1781-August-05: Admiral de Grasse departed from Cap-Français with a massive French fleet to support George Washington’s final campaign against Lord Cornwallis.

1781-August-05: Admiral de Grasse departed from Cap-Français with a massive French fleet to support George Washington’s final campaign against Lord Cornwallis. Before sailing, de Grasse secured $1,200,000$ livres in silver from merchants in the colony and in Havana to fund the American operations. This financial and naval support was critical in securing the victory at Yorktown, which effectively ended the combat phase of the American Revolution. The fleet’s departure from Saint-Domingue underscores the colony’s role as the primary French naval base for operations on the North American mainland. Without the resources and strategic position of Saint-Domingue, the decisive French intervention in the war might not have been possible.