Genereal Leclerc's Handwritten Letter to Artillery Brigade Commander Alex, on October 3, 1802

At the Headquarters of Le Cap (Au Quartier-général du Cap), 1802. With printed heading "Armee de Saint-Domingue, le General en Chef. Liberté, Égalité.. Edges slightly chipped, with no effect on legibility. Overall in very good condition.. With printed heading "Armee de Saint-Domingue, le General en Chef. Liberté, Égalité.". Signed by Leclerc. 1 leaf, written on both sides.

Leclerc's letter regarding the military positions at Le Cap (or Cap-Français; today: Cap-Haïtien) that should be garnished with artillery in case of an attack.

Leclerc gives detailed suggestions about the firepower, the number of cannons and howitzers, their supplies and exact positions. He mentions General Claparède, asks the cooperation with him at Fort L'Hopital and Fort Bel-Air. Orders Commander Alex to go with General Claparède for a tour of inspection at La Petite-Anse to see what state the entrenchments are and how many artillery pieces are there. Leclerc refers that he is going to write to General Latouche regarding the amount of gunpowder at their naval station.

Charles Leclerc (1772-1802) was a French Army general, Napoleon Bonaparte's brother-in-law. After proving his abilities in Napoleon's campaign in the Orient and in Germany in the Army of the Rhine, he was appointed to Captain General of the Saint-Domingue expedition, the attempt to regain French control of the island and to restore slavery, that has been abolished during the Haiti Revolution. After Leclerc's initial success, the expedition was ended with a French defeat in November 1803, and the successful slave revolt led Haiti to become the first independent black republic. Leclerc died in yellow fever in 1802.

General Claparède (Michel Marie Claparède; 1770-1842) was a French general, who took part in the Saint-Domingue expedition where he was promoted to general de brigade.

General Latouche (Louis-René Levassor de Latouche Tréville; 1745-1804) was a French Vice-admiral, he fought in the American War of Independence, the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic wars as well. In October 1801 he carried troops to Saint-Domingue and assisted in the capture of Port-au-Prince and Léogane, and he managed to obtain the peaceful surrender of General Laplume. He got the yellow fever and in 1803 he returned to France where he died in 1804.

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