How mobile was the Macedonian phalanx?

[fomalhaut]

I don't doubt Alexander did that, but were those manoeuvres with his phalanx? Or with his cavalry and light infantry? Or his non-sarissa armed heavy infantry?

Alexander was a great general and quite probably capable of making his army do things that for lesser generals would have resulted in chaos. But also relevant is that his army had a far smaller proportion of pikemen than the successors did. His hypaspistai, Greek hoplites, Agrianians, Thracians, Kretans, etc made for a very flexible combined-arms force.

I'd go search for the battle right now in Arrian, but im almost positive he had his main battle line, which im assuming were his pikemen, march up the hill against the settlement. He had earlier done something with the Agriannes and Guard so i think the distinction had already been made.

But yeah your right, these were more or less professional soldiers, not militia.