Order of battle of the Armée d'Orient (1798) explained

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 Ottoman 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.

Land forces

• Commander in chief: Général Napoléon Bonaparte
• Chef d'état-major : Général Berthier
• Numbers: 45,000 of which 38,500 in Egypt

• Numbers: 500 men on foot and on horseback

Division Desaix

• 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

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
• 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
• 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 howitzers
  • 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 sappers
  • 190 miners
  • 165 workers
  • 25 balloonists

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 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)

Frigates

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)^[1]
    • 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 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)

Notes and References

1. Web site: de Vigny . Alfred . La Fregate 'La Serieuse' . 4 May 2012.