The First Expedition Battle of Blida took place from 22 to 24 July 1830 during the French push into Algeria.
On 22 July, Marshal de Bourmont prepared a reconnaissance mission toward Blida. Early the next morning, a force of about 1,500 men and 150 chasseurs left Algiers. They reached Blida around 17:00 and were greeted by residents offering fruit and drinks. De Bourmont settled in a large house surrounded by an orange grove near the city gate, while the troops camped in the garden and in the nearby cemetery.
The night passed quietly, but by mid-morning on 24 July, a French patrol returning from a nearby gorge came under fire, leaving two soldiers wounded. General d’Esprez rode with six chasseurs to investigate and saw a large group of armed men on the mountain slopes. They did not engage, but the sighting convinced de Bourmont to end the mission and prepare the return to Algiers.
Before departure, two artillerymen watering their horses at a nearby stream were killed by Kabyle fighters. Soon after, gunfire erupted inside the city and Baron Alphonse Blouquier de Trélan, de Bourmont’s aide-de-camp, was fatally shot. The French regrouped in column formation and began marching back as thousands of Kabyle warriors descended from the mountains, joined by some of Blida’s inhabitants.
Throughout the afternoon, the French maintained steady movement across the Mitidja plain, with chasseurs guarding the flanks and cavalry charging whenever attackers came too close. The Prince of Schwarzenberg is noted to have cut down two opponents during these clashes.
The final engagement occurred in an oleander grove north-east of بوفاريك. As night fell, the Algerian fighters withdrew. After a short rest, the French resumed their march and reached Birtouta around 23:00, where they spent the night. De Bourmont received his marshal’s baton there. The following day was calm, and the column reached Algiers by early afternoon on 25 July, withdrawing in good order.
The fleeing of the French troops from Blida bolstered popular support for resistance against the French invaders.This was the first victory achieved by the Algerians since the French army landed at Sidi Fredj.