General Yaqub and his legion barricaded themselves in the fortress with towers and ramparts they built at the neighborhood of Azbakeya, and successfully defended Copts there during a 20-day siege.
[14] In May, 1801, General Yaqub received a latter from Napoleon praising his courage and encouraging him to persevere in the war against Great Britain and the Ottoman Empire, promising him promotion and reinforcements from France.
[18] Accompanied by his family and some of his troops, General Yaqub left Egypt from the port of Abu Qir on 10 August, 1801, on board of the British ship "The Pallas", heading for Marseille.
[21] In these letters, Yaqub is presented as the head of an Egyptian delegation seeking to contact European powers to achieve Egypt's independence from the Ottoman Empire.
The tone of these documents is one of Egyptian nationalism, highlighting the past glory of the country, lamenting its current state unworthy of a people who built a great civilization, and stressing the debt that humanity owes to Egypt's ancient culture.
[24][25] General Yaqub was succeeded by his nephew, Gabriel Sidarious, who ultimately distinguished himself in battle as leader of the Bataillon des Chasseurs d'Orient during the hostilities of the War of the Third Coalition in Dalmatia.