Legio XVII: Roman Legion at War

by Thomas A. Timmes

  By 1300 hours, the Velites had moved to within 60’ of the Gauls and began peppering them with arrows and light javelins. It had little effect and drew loud jeers. It did, however, cause the Gauls to lose their concentration momentarily when an iron tipped missile was aimed in their direction. Even though slight, it broke their momentum and helped obscure the disposition of the Roman battle line.

  The two forces stared at each other for two hours while the Gauls shouted threats and banged on their shields as they worked up the courage to charge. During this lull, the Romans slowly repositioned themselves deeper into the funnel. The dust cloud raised by the cavalry hid their movements. Once back into their final position, the Legions rested.

  They sat, drank, and ate a light snack while the Centurions walked about reminding them to listen for his whistle, his shouted commands, and the need to rotate quickly and cleanly. The Legionaries were reminded that the noise of the battle would be deafening; that the smell of blood, sweat, urine and defecation would be all around them. Water pots were placed throughout the Roman position for the men to drink whenever they could. The Centurions told them to ignore fallen comrades and to keep fighting. Medical personnel in the rear would attempt to extract the wounded and treat them, but under no circumstances were soldiers to stop fighting or leave their position to help a fellow wounded soldier.

  Manius was the first to see the unmistakable signs that the Gauls were about to charge and advised Marcellus to withdraw the Velites, cavalry, and to ready the Legions. With a blast of 15 curved and shiny cornu [horn], the Legions rose, straightened their lines, and checked each other’s equipment. When the horns sounded again, 22,000 Roman shields were simultaneously turned to face the enemy. Each soldier held two 5-1/2 foot pila in his right hand. After he threw both of them, he would draw his 22” gladius with his right hand and prepare to meet the enemy.

  Suddenly, a lone figure could be seen leaving the Gallic position and running full tilt toward the Roman lines. Initially, few Legionaries noticed, but as the figure drew closer, yelling at the top of his lungs, more and more Romans begin to point and look. What they saw racing towards them was a mostly blue painted individual carrying nothing but a small sword and appeared to be a young boy! He could not have been more than 10 years old! At first one or two Legionaries began to cheer him on, then a couple hundred and soon the entire Army was straining to see and cheer on this “fierce Gallic warrior.”

  The Gallic line similarly burst into cheering and was focused on his progress. A quick minded Centurion grabbed one of his biggest men and told him to go forward and meet the boy in “battle.” He told him to allow the boy to strike his shield and drive him back into the line. The boy would then have the honor of being the first to attack the Romans. And so it went. Once the lad was in grabbing distance, the Centurion held him, took his sword, and sent him under guard to the rear where he was tied to a stake and allowed to sit. He was too young and too brave to kill. Manius watched, but did not say anything. He was happy the boy was spared.

  The noise coming from the Gauls had now reached a crescendo and, like water breaking a dam, 30,000 furious warriors suddenly began to run towards the narrow Roman front.

  Viridomarus had been waiting for the fear in their gut to turn to raging anger to end the suspense and do what they had come to do ~ kill or be killed. Each Gaul vied with fellow warriors to be the first to reach the Roman lines and draw first blood. What began as a sprint, however, slowly settled down to a fast run as the Gauls underestimated the distance separating the two Armies. Even their young, fit warriors tired from the effort, but continued screaming as they ran. The young sprinters were far out front, but the bulk of the Gallic Army remained compacted as they focused on the two legions in front of them. No one seemed to notice that the Romans had repositioned themselves and that the distance between them had grown.

  For the waiting Romans, a truly frightening scene was unfolding before them. Their front of only 1000 men was about to be struck by 30,000 fierce and wildly painted warriors bent on killing them. This is when the Centurions truly earned their pay. They walked up and down the lines of frightened Legionaries reminding them of their training, repeating the commands, and just letting the shaken men hear a familiar confident voice. Marcellus knew it was all about timing. He had to bring the two trailing Legion online with the other two at the right moment. If he did it too early, the Gauls would simply spread out rather than maintain their tight formation. Too late, and his front could be overrun by sheer weight of numbers.

  When the leading edge of the Gallic onrush was about 60’ in front of the Roman line, the curved horns sounded a shrill blast and immediately 1000 Roman iron tipped and weighted pila were airborne and then quickly followed by a second 1000.

  Simultaneously, the war dogs were unleashed and raced at the approaching men. Within five seconds the Hastati had thrown their two spears. The effect was devastating to the front of the Gallic charge. Bodies and equipment flew all over the place from the impact and tripped up the Gauls behind them as they surged forward. For a few seconds, the charge slowed. Then those coming from the rear passed by the dead and dying and continued the rush. These men met the dogs head on and instinctively recoiled. Some men were bitten and pulled down, but overall, the dogs were no match for shield and sword. One by one they were killed. Their death was mostly for nothing. Based on what he saw, Manius still approved of the use of war dogs, but not in this role. The dog handlers, who had developed a trusted bond with the animals, were devastated at their loss.

  The Roman horns sounded again and the Principes unleashed their two volleys of pila. The Gallic line staggered. The Hastati meanwhile had drawn their gladius and put their shoulders against their shields to hold and then push back against the coming violent impact of shield on shield and the weight and momentum of thousands of running men. The second and third men of the Hastati put their shields against the back of the man in front and prepared to push hard to hold the line. If they got knocked off their feet in this initial charge they would be killed where they fell. This was the first test they would face in what would be a very long day of testing.

  When the first horn had sounded signaling the Hastati to throw their first pilum, the two Legions positioned behind the lead two Legions immediately turned to their left or right and moved on the run latterly just beyond the rear of the two leading Legions. On command they halted, faced the front, and then ran forward to come up on line with the leading two Legions. The move was performed with minimal confusion and completed within one minute; the Roman line went from a two Legion front to a four Legion front in the blink of an eye.

  As envisioned, the bulk of the Gallic force was concentrated against the initial forward two Legions so that when the trailing two Legions took their place on line, they overlapped the tightly compacted Gauls. These two Legions swung out in front of the line forming a giant horseshoe then unleashed their deadly pila into the mass of Gauls. With a shout, the Legions charged into the swirling mass of men and battered them into an ever tightening ball.

  The two Legions in the center took the full impact of the charging Gauls. The line staggered and fell back 5’ to 10’ as both sides pushed hard. In places, the Hastati was completely bowled over by the onslaught. The pressure of shield on back was intense, but the Legionaries mostly held.

  The Gauls were on the verge of a break through until the Principes rushed forward to restore the line. Initially, it was a pushing match, but as the line stabilized, Gallic swords came crashing down on Roman shields, but mostly failed to find their mark. The Romans stayed in a tight crouch and began stabbing.

  The Gauls were being so tightly compacted in the center that they could barely raise their arms to swing their swords. Any thought of exhausted Gallic soldiers moving to the rear was totally impossible. The Roman tactic of thrusting with their sword as opposed to swinging overhead was deadly in these tight quarters. The Romans rapidly thrust their swords, battered with their shields, rotated sm
oothly between the Hastati and Principes, and were clearly holding their own.

  Sensing the battle was not going his way, Viridomarus rode his horse to the side of the melee unaccompanied by staff or cavalry and began to call for Marcellus by name and issue his challenge for one-on-one combat. He was a big man and stood out with his ornamental armor and large horse. Marcellus was told of the challenge and boldly rode out to meet him. When they were separated by about 50’, they stopped their horses and faced each other in silence. With a smile and a nod of his head, Viridomarus kicked his horse and the two Commanders raced towards each other with their spears held at chest height.

  Their shield deflected the spears, but the violent crash unhorsed both men. Marcellus was first on his feet and quickly drew his sword. He then retrieved his shield which had been knocked about 20’ away. Viridomarus was dazed by the fall, but quickly regained his senses. He too retrieved his shield and drew his large slashing sword. As the two men circled each other, Marcellus saw his opponent’s richly decorated body armor and noted that it stopped just above his waist. He would have to thrust where it ended.

  The Gaul struck first and delivered a powerful overhead downward blow that Marcellus easily blocked with the iron edging at the top of his shield. His arm, nonetheless, shook from the impact. He countered with a quick short thrust to Viridomarus midsection just below the armor, but instead of feeling flesh, he met resistance and heard the sound of metal. The blow still drove Viridomarus back a few feet but did not draw blood. The Gaul swung again and again Marcellus blocked it, thrust, and met the same result. Marcellus decided to thrust instead at the groin and hope to sever an artery.

  After about two minutes of exchanging blows, with the Gaul not seeming to tire, Marcellus aimed his thrust low and felt the point sink into the flesh of Viridomarus’ left thigh. He pushed hard. At the same time, Marcellus pushed Viridomarus backwards with his shield and knocked him off his feet. His next thrust was in Viridomarus throat. It was over.

  His first feeling was of tremendous relief that he had survived and triumphed. He was then seized with a giddy joy even as his hands began to tremble as he lifted Viridomarus’ armor to peer at the metal shirt that extended beneath the armor. What he discovered was a shirt comprised of very small interconnected rings. He stabbed it with his dagger. It did not penetrate. It felt heavy in his hands. He ordered his aides to preserve the armor and metal shirt. The engineers needed to study this new piece of body armor.

  When Marcellus looked up, his staff was cheering wildly for him. At the same time, the surviving Gauls began to stream away from the battlefield, which was littered with Gallic dead. This was a decisive Roman victory won by disciplined and trained Legionaries equipped with the right weapons and protective armor. Besides about 10,000 dead Gauls, the Army captured another 3,000. The battle had lasted about three hours. The Roman cavalry pursued the fleeing remnants and killed many more. The prisoners were herded into a hastily prepared enclosure and the Legions began to dig their nighttime encampment. Meanwhile, the Roman wounded were treated and the Roman dead collected.

  Timo Bosettius

  Manius remembered the brave little boy who had charged the Roman line and went looking for him. He found him still tied to the stake and, now, visibly shaken. Manius figured he was probably dehydrated and hungry. He went back to his gear, got water and some cooked beans, and gave it to him. The boy was hesitant to take it and eyed Manius with suspicion.

  Manius drank some of the water and ate a few of the beans. Then the boy took and drained the water instantly and ate voraciously.

  Manius sat down next to him and pointed to himself and said, “Manius Tullus.”

  The boy pointed to himself and said, “Timo Bosettius.”

  Manius again pointed to himself and said, “Roman.”

  The boy said, “Raeti.” Manius knew that Rhaetia was a fairly large area that encompassed most of the north east Cisalpine and even went over the mountains into the Inn River Valley and beyond. He wondered how this young lad ended up fighting with the Gauls.

  He got a translator and walked over to the area where the prisoners were held. They had been disarmed by now and were totally subdued. They were exhausted and the fight was out of them. Most were trying very hard to be as inconspicuous as possible.

  He called out, but kept his voice low, “Does anyone know the little boy who first attacked the Roman line?” Silence.

  He moved on and repeated his question several more times before a man stood up. “I know him,” he said. “Is he dead?”

  Manius told the translator to tell him he is alive and well. Then said, “Come with me.”

  When the boy saw the man, he stood up. They spoke quietly to each other. Manius said to ask the man how he knows the boy.

  The man spoke,“Last year, we raided the Rhaetian settlement at Tridentum [modern Trento] and defeated them in battle. Timo’s father is the King. We took Timo with us as a hostage to ensure peace between us and the Rhaetians. I’ve heard they want him back because his father is dying and the boy will be the next King.” We didn’t mistreat the boy. He wanted to fight the Romans. Spare him and you will have an ally.” The man had spoken wisely. Manius told the guards to hold them both and went to find the Legate.

  After the Legate heard the story, he talked to Consul Marcellus who agreed to spare the boy and appointed Manius to take him back to Tridentum upon completion of their mission. Initially Marcellus was torn between sending a complete Legion as an escort for the boy or a smaller cavalry detachment. The Legion would make a statement about the power and sophistication of Rome, but could also sufficiently frighten the Rhaetians into establishing defensive alliances with their neighbors to guard against Roman domination. He eventually concluded that it was wiser at this time to show a little weakness and modesty to avoid spooking them into helping the Gauls. Rhaetian neutrality, if not outright support for Rome, was the short term goal.

  After the meeting, Manius took a roundabout way to get back to his tent and inadvertently passed through the valetudinaria [military hospital] area where hundreds of wounded and dying Legionaries were lying on the ground. It was a gruesome sight. Men were covered in their own blood and crying out in pain; ghastly wounds were everywhere. His first impulse was to leave the area as quickly as possible; then he recognized a man from his old Maniple.

  He approached his prone body and noticed a deep gash across the side of his right calf muscle. His leg was almost severed. At that moment, an attendant was helping him drink sour wine from a metal goblet. Manius asked, “Does that contain any belladonna.”

  “Yes Sir,” replied the man, “He should start feeling better in a moment.”

  Manius bent low and touched the man’s forehead. “Get better,” he said, and moved down the row of prostrate men.

  Many had puncture wounds so he knew they would die slowly from internal bleeding or infection. Other men had lost too much blood to survive; they would die more quickly. He smiled at those still conscious when he made eye contact and touched many as he passed by. Most seemed to be feeling the drug and were quiet, but a few called out loudly for their mothers. Some breathed deeply and died in front of him. He bent down and held their hand.

  He felt compelled to continue walking among the wounded; he had never experience such compassion for these brave men who were dying so far from home. A man off to his left asked, “Tribune, did we win?” Then another said, “Were we as brave as the other Legions?” Others joined in, “Is the Consul proud of us?” Manius answered yes to all questions.

  A thought flashed through Manius’ mind and he acted on it. He straightened up and walked back to Consul Marcellus’ tent. He was sipping wine when he entered.

  “Sir, I just visited the wounded. They are gathered about 50’ from here. It would be good for them if they could see their Consul. Sir, when you are ready, we can go.”

  The Consul looked long at Manius and finally said, “Let’s go.” When they arrived, Manius told the attend
ants to continue ministering to the wounded and not to let this visit get in the way. Much to Manius’ relief, the Consul did the right thing. Even though he did not bend down to talk to the men or touch them, he walked among them; they saw him and acted braver for the encounter. As they walked away, the Consul thanked Manius and they parted.

  The next day the 400 Roman dead were burned in a massive funeral pyre while the prisoners dug a large ditch to inter their dead. The Roman leadership walked the battlefield and discussed lessons learned, both good and bad about tactics, equipment, troop training, discipline, and so forth. The Romans took war seriously and always sought to improve their performance. Simultaneously, Marcellus sent a strong 500-man cavalry detachment to Acerrae at top speed to prevent the Insubres garrison there from slipping away when news of the Roman victory would reach them. He wanted as many prisoners as possible to showcase his victorious campaign and feed the voracious Roman slave markets, for which he would be handsomely compensated.

  The cavalry commander was additionally ordered to send five carefully selected horsemen on to Tridentum to announce that the Roman Army had rescued Timo unharmed from the Gauls and, as an act of friendship, would return him in a matter of days to his father and people. This advance party was carefully coached as to what to say, how to say it, and how to behave. Cooperative Gallic prisoners were able to add vital information about the customs and traditions of the Rhaetians.

  These “Roman Ambassadors” would create the all important first impression of Rome and her soldiers and it had to be right. They were instructed to remain at Tridentum until the boy was returned and to use the time to learn as much as possible about Rhaetian politics, personalities, weapons, army, fighting tactics, armor, population size and locations, and attitudes about Rome. The information gathered was to be briefed to Manius upon his arrival at the settlement with the future King. Marcellus personally inspected the five men to ensure their appearance would put Rome in the best possible light. Their horses, armor, weapons, and gift of 10 horses had to be impeccable.