only interested in their trade. The most controversial action was an 1868 agreement between the British and Dutch to trade forts along the coast. Previously the entire coast had been a mix of British and Dutch forts. The British and Dutch governments agreed to exchange forts: the British would control all the forts east of the Kakum River, and the Dutch would get all the forts to the west, including most of those in the Fante areas. These factors annoyed people throughout the region. Legally the local rulers saw the Europeans as tenants, and they demanded the right to approve the fort exchanges. The local rulers were not even consulted before the agreement was announced. The Fante also worried about the close relations between the Ashanti and the Dutch after fighting both on different flanks for years. The Fante were adept in battle, and stories of their prowess soon spread through Europe. Fante Asafo battle flags have become prized collectible items in Europe and the Americas. Examples can be found here https://vatican.com/2/Other-Fante-Asafo-Flag, http://www.amatuli.co.za/Blog/ID/22/Fante-Flags and http://www.theconservationcenter.com/articles/2019/6/28/asafo-flags-a-stitch-in-time. Creation of the Modern Confederacy This led to an 1868 meeting of the leading Fante Paramount Chiefs and also representatives of their Akan allies Denkyira, Wassa, Twifu and Assin, who met in Mankessim, the traditional Fante Capital Town and formed a Confederation. The Confederate States, due to war with the Dutch and Danish, became allies of the British, but also demanded the right to self-government. They also promised to prevent the Dutch from assuming control of the forts in the area. The new state had a King-President as its head and below him a council of kings and elders and a national assembly representing a larger portion of the population. King Ghartey IV (c. 1820–1897) of Winneba was elected as the first King-President, while King Nana Amfo Otu Gyandoh I of Abura was placed in charge of the United armed forces. The new government created a standing army of some 15,000 men, introduced a poll tax covering the region, and most importantly a judicial system that asserted the right of the Confederation, not the British, to mete out justice. This Confederation was paralleled in the east by the Ga-led Accra Native Confederation Amfo Otu the Paramount Chief of Abura Dunkwa and the de facto Defense Secretary and Supreme Commander of the Fante Army, marched the union forces to Komenda to join that city in its