Battle of Damietta (1799)

The Battle of Damietta was a fought between the forces of the French Republic and the Ottoman Empire in 1799 during the French invasion of Egypt and Syria. It took place near the port city of Damietta in the Nile Delta following the Ottoman defeat at the Battle of Abukir. The battle resulted in a French victory.

The French victory at the Siege of Acre in 1799 laid the groundwork for further operations aimed at neutralizing Ottoman offensives in Egypt.^[1] Despite setbacks in Syria, French forces under Napoleon Bonaparte retained control of Egypt and anticipated renewed Ottoman attempts to dislodge them.^[2] On 16 July 1799, an Ottoman fleet of approximately 80–100 ships under the command of Köse Mustafa Pasha attempted a landing at Alexandria. The effort met resistance. Subsequently, with support from the Royal Navy, around 9,000 Ottoman troops were landed at Abukir.^[2] At the Battle of Abukir on 25 July 1799, the French army under General Joachim Murat defeated the Ottoman landing force and recaptured the Abukir fortress.^[3]

Following their defeat at Abukir, Ottoman forces regrouped and attempted to establish a new foothold at Damietta in the Nile Delta in order to threaten French control of Lower Egypt and revive their campaign in Egypt. A French force under General Jean-Antoine Verdier moved to intercept the Ottoman troops near Damietta. Although outnumbered, the French advanced from the city and launched a coordinated assault against the Ottoman landing force, employing disciplined infantry formations and effective artillery support to disrupt and break the Ottoman lines.^[4]

The Damietta garrison, consisting of roughly 800 infantry and 150 cavalry under Verdier's command, engaged the Ottoman force directly. According to a report by General Jean-Baptiste Kléber, approximately 3,000 Ottoman troops, mainly Janissaries, were killed or drowned during the fighting, while around 800 were captured, including their commander Ismail Bey. The Ottomans also lost 32 standards and five artillery pieces in the defeat. The French only suffered 22 killed and 97 wounded.^[4]

Following their defeat at Damietta, Ottoman forces temporarily lost the ability to launch major offensives in the Nile Delta. However, the Grand Vizier Kör Yusuf Ziyaüddin Pasha continued preparations for a renewed invasion of Egypt from Syria.^[2] The next major encounter between French and Ottoman forces occurred at the second Siege of El Arish in late 1799, as Ottoman troops advanced against the frontier fortress guarding the eastern approaches to Egypt.^[5]

• Chandler, David G. (1966). The Campaigns of Napoleon. Macmillan.
• Herold, J. Christopher (1962). Bonaparte in Egypt. Harper & Row.