The exceptional and extremely rare Egypt Campaign 1801 and Sultan’s Gold Medal pair awarded to Assistant Surgeon John S. Soden, 79th (The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders) Regiment of Foot. Soden, from Coventry, Warwickshire and later Bath, Somerset, saw service in the British Army between June 1800 and April 1803, during which time he participated in the failed Ferrol Expedition to Galicia, and accompanied Lieutenant General Sir Ralph Abercromby’s expedition to Egypt, during which he was present in the landing at Aboukir, and the Battle of Mandora on 13th March 1801, and the Battle of Alexandria on 21st March 1801, before accompanying the force that successfully laid siege of Alexandria, which fell on 2nd September 1801 and then marched to Cairo which was occupied in May 1802. On the conclusion of the campaign he was awarded the 4th Class of the Sultan's Medal for Egypt 1801, otherwise known as the Turkish Order of the Crescent, and went on to become one of only five officers from his regiment to live to claim the clasp for Egypt on the issue of the Military General Service Medal, he being one of only two such to receive it as a single clasp medal, out of 17 single clasps issued to the Cameron Highlanders. It was as a medical practitioner that Soden would leave his mark. Having practiced in Coventry through to 1812 he moved to Bath where he spent the remainder of his career and was known as an outstanding eye surgeon, specifically for his work on the cataract operation. He was appointed Surgeon to the United Hospitals, the Eye Infirmary, the Penitentiary, and the Lock Hospital, and in December 1843 was appointed a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons, one of the first 300 to be so appointed. During his lifetime, Soden put together an admirable collection of the Portraits of Medical Men - Ancient and Modern, British and Foreign, and this collection, consisting of four folio volumes containing 872 mounted medical portraits, with two additional volumes, the one of caricatures and newspaper cuttings, the other of autograph letters and signatures of medical men, is now preserved in the Royal Society of Medicine, where they are known as ‘The Soden Collection’.
Pair: Military General Service Medal 1793-1814, 1 Clasp: Egypt; (J.S. SODEN, ASST. SURGEON, 79TH. FOOT.), fitted with original length of ribbon and a three pronged silver ribbon buckle with pin fitting for wear; Turkey - Ottoman Empire: Order of the Crescent, 4th Class, known as the Sultan's Medal for Egypt 1801, Small Gold issue, 36 mm in diameter, complete with gold chain and wearing hook, this pinned to an old red silk ribbon, the ribbon fitted with a three pronged silver ribbon buckle with pin fitting for wear which matches the first medal. Both housed in a specially fitted case with a hinged glazed lid.
Condition: Nearly Extremely Fine.
Provenance: ex Dixon’s Medals, August 2002.
John Smith Soden was born on 29th March 1780 in Coventry, Warwickshire, and was educated at King Edward’s Grammar School, before going on to study medicine, apprenticing under George Freer of Birmingham, who was the author of ‘Aneurysm and some Diseases of the Arterial System (1807), who evidently inspired his pupils with higher aims than the mere routine of medical practice, as evidenced by Soden’s later career. For his part Soden qualified as a surgeon in 1800. He entered the British Army as a Hospital Mate on 13th June 1800 and three days later as appointed as Assistant Surgeon to the 79th (The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders) Regiment of Foot. Shortly afterwards he was in action during the Ferrol Expedition that took place on 25th and 26th August 1800, and was an unsuccessful British attempt to capture Ferrol from Spain, being otherwise known as the Battle of Brión. Ferrol was a major Spanish naval base with a shipyard for shipbuilding and dry dock for repairs. Ferrol was actually the secondary target, as the primary object of the British expedition and fleet of 109 ships during the year 1800 was the conquest of Belle-Île on the coast of Brittany, but the defences appeared too strong. The expedition therefore proceeded to the coast of Spain, where it arrived on 25th August.
After a heavy cannonade against a small Spanish fort of eight 24-pounder cannon by the British ships of the line Impetueux with 74 guns, London with 96 guns, Courageux, Renown and Captain, each with 74 guns. Impetueus, Brilliant, Cynthia and the small gunner St. Vincent, state on their logs to had taken part on the gunning of the small Fort. No mention on London and Renown logs of being part of the gunning. Under the superintendence of Sir Edward Pellew, the British effected a landing at a small opening near Cape Prior. The army commander was Lieutenant-General Sir John Pulteney. The force landed consisted of seven British regiments, one of two battalions, and the rifle corps totaling 8,000 troops and 16 field pieces.
The Spanish defenders of Ferrol were: Don Francisco Melgarejo (a Naval Engineer), commander of the naval department; Juan Moreno, commander of the squadron stationed in the harbour; Don Francisco Xavier Negrété, captain-general of the province; and Field Marshal Count Donadio, who commanded the fortifications that protected the coast. The Spanish ship of the line were: Real Carlos and San Hermenegildo, each 112 guns; San Fernando, 96 guns; Argonauta, 80 guns; San Antonio and San Agustin, each 74 guns.
The British rifle-corps advanced up a ridge and was attacked by a Spanish detachment which it drove back with some loss. Early on the morning of 26th August a considerable body of Spanish attacked the British on the heights of Brion and Balon but they were repulsed. British casualties were 16 killed and 68 wounded. The heights overlooked the town and harbour of Ferrol. That night, after observing the strength of the fortifications, the British troops and artillery were embarked back on their ships.
The embarkation of the troops and artillery was effected, and soon after this failure on the coast of Galicia, another expedition, equally unsuccessful was directed on October against the city of Cadiz. The assault had to be abandoned due to an outbreak of yellow fever among British troops, After the unsuccessful attempt to capture Ferrol, the British Prime Minister William Pitt said in the House of Commons that: "If Great Britain had a naval station so easy to defend as Ferrol, due to its location, it would have been surrounded by a thick silver wall".
The 79th Foot had embarked at Southampton to take part in the Ferrol Expedition, and they then went on to take part in the expedition to Cadiz, landing there on 6th October, they were then evacuated owing to the unfavourable weather and the outbreak of yellow fever. They then sailed for Egypt, as part of an expeditionary force under Lieutenant General Sir Ralph Abercromby which was sent to prevent French control of the land route to India.
Having participated in the landings at Alexandria on 8th March they then fought that same day in the Battle of Aboukir when brigaded alongside the 1st and 2nd Battalions of the 27th Foot, and the 50th Foot as part of the 3rd Brigade commanded by Major General Lord Cavan. The landing force totalled 5,230 men. All troops were on board the landing boats by 2 am. Tightly packed with muskets between their knees the boats rowed silently to the rendezvous, each were placed in their positions of landing. By 8 am each brigade was in place. At 9 am a rocket fired from the Admirals ship signalled the advance and the boats sprang forward. With protection from light armed vessels, ketches and bomb brigs moored broadside to the beach, the troops beached their craft under a rainstorm of French cannonade and musket fire from 2500 French positioned on the high dunes. The troops disembarked, formed line, fixed bayonets and advanced undaunted by the enemy fire. With Major General John Moore leading at their head they struggled up the steep soft sandy ground. The French appeared at the summit and poured a destructive musket volley. The lead troops of the 42nd reached the summit first, and before the French could reload they launched a bayonet charge, hurling them back in confusion. The French counter attacked with a squadron of cavalry, a second bayonet charge by the 42nd caused them to flee. On the left the Guards were attacked by cavalry and the 54th by Infantry bayonet. Both attacks were brilliantly repulsed. The British were now in control of the shore and advanced to expand the bridgehead. The French deserted their guns. A decisive victory by the British Expeditionary Force. By evening The Navy had landed the remainder of the Army and consolidated control at Aboukir.
Having established a depot and field hospital on the beach, the British besieged and captured Aboukir Castle from the French and began preparations to move against Alexandria. On 12th March, the British began their cautious advance towards Alexandria along a narrow isthmus between the Mediterranean and Lake Maadie (later known as Lake Aboukir). When they reached a feature called Mandora Tower, they made camp for the night. In Cairo, French commander Menou was focused on the threat from Ottoman forces in the East, and initially downplayed the seriousness of the British landing, disregarding remonstrances of Reynier and other officers, and sending just a small reinforcement to Alexandria under Francois Lanusse, a "fiery general", who, frustrated at the slow advance of the British, determined to attack. A personal reconnaissance by Abercromby had shown that a French force of nearly 5,000 men under Lanusse were holding a ridge of high ground which crossed the western end of the isthmus; their line rested on the ruins of Nicopolis of Alexandria at the north and the Alexandria Canal at the south, and had been strengthened by the construction of a redoubt. Accordingly, on 13th March, the British began their advance at first light, in two lines.
Assistant Surgeon Soden and the 79th Foot then found themselves involved in the Battle of Mandora on 13th March 1801, in which action, the 79th Foot had five rank and file killed, and Lieutenant Colonel Patrick M’Dowall, Lieutenants George Sutherland and John Stewart, Volunteer Alexander Cameron, two Sergeants, and 56 rank and file wounded.
As the two British lines advanced, the French unleashed a fierce fire from their artillery and muskets on the 92nd Foot which was leading the left column and mounted a cavalry charge against the 90th Foot which was leading the right. Few of the French cavalry reached the British line, most being driven off by an effective volley of musket fire. As the British lines continued their advance, the French began to withdraw to their fortifications on a further ridge just outside Alexandria; Dillon’s Regiment (composed of various foreign troops and French émigré officers) captured two French guns by the canal in a bayonet charge. Having secured the former French positions, Abercromby, who was determined to take the French fortifications outside Alexandria by a coup de main, began a further advance across the plain that separated the two ridges. General Hutchinson was ordered to take a hill overlooking the plain from the south which was successful, the 44th Foot capturing a guarded bridge over the canal in the process. However, General Moore, commanding the right hand column, was met with intense artillery fire to which they were totally exposed. Halting while a reconnaissance was conducted by Abercrombie, during which his horse was shot from underneath him, the British forces eventually withdrew at sunset to the line which they had captured earlier in the day.
The British set about further fortifying their new position, landed heavy guns from the ships offshore and bringing up supplies with the intention of blockading the French garrison. It was in this position that a French counterattack would be defeated in the Battle of Alexandria on 21st March.
Following Lanusse's reverse at Mandora, Menou finally arrived from Cairo to take direct command of French forces, and determined to attack on 21st March. Francois Lanusse would lead on the left with the brigades of Valentin and Silly, supported by the infantry Divisions of Antoine-Guillaume Rampon in the centre and Jean Reynier on the right. The British position on the night of 20th March extended across the isthumus, the right wing resting upon the ruins of Nicopolis and the sea, the left on the lake of Abukir and the Alexandria canal. The line faced generally south-west towards the city, the reserve division under Major-General Sir John Moore on the right, the Foot Guards brigade under George Ludlow in the centre, and three other brigades on the left under Eyre Coote, John Cradock and Lord Cavan, which included the 79th Foot. In the second line were two infantry brigades and the cavalry, who were dismounted.
Abercromby anticipated a night attack, so on 21st March, the British slept in position under arms. At 3:30 a.m. the French attacked and drove in the British outposts. Moving forward rapidly with great gallantry from the left, Lanusse launched the attack with Valentin's brigade in column along the seashore, and to their right Silly's brigade against the British entrenchments around the Roman ruins. The brunt of the attack fell upon Moore's command, and in particular upon the 28th Foot. The British repulsed this first assault, during which both Silly and Lanusse were hit. “General Lanusse saw that General Valentin had left the seashore, and was within the re-entering angle of the redoubt and the Roman camp, where the cross fire of the enemy held him back. General Lanusse marched to this spot, encouraged the men, and made them advance. The worthy general was hit in the thigh by a ball from a gun-boat; four grenadiers tried to carry him off, but a second ball killed two of these brave fellows”.
Soon Rampon's command in the centre was engaged, and despite disorientation in the dark, penetrated between the front and rear wing of the 42nd Foot. A confused fight ensued in the ruins, in which the French troops were all either killed or captured with the 42nd taking their colour. Other British regiments engaged were the 23rd Foot, 40th Foot, and 58th Foot, together with Stuart’s Minorca Regiment.
During this time, Menou had devolved command to his subordinates, and was seen gesticulating wildly at the rear "more as if he were a spectator than the commander in chief”. However he now ordered his reserve cavalry forward in an unsupported charge. The commander, Cézar Antoine Roize remonstrated in vain, the Republican cavalry nevertheless were able to penetrate as far as the British camp and Abercromby's headquarters, inflicting severe losses on the 42nd Foot before a combination of dug fortifications and musketry ended this effort. "Turning to his brave men, General Roize said, ‘Friends, they are sending us to glory and death! March!’ The charge was terrible… Brave General Roize, seeing his first line driven back, advanced with the second, made a desperate charge, and penetrated to the camp of the second English line, sabring and overthrowing all in his road. The terrified English threw themselves on their faces on the ground; others fled to their tents; but this obstacle stopped the terrible rush of our cavalry and caused our ruin. The English had dug wolf-pits in their camp, and strewn caltrops about, plentifully. The horses fell into these pits, or were entangled amongst the cords and tent pegs. The brave and unfortunate General Roize, finding there was no chance of escaping from such a position, dismounted, fought like a lion, and was killed, as were also his men”.
The front and rear ranks of the 28th Foot were simultaneously engaged to both their front and rear, the soldiers receiving the order "Front rank stay as you are, rear rank about turn". In commemoration the regiment later adopted a second cap badge, the 'Back Number,' worn at the back of their head-dress. During the attack of Roize's second line Sir Ralph Abercromby was briefly captured by French dragoons, but quickly rescued by a highlander of the 42nd. About this time he received a bullet wound to the thigh which would eventually prove fatal, though he remained on the field and in command to the end. Rampon's renewed infantry attack on the centre was repulsed by the Guards brigade, supported by Coote's brigade, and the left wing maintained its position with ease, but the French cavalry for the second time came to close quarters with the reserve.
About half-past eight the combat began to wane, and the last shots were fired at ten. Most of the attacks had been pressed home on the British right, the History of the Queen’s Royal West Surrey Regiment praises the regiments of the reserve, saying that "the determined attack would have been successful against almost any other troops." Technically, the details of the action show that, while not markedly better in a melee than the war-seasoned French, the British infantry had in its volleys a power that no other troops then existing possessed, and it was these volleys that decided the day even more than the individual stubbornness of the men. The 42nd, twice charged by cavalry, had but 13 men wounded by the sabre. Part of the French losses were caused by the gunboats which lay close inshore and cannonaded the left flank of the French columns, and by a heavy naval gun which was placed in battery near the position of 20th March. During the Battle of Alexandria on 21st March, the 79th Foot and the other regiments of Cavan’s 3rd Brigade used their light companies to keep the French riflemen in check in front, while the fight was raging hotly on the right. The 79th Foot lost one sergeant killed, and Lieutenant Patrick Rose, two sergeants and 18 rank and file wounded.
The armies engaged on this day both numbered approximately 14,000 men. Losses for the British were, 10 officers and 233 men killed, 60 officers and 1,193 men wounded and 3 officers and 29 men missing. Amongst the senior officers the dead included Abercromby (who succumbed to his wound on 28 March), Lt Col David Ogilvy of the 44th Foot and Lt Col Dutens of the Minorca regt. Moore, Oakes and the Adjudant General John Hope were wounded. The French suffered 1,000 dead, 600 wounded and 200 prisoners, though Fortescue considers up to 4,000 overall. Amongst the French casualties were three generals killed (Lanusse, Roize and brigade commander Baudot in Reynier's Division) and several other senior officers wounded. Additionally the flag of the 21st Light demi-brigade and one Austrian cannon were lost.
John Hely-Hutchinson replaced Abercromby in command of British forces, which then advanced upon Alexandria and laid siege to it. The French garrison surrendered on 2nd September 1801. Afterwards the 79th Foot proceeded with the force toward Cairo as part of Major General Craddock’s brigade to which they had been transferred, and accompanied a division of Turks for this stage of the campaign. They had a brush with French forces on 9th May 1802, in which Captain M’Dowall and one private were wounded. On reaching Cairo, the regimen had the honour of being selected to take possession of the advanced gate, the “Gate of the Pyramids”, which was surrendered to the British in terms of a convention with the French.
For its distinguished services during the Egyptian Campaign, the Cameron Highlanders received the thanks of the King and Parliament, and was one of the regiments which received the honour of bearing the figure of a Sphinx, with the word “Egypt” on its colours and appointments. After staying a short time at Minorca, the 79th Foot returned home to Scotland in August 1802, whence, after filling up its thinned ranks, it was removed to Ireland in the beginning of 1803.
For his services during the Egyptian Campaign, Assistant Surgeon Soden would be awarded the Sultan's Medal for Egypt 1801, the 4th Class version, and would be belatedly awarded the Military General Service Medal 1793-1814 with the clasp for Egypt. In all only 17 Military General Service Medal 1793-1814 with the clasp for Egypt, of which only three were awarded to officers including Soden. In all some 56 officers and men of the 79th Foot claimed the Egypt clasp, the others being entitled to more than one clasp. 5 officers in total gained the clasp for Egypt either as a single or multiple clasp combination. Soden is the only medical officer with the 79th Foot to claim the clasp, the other officers were Lieutenant Colonel William Eden (who also gained the Field Officer’s Gold Medal for Java); Lieutenant William Marshall (who received the MGS with 8 clasps); Lieutenant Thomas L. Metcalf (single clasp medal with similar 4th Class Sultan’s Gold Medal known to have sold in Spink March 1992 and DNW September 2004); and James Winter (who was a Sergeant in Egypt before being later commissioned and seeing service in Portugal and Spain during the Peninsula War). Soden is therefore one of only two men from the 79th Foot to receive this exact combination of awards.
Soden (according to his Obituary in the British Medical Journal of 11th April 1863), suffered in health from service during the Egypt campaign, and also in a belief that the Treaty of Amiens would be permanent, then resigned his commission on 16th April 1803, and settled in a medical practice and general surgeon in Coventry until 1812 when he established himself in Bath, Somerset, where he once against built up a medical practice, and was appointed Surgeon to the United Hospitals, the Eye Infirmary, the Penitentiary, and the Lock Hospital. He thus took up a position as a leading practitioner in Bath, and was a successful operator and eye surgeon. He was ambidextrous in operating for cataract, sitting facing the patient, the patient also sitting; he made the lower incision by means of Baer’s triangular knife, puncturing the cornea almost veritcally, he watched for the jet of aqueous humour, then carried the knife across the anterior chamber without touching the iris. A Jacksonian Prizeman in 1810 with an essay on “The Bite of Rabid Animal”. A Member of the Company of Surgeons since 1800, he was appointed a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons on 11th December 1843, being one of the original 300 Surgeon’s so appointed. His medical practice was located at 101 Sydney Place in Bath, and his publications include: “Of Poisoning by Arsenic” - London Medical Review (1811); and “On Inguinal Aneurysm, Cured by Tying the External Iliac Artery” - Medico-Chirurgical Transcript (1816). He also gave an Address to the Bath District Branch of the Provincial Medical and Surgical Association in 1839 and an Address to the Annual Meeting of the Bath and Bristol Branch of the above in 1854.
Having eventually retired, Soden died in Bath on 19th March 1863. At the time of his death, his Obituary in the British Medical Journal of 11th April 1863 ran to over two pages, and he was highly regarded to the last. His son, John Soden succeeded to his father’s practice. During his lifetime, Soden had put together an admirable collection of the Portraits of Medical Men - Ancient and Modern, British and Foreign, and this collection was presented by his son, John Soden, to the Royal Medico-Chirurgical Society. The collection consists of four folio volumes containing 872 mounted medical portraits, with two additional volumes, the one of caricatures and newspaper cuttings, the other of autograph letters and signatures of medical men. The six volumes are now preserved in the Royal Society of Medicine, where they are known as ‘The Soden Collection’.
