Abbildungen der Seite
PDF
EPUB

coolness. The chaffeurs, compofing the platoon, prefented their bayonets, and referved their fire till the enemy were within ten paces. The barbarian cavalry were no lefs intripid. They advanced impetuoufly in front of the French ranks. After firing, and throwing their piftols and mufkets at the heads of the French, they rufhed on into clofe action with their fpears and fabres. Some of them, whofe horfes were killed under them, crept along upon their bellies, in order to be under the bayonets, and cut the legs of their enemies. But all was in vain: they were obliged to fly. The French, notwithstanding the fire of the four pieces of cannon, which was the more to be dreaded, that their ranks were deep, advanced to Sediman ; and the entrench

ment, cannon, and baggage were immediately in their poffeffion. On the fide of the united forces of the Mammalukes and Arabs, three beys were killed, two wounded, and four hundred of the flower of his troops killed on the spot. The lofs of the French was, by them ftated, to be thirty-fix killed, and ninety-fix wounded.

Here, as well as at the battle of the the Pyramids, the foldiers made a confiderable booty. There was not a Mammaluke on whom they did not find from three to five hundred louis. Mourad Bey retreated to the gorges of the mountains of Tajain-raft, to take care of his wounded, and recruit his army. And thus Deffaix was left in poffeffion of the beft part of Upper Egypt.

[blocks in formation]

CHA P. II. :

The French keep their Ground in Egypt.-Yet many Caufes remain of
Alarm.-Means used by Buonaparte, for obviating or encountering these.
An Alliance, offenfive and defenfive, between the Turks and Ruffians.—Ex-
pedition of the French into Egypt.—Objects of this avowed.—Or probable.

Preparations for the Expedition. -Difpofition of the Troops. And March.-Oppofed by Mammalukes, Arabs, Samaritans, and other Syrian Tribes.-Battle of El-Arisch.-El-Arisch taken by the French.-Progress of the French Army to Gaza.—Of which it takes Poffeffion without Refiftance. And of Jaffa (the ancient Joppa), after a defperate Refifiance.Importance of Jaffu.- Letter from Buonaparte to Ghezzar, Bafhare of St. John d'Acre.-Ghezzar's Anfwer.-March of the French Army along the Roots of Mount Carmel.-Towards St. John d'Acre.-Description and Hiflory of Acre. French encamp before Acre. And open Trenches against it.-Project, combined by the British and Turkish Governments, for a general Attack on Buonaparte, by Sea and Land,-A French Flotilla, with Battering-cannon, Ammunition, and Stores, taken by Commodore Sir Sidney Smith.-Breach effected in the Wall of Acre.-Repeated Assaults of the French, on Acre, repulsed.-Immenfe Multitudes assembled on the furrounding Hills, waiting for the Iffue of the Contest, with a Determination to join the Victors.-Circular Letter from Sir Sidney Smith to the Princes and Chiefs of the Chriftians of Mount Lebanon.-Their friendly Anfwer.-Sallies from the Garrison of Acre.-Account of Ghezzar BaShaw.-Difcomfiture and Retreat of the French from Acre.

NOTWIT
Noruction of the

OTWITHSTANDING the deftruction of the French fleet, and that all reafonable hopes of timely Tupport from the fquadrons at Genoa, Toulon, and Corfu, were cut off, by the irresistible power of the English in the Mediterranean, the French had now eftablished themfelves in Egypt. Their dominion might be fapped by peftilence and difeafe, or fhaken and fubverted by external aggreffion; and this the rather, that they were fo completely humbled at fea; but, over the inhabitants of Egypt, their

fway was uncontrouled, fave by thofe defultory and predatory incurfions of the Arabs, who often moleft the best established governments. Buonaparte had ftrengthened his army by the wrecks of the navy, and by recruits of different nations in Egypt. All the important ftations were occupied by the French. Taxes were impofed and collected. Horfes and camels, as well as provifions for the army, were fupplied in abundance. And new fortrefics, rifing in divers places, ftrengthened the hands of

the

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

ing him a prefent, gave him in charge, as a paffenger, citizen Beauchamp, with dispatches to the Porte, containing affurances of the fincere defire of the French nation to live with the Porte on the ufual terms

the invaders, by their genuine importance, and alfo by that air of fovereign power which they carried to the imaginations of the humbled Muffelmen. Yet many circumftances of alarm continued to agitate the mind of Buonaparte. of friendship. At the fame time The extenfion of the French arms he ftated, in the letter, the grounds extended alfo the fphere of hofti- of complaint which he had against lity and refiftance to their power. the bafhaw, Ghezzar, who had Ghezzar Oglou, the bafhaw of St. given a cordial reception to IbraJohn d'Acre, had affembled a great him Bey, with about a thoufand force, the deftination of which, in Mammalukes, after he had been the prefent circumftances, could not driven out of Egypt into Syria. be doubtful. The bafhaw of Damaf- Finally, he stated, that the punishcus, too, was in motion. Multitudes ment which he might find it necefof Arabs might be induced to join fary to inflict on that bashaw, ought the enemies of the French. The ap- not to give the Porte any uneafipearance of a great force in Egypt, nefs. Buonaparte, foreseeing every or on its confines, might awaken the thing that would tend to give ofcourage, with the refentment of the fence to the Porte, had already dif inhabitants, and overturn an autho- patched an officer to Ghezzar, by rity not yet confirmed by the lapfe fea, with a letter, affuring him that of time, the abatement of preju- the French nation was defirous to dices, and the change of habits. live at peace, and preferve friendWhile thefe dangers were threa- fhip with the grand feignior. tened in the east, farther attacks he infifted that Ghezzar fhould difwere to be apprehended, and new mifs Ibrahim, with his Mammacombinations, against the French in lukes. Ghezzar, who, in his miliEurope. tary preparations, had acted by orders from the Porte, made no anfwer to this letter from Buonaparte, but fent back the officer who carried it, and put the French at Acre into irons.

Among the fhips which lay in the harbour of Alexandria, at the arrival of the French, was a large veffel, belonging to the Turkish government, of that kind called caravals, fent to bring home the annual tribute. It was the time when the Turkifh fhips of commerce ufually fet fail from Egypt; and the caraval received orders from government to return, with the other veffels, to Conftantinople. Buonaparte affured the captain of the veffel of the friendship of the French; defired that he would bear witnefs at home, that the Turkifh, as well as the French flag, was flying at Alexandria; and, giv

But

[blocks in formation]
[ocr errors]

Buonaparte, no doubt, knew how to eftimate the fpirit of the Porte, which, under the difadvantages of ignorance, anarchy, and the torpor of old age, would have, perhaps, come to fome accommodation with the invaders of Egypt, rather than hazard an appeal to arms, if the divan had not been encouraged and fpirited up, by the victory obtained over the French fleet, near Aboukir, to form an alliance, offenfive and defenfive, with the English and Ruffians.

Buonaparte, fufpecting that such an alliance would be formed, and that, in this cafe, a combined operation would take place against Egypt (an attack on the fide of Syria, and an attack by fea), resolved to march into Syria, chaftife Ghezzar, and destroy the preparations made for an expedition against Egypt, rather than wait and receive the combined attack apprehended on the coafts of that country.

This plan of military operations, our readers may probably recollect, is exactly in the fame fpirit with the mafterly and bold conduct of Buonaparte, during the blockade and fiege of Mantua, in 1796, when he marched rapidly against an Auftrian army, which had turned the lake of Garda, and was intended to form a junction with general Wurmfer. If the French army, which covered the fiege, had waited their approach, and given them battle near Mantua, a fortie from the garrifon might have, probably, decided the action in favour of the Auftrians; there

fore, Buonaparte, with his covering army, advanced to a very confiderable diftance, northward, beat the Auftrian army, and returned, and carried the fiege of Mantua.

It was the intention of Buonaparte, if the Porte should still remain quiet, in the midft of all this invafion and interference in the Turkifh dominion and government, after he had driven Ghezzar from his government of Acre, to have complimented the grand feignior with the nomination of a new bafhaw: a determination, it may be obferved, by the way, which leads to a very probable conjecture, that he entertained fome ideas of extending the power and influence of the republic, under a fhew of homage and respect for the fublime Porte, in the fame manner that the English Eaft-India company seized and kept poffeffion of different territories, in the name of the mogul. In Afia, a few victories often lead to extensive dominion and empire. If fuccefs fhould attend his arms in Syria, the glory of his name, by attracting, as ufual, numerous warlike, but barbarous tribes, to a victorious ftandard, might prepare the way for his march to Conftantinople, and even Vienna. In the defign, declared by Buonaparte, of anticipating a ftorm ready to fall on Egypt, there is nothing improbable; and it appears to be pretty certain, that the end in view was not limited, as was fuppofed by fir Sidney Smith,* to the treasures amaffed by Ghezzar Bashaw.

Buonaparte having, by a proper difpofition of his troops, and other

* In his letter to rear-admiral Blanket, commanding the British squadron in the Red Sea; and to John Wilfon, efq. appointed, by the governor and council of Bombay, agent to the Eaft-India company.

precautions

precautions of a political nature, provided for the internal quiet of Egypt, as well as fecurity againft incurfions by the Arabs of the defart, towards the end of January, 1798, gave orders to general Almeyrus to embark provifions and fiores, for the army of Syria, to be conveyed, by the lake of Menzales, to the port of Tinch, and from thence to be carried, by land, to the village of Cathich. The artillery, that had been employed in the fiege of Alexandria, was put on board three frigates, which were to cruize off Jaffa, and to maintain a communication with the army. Camels and mules were provided with extraordinary expedition, at Cairo, for carrying the light artillery, ammunition, and provifions, of which, the moft bulky, as well as the most neceffary article, was water. The army was parted into four divifions: one under general Kleber, one under general Regnier, one under general Bon, and one under general Lannes. The cavalry was commanded by general Mourat, the artillery by general Dommartin, and the engineers by general Caffarelli.* A junction was formed, on the fourth of February, 1799, between the divifions of Kleber, and the advanced guard of

Regnier, under the command of general Grange, at Cathich; from whence they proceeded to Lariíla, otherwife called El-Arifch, a village pleafantly fituated on the river Peneus, and the feat of a Greek archbifhop, as well as of moiques for the votaries of the Mahomedan religion. El-Arifch was carried, by general, le Grand, with the bayonet. The barbarous Arnautes and Maugrabins, who defended it, took refuge in the fortrefs, but with fuch precipitation, that, in barricading the gates, they fhut out two hundred men, who were put to the fword, or made prifoners.

Scarcely was the blockade of ElArifch begun, by Regnier's divifion, when a reinforcement of infantry and cavalry, efcorting a convoy of provifions for the defenders of El-Arisch, appeared in fight of that village, and encamped on a rifing ground, covered by a very deep ravine. At that moment, general Kleber came up with the advanced guard of his divifion. General Regnier, communicated to him the defign he had formed, of turning the ravine, and furprising the camp of the Mammalukes in the night. Kleber entirely approved this project. The attack was made, and fucceeded. The camp was carried, and the

The effective force of the army, destined for the Syrian expedition, is thus stated by general Berthier:

[merged small][merged small][ocr errors][ocr errors][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small]
« ZurückWeiter »