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BATTLE // January 28, 1794

Capture of Fort-Dauphin

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Overview

The capture of Fort-Dauphin was a bloodless encounter of the French Revolutionary Wars in which a Spanish expeditionary force under Admiral Gabriel de Aristizábal y Espinosa seized Fort-Dauphin, in Saint-Domingue, from France. The French garrison of about a thousand men, blockaded by land and sea, surrendered without firing a single shot.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Significance

The capture of Fort-Dauphin removed a French garrison of roughly a thousand men from Saint-Domingue without any fighting, extending Spanish military presence on the island during the War of the Pyrenees. The bloodless surrender of the entire French force demonstrated the effectiveness of combined land and sea blockade in isolating and compelling a garrison to capitulate. Coming amid the broader conflict between Revolutionary France and Spain, the operation reflected Spanish efforts to press their advantage in the Caribbean theater alongside the main Pyrenean front.

Tactics

The Spanish expeditionary force under Admiral Gabriel de Aristizábal y Espinosa applied a joint , cutting the French off by both land and sea. With no avenue of supply or relief, the roughly one thousand French defenders surrendered without firing a shot.

Forces & casualties

Troop strength

  • France1,031
    medium

Casualties

  • France1,031
    medium100% loss rate

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Last verified June 2026
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