Marie-Jeanne Lamartinière was the mulatto wife of General Louis Daure Lamartinière, Dessalines's second-in-command at Crête-à-Pierrot, and fought alongside him in the fort's defense against Leclerc's forces in March 1802.
Madiou records that she crossed the ramparts to hand out cartridges and load cannons, and when battle intensified she ran to the frontlines and fired her rifle with 'wild enthusiasm'; sources describe her wearing a steel belt around her waist from which hung a sabre, with a rifle slung over her shoulder. She represents women as combatants rather than symbols — on the ramparts, not in support roles — and belongs to the cohort of revolutionary women that includes Sanité Bélair and Cécile Fatiman, demonstrating that the Haitian Revolution was fought by women as well as men in every capacity.
In the ScholarshipHow historians have read this figure.
How historians and scholars have interpreted this figure across different analytical traditions.
Dubois's Avengers of the New World recovers Marie-Jeanne Lamartinière as one of the women fighters of the revolutionary period — specifically as a figure associated with the defense of Crête-à-Pierrot in 1802, one of the most celebrated battles of the resistance to Leclerc's expedition. Dubois's account is attentive to how women's participation in the revolutionary armies has been systematically underrepresented in the historiography, appearing in fragments of testimony and military records rather than in the hero narratives that the nationalist tradition constructed around male commanders. Marie-Jeanne's presence at Crête-à-Pierrot, fighting alongside her husband and the garrison against overwhelming French force, represents one of the few moments when women's combat participation became legible in the historical record.
Marie-Jeanne Lamartinière's presence at Crête-à-Pierrot represents one of the few moments when women's combat participation became legible in the historical record — a fighter whose role the nationalist tradition's male-centered hero narrative systematically underrepresented.
TimelineAcross the historical record.
- 1802
Combatant, Battle of Crête-à-Pierrot
Fought alongside her husband at Crête-à-Pierrot in March 1802, distributing ammunition, loading cannons, and fighting on the ramparts during one of the bloodiest battles of Leclerc's campaign.
- 1802-03-04
Battle of Crête-à-Pierrot
Fought at Crête-à-Pierrot in March 1802, crossing the ramparts to distribute cartridges and load cannons, and firing at the frontlines when French forces pressed the assault.