Lampagger was the kampong in the VI Moekims sector whose opperhoofd (chief) submitted to the Dutch on 10 January 1876 in the first phase of Pel’s great winter offensive and at which a Dutch post was opgericht. From Lampagger Pel’s colonne marched on 15 January 1876 through the Blang Kalla kloof southward into the IV Moekims, reaching Loenga on the right bank of the Kroeng Raba mouth.
The submission of 10 January 1876
The submission of the opperhoofd of Lampagger on 10 January 1876 was one of the early political fruits of Pel’s winter offensive. The offensive had been launched on 26 December 1875 under Pel’s personal leiding, with three colonnes in verbond moving against the VI, IV and IX Moekims. majoor Vetter bezette Mibouw ten zuiden van K. Radja; majoor F. J. E. Mekern took stelling between Mibouw and the Kroeng Daroe but was doodelijk gewond; lt.-kol. Engel advanced along the right bank of the Kroeng Daroe. Ketapang Doewa fell on 27 December 1875, Djempit and Pakan Badak on 28 December 1875, Lamtengah on 8 January 1876. The submission of the Lampagger opperhoofd on 10 January 1876 was therefore part of a broader Dutch advance through the VI Moekims, in which enemy resistance collapsed more rapidly than the Dutch had expected.
The post and the march
A Dutch post was opgericht at Lampagger as the forward base for the second phase of the offensive. From Lampagger the colonne marched on 15 January 1876 through the kloof of Blang Kalla southward over bergachtig terrein (mountainous terrain) into the IV Moekims, reaching Loenga on the right bank of the Kroeng Raba mouth, which would become the westelijke grens (western limit) of the new afsluitingslinie. The hoofden at Loenga submitted. The colonne returned via the noordoostelijke weg, left a post at Boekit Seboen on 24 January 1876, and reached Pakan Badak; it then made a tocht through the eastern part of the IV Moekims. The Lampagger post was therefore the operational hinge of the second phase of the offensive, exactly as the Ketapang Doewa and Lamtengah posts had been of the first phase.
See Also
- VI Moekims
- IV Moekims
- Blang Kalla
- Kroeng Raba
- Ketapang Doewa
- Lamtengah
- Majoor Vetter
- Majoor F. J. E. Mekern
- Luitenant-kolonel Engel
- Generaal Pel
- Pel’s offensive against the VI, IV and IX Moekims (1875–1876)
Source
Onze vestiging in Atjeh, critisch beschreven, by G. F. W. Borel, Kapitein der Artillerie. ‘s-Gravenhage: D. A. Thieme, 1878. pp. 323–329, 336.