Napoléon Bonaparte (1769-1821); Louis Antoine Fauvelet de Bourrienne (1769-1834).

République française. Au camp devant Acre, le 21 Floréal an 7. Bonaparte, Générale en chef, au Directoire exécutif. [incipit:] Je vous ai fait connaître qu' Ahhmet Djezzar, Pacha d'Acre, de Tripoli et de Damas, avait été nommé Pacha d'Egypte.

[including:]

République française. Au quartier-général devant Acre, le 8 Floréal [sic] an 7. Bonaparte, Générale en chef, au Directoire exécutif. [incipit:] Je vous ai fait connaître par le courrier que je vous ai expédié le 27 floréal, les événements glorieux pour la République qui se sont passés depuis trois mois en Syrie.

[Alexandria, Imprimerie orientale et française, after May 16, 1799].

4°. 8 pp. Collates: A-A4.

Two reports by General Napoleon from the battlefields in current Israel, printed in Alexandria. Although the imprint is missing, material characteristics strongly indicate that this was printed in Alexandria after October 1798, when the better printing equipment moved to Cairo. For instance, the publication uses the same thick paper as Expedition de Syrie jusqu'a la prise de Jaffa (kept by us). Additionally, the absence of a capital "É" in the title led to the use of an apostrophe ('), a solution also employed in Expedition de Syrie jusqu'a la prise de Jaffa, where various methods were used to address this issue. Another edition of these reports was printed at the Imprimerie Nationale in Cairo, now only found at the Bibliotheque nationale de France.

General Napoleon embarked on his Syria Campaign after securing control of Cairo, engaging in several battles across what is now Egypt, Gaza, and Israel. The campaign culminated in his defeat at the fort of Acre (modern-day Akko, Israel). To keep his people informed and maintain control of the narrative, Napoleon regularly sent military reports back to Egypt, where they were printed to disseminate propagandist information.

The present publication contains two such reports. The first, dated May 10th, 1799, was written from Acre by Napoleon's secretary, Fauvelet de Bourrienne. In this report, Napoleon admits to his first defeat as a military leader. He was defeated by Ahmed Pasha al-Jazzar, who successfully defended the fort of Acre for the Ottomans. This victory brought Jazzar significant fame in the Muslim world, earning him the sobriquet “the slave who defeated Napoleon.” The report also notes that as a result of this victory, "Ahhmet Djezzar, Pasha of Acre, Tripoli, and Damascus, had been appointed Pasha of Egypt [by the Ottomans]," thereby challenging Napoleon's hold on the territory.

After this news, Napoleon describes in the present report the campaign's progress since his last dispatch two months earlier, detailing various military engagements in the Gaza/Israel/Palestine region, including the Battles of Nazareth, Cana, and Mount Tabor.

In the second report, dated May 16^th, Napoleon explains the reasons for his defeat at Acre and outlines his strategy for retreating to Egypt, including his intention to destroy Jaffa (near present-day Tel Aviv, Israel) on his way back.

Condition: first and last pages very slightly rubbed, otherwise in excellent condition.

Copies: none, only one copy of the Cairo editon in BnF: FRBNF33764485.