We left Alexandria on 18 Messidor, heading east toward Rosetta. The khamsin blew steadily, creating whirlwinds of fine sand that stung our eyes and sapped our strength. The sun beat down on us cruelly. Our route took us along the coast toward Rosetta, which lay at the mouth of one of the Nile tributaries. Our role was to take the town and allow our naval forces to pass upriver to support our expeditionary force. After taking Rosetta, we would pivot south and march along the left bank of the[image error]