Majoor B. E. Mekern was a Dutch majoor of the Indische leger who commanded the rechter-colonne — the 13th battalion, part of the Barissans, and one section of artillery — on 13 February 1876 in generaal Pel’s three-colonne operation against the III Moekims. He is the officer who, on hearing of the catastrophe at Atoeh, changed route, marched on Atoch, zuiverde the terrain and recovered the bodies of kapitein van Swieten’s massacred detachment for proper burial.
The Three-Colonne Operation against the III Moekims
Pel granted the troops only a couple of days’ rest at Kota Radja after the conquest of Atoeh of 3 February 1876 and the operations that had put the entire XXV Moekims in Dutch hands. On 13 February 1876 he advanced in oostelijke richting with three colonnes against the III Moekims. The rechter-colonne under B. E. Mekern — the 13de bataljon, part of the Barissans and one section of artillery — was to march stroomopwaarts along the left bank of the Atjeh-rivier. The midden-colonne under Jeltes — the 12de bataljon, the remainder of the Barissans and two sections of artillery — was to advance from Kota Alam along the right bank against Pango and the Longbatta-Mesigit. The linker-colonne under Diepenheim was to cover the flank. On 13 February 1876 Pango was conquered and a post opgericht.
Recovery of the Atoeh Dead
On the same day 13 February 1876 the catastrophe at Atoeh took place. Kapitein van Swieten, marching from Kota Radja with two officers and fifty-seven men (ten unarmed) to reinforce the Atoeh post, was attacked on the drassige sawah near Lamsajoen. The Atjehneezen sprang from the boschrand; their charge, in Borel’s comparison, was “als eene woeste onverwachte charge van cavallerie.” Bijna allen sneuvelden “met wonden overdekt”; only a few escaped by flight. The bodies lay on the field; the wapens, munitie and ambulance materials were carried off by the enemy. On hearing the news, B. E. Mekern changed route, marched on Atoch, zuiverde the terrain, and recovered the bodies of van Swieten’s detachment. They were “voor schending bewaard” and “met de hun verschuldigde eer ter aarde besteld” — preserved from desecration and buried with the honour due to them.
Account from H. F. Meijer (1883) — the besieged column of Kajoe-Lē
Meijer prints, in Atjeh van 26 December 1875 tot 4 September 1876 (1883), Mekern’s continuing part after the catastrophe: on 14 February he received Pel’s disposition to take a stand on the northeast edge of kampong Kajoe-Lē with his column of 305 bayonets and 2 sections of artillery, to keep the road safe between Mesigit Pagar-Ajer and Atoë by continuous strong patrols, and to choose a site for the fortification there. His daily patrols met constant enemy fire, in which Captain Van der Pauwert fell on 15 February, Second Lieutenant L. H. Kooy was wounded on 18 February and Captain Jhr. Witewaall van Stoetwege was mortally wounded on 27 February. When the route by Lambaroe became completely unsafe, he was ordered to march west around behind Lamsajoeng; when that way too was cut, his column stood isolated at Kajoe-Lē with the enemy in heavy force at Lamrong, Lamsajoeng and Lambaroe, short of ammunition for field and fortress guns and of vivres — his telegraphic-style report carried to Kota Radja through the enemy by the two Bugis couriers on the morning of 6 March is printed by Meijer in full, with the request that receipt be answered by two signal rockets at seven in the evening. His position was relieved the following day when Lieutenant-Colonel H. F. Meijer stormed Lambaroe. In late July he led the 3-company column of the south-east line that, with 165 European and 165 native non-commissioned officers and men, searched the ground along the southern mountains to Boekit Daroe as part of the July sweeps, returning over Lamkoenjit, Lamrong and Lamsajoeng to Lambaroe.
Significance
B. E. Mekern’s intervention retrieved what could be retrieved from the worst single day of the aanvallende phase. His name is paired in Borel’s narrative with that of his kinsman F. J. E. Mekern, mortally wounded on 26 December 1875 at the very opening of the offensive; between them the two Mekerns bookend the high-water mark of Pel’s aanvallende campaign.
See Also
- Pel’s offensive against the VI, IV and IX Moekims (1875–1876)
- Atoeh catastrophe (13 February 1876)
- III Moekims
- Pango
- Atoeh
- Lamsajoen
- Majoor Jeltes
- Majoor Diepenheim
- Majoor F. J. E. Mekern
- Jan van Swieten (Kapitein)
- Generaal Pel
- 1876
Source
Onze vestiging in Atjeh, critisch beschreven, by G. F. W. Borel, Kapitein der Artillerie. ‘s-Gravenhage: D. A. Thieme, 1878. p. 317.