In the latter end of October Sir Sidney Smith arrived from the island of Rhodes, with a fleet of Turkish men-of-war and a considerable reinforcement of troops, from Constantinople. On the 29th the Turks disembarked, near the Bogaz or Damietta mouth of the Nile, under cover of the fire of their gun-boats. To this spot Sir Sidney proceeded in the hope, by an attack there, to draw the attention of the French from the side of the desert, towards which the grand Turkish army was then advancing. Accordingly the coast was sounded, and the pass to Damietta marked with buoys and Turkish gun-boats. The attack began by the boats of the Tigre taking possession of a ruined castle, situated on the eastern side of the Bogaz : which castle the inundation of the Nile had insulated from the main land, leaving a fordable passage.

The Turkish flag, displayed on the tower of this castle, was at once the signal for the Turkish gun-boats to advance, and for the French to open their fire, in order to dislodge the little garrison within it. This the French did from a redoubt on the main land, at point-blank-shot distance, mounted with two French 36-pounders and an 8-pounder field-piece. The fire was returned from the launch's carronade, an 18 or 24-pounder, mounted in a breach in the castle, and from field-pieces in the small boats; which soon obliged the French to discontinue working at an intrenchment they were making to oppose the landing.

Lieutenant Stokes, in the mean while, had been detached, with the boats, to check a body of cavalry advancing along a neck of land: in which he succeeded, but with a loss of one man killed and one wounded. This interchange of firing continued, with little intermission, during the 29th, 30th, and 31st; when, at length, owing chiefly to the shells from the carronade at the castle, the magazine at the redoubt blew up, and one of the 36-pounders was silenced. Orders were now given to disembark, but it was not until the morning of the 1st of November, that the landing could be effected.

The delay had given time to the French to collect a force more than double that of the first division landed, and to be ready to attack it before the return of the boats with the remainder. The French advanced to the charge with bayonets. The Turks, when the former were within ten yards of them, rushed on, sabre in hand, and, in an instant, routed the first line of the French infantry. Their impetuosity, however, carried them too far, and the fate of the day was suddenly changed. The flanking fire from the castle and boats, which had hitherto been plied with effect, was, now necessarily suspended by the impossibility of pointing clear of the Turks in the confusion. The latter then turned a random fire on the boats, to make the latter take them off ; and the sea was presently covered with turbans. The Turks sent up piteous moans for assistance, which with difficulty and risk was afforded to them; all being brought off, except 2000 killed, and about 800, whom the French took prisoners, by wading into the water after them.

The French declare, that they had not actually engaged in this affair, in which General Verdier was the commanding officer, more than 1000 men; and that their loss was so comparatively trifling, as 30 killed and 80 wounded.

Today's text is taken directly from http://www.pbenyon.plus.com/Naval_Hi..._II/P_303.html (an online text of William James' Naval History of Great Britain Vol. II)