Unorthodox Angles/Andrew Gramling
Echoes from History: The Last Stand Before Unity Part VI
The logical chosen successor to the throne of the ruler of Sparta was Pausanias, the nephew of King Leonidas I. Pleistarchus, Leonidas’ son, was too young to inherit the throne, as well as the burden of war, and it was in the interest of all Greeks that the general of the allied land forces be commanded by the most capable leader at one of the most decisive moments in Greek history. Where Leonidas’ final campaign was one of defense and delay, Pausanias realized that it was time for more than mere fortification, and that a more offensive approach was needed to break the enemy beyond any attempts at reconstruction.
Nearly a year after the Battle of Salamis, where the Greek navy, directed by Themistocles, had put a stop to the invading Persian battle fleet, the Persian land army continued operations in central Greece. With Xerxes returning to Asia the previous year, along with the bulk of the Persian army, due to concerns about the supply line and the security of his empire, the remaining forces were left under the charge of Mardonius, Xerxes’ top general who actually played a large part in convincing Xerxes to invade Greece, and his task was to continue on with the invasion without him.
Interestingly, after Mardonius succeeded in persuading Xerxes to continue what his father, King Darius I had started, he began to waiver in his ambition due to what he remembered about the challenges faced during the first Greco-Persian War. According to Herodotus, Xerxes, after abandoning the idea of invading Greece, began to be haunted by recurring dreams where he was visited by an entity who promised him great misfortune if he did not move forward with the invasion. Xerxes, after a number of “visitations,” began to believe that it was no ordinary dream but a divine appointment, and it put the fear of retribution in him enough to reverse course a second time and continue on with the invasion.
With supplies limited, multiple minor skirmishes, and gradually eroding Persian morale, the Persians under the command of Mardonius were not the same unrestrained force they previously had been under Xerxes’ command, but they were no less still a major threat, numbering between 70,000 and 100,000 troops. No single Greek city-state had the manpower to be able to challenge them directly, and the Hellic League, formed before the second Greco-Persian War as a measure to deal with future assaults by the Persians, collectively possessed numbers that were still no match for the Persians, but with Greek resourcefulness, could possibly stand a fighting chance in a confrontation that would put everything they had on the table, where they could possibly have everything taken from them, forever.
Pausanias chose the region of Plataea as the location where the Greeks would make their final stand against Persian tyranny. Some of the reasons why it was chosen include: open plains where the Greek phalanx battle formation would be most effective, land that was not so flat as to give the Persian cavalry an advantage, Mount Cithaeron; which could be used for cover and retreat, and nearby rivers that provided soldiers with drinking water and natural barriers which helped prevent flanking. As usual, the Spartans and the Athenians, who had now resettled in Athens after the Persian army set fire to much of the city, made up the largest contingent of troops, followed by the Corinthians. There were several other city-states that contributed forces, bringing a combined total to an estimated 38,000 to 40,000 troops. Among them were about 30,000 heavily armed hoplites, with 8,000 to 10,000 light troops: archers, skirmishers, etc— again, no match for the Persians in terms of raw numbers, and outnumbered nearly two to one.
Mardonius knew that with his current situation, the strength of his forces was gradually declining, and that a massive victory for Persia was necessary in order to bring resolve and restore honor for previous losses. Because of his need to bring a quick resolution to the invasion campaign, Mardonius and his army traveled to Plataea to confront the Greek army that assembled there. With what remained of both armies, they had now come face to face for the final confrontation.
Fear ran through those susceptible just as the early morning chill of the plains. The dusty ground underfoot was a reminder that the coming battle would not be a clean or civilized activity. The golden fields swaying in a gentle breeze characterized the suspense of both armies waiting during a time of relative quiet before action. Mount Cithaeron looming in the background was a foreboding symbol of how small men are in the face of larger circumstances of peril. Who would make the first move, and who would make the last? Neither army seemed eager to begin. Both knew that once the silence ended, so too would the fate of Greece be decided.
