On 20 June 1793, sailors and white colonists aligned with Governor Galbaud attacked the civil commissioners at Cap-Français. The fighting set much of the city on fire. Facing defeat, commissioners Sonthonax and Polverel called on Black insurgents to fight and offered freedom and citizenship to those who joined the republican side. Enslaved and formerly enslaved people became decisive military actors, but the offer linked emancipation to wartime service and did not yet end slavery throughout the colony.
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What happened at Cap-Français on 20 June 1793?
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Explanation
The attack and fires reshaped the commissioners’ military position.
Black insurgents helped defeat the attack on the commissioners at Cap-Français in June 1793.
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Explanation
The commissioners sought Black fighters as allies amid the attack and fire.