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This month's Forgotten Battle is...
The Battle of Adwa
Intro
The battle of Adwa took place on March 1, 1896. It was fought in the Tigray Province of Ethiopia, between the armies of Italy and Ethiopia. This battle was the bloody climax of the Italian Invasion of the Eastern African country. And it would have results that nobody could have ever comprehended.
Part I
Throughout the 19th century, seven European countries launched multiple invasions on the continent of Africa. These seven included the nations of Great Britain, France, Germany, Belgium, Portugal, Spain, and Italy. Most of them were successful in conquering the native African tribes that lived in the areas. The only two exceptions were the countries of Ethiopia and Liberia.
The man who was ruling Ethiopia, was the Emperor Menelik II. Originally the King of the Ethiopian region of Shewa, Sahle Maryam had been crowned emperor on November 3, 1889. A few months prior to Maryam's coronation, the Italians had begun moving their soldiers along the coast of the Red Sea. Sensing that conflict was imminent, the emperor proposed a peace treaty with Italy. On May 2, 1889, King Menelik II of Shewa and Count Pietro Antonelli (representing Italy) signed the Treaty of Wuchale. This treaty was meant to be a peace-agreement that promoted trade and friendship between the two countries. Unfortunately, the treaty had been written in two different languages (Italian and Amharic). This caused a series of miscommunications and violations between Italy and Ethiopia. In 1893, Menelik II publicly denounced the treaty and war was inevitable.
Hoping to expand their influence on the African Continent, the Italian Army launched joint invasions of the Kingdoms of Eritrea and Ethiopia in the year 1895. Their goal was to secure territory along the Horn of Africa in order to gain control of the Red Sea and the critical port of, Massawa. By October, they were in complete control of Eritrea. After this, they set their sights on taking control of Ethiopia. With their superior weapons and resources the Italians were expecting an easy victory. They could not have been more mistaken.
Part II
Leading an army of more than 30,000 soldiers was General (and Governor of Eritrea) Oreste Baratieri. General Baratieri had been serving in the Italian Army for more than three decades. During the Italian Invasion of Eastern Sudan (the Mahdist War), he had successfully annihilated a Sudanese Army at the Battle of Kassala. Because of his performance in Sudan, Baratieri strongly believed that he could duplicate his successes in the country of Ethiopia.
In their invasion of Eritrea, General Baratieri successfully annihilated multiple armies from both Eritrea and Ethiopia. By October of 1895, the Italians were in full control Eritrea and pushed into the Tigray province of Ethiopia. Unknown to Baratieri, Menelik II had been preparing for an invasion. He had successfully obtained modern firearms and secured alliances with other European countries (including France and Great Britain) that were sympathetic to Ethiopian independence. A few years after striking up a friendship with a Swiss-born engineer (Alfred Ilg), Menelik II had begun a process of modernization for Ethiopia. When the Italians finally invaded, Menelik II had to successfully mobilized a force of more than 100,000 soldiers and tribesmen from all over the country.
The two sides first met at the battle of Debra Ailà. This battle ended in an Italian victory, but it was followed by a devastating defeat for the Italians two months later at the battle of Amba Alagi. At this battle, an army of more than 30,000 Ethiopians overran the Italian right flank. The Italians were surrounded and lost 1,539 KIA of their 2,300 soldiers engaged. By contrast, the Ethiopians only lost 276 killed and 349 wounded. This defeat forced the Italians to temporarily withdraw from Ethiopia. After being reinforced they prepared to invade again in February with an army of over 17,000.
Part III
To counter this, Menelik II assembled a massive army of over 70,000 and secretly moved them to the small town of Adwa. Adwa is located in the Tigray Region near Ethiopia's northern border. He then positioned his riflemen and twenty-eight artillery pieces in the hills that overlooked the Adwa Valley. Sensing a large army nearby, General Baratieri initially refused to launch an attack. A month long standoff occurred with both sides waiting to see what the other would do. On February 29, pressure from the Italian government finally forced Baratieri's hand. He divided his army into four brigades, had them cross the Eritrean border, and began his advance on Adwa.
Unfortunately, for the Italians, the three of the four brigades (the fourth was held in reserve at camp) the had crossed the border had all taken different routes. Due to inaccurate maps, the brigades all became separated while marching through the Adwa Valley's high hills and mountains. This left them completely disorganized and with fewer soldiers when they finally encountered the massive Ethiopian/Abyssinian army on the morning of March 1. At 6 AM, the battle of Adwa officially began.
The Italians began firing at the Ethiopians with their artillery. Although they inflicted casualties on the Ethiopians, the guns were quickly silenced by several devastating shots from the 28 Ethiopian artillery guns hidden in the hills. After this, the Abyssinian Infantry began attacking the Italians in human waves. For the next two hours, the Italians successfully held off the Abyssinians with accurate rifle fire. But eventually, the Abyssinians (armed with spears, swords, and rifles) began breaking through the Italian Left Column. The latter was finally overrun after a massive charge by 25,000 Shewan warriors annihilated the defenders. In their disorganized retreat, the Italians from the Left flank quickly collided with those in the Center column. Tangled masses of confused and panicked soldiers made easy targets for the tribesmen who overwhelmed them in minutes.
On the Italian Right flank, General Vittorio Dabormida (whose force had only encountered light resistance) decided to abandon his defensive position and move to reinforce the crumbling left flank. Unaware that both the Left and the Center had been broken, his whole force of 4,800 marched right into a narrow valley and became surrounded by 11,000 frenzied cavalry from the Oromo tribe (from the Wollo Province of Ethiopia). Led by Ras Mikael, the Oromo cavalry engulfed the entire brigade. The few Italians who escaped remembered hearing the Oromos shouting, "Reap! Reap!", as they literally cut down all in their path. General Dabormida was killed along with nearly all of his brigade. What remained of the Italian Army bade a hasty retreat from Adwa. But for the next nine miles, they were constantly harassed by Ethiopian cavalry who picked off stragglers. The fighting finally ended, when the surviving soldiers crossed the Belessa River.
Epilogue
The casualties for the Battle of Adwa had been heavy for both sides. The Ethiopian/Abyssinian Army is believed to have suffered more than 7,000 killed and an even larger number wounded. The Italians had lost between 7,000 to 8,000 killed and more than 9,000 wounded. In addition, more than 3,000 Italians had been taken prisoner. Instead of pursuing them into Eritrea, Menelik II decided to pull back to the Ethiopian capital city of Addis Ababa. In exchange for the 3,000 Italian captives (including a general), he demanded the repealing of the Treaty of Wuchale and a recognition of Ethiopian independence. After several months of intense negotiations, the Italian government finally agreed to the abrogation of the Treaty of Wuchale and recognized Ethiopia as a sovereign nation by signing of the Treaty of Addis Ababa in October 23, 1896. In addition, the Italians agreed to pay the Ethiopians more than 10 million liras for the release 3,000 POWs (who later reported being treated humanely while in captivity).
Despite his heavy casualties, Emperor Menelik II had achieved a decisive victory at the battle of Adwa. News of the Ethiopian triumph quickly spread all throughout the nations of Europe and many quickly agreed to recognize Ethiopia as an independent nation. Menelik II would continue to reign until his death on March 10, 1913. Today in Ethiopia, the battle of Adwa is a national holiday commemorated every March 2. Around the world, it is remembered as a brave stand against European colonialism and for African independence.
https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-Adwa
https://blogs.loc.gov/international-collections/2020/03/emperor-menelik-ii-of-ethiopia-and-the-battle-of-adwa-a-pictorial-history/
https://www.sahistory.org.za/article/remembering-battle-adwa
https://medium.com/@genayeeshetu/the-engineer-and-the-king-the-legacy-of-alfred-ilg-the-star-of-ethiopia-394b25246673