Batoe Iliq (also written Batu Ilik) was a kampong in Samalanga on the north coast of Atjeh, the seat of a principal priest-school, whose strong fortified benting — defended by impregnable bamboe-doern palisades and by the hail of stones hurled from the parapet — repulsed three successive Dutch stormings of 15 July 15 July, 22 July 22 July, and 1 August 1 August 1880 in the Batoe Iliq expedition. Only on 2 August 2 August did the artillery, by 76 rounds of breech-loading guns, open the north face of Batoe Iliq. As the chiefs now tendered their complete submission, the governor Van der Heyden considered the matter closed and returned to Atjeh on 5 August 5 August.
The Attack of 30 June 1880
On 30 June 30 June 1880 part of the garrison of Samalanga, having extended its military walk further than usual — beyond the missigit Raja — was attacked by a great number of Atjehers and forced, not without loss, to retreat hastily. According to information obtained by the acting assistant-resident, the attack had been opened by some persons from the kampong Batoe Iliq, “where there was a principal priest-school,” but the male population of the surrounding kampongs had immediately joined them. “The hatred against the unbelievers was too great to admit that they should move on terrain hitherto not trodden; perhaps too it was hoped by the attack to force the radja to leave the Dutch side.”
The Three Stormings
At the insistence of the assistant-resident it was decided to equip an expedition to punish the kampongs whose inhabitants had taken part in the attack. Batoe Iliq was the principal object. On 15 July 15 July [1880] the troops marched and soon reached the very strongly placed enemy bentings, among which that of Batoe Iliq was the strongest. The first storming failed; on 22 July 22 July the attack was renewed, but again repulsed; even an attempt to set the bamboe-doern alight with petroleum failed; hand-grenades thrown into the benting sprang mostly all, but the enemy did not slacken in his defence and even threw one of the hand-grenades back to the Dutch troops in good time. On 1 August 1 August the third attack was undertaken: “Three officers with some 16 rank-and-file succeeded in working their way through the bamboe-doern and reaching the immediate vicinity of the parapet; but now they perceived that the breach was not climbable; only the top of the parapet had been shot away. They held their ground here for some time, but when the two foremost officers and the greater part of the men were put out of action, the retreat was unavoidable.”
The Artillery, 2 August 1880
After the losses suffered that day the general thought he might not undertake a new storming. Only the artillery would the next day try to destroy the enemy’s positions as much as possible. “At 7 h. 40 m. the fire was opened. As one could now turn the experience of the previous day to account, it had an excellent effect. In all, with a rest of three hours, which was necessary to await the supply of new ammunition, 76 rounds were fired from the breech-loading guns, while the half mountain-battery supported that fire by its shots, both on the benting and on the hill-positions. At 3 o’clock in the afternoon the fire was stopped; the northern face of Batoe Iliq lay wholly open, the other faces were heavily damaged. One saw no enemy here any more, and in all probability he had abandoned his fortification and withdrawn to the heights behind.” As the various chiefs now came to tender their complete submission, Van der Heyden thought he could leave the matter at that and returned to Atjeh on 5 August 5 August [1880].
Significance
The Batoe Iliq expedition was a costly failure for the Dutch. It demonstrated the limits of storming tactics against a fortified kampong in a strong position defended by a determined population, and foreshadowed the long years of guerrilla warfare that were to continue despite the formal conquest of Great Acheh in 1879.
See Also
Source
De geschiedenis van Nederland in onzen tijd, by J. A. de Bruyne, Directeur der Hoogere Burgerschool te Zierikzee. Deel IV. 1872-1883. Nieuwe uitgave. Schiedam: J. F. Dupont, 1912, Hoofdstuk I, pp. 109-113.