Louverture was receiving fragments of information about the Leclerc expedition, and even as he publicly expressed disbelief that France would attack him, he began preparing for war. He increased the size of his army, doing so according to one report by pressing individuals who had recently arrived in the colony—including many creole whites returning from Europe—into service on the pretext that they did not have their required “security cards.” With the addition of these new recruits, he had 23,000, and perhaps up to 30,000, regular troops under his command by early 1802. He also had at his disposal local militias numbering 10,000.

Dubois, Laurent, Avengers of the New World_ …, loc. 385