Before we can jump into Alexander the Great’s battles and victories we have to learn a little about the man himself. We have to find out where he came from, how he came to power, and many other things that made this historic man. Alexander was born on or around July 20, 356 B.C.E. Sources say that the exact date may have been created afterwards to match some historical event during that time. Alexander the Great was a Leo. Alexander is supposed to have been fair skinned, and handsome. It is said that, like other Macedonians, Alexander liked his liquor; his liking for wine also caused some of his outbursts of rage. Some of the hobbies Alexander appreciated were drama, the flute, poetry and hunting, along with his appreciation for liquor. It seemed that what Alexander really want

As one can imagine this battle was total carnage, no pretty battle. Some suggest that the battle lasted for eight hours, which was long for an ancient battle. In the end Alexander and the Macedonians won this battle. Some military experts are still amazed that the Macedonians were able to ship an entire fighting force across a swollen Indian heavy rain river in just one single night. This caught the Indian army off guard and ultimately won the battle for Alexander. The battle of Hydaspes remains Alexander’s final great battle and by far his most difficult. Alexander being able to overcome the large elephants that he had never experienced fighting before shows a lot for his generalship. In this battle it proves that Alexander can overcome almost all obstacles presented to him on a battlefield.

The next battle that I will be discussing is the battle of the Hydaspes. This battle probably took place some time between May and July 326 B.C. The location of the battle was in present-day northern Pakistan. The Macedonian army was estimated at 15,000 up to 25,000 as the attack force and another estimated 11,000 in the camp. The Indian army was estimated at 34,000. It had been awhile since Alexander had fought in the open field. The Macedonian army had been doing many things in central Asia. An Indian King named Poros, which was ruling over an area in northern Pakistan, had the courage to stand up to Alexander. Poros army was smaller than that of Alexander’s army, which was a change from the battles he had fought against the Persians. Although Poros’s army was smaller he had a great advantage. Poros had 200 war elephants, which has a huge advantage over horses. As many would think, horses are afraid of elephants. Such a large number of elephants rendered the Macedonian cavalry useless. For two weeks Poros did not allow Alexander to cross the Hydaspes River. One night though, while Poros and his troops were sleeping, Alexander and his troops crossed the river. An Indian counterattack was sent but overwhelmed by the Macedonian troops. Alexander troops collided with Poros troops, and Alexander’s superiority as a general shows again. The Indian force became confused, and Alexander’s phalanx force moved in. The battle was complete mayhem, and the elephants went into a stampede killing the Indians and the Macedonians. It is said “the soldiers riding the elephants carried a chisel and a hammer so they could split the skull of their animals when the beasts became uncontrollable.”

Fear and panic were the decisive factors in an ancient battle. Ancient battles were generally over within a couple of hours. In Alexander’s time it is said that the majority of victims fell after the battle, not during the actual fighting. The defeated army would run in panic, Alexander’s army would pursue them and butcher them. There were four major battles that I feel made Alexander famous and shows his great leadership. The first battle is the battle of Granicus. The date of this battle is estimated around May/June 334 B.C. The battle took place in western Turkey, near the river of Granicus, hence the name. The Macedonian army was estimated at about 47,000, while the Persian army was estimated at up to125, 000. The Macedonian army crossed into Asia Minor led by Alexander the Great. The Great King Darius led the Persian army. Although, some accounts say the Persian failure came about by the lack of agreement or a consistent battle plan amongst Persian commanders. To overcome that big of a numeral disadvantage is another piece of infor

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