In early February, a large French expedition under Charles Leclerc arrived to reassert French authority. Henri Christophe refused to surrender Cap-Français; revolutionary forces set much of the city alight and withdrew rather than let it serve the invading army. The destruction was a strategic act of resistance, though it also devastated civilians and the urban community. The invasion threatened the political autonomy and emancipation won through the revolution; French intentions and policies made the prospect of renewed enslavement credible.
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What did Christophe’s forces do at Cap-Français?
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Explanation
The burning denied the invading army an intact city and expressed resistance, though civilians suffered.