𝐓𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲, 𝐨𝐧 𝐀𝐮𝐠𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝟕, 𝟏𝟖𝟐𝟔, 𝐞𝐱𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝟏𝟗𝟒 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐠𝐨, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐊𝐚𝐭𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐨 𝐖𝐚𝐫 (𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐃𝐨𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐚) 𝐛𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐧. Today in history, on August 7, 1826, exactly 194 years ago, the Katamanso War (The battle of Dodowa) began. The war was fought between the Asantes,British and the people of Accra; Dangme people of Prampram, Ningo and Ada after the people of Accra (AKRA) had been part of an alliance of local chiefs who had aided the British, Denkyira and Fantis in resisting an Asante attack on Cape Coast in July 1824. The Asantehene Nana Osei Yaw Akoto amassed an army of 40,000 and later sent 30,000 men home and left with 10,000 men and vowed to punish the people of Accra in the aftermath of this defeat. 𝐂𝐀𝐔𝐒𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐀𝐑 The valiant Accra people went to help the Fantes and the Denkyiras led by the Governor, in the Cape Coast Castle, to force King Osei Yaw and the Asante army to beat a retreat from their attack on the Fantes and the Cape Coast Castle, in July 1824. Settled by the role of the Accra people in scuttling his plans to capture the Cape Coast Castle, King Osei Yaw instructed his army, according to Rev. Carl Christian Reindorf in his book History of the Gold coast and Asante, based on traditions and Historical facts, from 1500 to 1860 he said "Let us. March back to Kumasi, and I will come upon them". King Osei Yaw vowed to teach the Accra people a lesson, and declared that he would pursue the "Akras" no matter the cost. The battle of Dodowa between the British, Akyem, Danes, Fante, Akuapem, and people of Accra and the Asantes began fiercely on the 7 of August 1826 at Katamansu near Dodowa. Carl Reindorf recounts that "The combined forces of Prampram, Ningo, Ada and the riverside people just at the same time followed up the attack, and the position of the Asantes' became critical. (During the Katamanso War (also known as the Battle of Dodowa) on August 7, 1826, Nana Afia Dokuaa (referred to as Dokua) played a vital role as the Okyehene (ruler) of Akyem Abuakwa. She notably led her Akyem forces in battle, making her the only female ruler of a major state to command troops in the historic coalition against the Asante army) King Osei Yaw, realising the danger, marched in defence with his body-guard, stood upon the royal stool, and drew the war-sword waving it between heaven and earth, as kings usually do in war, but the rebound was too strong, and he was wounded. While field cannons were deployed to fire heavy ammunition and grape-shot at the advancing Asante infantry, it was actually the Congreve rockets that served as the definitive game-changer. There was a severe conflict between the king's bodyguard and the forces under Opoku Fredefrede, in which the Asantes were beaten and greatly weakened; and on account of the defeat the Asante General afterwards poisoned himself and died at Asafo. Dshani Afutu and Ante from Teshi are said to have shouted the religious war cry of Awo awo awo!' to which every warrior of the whole column responded as one man: "Awo, Agabai bereku tso!" A loud voice was heard in the enemy line. "Edom agu o!" The Battle is lost" Then all the baggage was hastily thrown on a heap as high as a mountain, and the Asante army took to flight, after fighting and holding their position for nine hours, from 6 a.m. - 3 p.m. Prisoners were made, and then the baggage and camp were taken. "King Osei Yaw escaped with a large number of his bodyguards through the right wing of his army, the Coastal people were left victorious on the battlefield". The King was made to swear an oath as the 'ka ntam' (Akan for swear), 'na su' (Akan for cry) = Corrupted into Katamanso. The hair style worn by the Asante women called 'Gyese Nkran', (except Akra), vulgarized as Densinkran, was introduced to mourn the Asante dead in the Katamanso war.