Page:History of Greece Vol XII.djvu/349

 LAMIAN WAR CONTINUED. 317 ot one officer be transferred to another. Reference was made to Athens, whei*e, after some debate, Antiphihis was chosen com- mander, after the proposition to name Phokion had been made and rejected.' But during this interval there was no authority to direct mihtary operations, or even to keep the army together ; so that the precious moments for rendering the blockade really stringent, were lost, and Antipater was enabled to maintain him- self until the arrival of Leonnatus from Asia to liis aid. How dangerous the position of Antipatei was, we may judge from the fact, that he solicited peace, but was required by the besiegers to surrender at discretion ^ — with which condition he refused to comply. Antiphilus appears to have been a brave and comjjetent officer. But before he could reduce Lamia, Leonnatus with a Macedonian army had crossed the Hellespont from Asia, and arrived at the frontiers of Thessaly. So many of the Grecian contingents had left the camp, that Antiphilus Avas not strong enough at once to continue the blockade and to combat the relieving army. Accordingly, he raised the blockade, and moved off by rapid marches to attack Leonnatus apart from Antipater. He accomplished this operation with vigor and success. Through the superior efficiency of the Thessalian cavalry under Menon, he gained an important advantage in a cavalry battle over Leon- natus, who was himself slain ; ^ and the Macedonian phalanx having its flanks and rear thus exposed, retired from the plain to more difficult ground, leaving the Greeks mastei-s of the field with the dead bodies. On the very next day, Antipater came up with the troops from Lamia, and took command of the de- feated army. He did not however think it expedient to renew the combat, but withdrew his army from Thessaly into Mace- donia, keeping in his march the high ground, out of the reach of cavalry.* During the same time generally as these operations in Thes- saly, it appears that war was carried on actively by sea. We 1 Plutarch, Phokion, 24. ^ Diodor. xviii. 11 ; Plutarch, Phokion, 2G. "Plutarch, Phokion, 25; Diodor. xviii. 14, 15: compare Plutarch, Pyr rhus, 1. ■• Diodor. xviii. S 27*