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

ABILITY IN WAR. 667Arsacitlae conquered all the lands between the Indus andEuphrates, thus making a barrier to the further encroachmentsof civilization. India and the southern satrapies fellaway from their allegiance not long after Alexander's death.There only remained the provinces immediately adjoining theeastern Mediterranean.But despite the gradual and certain weakening of theinner strength of the armies, the art of war itself as taughtby Alexander did not at once disappear. It lasted as long ashis immediate successors lived. These lieutenants of his hadreceived too good an education in practical war to forget theirtrade off-hand.During the rest of the century, or until thesemen themselves had disappeared from the scene, we can tracea strict following out of the principles laid down by theirgreat master. The phalanxes grew larger. The diphalangiarchiasof eight thousand hoplites and tetraplialangiarchiasofsixteen thousand hoplites, or with cavalry and light troopssome fifteen thousand and thirty thousand strong, were notuncommon. The marshaling of the line of battle, themarches, tactical formations and evolutions remained substantiallythe same ;and Alexander's favorite attack in obliqueorder, as best shown at the Hydaspes, was not infrequentlyemployed. Generals understood how to accommodate thephalanx to the various accidents of the ground, and to makeuse of its strength and supplement its weakness accoi'ding tothe existing conditions. The various battles down to Ipsusby no means show lack of ability. In outpost and scoutingduty, and the use of light cavalry and light foot, an advancemay even be said to have been made. The strongest symptomof decadence — as above said — was the beffinnincr ofreliance on missile-throwing machines, not for their properuses at rivers and defiles, as Alexander had taught, but inbattle ; and the emj^loyment of such useless devices as elephantsand chariots.