The Night attack on Longbatta-Mesigit (22 November 1875) was the surprise escalade by a band of about fifty Atjehneezen who, under cover of darkness, climbed the low borstwering (parapet) of the post at Longbatta-Mesigit and “met de blanke klewang” (with the bare klewang) hacked among the sleeping manschappen of the garrison, wounding thirteen men including two officers before the combined garrison drove them out — an attack which, Borel warns, could have been disastrous had it been made with more force and from several sides at once.
Background
Pel had returned to Atjeh on 9 November 1875 to find the toestand such that offensive action was needed “as soon as possible.” The Atjehneezen had received reinforcements from all sides and were preparing to break the Dutch line with overmacht. After three months of relative quiet, during which they had built versterkingen near the Dutch posts, they had resumed harassment. Posts were beschoten from surrounding brush; patrols and communications between posts were attacked.
The attack
On the night of 22 November 1875 a band of about fifty Atjehneezen used the darkness to approach Longbatta-Mesigit unnoticed, climbed over the low borstwering, and “met de blanke klewang” hacked among the sleeping manschappen. The combined garrison managed to drive them out, leaving several dead. Dutch losses were thirteen severely wounded, including two officers.
Borel’s verdict
Borel stresses that the attack could have been disastrous if done with more force and from multiple sides — at night, in a man-to-man struggle, the Atjehnese klewang is “een vreeslijk wapen.” He suspects achteloosheid (carelessness) of the schildwachten (sentinels) — the same failing that van Swieten’s legerorder on sleeping sentinels had, in Borel’s view, encouraged by shielding them from court-martial under Crimineel Wetboek art. 92. A similar escalade would be attempted on the post at Lemboe-N.O. on the night of 23–24 January 1876. The Longbatta-Mesigit attack, together with the enemy attack along the entire ooster-linie on 26 November 1875, cemented Pel’s conviction that the afwachtende stelsel had to be abandoned — a conviction that drove the great offensive he launched on 26 December 1875.
See Also
- Longbatta-Mesigit
- Generaal Pel
- Klewang
- Van Swieten’s legerorder on sleeping sentinels
- Crimineel Wetboek art. 92
- Afwachtende houding
- Pel’s offensive against the VI, IV and IX Moekims (1875–1876)
- 1875
Source
Onze vestiging in Atjeh, critisch beschreven, by G. F. W. Borel, Kapitein der Artillerie. ‘s-Gravenhage: D. A. Thieme, 1878. pp. 269, 273.