christos200
Never tell me the odds
(I had writen an article in an other forum about the Rumeliot campaign of Georgios Karaiskakis, so I decided to also post it here, if anyone is interested in the Greek Revolution. In the end of the article, I have posted my sources, althought most of them are only avaible in Greek.)
After the fall of Missolonghi in 10 April 1826, most of Rumeli came under the control of the Ottoman Turks and the provinces there surrendered to the Turks, except for Athens and a few surrounding areas. This was of course bad for the Greek rebels, who if they wanted to have any chance of being recognized by the European States had to gain victories on the battlefield.
- Siege of Athens
In August 1826, the Ottoman Turks, under the leadership of Reşid Mehmed Pasha begun the siege of Athens with 10,000 troops with strong cavalry and artillery. Of course, the Greeks could not accept the fall of Athens, because they claimed Rumeli to be part of their state and if they lost Athens, the Greek State would be limited to the Peloponnese and the philhellenes could not accept the fall of Athens, the fall of democracy and freedom to Asian Barbarism. Athens was the symbol of freedom, democracy and classical Greece for the Europeans [1].
So Georgios Karaiskakis was given the almost impossible task of forcing Resid Pasha to end the siege and restore the revolution in Rumeli, with force if needed. This was a daunting task. First of all, the Rumeliots in the Peloponnese were afraid the the Peloponnese would make peace with the Ottomans and give Rumeli to the Turks and kick them out of the Peloponnese. So they wanted more to gain control of the capital, Nafplion, than to go to fight the Turks [2].
Georgios Karaiskakis managed to persuade them to join him and begin a campaign in Rumeli. Georgios asked the government only for supplies and ammunition. There were no money for wages, but the fame of Karaiskakis as an able leader who could gain victory (and victory meant looting) made many to come and join him.
- Greek Soldier
But the Rumeliots who joined him were still only a few hundred. He made a temporary military camp in Salamis and then gathered the troops who were still in Rumeli in Eleusina. He had only 4,000 troops compared to the 10,000 Turks and had only a small area under his control.
Karaiskakis then tried to get to a closer position to Athens and clashed with the Turkish forces in Chaidari from 6 to 8 August, although the battle ended in stalemate with many deaths in both sides [3]. Karaiskakis then took the decision to begin a campaign in Rumeli (north of Athens) to cut off the land supply route of Resid Pasha and also force the Rumeliot provinces to rise up in revolt. So in 25 October 1826, he begun his Rumeliot campaign [4]. He left 2,000 troops back to Eleusina and took 2,000 troops with him.
- Battle of Arachova
Karaiskakis tried to besiege Dombraina in 27 October, but the siege became a stalemate and he left for Distomo in 14 November. Karaiskakis' goal was now to secure the area around Parnassos from Arachova. So in 17 November he set up camp in Distomo and send a small force to take over Arachova, which it did.
Then an Ottoman Force, 2,000 strong, under Mustafa Bey moved against Arachova in order to retake the city. The garrison of the city was 500 men strong. Karaiskakis moved fast to help the city.
The attack on Arachova begun in 18 November. Althought the Turks at first had some success, Karaiskakis attacked the Turkish army from the rear, forcing them to retreat to a hill in the opposite of the church of Saint George, which Karaiskakis made his headquarters.
Meanwhile reinforcements came to help the Greeks and the next days the bad weather and the lack of supplies crippled the Ottomans, who asked for a ceasefire in 21 November. However, the Ottomans refused to surrender Livadeia and Salona to the Greeks, and so their request for a ceasefire was refused.
- Fighting in Arachova
In 23 November, after bloody fighting, Mustafa Bey was killed. The next day, in 24 November, the Turks tried to retreat, but all routes were under Greek control. So the Turks were literally slaughtered and the few who survived died because of the cold and snow. Only 300 to 200 Turks from a force of 2,000 survived. The Greeks lost only 24 men. Also 60 were injured [5].
Under orders from Karaiskakis, the Greeks cut the heads of Mustafa Bey and other 300 Turks and created a Pyramid with their heads, which Karaiskakis named "Trophy of the Greeks from the Barbarians" [6]. The message was clear to both the Turks and the provinces in Rumeli that did not rise up in revolt.
Now, with almost all of Rumeli under Greek control, Karaiskakis could harass the Ottoman supply lines. In 7 December, when he learnt that a Turkish supply line with more than 2,000 transport animals and guarded by 500 cavalrymen was coming, he laid ambush in Kallidromos. His attack was a huge success and the looting gave many riches to the soldiers.
Three days later, he left a portion of his army in Tithorea and moved to Ypati, but bad weather forced him to return back to Arachova. At the same time, 1,500 Turks came from Missolonghi to help the garrison of Salona. This led Karaiskakis to move part of his army in Naupactus, where they stopped the Ottoman reinforcements.
- Painting of Greeks fighting the Turks
In 17 January 1827, Omer Pasha attacked Distomo with 2,500 troops, but he failed to take the city. So, in 21 January, Karaiskakis with 400 troops conducted a night raid of the Turkish camp, causing panic and death to the Turks.
In 31 January, 800 Turks of the new Tactical Ottoman Army (created after the abolishment and purge of the Janissaries) attacked the Greek positions in Distomo, defeating the Greeks and causing panic that almost killed Karaiskakis himself (who always fought along with his troops in the first line).
But in a second battle in 3 February, the Greeks defeated and routed the Ottoman Tactical Army. In 5 February, Karaiskakis conducted a surprise night attack on the camp of Omer Pasha, this time causing so much damage that Omer had to retreat. Three months after Karaiskakis had begun his campaign, most of Rumeli was under Greek control and Resid Pasha had problems with his supplies.
This was the first time the Greeks managed to gain a major victory since 1825. The victories of Karaiskakis gave hope to the Greeks that they could win the Turks. Karaiskakis' prestige went on new heights and he gained the reputation of a great military commander. In 25 February he returned with 1,000 troops back to Eleusina.
- Karaiskakis' camp in Kastela
There Karaiskakis favored a cautious approach of the Turkish lines, by building Forts before moving closer to each Turkish line. But the Commander of the Greek Forces, the English admiral Thomas Cochrane wanted an all out attack against the Turks, despite the protests of Karaiskakis [7].
The day before the all out attack, in 22 April, a small skirmish between Greek and Turkish forces begun, which became a full scale battle. When Karaiskakis, riding his horse, went to see what was happening, he was shot (no one knows by who. Some say by the Turks, others by friendly fire and others that the British had him killed) and died. In 24 May Athens surrendered to the Turks. Karaiskakis is now remembered in Greece as a national hero.
Sources:
[1]: Σπ. Τρικούπης, Ιστορία, Chapter 4, page 118
[2]: Αρχείο Καραϊσκάκη, page 82
[3]: Χριστόφορος Περραιβός, Πολεμικά Απομνημονεύματα, pages 80 to 89 - Χρ. Βυζάντιος, Ιστορία, pages 137 to 160
[4]: Δ. Αινιάν , Ο Καραϊσκάκης, pages 49 to 81 - Χριστόφ. Περραιβός, Πολεμικά Απομνημονεύματα, pages 262 to 289
[5]: Γ. Χαρίτος, Η μάχη της Αράχωβας, pages 62 - 63
[6]: K. Παπαρρηγόπουλος, Γεώργιος Καραϊσκάκης, page 102
[7]: Ν. Κασομούλης, Ενθυμήματα, Chapter 2, page 474
Other Sources:
1) Διονύσης Τζάκης, Γεώργιος Καραϊσκάκης, pages 79 to 106
2) Wikipedia for links of locations.
The Rumeliot Campaign (1826 - 1827):
- Georgios Karaiskakis
- Georgios Karaiskakis
After the fall of Missolonghi in 10 April 1826, most of Rumeli came under the control of the Ottoman Turks and the provinces there surrendered to the Turks, except for Athens and a few surrounding areas. This was of course bad for the Greek rebels, who if they wanted to have any chance of being recognized by the European States had to gain victories on the battlefield.
- Siege of Athens
In August 1826, the Ottoman Turks, under the leadership of Reşid Mehmed Pasha begun the siege of Athens with 10,000 troops with strong cavalry and artillery. Of course, the Greeks could not accept the fall of Athens, because they claimed Rumeli to be part of their state and if they lost Athens, the Greek State would be limited to the Peloponnese and the philhellenes could not accept the fall of Athens, the fall of democracy and freedom to Asian Barbarism. Athens was the symbol of freedom, democracy and classical Greece for the Europeans [1].
So Georgios Karaiskakis was given the almost impossible task of forcing Resid Pasha to end the siege and restore the revolution in Rumeli, with force if needed. This was a daunting task. First of all, the Rumeliots in the Peloponnese were afraid the the Peloponnese would make peace with the Ottomans and give Rumeli to the Turks and kick them out of the Peloponnese. So they wanted more to gain control of the capital, Nafplion, than to go to fight the Turks [2].
Georgios Karaiskakis managed to persuade them to join him and begin a campaign in Rumeli. Georgios asked the government only for supplies and ammunition. There were no money for wages, but the fame of Karaiskakis as an able leader who could gain victory (and victory meant looting) made many to come and join him.
- Greek Soldier
But the Rumeliots who joined him were still only a few hundred. He made a temporary military camp in Salamis and then gathered the troops who were still in Rumeli in Eleusina. He had only 4,000 troops compared to the 10,000 Turks and had only a small area under his control.
Karaiskakis then tried to get to a closer position to Athens and clashed with the Turkish forces in Chaidari from 6 to 8 August, although the battle ended in stalemate with many deaths in both sides [3]. Karaiskakis then took the decision to begin a campaign in Rumeli (north of Athens) to cut off the land supply route of Resid Pasha and also force the Rumeliot provinces to rise up in revolt. So in 25 October 1826, he begun his Rumeliot campaign [4]. He left 2,000 troops back to Eleusina and took 2,000 troops with him.
- Battle of Arachova
Karaiskakis tried to besiege Dombraina in 27 October, but the siege became a stalemate and he left for Distomo in 14 November. Karaiskakis' goal was now to secure the area around Parnassos from Arachova. So in 17 November he set up camp in Distomo and send a small force to take over Arachova, which it did.
Then an Ottoman Force, 2,000 strong, under Mustafa Bey moved against Arachova in order to retake the city. The garrison of the city was 500 men strong. Karaiskakis moved fast to help the city.
The attack on Arachova begun in 18 November. Althought the Turks at first had some success, Karaiskakis attacked the Turkish army from the rear, forcing them to retreat to a hill in the opposite of the church of Saint George, which Karaiskakis made his headquarters.
Meanwhile reinforcements came to help the Greeks and the next days the bad weather and the lack of supplies crippled the Ottomans, who asked for a ceasefire in 21 November. However, the Ottomans refused to surrender Livadeia and Salona to the Greeks, and so their request for a ceasefire was refused.
- Fighting in Arachova
In 23 November, after bloody fighting, Mustafa Bey was killed. The next day, in 24 November, the Turks tried to retreat, but all routes were under Greek control. So the Turks were literally slaughtered and the few who survived died because of the cold and snow. Only 300 to 200 Turks from a force of 2,000 survived. The Greeks lost only 24 men. Also 60 were injured [5].
Under orders from Karaiskakis, the Greeks cut the heads of Mustafa Bey and other 300 Turks and created a Pyramid with their heads, which Karaiskakis named "Trophy of the Greeks from the Barbarians" [6]. The message was clear to both the Turks and the provinces in Rumeli that did not rise up in revolt.
Now, with almost all of Rumeli under Greek control, Karaiskakis could harass the Ottoman supply lines. In 7 December, when he learnt that a Turkish supply line with more than 2,000 transport animals and guarded by 500 cavalrymen was coming, he laid ambush in Kallidromos. His attack was a huge success and the looting gave many riches to the soldiers.
Three days later, he left a portion of his army in Tithorea and moved to Ypati, but bad weather forced him to return back to Arachova. At the same time, 1,500 Turks came from Missolonghi to help the garrison of Salona. This led Karaiskakis to move part of his army in Naupactus, where they stopped the Ottoman reinforcements.
- Painting of Greeks fighting the Turks
In 17 January 1827, Omer Pasha attacked Distomo with 2,500 troops, but he failed to take the city. So, in 21 January, Karaiskakis with 400 troops conducted a night raid of the Turkish camp, causing panic and death to the Turks.
In 31 January, 800 Turks of the new Tactical Ottoman Army (created after the abolishment and purge of the Janissaries) attacked the Greek positions in Distomo, defeating the Greeks and causing panic that almost killed Karaiskakis himself (who always fought along with his troops in the first line).
But in a second battle in 3 February, the Greeks defeated and routed the Ottoman Tactical Army. In 5 February, Karaiskakis conducted a surprise night attack on the camp of Omer Pasha, this time causing so much damage that Omer had to retreat. Three months after Karaiskakis had begun his campaign, most of Rumeli was under Greek control and Resid Pasha had problems with his supplies.
This was the first time the Greeks managed to gain a major victory since 1825. The victories of Karaiskakis gave hope to the Greeks that they could win the Turks. Karaiskakis' prestige went on new heights and he gained the reputation of a great military commander. In 25 February he returned with 1,000 troops back to Eleusina.
- Karaiskakis' camp in Kastela
There Karaiskakis favored a cautious approach of the Turkish lines, by building Forts before moving closer to each Turkish line. But the Commander of the Greek Forces, the English admiral Thomas Cochrane wanted an all out attack against the Turks, despite the protests of Karaiskakis [7].
The day before the all out attack, in 22 April, a small skirmish between Greek and Turkish forces begun, which became a full scale battle. When Karaiskakis, riding his horse, went to see what was happening, he was shot (no one knows by who. Some say by the Turks, others by friendly fire and others that the British had him killed) and died. In 24 May Athens surrendered to the Turks. Karaiskakis is now remembered in Greece as a national hero.
Sources:
[1]: Σπ. Τρικούπης, Ιστορία, Chapter 4, page 118
[2]: Αρχείο Καραϊσκάκη, page 82
[3]: Χριστόφορος Περραιβός, Πολεμικά Απομνημονεύματα, pages 80 to 89 - Χρ. Βυζάντιος, Ιστορία, pages 137 to 160
[4]: Δ. Αινιάν , Ο Καραϊσκάκης, pages 49 to 81 - Χριστόφ. Περραιβός, Πολεμικά Απομνημονεύματα, pages 262 to 289
[5]: Γ. Χαρίτος, Η μάχη της Αράχωβας, pages 62 - 63
[6]: K. Παπαρρηγόπουλος, Γεώργιος Καραϊσκάκης, page 102
[7]: Ν. Κασομούλης, Ενθυμήματα, Chapter 2, page 474
Other Sources:
1) Διονύσης Τζάκης, Γεώργιος Καραϊσκάκης, pages 79 to 106
2) Wikipedia for links of locations.
