28 officers. 570 rank and file, 1 stand of colours, 1 light four-pounder, 300 horses and dromedaries, and 500 camels.
One hundred and twenty men of Bonaparte's famous dromedary corps were among the prisoners, and presented a grand and novel appearance; and the horses and camels formed a valuable acquisition to the British army.
Brigadier-General (afterwards Sir John) Doyle expressed, in a letter to Colonel Browne, his approbation of the excellent conduct of the TWELFTH and Twenty-sixth Light Dragoons, adding,--"With such troops I shall always feel a pride to serve; and at their head, be content to fall, being convinced it must be with honor." When this officer received supporters to his arms, he chose, as one of them, a light dragoon of the TWELFTH, holding the French color taken with the convoy.
The army, continuing to advance, arrived, on the 8th of June, near the Pyramids, where it halted several days, and subsequently advanced to _Cairo_, and invested the city; the TWELFTH Light Dragoons being posted on the left of the river. In a few days the French surrendered the capital of Egypt, which added additional lustre to the British arms, and the brave soldiers, whose skill and valor gained these honors, were rewarded with the approbation of their Sovereign, and the thanks of Parliament.
From Cairo the army retired down the Nile, and commenced the siege of _Alexandria_, which city was surrendered in September, and the deliverance of Egypt from the power of France was thus completed.
On the evacuation of Egypt, the TWELFTH Light Dragoons returned to England, where they arrived in 1802. The officers received each a gold medal from the Grand Seignior, and the regiment was subsequently honored with the royal authority to bear on its guidons and appointments, a "SPHYNX," with the word "EGYPT," as a mark of His Majesty's approbation of their gallant services in the Egyptian campaign[4].
After their return from Egypt, the TWELFTH Light Dragoons were stationed at Weymouth until the end of the year, when they proceeded to Ireland, and the head-quarters were established at Clonmel, from whence they were removed, in 1803, to Limerick, and in 1804, to Dublin.
Returning to England in 1805, the regiment was stationed at Guildford and Romford; in 1806 the head-quarters were at Blatchington, with numerous detachments on the Sussex coast. In 1807 they were removed to Hythe, with detachments on the coast of Kent. In 1808 the regiment marched to Hounslow and Hampton Court, and took the escort duty for the royal family.