Gleiêng (also written Gléiëng) was the fortified and well-armed chief place of Panglima Polem in the XXII Moekims of Atjeh, whose fall on 9 July 1879 to the Dutch troops under the governor Major-general K. van der Heyden was the culminating episode of the campaign against the XXII Moekims. With the fall of Gleiêng, the resistance of the XXII Moekims was broken, and those who wished to continue the war fled to the XXVI Moekims.
Background
After the capture of Indrapuri on 24 March 1879 the campaign in the XXII Moekims had to be continued, for the capture had not led to the desired submission. Heavy fighting followed at Djerreek, Redep, Panteh Karang in May. On 6 May 6 May and 7 May 7 May [1879] great losses were inflicted on the Dutch at Panteh Karang, but in the end the enemy was driven out.
The Capture of 9 July 1879
As the operations for the submission of the XXII Moekims had to be continued, the troops on 31 May 31 May [1879] again advanced on Gleiêng, the fortified and well-armed chief place of Panglima Polem. “After a tiring march and repeated fights, this was at last reached and taken on 9 July 9 July [1879].”
Significance
“With this the campaign in the XXII Moekims was over and the objective fully attained. The enemy’s resistance was broken, and those who wished to continue the war had fled to the XXVI Moekims.” The fall of Gleiêng was the high-water mark of the first phase of the Atjeh-oorlog. The Hikajat Prang Kompeuni records that the conquest of the XXVI Moekims followed shortly, “and shortly afterwards the one-eyed general made victorious campaigns even through the XXII Moekims, to the astonishment of the hitherto boasting Highlanders, then the Imam of Longbattah sheathed his sword and withdrew from public life.” The one-eyed general — Van der Heyden, who had lost an eye at the storming of Temoelit on 26 August 1877 — is the hero of the latter part of the epos.
Sources
H. T. Damsté, “Drie Atjeh-Mannen,” Kolonial Tijdschrift, No. 4, 26e Jaargang (1937), pp. 360–362. H. T. Damsté, “Drie Atjeh-Mannen,” Kolonial Tijdschrift, No. 4, 26e Jaargang (1937), pp. 360–361.
Account from Verstege’s Een beroep op het Nederlandsche volk (1886)
Verstege names Gleieng the dwelling-place of the so feared sagie-head Panglima Polim — “de verblijfplaats van het zoo gevreesde sagiehoofd PANGLIMA POLIM, die echter onze komst niet had durven afwachten” (“the dwelling-place of the so feared sagie-head Panglima Polim, who however had not dared to await our arrival”) — with its extensive strong positions taken on an early morning of June 1879 (he dates the storm 5 June; cf. Capture of Gleiêng (9 July 1879)) with slight loss to the Dutch side; found there was, besides a great stock of gunpowder and bullets, a battery of 24 cannon, most of too great calibre to carry, which were rendered unfit for use, and the two days after, 9 and 10 June, brought the fleeing enemy to submission; see Campaign against the XXII Moekims (1879).
See Also
- K. van der Heyden
- Panglima Polim
- XXII Moekims
- Capture of Indrapuri (24 March 1879)
- Capture of Gleiêng (9 July 1879)
- Campaign against the XXII Moekims (1879)
- Campaign against the XXVI Moekims (July 1879)
- Djerreek
- Redep
- Panteh Karang
- Hikajat prang Kompeuni
- Aceh War
- Panglima Polém
- Conquest of Glé Jeuëng (May 1897)
- Indrapoeri
- Seulimeum
- Groot-Atjeh
- Geconcentreerde linie
- Joannes Benedictus van Heutsz
- J. J. van Vliet
- Glé Jeuëng
- Selimoen
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. 102-105, 108-109.
Een beroep op het Nederlandsche volk in zake het Atjeh-vraagstuk, door J. J. W. E. Verstege (Amsterdam: J. H. de Bussy, 1886), p. 60. OCR: DLP-158.