Belgian revolt and later career
During his leave in the Netherlands in 1830, the Belgian Revolution broke out and De Stuers served as Chief of the Staff of the Troops in Zeeland from March 1831 to 1834, again under the orders of General de Kock. He was honorably mentioned (Dutch: Eervolle Vermelding) for his performances at the Kapitale Dam and during the retreat through Assenede.
De Stuers returned to the Dutch East Indies in 1837 and soon acted as acting governor, then also as military commander of the Moluccas. On his way to the Indies he was shipwrecked on the coral reef of the Luciparas, where they behaved so heroically that all shipwrecked sailors were honorably mentioned by separate government decree. De Stuers later served at the Ministry of the Colonies, obtained the titular rank of major general, and was appointed aide-de-camp to the King in extraordinary service.
In 1853, as a senior officer, he fulfilled a special military assignment in France and in February of the following year he assumed command of the Dutch East Indies army as a lieutenant general in Batavia. During his tenure he completed the military operations on the west coast of Borneo (1854), in Tomori (1856), in Timor (1858), Lampung and Jambi. He also had to reorganize the Indian armed forces and defense resources in accordance with the Royal Decree adopted in August 1853 and on the proposals of Major General von Gagern. De Stuers invited First Lieutenant Weitzel to accompany him as adjutant. After five years, de Stuers was succeeded by Lieutenant General van Swieten.
Immediately after his return to the Netherlands, De Stuers was appointed adjutant-general with the rank of Grand Officer and Knight Grand Cross of the Netherlands Lion. In addition, he was Grand Cross of the Order of the Oak Crown, Grand Cross of the Order of the Red Eagle of Prussia, Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Bavarian Crown and of the Guelven of Old Hanover, Commander of the Legion of Honor, the Cross of St. Mauritius and the Cross of the Order of Saint Lazarus. He was president of the Association of the Red Cross (Dutch: Vereniging van het Rode Kruis). De Stuers published several writings, including his Memoires sur la guerre de l'île de Java (a Dutch translation of this work appeared in 1847, titled Gedenkschrift van de oorlog op Java van 1825 tot 1830 and translated by H.M. Lange).
