At last, however, after a long conflict and much slaughter, Xerxes succeeded in forcing his way into the citadel. Some of his troops contrived to find a path by which they could climb up to the walls. Here, after a desperate combat with those who were stationed to guard the place, they succeeded in gaining admission, and then opened the gates to their comrades below. The Persian soldiers, exasperated with the resistance which they had encountered, slew the soldiers of the garrison, perpetrated every imaginable violence on the wretched inhabitants who had fled there for shelter, and then plundered the citadel and set it on fire.
The heart of Xerxes was filled with exultation and joy as he thus arrived at the attainment of what had been the chief and prominent object of his campaign. To plunder and destroy the city of Athens had been the great pleasure that he had promised himself in all the mighty preparations that he had made. This result was now realized, and he dispatched a special messenger immediately to Susa with the triumphant tidings.
CHAPTER XI. THE BATTLE OF SALAMIS.
B.C. 480
Situation of Salamis.-Movements of the fleet and the army.-Policy of the Greeks.-Reasons for retreating to Salamis.-A council of war.-Consultations and debates.-Conflicting views.-The council breaks up in confusion.-Themistocles.-Interview with Mnesiphilus.-Themistocles seeks Eurybiades.-Urges a new council.-The council convened again.-Themistocles rebuked.-Themistocles's arguments for remaining at Salamis.-Fugitives at Salamis.-Views of the Corinthians.-Excitement in the council.-Indignation of Themistocles.-Eurybiades decides to remain at Salamis.-An earthquake.-Advance of the Persians.-Perilous situation of the Greeks.-Xerxes summons a council of war.-Pompous preparations.-Views of the Persian officers.-Views of Queen Artemisia.-Artemisa's arguments against attacking the Greek fleet.-Effect of Artemisia's speech.-Feelings of the council.-Discontent among the Greeks.-Sicinnus.-Bold stratagem of Themistocles.-He sends Sicinnus to the Persians.-Message of Themistocles.-Measures of the Persians.-The Persians take possession of the Psyttalia.-The Greeks hemmed in.-Aristides.-He makes his way through the Persian fleet.-Interview between Aristides and Themistocles.-Their conversation.-Aristides communicates his intelligence to the assembly.-Effect of Aristides intelligence.-Further news.-Adventurous courage of Parætius.-Gratitude of the Greeks.-Final preparations for battle.-Friendly offices.-Xerxes's throne.-His scribes.-Summary punishment.-Speech of Themistocles.-He embarks his men.-Excitement and confusion.-Commencement of the battle.-Fury of the conflict.-Modern naval battles.-Observations of Xerxes.-Artemisia.-Enemies of Artemisia.-Her quarrel with Damasithymus.-Stratagem of Artemisia.-She attacks Damasithymus.-Artemisia kills Damasithymus.-Xerxes's opinion of her valor.-Progress of the battle.-The Persians give way.-Heroism of Aristides.-He captures Psyttalia.-The Greeks victorious.-Repairing damages.-Xerxes resolves on flight.-The sea after the battle.-Fulfillment of an ancient prophecy.
Salamis is an island of a very irregular form, lying in the Saronian Gulf, north of Ægina, and to the westward of Athens. What was called the Port of Athens was on the shore opposite to Salamis, the city itself being situated on elevated land four or five miles back from the sea. From this port to the bay on the southern side of Salamis, where the Greek fleet was lying, it was only four or five miles more, so that, when Xerxes burned the city, the people on board the galleys in the fleet might easily see the smoke of the conflagration.
The Isthmus of Corinth was west of Salamis, some fifteen miles, across the bay. The army, in retreating from Athens toward the isthmus, would have necessarily to pass round the bay in a course somewhat circuitous, while the fleet, in following them, would pass in a direct line across it. The geographical relations of these places, a knowledge of which is necessary to a full understanding of the operations of the Greek and Persian forces, will be distinctly seen by comparing the above description with the map placed at the commencement of the fifth chapter.
It had been the policy of the Greeks to keep the fleet and army as much as possible together, and thus, during the time in which the troops were attempting a concentration at Thermopylæ, the ships made their rendezvous in the Artemisian Strait or Channel, directly opposite to that point of the coast. There they fought, maintaining their position desperately, day after day, as long as Leonidas and his Spartans held their ground on the shore. Their sudden disappearance from those waters, by which the Persians had been so much surprised, was caused by their having received intelligence that the pass had been carried and Leonidas destroyed. They knew then that Athens would be the next point of resistance by the land forces. They therefore fell back to Salamis, or, rather, to the bay lying between Salamis and the Athenian shore, that being the nearest position that they could take to support the operations of the army in their attempts to defend the capital. When, however, the tidings came to them that Athens had fallen, and that what remained of the army had retreated to the isthmus, the question at once arose whether the fleet should retreat too, across the bay, to the isthmus shore, with a view to co-operate more fully with the army in the new position which the latter had taken, or whether it should remain where it was, and defend itself as it best could against the Persian squadrons which would soon be drawing near. The commanders of the fleet held a consultation to consider this question.
In this consultation the Athenian and the Corinthian leaders took different views. In fact, they were very near coming into open collision. Such a difference of opinion, considering the circumstances of the case, was not at all surprising. It might, indeed, have naturally been expected to arise, from the relative situation of the two cities, in respect to the danger which threatened them. If the Greek fleet were to withdraw from Salamis to the isthmus, it might be in a better position to defend Corinth, but it would, by such a movement, be withdrawing from the Athenian territories, and abandoning what remained in Attica wholly to the conqueror. The Athenians were, therefore, in favor of maintaining the position at Salamis, while the Corinthians were disposed to retire to the shores of the isthmus, and co-operate with the army there.
The council was convened to deliberate on this subject before the news arrived of the actual fall of Athens, although, inasmuch as the Persians were advancing into Attica in immense numbers, and there was no Greek force left to defend the city, they considered its fall as all but inevitable. The tidings of the capture and destruction of Athens came while the council was in session. This seemed to determine the question. The Corinthian commanders, and those from the other Peloponnesian cities, declared that it was perfectly absurd to remain any longer at Salamis, in a vain attempt to defend a country already conquered. The council was broken up in confusion, each commander retiring to his own ship, and the Peloponnesians resolving to withdraw on the following morning. Eurybiades, who, it will be recollected, was the commander-in-chief of all the Greek fleet, finding thus that it was impossible any longer to keep the ships together at Salamis, since a part of them would, at all events, withdraw, concluded to yield to the necessity of the case and to conduct the whole fleet to the isthmus. He issued his orders accordingly, and the several commanders repaired to their respective ships to make the preparations. It was night when the council was dismissed, and the fleet was to move in the morning.