Aries would be well-pleased with the deeds done by the Greeks at the Hellespont. First by the footmen and then the horse.
Daniele started with Eumenes’ much more mobile force and, after an early maneuver by Craterus’s heavy infantry, immediately mounted a charge on the left flank. A bloody and indecisive exchange ensued which saw Craterus' medium cavalry destroyed, and sent him scurrying to safety. Pressing their advantage the Eumenic cavalry charged Craterus again but his auxillia held firm and drove the medium cavalry from the field. The light cavalry skirmishers too were unable to break the infantry and were depleted and forced to retreat.
A dramatic repositioning of Craterus’s light troops into the centre was countered by an advance on the right flank by Eumenes’s two full strength mediium cavalry. At this point Neoptolemus mounted a devastating charge on the opposing cavalry units, driving both from the field singlehandedly. Prospects were bright for Craterus’s men with three banners to one.
A quiet play of the ‘I am Spartacus’ card saw Neoptolemus’s flank lose several blocks to augmented missile fire, his weakened cavalry withdrawing as a fresh Medium Infantry acclaimed their leader’s presence. Spotting a gap in the line however, the medium cavalry recklessly charged back into the opposing right flank, exacting a heavy toll but not forcing a retreat. This would prove crucial as the horses were mauled by the hard-pressed footmen on battle back and then finished off by Eumenes’ own fresh auxilliaries as light troops were ordered.
After the arrow-whipped heavy infantry withdrew in the centre it was the turn of the auxilia to be flayed by the accurate Eumenic archery, quiitting the field and leaving their banner in the dust. With a woeful lack of virtue, or perhaps an excess of prudence, Neoptolemus opted to withdraw with his mediums under javelin fire before Craterus, on the right flank, careered into battle like Achilles, staggering and then finishing off one of two forward auxillia. But he had flown too close to the Sun and Icarus-like would be burnt by a masterfully executed Clash of Shields from the remaining auxilia. The fates were not kind and the Icaro-Achilles fell with his men.
Neoptolemus, shamed by his earlier cowardice, now substituted folly for vice as he led an ill-advised charge at Eumenes’ standard. The action was indecisive but left a lightly armoured salient which was brutally dispatched by the inspired leadership of Alcetus and his hardened veterans. When the dust settled it was six banners to four.
After a few false starts in which David/Eumenes refused battle due to lack of sleep and mismatched timezones history rhymed. The ponderous line advance of Craterus’ centre was preceded by the forward placement of his light troops. These were harried by Alcetus's bowmen as Eumenes moved with his cavalry to sitffen his auxilia on the right. Sadly for Craterus his historically premature rallying cry ‘I am Spartacus’ fell on deaf ears as four flags were rolled and only one heavy infantry could be ineffectually ordered. In a masterstroke Eumenes counterattacked and duly managed only a singe leader and one heavy infantry ordered! Eumenes cavalry charged Neoptolemus’s skirmishers, who were unable to evade and yet somehow withstood the onslaught unscathed! Spartacus’s time had not yet come!
Next the light troops came to blows on Neoptolemus’s flank with some lucky rolling finishing off a unit on each side before another line command saw the entire Crateran phalanx advance to within closing distance. Whereupon it was beset by cavalry, and peppered with missile fire before medium troops were ordered and counter-attacked resulting in a unit loss on each side but leaving Craterus’s surviving light troops dangerously depleted. Move-fire-move sounded the retreat of these soldiers before a Double Time allowed Alcetus’s hard-pressed centre to melt away to the flanks, routing Craterus’s arrow-worn heavy infantry unit in the process despite a First Strike. Craterus rallied the rest of the phalanx and scuttled a weakened Medium Infantry in the centre to even the score at three banners apiece. The greater tactical flexibility of Eumenes’ force now proved decisive as a well-timed Mounted Charge allowed four badly weakened and cornered green infantry units to be attacked simultaneously. The dice were cast and once again Eumenes prevailed, this time six banners to three.
