Battle Tactics of Alexander the Great

Ron Cosman
History 134 / 142961
10 October 2014

Wars and battles have been around since the dawn of time. So, given the many battles that
have been fought throughout time, why not learn from the best? In fact, this is the mindset of the
U.S. military even today. The U.S. military is looking at Alexander the Great as one person to try
and learn from his battles and what made him unbeatable. I will show in this paper how
Alexander the Great used his battle tactics to his advantage and prove that they are still studied
today.
Alexander the Great has influenced many militarists. Some of the greats to name a few have
been Napoleon, Hannibal and Washington. Although he is primarily considered a warrior and
conqueror, Alexanders strategic thinking has influenced leaders through the ages, including the
likes of Julius and Augustus Caesar, Mark Anthony Robert E. Lee, Ulysses S. Grant, Irwin
Rommel and, more recently, Norman Schwarzkopf. The generals of the world now plotting to
defeat terrorism almost certainly will be drawing knowingly or unknowingly on lessons first
mastered by Alexander.1 So as we can see here, Alexander has indirectly even played a part in
todays battles by influencing the likes of General Schwarzkopf in the war in Iraq. Additionally,
John R. Mixter goes on to tell us how he is even studied today. More than any other ancient
military figure, Alexander the Great has served as the model for Western field commanders
throughout history. Even today, Alexander's many contributions to the art of warfare and his
feats of generalship continue to warrant study in military academies around the world. 2
One of the many characteristics that made Alexander great was the fact that even though he
was of such a young age he was able to conquer so many other nations. Alexanders father, King
Philip II, had Alexander tutored by one of historys greatest philosophers, Aristotle. Perhaps it
was from this tutelage that Alexander drew much of his knowledge of war and peace. One could
also argue that being the son of a king who was constantly at war, he also learned from his

father, seeing his fathers victories and failures. It was at the age of twenty, in the year 336 B.C.
when his father was assassinated, that Alexander ascended to the throne.
Upon the death of his father, one of the first things Alexander had to do was quell the
rebellion within his own country. After having taken care of business and securing his kingdom
at home, Alexander could move on to the matter at hand conquering the world, the Persians
being first on the list.
It is at the battle of Granicus that we first see Alexanders feint maneuver. This is a battle
tactic that is designed to mislead the enemy into thinking you will do one thing, but in fact you
end up doing another. The Granicus is also worthy of note because it is one of the earliest
battles on record that was decided largely by cavalry strength, though coordinated with infantry
support. Although some of the tactical details of the fighting are reasonably clear, to this day one
of the more puzzling aspects is Alexander's strategy of opening the battle with a feint attack.3 If
we look at modern day battles, such as those in Operation Desert Storm, we can see that the feint
maneuver was used there also. According to John Browns article it talks about the Desert
Storm itself which began on January 17, 38 days before the ground offensive, as coalition ground
forces provided the defensive shield that made other operations possible. It details the elements
of the ground operations including a demonstration, a feint, and three supporting attacks before a
main attack.4
Alexander seemed to have a keen awareness for what was going on around him. He took note
of the morale of his soldiers, the supplies that he had, and the terrain in which he was going to
battle, just to name a few. He looked at the logistics of his planning and how many supplies he
had. B. H. Liddell Hart characterized Alexanders logistics strategy as direct and devoid of
subtlety. Moreover, to a large degree, logistics concerns shaped Alexanders strategy and

tactics Alexander displayed an acute awareness of the logistical requirements of his army.
Alexander considered the logistics implications of every aspect of the campaign, from the route
he took to the allies he courted, in successfully moving the Macedonian army across the
relatively barren desserts of Asia Minor.5
As I had mentioned earlier, part of what could have played a role in Alexanders military
teachings could have been his father Philip II. Together, Philip and Alexander advanced several
key principles of warfare. First, their strategy discouraged using the blunt weapon of frontal
assault. By using maneuver and intelligence, they demonstrated how a smaller army can often
defeat a larger foe. Secondly, they relied not only on tactics, but also on strategyAlexander felt
that determining when and where to battle were critical elements of success.6
Another battle tactic used by Alexander the Great and todays generals is the envelopment
maneuver. This form of attack utilizes more than one offensive line and demonstrates
Alexanders genius. One line will attack the center and another line will attack from either one or
both sides, hence enveloping the enemy force, pushing them inward and forcing them to the rear.
Noted single envelopments were accomplished by Alexander the Great at Arbela (or
Gaugamela, 331 BC).7 We see this battle tactic used later on in history by Robert E. Lee at the
Battle of Chancellorsville.
The Army Command and General Staff at Fort Leavenworth did a study regarding
Alexanders use of combined arms tactics. This study reviews the battles and campaigns of
Alexander the Great for his use of combined arms tactics.8 This study shows how Alexander
demonstrated many military developments from river crossings to the use of deception.
In conclusion, I would just like to say that yes, it does seem apparent that Alexanders tactics
are still studied and utilized today. He was truly a great tactician having accomplished in his

short twelve year reign what no other has been able to do and it was only at the request of his
soldiers that he stopped. Never having lost a battle, it should come as no surprise that his tactics
are still studied today.

End Notes
1

Bose, Partha Sarathi. Alexander the Great's art of strategy. Allen & Unwin, 2003.

Mixter, John R. Alexanders First Great Victory. Military History 14.5 (1997): 50 Academic
Search Complete: Web 11 Oct. 2014.
2

Mixter, John R. Alexanders First Great Victory. Military History 14.5 (1997): 50 Academic
Search Complete: Web 11 Oct. 2014.
3

Brown, John S. Desert Storm at 20, Part II. Army Magazine 61.2 (2011): 70-71. Academic
Search Complete. Web. 11 Oct. 2014.
4

Hardemon, Richard A. General Logistics Paradigm: A Study of the Logistics of Alexander,

Napoleon, and Sherman. Air Force Journal of Logistics 35.1/2 (2011): 78-95. Military &
Government Collection. Web. 10 Oct. 2014.
5

Bose, Partha Sarathi. Alexander the Great's art of strategy. Allen & Unwin, 2003.

"Strategy and Tactics, Military | Scholastic.com." Scholastic Teachers. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Oct.
2014. http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/strategy-and-tactics-military
8

Pederson, Robert. "A Study of Combined Arms Warfare by Alexander the Great." Pederson,
Robert B. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Oct. 2014.
<http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA350056>.

Annotated Bibliography
Brown, John S. Desert Storm at 20, Part II. Army Magazine 61.2 (2011): 70-71. Academic
Search Complete. Web. 11 Oct. 2014.
-In this article, John Brown talks about Desert Storm, the coalition of forces in how they
provided for a shield that made other operations possible and some of the methods utilized.
Bose, Partha Sarathi. Alexander the Great's art of strategy. Allen & Unwin, 2003.
-Here we have Bose talking about the influence that Alexander the Great made to many military
minds, to include more recent Norman Schwarzkopf. Bose also talks about how Alexander and
his father Philip II strategically maneuvered smaller armies to defeat a larger enemy.
Hardemon, Richard A. General Logistics Paradigm: A Study of the Logistics of Alexander,
Napoleon, and Sherman. Air Force Journal of Logistics 35.1/2 (2011): 78-95. Military &
Government Collection. Web. 10 Oct. 2014.
-This article goes into detail about how logistics would determine how Alexander would plan his
battles. He would look thoroughly plan his moves depending on what logistical information he
had.
Mixter, John R. Alexanders First Great Victory. Military History 14.5 (1997): 50 Academic
Search Complete: Web 11 Oct. 2014.
-Here we have an overview of Alexanders life from early on, mostly of battles fought. It also
mentions of some views of historians about Alexanders life. Towards the end of the article, it
goes into greater depth of the Battle of Granicus and some of the tactical maneuvers that
Alexander used to win the battle.
Pederson, Robert. "A Study of Combined Arms Warfare by Alexander the Great." Pederson,
Robert B. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Oct. 2014.
<http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA350056>.
-This is a brief abstract done by Robert Pederson talking about a review done by Army
Command and General Staff of Alexanders tactics. How he applied the use of military doctrine
even in early days, for crossing rivers, anti-guerrilla warfare, skirmishers and more.
"Strategy and Tactics, Military | Scholastic.com." Scholastic Teachers. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Oct.
2014. http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/strategy-and-tactics-military
-This article looks at what an envelopment maneuver is and how Alexander the Great and other
famous military leaders had used it to their advantage. This includes such wars as the American
Revolution and the German Army at Falaise Gap in 1944