skirmish. In anticipation of the
invasion, French inhabitants of Dominica visited British troops at the fort on
6 September, getting them drunk and then spiking the cannons with sand. French
fleets sailed between three and four o'clock on 7 September from Martinique,
the French-controlled island directly to Dominica's south. When the French
stormed the fort in the morning, the British were taken by surprise. Once the
fort was captured, the French fired a celebration signal, which was the first
notice of the invasion the British had in the capital of Roseau to the north
