Did Alexander have it in Mind to Chase Darius

[kennyxx]

PorthoniansIU have reread The Generalship of Alexander. And would really like to clarify with members if its accepted Alexander took off after Darius as soon as he was near. Were he to do so without first securing victory Fuller would rate Alexander as a third rate general. I really must agree with the theory.The story goes that a messenger arrived to Alexander asking for aid on the left wing. Now fuller argued that if Alexander gave chase imediatlly First the messenger wouldnt even be able to find Alexander and secondly wouldnt have caught up to Alexander at the pace he took off.A lot of the propoganda has got to be suspect. Its all heroic and clever to say Alexander chased him. But I would say the thought did occur but only after he was sure of his own position and victory. Alexander from the start knew he was taking a risk and must have been aware of gaps. As his lines were so stretched and thin. I argue once he had broken through just to form he swung left to clean up the Persian ranks. All the time plugging the gaps and hammering the Persians. Until ultimately victory was assured. Napoleon Argued Alexanders battle tactics and Fuller says too is total anhialation of his enemy.Surely this was prior in Alexanders head and once this achieved then chase Darius. To take off and leave his army in such a predicament would be foolish. He would probably return with Darius his prisoner but his army smashed?Kenny

[Paralus]

Bugger you Kenny! My post doesn't belong here - I was replying to Efsthasios and yours came up in between - so to speak. I'll look to see which is the most recent next time before hitting the post!

[Efstathios]

i would say that the movie by oliver Stone portrayed it very nice.Alexander in the verge of the battle was ready to chase Darius when he fled but his soldiers "woke" him up when they got the news from the messenger.And Alexander realised that he had to assist Parmenion first. For some reason i dont think that his army would be lost anyway,if he had chased Darius.The battle was won the moment that Darius fled.

[Paralus]

Righto Kenny, on the right thread now.Alexander always had Darius in his mind. This not to the exclusion of winning the victory, but always at the front of his thoughts.The original idea was to kill Darius in battle or take him prisoner. Thus Alexander's fetish at both Issus and Gaugemela. Thus also his compulsion to bring Darius into the field in person. The explanation for this is the importance of the Great King. Alexander was always working on supplanting the Lord of Asia and needed to make that as legitimate as possible. Best way was to kill him in battle. Second best was to have him in custody and arrange the succession and do away with him later. He was not ever to be allowed freedom and thus become the figurehead of "legitimate" resistance. This applied equally to Bessus and to a lesser extent, Spitamenes.Alexander left his phalanx at Issus in severe trouble, the like of which it was not to face until Hydaspes. His dash across the Pindarus and pursuit of the routed troops left his phalanx dangerously exposed. As Arrian says:"For the Macedonian phalanx had been broken and had disjoined towards the right wing, because Alexander had dashed into the river with eagerness.."As it turns out, Alexander's eagerness to get at Darius (along, one assumes, with his tactical judgement) saw his cavalry wheel to the centre and force the issue. Not before the phalanx occaisioned terrible losses at the spears and sword of the Greek mercenary hoplites GÇô who won this part of the battle handsomely.A similar situation obtained at Gaugamela. It can be read from the descriptions that Alexander again turned toward the centre GÇô to get at Darius GÇô and force the issue by pushing the Persians onto the hypaspits (essentially a version of a hoplite) and the phalanx. Continued...

[Paralus]

(...Yes, I agree: each time one edits, one receives less of a page to work with!?)I read the description of the chase at Gaugamela as Alexander readying to charge off in pursuit of Darius with possibly the Companion cavalry GÇô not the entire cavalry forces of the victorious right wing. That he receives a message from Parmenio right at this moment, I find hard to credit. Parmenio had been heavily engaged and outnumbered the entire engagement. I agree with Green that this may well have been a signal that Alexander's charge should go GÇô crack or no GÇô at this time as things will only deteriorate from here. I suspect that at the moment Alexander wished to essentially disengage and chase he realised just how parlous his position was on the left and thought much better of it. We'll never know though.Don't, however, underestimate how strong the desire and how cogent the reasons for Alexander's preoccupation with killing or capturing Darius were.Paralus

[kennyxx]

Michael Atha hailStill bloody risky. And as Fuller states to be impectuos and give chase at that moment I agree would make Alexander irresponsible and third rate.Ok the idea of killing Darius then the battle may be over. As you say Michael on both situations even by the time Alexander reached Darius his positions were precarious. Gaugamela Parmenio was under the cosh. The Persians had broken through to the baggage.The position was not nice. Without any pause or hesitation Alexander had to act with speed and efficiency to make good these situations.Atha says even if Alexander chased Darius the Macedonians would have still won?I doubt it wouldnt the Macedonians also lose some ethos with Alexander gone. With Alexander gone would the Persians pushing Parmenio feel more confident. Probably so and indeed Parmenio would have been swallowed without Alexanders swift decisive help.The Stone movie dont say the scene exactly Alexander supposedly took off. Sometime in this process a messenger was supposedly sent along a mile front chasing Alexander at a chase caught him to deliver a message. From the central position of the Assault on Darius Alexander would have seen the dire situation on his left and covered it accordingly as he did.Although the person of Darius important it was not as imporatnt as the desisive victory at Gaugamela.kenny