The Dutch heroes of named patrols — a combined article covering the named Dutch and indigenous personnel distinguished in specific actions of the first semester of 1896, as recorded in A. Kruisheer’s ATJEH ‘96 — comprises the principal Dutch and indigenous figures whose individual acts of gallantry or operational prominence the balso records in detail. The most prominent among them are 1e Luit. C. T. J. Stakman (1st Lieutenant of Infantry, wounded in the right arm on 7 March 1896) and Kapitein H. F. T. van Blokland (Captain of Infantry; Ana’ Galong post commander; patrol commander on 7 March 1896), the principals of the famous patrol of 7 March 1896. Wachtmeester Jonker, No. 31845 of the cavalerie was reputed — though the text disputes it — to be the first into Oemar’s house at Lam-Pisang on 24 May 1896, while 1e Luit. M. D. J. de Jongh of the 5e Bataljon was officially the first to reach Oemar’s verblijf at 10:35 AM on 24 May 1896. Wongsodikromo, No. 33780 and Todikromo, No. 28097 were the named maréchaussée who, with the Luitenants Wagener and Vis, reached the Tjot Tjako summit at 5:43 PM on 23 May 1896 during the three-day offensive. The combined article preserves the individual gallantry which the balso records in exceptional detail and which represents the most personal dimension of the Dutch war effort in the spring of 1896.
Stakman and Van Blokland: The 7 March 1896 Patrol
The patrol of 7 March 1896 was one of the most consequential small engagements of the first semester of 1896. Kapitein H. F. T. van Blokland of the 15e Bataljon, post commander of Ana’ Galong, led the patrol — 1e Luit. C. T. J. Stakman (commanding the right section), Adj. ond. off. Krüger (commanding the left section), Off. van gesondh. 2e klasse Dr. Van der Meer, 1 hoornblazer, 72 bajonetten, 2 minderen of the medical service, 9 dwangarbeiders with 3 stretchers — along the kampong edges of Ana’ Batée, Klieng and the sawah toward Sibreh. The patrol engaged approximately 250 Achehnese under Habib Lhong, T. Mad Amin and Panglima Hassan for five hours. Van Blokland “personally fought with sabre”, and “het gelukte hem persoonlijk met de sabel twee tegenstanders neer te slaan, of which een nagenoeg in tweeën gedeeld werd” (it was his personal fortune with the sabre to strike down two opponents, one of whom was nearly cut in two). Stakman was “shot through the right arm” on 7 March 1896, Adj. ond. off. Krüger was wounded (but returned to combat after being bandaged), and Off. van Gesondheid 2e klasse Dr. Van der Meer received a “contourschot aan het hoofd” (grazing shot to the head). The patrol was eventually relieved by Kapitein Kronouer’s detachment of 40 bajonetten from Lamsoet/Lambarih under Lt. Westendorp (severely wounded) and Lt. Ketjen. The casualties included the severely wounded fusilier Monden (who was “afgemaakt” by the enemy when he could no longer defend himself) and the fusilier Laurens (likewise “finished off”). Stakman and Van Blokland are the principals of the patrol, and Kruisheer’s detailed narration of their actions establishes the patrol as one of the most celebrated small-unit engagements of the spring operations.
Jonker, de Jongh, Wongsodikromo and Todikromo: The May 1896 Operations
The three-day Dutch offensive of 23–25 May 1896 against Umar’s stelling at Lam-Asan, Lam-Pisang, Tjot Tjako, Boekit Seboen, Lam-Tjroeng and Lam-Poelau produced two of the most celebrated individual acts of the first semester. On 23 May 1896, during the storming of Tjot Tjako by the bergcolonne under Lt.-Col. Van Heutsz with Kapitein Van Daalen as Chef van den Staf and Kapitein Graafland’s 10 brigades maréchaussée as voorhoede, the Luitenants Wagener and Vis and the maréchaussée Wongsodikromo, No. 33780 and Todikromo, No. 28097 were the first to reach the Tjot Tjako summit at 5:43 PM. The naming of the two maréchaussée — indigenous personnel, by their service numbers and (typographically Achehnese/Javanese) names — is one of the few cases in ATJEH ‘96 where individual indigenous personnel are explicitly named for their gallantry, and their presence at the summit alongside the two European lieutenants represents a moment of integrated heroism which the balso records in unusual detail. On 24 May 1896, the capture of Umar’s house at Lam-Pisang produced a contested claim of priority: Wachtmeester Jonker, No. 31845 of the cavalerie was “reputed” (though “the text disputes it”) to be the first into Oemar’s house, but the official record — Kruisheer’s text — credits 1e Luit. M. D. J. de Jongh of the 5e Bataljon as “officially first to reach Oemar’s verblijf at 10:35 VM on 24 May 24 May”. The dispute itself reflects the operational confusion of the moment and the institutional sensitivity of priority claims, and Kruisheer’s resolution of the dispute in favour of de Jongh is the authoritative record. Kapitein Linck’s sectie of the 5e Bataljon entered Lam-Pisang “right after de Jongh”, confirming the sequence.
Significance
The combined article on the Dutch heroes of named patrols preserves the individual gallantry which ATJEH ‘96 records in exceptional detail and which represents the most personal dimension of the Dutch war effort in the spring of 1896. The patrol of 7 March 1896 — with Van Blokland’s sabre work and Stakman’s wounding — was the most celebrated small-unit engagement of the pre-defection period, and the storming of Tjot Tjako and the capture of Umar’s house at Lam-Pisang — with the priority claims of Wongsodikromo, Todikromo, Jonker and de Jongh — were the most celebrated individual acts of the post-defection counter-offensive. The naming of the two maréchaussée Wongsodikromo and Todikromo is particularly significant, because it represents one of the few cases in the balso where individual indigenous personnel are explicitly named for their gallantry, and it confirms the integrated character of the Dutch maréchaussée forces.
See Also
- Patrol of Captain Van Blokland (7 March 1896)
- Three-day Dutch offensive of 23–25 May 1896
- Ana’ Galong
- Lam-Pisang
- Tjot Tjako
- 15e Bataljon
- 5e Bataljon
- Korps Marechaussée
- J. B. van Heutsz
- Jhr. G. J. W. C. H. Graafland
- P. Linck
- 1896
- Aceh War
Source
ATJEH ‘96, door A. Kruisheer, Kapitein der Infanterie O.I.L., met 2 kaarten en 4 portretten (Weltevreden: N.V. Boekhandel Visser & Co, 1913). Instituut Kern, Leiden. OCR-filename: 20260715_163243_DLP-89-Atjeh_96_Met_2_kaarten_en4_DOORA_KRUISHEER_Kapiteinder_Infanterie_nemoretriever-ocr-v1_OCR.txt, pp. 31–37 (Stakman, Van Blokland), 198, 216, 220–221 (Jonker, de Jongh), 188 (Wongsodikromo, Todikromo).