Joseph Chatoyer

The Black Carib wars against the English were in three phases.It was during the closing stages of the second phase that Chatoyer, the great Carib Chief, met his death.

In March 1795 Duvallier, the Windward Carib Chief, pulled down the British flag at Dorsetshire Hill and made his headquarters there.Chatoyer eventually joined Duvallier at Dorsetshire Hill where he took command.However, on the night of 14th March of that same year, the English stormed Dorsetshire Hill to fight against the Caribs.

Chatoyer, by this time, was convinced that he could not be killed by mortal means so he challenged Major Alexander Leith to a duel.Leith was a trained army officer and as such, he was a good swordsman and so Chatoyer was killed in the duel.The French account of the duel says that while Chatoyer was getting the upper hand over Major Leith, an English soldier shot the Carib Chief in the back.No matter how Chatoyer was killed, the limited information available on him indicates that he was a great leader.We know that his home and headquarters were at Morne Ronde on the North Western end of the island however, there is no clue as to his final resting place.

To become a chief of the Caribs, one had to distinguish oneself in war or in other respects.Chatoyer appears not only to have been the paramount military chief, but also the civilian one.In war Chatoyer was an outstanding leader.His forces included not only his fellow Caribs but also Europeans who were French troops.Neither the French nor his fiercely individualistic countrymen would have respected him had he not been an outstanding general.

During battle Chatoyer did not destroy property for the sake of vandalism, as Duvallier had done on the Windward side of the island.Instead, Chatoyer preserved it so that he could use it in the future.This action shows remarkable foresight.Chatoyer, despite the great odds against him, was able to defeat the English twice.>He was able to mould his army into a remarkable fighting force.The strategies he used, to inflict blows on and to negotiate with the English, indicate he was a man of great character.

Perhaps the most pointed indication of his leadership was what happened to his troops: when he died most of the French soldiers immediately forsook the Carib cause and fled to Layou.The Caribs themselves were so shocked at their leader’s death that retreated to their villages.From then on the very character of the Carib war took on an entirely different complexion.

It is possible that had this great man Chatoyer lived, the English might not have been able to so quickly suppress the Caribs and transport them from their homeland to Central America.Chatoyer remains a hero even though his Carib empire has long been destroyed.