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

XXIII.ISSUS. NOVEMBER, B. C. 333.Alexander had learned that Darius was awaiting him on the plains ofSochi, beyond the Amanic range. He headed for the Syrian Gates, intending^to seek him, but was ignorant of, or else forgot, tlie Amanic Gates farther north.Darius, tired of waiting for his coming, advanced througli this latter defile toIssus, thus cutting the Macedonian communications. Alexander was compromised,but had the courage and ability to save his men from demoralization, andconvince them that in the narrow pass of Issus, Darius had lost that superioritywhich on the plains of Sochi he would have retained. This was, in fact, true,as the result showed. Alexander countermarclied through the Syrian Gates,and drew up in Darius' front, who lay behind the Pinarus with an army sixhundred thousand strong, of whom two hundred thousand were effective, thebalance a source of weakness. They were set up with his Greek mercenariesin the centre, where stood Darius, and the best of the cavalry on the right.The Persians proposed to turn the Macedonian left by breaking their line nearthe seashore. There was a bend in the river, which, after some preliminarymanoeuvring, enabled Alexander to advance his line back of the Persian leftcentre. Here he proposed to make his own stoutest attack. While the Thessalianhorse held Darius' right, which crossed to the attack, in check, thoughoutnumbered ten to one, Alexander with his Companions and the hypaspists onthe right of the phalanx, followed somewhat more slowly by tlie rest of thehoplites, dashed into the river, and attacked the Persian line with fury.Wherehe fought, the Persians were soon broken. But the Greek mercenaries, by asplendid rush, checked the phalanx and threatened disaster. From his adyancedposition Alexander sharply wheeled upon and took the Greek mercenariesin flank, tearing open their formation. This not only relieved the pressureon the Macedonian brigades, but opened a gap through which he cut his wayto the place where Darius stood in person. The Great King turned and fled.This was the signal of a sauve qui pent.The battle was won, and great slaughterof the Persians followed. Large treasure and the family of Darius fellinto Alexander's hands. The latter he treated with magnanimity. In this battlewas exploded in the East the reliance on mere numbers.Alexander, when inMallus, learned that Darius was atSochi, beyond the mountains in Assyria, two marches from