Kota Goenoengan (also called Kota Koeboeran, “Burial-Ground Fort”) was the high walled burial ground on the western face of the Kraton, captured by the Dutch on 12 January 1874 in the capture of Kota Goenoengan and afterwards used as a forward observation post. From a high waringin-boom (banyan tree) on its summit Dutch lookouts could see over the Kraton wall into the interior, and the position became the jumping-off point for Verspijck’s omtrekkende beweging of 23–24 January 1874 that produced the fall of the Kraton.
The capture
On the advice of a “bevriend inlandsch hoofd” — a friendly native chief — Dutch troops operated along the western face of the Kraton on 12 January 1874 to occupy the high, walled burial grounds of Kota Koeboeran and Kota Goenoengan. The works were “bijna niet verdedigd” and were taken without serious losses. Borel argues that the easy capture proved the vijand’s hoofdmacht had already withdrawn from the Kraton’s western face — had the omtrekkende beweging been pursued immediately, the Kraton might have fallen within days rather than weeks. As it was, the Dutch paused, and it took another twelve days of bombardment before Verspijck began the flanking march from Kota Goenoengan around the zuider- and ooster-facen on 23 January 1874.
The observation post
Once taken, Kota Goenoengan became the principal Dutch observation post against the Kraton’s western face. The high waringin-boom on its summit gave lookouts a clear view over the wall into the kerkhof and barracks inside, allowing the vesting-artillerie to correct its fire. From Kota Goenoengan the omtrekkende beweging of 23–24 January 1874 set out: Verspijck marched around the southern and eastern faces, crossed the Kroeng Daroe — the crossing caused “groot oponthoud” — and reached the Atjeh-rivier on the morning of 24 January 1874. The Kraton was found “op een grijsaard en een zieken Atjehnees na, geheel verlaten.” In the stelling-Pel of 1875 Kota Goenoengan was supplemented by the higher Kota Podjoet to the south-west, whose observatory directed artillery fire across the southern kampongs.
See Also
- Kraton of Atjeh
- Kota Podjoet
- Kroeng Daroe
- Atjeh-rivier
- Capture of Kota Goenoengan (12 January 1874)
- Bombardment of the Kraton (January 1874)
- Fall of the Kraton (24 January 1874)
- Generaal Verspijck
- Stelling-Pel
Source
Onze vestiging in Atjeh, critisch beschreven, by G. F. W. Borel, Kapitein der Artillerie. ‘s-Gravenhage: D. A. Thieme, 1878. pp. 23–24, 27, 32–34, 39, 41, 46, 59, 65, 95, 112.