Battle of Abukir (1799)

Battle of Abukir (1799)
Part of the French campaign in Egypt
The Battle of Abukir, by Antoine-Jean Gros 1806. The Coronation Room
Date 25 July 1799 Location Abu Qir, Egypt Result French victory
Belligerents
France	Ottoman Empire
Commanders and leaders
Napoleon Bonaparte Joachim Murat  (WIA)	Mustafa Pasha  (POW) Murad Bey Ibrahim Bey
Strength
7,700 Cavalry: 1,000	18,000
Casualties and losses
220 killed in action 600 wounded	2,000 killed in action 4,000 drowned 1,500 captured 2,000 missing

Coordinates: 31°19′N 30°04′E / 31.317°N 30.067°E / 31.317; 30.067

The Battle of Abukir (or Aboukir or Abu Qir) was a battle in which Napoleon Bonaparte defeated Seid Mustafa Pasha's Ottoman army on 25 July 1799, during the French campaign in Egypt. It is considered the first pitched battle with this name, as there already was a naval battle on 1 August 1798 (a second pitched battle followed on 8 March 1801). No sooner had the French forces returned from a campaign to Syria, than the Ottoman forces were transported to Egypt by Sidney Smith's British fleet to put an end to French rule in Egypt.

Seid Mustafa Pasha was an experienced commander who had fought against the Russians. He knew that cavalry charges against the French squares was futile. So, he sought to avoid them by fortifying his beachhead with two defensive lines. From this beachhead Mustafa could carry out the invasion of Egypt. However, Napoleon immediately saw the flaw in the tactic as it meant that the Turks had nowhere to run if routed.

The French attacked the Ottoman positions and quickly broke through the first defensive line before it was fully completed. The second line, however, proved tougher to defeat and the French withdrew for a while. At this point, cavalry general Murat saw his opportunity and attacked with his cavalry, quickly routing the exposed Turks.

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Wikipedia