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

RIGHT OF EXTERMINATION. 599and two iles of cavalry, against the latter place.Peitlion capturedit, and brought back all who were not slain for sale asslaves.It is common and very natural for historians to questionthe propriety of waging such wars of extermination. Andaccording to our views they are not justifiable. But it mustbe remembered that Alexander lived m an era when humanlife, as such, was not thesacred thing which the civilizationof our century has made it. Even the life of a Hellene wasof small consequence ; these barbarians were not even considered.It is not probable that Alexander ever debated thequestion of cruelty ; that it ever occurred to him that hewas trenching on theeverlasting laws of common humanity.Such a law was not at that day recognized. The exterminationof a people or the devastation of a region, as a meansof protecting boundaries from invasion, was then and hasalways been, down to this generation, within certain limits,a weU recognized military scheme. And when we look atthe ruthless cruelties of modern nations, practised after theChristian religion had been preached for fifteen centuries, itis less hard to palliate Alexander's acts, which proceeded byno means from a cruel nature, or lust of blood, or drunkenfury, as has so often been said, but which were in pursuanceof a clear and defined military policy.Nothing short of fearfulexamples would subdue thesebarbarians and semi-barbaroustribes, or deter them from rising in rebellion so soon asthe conqueror turned his back. Alexander's course was nowin retreat, as it were. He had not always time for careful systematicconquests. He must exterminate when he could notreadily subdue. And it may perhaps be said that the influenceof the trades and arts and civilization of the Greeks,which remained behind, toa greater or less extent, in everyterritory over which Alexander left a satrap, was of more