1793, May 7 – June 21: (The Galbaud Rebellion and the Fall of the Cap): Thomas-François Galbaud arrived as the new governor on May 7, 1793, but his authority…
1793, May 7 – June 21: (The Galbaud Rebellion and the Fall of the Cap): Thomas-François Galbaud arrived as the new governor on May 7, 1793, but his authority was challenged by the commissioners because he was a colonial proprietor. After Sonthonax annulled his commission and placed him under arrest, Galbaud led a counter-offensive with 1,200 sailors on June 20, 1793, sparking fierce street fighting in the Cap. Faced with a royalist surge, the Jacobin commissioners offered freedom to any noir who took up arms for the Republic, prompting leaders like Macaya to burst into the city with thousands of followers. By June 21, 1793, Cap Français belonged to the slaves; the city was consumed by fire and pillage, forcing 10,000 refugees to flee to the harbor for exile in the Chesapeake.