The Napoleonic Expedition to Egypt: Hasty End of a Powerful Dream – Part II
Even though Napoleon Bonaparte had tasted a series of successes within weeks of setting foot in Egypt, including an important victory against the dreaded Mamluks, his plan to conquer the entire country was thwarted often by an English naval genius, Rear Admiral Horatio Nelson, who seemed to follow him like a shadow. Soon, with his troops in low spirits due to the constant battles and the punishing weather, defeat stared the French in the face. Napoleon did the unthinkable – he quietly left for France. Tipu Sultan, his friend in India, died battling the British a few days before the Commander decided to withdraw from the Egyptian Expedition.
Bonaparte Before the Sphinx, (ca. 1868) by Jean-Léon Gérôme, Hearst Castle. (Public Domain)
