The Attack on the Kraton occurred on 16 April 1873 when Dutch forces under Colonel Eduard Cornelis van Daalen launched a direct assault against the fortified Kraton of Aceh during the First Aceh Expedition.
Detailed Narrative
At 5:30 AM on 16 April 1873, Major Cavaljé led the 3rd Battalion out of the Mesjid Raya Aceh bivouac without artillery support, attempting a surprise night attack against the eastern fortified gate of the royal palace.
Moving silently through dense vegetation, the leading storming section reached within 50 meters of the fortified palace gate when Acehnese guards opened fire with heavy musket volleys and wall-mounted swivel guns. The surprise failed completely.
The storming squad rushed forward to the wooden gates, attempting to force the heavy doors with rifle butts. However, coolies carrying scaling ladders had panicked and fled under fire, leaving the infantry without equipment to scale the palisades. Acehnese defenders launched counter-flanking movements, forcing a supporting Dutch company to form a defensive square.
Realizing the impossibility of breaching the walls without ladders or artillery, Colonel Van Daalen authorized a retreat at 6:00 AM. In less than thirty minutes of combat, the Dutch column suffered 18 dead and 112 wounded out of 700 engaged troops. This decisive defeat forced the Dutch command to abandon the campaign.
See Also
Source
De expeditiën naar Atjeh 1873-1874, W.W.F. Herfkens, Koninklijke Militaire Academie, 1900, pp. 21-23.