1803, June – October: (The Siege and Fall of the Coastal Cities): By June 1803, the noose began to close around the remaining French garrisons as Dessalines’…
1803, June – October: (The Siege and Fall of the Coastal Cities): By June 1803, the noose began to close around the remaining French garrisons as Dessalines’s battalions, singing Creole marching songs, swept across the country. Laurent Férou occupied Jérémie on August 4, and St. Marc capitulated on September 2 after being starved out by Gabart and a British naval blockade. Fort Liberté was recaptured in September under the guns of H.M.S. Theseus, and Port-de-Paix was evacuated on October 3 as the French garrison evaded the English to reach Santo Domingo. Port-au-Prince fell on October 3 after Dessalines attacked from the north and Pétion trained mortars on the French hospital from the heights of Morne l’Hôpital. After the French were allowed to embark on October 9, the only remaining strongholds for France were Môle St. Nicolas and Cap Français.