The British Expedition to Abyssinia

This account of the 1867/68 campaign is by an officer of the 3rd Dragoon Guards, one of the regiments involved, and in the introduction he states clearly that his aim has everywhere been impartiality; his object truth. He begins with a brief but informative historical background to the country of Abyssinia, going back to the earliest days and leading up to the reasons for the despatch of an expedition against the Christian Emperor Theodore III.

Then follows a detailed account of the advance of Napier’s force, a sharp action at Arogi in which Abyssinian losses amounted to about 1,900, of whom 700 were killed, with British casualties numbering twenty wounded, two of whom died. After this the prisoners were released, but Napier pressed on to the capital, Magdala which was captured and the fortress destroyed. Theodore committed suicide. The final chapter looks back over the campaign, describing the withdrawal of the force and including an interesting examination of the cost and the reasons why it exceeded expectations.