the city survived being attacked by the french in 1794. in 1800 the people revolted but the british retook control. from 1808 to 1874, the city was the capital of british west africa. the city grew quickly as many freed slaves came to live there. african soldiers who had fought for britain in the napoleonic wars also came to live in freetown. during world war ii, britain had a naval base at freetown. descendants of the freed slaves, called creoles, have a large role in the city, even though they are only a small amount of the population.