Charles Deslondes’ 500-Strong March on New Orleans
In January 1811, Charles Deslondes led the largest slave revolt in U.S. history. He and 25 men struck first at Manuel Andry’s plantation, killing Andry’s son and taking weapons.
Their ranks soon grew to 500 as they marched toward New Orleans with drums beating and flags flying. Most carried farm tools as weapons.
The rebels burned plantations and fought for three days until a militia caught them by surprise. The price was steep – 95 enslaved people died in battle or were killed after.
Their heads lined River Road for 40 miles as a warning. Today, Whitney Plantation stands as the first museum fully telling their bold story.
Slaves Secretly Planned Their Freedom During Sugar Harvest Break
On January 6, 1811, Charles Deslondes, a mixed-race slave driver, met with Quamana Brown and Harry at Manuel Andry’s plantation. They talked about their bold plan during the quiet time after sugar harvest season.
News about the uprising spread among slaves along the Mississippi River’s German Coast. Many wanted to join the fight, though not everyone took part.
They set the stage for what grew into the biggest slave rebellion in American history.
Nighttime Attack Launched During a Fierce Storm
Rain poured down on the cold night of January 8, 1811. Deslondes led 25 men into Manuel Andry’s house in the darkness.
They hit Andry with an axe, badly hurting him, and killed his son Gilbert. Somehow Andry escaped across the Mississippi River despite his wounds.
The rebels quickly went to the basement to take muskets, bullets, and militia uniforms.
These weapons would arm their growing group as they moved toward New Orleans with one goal: freedom for all slaves in Louisiana.
Rebels Marched Like Soldiers Down River Road
Drums beat as the rebels moved in military formation.
Some wore stolen militia uniforms, a smart move by Charles who knew these clothes would give their cause weight and link their fight to the successful Haitian Revolution.
Most carried farm tools turned weapons like pikes, hoes, and axes, with only a few guns among them. About 15 slaves from Andry’s plantation joined with eight more from the nearby Deslondes property.
After raiding Andry’s house, they moved south along the east bank levee.
More Fighters Joined With Each Plantation They Passed
The rebel army grew at every stop. Between 10-25% of slaves from each plantation they passed joined them.
At James Brown’s plantation, a man named Kook became a key fighter.
At the next property, Kook killed owner François Trépagnier with an axe, the second and last white person to die in the uprising. By the time they moved past Brown’s plantation, their numbers grew to over 100 fighters.
The rebellion gained strength as they marched toward New Orleans.
Panic Created a Nine-Mile Traffic Jam to New Orleans
On the morning of January 9, chaos broke out. Scared white plantation owners and some Black people ran toward New Orleans, creating a nine-mile traffic jam on the main road.
Governor William Claiborne acted fast, ordering troops to close off the city and stop any Black person from entering. All bars in New Orleans and nearby areas shut down right away.
No Black man could walk the streets after six o’clock. Claiborne called out the militia and set a strict curfew as fear spread through the city.
Federal Troops Mobilized for the First Time Against a Slave Uprising
General Wade Hampton gathered two companies of volunteers plus regular Army troops and Navy sailors. This marked the first time in American history that federal troops fought against a slave rebellion.
Hampton told Major Homer Virgil Milton in Baton Rouge to bring more regular troops downriver. Nearly 700 soldiers, more men than the actual number of rebels, would face off against the uprising.
Hampton led this quickly formed force north on January 9, wanting to crush the rebellion before it reached New Orleans.
Smart Military Tactics Confused the Pursuing Army
The rebels camped at Jacques Fortier’s sugar plantation, about eighteen miles from New Orleans.
When soldiers marched out from the city, they stopped at the closest plantation on the German Coast, sure they’d find the rebels there.
Hampton was shocked to learn the rebels had slipped away during the night in a well-planned retreat northward.
The military fell for a West African battle trick that uses repeated advances and retreats to confuse enemies. The rebels moved to Bernard Bernoudi’s sugar plantation in St. Charles Parish.
Plantation Owner’s Militia Launched a Surprise Attack
Manuel Andry didn’t give up after his narrow escape.
He joined with Charles Perret to gather about 80 armed planters from the west bank of the Mississippi. This militia paddled across the river while the rebels watched the troops coming from New Orleans.
Andry’s militia caught the rebels completely off guard, coming from behind when they least expected it. Lines of mounted militiamen, including free men of color, charged into the rebel ranks.
The surprise attack quickly turned the tide against the rebellion.
Battle Ended When Rebels Ran Out of Ammunition
Both sides lined up and started shooting, but the rebels quickly ran out of bullets while the militia kept firing. The fight turned into what Andry called “un grand carnage” – a great slaughter.
Within just thirty minutes, 40 to 45 rebels died. The rest ran into the nearby woods and swamps.
About 50 were caught, including key leaders Harry, Kook, and Quamana.
Perret’s and Andry’s militias tried to chase down survivors, but the swampy ground made it hard to follow them. The main battle ended, but the brutal aftermath was just starting.
Rebellion Leader Suffered a Horrific Public Execution
On January 11, militia members with Native American trackers and hunting dogs found Charles Deslondes hiding in the swamps. Andry called him “the main leader of the bandits.”
As the son of a white man and a slave who had risen to become a slave driver, Deslondes got no trial or questioning.
Samuel Hambleton, a witness, described his terrible fate: “Charles had his hands chopped off then shot in one thigh & then the other, until they were both broken – then shot in the body and before he had expired was put into a bundle of straw and roasted!”
His screams sent a clear message to any rebels still hiding in the marshes.
Ninety-Five Heads Were Displayed on Stakes Along the River
A two-day tribunal began on January 13, 1811, at Destrehan Plantation. Judge Pierre Bauchet St. Martin sentenced sixteen rebellion leaders to execution and beheading.
By the end of January, nearly 100 severed heads lined the levee from central New Orleans all the way along River Road to the plantation district.
Naval officer Samuel Hambleton wrote that the heads posted on stakes looked “like crows sitting on long poles.”
A total of 95 insurgents were killed after the rebellion ended, making it the deadliest suppression of a slave revolt in U.S. history.
Today, Whitney Plantation in St. John the Baptist Parish includes a memorial to honor those who fought and died in the 1811 uprising.
Visiting Whitney Plantation, Louisiana
Whitney Plantation at 5099 Louisiana Hwy 18 in Wallace is the first plantation museum focused on the slave experience, including a memorial to the 1811 German Coast Uprising.
Adult admission is $25, with free entry for seniors, military, and students.
You can take hourly guided tours with Big House access or self-guided audio tours without upstairs access. Plan at least two hours for your visit between 9:30am and 4:30pm, closed Tuesdays.
This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.
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