Napoleon's doctors begged him not to do it. After capturing Jaffa on March 7, 17

1799 Event

Napoleon Takes Jaffa: His Troops Massacre 2,000 Prisoners

Napoleon's doctors begged him not to do it. After capturing Jaffa on March 7, 1799, Bonaparte faced 2,000 Albanian prisoners—too many to guard, too dangerous to release, too expensive to feed during his Egyptian campaign. His chief of staff Alexandre Berthier protested that executing surrendered soldiers violated military honor. Napoleon ordered the massacre anyway, marching the captives to the beach where French troops bayonetted them over three days to save ammunition. The atrocity haunted his reputation for decades, but here's what's rarely mentioned: a plague outbreak hit his army just days later, killing more French soldiers than the entire Jaffa siege. Some saw divine retribution in the timing.

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March 7, 1799

227 years ago

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Napoleon Takes Jaffa: His Troops Massacre 2,000 Prisoners

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