Action of 28 June 1803

The action of 28 June 1803 marked the opening shots of the Blockade of Saint-Domingue after the collapse of the Treaty of Amiens and the outbreak of the War of the Third Coalition in May 1803.

Action of 28 June 1803
Part of the Blockade of Saint-Domingue

Detail from the Fight of the Poursuivante against the British ship Hercules, 28 June 1803: Poursuivante delivers her decisive raking broadside. Louis-Philippe Crépin, 1819, Musée national de la Marine
Date28 June 1803
Location
Off Môle-Saint-Nicolas, Haiti
Result

Successful defence of Poursuivante

Capture of Mignonne
Belligerents
France  Great Britain
Commanders and leaders
Captain Jean-Baptiste Willaumez
Commander Jean-Pierre Bargeau		 Captain Henry William Bayntun
Captain Charles Brisbane
Acting captain John B. Hills
Strength

1 frigate

1 corvette		 3 74-gun ships of the line
Casualties and losses
1 corvette captured
10 men killed & 15 wounded

A few killed and wounded

1 ship damaged

A French heavy frigate and a corvette, both partially armed en flûte and unaware of the recently begun war, met three British 74-gun ships of the line. The corvette was overhauled and captured, but the frigate, sailing close to shore, managed to out-manoeuver her opponent and deliver a devastating raking broadside that put her out of action.

The feat of a frigate managing to escape a ship of the line yielded high praise for Willaumez, who had commanded the frigate. A large painting by Louis-Philippe Crépin was commissioned in 1819 to commemorate the event.

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