The Battle of Adowa: A possible re-fight?

One of the common criticisms I have heard about Colonial wargaming is that that the battles are always one-sided, and that the non-European side invariably looses. Whilst this may be generally true, sometimes the Europeans suffer an overwhelming defeat. Examples include:

• The Retreat from Kabul (6th to 13th January 1842)
• The Battle of Isandlwana (22nd January 1879)
• The Battle of Maiwand (27th July 1880)
• The Battle of Adowa (1st March 1896)

In the latter case a force of approximately 108,000 Ethiopians defeated an Italian Army numbering 17,700 men, inflicting loses of approximately 10,500 dead, wounded, and captured.

In the past I have given consideration to re-fighting the Battle of Adowa using my PORTABLE WARGAME rules but on a much larger than standard grid. The forces I would need would look like this:

ITALIAN ARMY

• 1 x Commander (General Baratieri)
• Right Column
• 1 x Commander (General Dabormida)
• 6 x European Infantry units
• 1 x Native Infantry unit
• 1 x Mountain Artillery unit
• Central Column
• 1 x Commander (General Arimondi)
• 5 x European Infantry units
• 1 x Mountain Artillery unit
• Left Column
• 1 x Commander (General Albertoni)
• 4 x Native Infantry units
• 1 x Mountain Artillery unit
• Reserve Column
• 1 x Commander (General Ellena)
• 6 x European Infantry units
• 1 x Native Infantry unit
• 1 x Artillery unit
Total:
• 5 x Commanders
• 17 x European Infantry units
• 6 x Native Infantry units
• 3 x Mountain Artillery units
• 1 x Artillery unit

ETHIOPIAN ARMY

• Shewa forces
• 1 x Commander (Negus Negasti Menelik II)
• 25 x Native Infantry units (Rifle-armed)
• 3 x Native Cavalry units (Rifle-armed)
• 2 x Native Artillery units
• Semien forces
• 1 x Commander (Itaghiè Taytu)
• 3 x Native Infantry units (Rifle-armed)
• 1 x Native Cavalry unit (Rifle-armed)
• Gojjam forces
• 1 x Commander (Negus Tekle Haymanot)
• 5 x Native Infantry units (Rifle-armed)
• Harar forces
• 1 x Commander (Ras Makonnen)
• 15 x Native Infantry units (Rifle-armed)
• Tigray forces
• 1 x Commander (Ras Mengesha)
• 6 x Native Infantry units (Rifle-armed)
• Hamasen forces
• 1 x Commander (Ras Alula)
• 6 x Native Infantry units (Rifle-armed)
• Wollo-Galla forces
• 1 x Commander (Ras Mikael)
• 6 x Native Infantry units (Rifle-armed)
• 5 x Native Cavalry units (Rifle-armed)
• Forces of the Fit'awrari Mangascià Atikim
• 1 x Commander (Fit'awrari Mangascià Atikim)
• 6 x Native Infantry units (Rifle-armed)
• Forces of Ras Oliè
• 1 x Commander (Ras Oliè)
• 8 x Native Infantry units
• Miscellaneous
• 20 x Native Infantry units (Spear-armed)
Total:
• 9 x Commanders
• 80 x Native Infantry units (Rifle-armed)
• 20 x Native Infantry units (Spear-armed)
• 9 x Native Cavalry units (Rifle-armed)
• 2 x Native Artillery units

At present I don't quite have enough figures to stage a re-fight of this battle ... but I might have one day!

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I could scale down the forces involved by approximately a quarter, in which case I would have enough figures to re-fight the battle. If so, the two sides would look like this:

ITALIAN ARMY

• 1 x Commander
• 5 x European Infantry units
• 1 x Native Infantry units
• 1 x Mountain Artillery units

ETHIOPIAN ARMY

• 2 x Commanders
• 20 x Native Infantry units (Rifle-armed)
• 5 x Native Infantry units (Spear-armed)
• 3 x Native Cavalry units (Rifle-armed)
• 1 x Native Artillery units

Although the balance of forces remains approximately the same, I am not sure that there are sufficient Italian units to represent the way in which the Italian columns were organised and operated separately from one another.