Gardelin, of St. Thomas, who was at that
time on a visit to the island was to be murdered along with all other
white inhabitants so as to bring the island entirely under the control
of the Negroes. An unexpected change in his arrangements, however,
caused the Governor and a part of his family to leave St. John on the
day preceding the uprising. On the following Sunday, however, the
insurrection began.

Early that morning certain slaves, as was usual, took into the fort
bundles of wood for the use of the soldiers. Within these bundles they
had concealed their knives and cutlasses, and at a given signal they
brought them forth and murdered all the garrison save one who
succeeded in concealing himself. When in possession, the insurgents
fired the signal previously agreed upon and at once upon every
plantation the slaves began to massacre the masters and their
families. Most of the surviving planters fled with their families to
the Durlo estate, situated on an eminence and protected by two cannon
and, under the direction of an old Englishman, repulsed the slaves,
killing and wounding many. While the slaves were in retreat the
planters hastily removed their families to vessels which conveyed them
to Tortola and St. Thomas.

Thinking that this insurrection might spread to St. Thomas, precaution
was immediately taken. Ninety men were armed, sixty sailors from
vessels in the harbor were impressed into service, and the large
vessel on which the Governor had come from St. John was brought nearer
the town. A detachment of thirty soldiers, some young burghers, and
the Jaeger Corps, fully armed and equipped, then proceeded to St. John
and drove the slaves from the fort. The Durlo estate was then relieved
with much difficulty, so determined were the slaves to continue their
work. In spite of these successes, however, the whites decided that it
was impossible to suppress the insurrection with such a small body of
troops and withdrew to St. Thomas. It was discovered that save those
who had sought refuge on the Durlo estate only Dr. Cornelius F. Bodger
had survived. He had been spared on the condition that he would give
wounded Negroes medical aid. The whites learned too that the Creole
Negroes had not taken a part in the uprising. In obtaining information
the whites were assisted by a servant of Dr. Bodger, called Christian
Sout,[373] who, having the confidence of both the whites and the
blacks, became a useful spy for the former, w