July 25, 1799 · Aboukir Peninsula, Egypt Theater
July 25, 1799
The Ottoman Empire had landed 18,000 troops at Aboukir to reclaim Egypt. Napoleon attacked immediately — a classic offensive response to a threat that would only grow stronger if allowed to establish itself. The battle lasted a single day. Murat's cavalry charge drove the Ottoman forces off the peninsula and into the sea; the Turkish troops, caught between the French cavalry and the Mediterranean, had no choice but to drown or surrender. Mustafa Pasha was captured after being wounded. The victory was so complete — only 5,000 Ottoman troops escaped of 18,000 — that Napoleon considered it among his greatest.
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