One Frenchman, Four Revolutions

This book is about the world in which the French general Marie-Louis Ferrand thrived and in which he ultimately lost his life. He can be seen as an overarching link between the four revolutions from 1775 to 1825 through which he lived. He was a pirate in the American Revolution, served as an officer in the army before and during the French Revolution, and volunteered to go to the French colony of Saint-Domingue (later Haiti) when Napoleon decided to retake control of that colony. When the rebelling slaves repulsed the French and proclaimed independence, Ferrand took command of the remaining French forces on the island and for five years held the eastern part for France. The last revolution he witnessed was the one staged against himself and the French regime in Santo Domingo.