Battle of Vergas

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The battle of Vergas was fought between Maniots and the Egyptians under Ibrahim Pasha. On the 24th of June 1826 the Egyptian army had made it up to Verga in Mani.

Most of the Maniot men had assembled at Verga under the command of Petros Mavromichalis to keep the Egyptian offensive at check. Ibrahim had supressed most of the revolt and now swept south to finish off the Maniots who inhabited Mani.

Ibrahim first attack at the Maniot posistion ended in a disaster with his forces being repelled with heavy casualities. After a few days of fighting, Ibrahim saw his chance of taking the Maniots from the rear. He sent 1,500 men to land at Diro and to advance north and take thw Maniot army from behind.

Since most of the men had gone to Verga, Diro was only inhabited by women. The night of the landing the Egyptian camped at Diro. During the night, the Maniot women came out of hiding in the hills and dressed in black and armed only with scythes crept into the Egyptian camp and fell upon the sleeping Egyptians. When the Egyptians saw the women they thought they were devils and panicked. The Egyptians fled to their ships and sailed back to Verga having lost 1,000 men. When Ibrahim heard the news he retreated from Verga and returned to his base it Messenia.