Бягай с усмивка Бягай с усмивка
Научавайки за формирането на трасето на Ботевия път ще се опитаме да представим накратко и бойния път на Ботевата чета, за да можете да оцените още повече местата, през които ще премине благотворителната ни инициатива “Бягай с усмивка”.
Априлското въстание избухва на 20 април 1876 г. Пламнали Батак, Перущица и Клисура. За него бързо се чуло в Европа, отекнало и в сърцата на хъшовете във Влашко – поробена България зовяла “на оружие”. Въпреки че не участвал пряко в подготвянето на всеобщото въстание от Гюргевския революционен комитет, Христо Ботев подкрепял идеята за вдигане на народа в България, което да е подкрепено от чети, идващи отвън. Той започнал подготовката на чета, която да се прехвърли в родината и да действа в района на Враца. Бързо били закупени униформи и оръжие с пари събрани и изпратени от Врачанския революционен комитет и от българите от Румъния и Бесарабия. Самата чета имала разнороден състав – от млади и неопитни до участвали в българската легия в Белград и стари хъшове и комитетни дейци. Според плана четата трябвало да се прехвърли в България с параход, като разпределени на малки групи четниците щяли да се качат от няколко крайдунавски града в Румъния.
На 28 май Христо Ботев се качва на австро-унгарския кораб “Радецки”, а групата е преоблечена като градинари. В ранната утрин на другия ден от пристанището на Турну Мъгуреле се качила и нова голяма група четници начело с Никола Войновски – петата голяма група “градинари”, които щяли да пътуват на “Радецки” след тези от Браила, Олтеница, Гюргево и Зимнич. Последвало и нова група в Корабия и Оряхово. В Оряхово се качили врачаните Стефанаки Савов и Саво Петров, които предали новините от Стоян Заимов, че въстанието във Врачанския окръг ще бъде готово едва след няколко седмици. Четата трябвало да отложи преминаването си през Дунава, но след кратко съвещание Христо Ботев заявил, че революционната ситуация вече била създадена и връщане назад няма, като среща подкрепата на четниците. Последното пристанище, на което се качили четници било в Бекет, на което се качва и Никола Обретенов със знамето на четата.
Корабът приближавал Козлодуй и мнимите градинари вече влезнали в истинската си роля – сложили униформите си, нарамили пушките. Операцията по завладяването на парахода била ръководена от Никола Войновски. Първоначално капитанът на “Радецки” Дагоберт Енглендер отказал да стовари четата на българския бряг, а предлагал това да се случи в Румъния или Сърбия. Тогава Христо Ботев му връчил писмо на френски, което било преведено на немски от Давид Тодоров на капитана. Не му останал друг избор освен да се подчини.
At the Kozloduy shore the detachment was met by two Turkish border officials. The Turkish intelligence had already grasped that there was some agitation among the Bulgarian immigrants. Botev had the idea to deceive them - a small group was to make an attempt to reach Tutrakan and in the mean time, the whole detachment to be able to get off in Kozloduy. Out of the two officials one was killed and the other ran to the near village and informed the others about the arriving of the armed group.
The first disappointment for Hristo Botev was to be in the center of Kozloduy. There he invited the locals to join the detachment and to fight for the liberation of Bulgaria - just two boys showed their eagerness - the teacher from Kozloduy Mladen Pavlov and Georgi Kataradzhiyski from Oryahovo.
The detachment headed on its glorious path. It had to go through the Danubian Plain which was inhabited by many new settlers - Circassians and Tatars, who had come in support of the Ottoman Turks, as well as Romanians who had crossed Danube. The first stop of the detachment after Kozloduy was Mateev Geran where they had a short rest. From there the locals guided them along the Miziya road - the old and shortest connection between Kozloduy and Butan. In Butan Obretenov and Apostolov had founded a revolutionary committee, but again - no local joined the detachment. They stopped by the Popovo Hanche, where some villagers provided them with food, and where three volunteers joined.
In the first night the detachment took on the old road between Butan and Borovan, and not on the newly built by Midhat Pasha road between Vratsa and Oryahovo. The revolutionaries had to cross over the Barzina River, but the turbulent waters had broken the old bridge and that is why they had to head for the Garbav Most (the humped bridge). That was the place where the group was first attacked by the Circassians, but they managed to fight them back and to continue on their way. At midnight the detachment reached the village of Dobrolevo. Once again no local joined them.
The main aim of the detachment on the road to the Vratsa Balkan was Borovan. There a revolutionary committee was founded in which 200 people had been enlisted and they had to join the detachment. Again, to the disappointment of Botev and his comrades, no one joined.
In the meantime the Turkish authorities had already been informed about the movement of a big armed group. And while the attacks in Borovan had been by small groups of Circassians, from now on they had to face a bigger and more organized opponent. The detachment reached the village of Banitsa, and in order to avoid being met, they climbed a hill nearby - Milin Kamak. There the first real fight of the detachment took place. More than 30 people from the group died, but the Turkish army was fought back.
In the dark night the detachment set for Veslets. Initially they divided to two groups - one led by Botev and David Todorov and the other - by Voynovski and Stefanaki Savov. In an ambush was killed David Todorov and soon the two groups merged together. Tired and with a lot of injuries they had to reach Veslets as quickly as possible. There, for the first time, the detachment was able to have a good rest to receive food from the locals. However, until the late afternoon, there were no news for an uprising in Vratsa. Suddenly, the devastating message was received - the town was blocked by Circassians and Bashi-bazouks (the irregular soldiers of the Ottoman army).
The plan had to be changed quickly - the detachment headed not towards Vratsa, but towards the Balkan above it. On their way the revolutionaries stopped at the Kostelevo Bridge. There they were meant to be met by Mityo Spahiycheto and 200 other volunteers from the Iskar Region. And, once again, there was no one to await them. The group continued along the shore of the Kostelevo River, crossed the Vratsa- Mezdra road and via a tight and stony patch headed up in the Vratsa Balkan.
The detachment stopped to take a rest by the Leskovo well, where they were joined by a group of watchers who communicated to them alarming news. Circassians were climbing up from Pavolche to Vola, the Bashi-Bazouk were right behind the detachment, and from Zgorigrad was coming the regular army of the Ottoman Turks. The group led by Voynovski climbed on the Kupena Peak, and that by Botev - on the Kamara Peak. The Circassians were kept at distance and had to make a new attempt, this time from Okolchitsa. The Turkish horn signaled the way back and quicky started leavinging the unknown parts of the mountain, and on a camp left only the regular army.
Ботев заслизал от Камарата към долината на Йолковица. С него били и членовете на щаба – Перо, Обретенов и Апостолов. Решили да спрат и да обсъдят бъдещето на четата. Перо и Апостолов били на мнение, че четата трябвало да продължи на изток и през Средна гора да се притече в помощ на горящата Тракия. Ботев и Обретенов настоявали четата да се прехвърли в Сърбия, защото четата вече била изпълнила своята задача с пленяването на “Радецки” и с успешните боеве при Милин камък и във Врачанския Балкан. Докато защитавал тезата си, проехтял изстрел, след който Христо Ботев се свлякъл в ръцете на своите бойни другари. Вечерта на 1 юни 1876 г. България загубила един от най-свидните си синове и борци за свобода.
After the death of Botev, the headquarters reached the detachment and communicated the sad news. All the people were heartbroken, after several hard days it dispersed into smaller groups which had only one aim - to save themselves. All of the groups headed south towards the Iskar River, because this part of the Balkan was relatively free from enemies.
The main part of the detachment went towards Rashov Dol hidden under the rocks of Lyutibrod, right in front of the Cherepish Monastery. That was the location of the last organized fight of the Botev detachment. The Ottoman Turks surrounded the sheep pen in which were hiding the Botev revolutionaries. Soon the shots stoped and in the pen were found 12 bodies - ten of them were of Botev revolutionaries and two - of local shepherds. The heads of the revolutionaries were cut and put on poles and then were taken to the village of Skravena near Botevgrad - 10 of them were buried there and 2 - in the nearby village of Gurkovo.
The revolutionaries who managed to run away gathered in Zverino. The locals helped them to cross over Iskar and from there they headed along Stara Planina - two of them were killed in the nearby village of Opletnya, and Voyonovski met his end in the Troyan Balkan above the village of Chiflik. As a result, 130 Botev revolutionaries gave their lives for the freedom of Bulgaria and drew a bloody line on the Road to Freedom from Danube to Stara Planina.
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