With Abercrombie and
Moore in Egypt

The Siege of Alexandria

On the 16th of August in the evening, the armed launches and flat-bottomed boats were assembled to the left of the line. The greater part of the troops last arrived from Britain and the Guards, with some artillery, embarked under command of Sir Eyre Coote, and sailed after dark up the lake Mareotis, and got quietly landed to the west of Alexandria about daybreak, while we made a diversion in their favour iti front. About two hours before daybreak we marched into the plain in three divisions, one by the seaside, one in the centre of the plain, and one on the left by the lake side under General Doyle who had again joined us. After passing our advanced posts in silence the enemy fired into us.

We formed in line in rear of what we called the Green Hill and brought up our artillery and stood under arms till daylight when the French marched in columns in front of their batteries to oppose our division in the centre of the plain. The 30th regiment advanced to check a party of the enemy advancing from the bridge towards the hill when a smart firing commenced. General Doyle desired us to lie close to the ground until ordered to rise, telling us in an Irish whisper to level low, for said he, one bullet in a Frenchman's shin bone this day is as good as two in his head some other time. The enemy drove in the 30th regiment.

We were ordered to advance and when we began to move received the fire of all their guns that could bear upon us, as well as a volley of small arms from the division coming towards us. This we returned in- good earnest. On this the enemy retreated under shelter of their guns and we were ordered back to screen ourselves as much as possible from the fire of their heavy cannon, which kept playing most of the day. A shot knocked away Colonel Napier's horse's hind leg, and threw the Colonel on his back among the sand. The Colonel sat up on the sand, and called out to get the saddle and bridle and he would get another horse. A cannon shot struck a white stone in front of me, which flew in pieces and hurt some of the right of our company about the neck and face, while a tooth was knocked right down my throat with a bit of it. I had good reason to thank God things were no worse with me.

The division on the right kept disputing a round hill nearly opposite us most of the day; it remained in our possession at night. The centre division having no shelter on the plain was drawn back to our lines. We lost between thirty and forty men of our brigade in this affair; working parties with entrenching tools were ordered out to us in the afternoon, to throw up breastworks and entrenchments along the brow of the hill. The enemy kept up a constant fire upon them until they reached us, doing them much damage.

This party consisted of the Irish Fencible regiment and they never having seen anything of the kind before, were rather amazed poor lads. About this time some Arabs ventured out amongst us to sell bread, which they carried in baskets. It was soon bought and they sat down on a bank of sand exposed to the French lines to count their gains, when a 24lb. shot struck the bank and almost buried the Arabs in the sand. None of them were seriously hurt. After shaking themselves they ran off leaving baskets, turbans, and money behind, crying out '0 Allah, Francois,' etc.; our division never got such a hearty laugh together since we came to the country. No more Arabs appeared this day.

After dark we were relieved by the centre divsion. On the 18th, our regiment struck their tents and moved into the plain in rear of the Green Hill. At this place the ground was covered with fine salt about 6 inches deep incrusted by the sun. On the 19th, allour troops were drawn across the plain. We thought we were to storm the town, and I am certain the French thought the same. As we advanced their sentinels fired and retreated. We fired none, as we were ordered not to fire on any account. The alarm being given, the enemy opened a tremendous fire of shot and shell; from the seaside to the lake seemed in a blaze, and the air was full of shells; they dropped them so as to clear their own works, for they certainly thought we were upon them. But not a shot was returned by us, except by some of our skirmishers in front who were close on their works. This was a false attack on our part, made to enable Sir Eyre Coote's troops to take possession of a height which commands the western harbour of Alexandria.

This they did and threw up a blue light as a signal; on this we marched back to our tents about daybreak.

We did duty by Brigades at the advanced posts. A road was made on the left by the side of the lake, and heavy cannon were mounted on two batteries erected on the hill, and on two by the seaside. It was a fatiguing job getting the heavy guns to the batteries through the deep sand, and this had to be done in the night time. We got everything ready to commence firing on the Ist of September, which we did powerfully from every gun that could be brought to bear. Our war vessels stood as close in to the harbour as they could; some very heavy metal was opened on them from Pharaoh's Castle. Our gunboats on the lake kept up a constant fire on the right of the enemy's lines, while General Coote's batteries joinecrin from the western side of the town. All this made the place hot enough for them. One of our twenty-four pounders on the lefi battery burst and killed and wounded some of the artillery.

On the 27th, in the evening an officer came from General Menou with a letter asking a cessation of hostilities for three days that he might draw up articles of capitulation. This was agreed to. On the 29th an extension of time for thirty-six hours was asked. General Hutchinson sent back word that if the articles of capitulation were not sent in by twelve o'clock that night, our batteries would open and the place be stormed. About 10 o'clock a message was sent by the French General that the articles would be ready the next day. After some delay the articles were signed by Lord Hutchinson, and on 2nd September by Lord Keith who came ashore for that purpose. It was stipulated that our army should take possession ofthe outworks, and the French be drawn within the walls of the town till they were ready to embark.

At twelve o'clock the grenadiers of our different regiments, Sir John Hope riding in front, began to cross the plain with bands Playing the Grenadier March, while the troops of both armies stood looking on, they had such a noble, majestic appearance on entering the French lines. The four flags hoisted at the main entrance into the enemy's lines, the French, the Dutch, the Spanish, and one for Egypt, said to be Coptic, were struck, to be hoisted no more and the white flag displayed. In the evening the Grenadiers were relieved by the following regiments :- 2nd or Queen's, 79th, and our regiment, extending from the little Pharos tower to the main entrance; a brigade of heavy artillery pointed to the Rosetta gate, on one of the guns was hoisted the British flag; on the height in rear of the wells was General Stewart's foreign brigade.

The evening gun was fired before our regiment sent out their watering parties ; they were turned back by Sir John Hope when within 300 yards of the wells: this kept us badly off for water during the night. We did duty here along with the French, they in the inside of the gates, and we without and we were very familiar together. The French officers and a proportion of men had liberty to go to our market and make purchases, as they had been on low diet for some time back. They came among us disposing of watches and gold rings very cheap, some of their Italian plunder I have no doubt.

Some of our men taken prisoners in the month of March were sent in to our lines; they looked as if they had been badly kept, were like skeletons, dirty and ragged. While digging in the sand some of our men discovered a canvas hose charged with gunpower leading to a 13 inch shell, from that to another, and so on extending on both sides ofthe main entrance into the enemy's works, on the very ground where our tents stood. As this was thought to be some piece of French treachery it was inquired into, and it was explained that it was laid there in case the British had stormed the place. The shells were dug up and collected in one place in case of any accident.

The French had very strong fortifications here. On the heights from the sea to the lake was one entire battery with a deep ditch about 18 feet broad, and palisadoes, and in the hollow between the walls of the town and this fortifjcation the French lay in huts. If we had stormed these outworks we would have been exposed to the fire of the citadel and forts Cretain and Caffarelli as well as from the walls of Alexandria, which are about 30 feet high and flanked with towers, which in some places are falling into decay.

On the 11th of September the French marched out at twelve o'clock at night. We stood under arms until they passed, about 11,000 of all descriptions, on their way to embark at Aboukir. This put a finish to our labour in this country, and we had now some time to look about us--for we had lain every night fully accoutred and with our firelocks by our side since we came up here. We were ordered to take down the French huts in our rear and build two huts for each company, but with these materials were brought such a quantity of fleas that we could not get peace to sleep quietly afterwards.

We now got plenty of firewood, an article we hah been very scarce of in this country: villages have often been unroofed to supply fuel for the army. Flour was served out in place of bread, which was much against us as we had no way to keep it clear of sand, our method was to make dumplings of it and boil them in the camp kettles. On the 27th it was my turn to draw the company's rum. Corporal MacBean went for me, and coming back at full speed one of the cords of Mr Mackay's tent took his feet, he fell and all the liqour was sunk in the sand in a moment. He generously offered to purchase two dollars' worth of date brandy: this we all rejected.

On the 9th ot October, Lieutenant Ranald MacDonald, who was our acting adjutant, ordered me to get six men and four camels to take the officers' baggage to the commissary depbt, where I was to get a boat to take it on board. When I reached there I found Adjutant Campbell, and all the sick of the brigade, and learned that the regiment was to be embarked on board the Renommee, forty-four, and Modeste frigates, five companies in each. I delivered over the camels and got a boat on the 5th.

We wrought very hard all morning putting the baggage into the boat, keeping each ship's baggage as much by itself as we could. We had very poor assistance. The boat was overloaded and could not get off, so we had to strip naked and push her out into the lake where deep water was: she got on several shoals and we had to again push her off until we got into the bay. I got a very severe headache and pain in the brow by over-exertion in the heat of the sun;this terminated in sore eyes. I regretted much that I was taking this disease the very last day I was in the country, for I had been exceedingly healthy since we landed in March, but I was not Permitted to Pass out of the house of bondage without afffiction.

We reached the Renommee frigate after dark, and got part of the baggage on board. Early next morning we went to the Modeste frigate, where I delivered over my charge to Mr Donald MacBarnet, formerly quartermaster sergeant, but who has now got a commission, while poor John Macintosh, Sergeant-Major, who was wounded and present with the regiment during the campaign was entirely overlooked. On the 6th of October the five companies came on board commanded by Major Gordon. They were much fatigued with a long march through the sand, but as it was the first step on the road home they stood it with the greater fortitude.

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