Charles Deslondes was an enslaved African man who was brutally executed for leading the 1811 German Coast Revolt, widely regarded as the largest slave uprising in U.S. history, involving over 500 people.
Born around 1789 on the plantation of Jacques Deslondes in the Territory of Orleans, a leading exporter of cotton and sugarcane, Charles Deslondes grew up under the harsh realities of slavery. Described as a “Creole mulatto”, the details of his early life remain unclear, but he likely spent much of his youth on the plantation under the oppressive conditions that defined the system of slavery.
Deslondes eventually became a “driver,” or overseer, on the plantation of Colonel Manuel Andry, which was later renamed Woodland Plantation. In this role, Deslondes was responsible for supervising other enslaved workers. It was this experience, alongside his awareness of the brutalities of the system, that led him to organize the revolt that would change the course of history.
The 1811 German Coast Uprising began on 8th January, on the plantation of Colonel Manuel André, a notorious figure known for his cruelty toward his enslaved workers. Just after sundown, Deslondes and his fellow freedom fighters stormed André’s plantation, catching the overseers off guard. According to Colonel André’s account, the rebels aimed to “assassinate me by the stroke of an axe.” While André narrowly escaped with his life, his son, Gilbert, was not so fortunate. In a brutal attack, Gilbert was murdered by the rebels, whom André described as “a horde of brigands.”
After securing weapons and horses from the André plantation, Deslondes and his army of fighters began their march down River Road toward New Orleans in an organized and military-style formation. The freedom fighters, mostly young men, moved from one estate to another, burning plantation homes and crops along the way.
However, the rebellion was not without its internal challenges. While many enslaved Africans joined the revolt, some loyal to their masters chose to inform them about the uprising. These enslaved informants warned their owners, giving them a head start in fleeing their estates and preparing for a counterattack. This betrayal allowed the military response to be better coordinated and helped planters retrieve their weapons, denying the freedom fighters the firepower they would have needed to sustain their efforts.
Despite this act of loyalty to their masters, the majority of the enslaved people on the German Coast supported the rebellion.
As Deslondes and his army gained momentum, they took more plantations along the Mississippi River. By the time they reached Charles Deslondes’ own plantation, their numbers had increased to a significant force, with accounts of up to 500 insurgents participating in the rebellion.
Despite their inferior weapons—mostly cane knives and a few captured guns—the freedom fighters achieved remarkable successes. In one day, they killed two white men and burned down several plantation homes.
By noon on January 9, news of the German Coast insurrection had spread to New Orleans and by sunset, General Wade Hampton I, Commodore John Shaw, and Governor Claiborne had organized a military response, dispatching two companies of volunteer militia, 30 U.S. Army soldiers, and 40 sailors from the U.S. Navy to end the uprising. They were joined by the wounded Colonel André and his volunteer militia.
By 4 a.m. on January 10, the New Orleans forces reached Jacques Fortier’s plantation, where General Hampton believed the rebels had camped overnight. As the military closed in on the insurgents, the fighters continued their march, fighting off the advancing forces as they tried to reach the outskirts of New Orleans.
By January 11, the freedom fighters were engaged in a fierce battle with the militia near a plantation, just west of New Orleans. Colonel André’s forces, along with reinforcements, outnumbered the rebels and eventually overwhelmed them. Despite their bravery, Deslondes’ army, armed with limited resources, was no match for the well-armed military. The militia killed about 40 freedom fighters in the battle, and many others fled into the nearby swamps, hoping to escape the wrath of the militias and soldiers.
Charles Deslondes was one of the first that captured by the militia. He was hunted down with the help of Native American trackers and vicious hunting dogs, and what followed was a gruesome and torturous death. Deslondes was not given a trial; instead, he was subjected to brutal mutilation. His hands were chopped off, and he was shot repeatedly in the legs and body. According to contemporary accounts, his body was then placed in a bundle of straw and set on fire while he was still alive.
Deslondes’ agonizing cries as he was roasted was a public spectacle meant to serve as a warning to other enslaved africans who escaped into the swamps and marshes.
The aftermath of the 1811 German Coast Uprising was swift and brutal. A total of 95 enslaved Africans who participated in the uprising were executed, with many tried and hanged in public.
The heads of those executed were placed on pikes, and their mutilated bodies were displayed along the levee from the Place d’Armes in central New Orleans along the River Road to the plantation district. By the end of January, nearly 100 severed heads were displayed on stakes, quadrupling the number of heads put on display following the Pointe Coupee uprising in 1795.
The heads were mounted as a warning to other slaves who might consider rising up against their captors. Samuel Hambleton, a naval officer, described the chilling scene, stating, “They were brung up here for the sake of their Heads, which decorate our Levee, all the way up the coast. I am told they look like crows sitting on long poles.”
Despite the horrific aftermath, Deslondes’ insurrection remains one of the most significant acts of resistance in the history of American slavery. The rebellion demonstrated that enslaved people, even under extreme oppression, were capable of organizing and challenging their captors.
References
https://www.whyweseek.com/whitney-plantation-one-place-every-american-should-visit/
https://www.the1811slaverevolt.com
