[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 20]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 28278]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




   RECOGNIZING THE UNVEILING OF A MONUMENT HONORING HAITIAN SOLDIERS

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, October 24, 2007

  Mr. RANGEL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the erection of 
a monument in Savannah, Georgia honoring the more than 500 Haitian 
soldiers who fought there during the Revolutionary War, and to 
introduce the accompanying New York CARIB News article, ``Haitians in 
U.S. Revolution Get Monument,'' published on Oct. 16, 2007. This 
monument serves as a bronze testament to the oft-forgotten 
contributions Haitians made in that war.
  Around 150 people attended the unveiling of the monument, which 
depicts four soldiers from that 545-man unit. Theirs was the largest 
unit in that Savannah battle and believed to be the largest grouping of 
black soldiers in the war. Soon after returning home, those Haitian 
veterans channeled that same spirit of rebellion to gain independence 
from the French in 1804.
  In tribute to that integral thread in our American history, and in 
memory of their sacrifices to the cause of liberty, I submit news of 
this important symbol into the Record.

                Haitians in U.S. Revolution Get Monument

       Savannah, Ga.--After 228 years as largely unsung 
     contributors to American independence, Haitian soldiers who 
     fought in the Revolution War's bloody siege of Savannah had a 
     monument dedicated in their honor last Monday.
       About 150 people, many of them Haitian-Americans who came 
     to Savannah for the event, gathered in Franklin Square where 
     life-size bronze statues of four soldiers now stand atop a 
     granite pillar 6 feet tall and 16 feet in diameter.
       This is a testimony to tell people we Haitians didn't come 
     from the boat, said Daniel Fils-Aime, chairman of the Miami-
     based Haitian American Historical Society. We were here in 
     1779 to help America win independence. That recognition is 
     overdue.
       In October 1779, a force of more than 500 Haitian free 
     Blacks joined American colonists and French troops in an 
     unsuccessful push to drive the British from Savannah in 
     coastal Georgia.
       More than 300 allied soldiers were gunned down charging 
     British fortifications Oct. 9, making the siege the second-
     most lopsided British victory of the war after Bunker Hill.
       Though not well known in the U.S., Haiti's role in the 
     American Revolution is a point of national pride for 
     Haitians.
       After returning home from the war, Haitian veterans soon 
     led their own rebellion that won Haiti's independence from 
     France in 1804.
       Fils-Aime's group has spent the past seven years lobbying 
     Savannah leaders to support the monument, which the city 
     approved in 2005, and raising more than $400,000 in private 
     donations to pay for it. Fils-Aime said the historical 
     society still needs $250,000 more to finish two additional 
     soldier statues.
       As it stands now, the monument features life-size bronze 
     statues of 4 soldiers and standing atop a granite pillar 6 
     feet tall and 16 feet in diameter.
       The fourth statue, a drummer boy, depicts a young Henri 
     Christophe, who served in Savannah as an adolescent and went 
     to become Haiti's first president--and ultimately king--after 
     it won independence.
       Records show that 545 Haitian soldiers sailed to Savannah 
     in 1779, making them the largest military unit of the 
     Savannah battle. The Haitians are also believed to have been 
     the largest black unit to serve in the American Revolution.
       This is a testimony to tell people we Haitians didn't come 
     from the boat, said Daniel Fils-Aime, chairman of the Miami-
     based Haitian American Historical Society, 1 of the many 
     Haitian Americans who came to Savannah for the dedication.
       We were here in 1779 to help American win independence. 
     That recognition is overdue.

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