When Bonaparte was informed of the particulars of the landing, he immediately left Cairo, and made from that city to Alexandria one of those extraordinary marches of which he had given so many examples in Italy.  He took with him the divisions of Lannes, Bon, and Murat.  He had ordered Desaix to evacuate Upper Egypt, and Kleber and Regnier, who were in the Delta, to approach Abukir.  He had chosen the point of Birket, midway between Alexandria and Abukir, at which to concentrate his forces, and to manouvre according to circumstances.  He was afraid that an English army had landed with the Turks.  The next day, the 7th, he was at the entrance of the peninsula.

Bonaparte made his dispositions with his usual promptitude and decision.  He ordered General D ’Estaing, with some battalions, to march to the hill on the left, where the one thousand Turks were posted; Lannes to march to that on the right, where the two thousand others were; and Murat, who was at the centre, to make the cavalry file on the rear of the two hills.  D’Estaing marched to the hill on the left and boldly ascended it:  Murat caused it to be turned by a squadron.  The Turks, at sight of this, quitted their post, and fell in with the cavalry, which cut them to pieces, and drove them into the sea, into which they chose rather to throw themselves than to surrender.  Precisely the same thing was done on the right.  Lannes attacked the two thousand janizaries; Murat turned them, cut them in pieces, and drove them into the sea.  D’Estaing and Lannes then moved towards the centre, formed by a village, and attacked it in front.  The Turks there defended themselves bravely, reckoning upon assistance from the second line.  A column did in fact advance from the camp of Abukir; but Murat, who had already filed upon the rear of the village, fell sword in hand upon this column, and drove it back into Abukir.  D’Estaing’s infantry and that of Lannes entered the village at the charge step, driving the Turks out of it, who were pushed in all directions, and who, obstinately refusing to surrender, had no retreat but the sea, in which they were drowned.

From four to five thousand had already perished in this manner.  The first line was carried:  Bonaparte’s object was accomplished.  He immediately followed up his success with desperate fighting to complete his victory on the moment.  The Turks, affrighted, fled on all sides, and a horrible carnage was made among them.  They were pursued at the point of the bayonet and thrust into the sea.  More than twelve thousand corpses were floating in the bay of Abukir, and two or three thousand more had perished by the fire or by the sword.  The rest, shut up in the fort, had no rescue but the clemency of the conqueror.  Such was that extraordinary battle in which a hostile army was entirely destroyed.  Thus, either by the expedition to Syria, or by the battle of Abukir, Egypt was delivered, at least for a time, from the forces of the Porte.