|Bombardment of Salé|
Bombardment of Salé by Jean Antoine Théodore de Gudin
|French Second Republic||Sherifian Empire|
|Commanders and leaders|
|Louis Dubourdieu||Abdelhadi Zniber|
|Casualties and losses|
The Bombardment of Salé was a naval attack against the Moroccan city of Salé that took place between 26 and 27 November 1851, in response to the looting of a French cargo ship by residents of the city. After seven hours of fighting, the Moroccan artillery suffered severe damage, and the French bombarded the city through the night, damaging the city's infrastructure and the Great Mosque of Salé.
French losses were minimal, with only four dead and 18 wounded. Between 18 and 22 Moroccans died, two-thirds of whom were civilians. The French forces withdrew, and both sides claimed victory.
Background[edit | edit source]
After the French conquest of Algeria, Abdelkader El Djezairi declared war against France, and requested assistance from Sultan Abd al-Rahman of Morocco. When the Sultan responded favorably, it triggered the Franco-Moroccan War. France sent warships to bombard Tangier on 6 August 1844; destroying large parts of the city and its defenses. The French then bombarded Essaouira, and occupied the Iles Purpuraires. After the French army defeated the Moroccan cavalry at the Battle of Isly on 14 August 1844, Sultan Abd al-Rahman asked for peace with France, leading to the signing of the Treaty of Tangier on 10 September 1844. Morocco's defeat caused a revolt in Rabat; in Salé, the Sharif sent a letter to the Sultan complaining about the lack of weapons and ammunition in the city.
Meanwhile, in France, anger against Morocco was increasing. A series of incidents in October 1849 damaged relations between both countries. From 1845 to 1851, Morocco had a serious agricultural crisis caused by drought, resulting in crop failure. The people of Morocco were suffering as the price of wheat and barley reached unprecedented heights. In Salé, many people were starving, and the agricultural crisis and anger towards France ultimately led to the bombardment of Salé. 
Preparations[edit | edit source]
On 1 April 1851, a French cargo ship carrying 98 long ton of goods from Gibraltar to Rabat capsized near the coast of Salé. A few tons of goods were rescued, and were temporarily stored in the city. The following day, hundreds of townspeople decided to steal the goods. Abdelhadi Zniber managed to briefly stop the theft, but it later continued. The French lost 11,391 franc germinals worth of goods as a result of the theft.
Nicolas Prosper Bourée reported the situation in France, and accused the residents of Salé of piracy, and recommended sending military forces to the city. The French government heeded his suggestions and decided to take military action in an attempt to remedy the situation.
On 10 November 1851, Louis Dubourdieu was appointed by the Secretary of the Navy to carry out the mission, and five vessels were assigned to him: Henri IV (armed with 100 cannons and captained by Louis Henri de Gueydon), the Sane (14 cannons), the Gomer (14 cannons), the Narval (4 cannons), and the Caton (6 cannons). The fleet gathered in Cádiz on 19 November, and after being supplied with food and coal, sailed for Salé on 21 November.
Bombardment[edit | edit source]
On 24 November, some of the French ships traveled to Tangier, where they picked up Julius Doazan and his secretary, Fleurat, on the Narval. That same night, Caton reached Salé and offered safe passage to Rabat for the British consul Elton and his family, before they attacked Salé. The following day, at 11:00 a.m., the Caton anchored between the cities of Rabat and Salé. Its commander demanded an apology from Morocco and an immediate refund for the theft of goods, under the threat of bombardment. The rais of the ports of both cities promised to answer to the French demands within three hours. Two hours later, all of the French ships had reached the mouth of the Bou Regreg, between Rabat and Salé.
The French crews received a telegraph from Admiral Louis Henri de Gueydon, suggesting that the b