Penajong was the Dutch entrenched camp occupied after the march to the Aceh River during the Second Dutch Expedition to Aceh.
Historical setting
It served as a base for the advance on the Missigit and Kraton of Aceh, was attacked by Acehnese forces, and later received chiefs and cultivators seeking permission to harvest rice. It lay in the Kota Radja area, now Banda Aceh.
Modern context
The source situates Penajong in the historical landscape of Aceh; historical spellings follow the 1879 Dutch text.
See Also
Source
De waarheid over onze vestiging in Atjeh: met eene kaart van Atjeh en een plan van den Kraton, by J. van Swieten (Zalt-Bommel: Joh. Noman en Zoon, 1879), pp. pp. 87–300.
Account from Van Swieten (1879)
Lieutenant-General Van Swieten, in De waarheid over onze vestiging in Atjeh (1879), provided a detailed account of Penajoeng’s occupation and role. On 18 December 1873, a Dutch column under Lieutenant-Colonel Pel reached Penajoeng after fighting along the east bank of the Atjeh river, including an engagement at kampong Lamara. The position became the main headquarters and base camp for the expeditionary force.
The Fire of 19 December 1873
The day after the Dutch occupation, the house of Toengkoe Kali — the Sultan’s acting bandhara and second father-in-law — was set on fire under mysterious circumstances. The house, described by Colonel Wiggers van Kerchem (who was first to take possession) as “a fine, substantial plank-built house,” was destroyed along with the Acehnese state archive stored within it. Toengkoe Kali fled into the interior, his confidence in the Dutch destroyed.
Van Swieten regarded the fire as one of the most consequential misfortunes of the campaign: “We lost with Toengkoe Kali a means of contact with many chiefs who, like him, did not want the war and were inclined to accept our political arrangements.”
Headquarters Functions
From Penajoeng, Van Swieten directed the final operations against the Kraton, issued his proclamations of 28 January and 31 January 1874, and delivered his farewell address of 20 April 1874. The position remained the seat of the Dutch military and civil command after the departure of the main force, under Colonel Pel.
Source (Van Swieten account)
De waarheid over onze vestiging in Atjeh, door den Luitenant-Generaal J. van Swieten. Zalt-Bommel, Joh. Noman en Zoon, 1879, pp. 87–141 (Hoofdstuk III), pp. 211–271 (Hoofdstuk V).