Siege of Acre (1799)

The Siege of Acre of 1799 was a siege of the Turkish-defended, walled city of Acre (now Akko in modern Israel) by Napoleon I of France. Napoleon wanted to capture the key port of Acre following his victories in Egypt, but had lost his siege artillery to a Royal Navy flotilla under British Commodore W. Sidney Smith. He attempted to lay siege on March 20 using only his infantry. A plague struck the French camp, leading to the death of about 2000 soldiers. Napoleon retreated two months later on May 21 after his last assault on May 10.