In 1844, the surviving members of "La Trinitaria", now led by Tomás Bobadilla, chose El Conde, the prominent "Gate of the Count" in the old city walls, as the rallying point for their insurrection against the Haitian government. On the morning of February 27, 1844, El Conde rang with the shots of the plotters, who had emerged from their secret meetings to openly challenge the Haitians. Their efforts were successful, and for the next ten years, Dominican military strongmen fought to preserve their country's independence from their Haitian neighbors.