Alexander : a history of the origin and growth of the art of war from earliest times to the battle of Ipsus, : with a detailed account of the campaigns of the great Macedonian . hen afoot. The Persians had degenerated. The empire of the greatking is powerful from extent of territory and sum of popula-tion ; the great distances and dispersion of forces make itfeeble to whomever conducts war with promptitude. Per-sia, said Xenophon, belongs to the man who has the cour-age to attack it. No doubt Alexander had read and pon-dered this remark. ALEXANDERS PREDECESSOR. 113 Agesilaus. — Alexander
Alexander : a history of the origin and growth of the art of war from earliest times to the battle of Ipsus, : with a detailed account of the campaigns of the great Macedonian . hen afoot. The Persians had degenerated. The empire of the greatking is powerful from extent of territory and sum of popula-tion ; the great distances and dispersion of forces make itfeeble to whomever conducts war with promptitude. Per-sia, said Xenophon, belongs to the man who has the cour-age to attack it. No doubt Alexander had read and pon-dered this remark. ALEXANDERS PREDECESSOR. 113 Agesilaus. — Alexander the Great had a predecessor inthe invasion of Asia. Agesilaus, king of Sparta, in what iscalled the Sparto-Persian war (b. c. 399-394), went to theassistance of the Greek cities of Asia Minor, which had beenunjustly oppressed by Tissaphernes, the Persian satrap, fortheir share in the expedition of the younger Cyrus. Circum-stances prevented Agesilaus from finishing his labors, but heshowed the way, conceived the project, and no doubt Alex-anders own more gigantic imagination benefited by what hedid, as his spirit of rivalry urged him on to exceed evenCyrus in his Route of Ag-esilans, b. c. 396-394. Agesilaus left Sparta by sea with eighty-three hundredmen and six months victual, and landed at Ephesus. Hav-ing adjusted, with commendable discretion, the troubles ofthe Greek cities, he apparently prepared to march into Caria,where Tissaphernes had advanced to the plains of the Maean-der to meet him. But Agesilaus had no cavalry, and did notpropose to accommodate Tissaphernes with a battle on a 114 RUSE OF AGESILAUS. terrain which was particularly suited to this arm; and inlieu of advancing to Caria he directed his march into Phry-gia. His manoeu\Tes here were much to the purpose, butfinding that horse was indispensable in a campaign in Asia,he returned to Ephesus for winter quarters, and while hereraised and equipped an excellent cavalry brigade. Whenspring came Tis
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade189, booksubjectmilitaryartandscience
