The 1811 Slave Revolt Led by Charles Deslondes

During the years that slave labor was a part of the culture of the United States; there were surprisingly few large slave revolts. The illusion that one had a right to own people was so ingrained in the minds of slave owners that many went to horrendous lengths to ensure fear and inferiority was a part of the slave mentality. Therefore, few slaves were brave enough to defy their masters outright. Charles Deslondes was not one of those slaves. He was an overseer of other slaves whose job allowed him a certain level of authority. Nonetheless, he loathed the enslavement of black men, women and children so much that he organized what is thought to be the largest slave revolt in the history of the United States.

Charles Deslondes' Revolt is also known as the 1811 German Coast Uprising because it took place along what was once known as the German Coast in Louisiana. The German Coast ran along the east coast of the Mississippi River. The revolt started on January 8, 1811. The story goes that there were only roughly 20 slaves in the beginning. According to Governor Claiborne's account of the revolt, it started on the plantation of Colonel Andre (or Andry). There, Andry's son was murdered by the rebellious slaves.

Just 11 years before Charles Deslondes' Revolt, a slave named Nat Turner was born. Turner would go on to have a revolt of his own, one where men, women and children alike were murdered brutally. That was likely what whites expected of these "savage" slaves, long before their fears came true with Nat Turner's Revolt. Such was not the case for Charles Deslondes and his band of rebels. They went from plantation to plantation wreaking havoc and gathering slaves to their cause. Only two whites were killed, both adult males.

Sources differ greatly on the eventual number of slaves involved in Charles Deslondes' Revolt. Somewhere between 200 and 500 total took part in the revolt. They banded together and marched toward New Orleans, but they were cut off by militia. The group scattered, but many were found. Nearly 100 slaves were put to death during and after the revolt. Some of their heads were displayed as a warning. As was the practice at the time, slave owners were compensated monetarily for each slave that was executed.

Charles Deslondes was captured after the group dispersed. He was executed, but not like the others, if the stories are true. Charles Deslondes' hands were cut off. He was shot several times, though he may have still been alive when his body was burned. Such was the fate of a slave who dared to rebel. That is hypocritical behavior coming from whites whose freedom had been won through rebellion roughly 30 years before.

Sources

Forgotten Heroes of Black History: Charles Deslondes, retrieved 4/22/11, rollingout.com/news-politics/forgotten-heroes-of-black-history-charles-deslondes

Uprising in Louisiana, retrieved 4/22/11, abolition.nypl.org/images/african_resistance/4/115