Battle of Gura

Battle of Gura
Part of Ethiopian–Egyptian War

Depiction of the Battle of Gura
Date7–10 March 1876
(2 days)
Location
Gura, Akele Guzay, Ethiopian Empire
Result Ethiopian victory
Belligerents
Khedivate of Egypt Ethiopian Empire
Commanders and leaders
Ratib Pasha
William Wing Loring
Uthman Rifqi		 Yohannes IV
Shaleqa Alula
Abuna Atnatewos (DOW)
Strength
13,000[1][2] estimated 50,000 in total but only 20,000 in battle[3][4][5]
Casualties and losses
~3,200 killed
2,000 captured		 1,800 killed[6]

The Battle of Gura was fought on 7–10 March 1876 between the Ethiopian Empire and the Khedivate of Egypt near the town of Gura in Eritrea. It was the second and decisive major battle of the Ethiopian–Egyptian War.

Background

In December 1875, a local ruler of Hamasien, Woldemichael Solomon, submitted to the Egyptians at Massawa. This allowed the Egyptians to occupy the entire province with minimal resistance.

After the defeat at Gundet, the Egyptians sent a much larger, well-armed force to attempt a second invasion. This army moved to Gura plain, and made two forts there: "Gura" fort and "Khaya Khor" fort. Gura fort was garrisoned by 7,500 men led by Muhammad Rateb Pasha and ex Confederate general William Wing Loring and Khaya Khor fort was garrisoned by 5,500 men led by Uthman Rifqi. Isma'il Pasha attached his son Hassan Ismail Pasha to the expedition. Yohannes soon arrived in the area with a huge army of over 50,000 men mobilized from the provinces of Tigray, Gojjam and Wollo.[7][8]

Taking advantage of the lack of Egyptian reconnaissance, the Ethiopians positioned themselves on the Godolfelassie road, Yohannes could now strike Gura, Khaya Khor or Keren. Fearing an attack on the supply depots, Rateb Pasha decided to send 5,000 out of his 7,500 strong force to attack the Ethiopian army, believing that dug-in Egyptian forces were unbeatable by enemies who did not possess artillery, such as the Abyssinians. The 5,000 strong Egyptian infantry of Gura fort sortied out early on March 7.[9]

Battle

On March 7, the Egyptians that left the fort were attacked by the Ethiopians and surrounded. Most of the Ethiopians were armed with firearms, and although they had only one field-gun, it is said to have had no effect in deciding the action. The accounts of the American officers are silent on the point; but it is said that Muhammad Rateb Pasha allowed his views to be overruled by Loring Pasha, who insisted on the ramps of the trenches which had been erected being razed, so that the artillery could have a clear zone of fire.[10]

The Egyptian troops had no time to prepare or coordinate a defense, and the battle turned into a disorderly escape of the Egyptian troops from the attacking Ethiopians which devastated the brigade. According to Lockett out of the 5,000 Egyptians that sortied out only a few hundred managed to return to the fort.[11][12]

Uthman Rifqi and his garrison of 5,500 men viewed the entire engagement from their fort at Khaya Khor but decided not to join the battle.[13]

The Ethiopians followed up their success, and launched a large scale attack on the two forts on the 8th and 9 March, but was repelled with heavy losses on both sides. The Ethiopians then withdrew to loot the dead and collect the rifles which the Egyptian troops had abandoned. Most of the artillery was lost, as well as considerable quantities of rifle ammunition.[14]

Aftermath

After the withdrawal of the Ethiopians, the angered Egyptians left their forts and burned the wounded enemies alive. The Ethiopians retaliated by a cold-blooded massacre of about 600 Egyptian prisoners whom they had taken. Among these prisoners killed were Dr. Muhammad Ali Pasha and Neghib Bey Muhammad. Dr Badr (who had been educated in Edinburgh) escaped by the assistance of an Ethiopian girl who discovered him wounded. On March 12, an amnesty was arranged, and Monsieur Sarzac (the French consul at Massawa) went over the battlefield where the survivors of the Egyptian army were collected, and reached Massawa in May.[15]

Subsequently, the Egyptian government tried, for some time, to conceal the news of the defeat. Yet, at Gura over 3,200 Egyptians were killed and more than 2,000 were captured, which necessitated negotiations for their release. Although some new forces were dispatched to Massawa after the battle, Egypt could not afford to fight with Ethiopia. Yohannes, in his turn, did not want the continuation of the hostilities. Even though the peace treaty was only signed in 1884 (Hewett treaty), Egypt was never again to attempt to conquer parts of Emperor Yohannes's realm.[16] The victory helped Emperor Yohannes solidify his control over the Ethiopian Empire broadly, and control over the Mareb Melash specifically. He would appoint then Shaleqa Alula as the Ras of those areas of this region under imperial authority.[17]

See also

References

  1. ^ Dunn, John (1994). "For God, Emperor, and Country! The Evolution of Ethiopia's Nineteenth-Century Army". War in History. 1 (3): 278–299. doi:10.1177/096834459400100303. S2CID 162377977."Gura, fought six months later, confirms the superior capabilities of the Ethiopian military. Here 13,000 Egyptian regulars, backed by significant artillery, were thrashed by Yohannis and his 60,000 men. Fought on 7–9 March 1876, it was the decisive battle of the war." (294)
  2. ^ [1], p. 68
  3. ^ Jesman, Czeslaw (1959). "Egyptian Invasion of Ethiopia". African Affairs. 58 (280): 75–81. doi:10.1093/oxfordjournals.afraf.a094619."The Emperor mobilised it at the last possible moment since Ethiopian troops lived off the land and Commissariat services were unknown to them. It was nlore of a tribal host travelling with women and children than an organised force. It numbered some hundred thousand. About 50,000 of them were combatant troops with perhaps ten thousand rifles. At no time were more than 15,000-20,000 Ethiopians in action at the same time owing to the nature of the battlefield" (80)
  4. ^ Robinson, Arthur (1927). "The Egyptian-Abyssinian War of 1874-1876". Journal of the Royal African Society. 26 (103): 263–280. doi:10.1093/oxfordjournals.afraf.a100610."On November 6th and 7th the Egyptians were attacked by the Abyssinian army, which was estimated at 50,000 men, and surrounded. Most of the Abyssinians were armed with fire-arms, and although they had one field-gun, it is said to have had no effect in deciding the action." (275) The reliability of Robinson's information can be questioned, as field guns are mentioned in no other primary source, and nearly all sources agree that the Ethiopian force was not as armed with guns as Robinson asserts
  5. ^ Loring, William (1884). A Confederate Soldier in Egypt. Dodd, Mead & Company. p. 410. ISBN 9781465534101. {{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)"Within half a mile of Osman, and a mile and a half of our position, and in its immediate front, marshalled in barbarian splendor upon an elevated ridge, were the seated hosts of the foe, full 50,000 strong, their banners and shields glittering in the declining sun, waiting the orders of their king, the ablest and most renowned African warrior of modern times, to move en masse across the valley." (410); "No man of sense can for a moment think this isolated battery, though it might have been supported to some extent by the small battalion of 400 men placed around the mountain, and so far from it as to not afford immediate support, could have beat back King John and his 50,000 men, with every possible advantage on their side, as already detailed"(412)
  6. ^ Erlikh, Haggai (1996). Ras Alula and the Scramble for Africa A Political Biography : Ethiopia & Eritrea, 1875-1897 (PDF). p. 19. "The Dadjazmaches, the Afa Negus, the Turk Basha perished, let alone the soldiers. Abuna Antanewus was injured by lead shot and became sick and died." Alula himself was saved from being shot by a sudden move of his horse. Among the 1,800 dead Ethiopians Shalaqa Alula found the body of his elder brother Basha Gabra Maryam whom he later buried at Mannawe and whose only daughter he adopted.
  7. ^ Historical Dictionary of Ethiopia. p. 68.
  8. ^ Dunn, John P. (2 August 2004). Khedive Ismail's Army. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-135-76546-0.
  9. ^ Dunn, John P. (2 August 2004). Khedive Ismail's Army. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-135-76546-0.
  10. ^ Siegbert Uhlig (2005). Encyclopaedia Aethiopica: D-Ha. Otto Harrassowitz Verlag. p. 923. ISBN 978-3-447-05238-2.
  11. ^ Dunn, John P. (2 August 2004). Khedive Ismail's Army. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-135-76546-0.
  12. ^ Loring, William Wing. A Confederate Soldier in Egypt. Dodd, Mead. ISBN 978-3-8496-8100-5.
  13. ^ Dunn, John P. (2 August 2004). Khedive Ismail's Army. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-135-76546-0.
  14. ^ "The Ethiopian Egyptian War".
  15. ^ "The Ethiopian Egyptian War".
  16. ^ Siegbert Uhlig (2005). Encyclopaedia Aethiopica: D-Ha. Otto Harrassowitz Verlag. p. 923. ISBN 978-3-447-05238-2.
  17. ^ Erlich, Haggai (1996). A Political Biography of Ras Alula 1875 - 1897 (PhD). School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London.

Further reading

A Confederate Soldier in Egypt - W.W. Loring

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