Battle of Alexandria
The Battle of Alexandria, fought on March 21, 1801, marked a crucial point in the conflict between England and France during the latter's military occupation of Egypt. This battle was part of a broader strategy devised by the British to expel French forces, which involved a coordinated effort including land and naval movements. Lieutenant-General Sir Ralph Abercromby led the British troops, landing in Aboukir Bay after training in Anatolia, while French General Jacques-François de Menou defended the city following the assassination of Jean-Baptiste Kléber.
The battle was characterized by intense fighting, resulting in significant casualties on both sides, including Abercromby himself, who succumbed to his wounds shortly after. Following the battle, Menou's forces were confined within Alexandria, leading to a series of subsequent military actions that culminated in the French surrender of the Cairo garrison in June. Eventually, the French held out in Alexandria until late August, when they surrendered, effectively ending France's three-year occupation of Egypt. The outcome of this battle and the subsequent events were significant in shaping the geopolitical landscape of the region and concluded with the Treaty of Amiens in 1802.
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Battle of Alexandria
Type of action: Ground battle in War of the Second Coalition
Date: March 20, 1801
Location: Between Alexandria and Aboukir Bay
Combatants: 18,000 English vs. 12,000 French
Principal commanders:English, Lieutenant General Sir Ralph Abercromby (1738–1801); French, General Jacques-François de Menou (1750–1810)
Result: English victory leading to eventual French withdrawal
The Battle of Alexandria was the final significant engagement of France’s military occupation of Egypt, and one of the last battles between England and France before the Treaty of Amiens (1802). In October, 1800, England devised a three-pronged strategy to drive the French out of Egypt: Lieutenant-General Sir Ralph Abercromby would seize Alexandria, an Ottoman army would enter Egypt overland from Palestine, and a third force would land on Egypt’s Red Sea coast, cross to the Nile, and advance down river.
After two months of training his troops in Anatolia, Abercromby crossed the Mediterranean and successfully landed in Aboukir Bay. The first encounters with French defenses were inconclusive. General Jacques-François de Menou, commander of the French in Egypt since Jean-Baptiste Kléber’s assassination the previous summer, brought reinforcements north from Cairo and, on March 20, attacked along the narrow strip of land that separates Lake Mareotis from the sea. After heavy fighting (3,000 French casualties and 1,500 English, including Abercromby, who died of his wounds one week later), Menou pulled his forces back into Alexandria. With Menou bottled up, most of the British forces moved toward Cairo, in coordination with newly arriving Ottoman forces. On June 27, the French surrendered the Cairo garrison. The Alexandria garrison held out until the end of August, when Menou surrendered.
Significance
Menou’s surrender and the ensuing evacuation marked the end of France’s three-year occupation of Egypt.
Bibliography
Dykstra, Darrell. “The French Occupation of Egypt, 1798–1801.” In The Cambridge History of Egypt, edited by M. Daly. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press, 1998.
Ingram, Edward. “The Geopolitics of the First British Expedition to Egypt.” Middle Eastern Studies 30–31 (1994–1995).
Macksey, Piers. British Victory in Egypt, 1801: The End of Napoleon’s Conquest. London: Routledge, 1995.