During the summer 1798 Napoleon Bonaparte had conquered Egypt only to be cut off from Europe by the 
defeat of his fleet at the Nile by British Navy. He the turned eastward, on February 6, 1799, to carry war against Turkey into Syria. With 13,000 men with 52 cannon Napoleon brushed past weak Turkish resistance to reach Jaffa on March 7. Here more than 1,000 Turkish soldiers who had broken parole to defend the city were recaptured and shot. On March 18, French arrived at Acre, which was defended by Turkish force under Ahmed Pasha, called Djezzar (the butcher). Aiding Turkish resistance was a British task force of two vessels under Sidney Smith, which protected all the city except the landward side from attack. Napoleon settled down to besiege Acre.A month later a Turksih column approach the city from southeast. Napoleon detached Gen. Jean Kleber's division to hold off this advance. On April 16 Kleber, with the aid of second France force, routed the Turks at Mount Tabor. Acre, however, continue to hold out against all French efforts to break into the city. Finally, when plague struck Napoleon's troops, he raised the siege on the night of May 20 and withdrew toward Egypt. In all, he had lost 2,200 dead, including 1,000 from disease.