| Battle of Kamatero | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of theGreek War of Independence | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 First Hellenic Republic |  Ottoman Empire | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Konstantinos Bourbakis † Vasos Mavrovouniotis Panagiotakis Notaras | Reşid Mehmed Pasha | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 3,500 | 2,000 infantry 600 cavalry 2 cannons[1] | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 300[2]–500[3] | Unknown | ||||||
TheBattle of Kamatero was an armed conflict during theGreek revolution between the Greek forces under the command of the Greek ex officer of the French army, ColonelDenis Bourbaki[3] and the Ottoman forces led byReşid Mehmed Pasha. The battle ended with the decisive victory of the Ottomans on the night of 27 January 1827 (O.S.) inKamatero,Greece (nearMenidi).
In late 1826, the retired Colonel of the French armyConstantin Denis Bourbaki (Dionysios Vourvachis), after getting permission from theGreek Government inNafplio, formed a force battalion of 800-1000 men,[4][5] using his own money but also an amount that was offered by philhellenic clubs ofEurope. During the last days of 1826, the battalion landed inLoutraki[6] to strengthenGeorgios Karaiskakis army, but after government orders they moved toEleusina to helpVasos Mavrovouniotis. A few days later,Panagiotakis Notaras arrived there as well, with a force of 1200 men.[7] From Eleusina, Vourvachis and the two other chieftains, with united forces moved to Menidi, where on 22 January they prevailed in battle against the Ottomans.[8] On 26 January, the combined force of approximately 3500[1] men camped inKamatero.
The battle helped to distractReshid Pasha's forces from engaging the armies ofBritish generalThomas Gordon while they were completing their defensive fortifications on the hill ofMunychia.[3] On 27 January 1827, 2000 Ottoman foot soldiers and 600 horsemen, covered by artillery, attacked under the command of Reshid Pasha against theGreeks, who had split their forces in two. Vourvachis had lined his men on the field, while Mavrovouniotis and Notaras held positions at the foot of the adjacent mountain, a third of a mile afar.[1]
More specifically, the artillery of Reshid Pasha attacked Mavrovouniotis and Notaras, while at the same time the infantry and cavalry of the Ottomans attacked the forces of Vourvachis on the field, who formed the vanguard. Despite the resistance of Vourvachis and his men, they were defeated, especially because of the Ottoman cavalry. The forces of Mavrovouniotis and Notaras were defeated as well and were forced to a disorderly retreat, most of them fleeing to Salamis Island, while the Ottomans chased them.[2]
The battle ended in a crushing defeat of the Greek forces. From the rebels’ side 300–350[2] fighters were killed, including two French philhellene officers, the surgeon of the army and Dionysios Vourvachis, the head of whom was cut off and sent by Reshid Pasha as loot to the sultanMahmud II.[9]
According to Trikoupis, the eve of the battle there was disagreement between the leaders of the Greek army about the tactics that they should follow. Trikoupis blames Vourvachis, whileMakriyannis believes that Mavrovouniotis is responsible, arguing that placing the troops in such a weak position was his initiative.[5] Moreover, he expresses his doubts about the fighting abilities of the men that Vourvachis had enlisted.[5]