First Battle of Batèë Iliëk

The First Battle of Batèë Iliëk or Batèë Iliëk Expedition was an military expediton conducted by Royal East Indies Army on Batèë Iliëk fort in Samalanga. The battle resulted to Acehnese victory and heavy losses to Dutch.

First Battle of Batéë Iliëk
Part of Aceh War
Date 14 July 1880 Location Batèë Iliëk, Samalanga Result Acehnese victory The Dutch decided to stopped to attack Batèë Iliëk until 1901
Belligerents
Aceh Sultanate	Netherlands
Commanders and leaders
Pocut Meligoe	Karel Van Der Heijden (WIA) W.A Schmilau
Units involved
unknown	KNIL
Strength
Hundreds of troops	Hundreds of troops
Casualties and losses
Dozens	19 killed 56 wounded

Background

On 30 June 1880, the Dutch forces under command Second Lieutenant H.J Berghuis, was ambushed and raided by the Acehnese forces, Dutch launched the counter attack but failed. The attack resulted in 5 soldiers killed and 56 soldiers were wounded.

And after the ambushes by the Acehnese, Karel Van Der Heijden, the colonel of Netherlands East Indies Army (KNIL), decided to launched the military expedition around Batéë Iliëk, Samalanga on 14 July 1880.

Battle

Map of Batèë Iliëk Fort, 1880

The expedition occured on 14 July 1880. The forces was under the command of Major Schmilau and Colonel Karel himselfs. But the Acehnese knows that the Dutch will launched the expedition. So they set many previous traps, like sharped bamboo on the trench.

The forces was came in Samalanga to attack Batéë Iliëk but they were ambushed and attacked by the Acehnese forces, with the traps set by the Acehnese, the Dutch were suffering a heavy casualties and losses, and also Colonel Karel was wounded after this battle, the battle resulted 19 killed and 56 wounded.

Aftermath

After the failed expedition, the Dutch decided to stop attacking Batèë Iliëk, because they suffered multiple heavy casualties, and also the grounds and the guerilla strategy of Meligoe, Batéë Iliëk made their movement was slowed.