As the defeated Balinese retreated away from the Dutch along the coast towards Klungkung [see map] they gathered at the large village of Kusamba [see map]. En route to Kumbasa the road, such as it was, passed immediately by a natural defensive position called Goa Lawak, known these days as "The Bat Cave". Several hundred defenders took shelter in Goa Lawak behind some fortifications. Unfortunately for the Balinese the protection afforded by Goa Lawak was of little use against naval artillery and following a bombardment from the sea Goa Lawak was stormed with little loss to the KNIL.

By the 24th May the KNIL had arrived before Kusamba and found their way blocked by at least 1000 Balinese. The subsequent fight resulted in the village falling to the KNIL by the early afternoon. However the capture of Kusamba was something of a hollow victory because all the outlying hamlets were still firmly under the control of the Balinese. Fearing a night attack the KNIL held their ground inside the town. After midnight the KNIL fears were realized when massed waves of Balinese incited by Dewa Agung Isaerti the sister of Dewa Agung of Klungkung attacked out of the darkness and overran the KNIL camp.

In fierce fighting the KNIL cleared the camp but in the process their commanding officer, who was also the commander in chief of the KNIL, received a mortal wound in the leg, from which he died later that day. KNIL losses in this fracas were 35 killed, Balinese losses are thought to have been 800 killed and about 1000 wounded. Following the fight at Kumbasa the new KNIL commander decided that his force would withdraw to the relative sanctuary of a nearby cove. Despite the continuing resistance from the Dewar Agung of Klungkung and the Princes of Gianyar and Mengwi the KNIL expeditionary force did not actively seek battle following the fight at Kumbasa. This was for a good political reason of not being seen to overtly attack the Dewar Angung, who was the spiritual leader of Bali, and in whose defense the Balinese could be expected to offer fanatical resistance. There was also the more practical reason that following the campaigns in Buleleng and Karangasem the KNIL had only 2500 troops left on hand in Bali to face such a challenge. Negotiations followed but the resolve of the Princes to resist the Dutch remained unwavering.

On the 10th of June the KNIL resolved to move and occupied Kumbasa again. They were in the village when news arrived that the Princes of Bandung and Tababan [see map] had reinforced the armies of Klungkung, Mengwi and Gianyar. The Balinese now had available a force of 33,000 men to oppose the 2,500 Dutch troops. It also became known that the Dewar Angung had ordered a mass "Puputan" or battle to the death for his nobles and army, which meant that truly fanatical resistance could be expected.

Faced with the possibility of a hard fought and bloody war that could well end in a politically unacceptable massacre of Bali's nobility the Dutch, still insisting that the Balinese accept Dutch sovereignty, once again resorted to diplomacy. A Danish merchant with close connections to the Balinese ruling families was used as an intermediary.

The diplomatic initiative paid off as the Dewar Agung of Klungkung, mindful that the looming mass slaughter of Balinese nobility by "Puputan" would leave the pro Dutch Prince of Bangli as the only indigenous political and spiritual leader in Bali agreed to the terms. Subsequently a treaty bringing an end to the wars between the Netherlands and the Balinese princedoms was signed on the 13th of July 1849.

Dutch Colonial Campaigns in Bali 1846-1849

The First Buleleng War 1846
The Second Buleleng War 1848 - 1849
First Battle at Jagaraga 9th June 1848
Second Battle at Jagaraga 15th-16th April 1849
The Fight for the "Bat Cave": Kumbasa and Beyond
Balinese Warriors and Weapons
Koninklijk Nederlandsch-Indisch Leger, KNIL (Royal Dutch East Indies Army)