The 1890 conflict that pitted French infantry squares against the legendary Dahomey Amazons
In 1890, the Fon kingdom of Dahomey clashed with the Third French Republic over colonial influence in modern-day Benin. From the brutal beheading of a French-protected chief to the dawn assault on Cotonou, this war showcased the tactical friction between traditional African military power and European colonial expansion.
By the late 19th century, the Fon kingdom of Dahomey stood as a dominant West African state, controlling vast swathes of modern-day Benin. Tensions with France had simmered for decades, rooted in competing claims over the port of Cotonou and the status of Porto-Novo, a small kingdom that had sought French protection as early as 1863. The situation reached a breaking point in 1889, when Dahomey forces beheaded a local chief under French protection, wrapping his head in the French tricolour as a defiant message.
The ensuing war saw the French, led by General Alfred-Amédée Dodds, fortify Cotonou with a force of 359 men. In March 1890, a Dahomean army of several thousand launched a pre-dawn assault on the town’s log stockade. Despite the Fon army’s ferocity—which included hand-to-hand combat and the use of Dahomey Amazons—the French utilized superior firepower and gunboat support to repel the attackers. The Fon suffered hundreds of casualties, including 129 dead within the French lines, while French losses remained minimal.
Following the failed assault on Cotonou, Dahomey turned its attention to Porto-Novo. French troops, bolstered by 500 warriors under King Toffa I, marched to intercept them at Atchoukpa. Although Toffa’s forces fled early in the engagement, the French infantry squares held firm against repeated waves of attacks. Colonel Terrillon successfully blocked a Dahomean attempt to bypass the lines and sack the city, forcing King Béhanzin to retreat to his capital, Abomey.
The conflict concluded on 3 October 1890, with a treaty that formally recognized Porto-Novo as a French protectorate and ceded Cotonou to France in exchange for an annual payment of 20,000 francs. While the war resulted in a French victory, it was merely a temporary pause. Both sides viewed the peace as fragile, and hostilities resumed just two years later, escalating into the Second Franco-Dahomean War.
Source: First Franco-Dahomean War
