The Armée d'Orient (English: Army of the Orient) was the French military force gathered by the French Directory to send on the expedition to Egypt in 1798. The expedition had the intention of barring Great Britain's route to its colonies in India and was put under the command of Napoleon Bonaparte. Also known as Battle of Orient.
Land forces
Commander in chief: Général Napoléon Bonaparte
Chef d'état-major : Général Berthier
Numbers: 45,000 of which 33,000 in Egypt
Numbers: 500 men on foot and on horseback
Commander: Général Louis Charles Antoine Desaix
Numbers: 5600 men
Made up of the following regiments:
21e demi-brigade d'infanterie légère : 3 battalions, 2100 men in total
61e demi-brigade d'infanterie de ligne : 3 battalions, 1900 men in total
88e demi-brigade d'infanterie de ligne : 3 battalions, 1600 men in total
Commander: Général Reynier
Numbers: 3450 men
Made up of the following regiments:
9e demi-brigade d'infanterie de ligne : 3 battalions, 1620 men in total
85e demi-brigade d'infanterie de ligne : 3 battalions, 1840 men in total
Commander: Jean-Baptiste Kléber
Numbers: 4900 men
Made up of the following regiments:
2e demi-brigade d'infanterie légère : 3 battalions, 1450 men in total
25e demi-brigade d'infanterie de ligne : 3 battalions, 1650 men in total
75e demi-brigade d'infanterie de ligne : 3 battalions, 1800 men in total
Commander: Général Jacques-Francois Menou
Numbers: 5200 men
Made up of the following regiments:
22e demi-brigade d'infanterie légère : 3 battalions, 1100 men in total
13e demi-brigade d'infanterie de ligne : 3 battalions, 2500 men in total
69e demi-brigade d'infanterie de ligne : 3 battalions, 1600 men in total
Commander: Général Louis André Bon
Numbers: 4700 men
Made up of the following regiments:
4e demi-brigade d'infanterie légère : 2 battalions, 1100 men in total
18e demi-brigade d'infanterie de ligne : 3 battalions, 1650 men in total
32e demi-brigade d'infanterie de ligne : 3 battalions, 1950 men in total
Commander: Général Dumas
Numbers: 3050 men
Made up of the following regiments:
7e régiment bis de hussards : 3 squadrons, 630 men in total
22e régiment de chasseurs à cheval : 3 squadrons, 280 men in total
3e régiment de dragons : 2 squadrons, 390 men in total
14e régiment de dragons : 3 squadrons, 640 men in total
15e régiment de dragons : 2 squadrons, 230 men in total
18e régiment de dragons : 4 squadrons, 330 men in total
20e régiment de dragons : 3 squadrons, 530 men in total
Commander of the artillery: Général Dommartin
Firepower: 171 artillery pieces, including:
35 siege cannons
24 howitzers
40 mortars
Numbers: 3150 men
Split between:
5 cavalry companies
14 infantry companies
9 companies of demi-brigades
Commander (engineers): Général Caffarelli du Falga
Numbers: 1200 men
Split between:
775 sappers
190 miners
165 workers
25 balloonists
Corsica: 3600 men of:
23e demi-brigade d'infanterie légère: 3 battalions, totalling 2500 men
1er bataillon de la 86e demi-brigades d'infanterie de ligne: 1 battalion, totalling 1100 men
Malta: 8000 men
Division Chabot: 4000 men of:
6e demi-brigade d'infanterie de ligne: 3 battalions, totalling 1000 men
79e demi-brigade d'infanterie de ligne: 3 battalions, totalling 3000 men
Division Vaubois: 4000 men of
3e bataillon de la 7e demi-brigade d'infanterie légère: 1 battalion, totalling 1150 men
19e demi-brigade d'infanterie de ligne: 2 battalions, totalling 1050 men
1er bataillon de la 80e demi-brigade d'infanterie de ligne: 1 battalion, totalling 550 men
Various elements drawn from 6e and 41e demi-brigade d'infanterie de ligne as well as from 23e demi-brigade d'infanterie légère: 1200 men
Known as the Escadre d'Orient, the ships of the taskforce transported the land troops and at times during the campaign operated in tandem with them.
Commanded by admiral Brueys
Numbers: 335 boats, of which only 55 were armed
15, of which 2 were armed "en flûte"
Flagship : L'Orient, 120 guns
Hospital ship : Le Causse, 70 guns (captured at Venice)
80 guns :
Le Guillaume-Tell
Le Franklin
Le Tonnant
74 guns :
Le Spartiate
L'Aquilon
Le Généreux
Le Guerrier
Le Peuple-Souverain
Le Timoléon
Le Heureux
Le Mercure
64 guns :
Le Conquérant
Le Dubois (captured at Venice)
13 (7 armed "en flûte")
40 guns :
La Justice
La Diane
La Junon
L'Artémise
36 guns :
L'Alceste
La Sérieuse (notable for being the subject of a poem by French Romantic - Alfred de Vigny)
La Sensible
La Courageuse
La Carrère
La Muiron
La Leoben
30 guns :
La Mantoue
La Montenotte
1 corvette, the 30 gun La Badine
79 brigs (of which 5 were armed)
38 bomb vessels (of which 4 were armed)
3 avisos armés
75 tartanes (of which 6 were armed)
6 chaloupes-canonnières
2 felouques canonnières
1 schooner
9 pinques
82 polacres
11 trois-mats à hunes (three-masters)
