Brunet to General Rochambeau, 13 May 1803

The Brunet Papers consist of 1 box of letters and documents from the period 1802 - 1803, during which time the French were waging war against the Haitians in Haiti (or Saint Domingue). The majority of items are letters from Brunet, a French Division General, to the General en Chef, Donatien Rochambeau. Other tiems consist of letters from Brunet to Rochambeau's predecessor, Victor Leclerc, letters to Brunet from his subordinates, and some miscellaneous documents, including the transcript of the interrogation of an officer accused of high treason and a draft of civilian laws or rules.

The Brunet Papers cover the period just before the death of General Leclerc up to a point several months before the French were forced to evacuate the island. The French forces, at the beginning of this period, were able to defend against the Haitians with the help of Haitian generals who had turned against their own people (only to turn against the French later) such as Dessalines and Laplume. However, the "maladie" which so greatly afflicted the French, their lack of supplies, and the treachery of the forenamed generals (and other complications in France itself), which are all documented in these papers, helped to turn the tide against the French.

The main themes that run through these papers are the need for more troops, the actions of particular brigades, the actions of the rebels, the problems facing the troops because of illness, lack of provisions, and lack of money, and confirmations that particular orders were being carried out.