Alexander : a history of the origin and growth of the art of war from ...

COLUMN OF RETREAT. 97they could quickly quit their places without disorganizing thebody, so as to act as flankers, sally out and fall upon the barbarianswhenever they came forward to the attack. Bi'asidashimself, with three hundred chosen hoplites, formed the rearguard.So soon as the connnand to march was given, thebarbarians would begin their attacks. But there was not theslightest breach of discipline. At each onset the columnhalted, the flankers came out and they and the rear-guardmade short work of the Illyrians. The march was then resimied.After two or three attacks the barbarians found thattheir losses w^ere so severe that they had best be cautious, anda little additional punishment induced them to desist entirelyfrom direct attack. But they only shifted their ground to ambuscade.On one occasion they stole a march ahead of theGreek column toward a height at the mouth of a defile whichthe phalanx was obliged to pass, proposing there to fight theGreeks at a disadvantage. But Brasidas was constantly onthe alert. He saw the purpose of the enemy. Taking hisrear-guard quickly in hand, he put it at a dovible-quick, andheaded straight for the height ; and though the Illyriansreached the place before him, they could not form readilyenough to resist the onset of the hoplites. Brasidas drovethem away, killing a number, and seized the mouth of thedefile. The Illyrians, throughout the entire retreat, hadbeen so roughly handled that they now gave over the pursuitentii'ely. In his ascendancy over his men, and his conductunder most tiying circumstances, Brasidas may fairly becalled the prototype of Xenophon.The defeat of Cleon by Brasidas at Amphipolis (b. C. 422)further illustrates the rare qualities of this soldier. After hismarch to Macedonia and his campaign in and retreat fromlUyria, he returned to the vicinity of this city, which he hadtaken some time before. Amphipolis is on the river Stry-