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

ALEXANDER'S NEW FLEET. 287sea, aucl convert them into war-ships.Antipater raised vesselsfrom Euboea and the Peloponnesus.Athens, angered atthe seizure of some of her wheat-carrying craft, declined tofurnish her contingent, but armed one hundred vessels, andentered into correspondence with the Persian king. Ilegelochus,on hearing of this, deemed it wise to release theAthenian ships which he had seized ; but he had on hand,without counting these, a goodly number suitable for thepurpose.It was as well that Alexander had decided to organize anotherfleet as it had perhaps been necessary to disband thefirst one.Not only was the ability of the Persian fleet to accomplishresults still an open question, but some of the Greekcities were by no means beyond taking active side with Dariuswhen it could be safely done. The fleet became useful fromthe very start. The first exploit of Proteas, whom Antipaterput in command, was the capture of eight out of ten triremeswhich Datames, the Persian admiral, had at Siphnus, one ofthe Cyclades ; and the appearance of a new squadron had amarked effect in forestalling an outbreak of hostility fromAthens, if not a general Greek revolt.It is natural to question Alexander's wisdom in disbandinghis first fleet. It was perhaps an error. If Memnon hadlived, it might have proved a fatal one. Alexander had apparently,by his want of ships, placed his rear in grave danger.The Persian fleet, unopposed, was sure, sooner or later, tomake a descent on Macedon. But, on the other hand, it wasnot a direct threat to Alexander's standing in Asia Minor.His presence there was the rather dangerous to the Persianfleet, by closing all the coast harbors against its vessels, which,with the scant naval equipment of that age, must land dailyfor water and provisions. And though it would seem that afleet was a matter almost of necessity, Alexander may have