On May 30, 1876, Hristo Botev's detachment repelled Circassian attacks near the village of Banitsa. In the area of Milin Kamak, it fought its first heavy battle. In the evening, the detachment managed to break the encirclement and headed towards Veslets Peak.
On the peak of "Milin Kamak” was the bloodiest, but also the only battle won by Hristo Botev's detachment. In the early morning of May 18, 1876, the Chetniks were already on the outskirts of the village of Banitsa. Here they were met by a large group of Circassian horsemen and the military commander Nikola Voinovski ordered to take the best position on the peak "Milin Kamak".
The first fierce battle began. The enemy was supported by the regular Turkish army that had come from Vratsa. The battle lasted all day. About 30 Chetniks died in it, including the standard-bearer of the detachment Nikola Simov - Kuruto and priest Sava Katrafilov - a member of the detachment's headquarters. Late in the evening the detachment managed to break the encirclement and headed towards Veslets. At the intersection of the Vratsa - Oryahovo road they encountered a mounted Circassian detachment. In the ensuing gunfight, Botev's advisor, the Vratsa native David Todorov, was killed.
A particularly vivid description of the bravery of Botev and his chetniks at this decisive moment is given by Zahari Stoyanov in his book “An Attempt at a Biography of Hristo Botyov“:
“He said this and ran through the thick grass on his horse straight towards the enemy on the right side of the road, swinging his sword around his head, which glittered under the morning sunlight. A hail of bullets rained down on him, hitting the ground and throwing up the grass roots. By order of N. Voinovski, who had been selected from military affairs, two horsemen set out to bring back the voivode, who had gone to expose himself to apparent death.“
Although the expected help from Vratsa never came, the Chetniks managed to repel the attack. The flag was taken over by Dimitar Stefanov - the Cossack, who, kissing it, swore to defend it even at the cost of his life. In addition, the detachment lost all its horses along with the convoy.
The first official celebration of the feat of Botev's detachment was in 1901 - 25 years after the heroic events. Then a group of associates, volunteers and a few Botev's Chetniks gathered on the Kozloduy shore and set off on the detachment's path.