Battle of the Pyramids

The battles of the pyramids takes place on Thermidor 3 An VI (July 21st 1798) between the French Army with the East ordered by Bonaparte and the forces Mamelouk S ordered by Mourad Bey, at the time of the Campagne of Egypt.

In July 1798, Bonaparte walk of Alexandria where it unloaded on July 1st with the Cairo to occupy the Egypt. A first combat, the July 13rd with Chebreiss, shows a demolished rapid of the Mamelouk S which lose in this first fights 300 riders. Those then withdraw towards Cairo. One informs Bonaparte that Mourad Bey waits there with all its joined together forces. The Mamelukes indeed decided to fight a decisive battle under the walls of their capital. Their army, gathered on left bank of the the Nile around the village of Embabeh close to the plate of Gizeh, is leant with the river, thus covering Cairo located on Right Bank. Mourad Bey is with the head of more than 10 000 Mamelouks riders, which extend in the plain between the river and the pyramids. Those are accompanied by Arab riders and 24 000 Fellah S and Janissary S laid out in the village or of rapids work of fortification were carried out.

The French Army, which began its walk of night, arrives at daybreak vis-a-vis the enemy. At this point in time one lends to Bonaparte this short harangue: Soldiers! You came in these regions to tear off them with cruelty, to carry civilization in the East, and to withdraw this beautiful part of the world from the yoke of England. We will fight. Think that top of these monuments forty centuries contemplate you.

The French Army is made up of five divisions as in Chebreiss. Desaix and Regnier ordered the line, formed of two divisions, Menou and Bon the left, also made up of two divisions. Bonaparte is in the center with the division Kléber ordered by Dugua in the absence of this wounded general with Alexandria.

Bonaparte makes put the army in squares of 2 000 men described thus by Thiers Each division formed a square; each square was on six rows. Behind were the pomegranate companies in group, ready to reinforce the points of attack. The artillery was with the angles; luggage and generals in the center. These squares were moving. When they were moving, two sides went on the side. When they were charged, they were to stop to make face on all the faces. Then, when they wanted to remove a position, the first ranks were to be detached to form columns of attack, and the others were to remain behind always forming the square, but on three men of depth only, and ready to collect the columns of attack.

The battle

Bonaparte, by examining the enemy notices that the parts which guarantee the camp of Embabeh were not assembled on mountings of countryside. The infantrymen Turkish will not dare to move away some. It orders with Desaix to prolong its line to be put out of reach artillery, and to attack the Mamelukes then, while Bon, of dimensioned sound, will tackle face the cuttings off of Embabeh, the goal of this operation being to place them between two fires and to separate the Mamelukes from the fortified camp.

Mourad realizes movement of French and the intention guesses some. It then gives the order to its cavalry to charge the French columns during their walk. The shock is so fast and brutal on the French columns, which are formed in squares, that those are one moment shaken. The loads of the Mamelukes multiply in vain vis-a-vis the flood of fire which falls down on the riders. The discipline of the French squares seems to override their disordered efforts. Many Mamelukes find death in front of those, where all their efforts come to break. Bonaparte seizes this decisive moment then to make attack Embabeh. The generals Good and Menou remove with the bayonet the village and its cuttings off, killing out of many Mamelukes who cut off themselves there. Turkish division and Fellahs are then tightened between the French squares and the river. They are entirely dispersed or destroyed. Mourad Bey, separated from his troops, is withdrawn towards Gizeh with 2.500 riders, only remainder of its army, the major part of the Turkish troops and of Fellahs ran away themselves with the stroke while crossing the the Nile. The division of Desaix continues the continuation beyond the pyramids.

Consequences

The French losses at the time of this battle are very light, from 30 to 40 dead men and approximately 300 wounded against more 20 000 killed or wounded like 40 guns for the Mamelukes.

This battle opens the road of the Cairo to Bonaparte which enters there the July 24th.

Sources

A. Hugo, Military France History of the French Armies of ground and sea of 1792 to 1833 , T. 2, Delloye, Paris, 1835
L.A. Thiers, History of the French revolution , T. 10,1834

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