Draft:Bakal Milosav

Bakal Milosav (Hercegovina, 1870 - Šabac, 1823) is mentioned in history books and songs of Serbia's War of Independence as being part of Karađorđe's army that returned across the Drina, and after that until 1813 when the resurrection was quelled by the Ottoman Turks.

Biography

Bakal Milosav was a Captain in the army of Karadorde during the First Serbian Uprising in 1804.

Born in 1770 in Herzegovina, Bakal Milosav came to Šabac in 1800. There he settled and opened a store.

On 7 March 1804 Jakov Nenadović arrived with an army at the gates of Šabac, fortified by heavy Turkish artillery and a large contingent of Turkish soldiers. Milosav left his store and joined the ranks of Jakob'army as a volunteer shortly before they attacked the Šabac fortress. The fighting continued until 20 April but the Turkish cannons kept them at bay and Jakov had to postpone the seige for another year or so.

Later, Bakal Milosav came under the command of Luka Lazarević and with him he fought the Turks for a long time, and wherever Luka went Bakal Milosav was at his side battling the enemy.n 17 January 1806 Živko Dabić with Luka Lazarević scattered the Turks at the Jadar river near Lešnica.It was at river Jadar that Bakal Milosav distinguished himself among the bravest of them all when he cut down three Turks in quick succession in a sabre fight.

During the whole period of the First Uprising (1804–13), numerous and heavy battles against the Ottomans were fought in Loznica and its vicinity. In 1810 Ottoman Turks with 30,000 soldiers seized Loznica and in the trenches were Miloš Stojićević Pocerac, Anta Bogićević, and Bakal Milosav who awaited 10,000 reinforcement. Soon, Karađorđe, Jakov Nenadović, Luka Lazarević and many other voivode arrived with their men. On 6 (Julian Calendar) or 17-18 October 1810 (Gregorian Calendar), the day of Saint Thomas Loznica was liberated with inumerable Turkish casualties in that fateful Battle of Loznica.

Bakal Milosav continued to live in the Serbian encampments around the Drina and in 1810 he was in besieged Loznicaalone where he emerged "on a big horse" and "dispersed the Turks".

In 1813 the Serbs managed to drive the Ottomans across the river Drina, at which time the Ottomans reoccupied Loznica. It was then that Bakal Milosav left for Srem and after two years (1815) came back to Macva where he rose the common folk to call of arms against the Turks and at Dublje he was in the heat of battle.

Later in 1818 it was recorded that Miloš Obrenović sent Bakal Milosav disguised as a [[Tatar] to Constantinople where he found employment in the headquaters of the Sublime Porte since he spoke fluent Turkish. Bakal Milosav was resposnsible for negotiating the release of 70 Serbian and Russian prisoners-of-war who were incarcerated in 1813.

He died in Šabac in 1823. He was 53.