The Aceh War: The History of the Bloody Conflict that Imposed Dutch Rule Over Indonesia by Charles River Editors

Author:Charles River Editors
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Charles River Editors
Published: 2023-01-30T00:00:00+00:00

A contemporary depiction of part of the kraton

Four battalions of Dutch troops landed on the coast on March 26, 1873, and their initial attack began with the occupation of a small town by about 3,000 soldiers with hundreds of bearers who were essentially human mules, some hired and many coerced. They were landed in boats from transports which, with naval support, numbered 33 ships.

What seemed at first to be an overwhelming force was nearly overwhelmed itself (Swedberg 38). It took the clumsy Dutch expedition the better part of two weeks to reach Banda Aceh and the kraton, the sultan’s fortified palace. They bombarded the palace, then attacked and were caught by surprise when the defenders replied ferociously. The Dutch commander, Major General J. H. R. Kohler was killed, disheartening the attacking force, and the Dutch lost 56 killed and 438 wounded, significant casualties among a force of 3,000.

The chastened Dutch broke off the attack and retreated to the coast before returning to Java in April 1873, deeply shaken by the repulse and the death of their commander. The colonial navy set up a blockade of Acehnese ports, although its effectiveness is not known. Local leaders had for years smuggled out pepper to evade the sultan’s taxes, so smugglers of firearms and other supplies used the same means and kept goods flowing into Aceh.

While the Dutch were deciding to mount another expedition, in August and October of 1873, after the initial Dutch expedition to Aceh was defeated, the sultan sent a personal representative to American consul Studer in Singapore with an appeal for help. Apparently, the plea included proposals for an alliance, turning over some strategic islands to the Americans, and perhaps support for the U.S. Navy. This appeal was unearthed by Dutch authorities, and it eventually factored into public support for the war back in the Netherlands. The Dutch Parliament met in closed session to hear sworn testimony about the war and about the American interference. The result was strong parliamentary and popular support for the war (Swedberg 48-49).

The second expedition was much more carefully planned and featured a considerably larger number of troops who were better armed, better supplied, and better commanded. The invasion force landed on the Aceh coast on December 9, 1873, and this time they were commanded by General Jan van Swieten, a 61-year old one-eyed officer with experience in the wars on Java and Bali. Their cautious commander led the force to the capture of Banda Aceh in January of 1874. The sultan fled into the countryside, only to die there soon after from cholera (Gedacht 368).

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