Gedoeng was an Atjeh-dependent kuststaatje (vassal coastal state) outside Groot-Atjeh, which had supported the enemy with hulpbenden (auxiliary bands), wapens and levensmiddelen and was tuchtiged (chastised) twice by kolonel van der Heijden in June 1878. After the second tuchtiging the chief laid down his bestuur (office) and his son came in to submit. Borel treats Gedoeng as the proof of his argument for the aanvallende stelsel (offensive system): a “schitterend succes” achieved by direct action against a vassal state whose long-term hostility had been sustained by Dutch inaction.
The vassal coastal states
The vassal coastal states — Analaboe, Pedir, Samalangan, Pasangan, Simpang Olim, Edi, and Gedoeng itself — had supported the resistance in Groot-Atjeh with auxiliary bands, weapons, and food throughout the war. Their position on the coast made them difficult to reach from the inland Dutch base at K. Radja but vulnerable to naval descents. Pel’s plan had included the reduction of these states as part of the wider isolation of Atjeh; after his death in February 1876 the offensive against them was sporadic. By June 1878 the situation in Groot-Atjeh had become sufficiently stable to allow van der Heijden, then gouverneur van Atjeh, to take a mobile colonne against Gedoeng.
The June 1878 expeditions
Barely had van der Heijden left with most of his mobile strijdmacht to tuchtigen Gedoeng, however, when the enemy attacked the Dutch linie, broke through at several places, fell into the IV, VI and IX Moekims, verjoeg the pro-Dutch bevolking, plundered and burned, sneed the gemeenschap between K. Radja and several posts, and caused schrik and verwarring — the enemy breakthrough of June 1878. Van der Heijden had to rush back in aller ijl and with geweld restore communication with the posts in the IV Moekims. New battalions were sent from Java. The Dutch eventually drove the enemy out everywhere and even made a successful inval (inroad) into the XXII Moekims to punish them — but the verloopen (flight) of the friendly bevolking could not be undone: they had lost vertrouwen in Dutch protection. Gedoeng itself was tuchtiged twice in the course of these operations; after the second tuchtiging the chief laid down his bestuur and his son came in to submit. Borel’s point is that the same offensive principle — direct, repeated punishment — would, if applied to the XXII Moekims, produce the same result.
See Also
- Pasangan
- Karel van der Heijden
- XXII Moekims
- IV Moekims
- VI Moekims
- IX Moekims
- Enemy breakthrough in the IV, VI and IX Moekims (June 1878)
- Aanvallende tactiek in Atjeh
Source
Onze vestiging in Atjeh, critisch beschreven, by G. F. W. Borel, Kapitein der Artillerie. ‘s-Gravenhage: D. A. Thieme, 1878. pp. 350–355.