By the Sword

by Christian Kachel

  “How’s my young patient?” Philotheos asked. “Are you ready to return your brace?” I removed it while Philotheos began grabbing, squeezing and bending the affected area. “How does this feel?”

  “There is still residual pain but it is certainly manageable. I did receive a wound from the battle, however, which I wanted you to look at.”

  “Really? Let’s have a look,” Philotheos exclaimed excitedly. My value clearly went up in his eyes now that I had a real battle injury. I removed the makeshift bandage off my right arm and showed him the bite marks. “Ooh, this is nice,” he observed smiling. “How did you receive this?” I retold the story, to which he produced an ointment made from honey and metal shavings. “I am going to give you a small vial of this ointment and some extra bandages. I want you to change bandages and apply the ointment every day for a week, understood?”

  “Yes sir,” I responded. Before he could send me on my way, I interjected, “Sir, the man from the battle staff that was here with me last time, do you know him?”

  “Vettias? Older man, tall, light sandy hair?” Philotheos answered.

  “Yes, what do you know of him? Does he come here often?” I inquired, leveraging the renewed interest Philotheos had in me now that I was a real wounded veteran.

  “I don’t know more than the very little he tells me when he requires supplies on behalf of General Eumenes. He never says what it is for or the nature of his work; however, he will hint towards secret undertakings on behalf of the army if he encounters hesitancy on our part to provide all he desires. Why do you ask?”

  “No reason,” I answered, looking to end the conversation and depart now that I had the man’s name. “He had asked me to seek him out about something and I wanted to know more about him is all.” Satisfied with this answer, Philotheos dismissed me and I exited the surgeon’s tent, leaving the groans of pain behind me.

  As I departed the tent, I assessed I still had time before my lochos formation and decided to walk around the quartermaster and supply areas of the encampment. Most items were still packed since the army was planning on marching west to meet Antipater shortly after our victory. I saw the holding areas where our prisoners from the battle were being held. The Macedonians and Greek mercenaries had separate bivouacs where they waited to be integrated into our army. They did not appear in want of any supplies and were in good spirits. The Armenian forces were preparing for their return home under the command of a new Satrap assigned by Lord Regent Perdiccas. The barbarian officers’ accommodations were not as generous, as they awaited the long process of ransom to further finance our army’s activities.

  Taking my leave of the holding areas, I felt a hand touch my shoulder and a familiar voice spoke my name. “Andrikos!” I turned around to see the welcome sight of my old friend from our initial line of recruits, Rhexenor.

  “Rhexenor, how are you?”

  “Doing well, I have been assigned to the quartermaster,” Rhexenor explained. “No opportunities for glory but a good place to establish importance within the army. We are responsible for all the army’s possessions to include loot accumulated in the baggage train. Each day I increase my ability to acquire all manner of items. Let me know if you are in need of anything and I’ll see what I can do.”

  “Will do, I appreciate the offer,” I responded.

  “So how is the phalanx?” Rhexenor asked excitedly. “Did you see action in the battle yesterday? How are our enlistment mates?”

  “Stephanos and I are in the same lochos; Dracham, Spear, and Bacchylides are in adjacent columns in my syntagma. They are all alive and well. We pretty much occupy positions in the back of our lochoi; however, we were all part of the annihilation of the barbarian regulars yesterday.”

  “I figured you were there; I was looking for you. We all made sure to get prime viewing for the slaughter. That was a great spectacle. Did you kill many of them?”

  “We all did- really gruesome stuff.” I displayed my wound which only whetted Rhexenor’s appetite for more details. I explained what happened while Rhexenor hung on my every word. He clearly did not think killing unarmed men to be an issue.

  “If you could speak to your lochagos to allow me to participate in the next opportunity to eliminate prisoners, I would be indebted to you, and am certainly in a position to return the favour.”

  “Are you sure you don’t want to be in the front line during the actual battle?” I asked sarcastically.

  “They already determined I am not competent enough for work like that,” Rhexenor retorted sullenly. “This would be my only opportunity for battlefield glory.”

  I didn’t bother recounting the ghastly details of what he was asking to be a part of and assured him I would do what I could, to which he heartily thanked me. We embraced as brothers and I took my leave to ensure I was present at the lochos formation. As I returned to our lochos I began feeling my initial apprehensions about my part in the battle give way to an acceptance of it as a necessary evil- an inevitable consequence of war. I rationalized that as long as I didn’t enjoy it I could be protected from its immoral taint. Others took pleasure in watching the slaughter as sport, while people like Rhexenor were begging to be a part of it. Hopefully I wouldn’t be a part of that contingent of murder much longer as my experience grew.

  I returned to find Stephanos stirring and most of my lochos beginning their waking routines. A concert of hacking, spitting, belching, coughing, and flatulence could be heard from our bivouac as my lochos mates readied for first formation. Croesus returned from his syntagma meeting shortly after and called us to formation.

  Once formed, Croesus addressed us. “Men, we were victorious on the battlefield; we lost two of our brothers, but our two new recruits popped their cherry and carried themselves with honour. Although the enemy general fled like a coward, the fight to protect the two kings and preserve all that Alexander conquered continues. Our role is but one of many actions that must take place in order to achieve that goal. As we speak, Lord Regent Perdiccas and the Silver Shields have invaded Egypt to dislodge Ptolemy, ally of Antipater and traitor to the kings. They will be victorious just as we were with Neoptolemus yesterday. We have commandeered the Macedon regulars and Greek mercenaries of Neoptolemus’ forces and are now incorporating them into our army. We will add one full taxis of Macedonians to our phalanx and another two thousand Greek mercenaries to be used as light infantry on our flanks. Each syntagma will see some personnel changes made, to include ours, as we integrate Neoptolemus’ Macedonians into our phalanx. Our next fight lies west, where we will confront Antipater’s forces to secure all Alexander’s gains east of Macedon. We will break camp at dawn to begin what we estimate to be a five-day march west. Make all preparations necessary for that schedule; as I hear more about how the Macedonian integration will affect us, I will let you know.”

  As we were dismissed to make necessary preparations for the coming departure, I heard several veterans in our lochos speculating that each rank was to receive a number of the Macedonians because General Eumenes, not being from Macedon himself, did not trust their allegiance to him as a coherent unit in pitched battle opposite another phalanx of Macedon. He was going to dissipate their homogeneity throughout the already mixed syntagmas of our phalanx to mitigate any possibility of mass defection or refusal to fight. The plan made sense to me; however, I was a little nervous that I would have to further prove my worth to new veterans within our lochos and syntagma. Since I had already completed much of the required tasks to break camp, I laid down near Stephanos’ unorganized living space, half watching him toil, half napping. Croesus came through two hours later and briefly introduced to our new Macedonian attachments: Strabo and Brick. Brick was aptly named for he had bulbous, rock-like features, while Strabo appeared to be the brains of the two. They were greeted as coldly as Stephanos and I were and everyone went back to attending their pre movement tasks.

  The battle, coupled with the reorganization of the phalanx and impending movement orde
rs, caused that evening to be busy. The entire taxis seemed to be toiling with nervous energy. Food was eaten quickly while wounds were bandaged, equipment was repaired, weapons were sharpened and bronze was shined. Very little socializing occurred and the entire phalanx retired early that evening to be ready for the morning’s march. The horns sounded early at dawn and all soldiers packed their equipment, quickly ate breakfast, and assembled in full marching formation. The day’s march was pleasant and my mind was free to travel back home for several hours to enjoy the company of my adoring family, teeming with pride in my accomplishments, despite my reservations regarding the role I played in the recent battle.

  We established our temporary encampment that evening, where Stephanos and I were finally invited to sit at the lochos fire as equals. The two new Macedonians were there as well. Their prestige and experience earned them a seat at any campfire and none from our lochos was going to say otherwise.

  Our First Officer Neokles, began interrogating our new Macedonian mates. “Will your coward leader Neoptolemus run to Antipater? Are we going to see him again in a few days?”

  “We don’t claim a woman from a backwater in Epirus as our Commander,” Strabo answered. “He controlled our salary in that uncivilized Armenian shithole- that is all.”

  “Why did you follow his orders to betray Lord Regent Perdiccas?” Neokles continued. “He is the rightful Macedonian protector of Kings Alexander IV and Philip III.”

  “He convinced us that you were marching to fight General Craterus,” Strabo responded. “General Craterus is the most respected of the living generals from Macedon. He commanded the Macedonian Phalanx at the Battle of Issus. He led us at the Battle of the Hydaspes River in India.”

  “We are marching to face Antipater,” Neokles countered.

  “General Craterus has allied with Antipater, Ptolemy, and Antigonus,” Strabo interjected.

  “We march to face the army of Antipater and probably that rat coward Neoptolemus as well!” Neokles snapped. “Will you fight for General Eumenes of Cardia against Antipater from Macedon?”

  “We will fight for Lord Regent Perdiccas, protector of the Argead Kings,” Strabo concluded. “That answer will have to suffice for now.”

  A general lull overtook the fire as several small side conversations about the possibility of fighting General Craterus petered out and everyone retired for the evening. Strabo was correct, however. Many soldiers, including non-Macedonians like Leandros, held General Craterus in the highest regard. General Eumenes was smart to disperse the incoming Macedonian contingent; he would always be vulnerable when fighting a true Macedonian general from Alexander’s or Philip’s campaigns.

  The next day’s march transpired without incident as our scouting units were again sent out to locate the enemy and ascertain its size, composition, capabilities, and morale, as well as determine the best ground to occupy for the battle. Three days later our scouts returned and Croesus informed our lochos the enemy had been located. This news roused the men and eased rumours of Craterus being with Antipater’s army since he was not reported being seen.

  After the following day’s march, the entire army remained in formation to be addressed by General Eumenes. This was the longest he had been in my line of sight and I strained to obtain a good glimpse of him. He was of slightly below-average height and stature and dressed in the same manner as the Macedonian generals. He had not adopted the eastern-style dress Alexander and some of his close advisors did for fear of further alienating his Macedonian regulars. His face was very handsome, having high cheek bones and good proportionality and complexion. His overall command presence was somewhat lacking in the view of many of the soldiers, however, and his voice was not deep and did not carry well.

  “Men,” General Eumenes began, “We stand on the verge of facing another enemy of Alexander’s accomplishments and his rightful heirs to it. You are all the true and legitimate protectors of Alexander’s legacy. The men who lead our enemy may be Macedonian, but they only seek power for themselves. As all of you know, I am not Macedonian and have no designs on usurping Alexander’s empire. I serve at the behest of Lord Regent Perdiccas, protector of the two Kings and temporary steward of the realm as directed by Alexander himself. I’ve been serving the Macedonian cause since I was assigned to King Philip’s staff many years ago. I was there, managing the affairs of the Empire through all of Alexander’s conquests, always sitting at the right hand of the King. I was there in India where I personally held command at the Jaxartes and Hydaspes Rivers. I was made a Royal Bodyguard by Alexander himself for my leadership and loyalty. I was there at his deathbed when he gave Lord Regent Perdiccas the royal signet ring, personally identifying him as Regent. I was present at the leadership council after his death where all in the room, including our current enemies, agreed upon Alexander IV and Philip III as rightful successors. We have defeated those who challenged Alexander’s conquest in Cappadocia and those who challenged Alexander’s final instructions to name Perdiccas Lord Regent just days ago. Now we face an enemy who challenges Alexander’s very legacy by claiming his heirs to be illegitimate!” His emphasis on this last line evoked a strong response from the army.

  “I am not one for flamboyant spectacle like some of my contemporaries. But I have assembled you here in this way to relay a message from the God King himself, delivered to me in a dream last night.” The army now grew silent to the point where one could hear individual breaths being taken. “It was interpreted by our priests this morning to be an acceptance of my stewardship of his army on behalf of his legitimate son and brother. It was an omen for victory.” The men burst into a roar, for a favourable omen sent from Alexander himself was undefeatable.

  “Men, there are several factions forming as a result of Alexander’s death but rest assured, I will always fight on the side of Alexander’s true heirs. I will always do all I can to protect them so Alexander IV may one day take his rightful place upon the throne. Those that follow me can always be confident in the same and when you fight our enemies in the coming days you may tell them as the life slowly leaves their body that you fight for Alexander and they fight for a second-rate schoolmate of his or his father’s!” At this conclusion the men again burst out into cheers, begging to face the enemy at that immediate moment. The men who had doubted many things about General Eumenes just moments ago were now cheering for him to lead them to the Gates of Hades.

  The next day was spent in place as our army again sent its scouts and commanding officers out to choose favourable ground to occupy during the battle. Our lochos passed the time polishing our armour, sharpening weapons, and generally laying about discussing all manner of rumours. Croesus summoned Stephanos and me to inform us that he was moving us up in the lochos order to move some of the wounded to the rear and to give us further experience. We would now occupy the sixth and seventh positions. This was the first half of the column and would almost guarantee direct participation in the battle. Stephanos and I both thanked Croesus for his confidence in us and were dismissed. Walking back to our equipment Stephanos stated with a smile, “You better have my back.”

  “We are certain to see combat, especially with you at the sixth position,” I replied. “That’s only one position back from the initial sarissa combatants.” The two of us sat back down in silence awaiting further instruction with ominous thoughts of the coming battle now occupying our inner dialogues.

  Chapter 17

  An hour before midday I heard the coming crescendo of noise signalling it was time to move into position. Stephanos and I hurriedly donned our full kit and double-checked each other for minor omissions. We then took our new places at the sixth and seventh positions directly in front of First Officer Neokles. As we got situated, Neokles expressed his confidence in our abilities and also threatened to kill us if we demeaned our new positions of honour. Once the army formed, the order was given to occupy the predetermined ground on the battlefield. Antipater’s forces were doing the same opposite us on the C
appadocian plain. General Eumenes headed the right flank with Apollonides and his heavy cavalry while a different Macedonian general named Perdiccas, known as the lesser since Lord Regent Perdiccas’ rise to power, led the left flank of light infantry and light cavalry. As the two armies faced each other, word spread quickly from Neoptolemus’ former Macedonian phalangites that the traitor general’s banners could be seen on the enemy’s left flank arrayed directly opposite General Eumenes’ position.

  An imposing man on horseback from the enemy right flank then rode out front of their formation, up and down the enemy line, rallying his men to a fever pitch. The performance was impressive and certainly had its intended effect on the morale of their troops. Many of our veterans envied the enemy general’s inspiring command presence and popularity with his men. Suddenly, a wave of noise and commotion came over our formation screaming, “It’s Craterus, it’s Craterus!” The whole of the army gasped at the prospect of charging into battle against the greatest living Macedonian general. The lochagos’, ouragos’ and syntagma commanders rallied their phalangites, imploring them to keep their resolve and remember General Eumenes’ speech the day prior. The junior officers of our lochos threatened to kill anyone seen hesitating in battle. Their words were directed towards men like Strabo and Brick, both of whom now occupied our ninth and tenth positions.

  The plain the battle was to be fought on was expansive, and a great distance separated the two armies. After Craterus’ inspiring performance, he returned to lead the enemy right flank and quickly made a direct charge at our left flank. Our cavalry appeared to have superior numbers, especially our heavy cavalry, but Craterus looked willing to mitigate his inferior numbers with the sheer weight of his leadership by charging his heavy cavalry directly at our light cavalry and light infantry in the same manner of Alexander. General Eumenes and Apollonides then led our heavy cavalry charge directly at Neoptolemus and the enemy left flank. Both of these engagements took place well ahead of our phalanx and Phalangiarch Alcetas ordered us to begin marching forward.