Napoleon in Egypt (21 page)

According to Napoleon in his memoirs, Murad Bey’s forces consisted of “20,000 Janissaries,
^*
Arabs and militia from Cairo” all dug in at Embaba “with forty pieces of cannon.”
¹⁵
At the same time, stretched out across the desert was a line of “12,000 Mamelukes, agas, sheiks and other Egyptian notables, on horseback and each having three or four men on foot to serve them, forming a line of 50,000 men.” This was also supported by “8,000 Bedouin Arabs . . . all in a line which stretched three leagues [i.e., around nine miles].” Meanwhile “the Nile, stretching from Embaba to Boulac, as far back as Old Cairo, was barely sufficient to contain their flotilla, whose masts appeared like a forest.” All other sources indicate that these figures are exaggerated. In the effort to build up his reputation in history, Napoleon wished to stress that his 25,000 men of the Army of the Orient faced a greatly superior force in this epic battle. There is no denying that the combined Egyptian force was superior in number—it probably had at least half as many again as the French—but the caliber of some of its conscripted men cannot be compared with that of the French. When it came down to professional soldiers and trained fighting men the numbers probably favored the Egyptians by a mere few thousand.

The five French divisions arrived in front of Embaba at around two
P.M.
, in the very heat of the day, and settled down for a brief respite amidst the fields of watermelons which were growing in profusion along the banks of the Nile. Despite Napoleon’s previous orders, this was hardly the time and place to start boiling the fruit, and they were simply gulped down raw by the thirsty troops, which only served to worsen an already bad situation. Afterwards, Colonel Savary wrote: “The whole army has diarrhea.”
¹⁶

But Napoleon now had his mind on higher matters. This was the moment he had been waiting for: the battle that would decide the fate of Egypt. As always at such moments he was filled with a sense of destiny. He called together his commanders, and after outlining his battle plan delivered a speech: “You are going into a battle which will be engraved upon the memory of mankind. You will be fighting the oppressors of Egypt.” Gesturing to the distant pyramids, he uttered the memorable words: “Soldiers, forty centuries of history are looking down on you.”
^*
17

Napoleon’s battle plan was similar to that which he had adopted at Shubra Khit: his five divisions would form into defensive squares, with strategically placed artillery and sharpshooters. His continuing lack of sufficient cavalry left him with little other option. However, as his squares were six deep, this allowed for the first three ranks to march forward in a column of attack, whilst he still retained his main force in defensive squares capable of resisting cavalry attacks. He knew that this would be no inconclusive minor skirmish such as he had encountered at Shubra Khit: this time the Mamelukes would be riding into battle to defend all that they stood for, their centuries of heroic tradition, and would be liable to fight to the last man. Napoleon’s main worry was that on this occasion, confronted with the full force of the determined Mameluke cavalry, the men might break ranks. He realized that his soldiers were weakened by their long march, as well as being debilitated by hunger, eye disease and diarrhea, which had left them for the most part dispirited—a situation which was not conducive to obeying orders that went against their natural inclination. During their many campaigns in Europe, the French revolutionary army had prided itself on its charges: the men taking the battle to the enemy and sweeping all before them. Such bravery and enthusiasm had required spirit rather than instilled discipline; their belief in France and the revolutionary cause had been enough. It had only been possible to enforce stricter discipline after the initial chaos and fervor of the post-revolutionary years had died down, and this had been achieved with varying success (as could be seen with Reynier’s division). Napoleon was well aware that he was taking a risk in ordering his men to adopt a passive role in a major battle. Even he was not entirely certain that they would hold their line, and their fire—under massed frontal attack from brave and experienced cavalry—until the enemy were at point-blank range, and the order to fire was given.

Napoleon’s force was still arrayed in five divisions, under Desaix, Reynier, Dugua, Bon and Vial. Bon’s division was deployed directly beside the Nile in front of Embaba, with Vial’s division to his right. To the right of Vial, but held back in reserve, was Dugua’s division, where Napoleon himself set up his command headquarters. Approximately a mile separated the two front lines at this point, but Colonel Laugier describes how General Murat “wanted to go right up to the point where he could reconnoiter the enemy, so I joined him, and followed him. We pursued our reconnaissance to within cannon range of the Mameluke camp. We could very distinctly see their tents, and see them mounting their horses in preparation for battle.”
¹⁸
Murad Bey soon came forth from his brightly colored tent, riding his prancing steed down the line before his men, greeting each bey in turn, instilling in them courage for the battle ahead: this was a fight for the Mameluke heritage of Egypt, for Muslims against the infidel invaders, who would be driven from their shores just as the Crusaders had been forced to flee Saladin (who had himself been technically a Mameluke).

The right wing of Napoleon’s forces consisted of Reynier’s division, and beyond this, further forward, Desaix’s division, which was moving towards a position where it could outflank the Mamelukes if they charged, and then cut off their retreat. Murad Bey quickly realized what was happening, and Napoleon watched as he “dispatched one of his bravest beys with an elite corps of 7 or 8 thousand horses, who charged with the speed of lightning”
¹⁹
towards Desaix’s division. This was having some difficulty maintaining its square as it progressed through clumps of palm trees and stumbled down into the hollowed-out beds of dried-up navigation canals. As the leading soldiers began emerging from yet another canal bed, their line in some disarray, they saw that the charging Mameluke cavalry was almost upon them. According to Savary, “The last stragglers were not yet in their ranks when the line began firing on the Mamelukes, who were 200 paces away.”
²⁰
Desaix at once ordered his officers to close up their lines. As the Mameluke cavalry thundered over the plain towards the French square, a number of the soldiers were hit by the Mamelukes furiously discharging their rifles and pistols ahead of them, but the rest of the line held firm. Not until the order was given did the men fire their muskets, slicing down the Mamelukes as their horses rode right up to the line of bayonets then reared in panic, turning on their hind legs. A few riderless horses toppled over into the French line as the men followed the command to reload.

Wave upon straggling wave of Mameluke cavalry emitting bloodcurdling screams, their brandished scimitars glinting in the sun, now broke against the line of Desaix’s division. Some groups swerved to their right to avoid the falling horses and men, charging towards the uncluttered line of Reynier’s division. This was tightly aligned, with kneeling bayoneteers and lines of riflemen holding steady until the order was given to fire, and more screeching Mameluke riders fell from their horses.

The fact is, neither Murad Bey nor the Mamelukes had any conception of an ordered, concerted cavalry charge, such as might have broken through the French ranks. No sooner was the order to charge given than they simply rode forward as fast as they could, each man keener than the next to be first into the fray, each intent upon individual glory more than any collective victory. Instead of a charge, it became more of a race, the line rapidly becoming uneven and ragged as they approached the French positions. Even so, they presented an awesome and unnerving sight, as Corporal François recalled:

They threw themselves forward in a mad charge. Our order was not to move! We hardly breathed; brigade commander Marmont had ordered us not to fire until he gave the command. The Mamelukes were almost upon us. The order was finally given, and it was real carnage. The sabers of the enemy cavalry met the bayonets of our first rank. It was an unbelievable chaos: horses and cavalrymen falling on us, some of us falling back. Several Mamelukes had their [silk] clothes on fire, set alight by the blazing wads from our muskets. I was by the flag and I saw right beside me Mamelukes, wounded, in a heap, burning, trying with their sabers to slash the legs of our soldiers in the front rank. We were closed in such tight rank that they must have believed we were joined together. I have never seen men more brave and more determined.
²¹

Captain Vertray, who was with Reynier’s division, remembered:

The number of corpses which lay all around us was soon considerable. The clothes of the dead and wounded Mamelukes burned like tinderwood . . . the flaming wads from our rifles penetrated their exotic uniforms, which floated in the air like gauze embroidered with gold and silver . . . they all wore chiffon chemises and cloaks of silk, with their weapons encrusted with ivory and finely cut gemstones . . . It was imperative for troops such as us to resist these fearsome charges by the enemy. Our brigade was at this time composed almost exclusively of battle-hardened warriors accustomed to victory; besides, we knew that it was all or nothing.
²²

General Reynier was full of praise for his division: “I have never known officers and men, holding themselves in line, who have conducted themselves better.”
²³

With their ensuing charges disrupted by panicking riderless horses, the Mamelukes swerved to charge between the divisions, some even continuing on as far as Dugua’s division, many now falling victim to crossfire and sharpshooters. On the French right flank, the battle was becoming a rout, and the majority of the remaining Mamelukes turned their horses and galloped back towards their own line in the direction of the pyramids.

Seeing this, Napoleon made his move. “I seized the opportunity and ordered General Bon’s division, which was by the Nile, to launch an attack on where the enemy was dug in [at Embaba].”
²⁴
Vial’s division also advanced, covering Bon’s flank. Seeing this, Murad Bey dispatched the unused right wing of his cavalry, which galloped forward, discharging their muskets, firing their pistols, then brandishing their gleaming scimitars above their heads. As they charged towards the French line the air was filled with the piercing screams of their battle cries.

The advancing French divisions quickly took up their positions in defensive squares, with the commanders and the few cavalry taking their place in the center, followed by the order for the pack animals and the savants to follow suit (the latter order now reduced to a mere “Donkeys in the middle!”). Once again the Mameluke charge broke against an impenetrable wall of French soldiers as the men of Bon’s division held their line. But this time, as the Mameluke cavalry turned, they found their way partially blocked by Vial’s division, which had swept round to cut off their retreat. Many of the cornered Mamelukes rode through the cannons and fortifications on the outskirts of Embaba, taking refuge in the village as Bon’s division continued their advance along the Nile.

Bon and Vial then gave the orders for the front lines of their division squares to break forward into columns of attack, and these began advancing towards the entrenched positions at the edges of Embaba. The young cavalry officer Desvernois relates a memorable incident which now took place:

A distinguished Mameluke bey with a fine long beard paraded himself before the front line of Bon’s division. At the sight of this insolent enemy I was overcome with anger and bringing my magnificent Arab steed to the gallop I broke out like lightning from the ranks of our divisional square and joined battle with this audacious bey. Bullets rained around us, but we did not heed them. With a pistol shot I knocked him from his saddle. He fell from his mount and approached me on hands and knees. Seeing him, with his white beard, coming in this way towards me, slicing the ground from right to left with his sword, I understood that he wished to beg clemency from me, and trying to make him understand that I wished him no ill, I placed my sword under my left elbow, point to the rear, handle protruding, and reached out to him with my arms.
²⁵

But Desvernois had underestimated his enemy. The bey continued forward, attempting to slice the legs of Desvernois’s horse. When Desvernois reined to one side to avoid these blows, the bey leapt to take cover under the horse’s neck, then “with the speed of a serpent” seized the reins with his left hand, and with his right slashed furiously at Desvernois with his sword. At the same time Desvernois’s horse reared, and instead the bey’s sword hit the horse’s forehead.

But, quick as lightning, I struck at my enemy with two vigorous blows, one on the arm and the other on the hand which had seized the reins, then two or three other blows on his head and his other arm. Even then, severely wounded but not disarmed, the bey continued on his knees to try and give me more of the same game. But I’d had enough of this type of game, and I leaned over him and smashed open his head.
²⁶

Whereupon several soldiers broke ranks, rushed towards the bey and finished him off with their rifle butts, “causing his yellow cashmere turban to come off, revealing a red felt skullcap into which were sewn more than 500 gold coins.”