Lamtih — written in Dutch as Lamtih — was a Dutch post in the Geconcentreerde Linie (Concentrated Line) of the southern sector, armed with a 7 cm bronze field gun in the north-west bastion, equipped with an observation stelling with a mitrailleur, and serving as a departure point for the patrouille of 21 May 1896, for the attack of 23 May 1896, and for the colonne of 5 June 1896. As described in Kruisheer’s ATJEH ‘96, the raised sentry-box of Lamtih was shelled from Senangri on 13 April 1896 — the first hostilities at the post. Lamtih was one of the principal assembly points for the three-day Dutch offensive of 23–25 May 1896.
Description and Location
Lamtih lay in the southern sector of the Geconcente Linie (Concentrated Line) between Lam-Djamoe and Ketapan Doea. The post was armed with a 7 cm bronze field gun in the north-west bastion, and was equipped with an observation position with a machine gun. The raised sentry-box of Lamtih was the most-forward observation point of the post. The post commanded the road toward Lam-Tengah and the IV and VI Moekims. The post was linked by telephone to the forward area and to Lam-Djamoe. The Senangri position, from which the verhoogde schilderhuis was shelled on 13 April 1896, lay to the front of Lamtih.
Establishment in the Geconcentreerde Stelling (1884)
Lamtih was established on 20 November 1884 as part of the concentration strategy. Materials for construction were brought from Telok-Semawé on the north coast, which had been evacuated on 10 November 1884. Access to the construction site was via an existing usable road from Olehleh and via the lagune. In the completed geconcentreerde stelling of 1885, Lamtih held a 50-man Infantry garrison armed with 2 × 12cm breech-loading guns. The post formed the southern terminus of the defensive line and was connected to Olehleh by water routes and to Lamdjamoe by a grass road.
Historical Background
Lamtih had been constructed as part of the Geconcenteerde Linie (Concentrated Line) — the inner line of Dutch posts around Koeta Radja. After the defection of 29 March 1896 and the evacuation of the buitenlinie in April 1896, Lamtih became a forward post of the southern sector, supporting Lam-Djamoe and Ketapan Doea. The post was the origin of a patrol that entered the kampong of the same name on 31 March 1896 and returned with 5 muzzle-loaders, 2 blunderbusses, and white weapons, having found the kampong abandoned. The Senangri position to the front of Lamtih was the source of the first hostile fire against the post.
Role in the 1896 Operations
Lamtih was one of the principal Dutch posts of the southern sector throughout the first semester of 1896. On 13 April 1896 the verhoogde schilderhuis of Lamtih was shelled from Senangri — the first hostilities at the post. On 31 March 1896 a patrol from Lamtih entered the kampong of the same name and returned with captured weapons. On 21 May 1896 a patrouille departed from Lamtih in the direction of Moekim Lamtengah. On 23 May 1896 the three-day Dutch offensive was launched in part from Lamtih: the 12e Bataljon under Majoor Van Bloemen Waanders marched from Lamtih against Lam-Tengah and Lam-Awi, and a colonne Lamtih was one of the assault columns of the day. On 5 June 1896 the two-colonne operation set out in part from Lamtih. On 20 June 1896 the four-column show-of-force used Lamtih as the starting point of its II column. Lamtih appears in the Dutch forces tables of June 1896 as a post in the line.
Significance
Lamtih was one of the principal Dutch assembly and departure points for the 1896 counter-offensive against Teuku Umar, together with Lam-Djamoe, Ketapan Doea, and Blang. Its mitrailleur observation stelling and kanon van 7 c.M. A. Veld made it a key fire-support post for the three-day offensive and the two-colonne operation of 4–5 June 1896. The shelling of the verhoogde schilderhuis from Senangri on 13 April 1896 was among the earliest hostile acts against the inner line after the defection.
Account from Verstege’s Een beroep op het Nederlandsche volk (1886)
Verstege names Lamtih the closing member of the official list of the eighteen semi-permanently built posts forming together, with Oleh-leh, Kota Radja, Kota Alam, Oleh Karang and other inward-lying fortifications, the cordon of the new line of 1 March 1885 (see Completion of the concentrated position (March 1885)).
See Also
- Geconcenteerde Linie
- Three-day Dutch offensive of 23–25 May 1896
- Operations in IV and VI Moekims (4–5 June 1896)
- Lam-Djamoe
- Ketapan Doea
- Blang
- mitrailleur
- Senangri
- Lamtengah
- Lam-Tengah
- 1896
Sources
De Geconcentreerde Stelling in Groot-Atjeh, ‘s-Gravenhage: De Gebroeders Van Cleef, 1885, pp. 25–26.
ATJEH ‘96, door A. Kruisheer, Kapitein der Infanterie O.I.L., met 2 kaarten en 4 portretten (Weltevreden: N.V. Boekhandel Visser & Co, 1913). Instituut Kern, Leiden. OCR-filename: 20260715_163243_DLP-89-Atjeh_96_Met_2_kaarten_en4_DOORA_KRUISHEER_Kapiteinder_Infanterie_nemoretriever-ocr-v1_OCR.txt, pp. 82, 141, 144, 167, 171, 176, 183, 204, 296, 320, 573.
Een beroep op het Nederlandsche volk in zake het Atjeh-vraagstuk, door J. J. W. E. Verstege (Amsterdam: J. H. de Bussy, 1886), p. 81. OCR: DLP-158.