The French took possession of the dilapidated fort on 19 July 1799, only a few days before the Battle of Abukir, and embarked on a hasty rebuilding. It was subsequently reconstructed in a more thoroughgoing fashion and was renamed Fort Julien after Thomas Prosper Jullien. One of Napoleon's aides-de-camp, Lieutenant Pierre-François Bouchard, uncovered the famous Rosetta Stone at the fort while repairing its defences. Qait Bey's engineers had apparently brought it to the site from elsewhere, possibly a temple at nearby Sais, to use as fill. Two years later, the fort was captured by a combined British and Turkish force after a short siege and bombardment.