Nicolas Geffrard (general)

Nicolas Geffrard (10 November 1761 - May 31, 1806) was a Haitian general, and a participant in the Haitian Revolution. He was a signatory to the Haitian Declaration of Independence.

Born on the Périgny estate in Camp-Perrin, Geffrard was one of seven children born to Nicolas Geffrard pere and Julie Coudro,^[1] alongside Mathurin, Fénélon, Marie-Anne, Marie Catherine, Louis and Jacques.^{[citation needed]}

After Haiti's independence, was made military head of the southern peninsula, where he supervised the construction of the Fort des Platons (today in the town of Torbeck).^{[citation needed]}

Jean-Jacques Dessalines sent General Nicolas Geffrard to put down the last uprisings of the supporters of Lamour Desrances in Jacmel. Lamour Desrances was arrested and his forces annihilated. Jean-Jacques Dessalines thus became master of the situation with 15,000 troops.^{[citation needed]}

Geffrard was the father of:

• Fabre (1806-1878, born to Marguerite Claudine Lejeune; general and later president of Haiti)^[2]
• Marie-Marthe (8 May 1799-?, born to Geffrard and Anne-Catherine)
• Alexandre (ca. 1805-?, born to Geffrard and an unknown parent)
• Marie-Catherine (?-?, born to Geffrard and Geneviève Lannière)
• Marie-Madeleine (?-?, born to Geffrard and an unknown parent)
• Adélaïde Marie-Antoinette (2 May 1804, born to Geffrard and Mélisse Gaspard)

Through this brother Fénélon, Nicolas was the uncle of the musician Nicolas Fénélon Geffrard, the co-writer of "La Dessalinienne"; it became the national anthem of Haiti in 1904.