Xenophon was born in 430 BC in Athens, Greece, and is known for leading a two thousand mile retreat, roughly the distance from Los Angeles to Chicago.
As a member of the Ten Thousand, a mercenary force, Xenophon joined the Persian prince Cyrus in a campaign to take the Persian throne from Cyrus’s older brother. The Ten Thousand met the Persian king’s army and Cyrus was killed in battle. The remaing leaders of the Ten Thousand were murdered at a peace conference with the Persians and the mercenaries elected Xenophon as one of their new leaders. They were deep in hositle territory and needed to get back to Greece.
When his army was pinned between a large Persian force and a wide river, he ordered all livestock be slaughtered, stuffed with hay, sewn together, and covered with dirt. His men were able to cross safely to the other side.
When his men faced the Carduchians in Southeastern Turkey, the opposing force was entrenched in a narrow mountain pass. He had 8,000 of his men feint at the enemy from the front while he sent 2,000 through another pass that was revealed to him by a prisoner. When the smaller force blew trumpets from flank of the Carduchians, the main force advanced and were able to push the enemy from their position
His men needed supplies and they targeted a castle known to be well-stocked. They would appear on the road, force the defenders of the castle to fire, and dodge the incoing projectiles. This continued until the defenders exhausted their ammunition and the Ten Thousand could storm the castle.
Xenophon is said to be the greatest Greek General before Alexander the Great. The two share an interesting similarity in that both men were tutored by famous Greek philosophers, Xenophon by Socrates and Alexander by Aristotle. In the lineage of Greek philosphy, Socrates taught Plato and Plato taught Aristotle.
