Marckert was a Dutch captain of infantry in Atjeh in 1876, post commander of Boekit Daroe during the consolidation period of that year. He appears in the official history as the officer whose scrupulous judgment of his post’s safety transferred the command of the night ambush of 8-9 August 1876 to First Lieutenant H. Krüll.
The night ambush that he did not lead
The orders of the commander of the western line for the anti-convoy ambush in the pass of Gli Taroem prescribed that Captain of Infantry Marckert was to act as column commander if he judged it compatible with the safety of his post, Boekit Daroe. By the evening, his garrison had been reduced by detachments to 1 officer and 40 bayonets; Marckert did not consider himself justified in leaving the fortification at night and entrusted command of the marching force to Krüll, the eldest of the designated officers, sending with it one of his African fusiliers as guide.
The decision is recorded by H. F. Meijer in Atjeh van 26 December 1875 tot 4 September 1876 (1883) without criticism: it shows the standing rule of the Atjeh garrison service that a post commander’s first charge was the post itself.
See Also
- Gli Taroem night ambush (8-9 August 1876)
- H. Krüll
- Boekit Daroe
- 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), chapter VII, p. 255.