To win a war, you must have a good strategy and use good tactics. The Greek word “strategos” is the Greek word for “general”. Their word “taktos” meant “ordered or arranged”. We now use strategy to refer to the overall plan to win a war. Tactics refers to the use of military units to win a battle. One Greek connected the Greek words to their modern definitions. His name was Themistocles and the battle was the Battle of Salamis. Themistocles was a strategos at the Battle of Marathon. A strategos was one of the ten generals chosen by the Athenian Assembly to lead their army in time of war. He voted in favor of Militiades’ tactic of attacking the Persians on the plain and the suggestion that the Greek phalanx be stretched to match the width of the Persian army. He fought well in the battle which prevented the Persian Empire from conquering Greece in 490 B.C. However, he knew the Persians would be back. He became the leading politician who tried to convince the Assembly that Athens needed to be prepared.
In 483, a huge silver vein was found in a nearby mountain. Athens was suddenly much wealthier. Themistocles managed to convince the Assembly to use the money to build a navy to face the impending invasion. A fleet of triremes was built, just in time to face Xerxes’ army and navy. Themistocles created a coalition of city-states to face the invader. Many of the city-states (the ones that did not give “earth and water” to Xerxes) wanted to make a stand at the isthmus of Corinth. This would have meant abandoning Athens and other cities to the east. Themistocles threatened to take the Athenian triremes and relocate the population of Athens to the island of Sicily. Since the Athenian fleet was the main power in the allied fleet, they could not win without it. Themistocles’ strategy was to send an army to block the pass at Thermopylae and the fleet to meet the Persian fleet near Thermopylae at the straits of Artemisium. He had agreed to allow the Spartan Euripedes to command the fleet because several of the city-states did not trust him. He was willing to sacrifice his ego for the common good.
Unfortunately, after the fleet arrived in the straits, the other leaders had a change of heart when they realized how huge the Persian fleet was. They wanted to retreat back to the Isthmus of Corinth. Eurybiades agreed. Themistocles had been given a large sum of money by local Greeks to stay and fight. He used some of the money to bribe Eurybiades. The Greeks stayed and fought several actions that became known as the Battle of Artemisium. The Greeks held their own. It was a tactical draw, but a strategic victory for them because the remaining Greek fleet was more confident about defeating the Persians in a climactic battle. The fleet withdrew to the strait of Salamis off the coast of Attica. Themistocles was determined that the battle be fought there. But Euribiades and most other captains were still leaning toward going to the Isthmus of Corinth. This time a bribe would not work. So, Themistocles sent his trusted servant Sicinnus over to Xerxes camp with a note from Themistocles telling the Emperor that his master was willing to change sides and be aware that the Greeks were planning on escaping. Xerxes fell for it and sent part of his fleet to block the rear of the strait. Themistocles then told Eurybiades and the others “I guess there’s no choice now but to fight here.” The Greeks prepared to fight. The next morning (probably Sept. 20, 480 B.C.), Xerxes ordered his larger fleet into the strait. The Greeks were ready. Themistocles had the Greek triremes use the tactic of feigned retreat to lure the Persian galleys further into the strait. The Greek ships were more maneuverable and better able to use the tactic of ramming and boarding. They won a victory that may have saved Greek civilization and all because one man had the right strategy and tactics. And believed the end justifies the means.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Themistocles
https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/1939/february/battle-salamis-480-bc
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