ABSTRACT
Alexander's military successes extended the Macedonian empire from the Greek mainland to as far east as what the Greeks called India but today is Pakistan. There is no question that he was a spectacularly successful general, and that he had a demonstrated brilliance for battle and siege tactics (cf. Sources 51 and 52 on Tyre). His own willingness to lead from the front and fight with his men rather than hold back until battles were over was both commendable in a general and an inspiration to his troops; it was also what the people expected of a Macedonian warrior king. Like his father, Alexander was often wounded, sometimes near-fatally (cf. Sources 11, 23, 24, 70), but bore his scars with pride and as a symbol of his fighting prowess. Like any good general and king, he was also quick to identify with his men, and to suffer the same hardships as they did (see Source 79); nor would he abandon them, often risking great personal danger in the process (cf. Source 23).
