the British from Savannah in
coastal Georgia, the last of the 13 colonies.
More
than 300 allied soldiers were gunned down charging British fortifications Oct.
9, 1779, making the siege the second-most lopsided British victory of the war
after Bunker Hill.
``Not
too many people know about the contributions of Haiti to the greatness of America,''
said Raymond Joseph, Haiti's ambassador-designate to the United States.
He
said Latortue, leader of Haiti's interim government since the ouster of President
Jean-Bertrand Aristide last year, was to fly to Savannah from Rome after attending
the funeral of Pope John Paul II.
``The
prime minister feels we have to do something to make Haitians proud again of their
homeland because we have gone through a very negative period in our recent history,''
Joseph said.
The
Miami-based
Haitian-American Historical Society began lobbying for a monument to the Haitian
soldiers in October 2001.
Featuring
life-size bronze statues of six uniformed soldiers atop a concrete pedestal 14
feet in diameter, the monument would sit beneath a canopy of live oaks in Franklin
Square near the downtown riverfront.
``It's
a way to let people know Haitians didn't just come from the boat,'' said Daniel
Fils-Aime, the historical society chairman. ``We shed our blood in 1779 and that's
something that should be recognized.''
Haitian
records from that era were destroyed by a fire in the 1830s, so it's unclear exactly
how Haitian troops contributed to the battle at Savannah, said Scott Smith, director
of Savannah's Coastal Heritage Society, which is developing a 9.5-acre park on
the battlefield site.
But
existing records show that 545 Haitian troops sailed to Savannah in 1779 - making
them the largest military unit of the Savannah battle, Smith said. The Haitians
are also believed to be the largest black unit to serve in the American Revolution.
After returning
home, Haitian veterans of the Revolutionary War led their own rebellion that established
Haiti's independence from France in 1804.
``There
was definitely experience gained for these Haitians to see a large-scale European
battle and realize these Europeans were not invincible,'' Smith said. ``Within
a little over a decade, the Haitian leaders in Savannah were leading a revolution
against the French.'
'
One
of the monument's statues, depicted as an adolescent drummer, is of Henri Christophe,
who served in Savannah and became king of Haiti after its independence.
---
Related
Link:
The Savannah Monument
Georgia
and the American Revolution
Battle
of Savannah, Georgia
On
the Net:
Haitian-American
Historical Society
http://www.hatianhistory.org
