Issus

We arrived in Issus a few days ago and it’s pretty clear to me now that Alexander’s plan is to capture as many coastal towns with ports as possible so he can negate the strong naval forces of the Persians. Anyways, this would mark the first time Alexander III and Darius III go head-to-head in a battle. I am happy to report that my Macedonian comrades were victorious over the Persians. After the defeat of his forces at the Battle of Granicus, rumor has it that Darius was so upset that he took a more hands on approach and was much more involved in leading his troops. There have been small fights around town

but the main forces on each side met near the mouth of the Pinarus River and the town of Issus. Earlier this week, Darius had surprised us by doubling back behind us to cut off our supply lines. However, because of the proximity of the mountain range to the north, Darius could not take advantage of his vast forces due to the rough terrain in getting them there. I think Alexander was fortunate here because if Darius had his entire military available to him, the outcome would be much different. Well, sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good.

This would mark the first time that the Persian forces would be defeated with Darius in command, and I believe that this will be considered a major breakthrough in Alexander’s conquest of Persia. Our forces also were able to capture Darius’ wife, Stateira I, and his daughters who were all with Darius. Surprisingly, Alexander was really nice and very accommodating to Darius’ family. I noticed Alexander flirting with Stateira II - I wonder if there is something going on between the two of them. Anyways, he certainly was in a

good mood as he renamed Issus, Nicopolis which means “victory city”.

We are going to rest for a while here, but I am sure we are going to get going again soon, probably better to keep the momentum going!