Featured battle : Pyramids [Embaleh]

Part of The French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars

Date : 21 July 1798

The Egyptians were in a strong defensive formation with the town of Embaleh bristling with heavy guns. The only reliable troops were the 6,000 Mameluke horsemen, fierce individual fighters each with a small group of retainers. The remaining infantry were mostly Egyptians stiffened with a few Turks and about 20,000 Arab levies. The French army, mostly experienced troops from the Italian campaign, advanced in echeloned division squares. The Mameluke horsemen simply broke against the discipline ranks, this demoralized the Egyptian infantry and defeat became a rout.

Marshal Ney at Quatre Bras

Paul L. Dawson
Do we need another book about Waterloo? If they are like this we most certainly do. This book is different because of the primary source material researched to create it. The usual story is not trotted out without a fresh critical analysis. Within the book one chapter stands above all others for me and that is chapter 8. The movements of 1st Corps is a tale of mismanagement and confusion and has been a source of conjecture for all who study Quatre Bras. Paul Dawson makes, as clear as possible, the events of the day carefully weighing the evidence for the ultimate actions of the key players. He makes the confusion clear while bewailing the fact that verbal exchanges which could have played an important part on the day are lost to history.
This is a book for the Waterloo 'aficionado' written in a way which is easily accessible to the general reader.
I highly recommend this book and at the time of writing look forward to, the soon to be published, Paul Dawson's 'Waterloo. The Truth at Last'.
Frontline Books. Pen & Sword Books Ltd., 2017