Battle of Abukir (1801)

For other battles with similar names, see Battle of Abukir (disambiguation).

Battle of Abukir
Part of the French Campaign in Egypt and Syria of the French Revolutionary Wars
The landing of British troops at Aboukir, 8 March 1801 by Philip James de Loutherbourg
Date 8 March 1801 Location Abu Qir, Egypt, Ottoman Empire Result British victory
Belligerents
United Kingdom	France
Commanders and leaders
Ralph Abercromby	Louis Friant
Strength
ca. 8,000 men	1,800 men and 15 guns
Casualties and losses
31 officers, 621 men killed, wounded, and missing	350 killed, wounded and missing, 8 guns lost

The Battle of Abukir of 8 March 1801 was the second pitched battle of the French campaign in Egypt and Syria to be fought at Abu Qir on the Mediterranean coast, near the Nile Delta.

Battle

The landing of the British expeditionary force under Sir Ralph Abercromby was intended to defeat or drive out an estimated 21,000 remaining troops of Napoleon's ill-fated invasion of Egypt. The fleet commanded by Baron Keith included seven ships of the line, five frigates and a dozen armed corvettes. With the troop transports, it was delayed in the bay for several days by strong gales and heavy seas before disembarkation could proceed.

Under General Friant, some 2,000 French troops and ten field guns in high positions took a heavy toll of a large British force disembarking from a task-force fleet in boats, each carrying 50 men to be landed on the beach. The British then rushed and overwhelmed the defenders with fixed bayonets and secured the position, enabling an orderly landing of the remainder of their 17,500-strong army and its equipment. The skirmish was a prelude to the Battle of Alexandria and resulted in British losses of 730 killed and wounded or missing. The French withdrew, losing at least 350 dead or wounded and eight guns taken.

Division General Menou (French commander in Egypt), knew the British had landed but instead of opposing them with sufficient force, he sent Friant with inadequate means and thus ensured his defeat.

Order of Battle

The order of battle of the forces involved in listed below.

French Forces

• Division General Louis Friant in command
• 18th Dragoon Regiment (2 squadrons)
• 20th Dragoon Regiment (detachment)
• 25th Demi-Brigade of the Line (1/2 battalion)
• 51st Demi-Brigade of the Line (1/2 battalion)
• 61st Demi-Brigade of the Line (1 battalion)
• 75th Demi-Brigade of the Line (1 battalion)
• 15 artillery guns

British Forces

• Lieutenant General Sir Ralph Abercromby in command
• Ludlow's Division
  • Major General George James Ludlow, 3rd Earl Ludlow in command
  • 1st Battalion, Coldstream Regiment of Foot Guards
  • 1st Battalion, 3rd Regiment of Foot Guards
• Coote's Division
  • Major General Eyre Coote in command
  • 2nd Battalion, 1st (Royal) Regiment of Foot
  • 1st and 2nd Battalions, 54th (West Norfolk) Regiment of Foot
• Moore's Reserve Division — all regiments below maintained 1 battalion unless stated
  • Major General John Moore in command
  • Brigadier General Hildebrand Oakes, 2nd in command
  • 23rd (Royal Welsh Fusiliers) Regiment of Foot
  • 42nd (Royal Highland) Regiment of Foot
  • 58th (Rutlandshire) Regiment of Foot
  • 4 coys, 40th (2nd Somersetshire) Regiment of Foot
  • Corsican Rangers

See also

• Battle of the Nile or Battle of Abukir Bay (1798)
• Battle of Abukir (1799)

References

• Smith, Digby (1998). The Greenhill Napoleonic wars data book. London Mechanicsburg, PA: Greenhill Books Stackpole Books. ISBN 978-1-85367-276-7. OCLC 37616149.