Though wounded by slave insurrection and internal warfare, Saint- Domingue remained an extremely valuable colony. But given the difficulties of colonial warfare and the susceptibility to disease of European troops, both Spanish and English military leaders understood that the best way—perhaps the only way—to conquer Saint-Domingue was to take advantage of the internal dissension there and to rally part of the population to their side.

Dubois, Laurent, Avengers of the New World_ …, loc. 221