History of the Greek Revolution by Thomas Gordon
History of the Greek Revolution by Thomas Gordon is in Georgian Books.
Georgian Books, History of the Greek Revolution by Thomas Gordon, History of the Greek Revolution Book III by Thomas Gordon
History of the Greek Revolution Book III Chapter III by Thomas Gordon
That he might arrive in the island at the head of a respectable force, the wealthiest Cretans subscribed money for the purpose of levying troops and procuring warlike stores; Tombazi himself furnished a large sum, though on very hard terms, for he stipulated that the Candiote deputies attending the Congress should recognise the debt as a public one, that he should receive a heavy interest, and be enabled to repay himself the capital, by holding a monopoly of the oil crop. After the settling of these preliminaries, the next thing to be done was the raising troops, which at first went on slowly, because Colocotroni, apprehensive of a design to wrest Nauplia from him, would not allow any recruiting in that town, the resort of all idle soldiery in Greece. Indeed Tombazi did not seem anxious to enter on his command, until he saw what turn politics were likely to take subsequently to the conclusion of the assembly of Astros. He then made preparations in earnest, hired shipping, and getting permission from Colocotroni to set up bayraks in Napoli, enrolled about 1200 men, including Roumeliotes, Moreotes, a corps of Bulgarians, attracted to Greece by love of adventure and hatred to the Turks, and a company of Kranidiotes destined to serve the artillery, which last department of the expedition was confided to the direction of Captain Hastings.
On the 29th of May the troops embarked on board a squadron composed of Tombazi's schooner, one Hydriote, and one Ionian brig, a galliot, and four mistiks1, and sailed the same evening, but being forced to lie to off Monemvasia to procure water did not reach the Bay of Kissamos till the afternoon of the 3d of June. The Turks invested in the town and castle perceiving the vessels supposed they were friends come to their relief, and sallied out upon the Greeks, who, falling into a similar mistake, retreated, until the flags became visible, when they faced about, and by a vigorous charge drove their enerniea within the place. Tombazi displayed in his measures a celerity very unusual in Grecian wartare; at the instant of his arrival, he landed the soldiers (an operation effected in half-an-hour) and in another hour and a half, his artillery, consisting of foiurteen guns (four and twelve-pounders)2, and a forty-eight-pound carronade from the schooner, was on shore, and, before night closed in, partly established in battery. He also reconnoitred the fort, followed by all his own troops, and about as many Cretans, and stood with much coolness the fire of the Turkish cannon, which, although extremely defective, could not fail to do execution amongst so dense a mass. Resolving to turn to account the impression made upon the Mussuhnans by his appearance and exaggerated ideas of his force, he sent in a letter, inviting them to capitulate on good terms, and threatening, in case of a refusal, to storm and put them all to the sword.
Note 1. Mistiks (a sort of rig admirably adapted for piracy) are long and sharp boats drawing little water, with two large latine sails, and a jigger-mast astern; they may be sailed or rowed swiftly, and carry a greet number of men, and one or more guns according to their dimensions.
Note 2. Eight of these plece, mounted on siege carriages, were a gift from Kalergi, a Greek banker at St Petersburgh; the others were ship guns.
No sooner had the Greek general put his hand to it, than with the same pen he signed an order for the contingents of Canea and Kissamos to occupy the defiles and thus intercept them, while with the Sfakiotes, Seliniote Greeks, and his auxiliaries from the continent, he should pursue and fall upon their rear. The Mohammedans marched off at three o'cIock in the afternoon men, women, children, and cattle being huddled together; by half past four Khadeno was evacuated, and two hours later Tomhazi set out in pursuit: only two individuals (the Philhellenes Hastings and Hane) refused to follow him, declaring their detestation of such treachery. Notwithstanding its probahility of success, the authors of the abominable scheme in question were disappointed, for the Turks, being on their guard, sent forward a detachinent of picked men, who turned and defeated with slaughter the Greeks in the defiles; and although continually harassed, and obliged to abandon many females and a portion of their cattle, they mostly got into Canea. They had left at Khadeno 200 sick, recommending them to the humanity of the Christians; but the latter, as soon as they were in full possession of the place, set fire to a mosque that served as a hospital, and burned or stifled them all. By his perfidy on this occasion, Tombazi entirely effaced the moral effect his conduct at Kissamos had produced, and to which he owed the easy reduction of Selino.
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History of the Greek Revolution Book V Chapter III by Thomas Gordon
In the autumn of 1824, Captain Hastings returned to London, after two years' service in Greece, bringing letters from the Executive Council, recommending the deputies to adopt a suggestion of his for equipping an armed steam-vessel. As the funds of the first loan were then nearly spent, they declined doing so; but on the conclusion of a second one, authorized Messrs Ricardo (March 5th 1825), to appropriate £10,000 to the above purpose. The vessel (a corvette of 400 tons, called the Perseverance) was well and speedily built in Mr Brent's yard; and Galloway, the engineer, undertook to provide the machinery, so that she might be ready for sea by the middle of August; but not being bound under a penalty, kept his word so ill, that she could not sail until May 1826.
Georgian Books, History of the Greek Revolution by Thomas Gordon, History of the Greek Revolution Book VI by Thomas Gordon
History of the Greek Revolution Book VI Chapter II by Thomas Gordon
For some months their hopes were fanned by the sight of merchantmen entering the port of Nauplla, and laden with coal, gunpowder, and heavy guns for his flotilla, and by the reception of successive letters from London, each positively stating that Captain Hastings was on the point of sailing in the Perseverance, and that his lordship would quickly follow. Tantalized by so many broken promises, the Greeks at last concluded that Galloway had sold them to the Pasha of Egypt, with whom they knew he had dealings, and despaired of ever seeing either Cochrane, the American frigates, or the steamers. Their ideas on this subject were confirmed in July, by a letter from Hastings, announcing, that in consequence of the Perseverance's engine failing, he had been forced to put into Cagliari, and would require six weeks to repair it. Soon afterwards they learned that Lord Cochrane was actually in the Mediterranean, on board a schooner; but as none of Iiig steam vessels were as yet nearly completedt there seemed not the most distant chance of his taking a part in the operations of the present campaign.
Towards the end of summer the appearance of the steam-vessel Perseverance convinced the insurgents that the account of armaments, so often and so pompously announced from London, was not, as many deemed it, an absolute fiction. Compelled by the defective state of his engine to go into Cagliari, Captain Hastings spent six weeks there, harassed and impeded by the dotards administering the Sardinian government: having at length completed the necessary repairs, he continued his voyage, touched at Cerigotto for information, and, on the 14th of September, steamed up the Argolic Gulf. Midnight was past, and the population of Nauplia locked in sleep, when the noise of his paddle-wheels, and the sight of a vessel advancing without sails, attracted the notice of the guards upon the wall, and in an instant the news spreading through the town, the citizens of every rank and sex rushed with shouts of joy to the ramparts next the sea1. In the morning, Hastings waited upon the Executive, and on its ratifying a deed of sale, the corvette changing her name to the Karteria, hoisted the Greek flag, and he was appointed to command her, receiving his commission as captain of a frigate. However anxious he was to distinguish himself, he had many difficulties to surmount, ere he could come in contact with the foe: most of his English crew leaving him, he was obliged to enlist Greek sailors and marines, who required training, collect coals and stores, make fresh experiments on the machine, and silence the pretensions of the Hydriotes, who would fain have interfered with his command.
Note 1. It was long before the curiosity and wonder of the Greeks could be satiated, and they circulated the most ridiculous reports of the power of the vessel. A few days afier she arrived, a peasant from Nauplia being examined regarding her, in one of the Peloponnesian camps, unblushingly affirmed with an oath to his credulous auditors, that he had seen the ship get up her steam, and fly to the top of Palamede.
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History of the Greek Revolution Book VII Chapter II by Thomas Gordon
The affair of Khaidari having demonstrated how little chance there was of Greeks being able to beat Kutahi in a general action, the European officers, consulted by Zaimis, gave it as their opinion, that the only way of raising the siege was to cut off his communications, and act in his rear with a combined military and naval force; but the government had a project of its own for seizing the Piraeus, and would hear of nothing else. According to this plan, as much opposed to the rules of strategy as the dictates of good sense, the army was divided into two bodies, Bourbacki, Vasso, and Panaighy Notaras, being instructed to assail the enemy from Eleusis, while the corps of John Notaras, that of Makriyani, the regulars, and foreign auxiliaries, should land at port Phalerus, under the nose of Reshid Pasha; the latter delicate operation the Executive committed to a Philhellene, who received the temporary rank of brigadier. Captain Hastings commanded, as commodore, the naval part of the expedition, consisting of the Karteria steam corvette, carrying eight sixty-four pounders, one Psarrian brig of sixteen, and another of twelve guns, five armed launches, and a mistik. To the brigade were attached five heavy cannon, (eighteen and twelve pounders,) four six, and six three pounders, directed by two German officers of artillery, and served by a company of twenty-five Philhellenes the gunners of the regular corps, and fifty Psarrian bruloteers; Count Porro performed with his usual assiduity the functions of intendant-general to the army of Attica. Every preparation being completed by the 2d of February, Vasso, Bourbacki, and Panaighy Notaras, assembled their troops at Eleusia; at the same time, those intended for Piræus passed from Megara into the isle of Salamis, where the ovens, depots, hospital, and magazines were established; the shipping congregated in the roadstead of Ambelaki.