Greece -- History -- Peloponnesian War, 431-404 B.C.
Not without difficulty, through a storm of missiles, he passed along by
the breakwater through the sea, and brought off most of his men safe,
though a few were lost. Meanwhile the auxiliaries of the Potidæans from
Olynthus, which is about seven miles off and in sight of Potidæa, when
the battle began and the signals were raised, advanced a little way to
render assistance; and the Macedonian horse formed against them to
prevent it. But on victory speedily declaring for the Athenians and the
signals being taken down, they retired back within the wall; and the
Macedonians returned to the Athenians. Thus there were no cavalry
present on either side. After the battle the Athenians set up a trophy,
and gave back their dead to the Potidæans under truce. The Potidæans
and their allies had close upon three hundred killed; the Athenians a
hundred and fifty of their own citizens, and Callias their general.
The wall on the side of the isthmus had now works at once raised
against it, and manned by the Athenians. That on the side of Pallene
had no works raised against it. They did not think themselves strong
enough at once to keep a garrison in the isthmus and to cross over to
Pallene and raise works there; they were afraid that the Potidæans and
their allies might take advantage of their division to attack them.
Meanwhile the Athenians at home learning that there were no works at
Pallene, some time afterwards sent off sixteen hundred heavy infantry
of their own citizens under the command of Phormio, son of Asopius.
Arrived at Pallene, he fixed his headquarters at Aphytis, and led his
army against Potidæa by short marches, ravaging the country as he
advanced. No one venturing to meet him in the field, he raised works
against the wall on the side of Pallene. So at length Potidæa was
strongly invested on either side, and from the sea by the ships
co-operating in the blockade. Aristeus, seeing its investment complete,
and having no hope of its salvation, except in the event of some
movement from the Peloponnese, or of some other improbable contingency,
advised all except five hundred to watch for a wind and sail out of the
place, in order that their provisions might last the longer. He was
willing to be himself one of those who remained. Unable to persuade
them, and desirous of acting on the next alternative, and of having
things outside in the best posture possible, he eluded the guardships
of the Athenians and sailed out. Remaining among the Chalcidians, he
continued to carry on the war; in particular he laid an ambuscade near
the city of the Sermylians, and cut off many of them; he also
communicated with Peloponnese, and tried to contrive some method by
which help might be brought. Meanwhile, after the completion of the
investment of Potidæa, Phormio next employed his sixteen hundred men in
ravaging Chalcidice and Bottica: some of the towns also were taken by
him.
CHAPTER III
Congress of the Peloponnesian Confederacy at Lacedaemon
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