The Rhymes of The Anabasis of Cyrus

General William T. Sherman

General George S. Patton

Xenophon, The Sea! The Sea!

Mark Twain wrote, "History doesn't repeat itself, but it does rhyme." The Anabasis of Cyrus is filled with events that have reappeared throughout history to form a rhythm that if not repeated, lends example and advice to other commanders faced with similar challenges.

Not much discussed in the forgoing posts, has been Xenophon’s speech to the assembled soldiers before setting out on their march to the sea. Reading the speech, one will note several themes that have a familiar ring to any student of American military history. This account of how Xenophon dressed for the occasion, has a twin in the way one American General outfitted himself for battle.

“After this, as Xenophon stood up, having equipped himself for war as nobly as he could, for he believed that if the gods should grant victory, the noblest of adornment was fitting for being victorious, but if there should be the need for his life to come to an end, he believed it was right that considering himself worthy of the most noble thing, he meet his end in these noble arms.”

Reading this passage brings to mind General George S. Patton, who in the 1920’s, read and annotated his copy of Anabasis among his many other readings of ancient history. One can begin to understand Patton’s theatre and how he might have been influenced to create his noble image in the shadow of Xenophon.

Anabasis of Cyrus Roundtable

This is my first contribution to the ongoing roundtable discussion hosted at Chicago Boyz where several of my most esteemed blog colleagues have assembled to discuss The Anabasis of Cyrus.

The opening phase of this discussion of Greek soldier, historian Xenophon’s account of the expedition to unseat Artaxerxes King of Persia by his brother Cyrus, has touched on several important elements. First, most important to any great undertaking was logistics, aptly covered in the first post by Fringe. Next, Steven Pressfield introduced the route and how it influenced Alexander the Great, who used the Anabasis of Cyrus as a guidebook in his conquest of Persia decades later. Lexington Green then offered up an overview of the each chapter, laying out the story line in concise detail. Most recently, Joseph Fouche took pen to point out important distinctions between Xenophon’s writing style and that of Herodotus.

The book that most of us have chosen to base our discussion is the translation by Wayne Ambler. In the introduction, Eric Buzzetti writes, “The Anabasis has the makings of a great Hollywood movie.” This statement along should stimulate the most benign reader to pursue the book further. Inside, they will not be disappointed; the story unfolds like a travel log detailing distance traveled, people encountered, battles fought and the unfolding loose republican democracy that formed after the death of their generals at the hand of Artaxerxes. Then becomes what could be described as the one of the great epics combining battles with political intrigue and lessons in leadership.

Anyone who sets out to read this book would do well to prepare themselves by carefully reading the introduction. Then turn to the back and make one’s self familiar with the Historical notes and the Glossary where they will find not only a definition of terms, but an explanation of the scale of measurements which is elementary to follow the journey up country and the escape to safety.The opening pages of book I, contain two maps tracing the journey into Persia, the retreat north to the Black Sea and back across the Hellespont to Greece. The maps are simple, but can be enhanced, courtesy of Google Earth and 21st century techonlogy, for a true look at the lay of the land. Here are some of the highlights to be discovered when perusing the route in this manner.

As one looks at the first part of the journey up country across today’s Turkey, they will note that the land contains sustainable resources that Cyrus’s expedition could harvest by trade or pillage. Each stage, five parasangs, (3.3 miles) of the journey is logged in the text, giving amateur geographers a chance to demonstrate their skills. Rivers are noted for their width and potential bounty of fish, and towns, for their accommodation or resistance.

Tracing the journey with the help of Google Earth allows for a birds eye view of the challenges that awaited the Ten Thousand. For example, the five stages, (115 miles) that led from Araxes River across the Syrian Desert to the Mascas River were described as barren and devoid of life. The view today reveals that little has changed in 2500 years. The Euphrates River, a dam now blocking its upper reaches, still stretches like a green ribbon across the breadth of western Babylon. The route soon to be followed by the Ten Thousand up the Tigris traces a green line of irrigated farmland. This land along the Tigris was the lifeline that the Ten Thousand followed as they fought north to the relative safety of the mountains, home of the Carduchoi, ancestors of today’s Kurdish people.

Looking down on this route, one sees the logic of why Xenophon convinced the army to take this route. Going back across the desert would expose them to two dangers. The land just traversed was still feeling the footprints of all who traveled with Cyrus, 110,000 strong, (including the 10,000 Greek hoplites). Second, it was a flat table land that gave the advantage to the Persian cavalry. The mountains however unknown, offered the Greeks a chance to alter their tactics by changing the formation to a hollow square to guard their baggage train. They added more sling throwers, (peltastai) who used lead pellets, for longer distance to stave off the approach of the Persians. As they entered the mountains most of the Persian army stopped pursuing in the belief that the winter would destroy the Greek army.

Looking down on those mountains today from the lens of Google Earth, one can zoom into observe the valleys and gain an appreciation of the challenge of finding a route across the mountains to the sea and the Greek Colonies along its shore. Scouting parties were formed to range ahead to find routes and warn of potential enemies. The army was beginning to resemble what we today would call a combined arms force, with heavy infantry, cavalry, scouts, artillery (sling throwers) and support (camp followers) all arrayed together to accomplish their goal.
The Greek colonies found along the Black Sea offered no sure guarantee of safety, since feeding and supporting ten thousand uninvited soldiers strained even the most affluent colonies larders. The unfolding story of this part of the journey waits to be discussed.

Stepping back to the first book, understanding the tone of the author requires the reader to know that it is being written in the voice of Theopompus, the pseudonym for Xenophon. His viewpoint, although detailed in matters of logistics, geography and military matters is that of a Greek who views all others as Barbarians whose social habits fall below the station of any Greek. The author’s note that Theopompus means “God-sent” is a sign that Xenophon holds his own self-worth in the highest degree, even when writing in the third person.

As we prepare to leave book I, the Greek Hoplites and their generals, basking in the tactical victory of the Battle of Cunaxa are unaware of the fate that awaits them. Book II will open the reader’s eyes to new dangers, tales of audacity and examples of oratory that still echo down through the ages.

Cross posted at Chicagoboyz.com

Is Robert Gates America's Xenophon?

Xenophon

Gates visiting the troops

Cruising the blogs today I came across two posts, one by Thomas Barnett, The SECDEF we need and Tom Ricks Gates vs. the services. Both introduce a profile of Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who has assumed a strong leadership role in guiding the conduct of the two current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as shaping the 2008 National Defense Strategy by focusing on being prepared to fight a full-out war, irregular war and humanitarian missions.

The profile by Greg Jaffee appeared in the Washington Post May 15, 2009 and begins.

On a rainy night in March, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates traveled to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware to witness the military's ritual for welcoming home its war dead.

In a small building next to the tarmac, an officer briefed the defense secretary on the four deceased troops arriving that evening. They had been driving along a rutted road near Jalalabad, Afghanistan, when their Humvee hit a powerful roadside bomb.

Gates flashed with anger, according to people with him that day. He had spent most of his tenure in the Pentagon pushing to replace Humvees in Afghanistan and Iraq with Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles, built to withstand such blasts. "Find out why they hadn't gotten their goddamn MRAPs yet," he snapped at his staff.

Clad in the black suit he had worn to work that morning in the Pentagon, Gates climbed into the cargo hold of the white 747 bearing the remains. From the ground, troops could see the defense secretary as he knelt, alone, by the flag-draped transfer cases. Five minutes passed.

Then Gates, a small man with white hair neatly combed across his head, appeared in the plane's door and summoned the chaplain and the honor guard to begin the 17-minute welcome-home ritual.

A few days later, he was asked at a Pentagon news conference if he would talk about his visit. He started to answer the question but stopped. "Actually, no," he said. "I will tell you it was very difficult."

This opening passage reveals a deeply committed person who has taken the reins of leadership and moved it beyond what Gates himself decries as "The natural propensity of a bureaucracy is not to decide," he has often said. "It will just chew the cud until there is no taste at all."

One example of Gates determination is illustrated when he formed a task force to increase the number of unmanned predators in the sky's over Afghanistan and Iraq. A few months after forming a task force and personally guiding it, the number of of predators increased to 31 from the previous 12.

Read more: A Single-Minded Focus on Dual Wars

Now one might ask what does Robert Gates have in common with the ancient Greek writer and soldier Xenophon?

In preparation for an upcoming roundtable Early Announcement: Xenophon’s Anabasis Roundtable where several of my fellow blog friends will be discussing The Anabasis of Cyrus, I have been reading this ancient account and was struck by some of the similarities in both men's leadership styles.

First, both are what you could be termed outsiders to the chain of military command. Xenophon, stepped into a leadership role when the generals who had led the expedition were tricked into being captured and slain. The force was mostly leaderless until Xenophon began to consul and convince those still in a leadership role that they needed to follow his plan. The result of following what at that time was a radical departure from previous strategy and tactics was the salvation of most of the force that came to be known to history as the "Ten Thousand." Gates returned to head the Department of Defense after serving in the CIA and other government posts for 26 years and most recently as the President of A and M University. Both men come from highly educated backgrounds. Xenophon, a student of Socrates, Gates a PhD in history.

Both men demonstrate a knack for innovation. When faced with attacks in mountainous terrain, Xenophon re-configured the phalanx formation into a more streamlined fighting force able to adjust to the changing battle space. Gates, shows the same willingness and insight to demand changes in innovation by increasing the use of MRAP (Mine Resistant Ambush Protected) armored trucks and increasing the use of predators and helicopters in theatre.

The history of the successful conduct of war has several examples of leadership coming forward from the civilian side to demand accountability of the services to the overall strategy of war. Our own history gave us Lincoln who fired dozens of generals until he found Grant. England's Churchill stepped on his generals and admirals toes in order to keep the inter-service rivalry herded towards the defeat of the enemy. Today, Robert Gates has been doing what can only be compared to herding cats as he masterfully guides our military forces in two theatres and plans for the future as well as dispatch aid in the form of humanitarian missions, USNS COMFORT: Mission Accomplished in Antigua and Barbuda.

Anyway, just a few thoughts as I compared these two personalities separated by 2500 years. War and the preparation for the unexpected and unintended consequences requires a special dedicated sense of responsibility, that leads with the survival of the nation as their sole mission.

The lessons of Xenophan's account deserve study. I encourage all to take the time to read or re-read the Anabasis of Cyrus and reflect on the need to keep an open mind to innovate and be prepared for the unexpected.

Xenophon's Anabasis, Schedule for Roundtable This Fall

Xenophon’s Anabasis, Schedule for Roundtable This Fall posted by Lexington Green at Chicago Boyz

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