 As a result, early in the afternoon, the rest of the Grevena garrison set out, 600 men in total, leaving behind only a skeleton guard.The arrival of night forced the Italians to halt at the site of the earlier skirmish near the village of Agios Georgios, while ELAS mobilized every available man from Vogatsiko, Tsotyli, and Neapoli, and the local inhabitants of Siatista and the neighbouring villages flocked to assist them, raising their strength to some 600 men.Among the people flocking to the sound of the battle were also many regular and reserve officers who were not members of ELAS; some were even members of right-wing organizations such as EKA.