The retreat on Larissa changed the whole fate of the war.

There are many rumors why this retreat was ordered, but no one seems to
understand the matter clearly.

One report says that the Turks were actually falling back on Elassona, and
one of the Greek generals, seeing the movement, mistook it for an attempt
to surround the Greeks and cut their army to pieces. He is said to have
galloped to the Crown Prince with this mis-information, and assured him
that unless he ordered a retreat they would all be sacrificed. The Crown
Prince did not attempt to assure himself of the accuracy of this
statement, but at once issued the fatal order.

If this account be true, the two armies must have been fleeing from each
other at the same moment.

Edhem Pasha, being a good general, soon discovered what had happened. He
at once saw his opportunity and took advantage of it.

The Greeks, unfortunately, had no general who knew thoroughly the art of
war, and so their mistake was not understood.

In reviewing the short Greek campaign, some interesting comparisons have
been made between the war in Greece and the war in Cuba. The conclusion
arrived at has been that good leaders are the essential for successful
warfare, and that without them the bravest soldiers are of little use.

The army sent by Spain against Cuba was about as large as that sent by
Turkey against Greece, but there were only one-fifth as many Cubans to
fight the Spanish army as there were Greeks to fight the Turks. The