Battle of Mount Tabor
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Battle of Mount Tabor | |||||||
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Part of the French Revolutionary Wars | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Ottoman Empire | The Directoire | ||||||
Commanders | |||||||
Ahmad Basha al-Jazzar. | General Bonaparte, General Kleber |
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Strength | |||||||
25,000 men[1] | ca 4,000[1] | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
6 killed or wounded, 500 captured[1] |
2 killed, 60 wounded[1] |
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The Battle of Mount Tabor or Skirmish of Mount Tabor opposed French forces under General Kleber to an Ottoman force led by the Pasha of Damascus on 16 April 1799. General Bonaparte was besieging Acre and Damascus sent its army to relieve the siege. Operating to the south of Acre, Kleber decided to intercept the Ottoman army and ran into the 25,000 men strong army to find himself outnumbered[1].
The French forces fought divided in two squares and resisted for eight hours against the Ottomans before running out of ammunition. Then Napoleon arrived with 2,500 men and two cannon for reinforcements as the Ottomans seemed to be on the verge of winning. Napoleon had seen the upcoming disaster before it was clear even to Kleber and he struck the Ottomans in the flank. Taken by surprise, the Ottoman force was finally routed.
[edit] External links
- http://www.napoleonguide.com/ a page on the Napoleonic Wars, it includes a description of the battle.
[edit] Footnotes
[edit] References
- Smith, D. The Greenhill Napoleonic Wars Data Book. Greenhill Books, 1998.