The Third Conquest of the Great Missigit was the Dutch capture of the great mosque position on 6 January 1874 during the Second Aceh Expedition (1873-1874). The fall of the Missigit broke one of the strongest inner Acehnese defenses between Penajoeng and the Kraton, and it opened the way for the later move against the Taman and the final occupation of the royal center.
Position in the campaign
After the heavy fighting at Lemboe, the Dutch concentrated on the fortified line around the mosque. The area had been strengthened with earthworks and other field defenses after the failure of the first Dutch expedition earlier in 1873. By early January 1874, the Dutch had brought forward batteries and were preparing the ground for a direct assault.
The attack of 6 January 1874
On 6 January 1874, the Dutch launched a coordinated attack on the fortified mosque position. The Acehnese defenders resisted strongly from their works, and the mosque complex once again became one of the hardest-fought points of the campaign. This time, however, the Dutch had greater weight of artillery, better preparation, and a stronger force than in the earlier attacks of April 1873. The position fell, and the Dutch at last secured the Great Missigit.
Later criticism of the operation
Later critics did not deny the importance of the success. Brutus argued instead that the attack might have happened earlier if the ground between Kampong Djawa and the mosque had been cleared sooner. In his view, the delay gave the defenders more time than they should have had. This criticism became part of the larger argument that the Dutch command moved too slowly after each success.
Significance
The Third Conquest of the Great Missigit mattered because it was the final Dutch capture of one of the key religious and military positions of the Acehnese capital area. It also formed the direct bridge between the outer fighting at Lemboe and the inner operations that ended in the occupation of the Kraton.
See Also
- Second Aceh Expedition (1873-1874)
- Battle of Lemboe (25–26 December 1873)
- Advance from Penajoeng to the Kraton (14 December 1873 – 24 January 1874)
- Capture of the Kraton (24 January 1874)
- Penajoeng
- Missigit
- Brutus
- 6 January
- 1874
Source
De verovering van Atjeh’s groote Missigit, door J. F. D. Bruinsma (Sneek, 1889), pp. 93–130.
Open brief aan den Generaal Knoop over de Atjeh-kwestie (naar aanleiding van den brief van Generaal Van Swieten in Het Vaderland), door Brutus (L. van Bakkenes en Co., 1874), pp. 14–15.
Onze vestiging in Atjeh, critisch beschreven, door G. F. W. Borel (The Hague: D. A. Thieme, 1878), pp. 20–34.