For the next five years, 215-210, Manius trained Legion after Legion, which were immediately officered with Tribunes and Centurions and sent south to fight or contain Hannibal. As validation of his training philosophy, the fighting Legionaries did extremely well on the battlefield. The commanders, however, did not feel confident enough to take on Hannibal in a set piece battle; every time they did, they lost the battle and more men.
Rome’s strength and resilience lie in her inexhaustible access to manpower estimated countrywide at over 700,000 men. Despite the overwhelming loss of trained Legionaries from 218 to 216, Rome quickly replaced her Legions. By 215, Rome managed to field 14 fully trained and equipped Legions and by 211, the number rose to 23. Significantly, each Legion was accompanied by an equal number of trained Auxiliaries.
The five years flew by. Manius kept himself informed by faithfully attending the weekly one-hour Intelligence briefing given to the Senate and Army leadership on the war. Against all odds, the army had been successfully reconstituted and was totally engaged in the containment of Hannibal, who at this point was pretty much restricted to southern Italy. Hannibal’s access to Carthaginian supplies and fresh troops had been effectively cut off. Roman attacks had failed to capture the port of Tarentum [Tarento], but the Army was preparing for another try. Since Rome still controlled the Mediterranean and all the key ports, she was once again economically flourishing despite the fact that Hannibal controlled the southern half of the country.
Barring another Cannae fiasco, sufficient Legions were now on hand and positioned to block any movement northward by Hannibal. Similarly, Roman arms in Spain were increasingly successful. The ultimate defeat of Carthage and Hannibal was now just a matter of time. With that in mind, the Senate once again began to consider the Cisalpine region of northern Italy. After 12 years of neglect and a severe defeat at the hands of the Boii in 216, Rome needed to show her continuing interest in the region.
Besides training Legionaries, Manius made time to investigate the disaster at Cannae. He was given a list of known survivors and, by the diligent effort of his staff, very quickly identified about 85% or 5100 of them. The staff actually conducted the interviews, but was first instructed by Manius not to accuse the survivors of cowardice or make them feel guilty for not dying with their fellow Legionaries. Occasionally, the staff would send a survivor to Manius if he seemed to have particular insight into the tragedy. Manius also used his personal interviews with the survivors to ensure his staff was not humiliating or belittling them.
One group of survivors was particularly reluctant to be interviewed because of the great shame they felt ~ the cavalry. They had been outnumbered and totally outclassed by the Numidian, Celtic, and Spanish horsemen. The Roman cavalry fought hard, but to no avail. They were hopelessly defeated and literally run off the battlefield. To a man, the survivors regretted that they did not reform and come back to the fight. Some tried, but it was suicide. In the end, the survivors rode away and left their self respect behind. It was painful to admit.
Some of the infantry survivors had dropped to the ground as the circle of death constricted and managed to crawl under fallen comrades playing dead until the Carthaginians departed. Many, but not all had been wounded or at least claimed to have been. Many ended up hating themselves; they were angry, ashamed, and just wanted to forget the whole thing. Of course, they could not. It haunted their dreams and changed their lives.
Manius identified with them and felt deep empathy for their plight. He did not know why, but he felt somewhat responsible to help them overcome and adjust to this new reality in their lives. In the beginning, he met with several of the surviving Centurions at his home. He allowed them to talk. He encouraged them to seek out fellow survivors from their Maniples to provide whatever assistance they could to the men. Eventually, the survivors were meeting regularly and over time, their mood noticeably shifted. They now could openly talk about the battle and how they had survived. Shame had turned into resolve. Several were regularly invited to speak informally to gatherings of Tribunes and Centurions about their experience.
Manius developed his findings and lessons learned from the survivors, and unexpectedly, from several recently captured Carthaginians who participated in the battle. These poor fellows always claimed not to have killed Romans, but were able to speak about the battle in great detail. They all had their own perspective, which was limited by their position on the field and what they could actually see. Some claimed to have noticed wounded soldiers faking death, but spared them. Manius believed some and recommended leniency. In time, he presented his findings to the Army leadership, Legates, Tribunes, Centurions, and select Senate Committees, all of which used “The Manius Tullus Report” during their own multiple and lengthy investigations.
Manius’ Cannae report focused, inter alia, on the Roman cavalry, infantry tactics, pre-battle intelligence, communication, and the emergency recruit training used to increase the size of the army for the battle. Manius started with the cavalry. Rome needed to invest greater effort in this branch of the army. The cavalry needed more personnel and training. He suggested that Rome hire mercenary cavalry to fill the gap until Rome matured its own cavalry force to a higher standard.
He concluded that the two Consuls had rushed the battle because of their numerical advantage and failed to allow the situation to develop. Instead of gathering intelligence on Hannibal’s troop disposition, the Consuls simply accepted what they observed, which was very little, and sought to overrun the enemy with sheer manpower. The Consuls failed to maneuver their force to gain an advantage or to employ any tactical stratagem. The Consuls also failed to provide an adequate reserve force to influence tactical reversals or to reinforce success. At the time, his report on Cannae was well received. In time, however, it would be buried and forgotten!
Return to Agnone and Cannae
Manius needed a break from his official duties and felt a nagging obligation to visit the village of Agnone and the people who nursed him back to health. It had been five years since he was their patient and he was curious as to see how their windfall had affected them. He also wanted to express his gratitude to Lucani and Luceria. They were about his age, but their hard village life seemed to have aged them much faster. He also wanted to check on one of the villagers who had no need for a Roman in the village and made it known at every occasion. He always suspected that the man would have killed him if given the chance. He figured he would be in his 70’s now, if he were still alive.
Manius arranged for a cavalry escort and covered the miles to Agnone in a mere two days. He did not want to be absent from Rome too long. What he found was immensely rewarding. He was welcomed back as a long lost son. The villagers crowded around him and peppered him with questions about his health as well as expanded on their individual role in his care. From outward appearances, the village was much better off than many others he had just passed through. They had numerous livestock, healthy looking children, and bins full of corn, barley, and wheat. The village had also expanded. There were four more huts and more land was under cultivation than he remembered.
That evening, around a huge fire, he was told in great detail how the money had been spent, and it was all good. The highlight of his visit was when Lucani and Luceria produced a cloth bag and handed it to Manius. The big smiles that had previously adorned their tired faces now shrunk to a serious, purposeful setting of their jaws. Even the other villagers were quiet as Manius open the bag.
He first pulled out his old damaged helmet that Lucani had pried off his head. The flickering fire highlighted the jagged rip that ran across the side. Manius could see where Lucani had bent out the rough sharp edges that had been embedded in his skull. Lucani indicated for Manius to look again into the bag. This time, Manius withdrew the 2’ long metal shaft of the Roman pilum that had been sunk deeply into his thigh. He held it up and examined the conical head. He tried to envision that moment when this piece of Roman hardware came arching through the air, p
robably hit a shield, skipped off, and by pure chance hit him in the leg. It just as easily could have been his face. He remembered the pain.
As he did so, he realized that the mood of the village just had gone from light to dark, from joy to somber, so he decided the time was right to display the gifts he had for the village. Three horses were brought forward and given to the village head for communal use as well as two wagons loaded with farm implements, clothing, and medical supplies. Manius gave Lucani and Luceria 145 Denarii [US $3,000] as well as two beautiful silver drinking goblets. Manius’ timing was exquisite. The festive mood returned and the villagers drank and talked long into the night.
Even though the Samnites had been Rome’s mortal enemies at one time, Manius was pleased that his misfortune had resulted in good for these poor people. As they prepared to depart the next morning, Manius asked about the old man who hated Romans. He was told that he had died the year before, but had changed his attitude about Romans because of Manius. They said he had never actually met a Roman and hated them because of the stories about the war he heard as a child. He now realized that Hannibal was the enemy and that Rome and Manius were the solution. Before he died, he asked the villagers to apologize to Manius for his bad behavior if Manius were to ever return.
When Manius and his escort left the village, they headed south east to Cannae. This side trip was Manius’ attempt to justify the trip to Agnone as part of his official research into the Cannae tragedy, but he knew it was purely personal. He wanted to once again see the sights and feel the rush of battle he had seen and felt that day. He also wanted to remind himself how precious and fleeting life truly is.
His escorts were more excited than he was to visit the battlefield. They were all too young to have been there. This was a history lesson to them. For some, the battlefield was something they would see with mere curiosity and catalogue with other interesting sights they had seen before. But others would see with understanding. On this once bloody field, young lives were dramatically ended, but for a noble purpose. They would understand that having a passionate belief in something is worth dying for. They would understand that fighting is sometimes necessary to protect and maintain your way of life against aggressive and violent people like Hannibal, who will take what they can unless brave unselfish people are willing to die to stop them.
When they arrived at Cannae, it was already mid morning. The air was hot, the fields were dry, and the wind spun up little dust devils in a dozen places across the vast expanse. Bleached bones stretched out before them; first just a few scattered about, then huge concentrated clumps that grew more and more dense. They were walking now. The horses picketed. Human scavengers had long since removed any metal worth selling or resmelting, but bits and pieces of clothing still draped some of the bones. Animals had disarticulated the skeletons many years ago and field mice still scurried about gnawing the bones for calcium.
Manius closed his eyes and remembered. He could see, hear, and smell the Legions as they approached the Carthaginian line. The sun and dust were in their eyes – he’d forgotten that – the early “success” as the enemy was pushed back; the gradual loss of personal maneuver space as those on the left and right began to be squeezed into the center; he remembered how difficult it was just raising his shield to ward off spears; the pressure, the jostling back and forth; the feeling of being pinned and not able to move at all; then suddenly an open space to his front, pain in his leg, and then all was blank. He realized that he had no memory of the blow to his head. His next memory is of a searing, agonizing pain to his wounded thigh. Lucani told him that that was probably when he removed the metal shaft and cauterized the wound.
As he looks around, he only had a very general idea of his specific location five years ago. There are no landmarks, hills, trees or gullies, but the density of the bones gave him an idea where he may have stood. As he selected a probably place, he realized that his bones, could just as easily be like these now spread out before him. He was happy, very happy that he was alive; happy that he had Lucia and his children. In time, he knew he would die, but that would wait. He now had important things to accomplish before that day arrived. The ride back to Rome passed mostly in silence, but Manius felt it was important to engage the young cavalry escort around the evening fire about what they had seen. As expected, some of them saw without understanding while others surprised him with their perception and sensitivity. These young men displayed insight and wisdom. He noted their names.
Overall, Manius was pleased he had made the trip to Agnone and Cannae. He was not sad; instead, he reflected on the joy of living and felt a renewed sense of purpose and perspective for his life. He could not wait to share his observations with Lucia.
While the several Senatorial investigations of Cannae were proceeding, Manius began to sense a negative shift in the official sentiment towards the survivors. Initially, the survivors were welcomed with open arms, but ever so slowly more and more critical comments were directed at them. The blame for the disaster was now shifting from the two Consuls to the lower ranking survivors. Negatives comments were muted at first and spoken in a whisper, but soon were spoken aloud and with conviction.
To Manius’ complete incredulity, the survivors were eventually formed up into two Legions and banished from Rome to Sicily. The rational was simple: these men had failed Rome and, ipso facto, earned the opprobrium of defeat and need to be punished. The Army also did not want them to negatively influence new recruits or cause them to question Army leadership. Manius was never considered for exile because of his wounds and senior position in the army. Besides, Levi was always there to speak favorable on his behalf should the need arise.
His report, which essentially identified poor Consular leadership on the battlefield as the principal cause of the Cannae tragedy, was rewritten, white washed, and forgotten. The soldiers were blamed. They had violated their oath to remain on the battlefield until death or victory. Consul Varro even retained the confidence of the Senate and Comitia Centuriata and was awarded other commands. No one who knew anything about Cannae believed the revised report, but agreed that it was the politic thing to do. In time, Manius even had to incorporate new recruit training techniques to overcome Legionaire “shortcomings” displayed at Cannae. Soldiers do what they are told and Manius was no different!
In 214, Consul Marcellus, who had earned the Spolia Optima at Clastidium in 222, was given the task to capture the coastal town of Syracuse in south east Sicily, which he did after a difficult two year siege. Marcellus augmented his force by using the two Legions of banished Cannae survivors. Despite their good showing at Syracuse, they were ordered to remain in exile in Sicily. Unfortunately, when the city fell, the Greek mathematician and inventor Archimedes was killed by an unknown Roman soldier.
In 210 BC, Manius celebrated his 49th birthday and 32nd years of continuous Army service. He was justly proud of his achievements particularly the last five years at Campus Martius training new recruits. But, it was getting a little too repetitious and predicable. He would soon celebrate his 13th wedding anniversary with Lucia. That was still good and money was not a problem with his Tribune’s salary. Decima had turned 15 and was strikingly beautiful. He could expect suitors to come knocking soon. Flavia and Titus were his joy. He particularly liked to take Titus fishing in the Tiber and was always sure to compliment him on how well he fished! Retirement had been softly beckoning for years. These days, it was getting louder. “Next year,” he would say, “When I am 50.”
For several years, Manius had not felt particularly pleased or happy with the direction of his life. He felt bored, trapped, frustrated, and even a little angry that his life was not more interesting, more exciting, or more fulfilling. He knew he lacked a real purpose and a passion. He wanted more. He was dissatisfied. He used to feel passionate about his job and the many mundane tasks of everyday living. It gave him an outlet for his creativity, ambitions, and need for a greater purpose. Now, it just felt stale. He was constantly
tempted to find his missing purpose and fun in things such as wine, sex, and gambling, but resisted their siren call. He knew yielding could ruin him, his family, and jeopardize his job. He also did not want to lose the peace, order, and stability that now framed his life.
Periodically, his mind would wander back to Telamon and one of the great regrets of his life. He did not question the battle itself, but rather the subsequent expedition to punish the Boii. He now knew his misgivings were correct. It was a huge policy mistake to conduct that punitive raid on innocent women and children, but now, it was more than that. What did it really accomplish? He hated himself for not speaking up and telling the Consul his opinion. But then he would rationalize that, back at Telamon, he was unsure of his position. He really did not know what to think. Today, things were clearer. The love and gentleness of Lucia and the innocents of his precious children caused him to soften and see the world in a totally different light. He would no longer look at Boii or Insubres women and children as enemies. In fact, the cruelty and insensitivity he witnessed on a daily basis began to really bother him. He valued life. He needed a challenge at this stage in his career and, once again, fate was about to intervene.
Chapter VI: Cisalpine Gaul 210 BC
Joseph, Son of Levi
After Joseph completed his six months basic training and qualified as a Legionaire, he packed up his gear, crossed over the Tiber on the familiar Pons Sublicus [bridge on Wooden Piles] and walked towards the setting sun. He quickly covered the mile and a half to the small community of Trastevere and the home of his father Levi. Joseph was eager to begin the next phase of training that his father had planned for him.
Legio XVII: Roman Legion at War Page 12