HISTORY OF THE CORPS OF ROYAL ENGINEERS. PART I.-MILITARY HISTORY (continued). CHAPTER XXII. THE ABYSSINIAN WAR, 1867-1868. Difficulties of the Undertaking-Command given to Sir R. Napier, R. E.-Zoolla selected as the Base of Operations-Construction of Piers-Arrival of the Force at Zoolla-Description of Work-Base - Railway Roads-Tube Wells and Pumps - Telegraphs - Flag Signallers-Photographers-Engineer Park-Advance to Magdala-Description of the Position-Attack of the Abyssinians-Their Defeat - Subsequent Negotiations - Assault Ordered--Capture of the Place-The Return-Death of Lieutenant Morgan. THE Abyssinian Expedition of 1868 was essentially an Engineer's war. Its object was simply the recovery, from the hands of King Theodore, of sundry persons whom he had imprisoned, and whom we were bound to rescue. No great difficulties were anticipated in doing this, so far as the mere fighting was concerned. The Abyssinian soldiers were of the most inferior character, and could not be expected to stand against any force we might oppose to them. The whole difficulty was to reach the spot, and this was one of considerable magnitude. The formation of a road, by which the troops might travel, and the stores necessary for their maintenance be brought up, constituted the chief problem of the campaign. Very wisely, therefore, the supreme command of the expedition was vested in an Engineer. Sir Robert Napier had already shown, in his various services in India and China, that he was a man thoroughly capable of carrying through, to a successful termination, a task which was everywhere felt to be one that VOL. II. B would tax his skill to the uttermost. Foreign nations looked on with the keenest curiosity, to see how we were to reach our enemy; and it was by most of them anticipated that we were plunging into an operation that might lead us easily into serious disaster. Thanks to Sir R. Napier, these forecasts were doomed to disappointment. Every step in the campaign was carefully thought out and provided for. With as little delay as was possible, in the face of the very great natural obstacles to be overcome, the troops were landed on the plateau of Magdala, and after one brief struggle the war was over, the prisoners rescued, and the army re-embarked. The Engineer operations of this short and most successful campaign are in reality the campaign itself, and they consist only of a number of details, most necessary indeed, and wonderfully well performed, but not lending themselves much to the interest usually attaching to the description of a war. The first step taken was the despatch of a reconnoitring party from Bombay, consisting of five officers, one of whom was Lieutenant-Colonel St. Clair Wilkins, R.E., to select the best point on the coast to form the base. This, after careful inspection of all the possible places, was decided to be at the village of Zoolla, in Annesley Bay. Here the water supply of the river Haddass promised very fairly, and although the shelving nature of the beach rendered much labour necessary in the formation of piers, no better site could be discovered. The first step to be undertaken was the construction of these piers, and from the nature of the beach they had to be of considerable length. No stone was available in the vicinity, the plain being covered with brushwood. Fascines were, therefore, made use of for the first pier, to form retaining walls as a temporary measure, whilst native boats were engaged to bring stones from the opposite side of the bay. These, when procured, were built into walls outside the fascines, thus giving a character of greater permanency to the piers, which were run out for a distance of 900 feet into the sea, and even then only gave a depth of 5 feet at low water. A second pier, of similar dimensions, was afterwards constructed on piles, the materials for which were brought from Bombay. The troops forming the Expeditionary force arrived by degrees, the advanced brigade landing in November, 1867, and the Headquarters early in January. The Engineer staff consisted of Lieutenant-Colonel St. Clair Wilkins, C.R.E., with Captain C. Goodfellow as his Brigade-Major. There was one Company of Royal Engineers (the 10th), under the command of Major Pritchard, R.E. Of Indian Sappers, there were three Madras Companies, viz., G, H, and K, and four Bombay Companies, viz., the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th. The Madras Sappers were under the command of Major H. N. D. Prendergast, and the Bombay Sappers under Captain Macdonell. Altogether, thirty officers of Royal Engineers were engaged in the Expedition; but their names will be more appropriately given in connection with the various works for which they were detailed, and which will be described seriatim. 1st. Base at Zoolla. -Two piers were constructed, as already mentioned; a tramway was laid down on the beach, extending to low water line; a camp was established about a mile from the sea, and a road cleared to it; twenty wells were sunk; Commissariat sheds erected; and a water shoot on trestles, 480 feet in length, constructed, to convey to the store tanks the water condensed by H.M.S. Satellite. The Royal Engineer officers engaged in this work were Captains Goodfellow, Chrystie, Wood, and Lieutenant Lee. 2nd. Railway. This was laid down from the water's edge to within a mile of Koomaylee, where a camp was established at the foot of the hilly ground. This line was ten miles and a half in length, and rose in that distance to a height of 350 feet. Including sidings and loop line, over twelve miles of rail were laid. For the first six miles it rose pretty gradually on an even incline to a height of about 100 feet. It then passed through a low range of hills, keeping near the bank of one of the branches of the river Haddass. At this part there was some heavy work in cuttings, embankments, and bridges. Eight iron girder bridges had to be constructed to cross the river at various points. The officers who superintended the formation and maintenance of the line were Captain Darrah, Lieutenants Willans, Pennefather, and Baird. The actual work was executed by men of the 23rd Punjab Pioneers and 2nd Bombay Grenadiers. LieutenantColonel Wilkins reported thus of the difficulties under which the line was laid :— "The difficulties of constructing a railway with unprofessional labour have been greatly enhanced from the circumstances of five different descriptions of rails having been provided for the work on four different principles of fixing. Had it been possible to land and carefully stack each description of rail prior to platelaying, the variation in the rails would not have been the cause of much inconvenience. As it happened, this difference of pattern proved most annoying; for the disembarkation of the plant just kept pace with the requirements of the works, and the line was fed from hand to mouth throughout. Consequently there was no time for sorting and stacking. The Kurrachee rail has given the greatest trouble in laying and maintenance, being very much worn and bent, and being a joint chair and not a fish-plated rail. The 40 lb. fish |