The guerilla offensives in Groot-Atjeh between 26 December 1875 and 4 September 1876 were the continuous series of attacks, ambushes, assaults and raids which the Atjehnese enemy carried out against the Dutch posts, patrols and convoys in Groot-Atjeh during and after the seventy-day campaign of General Pel. They were described in detail, on the basis of the official field reports, by H. F. Meijer in his book Atjeh van 26 December 1875 tot 4 September 1876 (1883).
Background
When General Pel began his offensive on 26 December 1875, the Dutch troops conquered and occupied the whole Sagi of the XXV Moekims and then advanced into the XXVI Moekims. Hardly had the operating force left one district, however, than the enemy — perfectly informed of the weakness of the Dutch position — returned, settled between and behind the Dutch posts and began to attack patrols, transports and fortifications. The guerilla war that followed cost the Netherlands Indies Army (Indische leger) a long series of bloody incidents, most of which Meijer attributed to carelessness, poor vigilance and neglect of the elementary rules of field security by troops who, in 1876, consisted in large part of young, badly trained soldiers.
Chronology of the principal incidents
During Pel’s campaign (December 1875 - March 1876)
- 23–24 January 1876 — the night attack on Lemboeq N.O.: about a hundred Atjehers surprised the post; four of the garrison were killed, among them the young officer Regensburge, and twenty-two were wounded.
- 8 February 1876 — the grass-fire attack on Lamprit: the enemy set the dry alang-alang grass alight around the post.
- 13 February 1876 — the Atoeh catastrophe: the detachment of Captain J. M. E. Van Swieten, 47 armed and 13 unarmed men, was destroyed on the sawah near Lamsajoen.
- 17 February 1876 — the ambush near Lamkoenjit: a detachment of 13 men between Biloel and Boekit Daroe was attacked by an overwhelming force.
- 4 March 1876 — the ambush of Buijs’ detachment in the narrows between Lamsajoeng and Tjot Bēhēl: 1 killed and 19 wounded.
- 6–7 March 1876 — the escape of the two Bugis couriers from besieged Kajoe-Lē, followed by the storming of Lambaroe by the column of Lieutenant-Colonel H. F. Meijer.
The consolidation period (March - September 1876)
- 21 March 1876 — the ambush of Van Heeckeren’s convoy near Atoë; the following night the new bivouac at Atoë Noord was attacked.
- 7 April 1876 — the ambush at kampong Lambaroe of the patrol returning from Koewala Pantjoer: five of six wounded men died within hours.
- 16 April 1876 — the convoy ambush between Kota Alam and Oleh Karang.
- 21–22 April 1876 — the night attack on Lamprit, in which the enemy slaughtered the forced-labourers sleeping in the kitchen outside the work.
- 2–3 May 1876 — the night attack on Lampagar, one of the saddest events of the war: the post commander Captain Hoynck van Papendrecht and Lieutenant Van de Roemer were killed inside their own undefended camp.
- 8 May 1876 — the arrest of Mat Saïd, the kampong head of Ketapan Doewa, on suspicion of collusion with the enemy.
- 13–15 May 1876 — the march of the three columns to Biloel Zuid and the founding of that post beneath the mountains; on 24 May 1876 Captain Lucas captured the enemy gun position above it.
- 28–29 May 1876 — night attacks on Lamara N.O. and Lamara Z.O..
- 1–3 June 1876 — the expedition of Major Voigt against the band of Toekoe Tjihiq Lamngga, and the enemy’s answer: the surprise of the west hill-post at Biloel Zuid in the night of 2–3 June.
- 18 June 1876 — the ambush of the fouraging detachment of Sergeant-major Deingens.
- 8–15 July 1876 — the sweep of the IV and VI Moekims and the founding of the post at Kroeëng Raba.
- 14 July 1876 — the destruction of Ribbink’s fouraging detachment between Pango and Kota Alam.
- 17 July 1876 — the ambush of the escort between Boekit Daroe and Ketapan Doewa.
- 25 July 1876 — the reconnaissance to Lepong by Major Diepenheim.
- 28 July 1876 — the ambush of the escort of the medical officer Dr. Döring, who rallied the scattered soldiers and counter-attacked.
- 8–9 August 1876 — the night ambush in the Gli Taroem pass, in which the young Lieutenant-adjutant J. B. Van Heutsz took part.
- 28 August 1876 — the ambush of Corporal De Jong’s detachment near kampong Lo-oe.
Pidir and Gigiëng
- 31 May – 4 June 1876 — the landing and occupation of Pidir by the detachment of Captain J. R. Engelhard.
- 19 August 1876 — the cancellation of the friendship with Gigiëng after the defection of its ruler Toengkoe Bintara Kamangan to the war party.
The role of the Habib
The greater boldness of the guerilla from March 1876 onward was, in Meijer’s judgement, to be ascribed above all to the arrival of Habib Abdoer Rachman ben Zahir, who had escaped from Penang disguised as a sailor, landed near Edi and travelled along the north coast to the centre of resistance, binding princes, chiefs and people to himself. He obtained written declarations, confirmed by oaths, from the leading chiefs of the three Sagis, organised the payment and feeding of the fighters, raised a war tax of 30,000 dollars, and repeatedly announced a general attack on the Dutch troops — for the night of 17–18 August and again for 30 August 1876 — which, however, never materialised.
Outcome
Between 9 March and 4 September 1876 the Dutch troops did not act offensively. General Wiggers van Kerchem was instructed to consolidate the occupied position: roads were built, the terrain was cleared around the posts, reserves of provisions were stored, and the new posts of Atoë Noord, Biloel Zuid and Kroeëng Raba were established. On 4 September 1876 the period described by Meijer closed with the march of part of the troops, under Wiggers van Kerchem, into the XXVI Moekims, to complete the closing of the XXII and XXVI Moekims from the sea as Pel had planned.
Significance
The events of this period showed the Dutch command that the benting system alone, spread over territory the enemy knew intimately, could not end the war. Meijer’s book became the standard Dutch analysis of the guerilla war, and many of its lessons — on march discipline, the security of convoys and the fortification of posts — were quoted throughout the rest of the Aceh War.
See Also
- Atjeh van 26 December 1875 tot 4 September 1876
- Kolonel Meijer
- Guerilla warfare in Groot-Atjeh
- Generaal Wiggers van Kerchem
- Pel’s offensive against the VI, IV and IX Moekims (1875-1876)
- Atoeh catastrophe (13 February 1876)
- Storming of Lambaroe (7 March 1876)
- Night attack on Lampagar (2-3 May 1876)
- Gli Taroem night ambush (8-9 August 1876)
- Aceh War
- 1876
- 1875
Source
Atjeh van 26 December 1875 tot 4 September 1876. De offensieve handelingen der guerilla, door H. F. Meijer, Kolonel van den Generalen Staf (Breda: P. B. Nieuwenhuijs, Koninklijk Instituut voor de Tropen, 1883), chapters VI–VIII.