Veterans from Moulatsi

The General State Archives as well as other historical sources mention fifteen war veterans from Moulatsi, who fought for the freedom of Greece from the Turkish occupation. Their names are as follows:

Dead
Adrianos Stam.-Theod.
Adrianos Ioan.-Theod.

Veterans
Nikolopoulos Lochagos
Georgantas Georg.-Ioan.
Dimoulos Dim.-Pavlou
Kallianotis Chr.-Panag.
Koniaris Georgakis
Koniaris Kyr.-Ioan.
Lagodimos Pavolos-Ioan.
Barbalias Andr.
Barbalias Vas.-Nik.
Panagopoulos Nik.
Papavasilopoulos Dia.-Nik.
Ptochos Nik.-Dim.
Taloumis Konst.-Nik.

Captain Savvas Nikolopoulos holds a special place among them, not only because as a chieftain he stirred up and encouraged others from his village, but also because there are more written details and documents about his actions. These rare documents are provided below.

Document no1

Original text Index
kolokotronis1 ” Mr Savvos Nikolaou, from the village of Moulatsi, in the district of Karytena, when the fight for Freedom began, took up arms and went under the leadership of Theodoros Kolokotronis and Ioannis T. Kolokotronis until 1825 in all the battles against Ibrahim and Dramalis at Trikorfa and elsewhere. For his extraordinary services I give him this document to use wherever it is necessary. 30th March 1835
Vassilis Dimitrakopoulos ”

Document no2

Original text Index
kolokotronis2 “I confirm, under the penal law set down and under the obligations of political compensation etc., that the present gentleman Savvas Nikolopoulos from the village of Moulatsi in the region of Gortynia, as soon as the national trumpet of freedom sounded, took up arms and the command of his fellow-villagers in various battles against the enemy under our leadership, those being the siege of Tripoli, the attack on Dramalis, the battle of Dervenakia and the battles against Ibrahim Pasha, with passionate fervour and desire from the beginning to the end of the revolution. As confirmation of this, I give him the present document to use wherever necessary. In Karytena, 10th July 1847
Certified, Ioannis Th. Kolokotronis ”

Document no3

Original text Index
kolokotronis3 “No. 1304
District of Gortynia
To Mr Savvas Nikolopoulos in Moulatsi
By order no S. 999 of the region of Arcadia, following order no. 16757 of the War Minister. We are pleased to inform you that his Majesty by decree 118 of the past month of September, has given you the rank of Second Lieutenant. We therefore congratulate on your promotion. Karytena, 18th October 1849.
Signature (indecipherable)”

Document no4

Original Text Index
kolokotronis4 “In Tripoli, 22nd May 1865
To the Most Respected Committee of Greek War Efforts
From the two testimonies here attached, submitted to the Committee, the first dated 30th March 1835 by the chieftain Vassilios Dimitrakopoulos, and the second dated 10th July 1847 by the undersigned Mr Ioannis. Th. Kolokotronis and of that to the receiving committee of submitted general certificates of chieftains and sub-chieftains Messrs. Ioannis Th. Kolokotronis, Nikitas Stamatopoulou, Kanellos Deligiannis, Theod. Kolokotronis and Dim. Plapoutas, the undersigned wishes the Committee to observe that he contributed during the Holy War [i.e. War of Independence], being present at many bloody battles in the Peloponnese and Attica, in command of many fellow-villagers and yet never having received the reward he should have, since the country gave me the rank of Second Lieutenant without benefiting me justly and materially. Addressing the justice of this Committee, I warmly ask them, taking into account my services, for the just and appropriate material reward, also considering that I am the head of a large family. Respectfully,
Savvas Nikolopoulos ”

 
Note of a dead man from Moulatsi in the battle of Bizanio (1st Balkan War)
Among the two soldiers who lost their lives in battle, the following note was found in the clothes of one,

“My name is Spyros Georgantas, I am from Moulatsi in Gortynia. I came from America to defend my country up to the last drop of blood. If I had a thousand hearts I would sacrifice them all for my sweet homeland. I have a watch, 35 drachmas and a chain to be sent to my mother, Mrs Georgantas, wife of Sotiris, in Moulatsi in Gortynia”