Battles Fought by Alexander the Great

This paper discusses the four most significant battles fought by Alexander the Great: Granicus, Issus, Gaugamela, and Hydaspes. It examines the strategies he employed that made each a success and that have secured his place in history as one of the greatest military leaders of all time.

Philip, king of Macedon, became a father in the summer of 356 B.C. Barely 20 years later, Philip was assassinated, and his son, Alexander, assumed the throne and inherited the kingdom and army of his father. In the twelve years of his reign, until his death in 323 B.C., he used that army to establish a kingdom, utilizing strategies and tactics that gave him the name of Alexander the Great.

Richard A. Gabriel and Donald W. Boose Jr. write, "There is little in Alexander's early life that presaged his ability to plan and execute battles with such success . . . Alexander of Macedon turned to the task with a natural gift" (218). He also had the advantage of being given a remarkable army. Doyne Dawson argues that Alexander, like Julius Caesar, "only sought decisive battle when they knew they had strong armies" (156), and the army that Philip had put together was strong, well trained, and well disciplined. Arther Ferrill argues that one of Alexander's important talents was his regard for his men and his ability to fight with as little loss of life on his part as possible. He writes, "Some of Alexander's success in this area stemmed also from his realization that an army well trained, stri

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ances proved superior to the lighter spears of the Persians, allowing him to break the center of the Persian line. Then, rather than pursuing the retreating Persian cavalry, he turned against the line of Greek mercenaries, attacking their flanks and rear with his own cavalry while leading the infantry against the center line. Alexander's success was also due in part to tactical errors by the Persians. Ferrill writes, "Some historians believe that the Persians adopted an otherwise absurd battle plan because they had only one limited tactical objective - to kill Alexander" (196). However, he notes that they may also have had little faith in the ability of the Greek mercenaries to hold their line and therefore did not use these troops as effectively as they might have. Alexander himself was highly visible in battle, wearing a large white-plumed helmet, and the swarm of Persians who rushed toward the sight of that plume diverted some of the force away from the rest of Alexander's troops. The battle of Issus (333 B.C.) taught Alexander never to lose contact with the opponent in the field. Alexander had just passed through Issus when Darius discovered the field hospital that Alexander had left there. Darius killed most of the

Category: History - B