[3] The fort was built in the 18th century to defend Marigot's harbor and its warehouses.

[7] In 1789, Jean-Sébastien de Durat, subsequent commander of Saint Martin and Saint Barthélemy, oversaw the construction of a fort, a prison, and a bridge in Marigot,[5] under the orders of King Louis the XVI.

Its purpose was to defend the warehouses in Marigot's harbor below, where local crops (such as coffee, salt, rum, and cane sugar) were stored.

[8] By the beginning of the 19th century, the fort extended down the slopes of Marigot Hill with the construction of two additional batteries.

[1] Between 1993 and 1994, restoration and enhancement work was undertaken by the Hope Estate Archaeological Association of Saint Martin (L'Association Archeologique Hope Estate), in cooperation the Military Service of Guadeloupe as well as the Departmental Archives in Basse-Terre, the National Overseas Archives in Aix-en-Provence.