With Abercrombie and
Moore in Egypt

The Gallant Stand of the
90th at Mandorah

ON the 12th we advanced after filling our canteens with water ; for in this dry sand, with a burning sun overhead and living on salt provisions, water is a precious article indeed. Having proceeded a little beyond the narrow neck of the peninsula the enemy's cavalry began to dispute the ground with us. Our march was slow and often interrupted; the ground being uneven and the sand very deep, parties were frequently sent to assist the seamen with the guns. Before night, we came in sight of the French army posted on a height. Their strength was about 6000, with cavalry, and about 30 field pieces. We halted and began to dig for water, which was greatly in demand ; each company dug a well and we were out of patience till the water made its appearance but before we were half satisfied the regiment was ordered to picquet in front of the army. There was no help for it. We formed a chain of sentries; a half blind mall and one that could see were put together ; those that were quite blind were left in groups here and there in rear of their companies.

On the morning of the 13th our regiment formed the advanced guard on the left, and the 90th on the right. We got a little rum served out and began our march, leaving our knapsacks with a guard. Before we had gone far our light company which was in front fell in with the enemy's picquets and a skirmishing began. The light company was reinforced several times and drove in the enemy's outposts. The ground over which we marched was covered with thick bushes until we approached a rising ground on which the French were drawn up in order of battle. Our regiment kept to the side of the lake, the goth was on our right, and the army followed us in two lines. The armed boats from the fleet had kept pace on the lake with the left of the army, but the water was now so shallow they could proceed with us no farther. We had a nine pounder field piece and a howitzer along with us; but very little ammunition for them.

As soon as the 90th had cleared the broken ground and began to ascend the height, a heavy body of cavalry advanced to charge them. The 90th formed in line, but before their line could get formed on the left the cavalry was close on them. We thought it was all over with the 90th but they stood firm, and when the cavalry were about to strike at them they opened their fire; it ran from right to left like a rattling peal of thunder. By this well-timed volley they saved themselves most gallantly, and the cavalry being so near, not more than 20 yards distant, it proved most destructive to them. Of those that wheeled past the left of the 90th few returned and many horses were seen galloping with empty saddles.

During this transaction which was all over in a few seconds, our regiment made a pause, but on the retreat of the cavalry we again advanced. The enemy then began to open their artillery upon us from the heights but we still pressed on and they, seeing we were considerably in front of the army, formed the resolution of cutting us off before we could obtain assistance from the main body. When we saw their intention we halted, formed five companies in line and extended the other companies in rear of the bushes on the left towards the lake. We kept at them with our two guns until the last shot of ammunition was fired when they were drawn off to the rear.

Our situation was one of great danger. The enemy in front was advancing in a line formed like the blade of a scythe, the curved point towards the lake and that part was cavalry, said to be the dromedary corps. It seemed as if they meant to turn our left and get into our rear, while they attacked us in front, and, getting round our right, they would thus have surrounded us and made us prisoners or have destroyed us at once as we were not above 500 strong and every minute were getting fewer.

The enemy had some fieldpieces in front which were making sad havoc among us, every shot sweeping down some of our men. Our commanding officer ordered us not to fire but to stand firm until we could see their feet as they advanced from the hollow in front of us. When the order to fire was given, like magic it dispelled the gloom from our countenances and everyone did his duty manfully. We encouraged one another, firing and at the same time praying, for soldiers do pray and that very fervently on occasions of this kind and, I believe, serious thoughts were with most of us, even the most profligate.

Our first fire caused the enemy in front of us to halt; and they kept firing on us; this we were not slow in returning, the smoke soon making us almost invisible to each other.

Our men on the left posted among the bushes did their duty admirably and maintained their ground. But our ranks were getting very thin in this unequal combat. To our great joy a party of the Marine battalion doing duty on shore arrived on our right and Dillon's regiment on our left. On the first fire of these troops the enemy retreated in a hurry. We pursued them to some distance and Dillon's regiment coming up with a party of them charged and took two pieces of cannon. The enemy was so closely pressed that he divided his forces; part of them retreated through a shallow part of the canal and the other part retired upon Alexandria. Had our cavalry been mounted and we had ammunition for our few guns we would certainly have taken all the enemy's artillery and Alexandria into the bargain, for we were nearer to it than that part of the enemy's force which retreated to the left. (The 90th lost about 400 and the 92nd about 200 in this action).

Our army formed in line on the heights the French had occupied in the morning. They kept cannonading us through the day and annoyed us much with their sharpshooters as we kept shifting about taking up different positions, making room for the troops coming up from the rear. This day was very warm and we suffered much from thirst; I have seen a Spanish dollar offered for a draught of water and in some instances refused.

The enemy now concentrated his forces on the heights of Alexandria. Our division advanced to possess the high ground on the left in rear of the canal over which was a bridge defended by a party of cavalry and infantry with two guns which played upon us as we formed in close column of companies ready to descend into the hollow. The 44th regiment was sent to the front and at the point of the bayonet captured the bridge; the party which defended it retired into their own lines. The enemy then began to move some heavy columns on the plain and opened on us with his artillery, thinking I suppose, to draw us under the guns or his fortifications; but our troops were ordered to screen themselves by the heights.

Those who had no shelter sat or lay down on the ground so as not to be so much exposed to the enemy's shot, but still were ready to be up and at them if they offered to come nearer. Our regiment retired to the rear and sent out Parties in search of water, which had been in great demand during the early part of the day. They were fortunate in finding it; and the eagerness with which each man grasped his canteen and the pleasure it gave call only be imagined by those who have been in similar circumstances. We remained in the same position till near sunset, the enemy still cannonading us and cutting down a file here and there. Major Napier had a narrow escape from one of these shots.

By sunset the enemy took up the position in which it remained during the siege of Alexandria; our right to the sea and our leftto the canal that separates Lake Maadie from the bed of the Lake Mareotis. We soldiers thought we had nothing to do but take the town whenever our heavy battering guns and ammunition arrived: but alas, much had to be done before the surrender of Alexandria.

As soon as our position was adjusted and we had piled arms, the cry was for more water and parties were sent out who brought it to us as thick as puddle, as men and horses had been promiscuously knee-deep amongst it trying, as it were, who could drink the fastest. After getting our water, being much fatigued we sat down among the sand and began to examine our haversacks. I observed some holes in mine; and taking out some biscuits found a grape shot in the centre of a bit of pork.

I might well return thanks to God for the protection afforded me this day. Many miraculous escapes some of my comrades made; but our loss was great. Colonel Erskine was severly wounded in the thigh by grape shot; Captain Ramsay, Archibald MacDonald, Cameron and Palton wounded; Lieutenants Norman MacLeod, Ranald MacDonald and Donald MacDonald, C. Dowie, Tomline Campbell, Alexander Cameron and Foreman wounded ; Ensign Wilkie wounded; John Mackintosh, sergeant-major wounded in the right arm. In all our regiment lost about 150 in killed and wounded; but our wonder was how so many had escaped. The loss sustained by the army was about 1500 in killed and wounded of all ranks. Four field pieces were taken from the enemy ; their loss otherwise I never learned.

Colonel Erskine was taken on board one of the ships of the fleet when, after having one of his legs amputated he died on the 23rd. His remains with those of some other officers who had died on board were buried in the sand in front of the regiment. Lieutenant Dowie died on the 16th and Norman MacLeod about a month after. Tomline Campbell died on the 17th May. (The skeleton of Colonel Erskine was discovered by some workmen while digging a foundation in 1894. It was recognised by its having only one leg and by a locket or love token found lying on the breastbone.)

On the 11th the commander-in-chief in general orders bestowed great praise on the 90th, 92nd, and Dillon's regiment for the bravery and steady conduct manifested by them while on the advanced guard yesterday; for maintaining their ground against a superior force of the enemy and baWing the enemy's attack until the line was closed up and formed. This day parties were sent to bury the dead and assist the wounded to the boats. I buried John Nicol from Banff, the only namesake I had in the regiment. He had been struck in the centre of the body by a large shot which had doubled him up; he lay a shocking sight, but his death must have been in a moment.

We got our tents on shore and pitched and were employed in landing heavy guns which had to be dragged to the heights through the sand The f`atigues of the army were very great, building batteries, raising redoubts and making entrenchments; the men affected with night blindness had to take their turn of night duty. The sentries on the outposts were all doubled, a blind man and a seeing man were put together, the former to hearken and the other to look out; and a blind mall and one that could see were set to work together, to carry two handed baskets filled with earth to raise the breast works, the one that had sight leading the blind. Every place that could be fortified from the sea to the lake was made as strong as it could be in so short a time. On the large central height was what might be called our Grand Battery where proudly floated the British flag. From this place we had a view of all the plain to the fortifications of Alexandria.

When the working parties were digging among the ruins and turning up fine pillars and blocks of marble and placing in the breastworks and redoubts these ornaments of ancient palaces, it made me and many others reflect on the ancient glory of Egypt of which there are so many evidences even in the barren peninsula of Aboukir. I saw in these ruins the fulfilment of Scripture and from the description which I read on board ship after I knew we were bound for this place, I supposed such a city might have stood in this vicinity.

These reflections gave great interest to our operations. We were now upon Scripture ground; we had come from a distant island of the sea to the country of the proud Pharaohs to carry on war where Nebuchadnezzar and Alexander the Great, Caesar, and other great warriors had put armies in motion.

Our camp stretched from the sea to the lake on which were numerous boats bringing provisions and military stores from the fleet, while parties of seamen and soldiers were dragging them through the deep sand from the depot about two miles in rear of the army. This fatiguing work was cheerfully done notwithstanding the hardship that attended it. On the 17th Colonel Bryce of the Guards while visiting the picquets at night got among the French outposts ; he was wounded and taken prisoner; he died a short time after. On the 18th our cavalry on the plain disputed a round hill with some French cavalry and on charging the French were fired upon by some infantry posted in rear of the hill; on this our cavalry turned and took some prisoners.

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