The Battle of Thermopylae
At a time of great willingness to compromise principles truth and justice for a minor tactical gain, `a little more time', not rocking the boat, when there is an overpowering temptation run in despair from the path of a powerful enemy, it is heartening to remember that there are times when noble sacrifice, humanhood, bravery, steadfastness, even in the face of certain death can be a both a moral and material victory.
In 480 B.C. King Xerxes of Persia invaded Greece, with the intent of expanding his empire and making vassals of the Greek nations. Militarily weak, physically and politically isolated, demoralized and crushed by prior defeat, the city states of southern Greece plans a desperate defense against a unified force many times their combined strength:
The Battle of Thermopylae
At a time of great willingness to compromise principles truth and justice for a minor tactical gain, `a little more time', not rocking the boat, when there is an overpowering temptation run in despair from the path of a powerful enemy, it is heartening to remember that there are times when noble sacrifice, humanhood, bravery, steadfastness, even in the face of certain death can be a both a moral and material victory.
In 480 B.C. King Xerxes of Persia invaded Greece, with the intent of expanding his empire and making vassals of the Greek nations. Militarily weak, physically and politically isolated, demoralized and crushed by prior defeat, the city states of southern Greece plans a desperate defense against a unified force many times their combined strength:
Xerxes I, king of Persia, had been preparing for years to continue the war against the Greeks started by his father Darius. In 484 BC the army and navy of Xerxes arrived in Asia Minor and built a bridge of ships across the Hellespont at Abydos to march his troops across. According to Herodotus, Xerxes had more than five million men, while the poet Simonides estimated three million; Herodotus also wrote that the army drank entire rivers and ate the food supplies of entire cities. While these may be exaggerations, it is clear the Greeks were enormously outnumbered
A confederate alliance of Greek city-states was quickly formed, headed by the militaristic Sparta, whose supremely disciplined warriors were trained from birth to be the best soldiers in the ancient world. The Greek states held back from sending the full force of their armies, however, citing religious reasons. Fearing an uprising of their huge slave population, and fearful of going to war before the conclusion of the Carneia festival, the deeply superstitious Spartans contributed only a small force of 300 hoplites, hand-picked and commanded by King Leonidas. The loyalty of Thebans to the Greek alliance was questioned by others, and so Leonidas insisted that a contingent of Thebans lead by Leontiades the son of Eurymachos join the small allied army[1].
Because of its defensible terrain, the mountain pass of Thermopylae, the "Hot Gates," was chosen as the site of battle. At the time it consisted of a pass so narrow two chariots could barely move abreast--one side stood the sheer side of the mountain, while the other was a cliff drop into the sea. Along the path was a series of three "gates," and at the center gate a short wall was hastily erected by the Greek army to aid in their defense. It was here in the August of 480 BC that an army of some 7000 Greeks, led by 300 Spartans, stood to receive the full force of the Persian army, numbering perhaps some forty times its size.
The Greeks deployed themselves in a phalanx, a wall of overlapping shields and layered spearpoints, spanning the entire width of the pass. The Persians, armed with arrows and short spears, could not break through the long spears of the Greek phalanx, nor were their lightly armoured men a match for the superior armour and weaponry of the better trained hoplites. Enormous casualties were sustained by the Persians as the disciplined Spartans orchestrated a series of feint retreats, followed by a quick turn back into formation. Because of the terrain, the Persians were unable to surround or flank the Greeks, thus rendering their superior numbers almost useless. Greek morale was high. Herodotus wrote that when Dienekes, a Spartan soldier, was informed that Persian arrows blotted out the sun, he remarked with characteristically laconic prose, "So much the better, we shall fight in the shade." The Greeks defending the pass slew the Persians in a similar manner on the second day of battle, fighting in a relay manner. After watching his troops fall before the Greeks, Xerxes decided to send his legendary Persian Immortals. However, even the Immortals lacked the power to break the Spartan phalanx and they were forced to retreat with heavy casualties.
After the second day of fighting, a Greek, Ephialtes, defected to the Persians and informed Xerxes of a separate path through Thermopylae, which the Persians could use to outflank the Greeks. The pass was defended by the other 1000 Greeks, from Phocis, who had been placed there when the Greeks learned of the alternate route just before the battle, but they were not expecting to engage the Persians. Surprised by the Persian attack, the Phocians offered only a brief resistance before retreating higher up the mountain to regroup. Instead of pursuing them, however, the Persians simply advanced through the pass unopposed.
... the surviving Spartans, who had already themselves to fighting to the death, and the Thebans who he kept as hostages[2]. However, a contingent of about 600 Thespians, led by Demophilus, refused to leave with the other Greeks. Instead, they chose to stay in the suicidal effort to delay the advance. The significance of the Thespians' refusal should not be passed over. The Spartans, brave as their sacrifice indubitably was, were professional soldiers, trained from birth to be ready to give their lives in combat as Spartan law dictated. Conversely, the Thespians were citizen-soldiers (Demophilus, for example, made his living as an architect) who elected to add whatever they could to the fight, rather than allow the Spartans to be annihilated alone. Though their bravery is often overlooked by history, it was most certainly not overlooked by the Spartans, who are said to have exchanged cloaks with the Thespians and promised to be allies for eternity.
The fighting was said to have been extremely brutal, even for hoplite combat. As their numbers diminished the Greeks retreated to a small hill in the narrowest part of the pass. The Thebans took this opportunity to surrender to the Persians[3]. After their spears broke, the Spartans and Thespians kept fighting with their xiphos short swords, and after those broke, they were said to have fought with their bare hands and teeth. Although the Greeks killed many Persians, including two of Xerxes' brothers, Leonidas was eventually killed, but rather than surrender the Spartans fought fanatically to defend his body. To avoid losing any more men the Persians killed the last of the Spartans with flights of arrows.
While a tactical victory for the Persians, the enormous casualties caused by almost a thousand Greek soldiers was a significant blow to the Persian army. Likewise, it significantly boosted the resolve of the Greeks to face the Persian onslaught. The simultaneous naval Battle of Artemisium was a draw, whereupon the Greek (or more accurately, Athenian) navy retreated. The Persians had control of the Aegean Sea and all of Greece as far south as Attica; the Spartans prepared to defend the Isthmus of Corinth and the Peloponnese, while Xerxes sacked Athens, whose inhabitants had already fled to Salamis Island. In September the Greeks defeated the Persians at the naval Battle of Salamis, which led to the rapid retreat of Xerxes. The remaining Persian army, left under the charge of Mardonius, was defeated in the Battle of Plataea by a combined Greek army again led by the Spartans, under the regent Pausanias.
What lessons does an almost obscure bit of ancient history tell some politicians debating the use of an almost obscure procedural maneuver twenty-five hundred years later?
First, when there is an overmatch, narrow ground occupied by motivated, elite force is the most effective terrain possible. For a clear minority of Democrats seeking to make a point about abuses of executive and Congressional authority, there are no better fighters than seasoned Senators and there is no better ground than the Byzantine grinding drag of a 'nuclear option'.
A successful defense requires a steadfast willingness to fight, i.e., `The best defense is a good offense'. Democrats who are considering holding back on a shutdown battle must realize that indefinite retreat from a conflict with a determined Republican Senate can only lead to certain defeat.
Significant sacrifices in battle is necessary to achieve victory. Democrats cannot go into a political confrontation with a recalcitrant Republican machine with the intention of winning or even surviving every battle. Republicans will only be diminished if Democrats are as willing to lose on principle as much as they are willing to win power. A war has never, ever been won through constant retreat or avoiding the the enemy's movements.
The loyalty of steadfast companions should always be rewarded. The liberal bloggers, activists, radio hosts and concerned citizens who have organized, fund-raised untold millions and have spent countless amounts of personal time and energy to protect our nations' principles should be treated as brothers and sisters and given the highest honors and respect.
The elite can only truly lead by example. Democratic politicians power and respectability derives from the people, not from a PAC the DNC, DLC, DCCC, PNAC, the NYT or, the executive producers of CNN or FNN. These representatives of the people are powerful, but they are in the end public servants, who have the responsibility to put this nation and its citizen above personal power or ambition. Ordinary citizens will follow Democratic politicians only if they can show their willingness to fight. Retreating from principle only for the sake of maintaining their political lifeline or fear of offending certain extremists is to make a farce of their oath and our fate as a nation.
Finally, there is no such thing as a defeat, provided it is motivated by principle and a heart felt appreciation for the greater good. I pray that this lesson in courage an nobility lost on either the elite and commoner who want to stand up for this Nation's liberty.
To my Democratic Senators, I wish you godspeed and victory in battle.