We recently discussed some words spoken by the Greek mercenary general Charidamus to the Persian king Darius III on the eve of the Battle of Issus in 333 B.C.  But we discussed only a small part of his speech.  His complete comments are worthy of our meticulous consideration.

To frame the context of Charidamus’s counsel to Darius, we must recall that this was a time of great peril for the Persian state.  Alexander was moving rapidly against him, and clearly sought a decisive battle.  Darius had only recently been grievously defeated by his Macedonian nemesis at the Granicus River.  The royal pride and sensitivities were inflamed, and were perhaps more than a little infected by pusillanimity or dread.  Charidamus was a professional soldier of extensive experience; when Alexander conquered Greece he demanded Charidamus’s exile as punishment for his persistent advocacy of resistance to Macedonian ambition.  So Charidamus moved to Persia, and put himself at the service of Darius. 

Now Darius had resolved to enter battle against Alexander directly with his entire force.  Charidamus was horrified at this prospect; he knew the Macedonians and their tactics well, and understood that the Persian infantry were simply outclassed.  To engage in a set-piece battle with Alexander would be inviting catastrophe.  So he spoke the following words to the king, as recorded by the Latin historian Quintus Curtius Rufus. It is a speech that merits frequent reading and reflection in today’s shallow and superficial culture, and is translated as follows:

Perhaps you do not want to hear the truth.  And if I do not say it now, I will confess it later to no avail.  This army that is so well-armed, this force summoned from so many peoples of the East, brought together from their habitations, might be fearsome to people on its borders.  It shines with purple and gold.  It is brilliant with arms and riches so great that those who have not laid their own eyes on them cannot form a proper conception of them.  But the Macedonian battle-line, while certainly savage and unrefined, covers with shields and spears its steadfast wedges and its dense strength of men. 

They themselves call it the phalanx, an immobile formation of foot-soldiers:  man is set close to man, and weapons close to weapons.  Dedicated to complying with the immediate will of the leader, they have learned to follow their standards and maintain their formations.  All obey what is commanded.  To resist, to encircle, to run to the wings, to change the dispositional nature of the fight—in all these skills, the leaders are just as competent as their soldiers.     

Do not think that they are animated by a desire for gold and silver; for they have kept their discipline in the school of poverty.  When they are tired, the ground is their bed.  Such food as they can grab while working satisfies them.  Their time for sleeping is shorter than the night.  The Thessalian, Acarnanian, and the Aetolian cavalry—which have been unbeaten in war—will be driven away, I believe, by slings and by spears hardened by fire!  What you need is strength equal to theirs.  Help must be sought in that land which birthed them.  Send your silver and gold to hire professional soldiers.  [III.2]

Such was Charidamus’s short speech to Darius, as recorded by Quintus Curtius Rufus.  It is not only an eloquent piece of Latin rhetoric, but a powerful moral lesson; and we may forgive our otherwise scrupulous historian for embellishing the historical record with an exposition of such timeless veracity.  Fighting competence has nothing to do with appearances.  It is dependent on experience, relentless discipline, physical toughness, firm leadership, and the willingness to sacrifice for a cause greater than oneself.  Size and numbers count for little if the men themselves are of poor quality.  This was the message that Charidamus desperately tried to communicate to Darius.  But the king was unable or unwilling to listen.  And for this fatal mistake, he lost both his kingdom and, eventually, his life.  He believed that an army with fine equipment and a wealth of resources behind it could stand against a professional, dedicated, and hardened combat force. 

This was Darius’s delusion; but if so, he was certainly not the first man, or the last, in history to confuse appearances with innate quality.  What Darius needed was strength equal to that possessed by the Macedonians.  Competent fighting forces are not created with equipment, technology, or gadgets; they are created by trained, disciplined, and tenacious men.  The best equipment and technology, in the hands of soft or spoiled men, can accomplish nothing at all.         

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Read more on the qualities and characteristics of leadership in the new, annotated translation of Cornelius Nepos’s Lives Of The Great Commanders.