10,000 are massacred in Cap Fran aise as thousands of slaves overrun the city in their eagerness to take advantage of Sonthonax's offer . Sonthonax tries to withdraw his pledge to blacks, saying it is conditional on fighting in French companies and committing to agricultural labor when they are freed. Army of Spanish regulars and black guerrillas invades from the east. In August 1793 Toussaint proclaims himself Toussaint L'Ouverture. He is a Christian in command of a guerrilla army of young Africans.
Most blacks still lack a leader.
Having ingratiated himself to the Spanish, Toussaint proposes freedom for all blacks. The Spanish governor refuses so Toussaint makes a similar offer to the French governor. Although whites and free coloreds have battled in the civil war they had not yet destroyed the slave economy. The English wish to avoid insurrection on their own Caribbean colonies but also have had an eye on obtaining the French West Indies for years. Captain Bligh brings breadfruit and other crops to the West Indies.