Stamatios Kapsas 1795 – 1821 The Greek Independence Hero

From the village of Kryopigi on the Chalkidki peninsula in Macedonia, he was an armatolos and an important revolutionary in Macedonia, during the Greek Revolution of 1821.

At the outbreak of the 1821 Revolution, he was a guard operating on the Mt Athos peninsula. It was he who welcomed Emmanouil Pappas – the leader of the Greek Revolution in Macedonia – when he arrived on Mt Athos in March of 1821, with his ships filled with men, weapons and ammunition.

1,000 monks were recruited into an armed force in Macedonia, while Kapsas was sent throughout Chalkidiki, to begin recruiting more fighters for the cause, where he had a great reputation in the pre-revolution years as a Klepht.

Soon, there would be a force of up to 4,000, which had been formed and ready for a revolt.

The ultimate and stated goal was to re-take Thessaloniki, operations started further south, in important sites throughout Chalkidiki, with Kapsas and his force helping to liberate several villages.

Fearful that Kapsas, who was now only 30km from Thessaloniki, in Vasilika in northern Chalkidiki and his force of some 2,000 would not only reach Thessaloniki, but be liberated by the Greeks, the Turks sent 35,000 troops and cavalry to Vasilika.

In the ensuing battle, the overwhelming superiority in numbers of the Turks swamped Kapsas and his forces.

Kapsas with his 65 direct fighters, fought to the last man and took out several hundred Turks before they were all wiped out, with Kapsas last seen charging with his sword into the enemy lines where he was killed.

Πηγή: Hellenic Patriotism