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| Vrontadian people adventurous and brave took part in all the national wars of the race and they distinguished themselves with their heroic acts.
Few of them are mentioned below : There were Vrontadian warriors between the defenders of Constantinople in 1453 and they were sacrificed with the last emperor Constantine Palaiologos. They took part in the revolution of Orlof in Tsesme's naval battle, in the ineffectual attempt of Likourgo and Bournia for the liberation of the island in 1822 and in Faviero's expedition in which they plundered a Turkish sailing-ship. By the time the horrible slaughter of Chios happened, the spring of 1822, they seized the top of mount Epos and repulsed for three days the Turkish invaders, after they had rescued many women and children. A significant milestone in the history of the place is without doubt, the liberation of Chios from the Turkish yoke in 1912. In these wars our Vrontadian ancestors lead the liberator marines up to the historic ever since mount Epos, where there were cruel battles, men and women carried munitions, food and water to fighters and the injured were carried and nursed in Vrontados. Particularly, it was 15th of April 1566 that the troops of Piali Pasha were taking Chios island. The period of Turkish domination was crippled by two unsuccessful attempts of the Chians to shake off the Turkish yoke and by the horrible slaughter of 1822. And the centuries passed, the generations were succeeded by new ones, until the great day of liberation comes. One Regiment of Foot, by the 7th Regiment's Commander Colonel Nikolao
Delagrammatika, which was composed from one battalion of the First Regiment,
another two of the 7th Regiment of the Second Division, and one Krup battery
sails for Chios with the requisitioned "Patris", "Sapho" and "Erietta"
that were convoyed by a flotilla. |
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After a naval demonstration the ships are massed in
front of the port and the commander of the naval squadron, captain Ioannis
Damianos, demands the surrender of the island.
After the refusal of the Turk governmental to give up the island, the disembarkation of the liberators starts, by boats in the area of Kontari. |
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The Turks were shooting
from the shore with boats but, after their fleet's bombing, they were
obliged to give up their positions.
The landing forces stayed overnight at Kontari waiting for the disembarkation of the battery, that was the next morning. |
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In the meantime, the night of 11 to 12 of
November the Turkish guard abandoned the city of the island and retreated to the
village Karyes, that is situated on a hillock up from the town.
So the Greek forces took the town of Chios at the 8 o' clock in the morning. By the night was also taken the village of Karyes and several areas in a plain, while the Turks had been withdrawn to more mountainous and most powerful positions. |
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After unsuccessful attempts to take these fortresses, by assaults, in the first days of Greek occupation, the Turkish guard was blockaded in the same positions and started her siege from all the sides, that lasts until 20 of December. |
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This day the Greek
forces, that in the meantime had been reinforced with volunteer corps, took
the offensive and by the night had captured the whole Turkish guard (1800
soldiers and 37officers).
All the operations that happened in Chios cost to the Greek army and to the navy thirty six dead and a hundred and sixty six injured people. Hard but really divine was, between the battles that came after, the one that took place on Epos mountain. |
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The festal first page of "PANCHIAKI",
the day of Chios liberation. |
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The historic events are marked by the seizure of Epos, which was attempted at 15th of November and was accomplished in the night hours, after the night attack of the Second Company of Foot by the captain Dimitrio Mavromichali, the platoon gun by the second lieutenant Ioanni Demesticha, the sublieutenant Nikolao Ritso and the first hero student of the Midshipmen Nautical School, a chief petty officer on probation Ioanni Pastrikaki, under the light command of the captain Aristidi Kouveli. |
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