Part 19 – The Smilevo Uprising

Part 19 – The Smilevo Uprising

Just prior to the August 2nd, 1903 Ilinden Uprising the Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (MRO) moved its headquarters to the village Smilevo near the city Bitola in the Bitola Revolutionary District. The move made Smilevo the Political and Military Center of Macedonia. Being the center of Macedonia however had its drawbacks. The constant movement of people, particularly during the Smilevo Congress, which was held in Smilevo between May 3rd and 7th, 1903 attracted the attention of the Ottoman authorities. Thankfully the Congress was over when an Ottoman battalion dispatched from Bitola arrived just outside of Smilevo on May 11th, 1903 and surrounded the vicinity. Unfortunately, as luck would have it, vojvoda Pareshkev Tsvetkov with 18 of his insurgents just happened to be there near the village Mogila at the time and fell into the Ottoman trap. A battle ensued and after 12 hours of fighting and numerous attempts to break the siege, the battle ended with most of the insurgents dead. Tsetkov was badly wounded and took his own life. To avoid being discovered, the MRO leadership decided to move its headquarters to the Golem Gar locality. The Ottomans meanwhile, to prevent further developments, decided to garrison Smilevo and turn it into a military and political center leaving part of a battalion there to guard it. After assessing the situation however, the Bitola Revolutionary District leadership concluded that Smilevo, despite the new Ottoman developments, was still the best place from which to continue preparations for the Uprising such as organizing defenses and shelters, storing food and clothing, hiding ammunition and running a secret hospital. Smilevo was also an ideal place from where the insurgents could keep an eye on the surrounding region in case of an enemy encirclement. In view of all these factors, the District leaders decided to destroy the Ottoman garrison in Smilevo and proclaim Smilevo and the surrounding territory “a liberated zone”, but this would have to wait until the beginning of the Uprising. Having no assistance from the outside world the MRO always relied on the local population to provide it with financial aid. In the Bitola District the MRO turned to the local population, particularly to the rich Vlach villages Trnovo, Magarevo and Gopesh for money and goods which it then used to purchase weapons from the Ottomans and Albanians who collaborated with the MRO. Just prior to the Uprising, in its preparations for combat, Smilevo assembled and trained 158 insurgents and subdivided them into six Chetas. Then four days before the Ilinden Uprising a messenger arrived with instructions and details on how to commence the attacks. All people working outside their villages, particularly those working in Bitola, were instructed to return to their homes immediately. After the District flag had been sanctified on August 1st in the fields above the village everyone was told to go home and act in their normal way in order to avoid suspicion. The next afternoon all the Chetas assembled in an area near Golem Gar and at dusk, together with the District Headquarters, came down to the villages and attacked the Ottoman garrisons. Being caught by surprise there was much panic and confusion on the part of the Ottomans as they ran for cover in nearby houses. Unfortunately the Ottomans recovered quickly and were out fighting in the streets again as the insurgents tried to contain them. In the fury of the battle the Ottoman soldiers were pushed back in the houses, concentrating in Gjorgija Churanov’s house in the center of the village, the same house in which the Smilevo Congress was held. When Damjan Gruev arrived at the scene he was disappointed not because the Ottomans had occupied the house in which the Smilevo Congress was held but because this particular house was a stronghold that could not easily be broken into. It was decided that the only way to dislodge the Ottomans from it was to burn it down. Fearing more Ottoman soldiers would soon arrive to join the battle the rebels, with permission from Churanov the owner of the house, torched the house in a hailstorm of bullets.

And thus began the Uprising in violence and flames. During the night the insurgents cut telephone lines and destroyed bridges on the Bitola to Resen road. One Cheta attacked the Bashibazuks in the village Dolnentsi while another kept the Ottoman soldiers pinned down leaving the rest to assist with the evacuation of the villagers. On the afternoon of August 3rd, 1903 more than 2,000 people from the villages were evacuated and moved to a secluded place near Golem Gar where a shelter was previously prepared for them. During the first day of skirmishes it was estimated that about 25 Ottoman soldiers were killed and two Macedonian rebels were badly wounded. Just as the people were leaving the villages, a detachment of 400 Ottoman soldiers was spotted approaching the village Obednik, about four kilometers east of Smilevo. One of the Chetas, lead by Stojan Donski, was quickly dispatched and attacked the Ottomans just as they were about to enter the village. Unfortunately, probably to spare the Cheta from being destroyed, Headquarters ordered its withdrawal allowing the Ottomans to enter the village, release the blockaded soldiers and burn down 34 houses. Fearing the insurgents would return with a larger force, the Ottoman detachment left Smilevo and went on to attack and burned down the village Gopesh. Encouraged by the August 3rd success, the next day the Ottomans dispatched another unit of soldiers and a group of Bashibazuks but this time they were not so lucky. As the Ottomans approached the village Obednik they were met by a more determined Cheta which inflicted a

catastrophic blow. It was estimated 45 soldiers died, one rebel was killed and one wounded. Following this defeat the local Ottomans abstained from attacking Smilevo again until the arrival of new troops, leaving the people in the region to enjoy their short lived freedom which lasted from August 4th to August 27th. Left free, the Macedonians in and around Smilevo continued to bolster their defenses building shelters, fortifications and digging trenches. Those from the burned villages came to stay in Smilevo and helped with the Uprising. By the time the Ottomans had consolidated their forces, the number of insurgents in Smilevo was numbering over 600. After his retreat from Gjavato, Gjorgij Sugare and his insurgents also joined the Smilevo bands. On August 14th, 1903 the Ottoman General Bahtiar Pasha with 1,200 soldiers was spotted on the move headed for Smilevo and was planning to invade the region from four sides; from the village Gjavato, Sninishta, Mramoritsa and from Slepche in Demir Hisar Region. Bahtiar Pasha initiated the invasion with an artillery barrage but given where the artillery was launched from and the position of the insurgents in the mountains it was as good as useless. Failing that Bahtiar Pasha ordered his troops to attack in waves and by the afternoon the rebels began to crack. When the situation became critical the insurgents under the leadership of Sugarev, defending the north side of Smilevo, broke through the encirclement and escaped leaving the four village Chetas to defend the village Smilevo. In Beli Bregovi, meanwhile, 70 insurgents lead by Mishe Dimov-Kjoseto armed with improvised cold weapons (pitchforks, swords and knives) attacked the enemy with extraordinary vigor. Sixty-eight of the seventy rebels were killed in that battle. But as more enemy soldiers joined the push, the insurgents began to run out of ammunition and the Chetas began to pull back leaving Golem Gar unguarded. The moment the Ottoman soldiers entered the Golem Gar camps they began to indiscriminately attack the civilian population. Seventy-three men were killed and many women and children were massacred and tortured. After the Ottomans broke through the Golem Gar defenses they attacked the village Smilevo but encountered stiff resistance from the village Chetas. The approach to Obednik also held out but only at the expense of many of the insurgents who fought to the death. But as the Ottomans continued to press even harder the insurgents retreated into the villages and barricaded themselves in the stronger houses. The battles turned into street fights as the Ottoman soldiers pursued the insurgents inside the villages. Damjan Gruev gave orders to fight to the death, to the last rebel if necessary but vojvoda Pavle Krstev objected suggesting that the insurgents would be needed to fight other battles another day. Gruev accepted the suggestion and ordered the men to pull back into the Kokjinovtsi-Gorna Maala forest. Thirty five insurgents were killed during that battle. After pulling back the insurgents decided to breach the Ottoman encirclement but were not successful on the first try. While attempting to puncture a hole at Grobot several insurgents were killed but on the second attempt at Jovarets they made it through. Sugarev’s Cheta distinguished itself during this fire fight by concentrating its attack and breaking through the blockade. No longer having a need to blockade the Smilevo Region, the Ottomans withdrew their encirclement on August 30th but maintained some presence in the area until September 3rd at which time they moved most of their troops to Demir Hisar, leaving only 200 soldiers in the village Gopesh to guard the vicinity. After breaking through the encirclement the Macedonian insurgents retreated to Bigla Mountain where they regrouped and lead an attack on the Ottomans at Sloeshtitsa on September 30th. After that 200 insurgents and their leaders returned to Smilevo but they were attacked by the Ottoman force stationed in Gopesh driving them back into seclusion at the Boishka Mountain retreat.

Another vicious battle broke out on October 3rd, 1903 near the village Tsapari where 45 more insurgents were killed. After that the MRO leadership decided it was time to disband and ordered the insurgents to hide their arms and ammunition, thus marking the end of the Smilevo Uprising.