1802-February-04: General Charles Leclerc arrived in Saint-Domingue at the head of a massive French expeditionary force intended to restore metropolitan auth…

1802-February-04: General Charles Leclerc arrived in Saint-Domingue at the head of a massive French expeditionary force intended to restore metropolitan authority and eventually re-establish slavery. President Jefferson, despite earlier hints to the French that he might help “starve out” Toussaint, maintained a policy of “watchful waiting” as the conflict began. Tobias Lear, the American general agent, was instructed to leave the island if his presence caused offense to the newly arrived French authorities. This arrival marked the end of the “quasi-alliance” with Toussaint and the beginning of a bloody war of resistance by the colonial forces. The U.S. government now had to navigate a treacherous path between French demands for a total trade blockade and American merchants’ demands for access to the island.