Battle of Jean-Rabel facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Battle of Jean-Rabel |
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| Part of the French Revolutionary Wars & the Haitian Revolution | |||||||
 Map of Saint-Domingue with the location of the action marked. |
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 Great Britain |
 France |
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| William Ogilvy Hugh Pigot |
Commander Simon Billiette (a.k.a. Billiet) | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| ships of the line HMS Thunderer and HMS Valiant. Subsequently a squadron of three frigates and two smaller vessels. | frigate Harmonie | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| None | Harmonie destroyed 9 merchant ships captured |
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The Battle of Jean-Rabel was actually two small naval fights. These battles were part of bigger conflicts: the French Revolutionary Wars and the Haitian Revolution.
The first fight happened when the British Royal Navy attacked a French frigate ship. This happened near the town of Jean-Rabel on the northern coast of Saint-Domingue. Saint-Domingue later became the independent country of Haiti.
Four days later, the second fight took place. British boats attacked Jean-Rabel itself. They captured many merchant ships in the harbor. These ships had been taken by French privateers. Privateers were like legal pirates, allowed by their government to attack enemy ships.
These battles were part of a larger struggle for control of the Caribbean Sea. Both British and French ships, including privateers, tried to stop each other's trade. In 1797, most British forces were busy fighting Spain in other parts of the Caribbean. This meant the northern Caribbean waters were less protected. French privateers became very active there.
The British victory at Jean-Rabel helped reduce privateer attacks. It also strengthened British control of the sea lanes in the northern Caribbean. However, the British could not take control of Saint-Domingue itself. They left the island later that year.
Why the Battle Happened
During the French Revolutionary Wars, Britain and France often fought in the Caribbean Sea. Both countries had rich colonies there. By 1797, Britain had strong control of the seas. But French colonies had many safe harbors. From these harbors, French warships and privateers could attack British trade ships.
British attacks on French colonies had not been very successful. One success was taking the port of Môle-Saint-Nicolas in 1793. This port was on the northwest tip of Saint-Domingue. From here, the Royal Navy could control the Windward Passage. This was a very important route for trade with Jamaica.
However, most of Saint-Domingue's northern coast was still French. In late 1796, the situation in the Caribbean changed. Spain, which also had colonies there, joined the war on France's side. This was due to the Second Treaty of San Ildefonso.
Because of this, British forces in the Caribbean were split up. Most went with Rear-Admiral Henry Harvey. His fleet captured Trinidad in February 1797. Then they tried to attack Puerto Rico, but failed. With the British busy elsewhere, French privateers attacked British trade. They captured many American ships that were trading with British colonies.
These privateers often took their captured ships to small harbors on Saint-Domingue's northern coast. They thought they would be safe there. They believed they were safe from the British squadron led by Rear-Admiral Sir Hyde Parker. Parker's squadron was based at Môle-Saint-Nicolas.
In early April 1797, French officials in Cap-Français (the capital) wanted these captured ships moved. They ordered the French frigate Harmonie to sail to Port-de-Paix. Her mission was to collect all the captured ships there and at nearby Jean-Rabel. Then she was to bring them back to the capital.
The End of Harmonie
The officers of Harmonie thought their orders were too risky. They knew Parker's British squadron was nearby. But their concerns were ignored, and Harmonie sailed in mid-April 1797.
Soon after Harmonie left Cap-Français, a British frigate spotted her. This was the 32-gun HMS Janus. She was commanded by Captain James Bissett. Janus was much smaller than Harmonie. But the French ship did not fight. Instead, she turned towards the port of Marégot.
Captain Bissett sailed west. On April 15, he found Parker's squadron near Môle-Saint-Nicolas. Parker had three large warships called ships of the line. These were his flagship HMS Queen, HMS Thunderer (Captain William Ogilvy), and HMS Valiant (Captain Edward Crawley). Parker sent Thunderer and Valiant to Marégot to find Harmonie. His own ship, Queen, went into port for supplies.
On the afternoon of April 15, Thunderer found Harmonie. The French ship was sailing through the Tortuga Channel. This channel is between Saint-Domingue and the island of Tortuga. Thunderer chased the frigate into Moustique Inlet, near Jean-Rabel. Harmonie anchored there in shallow water close to the rocky shore.
Captain Ogilvy told Parker where the frigate was. Parker ordered him to enter the inlet with Thunderer and Valiant. Their goal was to capture or destroy the French ship. At 4:15 PM, the British warships carefully entered the inlet. They went into dangerously shallow water to get closer to Harmonie. But the wind was getting stronger. Ogilvy decided it was too dangerous to risk his ships hitting the shore.
At 5:00 PM, both British ships fired several broadsides (all guns on one side) at the French frigate. Harmonie did not fire back. There was no clear damage, and the strong wind continued. So, Ogilvy pulled his ships back to a safe distance for the night.
On the morning of April 16, Thunderer and Valiant returned. The weather was calmer. Both ships began firing on Harmonie. The French officers knew their ship could not escape. They faced impossible odds. So, at 7:00 AM, they deliberately ran their ship onto the shore. They set the ship on fire as they left.
At 8:47 AM, Harmonie's ammunition exploded. This completely destroyed the ship. Thunderer and Valiant then left the area. We don't know how many French sailors were hurt or killed. The British ships had no losses and only minor damage.
Attack on Jean-Rabel
The British learned about the many captured ships at Jean-Rabel. These were the ships Harmonie was supposed to collect. Rear-Admiral Parker ordered Captain Hugh Pigot to get them back. Pigot was in charge of the British frigate HMS Hermione.
Pigot also commanded a group of other ships. These included HMS Quebec (Captain John Cooke), HMS Mermaid (Captain Robert Otway), and two smaller ships: the brig Drake and the cutter Penelope. Captain Pigot was known for successful attacks on enemy coasts. For example, on March 22, Hermione had attacked and destroyed several small French ships near Puerto Rico.
Pigot brought his squadron to Jean-Rabel at 3:00 PM on April 20. He wanted to repeat his earlier success. They stayed out of sight to the northwest until nightfall. The crews then got ready for a "cutting out" mission. This meant small parties of sailors would row into the bay in ship's boats. They would do this under the cover of darkness. Their goal was to board and capture the ships in the harbor. Then they would sail them out to Pigot's waiting squadron.
On the evening of April 20, the sea was calm. A strong current helped Pigot's squadron get close to Jean-Rabel. They got within 2 miles (3.2 km) of the port without being seen. The squadron's boats, led by junior officers, quietly approached the shore.
To distract any guards on shore, Pigot moved his main ships across the entrance to the inlet. This drew the defenders' attention away from the harbor. This allowed the boats to reach the ships in the port without being noticed. Each boat stayed close to the shore in the shallow water until they reached their targets.
At 1:00 AM on April 21, the attack began. British sailors swarmed onto the captured merchant ships. There was a loud volley of musketry from the boats. The fighting was quick. However, the gunfire alerted the cannon batteries overlooking the port. The gunners could not tell who was who in the harbor. So, they fired at the frigates in the bay. Pigot ordered his ships to fire back.
By 4:00 AM, nine ships were in British hands. These included the ship Polly; the brigs Two Sisters, Abiona, and Sally; the schooners Columbia, Juno, and Citizen Snow Hill; and the sloops Industry and another unnamed one. The British captors sailed these nine prizes out of the port. They took them towards Pigot's waiting ships.
All that was left in Jean-Rabel harbor were two rowing boats. These had been pulled up onto the beach before the attack. All the captured ships were American-flagged. But their ownership papers had mostly been sent to Cap-Français. There were no reports of French casualties. The British attack force did not lose a single man.
What Happened Next
These actions made British control of the waters around Saint-Domingue very strong. They got rid of a major French warship, Harmonie. They also destroyed a port often used by privateers to keep their captured ships.
However, this was not enough to keep the British in Saint-Domingue. By the end of 1797, British forces had completely left the colony. Pigot, Ogilvy, and Parker all sent reports to the British Admiralty (the navy's leaders) about the battle. Historian William James noted that Captain Pigot did not mention the junior officers by name. Pigot was not a very popular officer. Later, he had serious problems with his own crew.
