Capture of Fort-Dauphin (1794)

The Capture of Fort-Dauphin was a bloodless encounter of the French Revolutionary Wars on which a Spanish expedition under Gabriel de Aristizábal seized Fort-Liberté, then named Fort-Dauphin, from Revolutionary France. The French colonial garrisons, consisting of over a thousand men,[5] surrendered without firing a single shot.[6]

Capture of Fort-Dauphin (1794)
Part of the French Revolutionary Wars
A View from the north of Fort Liberte
Date 28–29 January 1794 Location Fort-Dauphin, Saint-Domingue Result Spanish victory[1]
Belligerents
Spain	France
Commanders and leaders
Gabriel de Aristizábal	Candy Jean-François Papillon
Strength
3 ships of the line 1 frigate 400 men	1031 men
Casualties and losses
none[2]	1031 captured[3] 41 artillery guns taken[4]

Capture

The French, blockaded by land and sea[7] were forced to capitulate. When the Spanish seized the fort, Candy, the French commander, was arrested and sent to Mexico to do hard labour, whereas the rest of prisoners were sent to France as prisoners of war.[8]

Aftermath

With the British having captured Pondicherry in Eastern India and Martinique, Guadeloupe, St. Lucia and other small islands in the West Indies, the capture of Fort Dauphin by the Spanish troops was an added blow to those who received France in its colonies.

Notes

1. Marley p.538
2. Marley p.538
3. Marley p.538
4. Marley p.538
5. Warden/Pierre p.299
6. Marley p.538
7. Madiou, p.170
8. Madiou, p.170

References

• Marley, David. Wars of the Americas: a chronology of armed conflict in the Western Hemisphere, 1492 to the present, Vol. 1 ABC-CLIO press (2008). ISBN 978-1-59884-100-8

(in French) *Madiou, Thomas. Histoire d'Haïti,Nabu Press (2010). ISBN 1-142-83207-4

(in French) *David Baillie Warden, Jean Baptiste Pierre Jullien Courcelles, Nicolas Vigton de Saint-Allais. L'Art de vérifier les dates Vol. 26.