Second Franco - Dahomean War The Second Franco - Dahomean War , which raged from 1892 to 1894 , was a major conflict between the French Third Republic , led by General Alfred - Amédée Dodds , and the Kingdom of Dahomey under King Béhanzin . The French emerged triumphant and incorporated Dahomey into their growing colonial territory of French West Africa . Background . In 1890 , the Fon kingdom of Dahomey and the French Third Republic had gone to war in what was remembered as the First Franco - Dahomean War over the former ' s rights to certain territories , specifically those in the Ouémé Valley . The Fon ceased hostilities with the French after two military defeats , withdrawing their forces and signing a treaty conceding to all of France ' s demands . However , Dahomey remained a potent force in the area and quickly re - armed with modern weapons in anticipation of a second , decisive conflict . " Casus belli " . After re - arming and regrouping , the Fon returned to raiding the Ouémé Valley , the same valley fought over in the first war with France . Victor Ballot , the French Resident at Porto - Novo , was sent via gunboat upriver to investigate . His ship was attacked and forced to depart with five men wounded in the incident . King Benhanzin rejected complaints by the French , and war was declared immediately by the French . Military build up . The French entrusted the war effort against Dahomey to Alfred - Amédée Dodds , an octoroon colonel of the Troupes de marine from Senegal . Colonel Dodds arrived with a force of 2 , 164 men including Foreign Legionnaires , marines , engineers , artillery and Senegalese cavalry known as spahis plus the trusted tirailleurs . These forces were armed with the new Lebel rifles , which would prove decisive in the coming battle . The French protectorate kingdom of Porto - Novo also added some 2 , 600 porters to aid in the fight . The Fon , prior to the outbreak of the second war , had stockpiled between 4 , 000 and 6 , 000 rifles including Mannlicher and Winchester carbines . These were purchased from German merchants via the port of Whydah . King Béhanzin also bought some machine - guns and Krupp cannons , but it is unknown ( and unlikely ) that these were ever put to use . Beginning of hostilities . On June 15 , 1892 , the French blockaded Dahomey ' s coast to prevent any further arms sales . Then , on July 4 , the first shots of the war were fired from French gunboats with the shelling of several villages along the lower Ouémé Valley . The carefully organized French army began moving inland in mid - August toward their final destination of the Dahomey capital of Abomey . Battle of Dogba . The French invasion force assembled at the village of Dogba on September 14 , some 50 miles upriver on the border of Dahomey and Porto - Novo . At around 5 a . m . on September 19 , the French force was attacked by the army of Dahomey . The Fon broke off the attack after three to four hours of relentless fighting , characterized by repeated attempts by the Fon for melee combat . Hundreds of Fon were left dead on the field with the French forces suffering only five dead . Battle of Poguessa . The French forces moved another 15 miles upriver before turning west in the direction of Abomey . On October 4 , the French column was attacked at Poguessa ( also known as Pokissa or Kpokissa ) by Fon forces under the command of King Béhanzin himself . The Fon staged several fierce charges over two to three hours that all failed against the 20 - inch bayonets of the French . The Dahomey army left the field in defeat losing some 200 soldiers . The French carried the day with only 42 casualties . The Dahomey Amazons were also conspicuous in the battle . Trek to Abomey . After the hard - fought victory at Poguessa , the Fon resorted to guerilla tactics rather than set - piece engagements . It took the French invasion force a month to march the 25 miles between Poguessa and the last major battle at Cana just outside of Abomey . The Fon dug foxholes and trenches in their desperate battle to slow the French invasion . Battle of Adégon . On October 6 , the French had another major encounter with the Fon at the village of Adégon . The Fon , again , fared badly , losing 86 Dahomey Regulars and 417 Dahomey Amazons . The French suffered six dead and another 32 wounded before the fighting was ended . The French made use of a bayonet charge , which inflicted the lion ' s share of Dahomey ' s casualties . The Battle was a turning point in the mind of Dahomey . The royal court decided that there would be no victory for Dahomey . The battle was also significant in that much of Dahomey ' s Amazon corps was lost in the engagement . Siege at Akpa . The French column was able to cross another 15 miles toward Abomey after Adégon , bivouacking at the village of Akpa . From the moment they arrived , they were attacked daily . From the French arrival until October 14 , Dahomey ' s Amazons were conspicuously absent from the fighting . Then , on the 15th , they reappear in nearly every later engagement inflicting significant losses especially against officers . Once resupplied , the French left Akpa on October 26 toward the village of Cotopa . End of Dahomey . From October 26 to 27 , the French fought through the Dahomey forces crossing lines of enemy trenches . Bayonet charges were the deciding factor in nearly all engagements . The Fon penchant for hand - to - hand fighting left them at a disadvantage against French bayonets , which easily outreatched Dahomey ' s swords and machetes . The Amazons are reported by the French to have fought the hardest , charging out of their trenches but to no avail . Battle of Cana . From November 2 until November 4 , the French and Fon armies fought on the outskirts of Cana . By this time , Béhanzin ' s army numbered no more than 1 , 500 including slaves and pardoned convicts . On November 3 , the king directed the attack on the French bivouac . Amazons seemed to have made up much of the force . After four hours of desperate combat , the Fon army withdrew . The fighting continued until the fourth . The last engagement at Cana , which took place at the village of Diokoué , site of a royal palace , was the last time Amazons would be used . Special units of the Amazons were assigned specifically to target French officers . After a full day of fighting , the French overran the Dahomey army with another bayonet charge . End of the war . On November 5 , Dahomey sent a truce mission to the French , and the next day saw the French enter Cana . The peace mission failed , however , and on the 16th of November , the French army marched on Abomey . King Béhanzin , refusing to let the capital fall into enemy hands , burned and evacuated the city . He and the remnants of the Dahomey army fled north as the French entered the capital on November 17 . The French tricolor was hoisted over the Singboji palace , which survived the fire and remains in modern Benin to this day . The king of Dahomey fled to Atcheribé , thirty miles north of the capital . Attempts were initiated to rebuilt the army and its amazon corps until the French chose Béhanzin ' s brother , Goutchili , as the new king . King Béhanzin surrendered to the French on January 15 , 1894 and was exiled to Martinique . The war had officially ended .