Despite his recognition by the Ottomans, he attacked the Ottoman army retreating from the failed first siege of Missolonghi in early 1823, that tried to cross the Agrafa area at the pass of Agios Vlasios. When Mustafa Pasha Bushatli, the Pasha of Scutari, arrived at Larissa in 1823, he ordered Karaiskakis to come before him and reaffirm his loyalty in person, rather than through a representative as was usual. Instead, Karaiskakis although heavily ill, left Agrafa with about 300 men and made for Prousos Monastery. There he stayed to recuperate, while his men joined Markos Botsaris' Souliotes, and eventually fought with them in the Battle of Karpenisi. As his health did not improve, Karaiskakis left for Ithaca, then ruled by the British, to consult with local physicians. In his absence, Yannakis Rangos declared himself as leader of Karaiskakis' men. Karaiskakis' reputation grew during the middle and latter stages of the war. He helped lift the second siege of Missolonghi in 1823, and did his best to save the town from its third siege in 1826. That same year (1826), he was appointed commander-in-chief of the Greek revolutionary forces in Rumeli, achieving mixed results: while failing to cooperate effectively with other leaders of the independence movement or with the foreign sympathizers fighting alongside the Greeks, he gained some military successes against the Ottomans. His most famous victory was at the battle of Arachova, where his forces crushed a force of Turkish and Albanian troops under Mustafa Bey and Kehaya Bey. In 1827, Karaiskakis participated in the failed attempt to raise the siege of Athens and attempted to prevent the massacre of the Ottoman garrison stationed in the convent of Saint Spyridon in Piraeus. He was killed in action on his Greek name day, 23 April 1827, after being fatally wounded by a rifle bullet during the Battle of Phaleron. He was buried in the church of Saint Dimitrios on the island of Salamis, according to his expressed desire to be buried on the island. Honours and popular culture King Otto of Greece posthumously conferred Karaiskakis the Grand Cross of the Order of the Redeemer. Karaiskakis was famous among the fighters of the revolution for his tirade manner of speaking. Karaiskaki Stadium in Neo Faliro, Piraeus is named after him as he was mortally wounded in the area. Dionysis Savvopoulos wrote both the music and lyrics to the popular Greek song "Ode