Steamfunkateers

by Balogun Ojetade

  The Italian army comprised four brigades totaling 17,978 troops, with fifty-six artillery pieces. One brigade under General Albertone was made up of Eritrean askari led by Italian officers. The remaining three brigades were Italian units under Brigadiers Dabormida, Ellena and Arimondi. These included elite Bersaglieri and Alpini units. Additionally a limited number of troops were drafted from the Cacciatori d’Africa units of local Italian settlers.

  Estimates for the Ethiopian forces under Menelik numbered 73,000. In addition, the armies were followed by a similar number of camp followers who supplied the army, as had been done for centuries. Most of the army was composed of riflemen, a significant percentage of which were in Menelik’s reserve; however, there were also a significant number of cavalry and infantry only armed with lances.

  Battle

  On the night of February 29 and the early morning of March 1, three Italian brigades advanced separately toward Adwa over narrow mountain tracks, while a fourth remained camped.

  The Italian battle plan called for three columns to march in parallel formation to the crests of three mountains—Dabormida commanding on the right, Albertone on the left, and Arimondi in the center—with a reserve under Ellena following behind Arimondi. The supporting crossfire each column could give the others made the soldiers as deadly as razored shears. Albertone’s brigade was to set the pace for the others. He was to position himself on the summit known as Kidane Mehret, which would give the Italians the high ground from which to meet the Ethiopians.

  However, the three leading Italian brigades had become separated during their overnight march and at dawn were spread across several miles of very difficult terrain. Their sketchy maps caused Albertone to mistake one mountain for Kidane Meret, and when a scout pointed out his mistake, Albertone advanced directly into Ras Alula’s position.

  Unbeknownst to General Baratieri, Emperor Menelik knew his troops had exhausted the ability of the local peasants to support them and had planned to break camp the next day. The Emperor had risen early to begin prayers for divine guidance when spies from Ras Alula, his chief military advisor, brought him news that the Italians were advancing. The Emperor summoned the separate armies of his nobles and with the Empress Taytu beside him, ordered his forces forward.

  Negus Tekle Haymanot commanded the right wing, Ras Alula the left, and Rasses Makonnen and Mengesha the center, with Ras Mikael at the head of the Oromo cavalry; the Emperor and his consort remained with the reserve. The Ethiopian forces positioned themselves on the hills overlooking the Adwa valley, in perfect position to receive the Italians, who were exposed and vulnerable to crossfire.

  Albertone’s Askari Brigade was the first to encounter the onrush of Ethiopians at 6:00, near Kidane Meret, where the Ethiopians had managed to set up their mountain artillery, comprised of forty-two Russian mountain guns. Albertone’s heavily outnumbered Askaris held their position for two hours until Albertone’s capture, and under Ethiopian pressure the survivors sought refuge with Arimondi’s brigade. Arimondi’s brigade beat back the Ethiopians who repeatedly charged the Italian position for three hours with gradually fading strength until Menelik released his reserve of 25,000 Shewans and swamped the Italian defenders. Two companies of Bersaglieri who arrived at the same moment could not help and were cut down.

  Dabormida’s Italian Brigade had moved to support Albertone but was unable to reach him in time. Cut off from the remainder of the Italian Army, Dabormida began a fighting retreat towards friendly positions. However, he inadvertently marched his command into a narrow valley where the Oromo cavalry under Ras Mikael slaughtered his brigade.

  The remaining two brigades under Baratieri himself were outflanked and destroyed piecemeal on the slopes of Mount Belah. Menelik watched as Gojjam forces under the command of Tekle Haymonot made quick work of the last intact Italian brigade. By noon, the survivors of the Italian army were in full retreat and the battle was over.

  Immediate aftermath

  The Italians suffered about 7,000 killed and 1,500 wounded in the battle and subsequent retreat back into Eritrea, with 3,000 taken prisoner. Brigadiers Dabormida and Arimondi were among the dead. Ethiopian losses have been estimated at around 3000 killed and 8,000 wounded. In their flight to Eritrea, the Italians left behind all of their artillery and 11,000 rifles, as well as most of their transport. Baratieri’s army had been completely annihilated while Menelik’s was intact as a fighting force and gained thousands of rifles and a great deal of equipment from the fleeing Italians.

  The 3,000 Italian prisoners, who included Brigadier Albertone, appear to have been treated as well as could be expected under difficult circumstances, though about 200 died of their wounds in captivity. However, 800 captured askaris, regarded as traitors by the Ethiopians, had their right hands and left feet amputated.

  Baratieri was relieved of his command and later charged with preparing an “inexcusable” plan of attack and for abandoning his troops in the field. He was acquitted on these charges but was described by the court martial judges as being “entirely unfit” for his command.

  After the victory over Italy in 1896, Ethiopia acquired a special importance in the eyes of Africans as the only surviving African State. After Adowa, Ethiopia became emblematic of African valor and resistance, the bastion of prestige and hope to thousands of Africans who were experiencing the full shock of European conquest and were beginning to search for an answer to the myth of African inferiority.

  In the Steamfunkateers universe, the Ethiopian victory at Adwa sparks other African countries to ally and rebel and the Great Afro-Euro War of 1898 begins in Africa.

  The Africa of Steamfunkateers still holds many secrets waiting to be uncovered—myths of rivers that run with gold; golden tombs in Kamit filled with riches and protected with curses; lost cities inhabited by gorillas that speak; lost outposts of the fallen Empire of Atlantis and stories that stagger the imagination.

  Asia

  Afghanistan

  Afghanistan has been the battleground for the “Great Game,” a conflict fought between Great Britain and Russia over control of Central Asia. The First Afghan War (1838-1842) would end in a humiliating defeat for the British, and although guaranteed free passage the British Army was slaughtered during its retreat. Meanwhile, the Russian army steadily advanced southward into Afghanistan. During the Victorian Age, the British would try again, sparking the Second Afghan War in 1878. After getting a good part of its army annihilated in Kabul, Britain managed to put an Emir on the throne that both Britain and Russia could live with. During the 1880s, Emir Abdur Rahman Khan would consolidate his power in Afghanistan, strengthening military control and modernizing the nation.

  Bhutan

  Bhutan is a small country nestled in the Himalayas and was battered by civil war during the Victorian Age. Governors of different territories within Bhutan were vying for power through skirmishes with the others. This came to an end in 1885, when Britain backed Ugyan Wangchuck, the Governor of Trongsa. He would consolidate his power through the rest of the Victorian Age (and was destined to be crowned king in 1907).

  Ironically, although Bhutan was strengthening its ties with Britain, it conducted most of its trade with its northern neighbor Tibet. Tibet actually sided with a rival governor against Wangchuck. A treaty with Britain in 1865 allowed Britain to control Bhutan’s southern border passes with India.

  Burma

  Although not part of the Indian subcontinent, Burma was slowly incorporated into British India during the Victorian Age. Burma shared its northeast border with China, and successfully repulsed four Chinese invasions in the 18th century before being absorbed into British India during the next century. The lowlands of Burma have a tropical climate similar to neighboring Bengal, while the highlands can range all the way up to heavy snowfall and arctic conditions depending on elevation. Like Bengal, Burma was also prone to floods and droughts.

  It was Burma’s territorial expansion that concerned both the Chinese and the British. Ill
-defined borders were part of the problem, as military operations and refugees challenged territorial assumptions. Britain fought Burma in a series of three wars during the 19th century, resulting in total control of Burma in 1886. Burma then became a province of India.

  Burma would thrive economically in rice production, but at great cost. When the opening of the Suez Canal increased demand for rice, Burmese farmers needed to borrow money to meet it, but often defaulted on their high-interest loans. As a result, the beneficiaries of the Burmese rice trade were British and Indian firms and migrant workers. Many Burmese became unemployed, and neither the ICS nor the British military would accept them into their ranks.

  Rangoon

  The British annexed Rangoon in 1852. The British immediately went to work on modernizing the city, building colleges and bringing western education to the Burmese people. Rangoon primarily exported rice and timber. This stood in stark contrast to the impoverished villages that surrounded it. Rangoon was made the capital of the Burmese Province in 1886.

  China

  The Empire of China was, to many westerners, a complete mystery. The vast landscape of a country full of strange customs, cryptic writings, and imperial intrigue is what kept many people fascinated and sometimes obsessed with this great nation. What many did not realize is that Imperial China was a nation in decline and was rushing headlong into what surely would become the end of the Manchu Dynasty.

  The latter half of the 19th century in China was a time of adventure and excitement. Contact with western cultures had been limited, but the expansion of trade around the world following the Napoleonic Wars caused the Manchu government to have to deal with trade groups from Europe. The most prominent of these groups came from Great Britain, who had colonies in nearby India. The Emperor had declared that China was not impressed with western manufacturing, so they would only accept bars of silver as payment for the silks, teas, and ceramics that were in demand in Europe. Great Britain was concerned that they precious metal reserves were being depleted, so they looked for alternative goods to trade. Their most elaborate scheme involved addicting the Chinese on opium. When the Emperor banned the opium trade in 1838 Great Britain declared war on China, and the first of the Opium Wars began.

  Unfortunately for the Chinese, the First Opium War showed the outdated nature of the Chinese military. Many stunning defeats at the hands of the Royal Navy and by soldiers armed with modern rifles and tactics forced the Manchu government to surrender in 1842. The Treaty of Nanking forced China to open her ports and created the British colony on the island of Hong Kong. This foothold in China, along with trade centers in Shanghai, finally allowed western governments to have access to the great wealth of products and labor that they had long desired.

  China, and the inscrutable china man, was for the most part a great mystery to most of the western world. The high quality of silk and porcelain, the exotic art and treasures of the ancient land, and the strange forms of martial arts they used to protect them all drew large numbers of adventurers to China. If one believed, half of the rumors of what could be found within China, then fame and fortune awaits!

  India

  The Indian subcontinent has a varied geography. While most people think of India as a jungle, the entire spectrum of climates can be found on the subcontinent. The British typically divided the subcontinent into northern and southern India, with the Vindhya and Satpura mountain ranges acting as a natural dividing line.

  Northern India is bordered by mountain ranges along most of its borders. The largest of the northern ranges is the Himalayas, which India shares with Bhutan, Nepal, and Tibet. The highest peaks in the world are found here, including Mt. Everest, the tallest mountain in the world. It is named for the British Surveyor General, Sir George Everest, who first spotted it. To the west are the Hindu-Kush Mountains hat separate British India from Afghanistan. The Vindhya and Saptura mountains, as mentioned, border the south.

  Three major rivers dominate Northern India: the Brahmaputra, the Ganges, and the Indus. These rivers deposit rich, fertile soil during frequent flooding, and are densely populated as a result (although the Indus is threatened by the Thar Desert to the east).

  Southern India is home to two environments, the coastal regions and the Deccan Plateau. The Deccan Plateau is separated from the coast by two mountain ranges known collectively as the Ghats. These mountain ranges keep the plateau hot all year long. The coastal regions, like northern India, have rich soil. Coastal India usually has a mild winter, then a short hot season, a rainy season, and then another hot season before winter.

  Most of India is subject to the rainy season, between June and September. This is the period of monsoons, a seasonal wind that brings heavy rains and flooding. While the Indian people welcome the rains after a hot season, the resultant flooding can cause loss of life and crop damage.

  The British Empire politically separated British-run India into three Presidencies: Bengal, Bombay, and Madras. These three regions acted almost independently of each other, and up until the late 1870s Civilians considered themselves exclusively belonging to one of the Presidencies (e.g. the Bengal Civil Service), rather than India in general. Among these regions were also many autonomous “native states,” the princes, Marajah’s, which were left to run their own affairs, providing that they cooperated with British rule.

  Japan

  The Tokugawa (or Edo) period of Japan’s history began in 1603. This time was marked by a major decrease in the amount of violence that the Japanese people were accustomed to surviving. Except for common problems of the time such as the occasional peasant revolt or famine, life for the average citizen was greatly improved. However, the country remained in almost total isolation from the outside world.

  The first significant exhibit of Japanese items in the west was during the London International Exhibition of 1862. These items were primarily collected and presented by Rutherford Alcock, the British minister of Japan. It would be five more years (1867) before the Japanese government presented their own cultural displays to the world. In 1868, just one year later, the shogunate government was overthrown in a popular revolt and Meiji emperor was returned to power. It was under this government that Japan was opened to ‘westernization’.

  One group that did not benefit from the Tokugawa peace or the return of the Meiji reign were the little known Ainu people who by this time had been forced to live only on the northern most island of Hokkido. The members of this hunter/trapper/farmer culture appeared to have more in common with American Indians than they did their Asian overlords. The Ainu were systematically persecuted not only for their Caucasian racial stock but also because of the strange animistic religion they practiced. The Ainu religion was one of the last ‘Bear Cults’ to survive into the 19th Century.

  Japan during the Steamfunkateers period is wide open for adventure. For example, the players could be a small group following the footsteps of Marco Polo to try and open trade relations with the tightly closed shogunate, a research expedition sent to study the unknown Ainu, or a group of political/military advisers assisting the Meiji government with the suppression and dismantling of the now outlawed Samurai class.

  Australia

  The Australian colonies of Great Britain covered the entire continent and the surrounding islands. By the late 1800s, the colonies were: New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia, the Northern Territory, New Zealand, and Tasmania. Many of the early British immigrants to Australia were prisoners, sent to the far outreaches of the empire as punishment for a variety of crimes. By 1868 penal transportations officially ended, though they had been sparse for several years before that.

  The discovery of gold in New South Wales in 1851 and in Victoria shortly after that brought a surge of both population and prosperity. During the gold rush, many people from England, Ireland, China, and the United States came to Australia to discover not only gold but creatures that defied description. Kangaroos, koala, kookaburra, emu, and platypus w
ere just a few of the strange things they found. The strangest things encountered by the new inhabitants of Australia were the old inhabitants, the aboriginals of Australia.

  These strange people, living in “primitive” nomadic groups, were a great puzzle to the newcomers. How did they get to the isolated continent? How did they develop their strange customs? And should they be given rights and privileges of the “civilized” colonists? The aborigines oral history, their talk of the ancient era known as the Dreamtime, all seemed to be a collection of myths and legends to the English colonists. The boomerang and the strange musical instruments used by the aborigines added further mystery to these already curious people.

  The vast deserts, crocodile filled mangrove swamps, thick tropical jungles, and sweeping grasslands make Australia a diverse environment for exploration. The largely unexplored desert regions could be host to ancient ruins, lost cities, or even gateways to the aboriginal Dreamtime.

  Antarctica

  Surrounding the South Pole is the frozen continent of Antarctica. Its snow- and ice-cover and high elevation combine to make it the coldest place on Earth. The sub-zero temperatures freeze the moisture out of the air, making most of Antarctica drier than the Sahara Desert.

  There are no native inhabitants on the continent, but various exploration teams may be encountered. Because of the dangers of this most hostile environment, no permanent human settlements exist anywhere on the continent. Wildlife is restricted to seals, penguins, birds and fish. There are no polar bears in Antarctica.