Fort Ça-Ira. Commanded by Pétion, withstands four hours of fire from three 74s.

Meanwhile the war between the republicans and the English went on with fury in Saint-Domingue. The English, who had received fresh forces from Europe, resolved to attack Léogane once more, for its intrepid privateers did prodigious harm to the navigation of their merchant ships. The republicans had captured several vessels of the Arcahaie. Some royalists who had been taken prisoner escaped, came to Port-Républicain and informed General Forbes that the English had numerous partisans at Léogane who showed themselves ready to make a diversion in their favor inside the town if the place were attacked. This report decided Forbes to hasten the departure of his expedition. On the night of 17 to 18 March 1796, a division of English troops embarked at Port-Républicain and set sail for Léogane. On the 18th it landed at La Petite-Rivière and formed in two columns of 2,500 men each. Léogane was commanded by Renaud Desruisseaux and held a garrison of 800 men of the Legion of the West. Fort Ça-Ira, which protects its roadstead, was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Pétion of the Legion of the West. The English fleet, under the orders of Admiral Parker, vigorously cannonaded Fort Ça-Ira while Forbes and Montalembert moved on the town. The fleet was made up of nine ships: the frigate Ceres of 32 guns, Captain Newman; the sloop Lark of 16 guns, Captain Ogily; the frigate Iphigenia of 32 guns, Captain Gardner; the sloops Cormorant and Siren; the Serin of 16 guns, Captain Guérin; and the ships of the line Swiftsure of 74, Leviathan of 74 and Africa of 74, commanded by Captains R. Parker, Duckworth and Rod. Home. *

The Leviathan, the Africa and the Swiftsure, despite a cannonade kept up for four hours against the Ça-Ira, could not silence the fire of that redoubt, which was armed with only four pieces of cannon. Commander Pétion, whose artillery was well served, answered Admiral Parker’s fire so successfully that before the end of the day the squadron, taking advantage of a land breeze, broke its line of anchorage and went to moor in the open sea. The Leviathan counted five men killed and twelve wounded; the Africa, one man killed and seven wounded. These two ships had had their masts and yards so badly damaged that they set sail for Port Royal in Jamaica.