Siege of Cairo
Egyptian Campaign (War of the Second Coalition) · Cairo, Egypt
Summary
The siege of Cairo, conducted from May to June 1801 by Hutchinson after Abercromby's death at Canope, ended with General Belliard's capitulation on 22 June, ending the French presence in the Egyptian capital.
Historical context
After the British-Ottoman landing and capture of Suez, Hutchinson advanced along the Nile, cut French communications between Alexandria and the interior, and invested Giza on 21 June, while the allies broke the Alexandria canal dike to block any retreat.
Tactics
Allied forces combined riverine advance, gunboats on the Nile, cavalry movements through the desert, and the siege of Giza facing Cairo; Belliard, encircled and cut off from supplies, raised the white flag on 22 June before the capitulation was signed.
Consequences
The surrender signed on 28 June granted the 8,000 French still fit to fight an honorable evacuation to a French port; only Alexandria remained, besieged from August to September 1801, before the final withdrawal of the Army of the Orient.