Egyptian commanders punished desertion and fear harshly at Acre
Evidence
In one incident during that siege a soldier was killed by the shells fired from the fortress. On seeing his body his comrades panicked, left the battle scene together, and headed back to the relative security of the trenches. Their captain also deserted his position and went all the way back to the army camp to inform his commander of the incident. Four days later these men were court martialled. The captain was told that his reasons for deserting his position were not accepted since it was ridiculous to go and inform the commander of every soldier who died. The soldiers were also told that their actions were unmanly and cowardly, and violated the law which said that “if a certain soldier dies and in order to prevent fear spreading his body should be promptly hidden from his colleagues.” In another incident during the same siege, a soldier threw himself on the ground in an attempt to escape the shrapnel of the cannon balls fired from the castle. Unfortunately for the poor soldier, Ibrahim Pasha was passing by and happened to witness his behavior which he considered unbecoming to a soldier. He summoned the soldier in question and ordered all the men in the vicinity (“one or two companies”) to spit on his face because he dared to show his fear. — Khaled Fahmy, All the Pasha_s Men_ Mehmed Ali, his…, 1098
Categorization
Category: Factual Claims
Related
- Egyptian troops in the Acre siege showed shell-shock type breakdowns (similarity 0.85)
- Egyptian soldiers sacked Acre after its 1832 fall, prompting the roll-call discipline system (similarity 0.85)
- Egyptian military law punished desertion and required hiding dead comrades’ bodies (similarity 0.83)
- Mehmed Ali’s troops pillaged Acre after its fall and defied their officers. (similarity 0.80)
- Egyptian soldiers obeyed orders because desertion and retreat both meant court martial (similarity 0.80)
- Egyptian army officers slaughtered deserting soldiers who accepted an offer of freedom (similarity 0.79)
- Camp security barriers at the Acre siege were routinely violated by soldiers sheltering civilians. (similarity 0.79)
- Ibrahim blamed the prolonged Acre siege on untrained officers not soldiers (similarity 0.78)
Broader Connections
- Egyptian soldiers obeyed orders because desertion and retreat both meant court martial
#corroborates(0.80) — Khaled Fahmy, All the Pasha_s Men_ Mehmed Ali, his…, 1103 - Egyptian army discipline shifted from brutal force to abstract internalized controls
#contradicts(0.70) — Khaled Fahmy, All the Pasha_s Men_ Mehmed Ali, his…, 704 - Mehmed Ali’s troops pillaged Acre after its fall and defied their officers.
#exemplifies(0.50) — Khaled Fahmy, All the Pasha_s Men_ Mehmed Ali, his…, 1173