THE WAR OF GREEK INDEPENDENCE 1821 TO 1833 BY W.ALISON PHILLIPS 1897

OTTOMAN ASSAULT REPULSED 185
Morea, and promising the speedy arrival of further
succour. A month later the Greek watchman reported
a fleet in the offing, and the hard-pressed Missolonghiots
thought that the promised relief had arrived. Their
joy was, however, premature;
for the fleet turned out
to be that of Khosrew Pasha, who brought Reshid
much-needed supplies, and, above all, large stores of
ammunition.
sent from Patras a flotilla
At the same time, Yussuf Pasha had
of flat-bottomed gun-boats
for use in the shallow waters of the lagoons, and these
Reshid now used to sieze the islets off the shore, and
to invest the town by sea as well as by land.
Every fresh advance of the besiegers, however,
only seemed to raise to a higher pitch the courage and
determination of the defence. The town was now
exposed to a hail of shot and shell, which speedily reduced
it to a mass of ruins. On the 23rd of July a
bombardment more violent than usual seemed to
herald a general attack. On the 28th a mine exploded
under the bastion Botzares, and the Turks advanced
into the breach.
Twice they planted the banner of the
Crescent on the summit of the ruins, and twice they
were hurled back into the ditch.
For that day they
gave up the attempt.
On the 1st of August, and again on the following
day, they renewed their efforts to storm the town, but