The longest Hour

[Nicator]

Hello fellow Pothosians,In every epoch there is a decisive era. In every era there is a decisive war. In every war a decisive battle. In every battle there is the decisive moment...That moment which seemed like an eternity, where all was in doubt and one man rose to the occasion and turned the tide. How many of these occasions did Alexander have?

What was AlexanderGÇÖs most important moment...and his longest hour?
later Nicator

[agesilaos]

His longest hour would be just before the battle of Issos when he realises he has been out manoeuvred and that a numerically superior enemy is sitting on his line of supply. Even the battle of Gaugamela did not present so great a challenge, in my humble opinion, as he had time to plan his attack, Issos was more of an improvisation.

[marcus]

I agree with Karl to a great extent, but I would also put in a vote for two earlier episodes:(1) the Granicus - if things had gone differently, the invasion would have been over, almost before it began. If one is looking for a specific moment, then there are perhaps two - Alexander's initial charge across the river (if one accepts that version of the battle), and shortly afterwards, when Alexander was in the thick of the fight and one of the Persians (can't remember who) shears off part of his helmet - had the blow fallen true...(2) A seminal moment has to have been in the conference of Persian commanders prior to the Granicus - if Memnon's advice had been taken, and the Persians had adopted a scorched earth policy, the invasion could similarly have been scotched before it even began.All the bestMarcus

[aen]

Yeah. Has to be Issus really, as it was the only time that Alexander was badly surprised. Not only that, but, short of an actual defeat, finding your lines of retreat/communication straddled by the enemy in complete force is about as bad as it can get in the military lexicon; one of those nightmarish scenarios that puts all the soldiering types into a cold sweat.To commence a turn and hard march with worried men (the rank and file would have been acutely aware of what news filtered in at Myriandrus), before fanning them out of columns of march and straight into battle, against the largest army any of them had ever seen, bespeaks a profound audaciousness on Alexander's part.Also the stable platform (solid infantry - Greek mercenary element) of the Persian army was stronger here than at either Granicus or Gaugamela: ie it was deployed to the fore of centre. Without doubt these would have been the most professional units Alexander would encounter in Asia. ItGÇÖs no accident they managed to penetrate the Phalanx, even if the different units were out of kilter. Not a comfortable moment.In terms of the manGÇÖs personal development, however, IGÇÖd say whatever it was that went on in the inner chamber of the oracle at Siwah, was pretty pivotal. And I also think HephaistionGÇÖs death might have had morale sapping effect that did little to help Alexander in Babylon.Achilles followed Patroclus shortly afterwards. A.

[Linda]

I bet the hours he spent by the Hyphasis, waiting for his men to say that, yes, they would follow him to the Ganges and beyond, were the longest in his life.

[dean]

The Longest Hour.I am afraid that strategically or tactically speaking I will have to leave it up to others to decide on the most decisive moment. All I would like to say is that curiously the concensus of opinion seems to be saying that Issos was when everything went to critical mass and that the battle lasted for more or less an hour. Statistically speaking if I remember correctly, every man of Alexander had to kill twenty of the enemy to stand a chance of winning- the odds were so against them. Well the Macedonians were quite a ferocious lot! And Darius III did have very itchy feet. I also think that the final hour as Tyre was taken after the long seven month siege must have been extremely satisfying.Emotionally, I think that there were two rock bottom moments,- in a seizure of rage murdering Kleitos, which instantaneously brought on severe guilt and an ensuing suicide attempt. - death of Hephaestion. Dean.

[jan]

Hello Marcus,
In other words, more wars are lost than ever won. Like horse racing, the winner is because the others lost.Perhaps the Gods cloud the adversarie's mind and makes clear the victor's mind so that he can make all the correct decisions.Perhaps the brain of man is like a fawcett that can be turned on and off by the gods so that the person who the gods favor wins in the end. (I am teasing!)At any rate, making the right call is considered genius when successful, isn't it?

[jan]

To be honest, the first day on a new job is always the worst for me. Breaking in on unfamiliar territory is always difficult, so for that reason I believe that the Battle of Charonea would have been one of the most important battles in his life. It proved his bravery and his mettle so to speak, especially when his father was there to criticize and approve or disapprove of his actions.Freed from the approval or disapproval of his father, Alexander was literally able to make his own way. I believe that Philip as probably his most important critic in all his life.To prove his worth to the Athenians and all of Greece, his early battle against Thebes had to have been one of the more decisive and important personal battles. Having to gain acceptance and faith from his troops along with his enemies had to have been his most critical and harrowing hours.

[karen]

I don't think you can single out any one crucial moment that was do or die for the entire campaign. Because *every* moment on which a battle swung was. I had my fictional warrior-king say this in one of my novels. He's talking about the nation's prospects if they win the battle, and someone says, "But what if we lose?" He answers, "Then we're all dead and everything's over... same as every battle we fight!" I'll probably have Alexander say this too in the book I'm writing, because there were scores of points where he could have messed up -- or just *failed* to act -- and thus ended everything then and there. I also think that the crucial moment, being given the ultimate challenge, was something he sought and something he lived for, for good or ill.But as a king and commander (rather than as an individual) his longest hour to me would unquestionably be when he took the decision to turn inland at Gedrosia. The fleet clearly wasn't going to show up in time, if ever, he must have known disaster was inevitable, and it was up to him to make the decision that would best minimize the disaster. He must have known that a good number of the people around him were doomed, due either to his own logistical error or ignorance, or the disfavour of the Gods, and that had never happened to him before...Love & peace,
Karen

[Nicator]

Hello all,
I've been reading your posts, and can't find fault with any of them. To put in my own two cents worth...Here's my top ten, in order of importance:1. The battle of Guagamela
2. The battle of Issus
3. The battle of Hydaspes
4. The Susian gates
5. The battle of Granicus
6. The Balkans
7. The seige of Tyre
8. The battle of Chaeronea
9. The Hindu Kush
10. The mutiny at OpisThe Guagamelan battle to me was the most important and decisive victory that Alexander orchestrated. It was arguably the most important battle ever fought. It was in many ways more difficult than Issus because of the far better equipped troops under Darius. The wide open spaces left no doubt that Alexander was going to be outflanked. The critical moment of this battle was when Alexander timed his wedge perfectly as the left center of Darius' line opened a small gap. Alexander was the instrument of the Persian collapse. The plan was nearly flawless, and the execution of it was the stuff of legend. That long night before the battle saw Alexander sitting, perhaps alone in his tent, mulling over many different tactics and finally settling on the genius strategem which won him Asia. With that victory, a new age had begun, and the world changed forever.
later Nicator