Free Napoleon in Egypt by Paul Strathern Page B

their success they scattered throughout the camp to make, with their usual care, a meticulous search of the tents. They found there such quantities of Damascus sweets and cakes, renowned throughout the Orient, that they filled their pockets, their haver sacks. . . . Instead of getting some rest they passed the night in celebration, dancing and singing and delivering the most heart-felt eulogies to the confectioners of Damascus as they gorged on their sweets. . . . At our headquarters we officers dined equally well and just as happily on pastries and delicacies of all kinds. 5
     
    Where raw alcohol had turned men into monsters at Jaffa, sweets turned them all into children.

    Napoleon could now be certain that he faced no major threat from the north, but this meant that the main body of the Army of Damascus had now probably outflanked him and crossed the River Jordan south of Lake Galilee, aiming either to attack his positions at Acre from the rear or to reach the sea and cut him off.
    Napoleon had been in constant contact with his generals in the field, daily sending them detailed instructions. Kléber in particular had begun to chafe under such close supervision, and now at last saw a chance to make a name for himself on the battlefield for the first time on the Egyptian expedition. The enemy were evidently easy to repulse, and no match for disciplined French troops, no matter how heavily the French were outnumbered. When Kléber reached Nazareth on April 15, he received intelligence that the main body of the Army of Damascus was encamped below Mount Tabor. Taking the precaution of informing his commander-in-chief what he intended to do, but too late for him to countermand this action, Kléber and his division set about making a rapid march undercover of darkness around Mount Tabor, with the aim of launching a surprise attack on the rear of the enemy camp.
    Unfortunately, Kléber underestimated both the distance and the terrain, and instead of surprising the enemy camp at two A.M. , his tired troops did not reach the plain below Mount Tabor until six A.M. , when the sun was already well risen. The element of surprise was lost, the enemy scouts had spotted his columns, and Kléber’s division of 5,000 men found itself confronted by a vast army which was awaiting his arrival. This consisted of 10,000 infantry and 25,000 cavalry, including Djezzar’s cavalry and the Mameluke warriors who had fled Egypt with Ibrahim Bey.
    Kléber’s men formed two defensive squares, which were soon being forced to defend themselves from wave after wave of Mameluke cavalry charges. The disciplined soldiers withstood these as best they could, cutting down swaths of Mamelukes in each charge, but for hour after hour the charges continued, and it soon became evident—to both sides—that the French could not last out like this indefinitely. As the sun rose in the sky and the heat intensified, Kléber’s supplies and ammunition began to run low. He realized that his only hope was to hold out until nightfall, and then somehow effect a swift and orderly retreat before the Mamelukes could regroup and give chase. But it quickly became clear to him that they could not last till then, and he was forced to consider a more drastic tactic. It was just possible that he could launch a breakout directly across the plain and attempt to take refuge in Nazareth. But by now things were desperate, as Private Millet recalled:
     
    We had been on the go since six in the morning, and were beginning to run out of ammunition for our rifles as well as ammunition for our stomachs. We had been given so little bread . . . but we had no time to eat even this. And even when we did have time, we were not able to take advantage of it because we were so strung out with thirst and exhaustion that we could not even speak. On top of this we were exposed to the heat of the sun at its height. . . .We were close to a lake, but we had no way to get to it. We had to put up with all