Expeditionary
Abyssinia Mission
In late 1903 the United States sent a diplomatic mission to Abyssinia, the African kingdom known today as Ethiopia, to negotiate the first treaty between the two nations.
Abyssinia was ruled by Emperor Menelik II, who had kept his country independent after defeating an Italian invasion years earlier, making it one of the few African states free from European control. A small group of Marines and sailors, led by Captain George Thorpe and drawn from a U.S. warship, served as the escort for the American envoy. They traveled inland by caravan to reach the emperor's court, guarding the mission on its long overland journey. This was not a combat operation but a show of presence and protection for American diplomacy in a distant land. The mission helped open formal relations between the United States and Abyssinia.
Record no. 530