Battle of Jean-Rabel

Part of the French Revolutionary Wars & the Haitian Revolution

Map of Saint-Domingue with the location of the action marked.

Date	15–21 April 1797
Location	Jean-Rabel, Saint-Domingue (Haiti)
Result	British victory

Belligerents

Great Britain

France

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

Unknown. Harmonie destroyed and nine merchant ships captured.

Coordinates: 19°55′06″N 73°12′00″W / 19.91833°N 73.20000°W / 19.91833; -73.20000 The Battle of Jean-Rabel consisted of two connected minor naval engagements of the French Revolutionary Wars & the Haitian Revolution. The first engagement saw an overwhelming British Royal Navy force consisting of two ships of the line attack and destroy a French Navy frigate in Moustique Inlet near the town of Jean-Rabel on the Northern coast of the French colony of Saint-Domingue (which later gained independence as Haiti). The second engagement took place four days later when a force of boats launched from a British frigate squadron attacked the town of Jean-Rabel itself, capturing a large number of merchant ships in the harbour that had been seized by French privateers.

The engagements came during a campaign for supremacy in the Caribbean Sea as warships and privateers launched from French colonies sought to disrupt the lucrative trade between Britain and the British colonies in the West Indies. In the spring of 1797, most British forces in the region were deployed in the Leeward Islands against the colonies of Spain, which had recently entered the war on the French side. As a result, the waters of the Northern Caribbean were lightly defended, resulting in an increase in the activity of French privateers.

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