In 1877, Sultan Abdulhamid II, asked Khedive Isma’il for assistance, and the “survivors of the Abyssinian Campaign, combined with Cairo levies", were reequipped to join the Ottoman Imperial Army in Bulgaria, as the ‘Egyptian Expeditionary Corps', of 8,000 men [1]; this was composed of the following troops:
The Egyptian Force, were involved in the defence of Shipka Pass, in 1877.
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[1] Andrew James McGregor. A Military History of Modern Egypt: From the Ottoman Conquest to the Ramadan War. Praeger Publishers Inc (30 May 2006): 157-158.
[2] Maurice, F. (1905) The Russo-Turkish War, 1877: A Strategical Sketch. London: S. Sonnenschein: 17.
[3] Maurice, F. (1905) The Russo-Turkish War, 1877: A Strategical Sketch. London: S. Sonnenschein: 152.
[4] Andrew James McGregor. Page 161
Right - An Egypt Army General, and senior staff officer from the 1870s (Vinkhuijzen Collection).
Information on the 1877-1878 Egypt Army uniforms is not readily available. However, there are examples, of well documented and dated uniforms from photographs, and biographies of the Americans who served in the Egypt Army, over this period:
Right - In the case of Thaddeus Phelps Mott, he was the the first aide-de-camp to Khedive Isma'il Pasha (1869-1870), and he wore the rank badge of an AGHA/Pasha (General):
Right - Loring, in 1878, as a Fereek Pasha (Major General). Traditionally, in the Ottoman Imperial Army, a FERIK (in the case of Loring's biography this has been spelled as FEREEK), is a Divisional-General; which in Egyptian translates into MIR-MIRDN (General de Division):
The Army of Egypt ranks for officers (1863-1883):
AGHA/Pasha (General): Three stars, and crescent worked into the cuff embroidery.
Mir-mirdn (General de Division): One star, and crescent worked into the cuff embroidery.
Miralai (Colonel).
Bimbachi (Major).
Yuzbachi (Captain).
Mulazim-i-evvel (Full-Lieutenant).
Sakologassi (Adjudant)
Sokolagassi (Adjudant Sous-Officier).
Bachaouch (Sergeant-Major).
Chaouch (Sergeant).
On-bachi (Corporal).
In 1877-78, one artillery battery acompanied the Egyptian contingent [1].
The illustration - right - shows blue facings piped red, whereas the oridinary gunners wore red facing (below), for the Artillery arm in the Egyptian Army.
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[1] Maurice, F. (1905) The Russo-Turkish War, 1877: A Strategical Sketch. London: S. Sonnenschein: 152.
The 1877-1878 Egypt Army Expedition Force soldiers' uniform followed the same basic patterns established at the end of the Crimean War expedition, and these remained unchanged till 1882-83 period.
In 1877-78, a total of twelve infantry battalions made up the Egyptian contingent [1].
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[1] Maurice, F. (1905) The Russo-Turkish War, 1877: A Strategical Sketch. London: S. Sonnenschein: 17.
In 1877-78, a division of Sudanese infantry were part of the twelve infantry battalions that made up the Egyptian contingent [1].
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[1] Ian Durry. The Russo-Turkish War 1877. Osprey Publishing, 2012: 46-47.