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

356 CROSSING THE EUPHRATES.were no doubt secured certain privileges.The population ofAsia, then very considerable, soon produced a thriving- city ineach of these locations. The choice of sites was generallyexcellent and no doubt, as to-day, corner lots were sold at apremium. Moreover, the advantage, in a military sense, ofhaving a series of garrisoned towns at no great intervals allalong his line of operations was pronounced. For there wasa constant movement to and fro along this line of couriers,reinforcements, material of war, and impedimenta of allkinds. We shall see how effective these posts were.Having founded Nicephonium, Alexander crossed andmarched into Mesopotamia, "having the Euphrates Riverand the mountains of Armenia on his left," says Arrian, —that is, his route was northerly as if towards Armida. Hetook this course, which was not an unusual one, on account ofits being an easier region to march over and having greaterabundance of forage and victuals.The country between himand Babylon on the direct road down the Euphrates, whichwas the one pursued by the Ten Thousand, had beenwasted by the Persians to impede his advance by that routeon the capital ;to march the same way.they haAnng calculated that he would attemptMoreover the heat was much moreexcessive along the plains of the Euphrates than on theuplands of the Tigris. The route down the Euplu-ates was,Xenophon tells us, naturally an exceedingly poor one for anarmy to pass over, being arid and without a sufficient supplyof breadstuffs. It may be suggested that Darius ordered thedevastationto bring Alexander towards the position he hadselected for the coy]^ (^^ grace. There is no doubt that theGreat King was eager forbattle, and was pleased when theMacedonians headed in his direction. He had this time nofear for the result.Alexander had intended to march to the point now called