One of three maps showing the route of the army in Ethiopia in the Abyssinian Campaign of 1867-8. This map shows the route taken from the coast to Adigerat. SL

The Abyssinian Campaign was an extraordinary undertaking by the British Army in India to rescue European hostages taken by the Ethiopian Emperor Tewodros II, who felt aggrieved that his fellow rulers in Europe refused to aid him against his domestic enemies who revolted against his rule. He withdrew to his mountain fortress in Magdala and began issuing demands. The Indian army was placed under the command of Lieutenant General Sir Robert Napier, an unusual decision as his background was from the Corps of Engineers. This would become a prescient decision as engineering and logistics would be the deciding factors in the success or failure of the expedition. The army train consisted of 13,000 British and Indian troops, 26,000 camp followers and 40,000 animals including 44 elephants to carry the heavy guns. The terrain was notoriously hostile, so highly specialised engineering equipment was needed to traverse it; Napier's understanding of the potential and capability of his equipment was key to the success of the enterprise. The logistics were solved by the decision to purchase them from the local population rather than forage or loot and assurances were given to local rulers that the object of the march was to rescue the hostages as opposed to conquest or settlement. The results were quite astonishing, with relatively few casualties or deaths due to disease and accidents on the march. The army marched 400 miles in three months. After a series of battles against Tewodros in the field, the British laid siege to Magdala and after the initial bombardment, Tewodros committed suicide and all resistance ceased. Casualties during the battle were extremely light. The army withdrew and Napier was made a peer of the realm for his extraordinary achievement and went on to be promoted to Field Marshall later in his career.

As a final note, there were several journalists travelling with the army, including a young Henry Morton Stanley. SL [AFR5973]