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

CAPTURE OF TARSUS. 291power to block his path. He might possibly have turned thedefile by way of Laranda, from which place were passes intowestern or Hugged Cilicia.But this was a difficult and dangerousroute, fo be avoided by all means if possible, and it isfar from improbable that these passes were not then knownto any but the native barbarians.But Arsames, satrap ofCilicia^Darius' chief officer at thispoint, made no preparation to hold these Gates. He hadprobably received no specific orders on the subject. Whenthe Macedonian army arrived in the vicinity, the Gates werefound to be beset by but a slender force.Leaving Parmenioin camp with the heavy troops, Alexander took the shieldbearingguards, archers, and Agrianians, and after nightfallessayed an attack, almost against hope, upon this formidabledefile. Why Arsames had not occupied this place in force,and why Darius had not so ordered, will ever remain a mystery.Alexander's very boldness in advancing to attack thedefile succeeded ; the small guard evidently considered itselfleft in the lurch, took to flight, and, next day, the pass havingthus fallen into his hands, the entire army filed intoCilicia. Alexander, says Curtius, wondered at his good fortune.Alexander learned on descending the mountain that Arsames,seeing that he must yield up Tarsus afterhaving lostthe Gates, intended to plunder the city beforeevacuating it.With his usual untiring activity, he led his cavalry and lightestfoot by a forced march to Tarsus, and was fortunateenough not only to anticipate Arsames by his rapid manoeuvre,but by a sudden and vigorous attack drove him into headlongretreat.The invaders had thus passed the first great rampart of theheart of Persia. The second was the range of Mount Amanus,on the farther side of Cilicia.