1889-April-24: Minister Preston, representing the Légitime government in Washington, became alarmed by reports in the New York Times that Admiral Gherardi ha…

1889-April-24: Minister Preston, representing the Légitime government in Washington, became alarmed by reports in the New York Times that Admiral Gherardi had officially declared Légitime’s naval blockade of northern ports to be “ineffective.” Preston advised his government to limit the blockade to only St. Marc and Gonaïves to make it legally defensible under international law. However, Gherardi’s persistent refusal to respect the blockade effectively crippled Légitime’s ability to starve out the insurgents and paved the way for their eventual victory.