Poe Oe was an Atjehnees kampong west of Soerian and east of Blang Oe, occupied without a shot on 16 August 1874 in the same summer offensive that followed the battle of Soerian. From its wide view over the sawah (irrigated rice fields) it gave the Dutch observation over the western kampong belt and formed, with Soerian and Blang Oe, the western arc of the stelling-Pel around K. Radja.
The occupation
On 16 August 1874 — the day before the occupation of the ooster-benteng east of Pakan Atjeh — the kampong of Poe Oe, west of Soerian, was occupied without a shot. The enemy had abandoned it in the days following the battle of Soerian of 26 July 1874, when the Atjehneezen gave up all their western positions and the magnificent sawah stretching to the edge of Bital and Ketapang Doewa fell into Dutch hands. Poe Oe’s elevated position gave a wide view over the sawahs, and a post was immediately established. The fall of Poe Oe was, Borel notes, an almost bloodless complement to the heavy fighting at Soerian — proof that the enemy could not stand once his main line was broken.
In the stelling-Pel
Poe Oe became a permanent western-side post of the stelling-Pel. On 23 January 1875 a new post was built at Poengej Blang Tjoet between Poe Oe and Kota Podjoet to better secure the western side of K. Radja and prevent the enemy penetrating the forward line toward Lampasej. By the time the continuous line around K. Radja was completed in May 1875, the south side of the line ran from Oedjoeng Planggan through Soerian, Poe Oe, Poengej Blang Tjoet, Lamteboe, Setee, Lamara Olejlo, Lohong, Longbatta Z. to Longbatta-Mesigit. From Poe Oe the line continued westward through Blang Oe to the sea-strand at Oeleh Leh. With the completion of the line, operations could be suspended or postponed, and Pel was granted three months’ leave on 12 June 1875 to recover his shattered health.
See Also
- Soerian
- Blang Oe
- Kota Podjoet
- Setee
- Lamara Olejlo
- Longbatta-Mesigit
- Oeleh Leh
- Battle of Soerian (26 July 1874)
- Stelling-Pel
- Generaal Pel
Source
Onze vestiging in Atjeh, critisch beschreven, by G. F. W. Borel, Kapitein der Artillerie. ‘s-Gravenhage: D. A. Thieme, 1878. pp. 95, 176–183, 202, 243, 263.