1803-November-19: The French army officially capitulated at Cap Français, marking the total defeat of Napoleon’s attempt to reconstruct a Caribbean empire.

1803-November-19: The French army officially capitulated at Cap Français, marking the total defeat of Napoleon’s attempt to reconstruct a Caribbean empire. General Rochambeau was forced to surrender to a British naval squadron to avoid falling into the hands of Dessalines’ vengeful troops. This exit of the French military left the United States as the primary economic partner of a territory that was now independent in all but name. The American government remained in a state of diplomatic limbo, refusing to recognize the new state while its merchants actively supplied the new regime. This vacuum of official recognition set the stage for the formal declaration of Haitian independence on January 1, 1804.