Alexander The Great: A True Hero

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The world has seen many conquerors in its days, with many today remembered for either their disastrous or wondrous reigns. Named the world’s greatest conqueror, Alexander the Great of Macedonia, like his name suggests, was great in several respects, all contributing to his success in dominating the known world. Some may even call him a hero. Hero, by dictionary definition, is “a person who is admired for great or brave acts or fine qualities.” (Merriam - Webster Online Dictionary). Alexander proved himself a worthy hero, through and through. His sheer genius military strategies were unparalleled; his understanding of humanity and human nature allowing him to be a better king to his soldiers and those he conquered. He was also fair to his empire, …show more content…
He had the misfortune of having to go up against an Indian King, Porus, in monsoon season, but was still successful in his maneuvers. They faced off at the River Hydaspes, Porus having with him numerous elephants, a creature Alexander had not come up against often in battle, and certainly never in the number that Porus had. The monsoon season brought with it heavy rainfall everyday, making it nearly impossible for Alexander to cross the river and meet Porus in combat. But the sharp-witted military commander uses the strong wind and pouring rain to his advantage, in a strategy that once again proves his military. Alexander split his troops into three groups, and took one group upstream with the heavy rain concealing them. They crossed the river and attacked, shocking the enemy. Then Alexander the Great sent the second group, the cavalry, came in to attack from behind, killing numerous elephant riders and sending elephants into a state of panic. The frantic elephants, riderless, added chaos to the battle, damaging Porus and his troops more than Alexander’s own. The final group, the infantry, swooped in to finish the fight. Porus later personally surrendered himself to the Macedonian king. He was the first commander to ever defeat Porus and his elephants (Ancient Greece

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