1796-November-27: Commissioner Léger-Félicité Sonthonax issued a decree at Cap Français authorizing the seizure of all American merchant vessels bound to Bri…

1796-November-27: Commissioner Léger-Félicité Sonthonax issued a decree at Cap Français authorizing the seizure of all American merchant vessels bound to British ports. This aggressive policy was expanded on January 1, 1797, to include any neutral vessel found sailing for British-held territory. To enforce these orders, Sonthonax reportedly commissioned eighty-seven privateers to patrol the waters and intercept American commerce. These privateers often engaged in arbitrary seizures to supply the French colonies with captured American goods and provisions. American merchants soon complained to Congress of losses amounting to more than two million dollars during this period.