The crushing victory at the Battle of Staouéli

By 18 June, the French had disembarked two out of the three divisions of their Expeditionary Army at Sidi Fredj. On 19 June at 4:30 am, Algerian forces - totaling over 50,000 men from the Regency, Berber tribes, and Kabyle warriors - came down the plateau of Staouéli in a mass through a thick mist to attack French outposts.

The contingent under the Bey of Constantine initially advanced on two French brigades but was repulsed by a bayonet charge from the 15th of the Line and artillery fire. The main Algerian contingent then attacked the 28th of the Line on the French left. The attack was briefly successful until General D'Arcine ordered the 29th of the Line to reinforce the position. Seeing these reinforcements, the Algerians hesitated and retreated as the French launched a general bayonet charge. French warships opened fire on the retreating forces, increasing the chaos of their flight.

On the right, the 37th of the Line engaged janissaries in ferocious fighting before they retreated slowly and orderly. As French troops moved up the hill, they were forced to move their artillery on foot because no horses had been disembarked yet. By 7:00 am, French columns arrived on the plateau and could see the Algerian camp in the distance. Under General Achard, three regiments marched on an Algerian battery, capturing it as the crews fled. A large group of Algerian horsemen attempted to attack the French right but were scattered by massed artillery fire.

The battle lasted about 8 hours, ending at 1:00 pm when the last Algerian forces disappeared from sight. The retreat soon turned into a general rout as French columns charged, leaving the Algerians to scatter in all directions and leave their belongings behind. The French captured vast amounts of riches, weapons, food, and livestock. That evening, mutton from the captured livestock was distributed to the French troops, who had not eaten any meat since leaving Toulon a month earlier.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons