Also known as: Maréchaussée, Colonial Police, Slave Patrol, Rural Police Force
Last updated: April 23, 2026
The institution combined military organization with judicial functions, giving maréchaussée officers authority to arrest, interrogate, and sometimes summarily punish suspected maroons and rebels. They served as the primary instrument of terror keeping half a million enslaved people under control of 40,000 whites.
The constabulary free colored men were also required to staff
militia-revolt - Prehistory of the struggle over armed civic service and degraded status
Maroons targeted free men of color because the latter had historically pursued them as maréchaussée members
Colonial Militia
Slave-catching police
de-couleur - Some free people of color served in coercive institutions while being denied equality
The population most systematically targeted by patrols and pursuit
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"Maréchaussée." Rasin.ai, 2026. https://rasin.ai/connections/concepts/marechaussee. Accessed 2026-05-05.