Overview

In 1800 the British army's reputation was in tatters, having experienced nothing but failure in wars across the world for forty years; at home, a divided cabinet had to face the problem of Egypt, which had been occupied by Napoleon's Army of the Orient since 1798. The task of ejecting France fell to a disparate band of soldiers led by Sir Ralph Abercromby which, against all the odds, defeated the French army on 21 March 1801, bringing Napoleon's Egyptian Campaign to a definitive and crushing end. Piers Mackesy vividly brings to life the events of the battle, revealing how Abercromby's brilliantly-executed strategy restored the honour of the British army and averted disaster for the Empire.

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Reviews

Piers Mackesy's account of the British campaigns in Egypt in 1801 is classic military history, a fine narrative based on high scholarship. -- John Keegan Mackesy has here written military history of the best sort; humane, perceptive and above all full of the sense of men taking difficult decisions under extreme stress. * Times Literary Supplement * A clear, readable account of an exciting and momentous campaign, Piers Mackesy's study reclaims for the historical page an episode wrongly consigned to the footnotes and restores to the pantheon a forgotten Scottish hero. * The Scotsman * Based on extensive and wide-ranging research this is an excellent campaign history that simultaneously covers an important campaign and throws light on the potential and limitations of warfare in the 1800s . . . Aside from its scholarly interest and value, Mackesy's book is well written . . . exciting and enlivening. -- Jeremy Black, author of 'War in History' . . . military history at its best, humane, engrossing and related with great verve and style . . . yet another superb account which blends Mackesy's unique understanding of military matters and how human beings operate under strain - quite outstanding. -- John Charmley By consulting every conceivable printed authority, French and English, and a quantity of new manuscript material, Mackesy has been able to give a colour and a richness to his account absent from any that have gone before, and he has made of it not only a very good 'read', as they say, but thoroughly sound history besides . . . a worthy recipient of the Templer Medal. * Journal of the Society for Army Historical Research * Piers Mackesy . . . does full justice to the tale . . . his knowledge of the sources is awe-inspiring . . . he writes clearly, and vigorously. * Books in Scotland * A fine example of classic military history based upon high scholarship and fine discussion . . . Mackesy has written a definitive study. -- David G. Chandler * International History Review * What Piers Mackesy has given us here is military history of a high order, clear in its detail, and meticulously based on archival research. * Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society *

Author Information

Piers Mackesy is Emeritus Fellow of Pembroke College, Oxford, and a Fellow of the British Academy. He is the author of The War for America, Statesmen at War and War Without Victory, among others. He was awarded the Templar Medal for British Victory in Egypt.

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