|
It was agreed that final decision should
be made on "Cveti" (Serbian Ortodox holiday), when
there was always the Great National Diet in the village of
Takovo and when there were always many people from all the
parts of Serbia. The preparations for the Rising were kept
secret and at the beginning the agitation was mostly among
the people of Rudnik, Cacak, and Kragujevac Districts.
Embittered by the Turks people couldn't even wait until "Cveti"
. So on April 8th Arseije Loma chased the Turkish extortioners
off in Jasenica, and on April 10th Jovan Obrenovic, Simo Pastrmac
and Blagoje from Knic killed a tax-collector in Konjusa village.
All these events could be considered as some kind of beginning
of the Second Serbian Rising.
By the Great National Diet in Takovo
the masses had already been prepared. When Milos arrived in
Takovo he could see that both the old and the young were ready
for the Rising. In 1815 on April 11th (Sunday) after the service
in Takovo church had been finished Milos came out in front
of the masses, he climbed one big rock and started talking:
" Listen to me my brother. Hear to this all the Serbs,
the old and the young, men and women, all of you who came
here today. Those who are not here now, should be told and
every one should understand well and well remember forever
the words I am going to say now. If you have me with you and
if you want to have me in a command for the general cause
and for our native soil and if you wish all our efforts to
be successful, you should say it all as one, in front of this
House of God. You should take an oath in front of this holy
altar that you take on your own souls everything that can
come up from this calamity and suffering; and I want you to
promise me and give me the full power and free will that I
can command to any one of you and tell me that I can punish
everyone who wouldn't listen or who would do something wrong".
Having heard his speech they all cried
as one man:
" All to our souls, our necks, our cheeks . . . ."
Then they all kissed Milos' hand and wished him success.
After this in Crnuca, where many people were gathered, Milos
put his most ceremonious attire, took the flag and got out
of the house saying:
"Here I am and you shall have the war with the Turks".
That is how The Second Serbian Rising started. And then, as
nobody know how many times before, people raised again and
took the hidden weapons from tree holes and stamps and they
began a new struggle that would bring them freedom desired
so much.
One of the most important battles conducted during the Second
Serbian Rising was the battle on the hill called Ljubic near
Cacak.
Milos himself, his brother Jovan, Milic Drincic with his fighters
from Takovo region, Lazar Mutap and many others took part
in that battle. At one critical moment, headman Milos' wife
Ljubica came to the battle field which encouraged the insurrectionists.
Tanasko Rajic was killed on Ljubic, defending his cannons
bravely. The victory on Ljubic and in Cacak was the crucial
one in the Second Serbian Rising.
|