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Why did Jean-Jacques Dessalines and Henry Christophe join the French forces in 1802?

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Toussaint Louverture stands in a military uniform with a feathered hat, holding a document and sword, with soldiers and a landscape in the background. — Toussaint Louverture A formerly enslaved person who became the leading figure of the Haitian Revolution, Toussaint Louverture helped lay the foundation for Haiti's independence.

In early 1802, a large French expedition led by General Charles Leclerc arrived in Saint-Domingue with the objective of reestablishing French authority over the colony.1

As the French forces advanced, the military situation for Toussaint Louverture became increasingly difficult. Shifting alliances and the pressure of the French military campaign weakened Louverture’s position, leading some of his leading subordinates, including Jean-Jacques Dessalines and Henry Christophe, to align themselves with the French forces during the conflict.1

It is important to note that this alignment was temporary. Following evidence that Napoleon Bonaparte intended to restore slavery in Saint-Domingue—as he had already done in other French possessions—Dessalines and Christophe broke with the French and resumed the war against them later in 1802. This renewed resistance ultimately led to the defeat of the French forces and the declaration of Haitian independence in 1804.2341