J. R. Engelhard was a Dutch captain of infantry of the 8th Infantry Battalion of the Netherlands Indies Army in Atjeh in 1876. He led the detachment that made the landing and first occupation of Pidir in June 1876, and had earlier commanded the three European sections that forced the eastern gate of the enemy fortification at the storming of Lambaroe.
Lambaroe, 7 March 1876
At the storming of the enemy work at Lambaroe, Captain Engelhard was called up from the northern face by Major Van Teijn to force the work at the east face. Second Lieutenant G. M. A. Walpot had forced the narrow winding entrance first; Engelhard followed immediately with some European soldiers and was quickly at hand-to-hand fighting with the Atjehers inside, receiving a klewang cut over the hand, while corporal Wager and fusilier Deville sprang forward to his aid and brought down several Atjehers. The work was taken within minutes.
Pidir, June 1876
On 31 May Engelhard embarked at Olehleh on the steamer Marion as commander of the detachment destined for Pidir: 8 officers, 244 non-commissioned officers and men (70 Europeans), with a captain of engineers, 50 native carpenters and labourers, 26 artillerymen with 2 mountain guns, forced-labourers, provisions for two months, 4,000 sandbags, 35,000 randjoes and 20 Frisian chevaux-de-frise. He landed on the roadstead in the evening, reported the next morning to the naval station commander, Captain-Lieutenant Meijn, and on 1 June presented the letter of the civil and military commander to the prince Toengkoe Radja Pakik at the flagstaff at the beach. When the prince had, after two days’ hesitation, removed his objections, the trooops disembarked on 4 June 1876, a representative of the prince even welcoming them.
The first days showed how thin the prince’s authority over his people was. Hundreds of armed Atjehers pressed around — and inside — the marked emplacement of the fortification, and two European fusiliers were wounded by klewang cuts on 5 and 6 June. Engelhard wrote to Kota Radja that the state of affairs was “anything but satisfactory” and asked urgently for reinforcements, especially Europeans, and for palisades or thick planks against the much-feared night surprise. The reinforcements were sent; the fortification was finished at the end of June. His report is quoted by H. F. Meijer in Atjeh van 26 December 1875 tot 4 September 1876 (1883), including his judgement: “Now that we are ashore, we have no reason to complain” — written on the day of the landing.
See Also
- Occupation of Pidir (31 May - 4 June 1876)
- Pedir
- Storming of Lambaroe (7 March 1876)
- General van Teijen
- G. M. A. Walpot
- Atjeh van 26 December 1875 tot 4 September 1876
Source
Atjeh van 26 December 1875 tot 4 September 1876, door H. F. Meijer (Breda: P. B. Nieuwenhuijs, 1883), chapters VI and VIII, pp. 135, 270–278.