Although Napoleon had left Egypt two years earlier in search of greater glory in France, and although this act had a significant effect on the morale of his troops who stayed behind in the hostile lands of Egypt, it would be wrong to assume that the Armée d'Orient had completely disintegrated after the departure of its charismatic leader. Furthermore, in spite of the short period during which it stayed in the country, the French Army did make a noticeable impact on Egypt. Though they did not try to enlist the Egyptians at large into their Armée d'Orient, the French nevertheless did form a regiment of some 2,000 Copts who were trained by French officers, clad in French uniforms and attached to the French army. A number of mamluk youths were also drafted in the French army and were said to make very good soldiers. Furthermore, some Maghribi soldiers were also organized according to the French system and drilled along French lines with the words of command issued in French.

XREF: Connects to earlier claims about armies relying on local manpower and multilevel integration (loc 111, 118), and to the broader theme of Egypt's modern army recruitment practices. Builds on: "Armies depend on multilingual bureaucrats, nurses, and sentries to function."

Khaled Fahmy, All the Pasha_s Men_ Mehmed…, loc. 422