1793-Early Summer: Intelligence regarding the total destruction of Cap Français reached Charleston, South Carolina, carried by merchant vessels arriving from…

1793-Early Summer: Intelligence regarding the total destruction of Cap Français reached Charleston, South Carolina, carried by merchant vessels arriving from the French colony. This news documented the decisive victory of the black rebels and the subsequent flight of thousands of white refugees. The reports provided a vivid and terrifying account for American enslavers of the complete collapse of white authority in the Caribbean’s most opulent city. For the unfree in the United States, these accounts served as proof that organized resistance could overcome even the most entrenched colonial regimes. The spread of this news through North American ports ensured that the Haitian Revolution remained a central concern for the entire Atlantic world.