# British Blockade of Saint-Domingue (1803)

URL: https://allhistories.com/haiti/timeline/1803-british-blockade-of-saint-domingue
Location: Cap-Haïtien, Haiti
Themes: battle

The Treaty of Amiens collapsed in May 1803, when Britain declared war on France again. The Royal Navy's Jamaica squadron under Rear-Admiral John Thomas Duckworth was quickly ordered to blockade the French ports in Saint-Domingue, cutting off reinforcements and supplies to Rochambeau's army. From June 1803 British ships captured French vessels off the coast, including warships attempting to escape to Europe, and intercepted supplies from France and the United States. The British coordinated informally with Dessalines, who besieged the French garrisons by land. Isolated French posts such as Saint-Marc, Les Cayes and Jérémie fell during the summer and autumn, their garrisons often evacuated by British ships, while Port-au-Prince was taken by Dessalines in October. The blockade sealed the fate of the French army, which could neither be reinforced nor withdrawn safely. When Rochambeau finally capitulated in November 1803, he chose to surrender his remaining forces to the British fleet rather than to Dessalines. British commanders preferred to see the French expelled and Saint-Domingue's trade opened to their merchants, though they had no wish to encourage revolution in their own colonies. At this point in the timeline (June–November 1803), the First Consul of the French Republic was Napoleon Bonaparte (10 November 1799 – 4 December 1803); the Captain-General of Saint-Domingue (second time) was Donatien-Marie-Joseph de Vimeur, vicomte de Rochambeau (2 November 1802 – 30 November 1803).

## Why it matters
The British blockade cut off the French army and ensured its defeat by the Indigenous Army.

Ruler at the Time: [Napoleon Bonaparte](https://allhistories.com/haiti/rulers/napoleon-bonaparte)

Captain-General of Saint-Domingue (second time): Donatien-Marie-Joseph de Vimeur, vicomte de Rochambeau

## Sources
- [Wikipedia — Blockade of Saint-Domingue](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blockade_of_Saint-Domingue)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica — blockade of Saint-Domingue 1803](https://www.britannica.com/search?query=blockade+of+Saint-Domingue+1803)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica — Napoleonic Wars](https://www.britannica.com/search?query=Napoleonic+Wars)
- [Wikipedia — The Haitian Revolution (period overview)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haitian_Revolution)