The Capture of Montassik on 28 July 1878 was the taking by the Dutch third column under the governor Major-general K. van der Heyden of the missigit Montassik, a fortified mosque that served as the principal arsenal of Habib Abdurrahman in the XXII Moekims of Atjeh, in the opening operation of the campaign in the XXII Moekims of 23 July 1878 – 23 March 1879. With the taking of Montassik the initial objective of the operations was attained.
Background
Information had been received that Habib Abdoerrahman had gathered at Montassik in July [1878] a great quantity of food and war-material and was planning thence to make a new incursion into the IV Moekims. Van der Heyden therefore decided to forgo the planned expedition to Pasanga and to enter with all available forces the still independent and hostile territory of the XXII Moekims, to seek the enemy in his own arsenal at Montassik. On 23 July [1878] the important campaign began with three columns.
The Capture
While the first column advanced from Lambaroe over Lamtenga and the missigit of Anak Bate towards Montassik, the second column, which had secured the river-crossing at Lamkali, and the third, which had set out from Oleh Karang, reached on 25 July [1878] the strong Senelop north of Montassik. When the first storming by the second column had been repulsed and the soldiers — mostly Frenchmen and Belgians — could not be moved to a second, the vanguard of the third column, a company of Africans, came up to help and drove the enemy from the parapet; the benting was taken. On 28 July [1878] the third column, after a powerful bombardment by the artillery, took the missigit Montassik, and with this the initial objective of the operations was attained.
Significance
The neighbouring kampongs were still hostile, and Dutch transports were continually threatened. The enemy did not yet seem inclined to submit. “It was therefore considered desirable to push further on to Indrapuri with its famous missigit. For this, however, more data about that region had first to be collected, and as the rainy season was again approaching, one had for the time being to confine oneself to holding the positions taken, with preparation for later operations.” The campaign continued from 1 August [1878] to 23 March [1879] in a system of “standfast, reconnoitre, punish,” and led, after the submission of Habib Abdurrahman on 13 October 1878, to the capture of Indrapuri on 24 March 1879.
See Also
- K. van der Heyden
- Habib Abdoerrahman
- XXII Moekims
- missigit Montassik
- missigit Anak Bate
- Senelop
- Lamkali
- Oleh Karang
- Lamtenga
- Lambaroe
- Submission of Habib Abdurrahman (13 October 1878)
- Capture of Indrapuri (24 March 1879)
- Campaign against the XXII Moekims (1879)
- Aceh War
Source
De geschiedenis van Nederland in onzen tijd, by J. A. de Bruyne, Directeur der Hoogere Burgerschool te Zierikzee. Deel IV. 1872-1883. Nieuwe uitgave. Schiedam: J. F. Dupont, 1912, Hoofdstuk I, pp. 100-101.