Battle of Valtetsi

Infobox Military Conflict
conflict=Battle of Valtetsi
partof=the Greek War of Independence


caption=Kolokotronis leading his army towards Valtetsi]
caption=Kolokotronis leading his army towards Valtetsi
date=May 12 1821
place=Valtetsi, Greece
casus=
territory=
result= Decisive Greek victory
combatant1=
combatant2=
commander1=

commander2= Kehayabey Mustafa
Ruby Bey
strength1=3,000
strength2=12,000
casualties1=150 rebels dead
casualties2=600 dead

The Battle of Valtetsi was fought on May 12, 1821 in Valtetsi between the Ottoman army and Greek revolutionaries.

Background

The Greek War of Independence officially broke out on March 25, 1821. The city of Tripoli in Arcadia, central Peloponnesus, became a prime objective of the Greek revolutionary army. Theodoros Kolokotronis' task was to build an army but Greek men had as weapons only knives, spits and very few carried guns. Most of them were inexperienced because during Ottoman occupation no slaves had the right to ride a horse or to have weapons.

Only the independent warlike Maniots were experts in the art of battle. Besides them, klephtes who lived in mountains, as well as the armatoloi, who had for centuries been hired by the local Turkish authorities initially to guard the mountain passes and later for the general keeping of law and order were able to make a coherent force.

During April 1821, the initially small Greek forces in the area were slowly augmented by men from the nearby villages who declared Kolokotronis as Archistratigos, the man for overall command.

Immediately, he established armed camps near the villages of Levidi, Piana, Chrysovitsi, Vervena and Valtetsi who were former rebel's dens that now became headquarters for the preparation of the final assault against the Turkish stronghold taking advantage of the absence of Hursid Pasha (governor of Morea) who was leading a full expedition against the apostate Ali Pasha of Yanina under the Sublime Porte's special command.

Battle

On April 24, 1821, Kehayabey Mustafa, who was in charge of the Ottoman garrison, set out with a force of 4,000 men to achieve a coup de main and capture the rebel camp at Valtetsi which was defended by a small force under the Maniot leader Kyriakoulis Mavromichalis.

Initially, Kehayabey's effort would have been successful (as he managed nearly to seize the whole village) if it had not been for Dimitrios Plapoutas' unexpected arrival so as to hit the Turkish force from the rear, taking them by surprise and forcing the Ottoman armies to retreat back into Tripolis.

A couple of weeks later, a stronger combined Turkish and Albanian force of 12,000 men, under the command of Kehayabey Mustafa, was departed to destroy the Greek positions at Valtetsi on May 12, 1821. Its main section, under Rubi bey, was sent directly to assault the Greek camp now defended by 2,300 revolutionaries.

The defensive strategy was to fortify 4 tower houses in the area following the "pyrgospitia" Maniot pattern: Kyriakoulis Mavromichalis as field-commander defended the first tower with 120 men. Ilias Mavromichalis was in charge of the second one with 250 men. Ioannis Mavromichalis with 350 men commanded the third tower and the old septuagenary Mitropetrovas with 80 men stayed in the last one.

Rubi bey ordered to storm the place, while a small force was to move behind the village itself to cut off the Greeks' expected retreat to the mountain paths. He demanded the rebels to surrender their weapons but, when refused, began his full assault. The Turkish and Albanian forces managed to capture some positions including the water supply but a fierce resistance obliged them to demand for Kehayabey's reinforcements.

In the mean time, more Greeks, numbering 700 men, under Theodoros Kolokotronis, arrived and attacked the Turks on their flanks weakening their operational power. Once again, another contingent under Dimitrios Plapoutas, made a significant entrance in the battle so as to give vital support to the exhausted rebels, balancing the actions.

Against Turkish expectations, Greeks maintained their positions as the Ottoman cavalry became useless when trying to attack on rocky slopes. All Turkish and Albanian attacks were repelled and finally Rubi bey ordered retreat which turned into a route after the Greeks abandoned their defensive attitude under the fortified positions and violently counterattacked, completely breaking the enemy lines achieving a decisive and total victory and capturing huge amounts of gun pieces and materiel, mainly cannons and ammunition that would be vital for the following events.

The battle itself lasted for nearly 24 hours. The casualties were also unexpectedly heavy for the Ottoman army: 600 dead compared to the 150 dead rebels. [G. Kafentzis. "Istoria ton Neoteron Chronon". Athens: Ekdosis Chatzichrisou, 1974.]

Aftermath

The Battle of Valtetsi was the first decisive Greek victory in their struggle for freedom. Its effects were as follows:
*It proved that an organized rebel force could face and defeat the Ottoman military machine.
*It strengthened the morale and self-confidence of the Greeks, which encouraged them to continue their task to free their homeland.
*It proved that real Turkish control in central Peloponnesus remained within Tripolis' walls. [Stratiki, Poti. "To Athanato 1821". Athens: Ekdosis Stratiki, 1990.]

Kolokotronis, according to his memoirs, said to his compatriots: "We must render up thanksgivings for this day, which should be kept holy for ever, as the day upon which our Motherland achieved her freedom". [Kolokotronis, Theodoros. "Memoirs from the Greek War of Independence, 1821–1833". Chicago: Argonaut Publishers, 1969.]

References