Alexandria expedition of 1807 facts for kids
The Alexandria expedition of 1807, also known as the Fraser expedition, (Arabic: حملة فريزر) was a failed attempt by the British to capture the Egyptian city of Alexandria. This happened during the Anglo-Turkish War. The British wanted to create a military base there. This base would help them fight against the Ottoman Empire and the French Empire in the Mediterranean Sea. It was part of a bigger plan against the alliance between the Ottomans and the French.
Even though Alexandria was captured for a short time, the British could not move further inland. They were defeated twice in battles at Rosetta (also called Rashid). This port guarded the entrance to the Nile River. The second battle at Rosetta alone cost the British over 900 soldiers killed or captured. Many British prisoners faced harsh conditions or were held captive.
The remaining British soldiers in Egypt had to go back to Alexandria. They were then surrounded and could not get supplies. The Egyptian leader, Viceroy Muhammad Ali, used the trapped army and prisoners as a way to bargain. He made the British commanders stop all their operations in Egypt. The British then had to leave Alexandria. They did not gain any important position in Egypt or achieve their goals against the Ottoman Empire. In Egypt, this expedition helped unite the people behind Muhammad Ali. He then took control of Egypt. It also made the British government decide to support Egypt remaining part of the Ottoman Empire.
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Why Did the Expedition Happen?
The expedition started in mid-February 1807. British troops in Calabria and Sicily were told to get on ships. People thought they were going to Constantinople. Meanwhile, John Thomas Duckworth, a high-ranking naval officer, sailed to Constantinople. But he could not properly support the Imperial Russian Navy in the Dardanelles Operation.
After leaving Constantinople, Admiral Duckworth was supposed to meet the ships in Aboukir Bay. However, by March 17, the fleet of ships carrying almost 6,000 British troops arrived near Alexandria. They were led by General Alexander Mackenzie-Fraser.
Taking Control of Alexandria
The British ships arriving near Alexandria was a surprise. On March 20, HMS Tigre captured two Ottoman warships. These were the Uri Bahar (40 guns) and Uri Nasard (34 guns), and the smaller ship Fara Numa (16 guns). Another British ship, HMS Apollo, and nineteen other transport ships had separated from the main group on March 7. They did not take part in the first landings.
The city of Alexandria was guarded by Albanian soldiers. The French Consul-General, Bernardino Drovetti, tried to make them fight off the British landing. Despite rough waves, about 700 British soldiers with five cannons landed without resistance. They landed near a valley that goes from Lake Mareotis to the sea. These troops broke through the wooden fences at 8 PM on March 18. The British were lucky there was not much resistance. The defenses had many cannons in different batteries and a fort.
British casualties were low. However, the Pompey Gate (also called Pompey's Pillar) was blocked. It was defended by about 1,000 Ottoman soldiers and volunteers. This forced the British to set up camp to the south. Two groups of soldiers were sent to take over Aboukir Castle and the "Cut." This was the Qaitbay Citadel, a castle in Alexandria. Their job was to stop Ottoman reinforcements from reaching the city.
The next day, March 20, the rest of the British ships arrived. An Arab messenger was sent with an offer for the city to surrender. The city leaders accepted. Sir John Thomas Duckworth arrived on March 22 in his main ship, HMS Royal George. His arrival with part of his fleet made the British troops even more confident.
After taking the city, General Fraser and his team learned that Muhammad Bey al-Alfi had died. They had hoped to work with him for more success. Messengers were immediately sent to his replacement and other local Beys. They invited them to Alexandria. The British official, Major Missett, with support from Duckworth, convinced General Mackenzie-Fraser that it was important to take Rosetta (Reshee'd) and Rahmanieh (Er-Rahhma'nee'yeh). This was to get supplies for Alexandria. These places controlled the canal that brought supplies to the city from the Nile.
Muhammad Ali's Response
Meanwhile, Muhammad Ali was fighting against the Beys in Upper Egypt. He heard about the British arrival. He was very worried that the Beys would join the British. He immediately sent messages to his rivals. Ali promised to agree to all the Beys' demands if they joined him against the British. They agreed to this plan. Both armies then marched towards Cairo on opposite sides of the river.
The First Battle of Rosetta
On March 21, 1807, the local Ottoman forces in Rashid (Rosetta) faced the British troops. The Ottoman forces were led by their governor, Ali Bey Al-Selaniki. The British had arrived in Egypt during a power struggle between Muhammad Ali and the Mamluks. The British had signed a treaty with Muhammad Bey Al-Alfy, a Mamluk leader. He promised to help the British if they helped the Mamluks gain control of Egypt. However, Al-Alfi died before the British expedition reached Egypt.
The plan was for the Mamluks to march to Cairo and take it. The British would capture important Egyptian ports. Then they would march to the Nile Delta and occupy Cairo. This depended on the Mamluks helping them. General Fraser in Alexandria received a report about Egypt's forces. This made him decide to march to Rashid to take it and set up a military base.
About 500 soldiers from the 31st Foot and the Chasseurs Britanniques were sent. They also had some Royal Artillery. They were led by Major-General Patrick Wauchope and Brigadier-General Robert Meade.
Wauchope moved 2,500 soldiers from Alexandria to Rashid. The Governor of Rashid, Ali Bey Al-Selaniki, and his 700 soldiers prepared to fight the British. Sheikh Hassan Crere encouraged the local people to support the Egyptian forces. He ordered all Egyptian boats to be moved to the eastern bank of the Nile. This was to stop people from fleeing the city. It also meant his soldiers could not retreat or surrender. The soldiers and people hid in houses inside Rashid. They were told not to move or fire until a signal was given.
The British advanced and saw no Egyptian troops. They thought the city would surrender easily, like Alexandria did. So, they entered the city streets feeling safe. They rested after their walk through the sand from Alexandria to Rashid. They spread out in the streets to find places to rest. They had barely settled when a call to prayer was made from the Sidi Zaghloul mosque. It chanted: “Allah Akbar! (God is great) For jihad!” Residents and Rashid's soldiers then fired from windows and rooftops. Many British officers and soldiers were killed. Those who were not killed had to retreat.
The British lost 185 dead, 282 wounded, and 120 captured at Rashid. Muhammad Ali arrived with his forces after the British went back to Alexandria. Muhammad Ali Pasha and General Fraser then talked about the British leaving Egypt. General Fraser left with the remaining British forces. September 19, the date of the battle, became a holiday in the Beheira province.
The Battle of Al-Hammad
The Battle of Al-Hammad was another battle of the Fraser Campaign. It happened on April 21, 1807. British forces led by General Fraser fought against Ottoman forces led by Muhammad Ali Pasha. This battle took place near the village of Al-Hammad. The British could not stop the Ottoman cavalry from surrounding them.
The Battle of Rashid was a big defeat for the British. General Fraser wanted to make up for this loss. He planned to send another army to Rashid. General Stuart was chosen to lead it. Meanwhile, Muhammad Ali Pasha returned to Cairo from Upper Egypt on April 12, 1807. He heard about the British defeat in Rashid. He was relieved but knew the British might try again. Rashid was not heavily defended. So, he gathered an army to fight them and stop their advance.
His men continued building defenses. They dug trenches between Bab Al-Hadid and Bulaq to create a defense line north of Cairo. They also dug ditches connected to the Nile to fill with water. This would stop British troops. They sank several boats to block British ships on the Nile. Cannons were set up in Shubra, Imbaba, and Bulaq island. Scholars and local people helped with this work.
Muhammad Ali needed money for his army. Umar Makram and other scholars helped him collect it. They gathered nine hundred bags of gold from Cairo residents. This money was used for the campaign. The army was ready. It had 4,000 foot soldiers and 1,500 horsemen. They marched to Rashid, led by Tabuzoglu. General Stuart's British army had about 4,000 soldiers with cannons and other weapons. This army left Alexandria on April 3 and moved towards Rashid.
When they got close, a group of soldiers took over Al-Hammad. This village was south of Rashid, between the Nile and Lake Idku. Taking Al-Hammad would help surround Rashid. It would stop supplies from reaching the city from the south. It also secured water sources for the British. The British also captured Akam Abi Mandour. They set up cannons there to fire at Rashid. Most of the British army camped west and south of Rashid. They surrounded it on April 7 and began firing cannons.
The British commanders thought constant firing would make the city's defenders lose hope and surrender. They sent a messenger to the city. They said if the city did not surrender, they would start a naval and land attack. The Egyptians' earlier victory at Rashid made them confident. They did not think the British cannons would work. The firing began soon after the messenger returned. The defenders sometimes left the city to fight the British soldiers on land. The firing lasted for twelve days but did not achieve anything. The city remained in Egyptian hands.
The British were waiting for the Mamluks to join them. But the Mamluks were smart. They delayed their promise and watched what happened. They abandoned their British allies when they saw how difficult the situation was. Meanwhile, villagers attacked British positions in Al-Hammad. General Stuart sent out more soldiers. The Egyptians also set up cannons on the eastern shore. They began firing at the British army on the western land. 250 British soldiers managed to capture the Egyptian positions and cannons. Then the Egyptians stopped for a while, and the British returned to the main land.
The fighting and the siege continued. Then Muhammad Ali Pasha's forces, led by Tabuzoglu, arrived. The war situation changed a lot. Tabuzoglu's force had two parts. The first was foot soldiers led by Tabuzoglu himself on the eastern side of the Nile. The other was horsemen led by Hassan Pasha on the western side. Both groups moved along the riverbanks. When they got close to Rashid, Hassan Pasha's forces on the western side faced Al-Hammad. The other group camped in Barnbal on the eastern bank. The soldiers from both groups could see each other.
On the morning of April 20, the Egyptian army's first groups of horsemen (Hassan Pasha's division) moved towards the British positions in Al-Hammad. They met a British group among the farms. This group tried to retreat to the village but could not. They were surrounded by Egyptian horsemen. Some were killed, and others were captured. When General Stuart heard about this first fight, he sent Colonel Patrick Macleod with soldiers and cannons to Al-Hammad. He was told to set up strong positions with cannons and lead the force there.
This village was very important. It was the center of the fighting because it was on the narrow strip of land between the Nile and Lake Idku. To the north, there was a dry canal that went from the Nile to near the lake. If the British had defended their position well, they could have blocked the road. This would stop the Egyptian army from passing and reaching Rashid to help.
The colonels arranged his soldiers to defend this narrow strip of land. There were 800 fighters. Their left side was near the Nile, led by Major Wigsland. Their right side, near Lake Idku, was led by Captain Tarleton. The middle, in Al-Hammad village, was led by Major Moore. Most of the British army was around Rashid, besieging it.
April 20 passed, and the British site in Al-Hammad was not attacked by the Egyptian forces. Colonel Macleod felt safe in his position. But General Stuart realized that the defense line in Al-Hammad might not be strong enough if the Egyptian army grew larger. He told Colonel Macleod to be brave and defend his positions as much as he could. But if many Egyptian horsemen appeared, he should go back to the main British positions around Rashid.
General Stuart understood that the Egyptian forces were now much larger than the British army. So, he decided to wait until the next day (April 21). If the Mamluks did not arrive to help, he would leave Al-Hammad, stop the siege of Rashid, and go back to Alexandria.
As for Tabuzoglu, the Egyptian army commander, he was in Barnabal on the eastern side. He was unsure which way to go. Should he go straight to help Rashid and lift the siege? Or should he attack the British position in Al-Hammad first? He was encouraged by the victory Hassan Pasha's horsemen had on the western side in the first fight. So, he decided to follow the second plan. He crossed the Nile at night with his soldiers. Boats took them to the other side. They joined Hassan Pasha's group to attack Al-Hammad on the morning of April 21.
In the morning, Colonel Macleod saw the Egyptian army growing in number. The plain was full of soldiers. He immediately sent news to General Stuart. He asked him to decide to retreat to the British army's positions around Rashid. Stuart sent a message back, approving his plan. He sent it with a group of soldiers. But the messenger could not reach Al-Hammad. The Egyptian army's horsemen had spread across the plain and cut off the path between Al-Hammad and Rashid. So, Macleod decided to retreat from his defense line. But his plan did not work, and his forces were scattered. The Egyptian army's horsemen attacked them one by one. The Egyptian foot soldiers took over the village of Al-Hammad.
The horsemen chased the three British groups. They surrounded them from all directions. Most of the men were killed, including Colonel Macleod himself. They also surrounded the right side, killing its commander Captain Tarleton and most of his soldiers. Those who survived, about 50 men, were captured.
The British left side resisted for a short time. But it was surrounded by horsemen from all sides. Its commander, Major Wigsland, seemed to give up. So, he and the rest of the British surrendered. That was the end of the battle. The battle started at seven in the morning. It lasted three hours and ended with the defeat of the British army in Al-Hammad. No one escaped. Those who did not die in the fighting were captured. Their losses were about 416 dead and 400 prisoners.
General Stuart was south of Rashid with the rest of the British army during the battle. When he realized how big the disaster was for his forces in Al-Hammad, he quickly stopped the siege of Rashid. He decided to retreat before the Egyptian army attacked him. He disabled his cannons that he could not carry and went back to Abu Qir feeling disappointed. Even though they tried to hide their retreat, the people of Rashid and nearby towns bothered them. They fought skirmishes on the shore of Lake Idku. These ended with the Egyptian skirmishers retreating. Despite this, the British continued to retreat until they reached Abu Qir. From there, they got on waiting Royal Navy ships and sailed back to Alexandria.
The Siege of Alexandria
The defeat at Rosetta made General Mackenzie-Fraser rethink his plans. British troops were ordered to go back to Alexandria. Soon, Egyptian and Mamluk troops from Cairo surrounded Alexandria. Muhammad Ali pretended to be friendly. He offered the British freedom to get supplies from Duckworth's ships. He also offered a grain trade agreement. He promised safe trade routes to India. In return, he wanted the British to recognize his independence from the Ottoman Empire. The grain agreement was accepted, and supplies continued to reach the British troops in Alexandria. However, the British government did not formally recognize his independence. They did not want the Ottoman Empire to fall apart, especially with Russia expanding.
Leaving Alexandria
Colonel Dravetti, who was now advising Muhammad Ali in Cairo, convinced the ruler to release the British prisoners of war. This was a friendly gesture. It spared them from harsh treatment as prisoners. In September, when there was no more benefit from occupying Alexandria, General Mackenzie-Fraser was allowed to surrender the city. He withdrew to Sicily on September 25.
British Forces in the Expedition
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See Also
- Muhammad Ali's seizure of power
