Alkibiades, a tale of the Great Athenian War

by Charles Hamilton Bromby

The Athenian armament, with its sailors hurriedly got together and for the most part inexperienced, were no match for their opponents. They were utterly defeated. Twenty-two ships of the small remnant of Athens’ fleet were lost, and their crews were either killed or taken prisoners. The Lakedaimonians got possession of Euboia, the granary of Athens—a blow almost as fatal as if they had taken the town itself. No greater consternation ever seized upon the city. This was worse than the loss of her fleet and men at Syrakuse.

The government was at its wits’ end, and the members of it were divided amongst themselves. Their overtures to Sparta being spurned, they trembled for their lives. The people met, as though by inspiration, in their old meeting-place, and, without a sign from their late tyrants, proceeded to depose them. So they disappeared after a reign of barely five miserable months. Many of them went over to the enemy at Dekeleia, and did what further injury they could to Athens. Others were allowed, with ignominy, to return to their former obscurity. Only Antiphon, perhaps the best among them, and one other publicly suffered the death they all deserved. The spot where their houses once stood was marked by a stone recording that there had lived a traitor. Athens again enjoyed the constitution, with the assembly, the senate and the executive, which had been given to it by Perikles.

Samos was still jubilant at the fall of the four hundred and the restoration of the democratic government at home when the Eros, at the head of the twelve other ships, rowed into the port. The good tidings of the exciting and successful chase had scarce been told before an Athenian messenger came from the restored senate and Ekklesia to the commander of the forces at Samos, confirming him in the high office already conferred upon him by the Samian garrison. But he found the main fleet he had left behind with Thrasyllos gone. In his absence Mindaros, the new Spartan admiral, had stolen quietly out of Miletos, but Thrasyllos, having had notice of his going, had followed in his wake with fifty-five warships, had picked up Thrasyboulos with his five triremes at Eresos, and had met Mindaros and had a brush with him already in the Hellespont.

A despatch soon came from Thrasyllos describing these movements, and imploring the chief to come without delay and bring them reinforcements, as a serious conflict was every day expected. For, when Philippos returned to Miletos and exposed the way in which the Spartans had been cheated by the fickle Tissaphernes at Pharselis, Mindaros, despairing of getting aid from the Lydian satrap, made overtures to Pharnabazos, the powerful viceroy of the Propontine provinces, offering to join him in his province. Alkibiades knew that the offer would be accepted, and that Pharnabazos had been endeavouring for the last four years to make alliance with the Spartans against Athens. He had not much doubt that the sudden departure of the Spartan fleet northward to the Hellespont was for the purpose of joining Pharnabazos. The combined forces, unless they were successfully opposed, would have little difficulty in getting possession of the Hellespontine towns which were still faithful to Athens. Abydos and Lampsakos had already fallen off; a little show of power on the Spartan side would decide the rest.

It was a time of great anxiety, and it would be of the utmost importance if the coalition forming in the north could be destroyed. He had confidence in Thrasyllos, but one false step, one check, at this moment would be well-nigh fatal. He was working night and day getting supplies together. There were only fifteen ships in all now left at Samos. It was of no use to attempt to go to reinforce Thrasyllos with so small a squadron. He managed to get seven more together from Kos, and to obtain a large sum of money from Halikarnassos, when a fresh despatch came from Thrasyllos, who had come up with Mindaros between Troas and the Thrakian Chersonese. There a stubborn action had been fought, the Athenian line stretching from Sestos round the promontory of Kynossema. At first the Spartans and Syrakusans had the best of it, but in the end the Athenians destroyed thirty ships of the hostile fleet, took eight others, and forced the rest to retreat into the harbour of Abydos.

News of this victory came to Alkibiades at the very moment when an embassy arrived from Athens, formally announcing to him that, on the motion of Kritias and Theramenes, the people had decreed his recall to Athens, and praying him to return at once to save her. Had this announcement come at any other time, it would have been difficult to describe the joy with which it was received. Was it not this he had been living for every day since that withering sentence had been passed upon him? Now his desire was accomplished. He was not ungrateful. Great as was his power of resentment, his generosity was greater. He could forgive as greatly as he could punish.

But the message came to him when he was resisting the final blow aimed at the heart of Athens. He showed his gratitude to her by his noble refusal of her invitation. The time had not yet come. With Mindaros and Pharnabazos combined, the victory of his lieutenants could only postpone a more serious attack, and they were not strong enough to meet it. So he must stay at his post in this supreme hour of danger, and, if necessary, die in defence of Athens, and could not obey her voice calling on him to return.

It was, indeed, a time for straining every nerve. He saw in his mind’s eye his triremes in the Hellespont ranged against a united force of nearly twice their number, perhaps even now engaging, perhaps smashed and destroyed, before he could get to their assistance. Doing all he could, by the middle of October he had collected only two and twenty ships altogether, and, despairing of being able to get more, he set their prows northward.

The two Athenian commanders, since their victory at Kynossema, had stood watching their opponents, while gathering what supplies they could find with which they might support their crews. Their opponents were repairing their damaged ships and collecting others from friendly ports. While both sides were thus engaged, one morning at daybreak a squadron of fourteen Syrakusan vessels, on their way to reinforce the enemies of Athens, entered the Hellespont. The Athenian fleet weighed anchor, and bore down upon them before they could join the Spartan fleet lying off Abydos. The Syrakusan admiral, finding he could not avoid the Athenians, ran his ships ashore, disembarked, and posted a number of his men in a good position on the Trojan coast, in order to protect the ships. The Athenians attacking were kept off by the hoplites on the ships, and assailed by darts and arrows from the men posted on the high, rocky shore.

Now, it so happened that Mindaros had gone that morning to Ilion to offer sacrifices to Athene. Thence he saw the Syrakusan vessels entering the Hellespont and the Athenians coming down upon them. He sent off at once to Pharnabazos, and, getting his own ships together, eighty-four in all, hastened to relieve the Syrakusans. Thrasyllos saw this great fleet coming, and, drawing his own ships off into the open, ranged them in line of battle. He held the left wing, Thrasyboulos the right.