The Battle of Hydaspes (326 BC) was the last battle of Alexander the Great, fought between his army of Macedon and the enemy army of Paurava under King Porus. Having subdued the Persian Empire, Alexander the Great proceeded to invade India, the only lands left unconquered by the Macedonian Empire. Although he faced overwhelming odds, Alexander destroyed Porus' Indian army of war elephants, chariots, cavalry, and infantry using flanking tactics.
Background[]
Following the Battle of Gaugamela, King Darius III of Persia fled to Ecbatana and then to Bactria, where he was killed by his own rebellious generals. Alexander the Great proceeded to subdue any remaining resistance to his conquest of the Persian Empire, and found another Persian army at the Persian Gates. His forces were held back, but a local shepherd showed him a way around the Persians. Alexander used this route, and he defeated the Persian army with a flanking attack. With little resistance, Alexander reached the Sogdian Rock and took over all of Bactria. The Persian Empire was now a part of Macedon, and there was nobody left to fight him.
Now that Persia was in his hands, Alexander was able to continue eastwards. Soon, dissent spread through his ranks, forcing him to stop at various points and turn in various directions before ultimately continuing east. He had each of his soldiers receive a Persian wife, and he murdered his general Parmenion after his son was accused of treason. With all of the dissenters dead, Alexander the Great continued on eastward. The Macedonian army crossed the Indus River into the Punjab, and Alexander captured the cities of Taxila and Aornos from the Indians, and allied with the Taxiles.
Alexander had little resistance as he advanced into the Punjab, but King Porus of Paurava gathered an army of 55,000 troops. King Porus' army counted 50,000 infantry, 4,000 cavalry, and 1,000 chariots, in addition to 85 fearsome Indian war elephants. Porus' army outnumbered Alexander's army four-to-one, and the two armies met on the Hydaspes River, the westernmost border of Paurava.
Battle[]
Dispositions[]
The Macedonian army marching to Hydaspes
Alexander the Great's army of 13,000 troops included not only Macedonian troops from home, but it also included his new subjects. Persian Mardian Archers, Allied Cavalry, Bactrian auxillairies, and other troops from Persia made up a large portion of his army. The Macedonian army was positioned on the west bank of the Hydaspes. The Indian army of 55,000 troops was on the other side, but neither side wanted to go on the offensive first.
Alexander the Great leading the march to Hydaspes.
For three weeks, Alexander sent his cavalry up and down the banks of the river to the right of his army, and Porus responded by doing the same thing. Alexander located a ford on his left flank that he could use for outflanking the Indians, so he included that in his plan. Alexander positioned his main army close to the ford, while keeping two units of spearmen and a unit of archers on the center of the west bank and an army of equal size on the ford to the right. Porus' main force was in the center, with a large amount of reserves. He also had a smaller force on the side of the river facing the Macedonian right flank, but it was much larger than the force that the Macedonians fielded there.
Crossing of the Hydaspes[]
Alexander's army crosses the Hydaspes River.
The Indian female archers
With his main army, Alexander moved past his other armies and crossed the ford to the left of his armies, and deployed on the flank of the Indian right flank. The Indian army redeployed some units from the main force on the central bank and their other units to counter the Macedonian army that was engaging them. The Macedonian cavalry under Alexander launched a charge against the Indian units sent to engage them, first fighting the Indian cavalry. Then, they fought against the Indian spearmen, who were so demoralized that they did not take advantage of their superior weaponry and were instead slaughtered where they stood. The Macedonian infantry then charged into the battle, and they assisted in the tough melee combat against the Indian units. The Indian female archers were also cut down, and Captain Teos led his Indian army against Alexander. Teos was slain atop his elephant, which was hit in the head with an arrow. The Indian army facing the Macedonian right flank was ordered to redeploy to fight the main Macedonian army, allowing the Macedonian right flank to cross the Hydaspes and march to meet up with the main army. The Indian army in the center was engaged in combat and defeated by the main Macedonian army, and the Macedonian force on the central ford was allowed to cross the river as well.
Charge of the Elephants[]
Porus' war elephants
Although Teos' Indian army was forced to withdraw from the field of battle, King Porus himself led his army against the Macedonians. His force included the chariots and the fearsome Indian war elephants, as well as some infantry and cavalry. Stationed on the heights, they defended the position as many Indian spearmen and cavalry retreated through that same area. King Porus' troops resisted the Macedonian forces that charged uphill, and the elephants wreaked havoc.
The battle on the heights
The dead Indian cavalry
The Macedonian army engaged the elephants in a bloody battle, with their Allied Cavalry bearing the brunt of the battle. However, the Macedonian infantry and cavalry both resisted the elephants with some assistance from Macedonian archers, who fired flaming arrows. The arrows scared the Indian elephants, who panicked at the sight of the flames. The result of this was an Indian rout, and although the chariots rode downhill and their spiked wheels severed many legs, they were also routed. The Indian army was destroyed, and 23,000 Indian troops were killed.
Aftermath[]
The Indians and Macedonians both suffered very heavy losses in the battle. 1,000 Macedonians, plus their auxilliary troops, were killed in the fight against the Indians. King Porus surrendered in person to Alexander the Great after the battle, but Alexander was unable to continue his invasion of India, as his men refused to go any farther. He was wounded during the siege of Mallia during the retreat, and he died in 323 BC in Babylon.