Campaigns

The annual military campaign of Dahomey served several purposes. The two primary were to obtain surplus war prisoners to be sold to whites, to obtain guns and then the guns would assure the continuous supply of sacrificial victims needed for ancestor worship. The campaigns normally took place between November and April, the main dry season when watercourses could easily be forded, and lasted two to three months. Some sources indicate that from one to three expeditions per season could occur, as well as rainy season expeditions because some rivers were fordable even then. The number of expeditions was solely dependant on whether or not the number of captives satisfied the king’s desires.

The king determined when and against whom war would start based on his spies reports. Spies disguised, as traders would determine village layouts, leaders locations, terrain, among others to assess their defense capabilities and weak points and then transmitted to the king by verbal description and cloth map.

Once the decision to attack which village(s) was made the army would be mobilized. The mobilization call came by drum and all villages in the land had to respond, or the village headman would be strangled. The minimum troop size was 20 men, all were reservists with their own weapons and indifferently trained. The largest units were 200 (or more) men armed by high officials, there were similar units of women, at least three, with another uniformed by a coastal slaving family. The Amazons were regimented together. Women were used to carry the baggage and were armed with clubs; women were also used to guard the royal palace and villages during campaigns. These reservists joined the ranks of the standing army. It is doubtful that more than 600 women would be fielded at any one time.

The male warriors were divided into right and left wings with an elite unit that reinforced the Amazons; the right wing was the superior commander. The commander planned all strategy and logistics.

Dahomey Warfare

When Dahomey went into battle it was in an arc formation with the most important chief on the right and lesser chiefs on the left wing. These two divisions were composed of several units each led by village war chiefs. The Dahomey warriors were trained to fire by rank and were able to offer covering fire, they could form extended lines from deep columns and undertake flanking movements.

Dahomey War Part 2

Housing, Uniforms, and Weapons of the King
Campaigns and Dahomey Warfare
French OB for 1892 Dahomey War and Battles
Available Figures

Dahomey War Part 1

Uniforms: French
War Background
History
Amazonian Army