On May 30, 1876, Hristo Botev's troop repelled Circassian attacks with Pie. In the area of Milin kamak fought his first heavy battle. In the evening, the squad manages to break through the ring and heads towards Mount Veslets.
On top of "Milin Kamak” is the bloodiest, but also the only battle won by Hristo Botev's squad.
On May 17/29, 1876, Hristo Botev's Chetniks disembarked from the Austrian steamship “ Radetsky” on the Kozloduy coast under order and with a flying flag.
They kissed their native land and swore to give their lives for its liberation.
This reminds of club "Patriarchy" Assoc. Dr. Petar Nenkov.
The squad, at the head of the vanguard, under the command of the military leader, the lieutenant in the Russian army Nikolay Voynovsky, went on a march. First, she stopped in the village of Kozloduy, where she dispersed a group of Circassians, procured several horses for the voivode and his staff, and took eight cars for the improvised convoy.
From the village of Kozloduy, the local teacher joined the squad – Mladen Pavlov from Vidin.
At 2 p.m., she left Kozloduy and reached Butan village by evening. There, the Chetniks used the carts to build a bridge over the flooded Ogosta River and cross to the other bank.
Continuing on their way, they came to the Rahovo - Vratsa road and cut the telegraph connection. During the night, the platoon continued its movement in marching order with strict security measures. The squad was led by a vanguard of 30 – 40 people, and the main forces moved in two columns on both sides of the improvised convoy.
So the platoon was ready to fight in the event of a sudden enemy attack. Moving with such security measures, the troop respected a group of Circassians who occasionally opened fire on it, but did not dare to approach it.
Passing by the village of Altimir, at midnight the insurgents entered the village of Borovan, where they suffered their first disappointment.
400 insurgents were to join the squad here. However, only one left with them.
The detachment continued its movement on the road to Vratsa and dawned on May 18/30 at the Ohoden bridge, 25 kilometers from Vratsa. When the detachment approached the village of Banitsa, it was attacked by Circassians and Bashibozuk. The enemy, about 200 men, appeared on both sides in the rear.
This was the platoon's first battle with the enemy. Aware of the real danger of encirclement, Nikola Voinovski ordered the vanguard to occupy the lofty Banin peak and open fire on the enemy.
Thus it enables the main core to climb the eastern part of the Milin Kamak hill and from a convenient position to receive paint.
At the same time, a decision was made to continue the march to the Balkans as soon as possible. Until noon, the Chetniks prepare individual cover for defense, positioning themselves in three rows one above the other.
The first attack was launched around 1:00 p.m. by the Bashibozus from the village of Mramoren against the eastern positions of Botev's detachment.
The area is too open, and for many Chetniks this is the first firefight in their life, so both attackers and defenders suffer significant losses, but the enemy is repulsed.
The Bashibozuk from the village of Banitsa also advanced towards the vanguard positions on Banin peak.
An hour after the start of the battle, instead of the expected help, two regular Turkish troops arrived from Vratsa and opened fire with their long-range rifles and two cannons from a distance of about a kilometer.
The Chetniks have no chance to return fire, as their rifles cannot fire at such a distance. They suffer serious losses.
At the very first direct attack, however, the enemy was scattered with well-organized shooting. By the evening, the Chetniks repulsed two more fierce attacks by the asker and the bashibozuka.
The fight lasted throughout the day. About 30 Chetniks died in it, including the squad's standard bearer Nikola Simov - Kuruto and priest Sava Katrafilov - a member of the squad's headquarters.
The detachment's flag was taken by Dimitar Stefanov - the Cossack from the city of Sliven, who took the oath by kissing the handle of the flag, splashed with the blood of Nikola Simov.
At night, the detachment managed to sneak between the Turkish posts and, divided into two groups, headed for the higher Veslets mountain ridge...
When crossing the Vratsa - Oryahovo road, they encountered a mounted Circassian detachment.
During the ensuing shootout, Botev's advisor, David Todorov from Vratsa, 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“:
„This he said, and ran through the thick grass with his horse straight towards the enemy on the right side of the road, twirling his saber around his head, which glittered in the morning sun. A hail of bullets rained down on him, hitting the ground and throwing up the grass roots. On the order of N. Voynovski, who had been withdrawn from military work, two horsemen set out to bring back the voivode, who, apparently dying, went to expose himself.“
Although the expected help from Vratsa never came, the Chetniks managed to repel the attack. The flag was taken by Dimitar Stefanov – The Cossack, who, kissing, swears to defend him even at the cost of his life. In addition, the detachment loses all its horses along with the caravan.
The first official celebration of the feat of the Boteva Cheta was in 1901 - 25 years after the heroic events. Then a group of comrades, militiamen and a few Botev Chetniks gathered on the Kozloduy beach, who set off on the way of the troop.