184 
TURKEY. 
usually made before entering the field, than they mutinied, 
threatened the life of their commander, and after committing 
numerous excesses, withdrew to their respective homes. 
Even Yusuff’s tent was not spared on this occasion, while he 
himself only escaped by embarking and flying to Patrass 
with a few of his attendants. The cause of this mutiny 
and desertion was afterwards traced to Omer Vrioni, who 
had become jealous of Yusuff’s military fame, and de¬ 
termined to strip him of all means of co-operating with 
Mustapha in the present campaign. He accordingly suc¬ 
ceeded in persuading the Albanians to join hisown standard, 
and took post at Lepanore, to the right of the Acheron, 
with four thousand men. On reaching Patrass, Yusuff Pacha 
sent a body of troops to be landed at Crionero, not far from 
the position of Marco Bozzaris, with orders to attack the 
Greeks in flank. Apprised of their landing, the Souliote 
chief fell on the Turks, and having either killed or taken 
prisoners more than two thirds of the whole number, the 
rest were glad to escape to their boats. 
Hearing that a division of two thousand men was ad¬ 
vancing on the side of Valtos, Bozzaris sent a detachment in 
that direction to prevent their approach, while he himself 
determined to dispute the entrance, of Mustapha Pacha into 
Acarnania. To effect this important object, it became ne¬ 
cessary to undertake an extraordinary forced march, which 
enabled him to reach Carpensia in time to prevent the con¬ 
sequences that must have followed a sudden invasion by 
Mustapha. The enemy’s army reached the frontier of 
Acarnania on the 19th of August, and encamped on an ex¬ 
tensive plain near the above place; it amounted to fourteen 
thousand men, while the Greeks could with difficulty collect 
two thousand. Undaunted by such fearful odds, Bozzaris 
addressed his companions, and having drawn a flattering 
picture of the glory which awaited those who took a part 
in the intended attack, as well as the service they were about 
to render Greece, the hero called upon those who were ready 
to die for their country to stand forward. The call was an¬ 
swered by. four hundred men, chiefly Souliotes, who ac¬ 
cording to the ancient practice of Souli, when they are 
determined to conquer or die, threw away their scabbards, 
and embraced each other. Having selected three hundred 
to act immediately about his own person, Bozzaris directed 
that the remainder of the troops should be formed into three 
divisions, for the purpose of assailing the enemy’s camp at 
different points, while he penetrated to the centre with his 
own chosen band. 
Every thing being prepared by midnight on the 19th, 
Bozzaris set forwaid closely followed by the sacred battalion, 
while the three Stratarchs or minor chiefs, destined to make 
their attack at separate points, also proceeded to their sta¬ 
tions. Bozzaris was enabled to advance by addressing the 
Turkish sentinels in the Albanese language, and telling them 
he came with reinforcements from Omer Vrioni. On reach¬ 
ing the centre, he sounded the bugle, upon which the attack 
commenced on every side. The enemy, either unprepared 
or panic struck, fled in all directions.while those who resisted, 
frequently mistook their comrades for enemies, perishing by 
each other’s hands. While dealing death around, and en¬ 
couraging his companions to profit by so favourable a 
moment, the voice of Bozzaris was recognized, and just as he 
had ordered the chief pacha to be seized, a ball struck him in 
the loins: though the wound was dangerous, he concealed it, 
and continued to animate the men, until wounded a second 
time in the head, when he fell, and was borne from the field 
by a party of soldiers. Notwithstanding this disaster, the 
struggle was maintained with the utmost spirit till daylight, 
at which time the Greeks saw themselves undisputed masters 
of the field. While the loss of the infidel army could not 
be less than three thousand men, that of the Christians was 
only thirty killed and seventy wounded : of these about half 
were Souliotes. 
On discovering the loss of Marco, the eyes of the Greek 
chiefs and soldiers were immediately turned on Constantine, 
the hero’s elder brother, who was named his successor with 
acclamation. When he had paid the last sad duties to the 
manes of his departed relative, a-party of Souliotes were sent 
to convey the body to Messolunghi for sepulture, while the 
remainder of the troops, headed by their new leader, took 
up a position, whence they could watch the future move¬ 
ments of the enemy and prevent his advancing. 
The Capitan Pacha’s fleet, which had arrived in the waters 
of Patrass about the middle of June, enabled him to declare 
Messolunghi and every"other port possessed by the Greeks, 
in a state of blockade, though he had neither the courage 
nor energy to enforce it. 
Emmanuel Tombasi, the Flydriot admiral, being supplied 
with a body of fifteen hundred men, and a small squadron, 
proceeded to Candia early in June. Landing near Kisamos 
on the 6th, he ordered the ships to blockade the port, while 
he should attack the town by land. A proposal was, how¬ 
ever, first made to the Turkish garrison to capitulate, and 
they agreed to accept it; but on hearing that the Capitan 
Pacha was at sea, they retracted, and broke off the parleys 
which had commenced. Being soon after attacked from 
two batteries, which were mounted under the direction of 
Mr. Hastings, who accompanied the Captain General as 
head of the artillery, the Turks were glad to renew the ne¬ 
gotiation, and terms having been mutually agreed on, they 
embarked in their own ships next day for Canea. 
After the fall of Kisamos, Tombasi marched on to the 
district of Selinon, in the chief town of which the Turks had 
shut themselves up after being repulsed on all sides by the 
armed peasantry. Besides its high walls and bastions, this 
place is surrounded by thick groves of olive and plane trees, 
which render the approach extremely difficult. The Captain 
General having proposed terms similar to those granted at 
Kisamos, they were rejected, upon which batteries were 
immediately opened on the place: these had not played 
long, when the Turks fled towards Canea and were pursued 
to the very walls by a detachment of Greeks, who slew 
numbers. Master of these two points, Tombasi was enabled 
to open a communication with the various other districts 
which had been conducting the war before his arrival, and 
although it was out of his power to furnish them with those 
supplies of which they stood so much in need; yet, the 
presence of such a force as he brought with him, as well as 
the recent check experienced by the enemy, gave a fresh 
impulse to the exertions of those brave islanders, who had 
by their own gallantry sustained a most unequal contest with 
the Turks for above two years; and succeeded, without any 
assistance whatever, in driving them into the fortresses. 
With respect to the Capitan Pacha, a few Greek gun¬ 
boats were more than sufficient to set the whole of his vigi¬ 
lance and power at defiance. Having remained in a state of 
the greatest inactivity for above three months, during which 
time nearly a third of his crews were carried off by an epi¬ 
demic fever, the Turkish admiral sailed at length, and made 
the best of his way towards the Archipelago. A Greek 
squadron which left Hydra early in September, met the 
infidel fleet off Mytelene, and sent some fire-ships in among 
them, but without effect, the wind being so high that the 
Turkish vessels had time to escape. A division of them was 
attacked soon after in the gulph of Volos, and several taken 
or destroyed. The Capitan Pacha hastened back to the 
Dardanelles with all possible speed. 
The campaign of 1823 was signalised by two events no 
less advantageous to the Greek cause than they were honour¬ 
able to the Greek character—the re-occupation of Corinth 
and defence of Anatolica. Though frequently reduced to 
great distress for provisions, yet, such was the importance 
attached to the possession of Corinth by the Turks, that they 
obstinately rejected every overture to surrender, until the 
latter end of October, when there being no longer any hope 
of receiving the assistance promised by the Capitan Pacha, 
who had thrown a trifling supply into the place on the ar¬ 
rival of the fleet, a proposal was made to Staico of Argos, 
who had maintained the blockade ever since he had led the 
assault of the Palamida at Napoli di Romania. This brave man 
immediately 
