1889-April-23: On board the Galena at Cap Haitien, Anténor Firmin was received by Admiral Gherardi with the full naval honors usually reserved for a “first m…

1889-April-23: On board the Galena at Cap Haitien, Anténor Firmin was received by Admiral Gherardi with the full naval honors usually reserved for a “first minister,” including a seventeen-gun salute. Firmin later observed that this ceremony constituted an “effective, if not explicit” recognition of the belligerency of the northern departments then in insurrection against President Légitime. This high-level military reception signaled to both the Haitian people and the international community that the United States had shifted its support toward the Hyppolite faction.