the city of Cotonou, which had been ceded to them by a Dahomey representative in Ouidah, increasing its forces with French Senegalese and Gabonese soldiers, and arresting local Dahomey officials who had been continuing to collect customs in the port. Skirmishes also broke out with local militias. On March 4th 1890, a Dahomey army of several thousand charged the log stockade around Cotonou at approximately 5 in the morning. The French army stood fast due to superior weaponry, strategy and the advantageous position they had prepared. Eventually Béhanzin's forces were forced to withdraw. While there were few losses on the French side, the Dahomey suffered the loss of several hundred soldiers (129 within French lines). After regrouping, Dahomey sent its forces south to attack the French-protected city of Porto-Novo ruled by King Toffa I. A force of 350 French soldiers assisted by 500 of King Toffa's soldiers intercepted Béhanzin's force of 9'000 warriors in the Battle of Atchoukpa. While the local Porto-Novo soldiers were routed during the initial Dahomey charge, the French forces formed infantry squares to protect themselves and successfully repelled the Dahomey, suffering only 8 casualties to the Dahomey's 1500. On 3 October 1890, Dahomey signed a treaty recognizing the kingdom of Porto-Novo as a French protectorate. Béhanzin was also forced to definitely cede Cotonou. Second Franco-Dahomean War The peace lasted two years, but both sides continued to buy arms in preparation for another battle. In 1892, the soldiers of Abomey attacked villages near Grand Popo and Porto-Novo in an effort to reassert the older boundaries of Dahomey. King Béhanzin rejected complaints by the French, who proceeded to declare war. The French further justified the annexation of Dahomey by characterizing the Dahomeans as savages in need of civilizing, and pointing to the human sacrifice of slaves made to the royal ancestors at the annual ceremonies known as annual customs and at a king's death, as evidence of this savagery. Dahomey was already at odds with other colonial empires for their practice of attacking and enslaving neighboring kingdoms, both for domestic slaves (including human sacrifice), and trans-atlantic trade, which came at odds with the British Empire's anti-slavery campaign during the 19th century. The French also pointed to the existence of the women's militia that protected the king, whom the Fon referred to simply as Minon (or "mothers"), but the French called Amazons after the fierce women warriors of Greek