The Two Armies Line Up
The sight of these preparations decided Antigonus not
to make an immediate attack upon the position, or rashly hazard
an engagement. He pitched his camp a short distance from it,
covering his front by the stream called Gorgylus, and there remained for some days; informing himself by reconnaisances of
the peculiarities of the ground and the character of the troops,
and at the same time endeavouring by feigned movements to
elicit the intentions of the enemy. But he could never find an
unguarded point, or one where the troops were not entirely on
the alert, for Cleomenes was always ready at a moment's notice
to be at any point that was attacked. He therefore gave up
all thoughts of attacking the position; and finally an understanding was come to between him and Cleomenes to bring
the matter to the decision of battle. And, indeed, Fortune
had there brought into competition two commanders equally
endowed by nature with military skill. To face the division
of the enemy on Evas Antigonus stationed his Macedonian
hoplites with brazen shields, and the Illyrians, drawn up in
alternate lines, under the command of Alexander, son of
Acmetus, and Demetrius of Pharos, respectively. Behind
them he placed the Acarnanians and Cretans, and behind
them again were two thousand Achaeans to act as a reserve.
His cavalry, on the banks of the river Oenous, were posted
opposite the enemy's cavalry, under the command of Alexander, and flanked by a thousand Achaean infantry and the
same number of Megalopolitans. Antigonus himself determined to lead his mercenaries and Macedonian troops in
person against the division on Olympus commanded by Cleomenes. Owing to the narrowness of the ground,
the Macedonians were arranged in a double phalanx, one close behind the
other, while the mercenaries were placed in front of them. It
was arranged that the Illyrians, who had bivouacked in full
order during the previous night along the river Gorgylus, close
to the foot of Evas, were to begin their assault on the hill when
they saw a flag of linen raised from the direction of Olympus;
and that the Megalopolitans and cavalry should do the same
when the king raised a scarlet flag.
