Siege of Aornos
Aornos was the place of Alexander the Great's last siege, According to Robin Lane Fox, ancient historian:
"it was the climax to Alexander's career as the greatest besieger in history"
The siege happened in the winter of 327–326 BCE. It was the last threat to Alexander's supply line, which stretched very far and was dangerously vulnerable. It went over the Hindu Kush, back to Balkh, and though Aornos. Arrian credited Alexander's heroic need to outdo his ancestor Heracles, who had been proved not able to take the Aornis. It lies north of Attock in Punjab, in a bend of the upper Indus River. It was flat with natural springs and wide enough to grow crops. Alexander could not force them to surrender by starving them. Neighboring states who surrendered to Alexander offered to lead him to the best point of entry. (Lane Fox)
Ptolemy and Alexander's secretary Eumenes, explored and reinforced a neighboring town to the west with a stockade and ditch. His signal fire to Alexander also alerted the defenders of Aornis, and it took two days of fighting in the narrow ravines for Alexander to get his group back together. At the weaker north side of the fort, Alexander and his catapults were stopped by a deep ravine. To bring the siege engines into reach, an mound of dirt and carpentry was built to cover the ravine. On the first day, they got 50 meters closer, but as the sides of the ravine fell away steeply below, progress slowed a lot. But at the end of the third day, a low hill connected to the nearest tip of Aornis, and was within reach. It was taken after Alexander and his first force were repelled by boulders that were rolled down from above. Three days of drumbeats was a sign of the defenders' celebration for their beginning protection, this was followed by a surprise retreat. Alexander pulled himself up the last boulder on a rope. Alexander cleared the summit, killing a couple of fugitives, and erected altars to Athena Nike, Athena of Victory,. (Lane Fox)
"it was the climax to Alexander's career as the greatest besieger in history"
The siege happened in the winter of 327–326 BCE. It was the last threat to Alexander's supply line, which stretched very far and was dangerously vulnerable. It went over the Hindu Kush, back to Balkh, and though Aornos. Arrian credited Alexander's heroic need to outdo his ancestor Heracles, who had been proved not able to take the Aornis. It lies north of Attock in Punjab, in a bend of the upper Indus River. It was flat with natural springs and wide enough to grow crops. Alexander could not force them to surrender by starving them. Neighboring states who surrendered to Alexander offered to lead him to the best point of entry. (Lane Fox)
Ptolemy and Alexander's secretary Eumenes, explored and reinforced a neighboring town to the west with a stockade and ditch. His signal fire to Alexander also alerted the defenders of Aornis, and it took two days of fighting in the narrow ravines for Alexander to get his group back together. At the weaker north side of the fort, Alexander and his catapults were stopped by a deep ravine. To bring the siege engines into reach, an mound of dirt and carpentry was built to cover the ravine. On the first day, they got 50 meters closer, but as the sides of the ravine fell away steeply below, progress slowed a lot. But at the end of the third day, a low hill connected to the nearest tip of Aornis, and was within reach. It was taken after Alexander and his first force were repelled by boulders that were rolled down from above. Three days of drumbeats was a sign of the defenders' celebration for their beginning protection, this was followed by a surprise retreat. Alexander pulled himself up the last boulder on a rope. Alexander cleared the summit, killing a couple of fugitives, and erected altars to Athena Nike, Athena of Victory,. (Lane Fox)
Battle of the Hydapses River
The last major battle In Alexander's campaign was quite weird due to use of the elephants in Porus's army in the battle. Never in his life had Alexander fought against such animals. But, in this battle Alexander again that he was no regular commander. Alexander used the reconnaissance and his intelligence, to plan the battle in a perfect way which gave him another great victory. (Maciek)
This time, the area was an advantage for enemy, and Alexander was fighting a good and wise commander, Porus, who had Elephants trained to fight. The Indian king secured the river bank by placing elephants there, which made it near impossible for the Macedonian army to cross. Alexander had encountered something like this before when he couldn't cross the River Nile because elephants were blocking it. Alexander split his army into two parts. One part was commanded by Crateros, and was sent to the north from the camp on his river bank. Crateros commander his soldiers to fake their number by making as many camp fires as Alexander's entire army would make. Crateros maintained his army and was ready to attack upon order. (Maciek)
Alexander, with his part of army crossed the river Hydaspes in very hard conditions which included heavy rain and deep water. But once they got by, they placed the Indians in a very tough situation because Porus now had to decide which option to choose. Porus secured the shore that Crateros was going to cross, and with the rest of his army he tried to protect himself from the part of Alexander's army which was on his side of the river. (Maciek)
The battle itself is a great show of cavalry maneuvers that became an important factor in the battle. Until now Alexander has made very quick attacks trying to clutter enemy lines. He never used the same schemes twice and that is why he surprised every enemy. Before the battle, Alexander read many books about elephants and warfare, such as how they can be put into a panic when approached by many horses. That was his plan was to drive Porus' cavalry from their formation. (Maciek)
Alexander sent one unit to the far left behind his foot soldiers so that the Indians would not see them. Another was sent in the direction of the forces that were guarding the shore. Half of the other cavalry advanced and stopped at the same distance from the enemy and waited. Alexander's foot soldiers advanced along with the cavalry, but with missile units placed in front of the fighting foot soldiers. He had also previously given orders to the commanders to not attack until all cavalry units of Indian army were routed. Porus, seeing that all Alexander's cavalry was moving on his left, though he was going to be circled. So, he sent all of his cavalry from his right to his left. (Maciek)
But, Porus thought Alexander's cavalry was small, so he sent his horsemen to attack them, hoping that they would to the line soon with few people dead. When Porus' cavalry attacked, Alexander called the cavalry he sent out of sight to his right wing to return. (Maciek)
Once the Indians realized what was going on in this switch, it was too late. Porus' cavalry was attacked from the front, both sides, and back and all they could do was quick escape. While this was happening, Porus moved his main body to attack the phalanx. Alexander's men were perpared to defend against this attack His bowmen and javeliners in the front aimed at the elephants' eyes and special soldiers attacked the elephants' legs. Some of the elephants went crazy and broke out of the formation but most of them advanced forward and put the Macedonian foot soldiers in a bad situation. Crowded with no place to step back took missiles were being fired at the elephant riders. Those effective "war towers" broke the phalanx line everywhere they stepped. (Maciek)
As that happened, Porus' cavalry was done for and Alexander's companions attacked the back of Indian army. Porus' warriors had less space with every minute. Furious attacks spread panic throughout the ranks of Porus' army. Paniced, the elephants became out of control and they moved in every direction just to get out of the battle field. Porus' formations were now ruined and in this problem they could not fight any longer. (Maciek)
This time, the area was an advantage for enemy, and Alexander was fighting a good and wise commander, Porus, who had Elephants trained to fight. The Indian king secured the river bank by placing elephants there, which made it near impossible for the Macedonian army to cross. Alexander had encountered something like this before when he couldn't cross the River Nile because elephants were blocking it. Alexander split his army into two parts. One part was commanded by Crateros, and was sent to the north from the camp on his river bank. Crateros commander his soldiers to fake their number by making as many camp fires as Alexander's entire army would make. Crateros maintained his army and was ready to attack upon order. (Maciek)
Alexander, with his part of army crossed the river Hydaspes in very hard conditions which included heavy rain and deep water. But once they got by, they placed the Indians in a very tough situation because Porus now had to decide which option to choose. Porus secured the shore that Crateros was going to cross, and with the rest of his army he tried to protect himself from the part of Alexander's army which was on his side of the river. (Maciek)
The battle itself is a great show of cavalry maneuvers that became an important factor in the battle. Until now Alexander has made very quick attacks trying to clutter enemy lines. He never used the same schemes twice and that is why he surprised every enemy. Before the battle, Alexander read many books about elephants and warfare, such as how they can be put into a panic when approached by many horses. That was his plan was to drive Porus' cavalry from their formation. (Maciek)
Alexander sent one unit to the far left behind his foot soldiers so that the Indians would not see them. Another was sent in the direction of the forces that were guarding the shore. Half of the other cavalry advanced and stopped at the same distance from the enemy and waited. Alexander's foot soldiers advanced along with the cavalry, but with missile units placed in front of the fighting foot soldiers. He had also previously given orders to the commanders to not attack until all cavalry units of Indian army were routed. Porus, seeing that all Alexander's cavalry was moving on his left, though he was going to be circled. So, he sent all of his cavalry from his right to his left. (Maciek)
But, Porus thought Alexander's cavalry was small, so he sent his horsemen to attack them, hoping that they would to the line soon with few people dead. When Porus' cavalry attacked, Alexander called the cavalry he sent out of sight to his right wing to return. (Maciek)
Once the Indians realized what was going on in this switch, it was too late. Porus' cavalry was attacked from the front, both sides, and back and all they could do was quick escape. While this was happening, Porus moved his main body to attack the phalanx. Alexander's men were perpared to defend against this attack His bowmen and javeliners in the front aimed at the elephants' eyes and special soldiers attacked the elephants' legs. Some of the elephants went crazy and broke out of the formation but most of them advanced forward and put the Macedonian foot soldiers in a bad situation. Crowded with no place to step back took missiles were being fired at the elephant riders. Those effective "war towers" broke the phalanx line everywhere they stepped. (Maciek)
As that happened, Porus' cavalry was done for and Alexander's companions attacked the back of Indian army. Porus' warriors had less space with every minute. Furious attacks spread panic throughout the ranks of Porus' army. Paniced, the elephants became out of control and they moved in every direction just to get out of the battle field. Porus' formations were now ruined and in this problem they could not fight any longer. (Maciek)
Campaign Against the Maili
The Macedonian army had already visited very populated, civilized countries in river valleys. Some examples are Egypt and Babylonia and, the population had not resisted them. The nations across the Indus, would not surrender. In January 325, Alexander's men had to fight their way through the countries of the Mallians, and the Oxydracae. The war was fought without mercy and was similar to the 'genocide' in Gandara. Craterus still commanded an army in the west, Hephaestion and Ptolemy commanded two armies in the east, and Alexander commanded the main force, the Companion cavalry, which was the mounted archers and a part of the phalanx. Several Mallian towns were attacked and captured, and the ones that tried to escape were caught by the other armies that were all over the place. (Jona Lendering)
During the siege of the capital of the Mallians, in modern Multan, Alexander was seriously wounded by an arrow; he owed his survival to Abreas, who was killed, Peucestas, and a bodyguard named Leonnatus, who protected the king with the sacred shield of Troy. The wound was very painful. For the rest of his life, the son of Zeus, the god suffered pain, because the arrow had went through his lung. (Jona Lendering)
Even though that happened, the last of the Mallians surrendered. Soon after the demoralized Oxydracaes did the same. From his sick bed, Alexander called for the establishment of a new leader of the Mallians, which was to be ruled by a Macedonian named Peithon. He also founded a new town, called Alexandria, near the meeting of the Indus and the Acesines. Like the cities he had already founded on the Hydaspes, Nicaea and Bucephala, the city had large docks, which showed that Alexander wanted to develop the Indus valley. A new town was also established in the country of the Sogdians, it was capital of the new government. (Jona Lendering)
During the siege of the capital of the Mallians, in modern Multan, Alexander was seriously wounded by an arrow; he owed his survival to Abreas, who was killed, Peucestas, and a bodyguard named Leonnatus, who protected the king with the sacred shield of Troy. The wound was very painful. For the rest of his life, the son of Zeus, the god suffered pain, because the arrow had went through his lung. (Jona Lendering)
Even though that happened, the last of the Mallians surrendered. Soon after the demoralized Oxydracaes did the same. From his sick bed, Alexander called for the establishment of a new leader of the Mallians, which was to be ruled by a Macedonian named Peithon. He also founded a new town, called Alexandria, near the meeting of the Indus and the Acesines. Like the cities he had already founded on the Hydaspes, Nicaea and Bucephala, the city had large docks, which showed that Alexander wanted to develop the Indus valley. A new town was also established in the country of the Sogdians, it was capital of the new government. (Jona Lendering)