After the Battle of Levidi (14 April 1821) and the defeat of the Turks, Greek camps were established in Valtetsi, Chrysovitsi and Piana, on the initiative of Theodoros Kolokotronis, to coordinate military operations aimed at the capture of Tripolitsa, the most important Ottoman military and administrative centre of the Peloponnese. It was the strategic plan of the 'Old Man of Moria' from the very beginning, which he managed, with difficulty it is true, to impose on the other chieftains. He himself went back and forth daily to the three camps, solving every problem that arose and encouraging the braves. "I slept at Valtetzi, had breakfast at Piana and rested at Chrysovitsi", he writes in his memoirs.
The Turkish surprise
The strategic importance of Valtetzi and the reinforcement of this camp posed a threat to the Turks. On 25 April 1821 strong forces coming from Nafplio attacked the Greeks. The Turkish surprise forced the defenders under Kyriakoulis Mavromichalis to withdraw, resulting in the village being set on fire. Kolokotronis, who had assumed that the Turks were heading for another Greek camp in Verveina, rushed to Valtetsi and rebuilt the camp.
For its defensive armouring, bastions (tabouria) were constructed on the hills around the village and the church and the few houses of the village that remained from the destruction of 25 April were fortified. The eastern bastion, at Chomatovouni, was occupied by Kyriakoulis and Elias Mavromichalis with the hardy Maniates, the western one by the elderly Mitropetrovas, Dimitrios Papatsonis, Ioannis Mavromichalis, Panagiotis Kefalas and other Messinians, the brothers Elias and Nikitas Flessas, Athanasios Soris and other Gortynian chieftains were placed on the northeastern bastion, while the Buraeans, Elias Tsalafatinos and Ioannis Katsanos were barracked in the village church. Kyriakoulis Mavromichalis was appointed leader of the Greek camp. At the same time, a sentry was placed at Epano Hrepa to give timely warning with smoke of the direction of the enemy troops.
From May 6, 1821, the kekhayabee of Hursit Pasha, named Mustaf, was in Tripolitsa, coming from Epirus, where his chief, commander of the Peloponnese, was fighting Ali Pasha, who had become independent of the Sultan. There he was informed of the reconstitution of the Greek camp at Valtetzi and decided to act. He aimed first to disband the camp at Valtetsi and then to suppress the revolution in Messinia and subdue Mani. Immediately afterwards he would return victorious and trophy-holding to Tripolitsa, expecting glory and honours from the Sultan.
Danger to the revolution
Mustafabeis assembled a well-equipped military corps of 12,000 men, led by expert officers. The Greek forces in Valtetzi did not exceed 2,300 men. They were poorly armed and of doubtful fighting ability. The danger to the revolution, which had been going on for nearly two months, was obvious. Mustafabeis delayed the start of operations for a few days, believing that the defenders of Valtice from their terror would surrender and not have to fire a single rifle shot. Rumours, however, had it that he was intensely in love with a beautiful chanum from the harem of Hursit Pasha and was spending "hot" nights in Tripolitsa.
Finally, just before dawn on May 12, 1821, the first and main body of the Turkish army, led by the Turkalvanian Roubis from Bardounochoria and consisting of three thousand men, headed towards the north of Balti, in order to prevent the dispatch of aid from the Piana and Chrysovitsi camps. This was followed by a second corps of 2,000 mounted and on foot heading for the Arachamites, a third which hastened to occupy Fragovrisso to cut off Valtetzi from the Berber camp, a fourth to assist the first from Kalogerovuni, and the fifth corps with 3.000 men, mountaineering guns and ammunition.
From Chrysovitsy Kolokotronis saw the smoke signals from Epano Hrepa that a Turkish army was heading towards Valtetzi, and with 800 men he rushed to the area, having also warned Dimitrios Plapoutas who was in Piana. The battle at Valtetzi, meanwhile, had flared up. Ruby and his men were trying to surround and crush the entrenched men on the eastern and northeastern ramparts. Kolokotronis, however, managed to seize a hill and began to strike at the Turks. At noon of the same day, Plapoutas also arrived, who in turn attacked them. The situation soon changed, and it was Rubis's men who were in danger of being trapped by the Greeks.
Seeing the danger that Rubis's men were in, Mustafabeis sent forces from Kalogerovuni to strike the Maniats' drum, but without success. The cannonading of the Greek positions was also unsuccessful, as the bombs either missed the target or hit Roubis' men. It was already nightfall and the battle continued stubbornly. Kolokotronis tried to give courage to the entrenched men, telling them that he expected reinforcements of 10,000 men under Petrobey Mavromichalis.
" At Valtetsi in Levidi / A ruthless blade falls..."
Late in the evening the fighting stopped, with both opponents holding their positions. In the early morning hours of 13 May, Kolokotronis broke through the Turkish cordon and resupplied the entrenched men with food and ammunition. The same evening, some reinforcements arrived from Vervaina, not exceeding 400 men, led by Petros Varvitsiotis, Dimitrios Poulikakos, Antonis Mavromichalis, Anagnostis Kondakis and Panagiotis Yatrakos.
In the morning the battle continued with the fierceness of the previous day. Characteristic are the lyrics of the popular poet Panagiotis Kala or Tsopanakos (1789-1825) "... at Valtetsi in Levidi / an unrelenting blade falls...". The attempts of the Turks to occupy the bastions failed one after another. Mustafabeis, seeing that Roubis' men were still in a difficult position and being informed that new Greek reinforcements from Nikitaras and Yannis Kolokotronis were imminent, ordered the retreat of all his forces.
The Greeks recovered, came out of their drums and took to chasing the Turks, who were retreating disorderly. Their losses amounted to 514 dead and 635 wounded, who were transported during the night to Tripolitsa. The Greek losses amounted to only 4 dead and 17 wounded. The Greeks also received a large amount of war material, enough to equip 4,000 men.
The battle of Valtetzi lasted almost 23 hours and was the first major victory of the campaign. Immediately after the battle, Kolokotronis excitedly spoke to the victors and, as he mentions in his Memoirs, told them, among other things, that this day should be sanctified by fasting for all and that its anniversary should be celebrated "for ever and ever, until the nation stands, for it was the freedom of the homeland". The victory at Valtetsy boosted the morale and self-confidence of the Greeks, elements that played a decisive role in the fall of Tripolitsa (23 September 1821).
Source: sansimera.gr
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