The Battle of Granicus River took place in 334 BC.  This was the first battle between Alexander the Great's army and the Persians.  An interesting Fact is that it was fought on the site of the ancient city of Troy.  Alexander the Great commanded over 32,000 infantry troops and over 5,000 cavalry units.  The Persian Empire had over 25,000 infantry troops and over 10,000 cavalry units.

Alexander the Great attacked immediately without the approval of his commanders and caught the Persians off guard.  The attack started with Greek cavalry unites and some infantry units attacking from the left with the Persians reinforcing that area.  Alexander the Great then led a cavalry charge in the middle with the Persians counter-charging with nobles.  The nobles, however, are defeated.  The Persians are left with little to no leadership.  The Greeks find a soft spot behind the infantry that the Greeks exposed causing the Persians to retreat. The Greeks lost anywhere between 300 to 400 troops to death while the Persians lost over 5,000 thousand.

Below is an interactive map with places marketed of importance to the study of Alexander the Great:
Interactive Map

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