Quasi-War

Quasi-War
Part of the French Revolutionary Wars
USS Constellation in combat with French Insurgente
Date 7 July 1798 – 30 September 1800 Location Primarily Caribbean and East Coast of the United States, minor actions in Indian Ocean, and Mediterranean Sea Result Inconclusive, Convention of 1800
Belligerents
United States	France
Commanders and leaders
John Adams Benjamin Stoddert Thomas Truxtun Silas Talbot William Bainbridge Stephen Decatur	Napoleon Bonaparte Paul Barras Edme Desfourneaux Victor Hugues André Rigaud
Strength
Maximum 9 frigates, 4 sloops, 2 brigs, 3 schooners 5,700 sailors and marines, up to 365 privateers	Unknown
Casualties and losses
c. 160 killed or wounded 22 privateers, up to 2,000 merchant ships captured	368 killed or wounded, 517 captured 1 frigate, 2 corvettes, 1 brig and 118 privateers sunk or captured[1]

The Quasi-War^[a] was an undeclared war from 1798 to 1800 between the United States and the French First Republic. It was fought almost entirely at sea, primarily in the Caribbean and off the East Coast of the United States, with minor actions in the Indian Ocean and Mediterranean Sea.

In 1793, Congress unilaterally suspended repayment of French loans from the American Revolutionary War, and in 1794 signed the Jay Treaty with Great Britain. Then engaged in the 1792 to 1797 War of the First Coalition, France retaliated by seizing U.S. ships trading with Great Britain. When diplomacy failed to resolve these issues, in October 1796 French privateers began attacking all merchant ships in U.S. waters, regardless of nationality.

Spending cuts following the end of the American Revolutionary War left the U.S. unable to mount an effective response, and within a year over 316 American ships had been captured. In March 1798, Congress reconstituted the United States Navy, and in July authorized the use of force against France. By 1799, losses had been significantly reduced through informal cooperation with the Royal Navy, whereby merchant ships from both nations were allowed to join each other's convoys.

The replacement of the French First Republic by the Consulate in November 1799 led to the Convention of 1800, which ended the war. The right of Congress to authorize military action without a formal declaration of war was later confirmed by the Supreme Court. This ruling formed the basis of many similar actions since, including U.S. participation in the Vietnam War and the Persian Gulf War.^[2][b]

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