The Armée d'Orient (English: ''Army of the

Orient The Orient is a term for the East in relation to Europe, traditionally comprising anything belonging to the Eastern world. It is the antonym of '' Occident'', the Western World. In English, it is largely a metonym for, and coterminous with, the ...

'') was the French military force gathered by the

French Directory The Directory (also called Directorate, ) was the governing five-member committee in the French First Republic from 2 November 1795 until 9 November 1799, when it was overthrown by Napoleon Bonaparte in the Coup of 18 Brumaire and replaced by ...

to send on the expedition to

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning the North Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via a land bridg ...

in 1798. The expedition had the intention of barring

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

's route to its colonies in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

and was put under the command of

Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

Land forces

* Commander in chief:

Général is the French word for general. There are two main categories of generals: the general officers (), which are the highest-ranking commanding officers in the armed forces, and the specialist officers with flag rank (), which are high-level offic ...

Napoléon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

Chef d'état-major The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supporti ...

: Général Berthier * Numbers: 45,000 of which 33,000 in Egypt

Compagnie des guides

* Numbers: 500 men on foot and on horseback

Division Desaix

* Commander: Général

Louis Charles Antoine Desaix Louis Charles Antoine Desaix () (17 August 176814 June 1800) was a French general and military leader during the French Revolutionary Wars. According to the usage of the time, he took the name ''Louis Charles Antoine Desaix de Veygoux''. He was co ...

* 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

Division Reynier

* 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

Division Kleber

* Commander:

Jean-Baptiste Kléber Jean-Baptiste Kléber () (9 March 1753 – 14 June 1800) was a French general during the French Revolutionary Wars. After serving for one year in the French Royal Army, he entered Habsburg service seven years later. However, his plebeian ancestr ...

* 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

Division Menou

* 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

Division Bon

* Commander: Général

Louis André Bon Louis André Bon (25 October 1758 in Romans-sur-Isère, Dauphiné – 19 May 1799 in Acre) was a French general of the French Revolutionary Wars, best known for his participation in the 1798 French invasion of Egypt. Life He first enrolled v ...

* 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

Division Dumas (cavalry)

* 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

Division Dommartin (Artillery)

* Commander of the artillery: Général Dommartin * Firepower: 171 artillery pieces, including: ** 35 siege cannons ** 24

howitzer A howitzer () is a long-ranged weapon, falling between a cannon (also known as an artillery gun in the United States), which fires shells at flat trajectories, and a mortar, which fires at high angles of ascent and descent. Howitzers, like ot ...

s ** 40 mortars * Numbers: 3150 men * Split between: ** 3 cavalry companies ** 6 infantry companies ** 3éme Compagnie du 4éme Régiment d'Artillerie à Cheval ** 2éme Compagnie du 5éme Régiment d'Artillerie à Cheval ** 3éme and 11éme Compagnies du 1er Régiment d'Artillerie à Pied ** 1er, 2e, 6e, 7e, and 10éme Compagnies du 4éme Régiment d'Artillerie à Pied ** 9 companies of demi-brigades

Division Caffarelli (engineers)

* Commander (engineers): Général Caffarelli du Falga * Numbers: 1200 men * Split between: ** 775

sapper A sapper, also called a pioneer or combat engineer, is a combatant or soldier who performs a variety of military engineering duties, such as breaching fortifications, demolitions, bridge-building, laying or clearing minefields, preparing fie ...

s ** 190 miners ** 165 workers ** 25

balloonist In aeronautics, a balloon is an unpowered aerostat, which remains aloft or floats due to its buoyancy. A balloon may be free, moving with the wind, or tethered to a fixed point. It is distinct from an airship, which is a powered aerostat tha ...

Garrison troops

* 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

Sea forces

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 Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet, ...

Brueys * Numbers: 335 boats, of which only 55 were armed

Ships of the line A ship of the line was a type of naval warship constructed during the Age of Sail from the 17th century to the mid-19th century. The ship of the line was designed for the naval tactic known as the line of battle, which depended on the two colum ...

15, of which 2 were armed "

en flûte ''En flûte'' (French: "as a fluyt") is a French naval expression of the Age of Sail to designate the use of a warship as a transport with reduced armament.Willaumez, p. 294 Some warships, ships of the line or frigates, were occasionally used wit ...

" *

Flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically the ...

: ''

L'Orient Lorient (; ) is a town ('' commune'') and seaport in the Morbihan department of Brittany in western France. History Prehistory and classical antiquity Beginning around 3000 BC, settlements in the area of Lorient are attested by the presen ...

'', 120 guns *

Hospital ship A hospital ship is a ship designated for primary function as a floating medical treatment facility or hospital. Most are operated by the military forces (mostly navies) of various countries, as they are intended to be used in or near war zones. In ...

: '' Le Causse'', 70 guns (captured at

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges. The isla ...

) ** 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

)

Frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied somewhat. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and ...
s

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 Alfred Victor, Comte de Vigny (27 March 1797 – 17 September 1863) was a French poet and early French Romanticist. He also produced novels, plays, and translations of Shakespeare. Biography Vigny was born in Loches (a town to which he never r ...

) *** '' La Sensible'' *** '' La Courageuse'' *** '' La Carrère'' *** '' La Muiron'' *** '' La Leoben'' ** 30 guns : *** '' La Mantoue'' *** '' La Montenotte''

Others

* 1 corvette, the 30 gun '' La Badine'' * 79

brig A brig is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: two masts which are both square-rigged. Brigs originated in the second half of the 18th century and were a common type of smaller merchant vessel or warship from then until the latter part ...

s (of which 5 were armed) * 38

bomb vessel A bomb vessel, bomb ship, bomb ketch, or simply bomb was a type of wooden sailing naval ship. Its primary armament was not cannons ( long guns or carronades) – although bomb vessels carried a few cannons for self-defence – but mortars mounte ...

s (of which 4 were armed) * 3

aviso An ''aviso'' was originally a kind of dispatch boat or "advice boat", carrying orders before the development of effective remote communication. The term, derived from the Portuguese and Spanish word for "advice", "notice" or "warning", an ...

s armés * 75

tartane A tartane (also tartan, tartana) was a small ship used both as a fishing ship and for coastal trading in the Mediterranean. They were in use for over 300 years until the late 19th century. A tartane had a single mast on which was rigged a large la ...

s (of which 6 were armed) * 6 chaloupes-canonnières * 2 felouques canonnières * 1

schooner A schooner () is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than the mainmast. A common variant, the topsail schoon ...

* 9 pinques * 82

polacre A polacca (or ''polacre'') is a type of seventeenth- to nineteenth-century sailing vessel, similar to the xebec. The name is the feminine of "Polish" in the Italian language. The polacca was frequently seen in the Mediterranean. It had two or th ...

s * 11 trois-mats à hunes (three-masters)

References and notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Armee D'orient Order Of Battle

French campaign in Egypt and Syria

Napoleonic Wars orders of battle French Revolutionary Wars orders of battle