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Q&A · 1:39:44-1:40:43

Sidney Smith's strategic logic for letting Napoleon leave Egypt

This account says Sidney Smith judged that separating Napoleon from his army reduced the Egyptian expedition's threat to British interests in India.

British StrategyEgyptian CampaignIndiaNapoleon BonaparteNapoleonic WarsWilliam Sidney Smith
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Question

How did Napoleon leave Egypt after the French fleet had been destroyed?

Short answer

This account says Sidney Smith helped him leave because separating Napoleon from his Egyptian army appeared to reduce the threat to British interests in India.

Notes

Napoleon returned from Egypt after the Royal Navy had destroyed the French fleet. In this account, Captain Sidney Smith provided passage or assistance that enabled Napoleon to return to France. Smith's strategic reasoning was that Napoleon in Egypt, attached to his army, threatened the overland approaches to British interests in India. Removing the commander from that force could therefore be useful even if returning him to Europe carried obvious risks. This interpretation of Smith's calculation is not a complete reconstruction of Napoleon's voyage home.