The Invasion of India by Alexander the Great as described by Arrian, Q. Curtius, Diodoros, Plutarch and Justin: Being Translations of such portions of the Works of these and other Classical Authors as describe Alexander's Campaigns in Afghanistan, the Panjâb, Sindh, Gedrosia and KarmaniaMcCrindle, John Watson
History
The Invasion of India by Alexander the Great as described by Arrian, Q. Curtius, Diodoros, Plutarch and Justin: Being Translations of such portions of the Works of these and other Classical Authors as describe Alexander's Campaigns in Afghanistan, the Panjâb, Sindh, Gedrosia and Karmania
McCrindle, John Watson
Alexander, the Great, 356 B.C.-323 B.C.; India -- History -- To 324 B.C. -- Sources
In this manner had Pôros arranged his troops. As soon as Alexander
perceived that the Indians had been drawn up in battle order he made his
cavalry halt, that he might get in hand each regiment of the infantry
as it came up; and even when the phalanx by a rapid march had effected
a junction with the cavalry he still did not at once marshal its ranks
and lead it into action, and thus expose the men, while tired and out
of breath, to the barbarians, who were quite fresh, but he gave them
time, while he rode round their ranks, to rest until they could recover
themselves. When he had observed how the Indians were arranged he
made up his mind not to advance against the centre, in front of which
the elephants had been posted, while the intervals between them had
been filled with compact masses of infantry, for he feared lest Pôros
should reap the advantage which he had calculated on deriving from that
arrangement. But as he was superior in cavalry he took the greater part
of that force, and marched along towards the left wing of the enemy to
make his attack in this quarter.[105] Koinos he sent at the head of his
own regiment of horse and that of Dêmêtrios to the right, and ordered
him, when the barbarians on seeing what a dense mass of cavalry was
opposed to them, should be riding along to encounter it, to hang close
upon their rear.[106] The command of the phalanx of infantry he committed
to Seleukos, Antigenês, and Taurôn, who received orders not to take part
in the action till they saw that the phalanx of infantry and the cavalry
of the enemy were thrown into disorder by the cavalry under his own
command.
When the Indians were now within reach of his missiles he despatched
against their left wing the horse archers, who were 1000 strong, to throw
the enemy in that part of the field into confusion with storms of arrows
and charges of their horses. He marched rapidly forward himself with the
companion cavalry against the left wing of the barbarians, making haste
to attack their cavalry in a state of disorder while they were still in
column, and before they could deploy into line.
_Chapter XVII.—Description of the battle of the Hydaspês—Defeat of Pôros_
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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