Napoleon Honors a Hero of the Siege of Acre, Part of His Middle East Campaign

Acre was a site of significant strategic importance due to its commanding position on the route between Egypt and Syria. Bonaparte planned to capture it following his invasion of Egypt. He hoped to incite a Syrian rebellion against the Ottomans and threaten British India. For France to jeopardize the British hold on India would have been an extraordinary development.

French efforts in Egypt were initially successful, but they ended up effectively marooned in Egypt after Horatio Lord Nelson defeated the French fleet at the Battle of the Nile, Napoleon decided to continue his war with the Ottoman Turks and marched into Palestine. On 18 March, 1799, his forces encountered the walled city of Acre, whose 5,000-strong garrison was supported by two Royal Navy ships.

A series of French infantry assaults was repulsed, forcing Napoleon to instigate formal siege operations. To add to his difficulties, the Turks sent a large army to raise the siege.

Document signed, Paris, 4th Pluvoise, 11th year of the Republic (January 24, 1803), giving the “Brevet l’honneur” to “Maurice Lecrurer, Grenadier in the 18th brigade of infantry of the line, in the affair of 17 Germinal, Year 7 (April 6, 1799), at the assault of St. Jean d’Acre, where he had two rifles broken in his hand and got yet a third from a dead comrade, not wanting to leaving the field of battle, in spite of three injuries.”

This is the first time we have had an honor issued by Napoleon for this famed Egyptian/Ottoman campaign.