Battle of Shubra Khit facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Battle of Shubra Khit
Part of the French Campaign in Egypt and Syria of the French Revolutionary Wars
Bonaparte en Egypte, Jean-Léon Gérôme
Date 13 July 1798 Location Shubra Khit, Egypt, Ottoman Empire 31°1′39″N 30°42′46″E / 31.02750°N 30.71278°E / 31.02750; 30.71278 Result French victory
Belligerents
France	Ottoman Empire Eyalet of Egypt
Commanders and leaders
Napoleon Bonaparte Jean-Baptiste Perrée	Murad Bey Ibrahim Bey
Strength
23,000 3 gunboats 1 xebec 1 galley	16,000 Mamluk cavalry Drafted Fellahins 7 gunboats
Casualties and losses
20 killed or wounded	1,000 killed or wounded 1 gunboat destroyed

The Battle of Shubra Khit was the first big fight during Napoleon's adventure in Egypt. It happened on July 13, 1798. Napoleon and his French army were marching towards Cairo. They met an Ottoman army near a village called Shubra Khit.

The Ottoman army had many Mamluk cavalry soldiers. Mamluks were powerful horsemen. They also had local farmers, called Fellahins, who were forced to fight. Napoleon used a clever trick. He arranged his soldiers into large squares. This made it very hard for the Mamluk horsemen to break through. The French also had a small group of boats. These boats fought against the Ottoman boats on the Nile River. The French won both parts of the battle.

How the Battle Unfolded

The Fight on Land

The Mamluk cavalry was much bigger than the French cavalry. To stop them, Napoleon told his foot soldiers to form giant rectangles. These squares were like strong walls of soldiers, six to ten rows deep. Inside each square, there was a small group of French horsemen and their supplies. Cannons were placed at each corner of the squares.

For about three hours, the Mamluk horsemen rode around the French squares. They were looking for a weak spot to attack. But the French soldiers held their ground. When the Mamluks finally charged, they were met with strong fire from the French cannons and guns. They tried to attack different squares, but the result was the same. The French defense was too strong.

After defending for about an hour, Napoleon ordered his troops to attack. This helped the French boats fighting on the river. The Mamluks were pushed back towards a village called Embabeh. This is where they would fight Napoleon again later, in the famous Battle of the Pyramids. Napoleon used the same square formations there.

The Fight on the River

At the same time the Mamluk horsemen attacked on land, a battle started on the Nile River. The French had a small group of boats led by Jean-Baptiste Perrée. They had three gunboats, one xebec (a type of sailing ship), and one galley. The Mamluks had seven gunboats, mostly sailed by Greek sailors.

Soon after the fight began, two French gunboats and the galley had to be left behind because of Ottoman cannon fire. This left only the xebec and one gunboat still fighting. These two boats were crowded with civilians and soldiers who had jumped from the other ships.

The Mamluk boats kept attacking the remaining French ships. Soldiers on the shore also shot at them. But then, a French ship managed to hit the storage area for gunpowder on the main Mamluk boat. The Mamluk boat caught fire and exploded! It sank quickly. This explosion, along with the French soldiers attacking on land, made both the Ottoman boats and the land forces retreat completely.

What Happened Next

After winning at Shubra Khit, Napoleon and his army kept moving forward. They soon fought and won another very important battle near the famous Pyramids of Giza.