The Vermont transcript. [volume] (St. Albans, Vt.) 1864-1870, 1868-05-01
The Abyssinian War!
A VERY DECISIVE BATTLE! !!
kING rHEoDoRr> slim.
Details OfGen. Napier'S Victory.
LnNDnN. AnriI n

"a 10.
Dispatches have just been received
/ from Abyssinia, which give the follow
/ ing highly important and gratifying i'm
/ teiligence: A battle was fought on Good
( Friday, before Magdaia. between the
British troops, commanded by Gen. Ma
pier. and the Abyssinian forces. under
[ the command of their King i'm person.
+ The latter Were defeated and retreated
/ into town Their loss in killed and
/ wounded was very heavy. On Monday
/ following. all his preparations having
been completed. General Napier ordered
an assault by storm. King TheodOrus
was slain. A large number of his war
riors were killed, wounded and taken
prisoners, and the entire capital remain
Ell in possession of the British forces
The loss of the British in killed and
wounded was very small All the Brit
ish captives were found in the city alive
and well, and were set free. Gen Ma
pier instant return TO the sea-coa-t is
expected.
LONDON. April 26th
Telegraphic dispatches have been re-
ceived here from the correspondent of
the HCT0fQ in AbYssinia The first il
dated on the banks of the BeSpiio river,
in the advance toward lheOdOrus' camp,
the Sth inst. and the second when
marching with a party in recOnnOis-
sance, i'm front of Magdala. The cores
pOndent SAYS that TODAY, the Sth. Tho
dOrus has twenty-eight guns mounted
outside the works, and mostly in front
ofhis camp, bearing on the English adj
vance. Gen. Napier forwarded a letter
TO the King, officially, demanding the
release of the captives The English
army Is concentrated at Bespilo river
d. f,-..F L
ladders tOrpedOes and other engines of
assault, and were held in readiness for
an attack on the fortress of Magdala.
\ telegram from the Her0ld'S CORES
pendent dated before the fortress on
Good Friday, the 10th, reports that the
British army have arrived here in front
OF the Kings stronghold The troops
are slN miles distant from the fortress
The King camp is situated on a great
height in full view. The English will
assault il very soon.
\ third telegram of the 18th of April
says a truce which had been sgreed on
between Gen. Napier and TheOdOrus,
terminated early this morning. Imme-
diately after the termination, the King
not having surrendered the captives,
Gen. Napier having placed himself at
the head of the first and second brigades
of his army and moved on up the hill
toward the fortress as far as Shillassi.-
This portion of the enemy's strong
works was thereupOn surrendered to
Gen. Napier by the chiefs in command
after brisk attack in which the Afri-
can troops were defeated. TheOdOrus
observing the English advance and its
first fruits retreated into the centre of
the Magdala works on the plateau, hav-
ing first planted five guns at the base
When Gen. Napier came in sight with
his brigades, the Kings artillery OPEN
ed on the advance with these guns in
the presence of TheOdorus. The British
replied Immediately with tweIve-pOun-
der Armstrong guns and seven inch
mountain rocket gun, throwing rockets /
into the place.
The Kings works were carried after
vigorous resistance. TheOdorus lost /
during the engagement sixty men killed /
and two hundred wounded. The Eng
lish had fifteen, rank and file, wounded. /
After the works were completely taken, |
TheOdorus was found dead by the Eng /
lish soldiers in the centre of his strong I
hold. He had been shot through the
head. Some say he was killed during
one of these battles. Others incline to
the opinion that he committed suicide
when he found the fortune of the day
against him. The Kings BODY was
recognized by the English captlves
when released. Theodorus' two sons
were taken prisoners, and all European
prisoners were set free. The interior of
Fortress Magdala presented an extraor-
binary and splendid sight. The place
was glowing almost with barbaric splen-
Tor. The British troops plundered it at
1nce. The men fOundfour royal crowns
made of solid gold, $4,000 in silver,
thousands of silver plates, several lots of
very rich jewels, and number of other
articles of great value.
Gen. Napier takes by his victory the
large guns used against
him, five thousand stand of small arms.
en- thousand shields, ten thousand
pears, and many other articles of war.
The liberated British captives will start
or home the 14th of May. Gen. Ma
'ier's army will reorganize, fall in, md 1
eturn to England and India at once.