Also known as: Burning of Cap-Français (June 1793), Destruction of Cap Français in June 1793, Cap-Français crisis, galbaud-revolt
Last updated: April 26, 2026
In June 1793, conflict between civil commissioners Sonthonax and Polverel and forces rallied around General Thomas-François Galbaud exploded into open fighting at Cap-Français. White colonists, sailors, and anti-commissioner elements moved against the republican commissioners, who responded by arming Black fighters and issuing the June 21 emancipation offer. The colonial capital burned in the fighting, emptying outward into ships and foreign ports and marking a decisive hinge between the struggle for colonial control and the movement toward abolition.
Her account draws on the memory and physical legacy of the burning of Cap-Français as part of the context of the city's wartime atmosphere she witnessed.
Burning of Cap-Français, June 1793
Led the republican defense against Galbaud's forces and urged the commissioners' retreat to Haut-du-Cap
The June 21 offer was issued in the same crisis as the burning of Cap-Français
The June 1793 Cap crisis and commissioners' loss of white support made the emancipation decree necessary
The burning of Cap-Français was a key step toward the metropolitan abolition decree of 1794
Burning of Cap-Français, June 1793
Cap-Français was destroyed in the fighting
The city sat at the edge of the Northern Plain whose uprising drove the crisis
Burning of Cap-Français, June 1793 is associated with this concept.
If you use rasin.ai data or findings in your research, please cite us:
Chicago
"Burning of Cap-Français, June 1793." 1793. Rasin.ai, 2026. https://rasin.ai/connections/events/burning-of-cap-francais-june-1793. Accessed 2026-05-05.