On Sunday 8 June 1824, all the stakeholders of the island came together at the church of Saint Nikolaos and finally decided that they had no other recourse, but defence on land, so they took a “Leonidian decision to fight the enemy for all”. They transferred the cannons of their ships to the positions they thought were appropriate, their goal being to either win the enemy or die fighting.
The island’s military power reached 3,000 men. Among them, 1,300 were from Psara island, and saw 15 enemy vessels approaching their island with a frigate, so as to observe and identify the situation. When they approached the cape of Saint George, Kanaris received the order to attack with his fire ships. The enemy reconnaissance ships hastily drew away, along with the frigate, onboard which was Hüsrev Pasha. The next day, the Psariots notified the government and the naval powers, asking once more that the fleet, as well as provisions, ammunition and gunpowder, should be sent immediately. This was the last request of Psara for help, to no avail.
On 20 June 1824, the enemy fleet had deserted Sigri, heading to Psara. The next day, the first attempt of the enemy army to debark failed, due to the large number of defenders. Finally, Hüsrev Pasha managed to seize the city and ordered his troops to capture Palaiokastro. It should be noted that, from the beginning of the Revolution, Palaiokastro had been fortified by the Psariots who demolished the surrounding walls of two churches and used them to construct a 5-metre high wall, transforming the location into a real fortress.
On the night of 21 to 22 June 1824, the enclosed Psariots had no illusion: that was the last day of their lives. The Sultan’s order was for Psara to be destroyed. From the 7,000 inhabitants of the island, 4,000 were killed. The flag raised in the evening of 22 June 1824 on Palaiokastro was set on the ashes of the island. After the destruction of mighty Psara, a naval power was gone, breaking the spirit of the islanders of the Aegean.
The inaction of the government, by not sending ships on time, as well as the incomplete organisation of the island’s defence, due to the weakening of its fleet, were key factors for the destruction of Psara.
The historical event of the destruction of Psara by the Ottomans is vividly described by Dionysios Solomos in his poem “The destruction of Psara” (1825), who personified the Glory that honours the deceased Psariots in a scene of total destruction.
#ΕλληνικόςΣτρατός, #HellenicArmy
