This medal is smaller and altogether different in design to those
usually issued, granted by a General Order, dated March, 1869, and
designed by Messrs. Wyon. Obverse, a crowned and veiled head of the
Queen, surrounded by a star of nine points, containing the letters A. B.
Y. S. S. I. N. I. A. Reverse, a laurel wreath, with inner circle, within
which, in raised letters, is the recipient’s name, rank, regiment, or
ship; above the medal is a crown, with a ring for suspension. Ribbon,
crimson, with broad white edges. Twenty thousand of the medals were
struck, and given to both services.
THE ABYSSINIA EXPEDITION.
OCTOBER, 1867, TO APRIL, 1868.
Since the time of Bruce, Abyssinia remained almost a _terra incognita_
to Europeans till nearly the middle of the nineteenth century. Soon
after 1850, missionaries and traders who visited the region, reported
that a chieftain, who claimed descent from King Solomon, and professed
the Christian faith, had by a series of victories over the Gallas
tribes, the Shoans, and other half-savage races, made himself master of
Tigré and Amhara, the principal provinces of Abyssinia, and aspired to
the sovereignty of the whole country. In the year 1855, this ruler, a
fierce, but able and ambitious man, assumed the title of Theodore,
Emperor of Abyssinia, fixed his capital at Magdala, a steep and lofty
height which he deemed to be impregnable, and had a seal engraved with
the motto “King of Kings.” An ancient prophecy existed that a King
Theodore would establish the Christian religion in Abyssinia, and become
the ruler of the world; and this, and his successes, excited the vanity
of Theodore almost to insanity, he looked upon himself as the destined
monarch, and expected an alliance with England on equal terms. He was
desirous of having Europeans about him, his grand chamberlain was an
Englishman; English and German missionaries settled in the country, with
artizans of various nations, who were employed by the king in the
manufacture of cannon and muskets.
The English Government in 1861 appointed Captain Cameron as Consul to
Abyssinia, who, on his arrival at Massowah, on the shore of the Red Sea,
was welcomed by Theodore with letters and presents. In October of the
same year, Theodore despatched a letter to the Queen, stating that his
mission was to subjugate the Gallas and Turks, his enemies, and asking
for her friendship and support. The letter was forwarded by Captain
Cameron, but for a long time it lay unnoticed at the Foreign Office, and
in the reply of Earl Russell to the Consul, was not mentioned. This
circumstance, and a visit which Cameron made to a frontier province,
excited the suspicions and anger of Theodore; his vanity was wounded by
his letter remaining unanswered, and in the Consul’s expedition he
suspected a desire to assist the Egyptians, who he believed were
preparing to invade Abyssinia. In revenge for what he regarded as
insults and injuries, the half-savage potentate made prisoners of the
Consul, and all the Europeans he could seize in his territories. The
missionaries and workmen were also imprisoned in wretched huts—some put
in irons—and treated alternately with kindness and severity, according
to the caprice of Theodore, who removed them from place to place, and
generally kept most of them strictly guarded in his camp.
Mr. Rassam, who was partly of African descent, with Lieut. Prideaux and
Dr. Blane, was then sent by the British Government to endeavour to
obtain the release of the captives. At first they were received with
some show of respect, but almost before the negociations were begun,
they were also made prisoners and taken to Theodore’s camp. The good
offices of the Armenian patriarch were employed in vain, and every
effort to induce Theodore to release his prisoners proving useless, the
English Government determined to send an expedition to compel their
deliverance.
The difficulties of the undertaking were well known and counted on.
Colonel Merewether, the Resident at Aden, was sent in command of a
reconnoitring party to select a place for the landing of the troops, and
he fixed on Annesley Bay as best suited for the base of operations. Sir
Robert Napier, Commander-in-Chief of the Bombay army, was appointed to
command the expedition, and Major-General Sir Charles Staveley was
second in command, having under them a force of nearly twelve thousand
men, and about fourteen thousand camp followers. Most of the troops were
natives belonging to the Bombay Establishment, but four thousand of them
were British.
Piers and storehouses were constructed by the sailors at Annesley Bay,
wells were dug, mules and cattle purchased for the transport service,
and guides procured from the tribes who were in rebellion against
Theodore.
On January 3rd., 1868, Sir Robert Napier arrived on board H.M.S.
“Octavia,” and found a port formed on a desert shore, a road made
through a rugged mountain pass, friendly relations existing with tribes
who had been notorious robbers, and his advance force firmly established
at Senafé, on the highlands of Abyssinia. The advance pushed on to
Antalo, where it halted for nearly a month, when the operations for
keeping open communication with the transports and supplies being
complete, on March 12th. the march on Magdala began in earnest. The
pioneer force, under Brigadier-General Field, with whom was Colonel
Phayre, Quartermaster-General, led the advance, and formed part of the
First Division, under Major-General Sir Charles Staveley. The rest of
the troops were divided into two Brigades, commanded by Brigadiers
Schneider and Wilby.
The country traversed was extremely rough and mountainous, with
difficult passes, and ravines filled with loose boulders and rocks.
Often before any advance, a road had to be made for the mules, and men,
carrying besides their accoutrements, fifty-five pounds weight each,
more than half the load of a mule. All superfluous baggage was left
behind, and tents, except for hospitals, were reduced to the smallest
number practicable. The rations were of the roughest description, no
spirits and scarcely any tea were procurable, and the officers fared the
same as the private soldiers.
Day after day the troops toiled on, over mountains eleven thousand feet
above the sea level; during the day oppressed by the heat, and suffering
often severely from the cold after sunset.
During this time Theodore had been strengthening his stronghold at
Magdala, and making all possible efforts by forming roads, to transport
his heavy guns into that place.
Sir Charles Staveley arrived with the Second Brigade at Santara, at the
end of March, and on the 1st. of April the three Brigades were formed
into two, the whole numbering about four thousand men, and in addition
fourteen hundred and four men were advancing to reinforce these two
Brigades.[208]
Magdala was now almost reached. It stands among a sea of hills, its
sides frowning and precipitous, at a height of more than 9,000 feet
above the level of the sea, on the eastern part of a crescent; of which
the hill called Fahla is the western extremity, while midway between the
two rises the peak of Sellasye, looking in the distance like a triple
topped mountain. Sellasye and Magdala are connected by a saddle about a
mile long, flanked by precipices sloping down to ravines 3,000 feet
below the level of the stronghold. On April 8th. the British Army
encamped on the Talanta plateau, in full view of Magdala, and by the
close of the next day the preparations for storming the fortress were
complete. The army of Theodore, with his heavy guns, were posted on the
flat-topped hill of Fahla, behind which rose his stronghold, towering on
three sides precipitously from the plain. Between these hills and the
British camp was a deep ravine, through which flows the muddy stream of
the river Bashilo. While waiting for the arrival of the 2nd. Division,
in the afternoon of April 10th., a reconnoitring party, with a mountain
battery, under Colonel Milward, crossed the Bashilo, and advanced up the
pass. The head of the baggage train was just reaching the plateau from
the ravine below, when suddenly Theodore’s guns on Fahla opened fire on
Colonel Milward, and several thousand men yelling defiance, led by
chiefs on ponies, rushed furiously down the slopes of the hill. Part
advanced across the plain but a large body hastened to attack the
baggage train. Sir R. Napier sent the Punjab Pioneers to the assistance
of Colonel Milward, and the Naval Brigade sent rocket after rocket among
the Abyssinians, which for a time checked their progress, the missiles
being new and strange to them; which enabled the 4th. regiment to get
into line, and open fire with their Snider rifles, here for the first
time used in actual warfare. The fire of the 4th. made terrible havoc in
the ranks of the enemy; their General—Gabri[209]—fell, shot through the
head, and the shattered remnant of his troops fled in confusion. In the
ravine, the attack on the baggage train was more serious. The baggage
guard defended themselves gallantly, but the Abyssinians pressed forward
till the Punjaubees took them in flank, and after firing volley after
volley into them, charged with the bayonet, and drove them back with a
loss of more than 500 in killed alone. As the enemy retreated, the Naval
Brigade again plied them with rockets, till they fled in all directions,
few returning to Magdala. The blue jackets then turned their attention
to the guns on Fahla, near which stood Theodore himself, and sent a
shower of rockets among them with so accurate an aim that they were
speedily deserted, and were quietly taken possession of a day or two
afterwards by six men of the 33rd., two artillerymen, and three
officers. The action only lasted about half an hour, and ended in a
tempest of rain and thunder.
After this defeat Theodore made overtures for peace, and on the morning
of the 11th. Mr. Flad and Lieutenant Prideaux were sent into the British
camp to propose terms. None could be offered but those of unconditional
surrender, with honourable treatment for himself and family. With this
answer the envoys returned to Magdala. Great fears were entertained for
their safety, as only two days before Theodore had butchered over three
hundred native political prisoners, slaying some with his own hand, and
throwing their bodies half-way down a precipice. The tyrant refused to
surrender, but in the evening the captives were released and arrived in
the British camp. Theodore then sent in a present of cattle, but finding
no better terms could be obtained, gave way to despair, and attempted to
escape from his stronghold. But the British were in front, and the
Gallas, his most inveterate enemies, encircled Magdala on all other
sides, rendering escape impossible. The greater part of his followers
had also disbanded, or refused to obey his orders. On Easter Monday,
April 13th., Magdala, naturally one of the strongest fortresses in the
world, was carried by storm. The 33rd. regiment led the assault, and
gained the top of Fahla, where some thousands of natives were found, who
tendered their submission without a shot being fired. The men were
disarmed, and all then allowed to depart, while the troops marched on
over the shoulder of Sellasye towards Magdala. About two o’clock a fire
of shot, shell, and rockets was opened on the huts and gateway of the
fortress, and the 33rd., with a company of Engineers and Sappers,
advanced to the attack. The ascent was by an extremely steep and narrow
path, crowned by a rude gateway which had been filled up with stones;
the approach to which was defended on both sides by a thick hedge, with
stakes. A few determined men could have held the position against the
assault of an army. The column reached the gate keeping up a continuous
fire with their sniders, receiving but a few scattered shots in reply,
by which not a man was killed, and only ten wounded; when the right hand
companies planted their ladders, broke through the bushes, and entered
the place. A few dead bodies were lying near the gate, which after some
trouble was opened from inside, and the rest of the stormers rushed in.
All resistance then ceased. Theodore was found about fifty yards from a
second gate, lying shot through the head. In the moment of his utter
defeat, resolving never to be taken alive, he had discharged a pistol
into his mouth. His body was buried in a church within the precincts of
the fortress, the huts of which were burnt, the gates blown up, and all
the guns burst and destroyed. Theodore’s Queen, with her son, placed
herself under the protection of the British, but the Queen died during
the return march. Her son was brought to England, when he was carefully
educated, but died a few years after of consumption. The return of the
expedition was as successful as its advance, and before the end of June,
the last man had left Annesley Bay.
For his services Sir R. Napier was raised to the peerage by the title of
Lord Napier of Magdala, with a pension; and a large number of
Commanderships and Companionships of the Bath were distributed among the
other officers who took part in the operations. The total expense of the
expedition was between eight and nine millions.
The following regiments received the medal:—3rd. Dragoon Guards; Royal
Artillery and Engineers; the 4th., 26th., 33rd., and 45th. Foot; the
Naval Brigade; Scinde Horse; 3rd. Bombay Cavalry; 10th. Bengal Lancers;
12th. Bengal Cavalry; Bombay and Madras Sappers and Miners; 1st., 2nd.,
3rd., 10th., 18th., 21st., 25th., and 27th. Bengal Native Infantry.