After the 1887 Battle of Dogali, the Governor of Italian Eritrea Depretis decided to increase Italian military forces to reconquer lost territory and secure the colony. The Royal Decree n. 4783 of 14 July 1887, created a new corps comprising three battalions of infantry, plus a squadron of mounted soldiers, in Eritrea as part of the "Corpo Speciale per L'Africa" (Special Corps of Africa).