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Inside the fort, the situation had changed dramatically. Tomaeus, the senior Roman in the fort, immediately saw that he and the few dozen or so Roman Ballistae gunners and walking wounded were about to be overrun. He watched helplessly as Taluric and Lugano led the remaining Auxiliary reserves and the shattered remnant from the walls quickly out of the fort. Once outside the gate, the Cenomani and Raeti warriors could see in the distance, a gathering storm of approaching Suevi warriors as Bethica exited the woods. Panic began to take hold. Taluric and Lugano agreed that going back into the fort was probably the lesser of two bad choices. Andreas ordered the Auxiliary Chieftains to prepare their men to counterattack and recapture the fort.
Tomaeus grasped that he had to act fast if he were to save himself and his fellow Romans. He saw the Ballistae Centurion. “Centurion, gather your men and anyone else capable of holding a shield. Form a testudo [turtle] right here in the center of the fort. Stay away from the tower and the walls. I’m hoping the Auxiliaries will counterattack as soon as they get themselves together. We’ve got to hold out for a while.” The Centurion’s loud commands drew a rapid response from his relieved men. They now felt that someone was in charge that may possible save them. About 50 men formed the testudo and none too soon.
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As Bethica entered the field, she had no idea what to expect. Thoughts of her dead father flooded her mind. “If my father and Vocion are dead,” she though, “I am now the Chief. I have got to do this right.” She sat a little taller on the horse. “Will the Romans treat me with respect? Will they only talk to a man? I have got to appear to be in charge. “Look confident Bethica,” she told herself. “You are the Chief!” I wonder what we look like to the Romans? They certainly cannot fear us; they just defeated 17,000 first class warriors. Maybe we should just turn away. Maybe we should attack and kill as many as we can. The men behind me will do it if I command them.”
By the time Bethica’s warriors cleared the woods, a single Roman sentry in the west facing tower spotted the approaching Suevi army. He groaned inwardly “Damn, not again, not now” and shouted the warning over and over. “Suevi attacking from the west!” Calvus heard the alarm and looked in the direction the sentry was pointing and saw the approaching army. His heart sunk. He realized the battle was not yet over. He doubted the Legionaries could muster the energy for another pitched battle. This was not good. He looked around for Manius, but could not see him. He was last seen riding over the hill. “Maybe he is dead,” Calvus said to himself. “That means I have to fight this battle and there is no time to organize.” Adrenalin surge through him as he called the cornu to his side. “Sound the call to Battle Stations,” he said, a little too loudly. His hands were shaking.
The Tribunes heard the horns and immediately ran to Calvus for instructions. They too could see the oncoming line of Suevi. Calvus’ mind was focused. His head was clear. He told his Tribunes to prepare the Legion for battle. Andreas approached Calvus on the run from the fort. He was breathing hard. Before he could speak, Calvus told him to put his Raeti on the right of the legion and the Cenomani on the left. He then told the archers to assemble on the left and put the cavalry on the right. He wanted to present as big a front as possible to intimidate the Suevi.
Andreas finally gasped out, “The fort’s been overrun. The Auxiliaries are preparing to counterattack. We still have men inside. I think we can handle it without Legionaries. I need to go back.”
Calvus said, “Go.” At the moment, Calvus was facing his own crisis.
By the time Andreas got back to the gate where the Auxiliaries were gathered, the two Auxiliary Commanders had decided on a plan and were positioning their men to attack back into the fort. Taluric pointed to the testudo. Andreas nodded.
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Most of the Legion was on the east side of the fort and did not see the approaching Suevi. The call to battle was a complete surprise. Everyone thought the battle was over and they had won. Ever the stalwart Centurions were puzzled and angry with this sudden call to arms. The Tribunes yelled instructions to their Centurions and slowly order was established. The Maniples assembled, crossed the ditch, and reformed on the west side of the fort facing Ranggen ~ as they had just a few hours earlier. Now they could see the approaching Suevi and understood the urgency. Few, if any, had the strength or will to fight another battle. Nonetheless, in short order, the Legion, Cavalry, and archers stood at the ready and presented an imposing sight. Men were still scouring the battlefield for any usable pila and arrows.
Bethica rode her horse slowly across the field followed by 3000 warriors. They walked silently towards the Roman fort in slow measured steps. No one drew their swords. Bethica and her men heard the Roman cornu sound the alarm and watched in utter fascination as heavily armored men with spears and large shields suddenly appeared from the far side of the fort. They watched as this formless mass rapidly ordered itself into separate groups of 100 men that stretched across the entire field. They also saw the archers and cavalry take up their position. Fear began to crawl up their stomachs. As Bethica watched, she heard the horns sound again and saw the entire front change itself into one long line. With another horn blast, she was now facing a solid wall of shields. She and her men continued walking straight for the Romans and knew that they were walking to their own death.
Manius heard the cornu just as Ariovistus was placed in a wagon for transport back to the fort for medical care. Manius was initially perplexed and then seized with the knowledge that this was not yet over. He remounted his horse with great difficulty and raced for the fort. As he crested the hill, he saw the Legion getting into its battle formation and the Auxiliaries attacking back into the fort. He found this very perplexing. In the distance, he could see yet another Suevi battle formation bearing down on the fort. It was Vocion all over again. But this group looked to be about half their strength. Maybe he could avert a battle. He slowly rode around to the front of the Legion and faced the oncoming Suevi. The troops felt a sense of relief and confidence seeing Manius sitting straight and strong upon his horse. Whatever was going to happen, it would now be handled right.
Bethica saw Manius ride up and assumed he was the Roman Commander. She continued forward and unwittingly crossed the imaginary 60’ line. Calvus ordered the cornu to sound “Prepare to throw the pila.” Bethica drew up her horse with a start as 1500 pila were suddenly drawn back into a throwing position. She stopped and her men stopped. Manius immediately spun his horse around and ordered Calvus to stand down. The pila were lowered. Bethica resumed her approach, but raised her hand for the men to stay. Manius noticed that none of the Suevi including their leader on the horse had drawn their swords. They remained in their scabbards.
When Bethica was 20’ from Manius, she dismounted, faced Manius, dropped her shield on the ground, drew her sword from its sheaf and with two hands plunged it into the ground. That surprised him. Manius dismounted, but kept his sword in its sheaf. He quickly reasoned that she was going to surrender and ask for terms.
The two Commanders walked towards each other. He could see she was a woman about 5’4”, slender, with braided reddish brown hair that hung down her back. Her empty scabbard hung from a broad belt slung over her right shoulder. When they were separated by 10’, Manius said, “I am Praetor Tulles, Commander of Legio XVII.
Bethica said, “I am Commander Bethica, daughter of Ariovistus. Is my father alive?” Her brow showed genuine concern. Manius saw it and felt a growing sense of compassion for this young woman.
Manius said tenderly, “He was wounded and we are caring for him. I promise you no harm will come to him. You will get him back.”
Bethica thanked Manius and added, “Congratulations on a great victory today. You have won your battle and destroyed the Suevi tribe. I know it is not all your fault, my father can be unreasonable.” Manius sensed this woman was brave, intelligent, and articulate. He replied, “I did not want this fight. I presented my demands, which woul
d have benefitted both our people, but he rejected them and opted to fight. She said, “I know; he brought it on himself, but you must know, you have done my people irreparable harm. Who now will stem the southward migration of a people far more warlike than us?”
She then looked Manius in the eyes and said, “We will submit to you today, but these are proud men and must be treated with dignity and respect.”
“What do you wish,” he asked.
“Allow us to retain our weapons and to go freely from this place. We will cross the river and stay clear of your men until you leave the valley.”
Manius said, “Agreed and I would like to discuss with you the future of our two peoples. Tomorrow, I will be on the south side of the bridge by Innsbruck. Meet me there” “Agreed,” she said.
She walked back to her horse, bent down, picked up her shield and drew her sword out of the ground. She mounted with an easy gliding motion, spun her horse around, and faced her troops. “We will not fight today,” she shouted. “We will re-cross the river at the Innsbruck bridge.” She then spurred her horse through the line of surprised but relieved warriors and they began walking back to Ranggen. It was over.
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Figure 22 Testudo
Inside the fort, the testudo was assaulted on all sides. Tomaeus crouched low in the center yelling encouragement and steadying men and as they staggered from repeated sword blows on their shields. This was a life and death situation and every man knew it. After scaling the wall, the Suevi attacked the towers and the testudo, but the sight of the large Auxiliary force massed at the gate prevented them from fleeing the fort. The Suevi were now trapped inside the fort.
The testudo held firm despite the overhead pummeling from rocks and spears and repeated attempts to tear down the shield wall surrounding the men. As Legionaries fell, the testudo closed the gap. At one point, Tomaeus picked up a fallen shield and was now on the outer edge of the testudo. He was not accustomed to fighting and strove desperately to hold his shield in place while thrusting with his sword. He was quickly exhausted.
Andreas gave the order and Taluric and his Cenomani rushed inside the fort easily pushing aside the few Suevi who opposed them and ran to the right. The Raeti followed behind and ran to the left. With their backs to the walls, the Auxiliaries formed a “V” shape and now faced the east wall and the Suevi. A cry of alarm went up among the Suevi when they saw the Auxiliaries enter the fort. They backed away from the Testudo and towers and formed a loose line along the east wall facing the Auxiliaries. 2500 Suevi faced 4000 Auxiliaries.
Taluric and Lugano stood proudly about 20’in front of their men. Andreas moved a little forward of the two Auxiliary commands and stood centered on the gate. He called for an interpreter and a Raeti warrior ran to his side.
The men inside the testudo lowered their shields as the Suevi moved away. “Run to the gate,” ordered Tomaeus. As the men moved away, nine Legionaries lay crumpled on the ground and several wounded men were carried off by their comrades. Most were bloodied. All were exhausted and collapsed once outside the fort.
Andreas took a deep breath and using his parade ground voice spoke to the Suevi; “The battle is over. Let us stop the killing now.” Suddenly, four or five javelins arched through the sky aiming for Andreas. The interpreter ran towards the other Raeti; Andreas instinctively crouched small behind his curved shield. One spear ricocheted off the shield, the others stuck in the dirt around Andreas. A great commotion then erupted among the Suevi. “What are they saying?” asked Andreas when the interpreter rejoined him.
“They are saying to let you talk,” responded the Raeti.
Andreas stood up and continued speaking, “Lay down your weapons and we will not harm you.” At that, a lone Suevi stepped forward and yelled back at Andreas. “If we surrender, what will become of us,” he asked. Andreas was puzzled and unsure how to respond. “You will be our prisoners, “Andreas shouted back. The Suevi showed their displeasure with that response by shouting and assuming an aggressive posture. Andreas was afraid they might charge. He raised his hand for silence and said, “I will talk to my Commander and return.”
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Manius remounted his horse after talking with Bethica and watched the Suevi disappear into the woods by Ranggen. He turned and faced the Legion. All eyes were upon him. They could see his bloody leg and knew their Commander had fought like a Legionary. No one spoke or moved. He nudged his horse and rode slowly across the front. He did not speak. When he completed his review, he spurred his mount to a gallop and again positioned himself at the center of the Legion, drew his sword, and yelled, “Our mission here is complete ~You have won the day ~ Carpe Diem.” The Legion erupted with wild cheering, some raised their pila in victory, others beat their swords on their shields, more than a few were choked with emotion and relief. Manius rode across the front with his sword in the air. Like his men, he was completely lost in the moment. Exhilaration beyond compare!
Andreas stood off to the side not wanting to intrude on this moment in Legio XVII’s history. He waited for the right moment to approach Manius. After the cheering had subsided, Manius began to ride to the fort. Andreas stepped out of the line of troops, saluted Manius and said, “Commander, I need to speak to you about the Suevi inside the fort.” Manius dismounted. This was the first time Manius had heard the Suevi breached the walls. Manius was extremely surprised, but had to admire the grit and determination of the Suevi. Andreas calmly and professionally explained all that had happed and that Manius needed to make a decision concerning the disposition of the Suevi. Flush with victory, Manius was in no mood for a long drawn out discussion with the Suevi inside the fort.
He rode to the gate and summoned his leaders. He was again all business. He rode his horse inside the gate and surveyed the scene. He turned and told Calvus to assemble the Legion outside the gate, on the run, and await his orders. He then dismounted. “Andreas, you have done a good job here and I commend you.”
When Manius saw Tomaeus, he clasped his hand and said, “So the Engineer had to fight like a common Legionary! Good job.”
“Andreas, when Calvus returns, I want you to lead the Auxiliaries out of the fort. Go around to the east wall and, on my order, have the men climb the walls above the Suevi. I am hoping a show of force will avoid further fighting. Having no other choice, the Suevi sat down and awaited their fate. They were tired and dehydrated.
After about 20 minutes, Calvus reported that the Legion was outside the gate. Andreas signaled Taluric and Lugano and they silently moved out of the fort and walked around to the east side. They were soon poised to climb the wall and only awaited the command. Manius ordered Calvus to Form the Legion inside the fort and added, “Do it slowly Calvus, like you are on a parade field.” Calvus walked rapidly about 30 feet inside the fort with the cornu by his side; he turned and faced the gate, and in a booming voice called out, “Form the Legion.” The horn emitted a shrill blast. Forming the Legion was a movement Legionaries could perform in their sleep. Calvus was the center and the Maniples lined up at intervals to his left and right. As the Romans poured into the fort, the Suevi rose to their feet and were sorely alarmed. They prepared mentally to fight and die. They were now outnumbered 5 to 1. Simultaneously, they could hear and then saw Raeti and Cenomani warriors scaling the walls behind them and occupying the fighting platform above them.
Additional Cornu blasts brought 5000 Roman shields into a fighting position. Calvus turned to face Manius and said, “Commander, the Legion is formed.” Manius returned the salute and Calvus took two steps to the left and 10 to the rear, towards the gate. Manius remounted his horse and rode in front of the Legion facing the anxious Suevi. In a loud strong voice he ordered the Suevi to drop their weapons.
The same man who responded to Andreas now asked Manius, “If we do, what will become of us?”
“Disarm and we will talk about your fate,” responded Manius. The Suevi did not respond. Manius instructed the horn to sound, Prepare to thr
ow the Pila.” To the horror of the Suevi, Roman arms were now drawn back into a throwing position. Suevi weapons started hitting the ground. Just a few at first, but within five seconds, the Suevi were totally disarmed. Manius had the Legion lower the pila and told Calvus to take them prisoners and use them to help clean up the battlefield. “Tribune Calvus,” Manius said, “Bring me the man who questioned my order.”
As the Suevi were led out of the fort under heavy guard, the lone bold Suevi warrior who asked both Andreas and Manius about the fate of the Suevi if they surrendered was pulled aside. His comrades stirred, but offered no resistance. His fate was sealed. He now stood alone. His only thoughts were to die like a man. He hoped it would be quick.
Manius’ command tent still stood in the southwest corner of the fort. Inside were maps, field tables and chairs. Manius sat at one end of the table surrounded by his personal body guard. Servants brought him wine. The pain in his leg was growing worse, but the bleeding had long since stopped. After he thought through what he would say, he said, “Bring me the Suevi.” The man entered the tent. He held his head up and looked directly at Manius, more curious than defiant.
Manius pointed to the chair, “Sit, we need to talk. Bring him some wine,” Manius said as he slid his helmet off his head. The Suevi was completely taken off guard. Manius continued, “I understand there are two factions who claim leadership of the Suevi after Ariovistus is no longer chief. One faction follows Vocion, the other Bethica. To which do you claim allegiance?”
Legio XVII: Roman Legion at War Page 35