Sir Sidney Smith

The Royal Navy Officer and the Siege of Acre 1799

Jun 4, 2008 Joseph Allen McCullough

A major defeat for the young Napoleon, the 1799 siege of Acre proved to be Sidney Smith's moment in history.

Napoleon’s Invasion of the Holy Land

After defeating the Ottoman Turks and seizing control of Egypt in 1798, Napoleon turned his eyes to the Holy Land (at the time it was called Syria, but his campaign was staged within what is now Israel and Palestine). In 1799, he marched out of Egypt with a force of around 13,000 men and sent much of his supplies and heavy siege guns by boat. Although the purpose of this campaign is buried in controversy, the focus quickly became the siege of the ancient walled city of Acre. From this city, the aged Ahmed ‘Djezzar’ (the butcher) ruled the surrounding territory through cruelty and fear.

Commodore Sir Sidney Smith

As Napoleon marched out of Egypt, the Royal Navy raced to the support of Acre in the form of a small fleet of two ships of the line and supporting vessels led by Commodore Sir Sidney Smith. Smith and Napoleon had squared off once before in 1793. Then, Napoleon was a young artillery officer, part of the revolutionary force sent to capture Toulon. Smith had been left behind by the Royal Navy in order to arrange the burning of the French fleet, a task at which he was only half successful. On the way to Acre, Smith ran down Napoleon’s supply boats and captured all of his heavy artillery, which was to prove vital in the coming siege.

The Siege of Acre 1799

Sidney Smith reached Acre in the middle of March, just four days before the arrival of Napoleon. Smith immediately volunteered 800 marines to fight along the wall and to man artillery (including the French artillery). The siege carried on for nearly two months. Although the French launched a number of attacks, they were always hampered by their lack of artillery which made it extremely difficult to create any sizeable breach in the city walls. Finally a breach was created, and Napoleon sent his men swarming through. However, because Napoleon had attacked the same point on the wall every time, Smith and Ahmed were forwarned. Without the French knowing, they had constructed a secondary wall inside the city, so that when the French charged through the breech they found themselves boxed in on all sides. Still, the French fighters poured through the breach and looked as though they might yet succeed. At this moment, Sidney Smith led a relief force of sailors from his ship and joined the fray. His sailors helped turn the tide, and Napoleon’s army was defeated. In the next couple of days, Napoleon was forced to retreat back to Egypt at the head of a beaten and dejected army.

It’s impossible to say for sure if Ahmed Djezzar would have been able to hold out against Napoleon without the assistance of Commodore Sidney Smith, but it seems unlikely. This siege however, proved the highpoint of Smith’s Naval career. Although he would eventually be promoted to Vice Admiral, he would never again play a decisive role in the wars of his time.

Primary Information for this article obtained from Napoleon in the Holy Land by Nathan Schur, Greenhill Books, 1999.

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