Siege of Acre

Background. The siege formed part of Napoleon's invasion of Egypt and Syria, an effort to extend his Middle Eastern campaign into Ottoman territory. Together with the Battle of the Nile, the unsuccessful siege of the Ottoman city of Acre became the turning point of that invasion, halting French momentum in the region.

Conditions of the Besieging Army. Napoleon had underestimated the stubborn resistance of Acre's defenders. Combined with a British blockade of French supply harbours and harsh weather, his forces were left hungry, cold, and damp, conditions that eroded the army's capacity to sustain the siege.

Significance and Consequences. The failure was Napoleon's third tactical defeat, after the Second Battle of Bassano and the Battle of Caldiero three years earlier in the Italian campaign, and his first major strategic defeat. It was also the last time he was defeated in battle for ten years. Had he taken Acre, he might have stayed longer in the East and not returned to France in 1799 to carry out the coup that made him First Consul.