Tissaphernes Harasses the Greeks (25-27/40) ⚔️ «Retreat of the Ten Thousand»

The sun had now risen, and the Hellenes were about to prepare their morning meal, when the scouts brought in word that the Satrap Mithridates was riding towards the camp with an escort of thirty horsemen. Having arrived within speaking distance, Mithridates called out to the generals to come forward and hear what he had to say. Then he proceeded to address them in an apparently friendly manner. Men of Hellas, he said, I was, as you know, upon the side of Cyrus, and am now your friend. I do not wish to remain with Tissaphernes, for I fear his vengeance, and, if you will let me know your plans, I will gladly join you with all my following and march by your side. Tell me therefore what you have decided to do. The generals conferred together and agreed that Cyrusippus, their spokesman, should answer Mithridates as they had already so often answered the Persian invoice. If we are allowed to return in peace to our home, we will pursue our way with as little injury as possible to the inhabitants of the countries through which we pass. But if we are hindered in our march, we will fight to the death. To this Mithridates replied by trying to persuade them that they could have no hope of escape except by making peace with the great king, and it soon became clear that he had been sent by the enemy to feign friendship for the purpose of finding out their plans. They refused, therefore, to listen to him any longer, and Mithridates was obliged to ride away without having succeeded in his mission. The generals had been confirmed in their suspicion of Mithridates by recognizing among his escort a man belonging to the suite of Tissaphernes who had evidently been sent with him as a spy, so that he might not be able to say anything to the Hellenes except such words as had been dictated by Tissaphernes. And as some Persians had already succeeded in making their way into the camp and had induced one of the captains to desert with twenty of his men, they proceeded to pass a resolution that in future there was to be open war with the Persians and that they would receive no more ambassadors coming in the name of the great king. They then returned to their interrupted meal and, when this was over, set out upon the march, forming themselves, as already agreed upon, in a hollow square. But they had not gone far when Mithridates again appeared with two hundred horsemen and four hundred archers and slingers, who advanced towards them as if with friendly intentions. As soon, however, as they had come within arrow range, they opened fire, and the Hellenes found themselves suddenly beset with a storm of arrows and darts, which wounded many of them. For a time, Xenophon pursued his way without taking any notice, for he was anxious not to delay the progress of the march, but, finding that the shots came thicker and thicker, he called a halt and commanded the rear-guard to charge the enemy. No sooner had they done so than the barbarians were in full flight, but the heavy-armed hoplites could not pursue them far, and each time that they reformed their ranks and turned to continue the march, the barbarians were after them as before. This occurred so often that it was late in the day before they reached the villages where they were to halt, although the distance was little more than three miles. When at last they were established for the night in the villages, Charisophus and the other generals reproached Xenophon with having so seriously delayed the march without having gained any advantage. They did not, perhaps, fully realize the difficulty, but, instead of retorting that they were inconsiderate, Xenophon answered quietly, admitting that they had cause for annoyance, and proposing a plan by which he hoped to remedy the evil. Today, he said, we have to thank the gods that we have only had a small force to deal with, that could not do us any great injury, and we have also to thank the enemy for having shown us where we are weak. The Persian slingers and archers can make their missiles carry to a greater distance than ours, and moreover the enemy have cavalry, while we are without. Under such circumstances, the struggle must always be unequal, with the disadvantage on our side. Happily, however, we have it in our power to improve our position in this respect. Among the troops there are several Rhodians, and we know that the men of Rhodes are famed for their skill and slinging. Their shots carry moreover twice as far as those of the Persians, for, instead of great stones the size of a fist, they use little bullets of lead. I propose that we find out if any of these men possess slings, or know how to make new slings. With their help, we may be able to form a band of slingers capable of doing good service. Then, as regards our one of cavalry. Fortunately, we have horses. I have a few, there are some that belong to Clearchus and others that have been captured and are now used for transport, besides those belonging to private persons. Anyone willing to give up his horse for the public service could have the loss made good to him by receiving in exchange other baggage animals. All the proposals made by Xenophon were accepted and carried into execution during the night. By the next day, the army was supplemented with a company of five hundred Rhodian slingers and a troop of fifty horsemen, all fully equipped, the command of the cavalry being entrusted to an Athenian named Lysias. The Hellenes remained one more day in the villages, and then, on the third morning, set out at earliest dawn to continue their march. There lay before them a wooded ravine which it would be difficult to go through in fighting order, and they were anxious to get as far beyond it as possible before they should be overtaken by the Persians. The early start met with its due reward, for the Hellenes were already a good distance beyond the ravine when Mithridates again appeared, this time with a much larger force than before. He had been very much pleased with the success of his first attempt to harass the Hellenes, for his small band of slingers and archers had sustained but little injury, whereas they had, as he believed, inflicted considerable loss. Expecting to find the Hellenes still at the same disadvantage, he had assured Tissaphernes that, if he were supplied with a thousand horsemen and four thousand archers and slingers, he would make an end of them all together. But now they were prepared for him. They let him pass unhindered through the ravine and advance beyond it until he was almost within Then the trumpet sounded, and the newly formed cavalry and light infantry charged forward upon the advancing foe. At this wholly unexpected attack, the barbarians were seized with panic and fled precipitately. But on reaching the ravine, their flight was impeded by the trees and bushes, and many of them were killed by the Hellene cavalry who came after them in full pursuit. Eighteen horsemen were captured, together with their horses, and many more of the enemy were killed, whose bodies the Hellenes mutilated in a horrible manner in order to strike terror into the breasts of the Persians. From this time they saw no more of Mithridates. His place was now to be taken by a still more powerful enemy. For some days after the repulse of Mithridates, the Hellenes were allowed to continue their march unmolested, but soon the Persians were again seen coming up behind them. Tissaphernes was now pursuing them with all the forces under his command, determined that they should not much longer escape his vengeance. Keeping the main body of his army in the background, he brought to the front his numerous companies of light infantry and commanded them to make use of their slings and bows. But the Hellenes, unawed by the overpowering numbers of the enemy, quickly brought forward their little band of Rhodians, whose leaden bullets carried farther than the heavy shot of the Persian slingers, and, before the enemy was near enough to them any harm, they had opened fire upon their close-packed ranks where every shot was certain to tell. The archers too discharged their arrows with equal effect, and so deadly was the assault that Tissaphernes was obliged to withdraw his men out of range and for the rest of that day contended himself with following the Hellenes at a safe distance. Before retiring from the ground where the skirmish had taken place, the Hellenes were careful to collect all the bows and arrows that These bows, which were much stronger than their own, were likely to be of great service to them, and in the evening, when they reached the villages in which they were to spend the night, they took great pains to practice using them with effect. They were so fortunate, moreover, as to find in these same villages a store of excellent bow-strings, and a quantity of lead, which they at once set to work to make into bullets. After resting for one whole day, they continued their march, and now the road lay through a flat plain. Tissaphernes followed at a distance, always on the lookout for any opportunity of attacking them at a disadvantage, and so overwhelming was his superiority in point of numbers that he was often able to inflict considerable loss, even upon the brave Hellenes. Sometimes, for instance, the road would narrow considerably, or a bridge would have to be crossed, and then it was found that the plan of marching in the form of a square had many drawbacks for a retreating army with the enemy in pursuit. Confusion was sure to arise, both in breaking up the square on arriving at the narrow part of the road, and in reforming it on coming out again into the open country, and by this confusion Tissaphernes did not fail to profit. The generals agreed that some new plan must be devised to meet the difficulty, and they decided to form six small companies, each consisting of a hundred men and subdivided into half and quarter companies, each with its officer. When the square had to be compressed for passing over a bridge or narrow road, these companies fell out of their places in the wings, and wheeled around to the back of the rear, returning again to the wings when the square widened out again. By this means, disorder was prevented, and for the next four days the Hellenes continued their way with very little loss. On the fifth day, they came to the end of the flat country. They had now to cross a range of hills, and at this they rejoiced, thinking that the hilly ground would be disadvantageous for the Persian cavalry. But this day was destined to be the most disastrous of any they had yet known. Seeing in the distance a palace with several villages clustering around it, they decided to make for it. The road lay over hilly ground, and they had already climbed the first hill when they received an unexpected check. As they descended the farther side, the enemy appeared upon the height they had just left and discharged a volley of stones and arrows upon the light-armed infantry, killing and wounding many of them. To this the Hellenes replied by sending a detachment of hoplites to march back up the hill and dislodge the Persians. Their heavy armor protected them to some extent, but made it impossible for them to advance rapidly, and the nimble Persians quickly withdrew beyond their reach, returning, however, as soon as the hoplites turned back to rejoin their comrades, and discharging their shots and arrows as before. At the second hill, the same thing happened again, and now the Persian cavalry were also brought into play and directed to chase the Hellenes at full speed down the steep descent. This they did, but only when they had been driven to their work with whips. Meanwhile, the hail of stones and arrows continued and made such havoc in the ranks of the light-armed troops who wore neither helmet nor coat of mail that it became urgently necessary to find some means of diverting the attention of the enemy. Calling a short halt, the generals rapidly took counsel together and formed a plan by which the light infantry could be placed beyond the reach of danger and at the same time give assistance to their comrades. Parallel with the range of hills over which the Hellenes were making their way, was a range of mountains, from whence the road along the hills could be overlooked. To these mountains the light-armed troops were dispatched, with instructions to keep pace with their comrades on the lower level and rain down shots and arrows upon the enemy whenever they attempted to hinder them in their march. As soon as the Persians perceived this device, they gave up the pursuit. The disadvantage was now on their side, and they were afraid of being cut off from the main body of their army. So for the rest of that day the Hellenes continued their way in peace, the light infantry on the mountains, the hoplites on the lower hills. At last, they reached the villages which they had perceived in the distance, and now the first thing to be done was to see to the sick and wounded, of whom there were a great many. They were carefully tended by the aid surgeons who accompanied the Hellene force, and for three days the army rested quietly in the villages. This was chiefly on account of the sick, but partly also because they found their great stores of wheat, barley, and wine, of which they took possession without paying for them, because they were now at war and in the enemy's country. During the time that the Hellenes rested in the villages, Tissaphernes disappeared from sight, but on the fourth day, when they came out from under cover, they found him again pursuing them with his whole army. It was an anxious time for the Hellenes, for a large number of them were incapacitated from fighting. Besides the wounded, there were those who carried the wounded in litters, and those again who carried the armor of the litter-bearers. The wagons in which the sick might have journeyed had been burned when they had declared war against the great king. The generals were of opinion that, in this crippled condition, they were no match for the enemy in the open field, and that it would be useless to attempt to march and fight at the same time as hitherto. So when they found that the Persians were coming against them, they determined to halt at the first village they should reach and place the wounded in safety, while the able body could easily put the Persians to flight from under the cover of the huts. Once routed, they knew that the Persians would give them no more trouble that night, for they were so terribly afraid of being surprised by the Hellenes that they always pitched their camp at least six miles away from them. This plan was carried out, and the Persians were driven back from the village. Then, as soon as they were out of sight, the Hellenes made a fresh start and marched on for another six miles before encamping for the night, so that the next day, when they began their march, they had twelve miles start of the enemy. All that day and all the next day they were able to march steadily on without fighting, for the barbarians were too far behind to attack them, but during the third night Tiszafernes also made an extra or, as it is called, a forced march. The Satrap had the great advantage of being able to get every information as to the districts through which they were marching, and, knowing that the flat plain that they had been traversing ever since the last skirmish would now be succeeded by mountainous country, he sent forward a detachment of his troops to get in advance of the Hellenes by taking another road and seize a hill overlooking the way by which they must pass. When the Hellene vanguard approached the hill, they found it already in possession of the enemy, and Chirysaphus sent to the rear for Xenophon. It was clear that the Persians must be dislodged without a moment's delay, for already the main body of the barbarian army, commanded by Tiszafernes himself, could be seen approaching in the distance. Xenophon looked long and carefully at the height occupied by the Persians and saw that from the very top of the mountain above it there was a road leading down to the place. We must get up to the top of the mountain, he said, and from thence charge down upon the enemy and drive them from their post. There is not a moment to lose. If you will remain here with the rest of the army, I will attack the mountain with the light-armed troops, or else, if you will leave the nether, I will remain below. You may choose, said Chirysaphus. Very well then, answered Xenophon, I will climb the mountain, for I am the younger. He set off at once with the troops assigned to him, and for a time they were concealed from the enemy by the trees and bushes which clothed the hillside. But as soon as the Persians perceived their intention, they also made for the higher peak, hoping to reach it before the Hellenes. And now began a race, Hellenes and Persians climbing each by a different road and watching eagerly the progress of the other party. Now one side would seem to have the advantage and now the other, while all the time incessant shouts from below stimulated their efforts, for on both sides it was well known how much depended on the issue. Xenophon rode on horseback beside his men, urging them to do their utmost. Remember, he said, that this toil is to make it possible for you to return to your homes, your wives, and your children. Yet a little more effort and all the rest will be easy. One of the soldiers, who was named Soteridas, was a lazy, sullen fellow and, looking enviously at Xenophon, he said, it is all very well for you to talk, Xenophon, for you can ride at your ease, but I am groaning beneath the weight of this heavy shield. Instantly, Xenophon sprang from his horse, seized the shield of Soteridas, pushed him aside, and, taking his place in the ranks, struggled up the hill like a private soldier, although he was encumbered with the heavy armor worn for riding. The other men were delighted at this and they did not scruple to express their contempt for Soteridas by blows as well as taunts, until at last the unhappy man was constrained to implore Xenophon to let him take back his shield and share the toil of his comrades. To this Xenophon consented and, remounting his horse, he rode as long as it was possible to do so, but soon the road became so bad that he was obliged to dismount and climb on foot for the rest of the way. The Persians were but a very little distance from the crest of the mountain when the first Hellenes reached it. The advantage was now with them, and they at once charged. Back fled the they could find, and soon there was no longer a trace either of the detachment that had been posted on the hill, or of the main army advancing along the plain. The road was free, and a short march brought the Hellenes to some villages where they could rest after the fatigues of the day. There they found abundance of food and were able moreover to take as spoil a number of cows and other animals, for it happened, fortunately for the Hellenes, that a great number were just then collected at that place in order to be ferried across the Tigris. This was their last encounter with Tissaphernes. Since his shameful betrayal of their generals, he had for twenty days been following in their track as a pack of hounds pursues a noble stag, who nevertheless saves himself by his courage and endurance. Taking into consideration the enormous difference in point of numbers, the loss sustained by the Hellenes during these twenty days was very slight. They had been more than a match for Tissaphernes and his great army and might well feel proud of their superiority to the cowardly mob of barbarians.