The Lhong expedition of January–February 1897 was the Dutch military operation against Teukoe Oema in the district of Lhong, launched on 1 January 1897 under the governorship of Van Vliet. The expedition aimed to capture Teukoe Oema at Geunteuët or otherwise to inflict maximum damage; both objectives failed, and the expedition ended in a costly withdrawal on 14 February 1897, with the capture having been unsuccessful and the damage chiefly suffered by the Dutch side.
The plan and the guide’s betrayal
The plan was to surprise Oema at Geunteuët by a rapid advance, but an Atjehsche jōt (guide) deliberately misled the column. As a result, Geunteuët was only reached at dawn, when it proved deserted: the enemy had positioned itself in the hills behind and opened fire, inflicting 5 dead and 9 wounded on the advancing troops. In the days following, the enemy continued to inflict further casualties.
The press reaction
De Locomotief of 16 January 1897 commented: “Wij zeiden het vroeger reeds: de tocht naar Lhong is mislukt. De schuld van het mislukken ligt natuurlijk niet bij den colonne-commandant […] de schuld lag ook niet bij de gevatheid en elasticiteit van Toekoe Oemar, maar de schuld lag bij den gids. Wat met dien gids gedaan is, den man die zoo het fraaie plan in dulgen kon laten en liet vallen, wordt niet gemeld.” The editorial continued: “Toekoe Oemar intusschen, Toekoe Oemar wiens tegenstand geheel en al gebroken was, waarmede generaal Vetter zijn taak vervuld achtte, geeft ons te Lhong de handen vol werk, kost ons weder heel wat menschenlevens en schatten aan geld.”
The punitive measures
The keudjroečn (district chief) of Lhong was taken back to Koetaradja; he had cooperated insufficiently and was fined 30,000 dollars. He was held at Koetaradja to stimulate payment. Some argued that the operation in Lhong had been mishandled: Oema should have been driven back toward Leupoeëng, and a column from the XXII Moekim should have been sent against him through the Glé Moelam-pas — then he would have been trapped. Van der Wijck defended Van Vliet, arguing that those who knew the terrain would consider advancing through the Glé Moelam-pas — the mountain pass between the 22 Moekims and Lepong — an irresponsible gamble.
Van der Wijck’s defence of Van Vliet
Van der Wijck wrote to Snouck on 17 February 1897: “Van Vliet has, in my opinion, shown to conduct a wise policy; the troops had to be spared for health reasons, and maintaining this as governor of Atjeh as long as necessary testifies not only to moral strength but also to the awareness that nothing else could be done, or if we can obtain the necessary annual supplement of 2,000 men from Holland for ‘97.” He added: “In that doubt lies our weak point, but of course no publicity may be given to it.”
The withdrawal
On 14 February 1897, Oema had moved to Bojen-Daja, and the Dutch troops returned to Koetaradja. The expedition had failed in its primary objective and had demonstrated the difficulty of pursuing Teukoe Oemar in his own territory.
See Also
- Toekoe Oemar
- Lhong
- Geunteuët
- J. J. van Vliet
- C. A. van der Wijck
- C. Snouck Hurgronje
- Generaal Vetter
- Atjeh-oorlog (1873-1904)
Source
H. T. Damsté, “Drie Atjeh-Mannen: Snouck Hurgronje — Van Heutsz — Van Daalen,” Kolonial Tijdschrift, No. 4, 26e Jaargang (1937), overdruck, pp. 356–358; De Locomotief, 16 January 1897.