2020-11-18 Wed

Battle of Vertieres Day is annually celebrated on November 18 to commemorate the victory of the Battle of Vertieres in the Second War of Haitian Independence in 1803.

The Battle was the major battle between the Haitian rebels and the French occupants. Just two months after the end of the battle Haiti gained independence from France, becoming the first black independent republic.

Battle of Vertieres Day was also known as Army Day or Armed Forces Day. The celebration included a grand military parade that was the main event. In the early 1990s, President of Haiti Jean-Bertrand Aristide abolished the Haitian Armed Forces, because it was notorious for its brutality.

This important battle of Haiti has been portrayed on a banknote of the country. In the year 1989, a 5 gourde banknote was issued by the bank of the Republic of Haiti which depicts the war scene on the obverse and the coat of arms of the country on the reverse.

Image Courtesy: colnect.com