Mandarsa Poeti was an old stone gebedenhuis (place of worship, mosque) about 1,600 paces south of the main wall of K. Radja, which the Atjehneezen had converted into a fortification and the Dutch destroyed by achterlaadkanonnen van 12 c.M. fire on 5 October 1874 and then occupied as a post on 28 January 1875 in the conquest of Mandarsa Poeti. From its position at the southern arc of the stelling-Pel it commanded the kampong belt of Lamara Olejlo, Setee and Lamlagan.
The destruction of October 1874
As the terrain between the zuid-west saillant of K. Radja and Kota Podjoet was partly cleared in the late summer of 1874, the old stone gebedenhuis called Mandarsa Poeti came into view about 1,600 paces from the main wall. The enemy had converted it into a fortification. A few shots from the 12 c.M. achterlaadkanon established the range; the whole front wall was then brought down. Through the breach the interior could be seen; the building was permanently evacuated by the enemy. Borel’s point is that the same 12 c.M. achterlaadkanon which had been recalled to Java by van Swieten in February 1874 — “the best geschut the Dutch had” — was now doing the work that nothing else could do. The lesson was not lost on kolonel Pel, who immediately requested the return of the guns from Java.
The post of January 1875
Three columns marched simultaneously from K. Radja on 28 January 1875. The middle, main column under majoor van der Meer marched straight on the stone gebedenhuis and took it without resistance. The other columns moved left on Nesoch and right on Setee to cover the flanks. Since the walls of the gebedenhuis had already been shot to rubble by the 12 c.M. fire and the interior was too small for a garrison, a suitable nearby point was chosen and construction of a new fortification begun. The conquest was so sudden the enemy had no time to resist. Later in the day, however, when it became clear the Dutch meant to stay, the Atjehneezen streamed in from all sides, especially from the IX Moekims. They occupied the zuid-west kampong-rand toward Lamlagan and opened fire. The cost was three dead, ten wounded, and one killed in captain Sutherland’s western flank column. The post of Mandarsa Poeti then became kapitein von Ende’s command, from which he made the surprise of Lamara Olejlo of 14–15 February 1875.
See Also
- Kota Radja
- Kota Podjoet
- Lamara Olejlo
- Setee
- IX Moekims
- Kapitein von Ende
- Achterlaadkanonnen van 12 c.M.
- Conquest of Mandarsa Poeti (28 January 1875)
- Surprise of Lamara Olejlo (14–15 February 1875)
- Jan van Swieten
Source
Onze vestiging in Atjeh, critisch beschreven, by G. F. W. Borel, Kapitein der Artillerie. ‘s-Gravenhage: D. A. Thieme, 1878. pp. 202, 245–251.