As a result, the most famous pursuit in naval history occurred. The British fleet arrived at Napoli on June 22 and then sailed into the Mosina Strait. On June 22, Nelson received information (false information) that Napoleon had captured and left the country. "If they sail past Sicily," Nelson wrote to Dundas,"I believe their aim is to capture Alexandria." Therefore, Nelson sailed straight to Alexandria Port. Neither Nelson nor Napoleon knew that on June 23rd, the two fleets were actually only 78 miles apart! The funny thing was that Nelson, who was determined to catch up with Napoleon, was too impatient and missed him. He rushed to Alexandria Port at full speed on June 28, but there was no trace of the French fleet. The impatient rear admiral might have received some new information, and immediately led the fleet to Constantinople in the northeast. Nelson had once again missed out on Napoleon. None of them knew that on June 29th, the British fleet leaving Alexandria and the French fleet heading for Alexandria were even closer than they had been six days ago. They were only 74 miles away and only a few hours away.
Nelson only learned of the mistake three weeks later. He cursed his bad luck and Napoleon's miraculous escape and sighed," The devil's child naturally had the devil's good luck! Narson decided to chase them to the ends of the earth. After Constantinople was replenished, he turned around and returned to Alexandria.
Late at night on June 27th, due to the decrease in the wind, the speed of the fleet slowed down. At this time, the fleet was 180 miles away from the northwest coast of Egypt. Vice Admiral Brueise ordered the three-masted ship Juno to sail into Alexandria Port first and contact the French Consul there for a detailed report on the situation. Two days later, just a few hours after the British fleet disappeared from the horizon, the Juno arrived at Alexandria Port and took the Consul, Margaret (the nephew of Consul General Charles Margaret), to the anxiously waiting Napoleon.
Ma Jialong boarded the Vostok and told Napoleon," A British fleet of 14 gunboats left Alexandria before Juno arrived…They could reappear at any time. In addition, the sudden change in the weather caused huge winds and waves on the sea. The ships lost control, and the warships and transport ships were in a mess. If the enemy ships appeared at this time, it would bring devastating consequences. Although this news cast a shadow over everyone's faces, I didn't see any fear on the general's face. Now, the British fleet was close to Abu Kiir Bay. It was the sudden appearance of the British Navy that made General Napoleon decide to land in Marabut Bay. General Klébel said that General Napoleon's plan was to occupy the Nile Delta and Alexandria Port within three months.
According to the Consul's report and Napoleon's decision, at 6:45 a.m. on July 1, Bruise ordered the fleet to approach the coast and prepare to land. At eight o'clock in the morning, when the fleet was still a few miles away from Abu Kir Bay, Bruise ordered the warships to leave the transport ship and sail to the coast first. The fleet anchored near the coast and prepared to land. At 11 o'clock, the flagship issued the order to put down the small boat and land. Napoleon ordered the expeditionary force to land in three ways, but the turbulent sea soon disrupted his plan.
Due to the strong winds and the lack of landing training, the entire fleet was in chaos. Fortunately, there was no British navy present at the moment. The landing operation lasted until the early morning of the next day. Bertier, who was usually reluctant to mention the sea, described it this way: The strong wind caused huge waves on the sea. We could not control the small boat at all. The order to land was met with a huge obstacle. In fact, hurricanes often threw small boats onto other small boats. Some small boats were smashed into pieces, while others were overturned by huge waves. Many people drowned in the sea. Brues had advised Napoleon to postpone the landing plan, but he was flatly rejected. Some boats carrying corpses and injured people were washed ashore by the waves. Finally, the first batch of 2,500 people landed on Marabut Beach. Napoleon ordered the cannons and horses to land, but in such weather, it was impossible to unload the cannons and horses from the transport ship.
Napoleon never gave up on his goal. At 2:30 in the morning, he personally led three divisions of about 5,000 men to Alexandria Port on foot. Even though they did not have time to unload the food and water from the ship, they still arrived at a mile and a half away from Alexandria Port in a few hours. In the night, the French army was attacked by enemy cavalry, and both sides engaged in a chaotic battle. From then until the French left three years later, the Mamluk cavalry's elusive attack tactics never stopped.
At Alexandria, Napoleon divided his army into three groups to attack the enemy. The cannons of the defenders of Alexandria City lacked ammunition, and the defenders themselves lacked fighting spirit. After a round of fighting with light firearms, at 11 am, the French army broke through the city gate, and Alexandria fell into the hands of Napoleon. According to Bertier's report (which was usually dictated by Napoleon and therefore questionable), the French had lost twenty-one men and sixty wounded, and twenty soldiers had drowned when they landed. In fact, there were hundreds of casualties, including drowning. General Menu was injured by a rock below the city, and Kreiber was shot in the head. In the afternoon, Alexander sent a representative to Napoleon's headquarters to formally surrender.
I am here to restore your rights and punish the usurpers. On July 2, Napoleon issued an announcement to the local residents in Arabic. I respect God more than Mamluk, his Prophet and the Koran. Napoleon was determined to dispel the doubts of the Egyptians and show his friendship to avoid the appearance of a traditional conqueror. He issued a series of prohibitions and punishments to his army, including the execution of anyone who plundered the people and raped the women. On the other hand, all Mamluks were ordered to be arrested and their property confiscated. Napoleon ordered the Egyptians to lay down their weapons within 24 hours and hand them over to the French army by representatives from various regions. The French army promised to treat them kindly and protect their interests. Any village that refused to hand over their weapons and dared to resist the French army would be burned down. Wherever the French army went, they would commandeer all livestock that could be used for transportation, including horses, donkeys, cattle, and camels. In addition, for Napoleon, the Egyptian people (the opposite of the Mamluk ruling class) were theoretically inviolable. Egypt's religions, religious leaders, and monasteries will be respected by the French army. Napoleon declared that every Egyptian should thank God for destroying the Mamluks and shouted, Glory to the Sultan! Glory to the French army! Expel Mamluk from the sect, and happiness belongs to the Egyptian people!
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