General Desaix and the
Campaign in Upper Egypt
1798-99
Introduction
by Dave Roberts, UK
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By the 24th July, Napoleon had temporarily defeated a large Mameluke force at the Battle of the Pyramids and had installed himself in Cairo to begin governing France's new 'colony'. Egypt is a vast country and the Mameluke leader Murad Bey had withdrawn into Upper Egypt to lick his wounds and gather a new army to continue the resistance to the 'infidels'. Napoleon could not hope to control Egypt while Murad was at large and on 25th August 1798 he ordered General Louis Desaix to pursue Murad and destroy his forces. In his book, Chistopher-Herold describes Desaix's campaign as, "one of the great adventures of modern times -- because of the sights seen, the distance covered (at least 3,000 miles in 14 months) and the hardships faced." Louis Desaix & Murad BeyBefore we look at the events, which took place during the campaign in Upper Egypt, let us look at the two commanders, Louis Desaix and Murad Bey. The two came from very different cultures and upbringings, yet they were both soldiers with more than a few similarities. Louis Charles Desaix de Veygoux was born of petty nobility in Auvergne in 1768. He entered the military school at Effiat at the age of eight, on a scholarship. He was an intelligent student and he later carried out detailed studies of military campaigns in order to learn from their successes and mistakes. At 15 Desaix was refused entry to the Naval Academy and instead took a sub-lieutenant's commission in the Bretagne Infanterie. In 1792, he found himself serving in the Army of the Rhine and on 20th August 1793, he was promoted to Brigadier General - a meteoric rise over a period of seven months! Desaix was popular with his troops and during the 1796-97 campaigns his reputation for military success equalled Napoleon's. Desaix lived only for glory, as did Napoleon, but he was humane and never expended men needlessly in the search for victory or glory. Napoleon sought glory to further his own ambitions and power; Desaix saw glory as an end in itself. He was described as a "soldier's soldier"; a man dedicated to honour and duty; a quiet man, neutral in politics with a profound sense of fairness. Marmont wrote of Desaix, "Nobody was braver - bravery of the modest sort which did not attach the price of being noticed; man of conscience before all; man of duty, severe on self, an example to others, his kindness tempered his severity . . . Esteemed by all who met him." Desaix's opponent in Upper Egypt could not have been more different in character and style. Murad Bey was more than 20 years older than Desaix. He was described as a large man, magnificently dressed with the strength of an ox and the cunning of a fox. He had a strong personality and rose to supremacy after the death of his master, Ali Bey who ruled Egypt between 1763 and 1773. As with all other Mameluke youths he had been taught to be a lord and he was trained in the use of arms, horsemanship and arrogance. The Arab chronicler, El-Djabarti described Murad Bey as, "Unjust, cruel and proud to excess. Sometimes brave to the point of madness, at other times he acted like a coward." Murad's military knowledge was limited to the Mameluke tradition of charge or, if necessary, run. He was however, a great organiser and motivator of equals and subordinates alike. Murad created the first Nile flotilla and founded an arsenal in Cairo. Throughout the Upper Egypt campaign he found no shortage of allies and Egyptian peasants (Fellahin) willing to die for him. Despite their differences, many similarities can be seen between Desaix and Murad. Both were obstinate and brave. They could be as cold-blooded as the next man and were never discouraged no what the odds against them. Desaix always recognised the enormity of the task Bonaparte set him, yet was determined to fulfil his orders. Murad resisted the French passionately, apparently never phased by defeat, no matter how convincing. Desaix and Murad lived for war; one for the glory it brought the other for power and wealth. More Desaix 1798-99
Desaix 1798-99: The Campaign in Upper Egypt Desaix 1798-99: The Battle Of Samhud - 22 January 1799 Desaix 1798-99: The Battle Of Abnud - March 8th 1799 Desaix 1798-99: Order Of Battle - Desaix's Division, December 1798 Back to Table of Contents -- First Empire #50 Back to First Empire List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 2000 by First Empire. This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com |
Napoleon's expedition to Egypt in 1798 was an ambitious project. Napoleon had subdued Europe and now sought to further his glory and that of France. He sailed from Toulon, narrowly avoiding the British fleet under Nelson, and landed near Alexandria in July 1798.