Atlas of Battles

battle, nineteenth century

Battle of the Smala

Battle of the Smala was a battle fought on 16 May 1843 at Zmalet El Emir Abdelkader, in what is now Algeria. It was part of the French conquest of Algeria, which ran from 1830 to 1904. The recorded result: French victory.

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Smala of Abd-el-Kader
Smala of Abd-el-Kader. Horace Vernet, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought16 May 1843
WhereZmalet El Emir Abdelkader, Algeria34.893N, 2.310E
OutcomeFrench victory
BelligerentsKingdom of Franceagainst23px Emirate of Mascara
Casualties and losses9 dead; 12 woundedand300 dead; 3,000 captured
Part ofFrench conquest of Algeria1830 to 1904

Where it sits in the French conquest of Algeria

Shipwreck of Dellys, 1830Invasion of Algiers in 1830, 1830Battle of Staouéli, 1830Battle of Sidi Khalef, 1830First Battle of Blida, 1830Second Battle of Blida, 1830Capture of Oran, 1831Siege of the Mechouar of Tlemcen, 1834Battle of Sig, 1835Battle of Macta, 1835Battle of Bougie, 1835Battle of l'Habrah, 1835Battle of Sikkak, 1836Battle of Constantine, 18361837 Expedition of the Col des Beni Aïcha, 1837Siege of Constantine, 1837Battle of Mazagran, 1840Battle of Teniah de Mouzaïa, 1840Battle of the Smala, 1843Battle of Sidi-Brahim, 184518301845Battle of the Smala, 1843
20 placed engagements of the French conquest of Algeria in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date16 May 1843
PlaceZmalet El Emir Abdelkader, Algeria
34.893N, 2.310E
KindBattle, nineteenth century
Strength500 cavalry
Casualties and losses9 dead; 12 wounded300 dead; 3,000 captured
Commanders
  • Henri d'Orléans, Duke of Aumale
Battle of the SmalaBattle of the SmalaBattle of Chelif RiverBattle of Bab El BekkoucheSiege of LaghouatBattle of AchirBattle of Chelif RiverBattle of Bab El BekkoucheSiege of LaghouatBattle of AchirDjelfaEl Bayadh100 km34.893N, 2.310E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1843

Battle of the Smala is one of 3,507 engagements of the 19th century in the atlas and one of 130 in present-day Algeria.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q3403872, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of the Smala, revision 1370602346, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.