WITH ABERCROMBY IN EGYPT
(1801)
Farewell to Lochaber, farewell to my Jean,
Where heart-some wi’ her I ha’e mony a day been;
For Lochaber no more, Lochaber no more,
We’ll maybe return to Lochaber no more.
Those tears that I shed they are all for my dear;
And no for the dangers attending on weir;
Tho’ borne on rough seas to a far distant shore,
Maybe to return to Lochaber no more.
_Highland Burial March._
To return to the main centre of operations is to be confronted with the
great figure of Napoleon.
The French Revolution gave birth to many things, but the greatest force
that it created was that of Napoleon Bonaparte, who in his meteoric
genius embodied the spirit of the age. He rose from a humble position in
the army and of poor parentage in Corsica, not only to be the greatest
man in France, but one of the greatest men the world has ever seen. He
took into his hands the reins of power that were already slipping from
the leaders of the Revolution. He organised the Revolutionary armies and
led them to victory; he brought out of the smoke of the Reign of Terror
a France purged and renewed. Before setting his eyes upon England
itself, he determined to seize Egypt, and from there to threaten the
English power in India. Apparently Pitt, although he was acquainted with
the preparations that were being put forward in the harbours of France,
did not fully realise what was in the wind, so Nelson was sent
post-haste to the Mediterranean to reconnoitre. But Napoleon gave Nelson
the slip time and again, and reached Egypt two days before the English
arrived. On August 1, however, Nelson came across a line of thirteen
French battleships in Aboukir Bay. The French ships were lying close to
the shore while night was already falling. Nelson, having divided his
fleet into two divisions, slipped down both flanks of the enemy’s line,
suddenly opening a double fire. His victory was complete, only two
French ships and two frigates evading his pursuit. This ‘Battle of the
Nile,’ as it was called, shut up Napoleon in Egypt. It did more than
that, it encouraged Russia, Austria, Turkey, and Naples to unite with
England in the Second Coalition.
In 1799 Napoleon, who was not satisfied to remain in a helpless position
in Egypt while the Allies did what they liked in Europe, set out across
the desert to Palestine, and after engagements at Jaffa and Acre—where
he was beaten by Sir Sydney Smith—he returned to Egypt, and evading the
English ships in the Mediterranean reached France. Once there he
speedily drove the Government out of power, took the control of affairs
himself, with the title of First Consul, and commenced his preparations
for the conquest of England. England was outwitted, and the Allies, who
had been delighted to join a coalition while Napoleon was isolated in
Egypt, hastened now to come to terms with France. And so England found
herself faced by the masked opposition of Europe and the threatening of
a French invasion. Her only hope upon land lay in the Egyptian campaign
which we are now going to enter upon.
On December 21, 1800, the fleet conveying the troops sailed in two
divisions for Marmorice on the coast of Greece, where the Turks, who at
that time were our Allies, were to provide a reinforcement. With
Abercromby were the Black Watch, the Camerons, and the Gordons. Shortly
afterwards the fleet anchored in Aboukir Bay, just where Nelson had won
his victory nearly three years before. Unfortunately a violent gale
sprang up, making it impossible to carry out the disembarkation of the
soldiers. This delay enabled the French to prepare themselves to resist
the landing, and had it not been for the remarkable qualities of the
commanding officer, Sir Ralph Abercromby, the troops might have been
faced with overwhelming disaster. Abercromby was as able as the British
Military Secretary, Dundas, was incompetent. Despite every obstacle that
the futility of Dundas could place in his path, he succeeded where a
catastrophe might have been judged unavoidable. The British troops were
kept months upon the sea, reduced to a miserable state of health, and
landed in the teeth of a strong force of the enemy, who, like the Turks
in the Dardanelles, had had ample warning of the scheme of operations.
Well might Abercromby, like many another British general, remark, “There
are risks in a British warfare unknown in any other service.”
The enemy, who outnumbered him by two to one, already held all the
fortified positions with a well-disciplined and acclimatised army,
supported by excellent artillery. Under these circumstances the French
could hardly believe that the British would actually attempt to land.
Suddenly they saw the boats conveying the soldiers heading for the
shore, when without delay they opened a terrific fire from their
batteries, also from the castle at Aboukir. At Marmorice Abercromby had
practised his troops in the order of the attack. In the teeth of the
enemy, the British troops managed to reach the beach, where they drove
back the French, and, hastily assembling, began to rush the face of the
hill. The enemy, utterly paralysed at the rapidity of the assault, fired
without accuracy or discretion, even allowing the Black Watch to form up
and send a volley into their midst.
In the meantime, while these hills were being assaulted, Major-General
Moore (the future victor of Corunna) had gained possession of the
country in his front, though sustaining a heavy loss. Beaten in two
quarters, the enemy retired towards Alexandria, leaving the British to
complete their occupation of the shore, and the landing of their stores
and ammunition.
During the time devoted to this task the French had managed to
reinforce, being strongly posted, when, on the morning of the 13th, the
British forces advanced to the attack. At the head of the first column
was the 90th Regiment with the Gordon Highlanders. Far away behind the
French lines could be seen the port of Alexandria buried amidst its
immemorial ruins. There was Cleopatra’s Needle, fated eventually to
crumble upon the banks of the Thames, Arabian mosques and minarets, and
over all that strange and timeless atmosphere, of which centuries of
change have never been able to rob the East. As this was the first
engagement of the Gordon Highlanders, and as we learn that its ranks
were, for the most part, filled with young soldiers unacclimatised to
the East, it is of interest to record that it conducted itself with as
much distinction as any other battalion in the British Army. “Opposed to
a tremendous fire,” wrote Sir R. Wilson, “and suffering severely from
the French line, the regiment never receded a foot, but maintained the
contest alone until the marines and the rest of the fine came up to its
support.”
For some reason or another the action was ineffective. Sir Ralph
Abercromby was now faced with the task of reducing Alexandria, and
though his force had been so far successful, the advantage had been
gained at some cost. To move artillery over a sandy desert requires a
large number of horses, in which respect the British were very much
inferior to the French. Our sailors, always handy men, lent their
assistance to the soldiers to drag the wheels out of the sand, and in
this manner the British approached the entrenched position held by the
French in front of the city. The position of the British army at this
stage had few natural advantages beyond the sea upon the right flank,
and Lake Maadieh upon the left. There were also some ruins supposed to
have been the ancient Palace of the Ptolemies.
An hour before the dawn on the day of the 21st, the French troops were
on the move, but the British were not taken by surprise, and awaited the
enemy in absolute silence. The morning was very dark and cloudy. Coming
across the sand the tramp of the enemy was almost deadened. The French
attack was made simultaneously upon the ruins, the redoubt, and the
wing, held by the Black Watch, but was utterly repulsed. Falling back,
the enemy sent forward another column with a six-pounder, and so
stealthily did they advance that they were between the left of the Black
Watch and the right of the Guards before they were seen. Colonel
Stewart, who was in command of the Highlanders, acted with promptitude,
manœuvring the 42nd so cleverly that the enemy was caught between two
fires. The desperate Frenchmen rushed into the ruins, where they were
received by a murderous fusillade. Through this predicament the gallant
but unfortunate body of ‘Invincibles’ were forced to surrender after a
very heavy loss.
Hearing that the French were again attacking, General Abercromby rode
up, shouting, “My brave Highlanders, remember your country, remember
your forefathers,” at which the Black Watch, raising a cheer, charged
the enemy. They cheered too soon, for at that moment the French cavalry
cantered forward to cover the retreat of their infantry. Immediately
Colonel Stewart sent the order for the Highlanders to fall back, but for
some reason or another these directions were not received, and the
ragged line of the advancing Black Watch was suddenly confronted by a
charge of horse. It was a time when undisciplined troops might well have
broken, but the Highlanders stood firm, receiving the shock as coolly as
the 93rd awaited the Russian cavalry at Balaclava. The French General,
alarmed at the repulse of his troops, hurried forward a column of
infantry, but this body also was beaten off by the Highlanders. A second
troop of cavalry advanced to meet with no better success, and shortly
afterwards General Stuart’s brigade reinforced the 42nd. It was now
eight o’clock in the morning and nothing decisive had occurred, although
the British had more than held their own. Unfortunately their ammunition
had given out, so they had to endure the unceasing cannonade of the
French guns without being able to reply. The situation was enough to
unman any troops. An eye-witness has recorded: “The army suffered
exceedingly from their fire, particularly the Highlanders and the right
of General Stuart’s brigade, who were exposed without cover to its full
effect, being posted on a level piece of ground, over which the cannon
shot rolled after striking the ground, and carried off a file of them at
every successive rebound. This was more trying to the courage and
discipline of the troops than the former attacks, but the trial was
supported with perfect steadiness. Not a man moved from his position,
except to close up the opening made by the shot, when his right or
left-hand man was struck down ... To stand in this manner with perfect
firmness, exposed to a galling fire, without any object to engage the
attention or occupy the mind, and without the power of making the
smallest resistance, was a trial of the character of the British
soldier, to which the enemy did full justice.”
At last the French, thoroughly disheartened with the morning’s
encounter, retreated back to their position before Alexandria, and the
action was over. At the same moment Sir Ralph Abercromby, being mortally
wounded, retired from the field. He was carried on board the
_Foudroyant_, where he lay for some days, dying on the morning of the
28th. As a contemporary paper wrote of him, “his life was honourable, so
his death was glorious. His memory will be recorded in the annals of his
country, will be sacred to every British soldier and embalmed in the
memory of a grateful posterity.”
The action had been a severe test of the endurance of the Highlanders,
and there were many who were buried in the desert sand never to see
Lochaber or the Highland glens again. Those of the Black Watch who
survived the fierce engagement prided themselves upon the standard of
the French Invincibles and upon the word ‘Egypt’ added for all time to
their regimental honours. The Camerons and Gordons for conspicuous
distinction also added ‘The Sphinx’ to their regimental colours.
The command now fell upon General Hutchinson, who remained for some time
before Alexandria, but very shortly proceeded to Cairo, taking up his
position four miles from that city on June 16. Opposed to him was a
force of 13,000 Frenchmen. But the French commander was only too anxious
to surrender, on condition that his army was sent to France with their
arms, baggage, and effects. It is probable that he had received
instructions that his force would prove of more service in Europe.
Only the fall of Alexandria now remained to complete the conquest of
Egypt. The French, finding themselves surrounded on two sides by a
British army of some 14,000 men, cut off from the sea, and unable to
retire on the south, capitulated on September 2. The collapse of
hostilities, as swift as it was decisive, terminated the service of the
Highland regiments in Egypt.