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

380 DANGER TO THE LEFT.While Alexander was heading his wedge for the Persiancentre, and the cavalry of the right was charging home uponthe Bactrians and Scythians of Bessus, the Macedonian lefthad been almost fatally compromised. Into the king's wedgehad been thrust the brigades of Coenus and Perdiccas, andthe rest of the phalanx as far as the right of Simmias hadtried to follow the movement to protect its flank. The latterbrigade and that of Craterus, however, could not join in theking's forward movement, for Parmenio was hard pressed,and needed every man he could collect.The scythed chariotshere may have won more success than on the right. Itis not stated. But the cavalry on the Persian right wasalready moving out to attack the Macedonian left, and thetroops in the Persian right centre were moving forward.These causes had operated to keep Parmenio from secondingthe king. He had remained in situ to resist these threateningattacks. Thus Alexander's maricBuvre, as masterly as itwas pregnant with promised victory, had produced a gap inhis own line which Parmenio, occupied with the serious onslaughtof Mazseus, had been unable to fill.Plere was a grievous danger. There was no lack of ablegenerals on the other side, and perceiving the chance, a partof the cavalry of the Persian right wing (said to be Parthiansand Indians, together with some Persians, though theseare not elsewhere mentioned as being in this part of the field)had left the line and headed straight for the gap, had riddenclean through the opening, had thrown the Macedonian leftinto the utmost confusion, and had actually reached the campand baggage in the rear, before any means to arrest theirswinging charge could be devised. The Thracian foot foughtstubbornly at the gate of the stockaded camp, but many ofthe prisoners rose and attacked them in the rear. The enemy'scavalry released many others, who at once flew to their