Battle of Abukir (1799)

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Battle of Abukir in 1799
Part of the French Revolutionary Wars
Date July 25, 1799 Location Abu Qir, Egypt Result Decisive French Victory
Combatants
France	Ottoman Turks
Commanders
Napoleon Bonaparte	Mustafa Pasha
Strength
10,000	15,000
Casualties
1,000 killed and wounded	8,000 killed, wounded, drowned, and captured

Egypt–Syria Campaign of 1798–1801
Shubra Khit – Pyramids – Nile – El Arish – Jaffa – Acre – Mount Tabor – 1st Aboukir – 2nd Aboukir – Alexandria

The Battle of Abukir was Napoleon Bonaparte's final victory in Africa. In this battle, Napoleon decisively defeated the Turkish army commanded by Seid Mustafa Pasha, which had disembarked in Egypt from the British fleet of Sidney Smith.

[edit] The battle

The battle occurred on July 25, 1799 and lasted for a very short time. The Turks had dug themselves in three lines of entrenchments, but French infantry brazenly fought their way through the defenses. The killing blow was delivered by Murat's cavalry; the Turkish army fled in panic. Many drowned while others fled to Abukir castle, which surrendered shortly thereafter. The Turks suffered about 8,000 casualties, while the French only 1,000. News of the victory reached France before Napoleon arrived in October and helped make him even more popular, an important asset considering the troubles brewing in the Directory.