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 . the Persians would be moreliable to panic and confusion in the dark. They had thehabit of unsaddling their horses and hobbling them, and of 366 NO NIGHT ATTACK. taking off their own armor, so that they would be helplessand more easily overcome. But Alexander replied, partly foreffect, — for there happened to be others listening to the con-versation, — that it was more worthy to conquer without arti-fice, and not
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 . the Persians would be moreliable to panic and confusion in the dark. They had thehabit of unsaddling their horses and hobbling them, and of 366 NO NIGHT ATTACK. taking off their own armor, so that they would be helplessand more easily overcome. But Alexander replied, partly foreffect, — for there happened to be others listening to the con-versation, — that it was more worthy to conquer without arti-fice, and not to steal a victory. He fully understood, more-over, the dangers which beset the attacking party at night, inthe midst of a hostile population full of the enemys spies;and knew not only that unless he defeated Darius in openbattle he could not morally conquer Asia, for Darius wouldbe able again to explain away his defeat, but also that if hewere not certainly victorious, retreat would be all but impos-sible in the night, from a foe who perfectly knew the terrainof which the Macedonians were ignorant, — except merelythe path they had just pursued. He rejected the Alexander.(From Cameo in Zacharia Sagrado Collection.) XXVII. ARBELA. OCTOBER 1, B. C. 331. Darius anticipated a nig-ht attack and continued his troops under arms allnight. Having stood thus all through the previous day, they became tired andunstrung. Early in the morning the Macedonians deployed into line, Alexan-der and the Companions on the right, Parmenio and tlie Tliessalians on the Persians had leveled the plain for their cavalry and chariots. They faroutflanked Alexander, who, to meet this tlireat, made two flying columns ofreserve, one behind each wing, with orders to wheel outward and stand againstany outflanking force, or to the rear, or to reinforce the phalanx, as battle opened by Alexanders taking ground to the right to avoid entan-glements in his front. Darius launched h
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade189, booksubjectmilitaryartandscience
