Abyssinian Campaign

Abyssinian Campaign
Oct 1867-Jun 1868
Chronological list of Wars and Campaigns
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Location: Abyssinia
Combatants:
British and Indian forces	Abyssinian regular forces
Result: British victory. Magdala looted and burned.
Medals: Abyssinia
Links:
Category: Abyssinian Campaign

	See our interactive map of Abyssinian Campaign locations and routes on Google Maps

Summary

The Abyssinian Campaign of 1868 was a punitive expedition following the imprisonment of missionaries and British representatives by Emperor Tewodros II of Ethiopia (Theodore). Lt-Gen Sir Robert Napier, Commander -in-Chief of the Bombay Army, led a force of 13,000 British and Indian troops which took 3 months to reach the Emperor's capital at Magdala a 380 mile march through mountainous country. The Ethiopians were defeated at the Battles of Arroghee and Magdala. Theodore was killed and the British took away large amounts of treasure when they returned to the coast.

Biographies

Entries in the Dictionary of Indian Biography 1906

Robert Baigrie (18??-1877)]
John Field (1821-1899)
Charles Goodfellow (1836-915)]
George Malcolm (1818-1897)
William Merewether (1825-1880)
Robert Napier (1810-1890)
Robert Phayre (1820-1897)
John Schneider (1822-1903)
Charles Staveley (1817-1896)
Donald Stewart (1828-1896)
Henry Wilkins (1824-1900)

Reconnoitring party

• Lt-Col Sir William Merewether CB
• Lt-Col Sir Robert Phayre CB, Quartermaster-General
• Lt-Col Henry Wilkins, RE
• Maj Mignon, Asst Commissary-General
• Maj Robert Baigrie, Asst Quartermaster-General
• Capt Charles Goodfellow VC, RE
• Capt Pottinger, RA
• Lieut Jopp, RE
• Lieut Mortemer, RA
• Lieut Henriel
• Surgeon Lumsdaine
• Asst Surgeon Martin
• 1 Coy Marine Battalion
• 8 Sappers and Miners
• 3 Draughtsmen
• 5 Guides
• 35 tent lascars
• 136 public followers
• 93 private followers
• 3rd Bombay Light Cavalry (40 men)
• 149 mules

Naval Squadron

• HMS Satellite under Captain Joseph Edye RN
• HMS Octavia under Captain Colin Campbell RN

Advance Brigade

Brig-Gen Sir John Field, 10th Bombay NI commanding

• 3rd Regt of Bombay Light Cavalry
• 10th Bombay Native Infantry
• No 1 Company of Bombay Native Artillery
• Nos 3 & 4 Coys of Bombay Sappers and Miners
• Division of Land Transport Corps
• Part of Commissariat Corps

Campaign Forces

Cavalry

• 3rd (Prince of Wales') Dragoon Guards
• 10th Bengal Light Cavalry
• 12th Regiment of Bengal Cavalry
• 3rd Regt of Bombay Light Cavalry
• 3rd Scinde Irregular Horse

Infantry

• 4th (The King's Own Royal) Regiment of Foot
• 26th (The Cameronian) Regiment of Foot
• 33rd (Duke of Wellington's) Regiment of Foot
• 45th (Sherwood Foresters) Regt of Foot
  
• 21st Punjab Regt Bengal Native Infantry
• 2nd Bombay Native Infantry (Grenadier)
• 3rd Bombay Native Infantry
• 5th Regiment of Bombay Native Infantry
• 8th Regiment of Bombay Native Infantry
• 10th Bombay Native Infantry
• 18th Regiment of Bombay Native Infantry
• 21st Bombay Native Infantry (Marine)
• 25th Bombay Native Light Infantry
• 27th Bombay Native Infantry (1st Baluch)

Pioneers

• G, H & K coys Madras Sappers and Miners
• Bombay Sappers and Miners
• Two coys 23rd Bengal Native Infantry (Pioneers)

Artillery

• G Batt 14th Brigade Royal Artillery
• A & B Batts 21st Brigade Royal Artillery
• Detachment 5-25 Royal Artillery
• No 1 Company of Bombay Native Artillery
• Naval Brigade Rocket Battery

Transport train

• 7,365 camels
• 11,155 mules
• 1,708 ponies
• 6,922 pack bullocks
• 901 draught bullocks
• 784 donkeys
• 305 mule carts
• 345 bullock carts

Deployment

When the expedition reached Antalo, Napier redistributed the army in divisions:

1st Division
composed of all troops to prosecute the campaign beyond Antalo
Maj-Gen Sir Charles Staveley commanding

• Pioneer Force under Brig-Gen Sir John Field, 10th Bombay NI
• 1st Brigade under Brig-Gen John Schneider
• 2nd Brigade under Brig-Gen Wilby

2nd Division
composed of all troops to hold line of communication and garrison intermediate posts
Maj-Gen George Malcolm CB commanding

• Antalo Garrison under Brig-Gen Collins
• Adigerat Garrison under Major Fairbrother
• Senafe Garrison under Lt-Col Little
• Zulla Command under Brig-Gen Donald Stewart

Campaign Actions

Battle of Arroghee 10 April
Battle of Magdala 15 April

External Links

• Abyssinian Campaign The British Empire
  
• Abyssinian Campaign Wikipedia
  
• The hostages The British Empire
  
• British Military Personnel Wikipedia
• Telegraph at War 1854–1868 (distantwriting.co.uk) Scroll down for "British India & Abyssinia 1867-1868" including
  • an image of Zula in Abyssinia on the Red Sea, April 1868 A British Indian military base built in a few months, with a new pier and railways, as well as a telegraph into the interior.

Historical Books online

• Map: The Abyssinian Expedition 1867-1868 from A History of the British Army by Sir John William Fortescue. Maps and Plans for Volume 13. 1930 Archive.org.
• Abyssinian Expedition Volume XLIII House of Commons : Accounts and Papers 1867-68 Google Books
  • Contents, Contents of the Papers (first 495 pages), Further Papers Contents (next 184 pages) In addition, there are more Papers which are not indexed.
• Routes in Abyssinia by Anthony Charles Cooke, as presented to the House of Commons November 1867. HMSO 1867 Archive.org. Original version, probably incorporated into the House of Commons report British Library digital file 1867.
• State Papers: Abyssinia Volume LXXII Accounts and papers of the House of Commons 1868 Contents Google Books
• The British Expedition to Abyssinia by Capt Henry Montague Hozier 1869 Google Books
  
• A History of the Abyssinian Expedition by Clements Robert Markham 1869 Google Books
• Record of the Expedition to Abyssinia by Major Trevenen Holland, Bombay Staff Corps, and Captain Henry Hozier, 3rd Dragoon Guards. Her Majesty’s Stationery Office 1870 Volume I, ‪ Volume II Google Books
• The March to Magdala by George Alfred Henty 1868 archive.org
• Coomassie and Magdala : the story of two British campaigns in Africa by Henry M Stanley, Special Correspondent of the New York Herald. 1876 Archive.org
• History of the Corps of Royal Engineers Vol II by Maj-Gen Whitworth Porter 1889 The Abyssinian Campaign archive.org
  
• Frontier and Overseas Expeditions from India Vol VI - Abyssinian Campaign 1868 archive.org
  
• Forty-one Years in India from Subaltern to Commander-in-Chief by Field Marshal Lord Roberts of Kandahar 1900 Abyssinian Campaign archive.org
  
• Minutes of proceedings of the Royal Artillery Institution, Volume 6 1870, pages 167-202 by Lieutenant E F Chapman. Google Books

• "The Abyssinian Expedition"
• "Notes on elephant carriage and steel mountain batteries employed in Abyssinia"

• Abyssinia mentions the limited role of the only Indian Mountain Battery, but also mentions the British Mountain Batteries. Page 30, The History of the Indian Mountain Artillery by Brigadier-General C A L Graham 1957 Archive.org. This book is also available to read online on the Digital Library of India website, where the print quality is better.
• "Abyssinia" by Mansfield Parkyns, page 506, Journal of the Royal United Service Institution Volume 12 1869 Google Books
  
• "Abyssinian Expedition" by Lieut- Colonel St. Clair Wilkins RE, Commanding Engineer AEF page 140 Papers on subjects connected with the duties of the Corps of Royal Engineers Volume 17 1869 Google Books
• "Sketch of Magdala and the Surrounding Country" by Lieutenant T J Willans RE page 150 Papers on subjects connected with the duties of the Corps of Royal Engineers Volume 17 1869 Google Books