Caribbean Campaigns of the Napoleonic Wars

The Caribbean remained strategically valuable after war resumed in 1803. Naval stations protected convoys and plantation commerce while frigates hunted privateers and enemy cruisers between islands.

European warfare interacted with slavery, colonial rivalry and the aftermath of the Haitian Revolution. Distance from the main European fleets gave local commanders considerable discretion.

Caribbee returns Kydd to the region where he served as a lower-deck sailor. Frigate command, convoy protection and a murder accusation connect the old colonial world with his changed social position.