However, five days was not enough for Eumenes to gather his scattered forces. He therefore ordered the troops he did have available to light huge fires in the mountains at night and to let them slowly die down, as was the usual practice in army camps, in order to convince Antigonus that the secret was out and Eumenes was waiting for him with a large army. Thinking that he was marching tired men suffering from the cold against a fresh army, Antigonus slowed down to let his men recover from the journey - and this delay was sufficient for Eumenes' army to come together and win the battle.
This unexpected victory made the Macedonian leaders who were supposed be supporting Eumenes even more jealous. When, in another battle, Eumenes defeated Antigonus but lost his baggage train, Teutamus, the commander of the Argyraspids, entered into negotiations with Antigonus to get the baggage back. Antigonus agreed, provided that Eumenes was handed over to him alive. Teutamus agreed to this proposal, and the Argyraspids took Eumenes unawares and handed him over to Nicanor, Antigonus' emissary.
Now that he had Eumenes as a prisoner, Antigonus was uncertain what to do with him. Nearchus of Crete, who had been Alexander's admiral, proposed a forced retirement, but in the end those who wanted Eumenes' death prevailed. Antigonus decided to starve him to death, but after two or three days, when Antigonus wanted to move camp, he had Eumenes executed and his body given to his family for a decent funeral.
Sources:
Primary Sources:
Cornelius Nepos' Life of Eumenes
Plutarch's Comparison of Sertorius and Eumenes
Secondary Source:
For a good overview of the somewhat confusing history of events after Alexander the Great's death, see Livius' articles on the Diadochoi (successors).
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