Egyptian Expedition
Part of theSecond Anglo-Egyptian War
Front page of"The Judge" magazine, 12 August 1882, featuring a cartoon by "JAW" concerning aid rendered by the American navy during the British bombardment of Alexandria in July 1882.
Date June – July 1882 Location Alexandria,Egypt Result American victory
Belligerents
United States	Egypt
Commanders and leaders
James W. Nicholson Henry C. Cochrane	Ahmed Orabi
Strength
Land: 73marines 57sailors Sea: 1corvette 1sloop-of-war 1gunboat	Unknown number ofregular and civilian volunteer elements
Casualties and losses
None	Unknown

TheEgyptian Expedition was amilitary expedition dispatched by theUnited States toEgypt during the 1882Anglo-Egyptian War to protect American citizens and property. Responding to the possibility of war betweenBritain and Egypt, threeUnited States Navy warships from theEuropean Squadron under the command of Rear-AdmiralJames W. Nicholson were ordered to sail toAlexandria in mid-1882. Their goal was to observe any possible conflict offshore and intervene if necessary.^[1]

The first warship to arrive was Nicholson's flagship, the screw sloopUSSLancaster, which arrived near Alexandria's harbor on June 27, 1882. A few days later, the gunboatUSSNipsic arrived on July 1 and corvetteUSSQuinnebaug on July 12, both ships joining Nicholson's ship. Though a BritishRoyal Navy fleet under the command of AdmiralBeauchamp Seymour had anchored off Alexandria in May, the conflict did not break out until July 11. Seymour's ships initiated a naval bombardment of Egyptian forts in the city under the command ofAhmed Urabi; having been informed by the British of their intentions beforehand, Nicholson was able to inform all Americans in Alexandria of the bombardment to allow them to take necessary precautions to protect themselves and their property.^[2][3]

Though the Egyptian forts returned fire at the British fleet, they were eventually all silenced by July 13. During the bombardment, Nicholson's ships allowed Alexandrians who requested shelter or medical treatment to come aboard. By July 14, the bombardment was all but over, and Alexandria was in a state ofanarchy, with fires ravaging the city. Remnants of Urabi's forces along with elements of the civilian population began attacking foreign residents, including American citizens.^[3]

In response, Nicholson decided to send a landing party ashore.United States Marine Corps captainHenry Clay Cochrane, along with twolieutenants, was assigned to command a force of 70 U.S. Marines and 57 American sailors with orders to occupy the American consulate, patrol the city, and fight the spreading fires which were ravaging the European section of Alexandria. The landing party was the first contingent of foreign troops to enter the city center after the bombardment, they were later followed by an occupation force of 4,000 Britons and the troops of other nations. By July 20, conditions in the city had largely improved so most of the marines and sailors were withdrawn except for a small force from USSQuinnebaug under Lieutenant Frank L. Denny which was removed on July 24, ending the operation.^[3]

• Battle of Taku Forts (1859)
• Battle of Kororareka

 This article incorporates text from thepublic domainDictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.

• United States Navy in the 19th century
• Maritime incidents in 1882
• Naval operations and battles
• Punitive expeditions of the United States
• Egypt–United States relations
• Conflicts in 1882
• June 1882
• July 1882
• Anglo-Egyptian War

• Wikipedia articles incorporating text from the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships