Battle of Coatit

Italians and Ascari - (colonial troop)

Date	13 January 1895
Location	Quatit, Eritrea
Result	Italian victory

Belligerents

Kingdom of Italy

Ethiopian Empire
(Forces from the Tigray)

Commanders and leaders

Oreste Baratieri

Ras Mengesha

Strength

3,883
3,712 Ascari
66 Italian officers
105 Italian rankers
4 mountain guns

12,000 with rifles
7,000 with swords and spears

Casualties and losses

95 killed (incl. 3 officers)
229 wounded

~1,500 killed
~3,000 wounded

The Battle of Coatit was fought on January 13, 1895 between Italy and Ethiopian proxies led by Tigrian warlord Ras Mengesha Yohannes in what is now present day Eritrea. It was the opening battle of the First Italo–Ethiopian War, and was a significant victory for the Italians, as they rebuffed an invasion force.

By 1894, the relationship between the Italian colonialists and the native Eritreans and Ethiopians had become strained. Ethiopian emperor Menelik had repudiated the Treaty of Wuchale, and was consolidating his power with plans to oust the Italians. Former Italian allies, the Tigrian warlords Ras Mengesha Yohannes, Ras Alula, Bahta Hagos and Wolde Mikael traveled to Addis Ababa to seek forgiveness from the Negus for their dealings with the colonial governor, General Oreste Baratieri. Menelik forgave them and offered Mengesha the crown of Tigray in exchange for his loyalty and help in evicting the Italians. In December 1894, Bahta Hagos led a rebellion in Akkele Guzay, which set the stage for open warfare between the Italians and the Ethiopians.

Baratieri mobilized his forces in response to Hagos' rebellion, immediately suspecting the complicity of Mengesha. The Italian colonial army in Eritrea consisted of only 3,883 men (66 officers; 105 Italians in the ranks; the rest being natives). There were three battalions (about 1,100 men each) of Askaris, five companies each; one battery of four mountain guns; about 400 irregulars; and 28 Askari lancers. Baratieri marched on the Tigrian capital of Adowa, but with his supply lines exposed, he abandoned it after four days. His army retreated to the fort at Adi Ugri and later moved to a strategic point along Mengesha's invasion route at Coatit. Ras Mengesha's army was estimated at about 12,000 riflemen and about 7,000 sword and spearmen. On January 12, 1895, advance scouts had located Mengesha's forces encamped nearby. Baratieri's forces then occupied Coatit and a dawn attack was ordered.

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