Twice they [Alexander’s men] refused to mount the scaling-ladders during a siege, until the king himself led the way, and shamed them into following him. On the second occasion a soothsayer (doubtless sensing the troops’ reluctance) warned Alexander against pressing this attack: the omens indicated danger to his life. Alexander looked at him sharply. ‘If anyone interrupted you while you were about your professional business,’ he snapped, ‘I have no doubt you would find it both tactless and annoying, correct?’ The seer agreed. ‘Well,’ said the king, ‘my business – vital business – is the capture of this citadel; and I don’t intend to let any superstitious crackpot stand in my way.’
With that he shouted for the scaling-ladders to be brought up. The men hung back, hesitating. Furious, Alexander snatched a ladder himself – there would seem to have been no more than two or three available – leaned it against the parapet, and went straight up, holding a light shield over his head as protection.
When he reached the top, he quickly cut down the defenders barring his way, and stood alone for a moment on the battlements – a perfect target for any archer. His friends shouted to him to come back. Instead, with splendid but foolhardy bravado, he jumped down inside the citadel. His back against the wall, and protected on one side by a large tree (which suggests that the struggle took place at ground-level) he proceeded to take on all comers single-handed.
After a moment he was joined by three other Macedonians: Leonnatus, Peucestas his shieldbearer, and a highly decorated Guards officer named Abreas. These should have been the first of many – his gesture had had its desired effect – but such a crowd of soldiers now came swarming up the ladders that they collapsed into match-wood, leaving Alexander temporarily cut off.
Source:
Green, Peter. “How Many Miles to Babylon?” Alexander of Macedon: 356-323 B.C.: A Historical Biography. Univ. of California Press, 2005. 419-20. Print.
Further Reading:
Alexander III of Macedon / Ἀλέξανδρος ὁ Μέγας (Alexander the Great)
I always thought highly of Alexander, even though I was taught in 9th grade that he was essentially a faggot and a sissy-boy. That assessment never made sense to me, given the larger picture of his life and accomplishments. Even the movie seemed to paint that picture. Slanderous imaginings.