A short time later, the British invaded the island as a part of the war with France that had recently broken out. On 21 February 1795, a group of locals, under the nominal control of Victor Hugues, defeated a battalion of British troops at Vieux Fort and Rabot. In 1796, Castries was burned as part of the conflict. Leading the 27th Inniskilling Fusiliers, General John Moore retook Fort Charlotte in 1796, after two days of bitter fighting. As an honour, the Fusiliers' regimental colour was displayed on the flagstaff of the captured fortress at Morne Fortune for an hour before being replaced by the Union Jack. Moore then participated in British efforts to repress the slave rebels until falling ill with yellow fever, leading to his return to Britain before 1798.