The Egyptian campaign wasn't a total wash, though. Napoleon saw an opening for his triumphant return, so he abandoned his troops in Egypt and secretly made for France. But by 1798, morale was low and a civil war was raging back home. He took on the Turks in Syria and bombarded the centuries-old walls at the ancient city of Acre. Stranded in Egypt, Napoleon decided to pick more fights with the locals. But while Napoleon was daydreaming of conquest - "I saw myself founding a new religion," he later wrote, "marching into Asia riding an elephant, a turban on my head, and in my hand the new Koran" - the British struck back, destroying the French fleet docked in the Mediterranean. The French, following Napoleon's ingenious battlefield strategies, crushed the saber-wielding Mamelukes and took Cairo. "Soldiers," Napoleon shouted to his troops, "from the height of these pyramids, 40 centuries look down upon you."
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |