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

XLVI.MUTINY. JULY, B. C. 324.The Macedonians had reached their goal. They could enjoy their hardearnedwealth. Alexander paid their debts — some twenty thousand talents —and made them valuable presents. He coupled this bounty with intermarriagesbetween his chief officers and Persian noblewomen, himself wedding daughtersof Darius and Ochus, thus uniting both Persian royal families. To the soldierswho had Eastern wives he was especially generous. All this was in the line ofhis idea of a merger of races so as to make his kingdom homogeneous. Alexanderhad long had many Orientals in the army. He had thirty thousand ofthe best youths of the East in a special phalanx. He promoted many notableOrientals to high office — as was natural and necessary. These favors to conqueredpeoples galled his Macedonians. Distrust between king and soldierhad been growing since the Hyphasis. Now, when, at a camp council in Opis,Alexander proposed to send home all disabled Macedonians with wealth andhonor, his generosity was misunderstood and met by sullen protests, as if hewere trying to get rid of the men who had helped hira conquer the world. Thisfeeling broke out into mutiny- Alexander summarily put down the outbreakwith the strong hand, and dismissing his Macedonians from his service in anaddress of wonderful power, he placed himself in the hands of his Easternarmy. This act absolutely broke up the mutinous sentiment ; brought griefand repentance ; and the ancient love came back in double measure. Confidencewas restored. Alexander had won. He was quits with the army forits refusal to cross the Hyphasis.After many years of toil and hardship, the Macedoniansnow saw an end to their venturesome campaigns ; and theking perceived that the time had come to distribute the anticipatedrewards to his faithful soldiers.Alexander was moreof a dreamer on the subject of removing national distinctionsthan on any other. From the time he conquered Egypt hismind was constantly bent on maturing a scheme to coalescehis vast empire into one mass of equal rights and privileges.