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

XXXIV.THE JAXARTES. SUMMER, B. C. 329.Alexander now marched on Cyropolis, near the Jaxartes, the farthest pointattained by Cyrus in his conquests. In one of his mountain battles he wasagain wounded, but still continued his activity, carried in a litter. Arrived atthe Jaxartes, Alexander founded another namesake town on its banks.He wasansdous to make this section of his kingdom self-governing, but his efforts iuthis direction were misunderstood, and an uprising ensued.Alexander took thematter sharply in hand, moved against and destroyed seven cities, to which therebels had retired. But he was again wounded by a sling-stone. He thencrossed the Jaxartes, and defeated the Scythians in so marked a manner thatthey were glad to make a permanent peace.This was a happy outcome, forall Sogdiana was now in open revolt in his rear, and Alexander had got himselfinto the most dangerous situation he ever occupied.Alexander marched on Cyropolis (not far from modernKhojend), the last city of the satrapy, and named after itscelebrated founder. It was not far from the banks of theJaxartes (" Great River "), which Alexander mistook for andcalled the Tanais, as it was the Araxes of Cyrus.Arrian, inhis narrative, frequently strays off into geography. In thishe is often and naturally inaccurate. But his own errors,though committed centuries later, help us to understand thoseinto which Alexander still more naturally fell. His incompleteknowledge, however, by no means interfered with theking's taking advantage ofevery natural and artificial meansfor attack, defense and permanent occupation.Hereabouts, in crossing some passes in the Scythian Mountains,through which ran the road from Maracanda to Cyropolis,one of the Macedonian foraging parties, having lost itsway in the defiles, was ambushed and cut to pieces by the