Siege of El Arish
In the Siege of El Arish French forces under Napoleon Bonaparte defeated Ottoman forces in the fortress in an eleven-day siege. It fell on February 19, 1799.
January 2, 1799: Jezzar Pasha sent 4000 soldiers and 3 cannons, under the command of Abdullah Pasha of Damascus, to secure Kalaat El Arish. Upon reaching the village, the group took a position in the village and its fort. At the same time, Reynier and his forces were in Katieh Fort, finishing their fortification.
February 8, 1799: Reynier's division reached Masoodiah, where French soldiers captured a Mamluk runner who told them that El Arish was now under Turkish control. Reynier sent a courier to Bonaparte calling for immediate reinforcements and took position on a sand hill near El Arish. In response, the Turkish army moved into a nearby palm forest and obtained supplies and 12 cannons. Their cavalry begin attacking the French. After half an hour of artillery fire, Reynier sent the 85th demi-brigade to take the village El Arish. The Turkish defenders of the village escaped into their fort, and their cavalry withdrew on the road to Gaza under the cover of a defile.
At around 11:00pm the main Turkish forces took a position on the right side of the defile.
February 12, 1799: Kleber's division reached Kalaat El Arish, and his forces began a blockade of the Turkish fort. Reynier's division moved into position in the palm forest near the defile.
February 14, 1799: Reynier's forces began an assault on the Turkish camp, which they successfully captured.
1,000 soldiers under Turkish commander Ibrahim Nizam were still inside the fort. After clearing captured material Reynier established a camp from which he blockaded the fort. Meanwhile, the main French forces arrived in Kalaat El Arish.
February 17, 1799: General Louis Caffarelli started engineering work.
February 18–19, 1799: French began artillery fire on the Turkish fortification.
February 20, 1799: The French began their assault. After capturing the fort, the French repaired the fortification.
Coordinates: 31°07′56″N 33°48′12″E / 31.1321°N 33.8034°E
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