The Ugly Duckling: The French Navy and the Saint-Domingue Expedition,1801-1803
Philippe R. Girard
International Journal of Naval History, 2010
Abstract:
The article surveys the naval aspects of the Saint-Domingue expedition (1801-1803). During this expedition, the French Navy played a multiplicity of roles, including transporting troops to the Caribbean, assisting amphibious operations, patrolling the coastline, deporting or executing enemies, and combating Great Britain ’s Jamaica squadron. The French devoted tremendous resources to this expedition yet eventually lost to an army of former slaves, in part, the article argues, because military commanders in Paris and Saint-Domingue belittled the navy as a junior partner and repeatedly misused the naval forces at their disposal.