During the French Blockade, Żejtun was garrisoned by Maltese irregulars and British elements. The Maltese built a number of batteries to protect the city. By the end of December 1799, the bulk of the 30th (Cambridgeshire) Regiment of Foot was stationed in the city, with advanced posts at Żabbar, and San Rocco Battery close to the coast. In case of a French incursion from behind the Cottonera Lines, the Maltese troops in Żabbar were to pull back rapidly and concentrate their forces on Żejtun. The town was ideally placed for defence, standing on a hill two hundred feet high, and surveying the surrounding countryside all the way to the Three Cities. Moreover, the old town core of Żejtun was easily defended, being a tightly packed maze of houses and narrow streets. During the blockade, the Żejtun regiment mounted an attack on an enemy entrenchment on Fort San Salvatore. During the same attack, the regiment went on to clear Villa Bighi from French forces and then snatched from under the French held fortifications a large wooden cross, which stood in the front parvis of the abandoned Capuchin Friary at Kalkara. The Friary later hosted a battery manned by Maltese insurgents. The cross, held as a war trophy, was displayed in the main square of the city, as a reminder for future generations of the bravery of its people.