In early-1869, Mott was contacted by the then Egyptian Khedive Isma'il Pasha to enlist his help in recruiting American officers to reorganize Egypt's military forces. Being subordinate to the Ottoman Empire, and thus without official diplomatic representation, Isma'il was not able to request assistance directly from the U.S. Government and instead had to rely on independent agents. Mott was an ideal candidate given his mercenary background and family connections to the Ottomans. His father, Valentine Mott, had been personal physician to Sultan Mehmed II and one of his sisters was married to the Ottoman ambassador to the United States, Blacque Bey. Generals Charles Pomeroy Stone, Henry H. Sibley and William W. Loring, all recommended by General William T. Sherman, accompanied Mott to Egypt later that year. Many of the men recruited by Mott had fought on one side or the other during the Civil War, were graduates from West Point and Annapolis Naval Academy and helped rebuild both the Egyptian army and navy.Mostyn, Trevor. Egypt's Belle Epoque: Cairo and the Age of the Hedonists. London: Tauris Parke Paperbacks, 2006. (pg. 63) Mott and others also commanded troops in exploration missions not only to improve the overall Egyptian military establishment but also to increase knowledge of Egypt's geography.South, Aloha, ed. Guide to Federal archives relating to Africa. Waltham, Massachusetts: African Studies Association (Crossroads Press), 1977.
