The Importance of Honor in Warfare

Honor (N.)

The Haitian revolution between 1791 and 1803 was characterized by violence and betrayal on practically all sides of the conflict. From Toussaint L'Overture's betrayal of Spain to fight with the French to Napoleon's campaign to retake Saint-Domingue despite France's previous agreement to free all slaves across the empire. One can almost certainly conclude from these betrayals that little honor existed between the major powers involved in the Haitian Revolution. This suggests that the independent nation of Haiti was founded on dishonor. This suggestion begs the question; Is honor important and/or necessary in waging warfare? The bloody conflict on Saint-Domingue bore witness to a wide array of military strategy, which wouldn't be considered honorable by most standards. In this total war conflict, small groups of Haitian guerilla fighters would quickly traverse the dense foliage of the island to ambush their foes. When fighting broke out in 1791, slaves burned plantations to the ground and murdered practically any white they could capture. On the other hand, one might consider this justifiable after the murder of countless slaves on the plantations that had gone on for centuries in Saint-Domingue. For a young Frenchman, in his late teens or early twenties, bleeding out in a remote Caribbean jungle thousands of miles from home, honor most likely meant little. So let us consider the question again, How Important is Honor in warfare? In Total Warfare, as can be observed from the Haitian Revolution, there is no honor. For centuries prior to the French Revolution, war usually consisted of large standing armies who would meet on open plains to make battle, one army would triumph over the other, force their foes to retreat, and gain land, wealth or both. With the advent of total warfare during the French Revolution, one or both armies would fight to the death for their respective cause(s). In standard warfare, a defeated general would symbolically present his sword to his adversary as Lord Cornwallis did to Rochambeau after the siege of Yorktown. In total warfare on the other hand, a general would rather pry the sword from his adversaries lifeless hands than receive it as a symbol of surrender. Each one of us has a limited amount of time on this Earth, so when fighting for equality, honor is inconsequential really. Personally at least, It wouldn't bother me that I would be seen as a dishonorable leader by future generations long after I was dead, what would concern me is whether or not I achieved a goal which I believed just. But that's just my opinion on the matter concerning honor and warfare and I'd also like to make it clear that I don't believe in violence to achieve equality. But I now leave it to your thoughts.