The garrison at the Cabrits never saw any action, although the Battle of the Saints, fought between the French and British fleets on 12 April 1782, occurred within sight of the ramparts, and Fort Shirley was the scene of the revolt of the 8th West India Regiment in 1802.In 1805, an attack was mounted by French Napoleonic forces under the command of General LaGrange in an attempt to capture the island. The capital, Roseau, fell to the French but British Governor George Prevost managed to escape and reached the Cabrits where he readied the fort, much as you see in the scene depicted here, and refused to surrender. La Grange, deterred by the stronghold, left the island and sailed north with his squadron.The flagstaff was part of a signal system along the west coast. Messages were sent up the coast via the points on the map.The flat isthmus of sand, coral and stone that joins the Cabrits to the mainland was formed naturally, by the tidal action of the sea.Look across Prince Rupert's Bay at Pointe Ronde, Morne Espagnol and Morne Diablotin.
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