The Battle of Adowa

I just finished reading a book about the Battle of Adowa. On March 1st of 1896, an Italian army commanded by Major-General Oreste Baratieri was defeated and mostly destroyed in Ethiopia, by a force commanded by the Negus Negasti Menelik II.

Though not as one-sided as some other colonial campaigns in Africa - most of the Ethiopians had some manner of firearms, and the Ethiopians also fielded artillery - this was still a spectacular under-dog victory considering the loosely-organized and impetuous nature of Menelik's wariors, most of whom felt greatly loyalty to their various ras than to the Emperor himself.

I'm surprised this battle hasn't received more attention in popular culture - it would make a good movie! Apparently at the time it led many to reappraise their views of black Africans, and some members of the trans-Atlantic African Diaspora took heart from the continuing liberty of the Ethiopians.

Can you tell us how many soldiers each side fielded? It's funny but I feel like this must go back to the history of bad tacticians their Roman ancestors had.

The Italian forces were heavily outnumbered at Adowa: 17,000 men against 100000 Africans, 80000 of whom were armed with rifles. The Ethiopians also had 40 cannons