Action of 1 January 1800

Background. The Quasi-War (1798–1800) was an undeclared war between the United States and the French First Republic, fought almost entirely at sea, primarily in the Caribbean and off the American East Coast. Congress reconstituted the United States Navy and in July 1798 approved the use of force against France.

The Schooner Experiment. USS Experiment was a 12-gun schooner launched in late November 1799 at Baltimore, Maryland, under the command of Lieutenant William Maley, during the Quasi-War with France. The Navy had ordered such small, fast warships to defend American merchant shipping.

The Engagement. While becalmed in the Gulf of Gonâve with a convoy of four merchantmen, Experiment was attacked on 1 January 1800 by 14 armed barges loyal to Brigadier-General André Rigaud, a mulatto commander then fighting the War of the South against rival general Toussaint Louverture. The convoy fought off the attack, which ended indecisively.

Aftermath. Experiment arrived in the Delaware River early in July 1800 and was refitted, returning to the West Indies under Lieutenant Charles Stewart after Maley was dismissed from the US Navy. By late 1800, combined American and British naval operations and a more conciliatory French diplomatic stance had significantly reduced privateer activity.