Battle of Amba Alagi (1895)

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This was the first in a series of battles between General Baratieri and Emperor Menelik during the First Italo-Ethiopian War. Amba Alagi was one of Baratieri's forward positions, left in charge to Major Toselli as well as 2,000 Eritrean Askari, that was annihilated by the vanguard of Menelik's army, possibly numbering as many as 30,000 men.

The defeat at Amba Alagi did have a silver lining for Baratieri. Italian Prime Minister Crispi's shocked Cabinet agreed to advance another 20 million lire (£80,000) to ensure that a disaster could be stopped.^[1]