Legio XVII: Roman Legion at War

by Thomas A. Timmes

  Personnel were assigned to befriend Ariovistus and begin the process of indoctrinating him into Rome’s worldview, which included the belief that Rome would eventually dominate the Mediterranean and the surrounding countries. In time, he was shown the power and grandeur of Rome. He was given Latin language instruction and provided with comfortable accommodations. The goal was to turn an enemy of Rome into an ally and the effort succeeded.

  Ariovistus was eventually released to return to Innsbruck and the Suevi people. He was provided a horse, a military cavalry escort, and a wagon load of gifts. He crossed the Brenner in July 208 and arrived at Innsbruck a year after his departure. He was a changed man. He had seen the future and the future was Rome. Bethica was overjoyed to see her father again and relieved when he said he planned to step down from leadership permanently and allow her to continue as leader of the Suevi people.

  Joseph’s parents brought Decima along on their first visit to see Joseph at the hospital on the Tiber’s island. It was probably a mistake. He was so pale and had lost about 30 pounds. He looked terrible and it did not appear that he would survive. Levi prayed for Joseph as he often had while he was away. Levi considered taking Joseph to the Temple at Jerusalem. He had heard that the Greek General Seleucus permitted the practice of Judaism and peace was once again upon the land. Perhaps Joseph would be divinely healed.

  Unlike some other Roman women, Decima was not repelled by Joseph’s missing limb. It was not a common sight in Rome and did require getting used to. As far as Decima was concerned, this was still her precious Joseph. She still loved Joseph with all her heart and began visiting him daily. Despite his dire prognosis, Joseph’s fever began to subside as did the swelling. He began to eat on his own and was feeling a renewed sense of energy. He even began playing chess again. By early January 208, seven months after he was wounded, he was allowed to leave the valetudinaria and went home with Levi and his mother.

  Decima also moved into the Levi household and provided Joseph with constant care, which caused more than a little consternation in both families. Levi and Rivkah wanted Joseph to marry another Jew and Manius and Lucia wanted Decima to marry a Roman. When Decima converted to Judaism, Levi and Rivkah were satisfied while Manius and Lucia, particularly Manius, still had misgivings.

  By February, Joseph was walking and talking of returning to the Legion, which he would do in June. Before he left Rome, he and Decima were wed in a simple Jewish ceremony in Levi’s house. Joseph loved Decima and he also loved the Legion and his scrolls. He had to catch up and fill in all those months he had been away. Writing the scrolls had become his purpose and passion and Decima accepted it. Joseph’s work on the scrolls would continue for his lifetime and beyond.

  Manius was informed by courier that the Briefing Team from Rome would arrive at Brixia on April 1. As he had done the previous year, he summoned his two Tribunes from Patavium and Clastidium to attend. The future mission of the XVII depended on what the briefers had to say about Hannibal and the ongoing war with Carthage. He may be ordered to block a Carthaginian advance into Italy or prevent the Insubres from reinforcing Hannibal, or simply to continue with his original mission. Since he could not plan for what the briefers might say, he decided to plan for what he knew. Part of his mission was to “encourage loyalty to the Republic among the many peoples and tribes in the Cisalpine.” With that in mind, he scheduled a meeting with Segovesus, the Cenomani Tribal Chief, to present his ideas for 208.

  Manius wanted to develop the leadership skills of his Centurions by providing them an opportunity to exercise independent command of their Maniples. His idea was to dispatch the Maniples under their Centurions throughout the region to perform civic action and nation building tasks for the people. He reasoned that the better the economy of the region, the more they would want to maintain good relations with the Republic and not be lured away into rebellion. He asked Segovesus to provide Cenomani teams to accompany and work alongside each Maniple. He suggested the teams first assess the needs of a village, prioritize the tasks, and perform the work in partnership with the village. The tasks he envisioned for the Maniples included digging wells, irrigation ditches, building bridges, improving fortifications, and other essential tasks such as instruction on hygiene, care of wounds, and teaching Latin.

  Since Segovesus could easily see the enormous benefits these teams would bring to the Cenomani people and his continued tenure as their Chief, he threw himself wholeheartedly into making it a reality.

  The Briefing Team from Rome arrived with their usual pomp and feelings of self importance. Manius overlooked it and made them feel welcomed. They had important news that directly affected the XVII and lost no time in getting to it.

  The Briefing Team reported that “Scipio defeated Hasdrubal at the Battle of Baecula last month in Spain, but Hasdrubal managed to escape with a significant portion of his army. He was last seen heading north into the Pyrenees Mountains that separated Spain from Gaul. Rome was concerned that he may successfully rebuild his army from the tribes in the region and attempt to cross Gaul and then the Alps as his brother had done 10 Years earlier. “We believe that he will probably winter over near the Alps and make the crossing in the spring of 207. Rome is not ordering the XVII to move west to the Alps at this time, but, you Praetor need to be aware of that possibility.”

  The other news was actually more disturbing than that of Hasdrubal’s. The Etruscans, the long time ally of Rome, were growing restive. Rome feared that they might go over to Hasdrubal if he crosses the Alps and manages to defeat the Legions sent north to block him. Vitulus immediate felt a chill go up his spine. His fort at Clastidium was situated just north of Etruscan land and 2500 of them were now guarding his fort!

  After the briefers left, Manius tried to placate Vitulus’ concerns. “It hasn’t happened yet. Why not visit the Etruscans to get a sense of their loyalty. If it’s bad, bring your Command back here to Brixia. And remember, we will come to your aid if something happens.” Vitulus was extremely concerned as he rode back to Clastidium. However, once he got back and talked frankly to the Etruscan Commander, he realized that their loyalty was never in question.

  During April and May, the Maniples left the fort at Brixia and headed to their respective villages. Earlier, Segovesus rode throughout his tribal area and identified villages that would most benefit from Roman assistance. His survey of villages was followed by a visit from the Centurions who met with the individual village chiefs. By the time the Maniples arrived, the several targeted villages were prepared and eager to begin their projects.

  The Legionaries were told to be on their best behavior and to do nothing that would be counterproductive to building good relations with the people. There were individual incidents, of course, but for the most part, the program was a great success. The deployed Maniples were visited regularly by Manius and the Tribunes to oversee the effort and resolve problems. The Centurions enjoyed and learned from their experience while the Legionaries welcomed the break from routine camp life.

  In mid June, Joseph rode into the fort at Brixia. It had been a long trip by wagon, ship, and finally by horse. He enjoyed his time at Patavium and learned in greater detail the story of Mestre, Bagaudas, and the battle. Manius knew before hand when Joseph, his new son-in-law, would arrive at Brixia and passed the word to treat Joseph as they would any other Legionary. When he arrived, the leadership did not make a fuss about his missing arm, but his fellow soldiers peppered him with questions and, above all, wanted to see the stump. His old tent mates, Accius and Tertius, similarly showed no qualms about wanting to see the stump. They talked about the Innsbruck battle and Joseph felt accepted as a fellow Legionary who had proved himself in battle. At that moment, sitting around the camp fire, he felt like a man and began to accept his missing limb. As the Legionaries observed Joseph, they were comforted that they too could survive an amputation and still live a relatively normal life.

  After Joseph found his scrolls, they were inseparable. He interview
ed countless soldiers and leaders to get the details of the Battle of Innsbruck, which he duly recorded. Only when Joseph had caught up the record of the XVII, did he relax and fully rejoin camp life. Manius was impressed with Joseph’s diligence and ability to focus exclusively on one task. Joseph caught Manius up on the news from home and, particularly, the happiness he and Decima shared as husband and wife. Manius’ previous prejudice and suspicion of foreigners was softening. He wanted what was best for Decima. If she was happy, then he too would be happy for her.

  In early October, Manius recalled his Maniples from the villages. It was time to begin preparations for another winter in the harsh conditions of the Cisalpine. Food, fuel, and fodder needed to be collected and stored and their personal shelters strengthen and better insulated. Surviving the winters in reasonable comfort required a lot of preparation. In the midst of this activity, news arrived from Rome that Hasdrubal had been found and his future intentions fairly well discerned. As suspected earlier, he was wintering in the foothills of the Alps and would probably walk over the mountains in the spring to avoid all the problems his brother had faced with a winter crossing. The news required no specific action for the XVII beyond the normal training conducted during winter.

  The winter passed without incident or any more news of Hasdrubal. The weekly reports from Patavium and Clastidium were also routine in nature. That changed in mid April 207. Vitulus sent a courier to Manius to tell him about rumors circulating among the Insubres that Hasdrubal had crossed the Alps with 48,000 infantry, 8,000 cavalry, and 15 war elephants and was now in northern Italy. Vitulus and his men were packing up to leave Clastidium and would arrive at Brixia as soon as possible. Vitulus said he was bringing as much of the fort’s supplies as possible and sending the rest to Genua for shipment back to Rome. When Manius heard the news, he immediately ordered Servilius at Patavium to dispose of his fort’s supplies and to march through Verona and meet the Legion at Rivoli Veronese. He was further told to inform all the surrounding villages that Hasdrubal was in the area and to prepare to evacuate their homes and seek refuge elsewhere.

  Segovesus took the news very badly, but saw the wisdom of planning an evacuation should the Carthaginians enter Cenomani tribal lands. The word quickly spread and the villages made preparation to remove or hide anything of value including their food supplies and livestock. An army the size of Hasdrubal’s would need tons of food daily and would be expected to send their foragers out to a distance of 20 or more miles.

  The XVII was way too small a force to engage Hasdrubal’s army so Manius planned to avoid him by deploying to Tridentum. He asked Segovesus to return the 2500 Cenomani Auxiliary force that had accompanied him to Innsbruck until the matter with Hasdrubal was resolved. On April 29, the XVII, and the newly arrived men from Clastidium, departed Brixia and marched to Tridentum. Servilius and his Triarii joined the Legion at Rivoli Veronese.

  For many of the young Legionaries, it felt good to be doing something after the long winter and relative inactivity. Other than frequent rain storms, the march was uneventful. Before leaving Brixia, Manius instructed Rasce to have his cavalry locate Hasdrubal’s force and then maintain constant surveillance. As a result, Manius received a constant stream of information on the movement and activities of the Carthaginian army and sent these reports back to Rome.

  As expected, Hasdrubal moved immediately to Mediolanum to recruit Insubres. He then sent raiding parties to burn the abandoned Roman fort at Clastidium and to punish the Ligurians at Genua who had supported the XVII. This, however disturbing, was a minor concern to the Roman Senate. The major challenge was to prevent a Hannibal-Hasdrubal link up. There were 23 Roman Legions in the field at this time and Hannibal was fairly contained in southern Italy. A link up would tip the scales to the Carthaginians and an already interminable war may end in a total Roman defeat. The Senate immediately selected four Legions to send to northern Italy to contain Hasdrubal. The question remained, however, as to which way Hasdrubal would proceed: down the Peninsula’s west coast or travel across Italy and then travel down the east coast. Since Hannibal was on the west coast south of Neapolis [modern Naples], most guessed he would march down the west coast.

  For unknown reasons, Hasdrubal chose the eastern route and marched 246 miles from Mediolanum to Fossombrone and camped by the Metaurus [modern Metauro] River, 16 miles from the Adriatic Sea.

  Figure 23 Fossombrone at red "A" (Google Maps)

  He passed through the villages of Placentia [modern Piacenza], Parma, the Boii settlement of Bononia [modern Bologna], Ariminum [modern Rimini], and stopped at Fossombrone. He briefly besieged Placentia on the way, but was unable to take it quickly and abandoned the effort. While enroute to Metaurus, he sent a message to Hannibal advising him of his movements and suggesting they meet on the east coast. That message was intercepted by the Romans with dire consequences for Hasdrubal.

  When Manius determined that Hasdrubal was enroute to Bononia and going south east, he moved the Legion from Tridentum to Verona and continued to follow the Carthaginians down the coast. The XVII passed through Bononia, Ariminum, and eventually took up a defensive position on the north bank of the Metaurus River facing south. He intended to stop or, at least, hinder the Carthaginians from crossing the river should they attempt to move back north.

  Consul Livius and Four Legions raced north to confront Hasdrubal, but their numbers did not match their intentions. Hasdrubal outnumbered the Romans and another Roman disaster was in the makings. The other Consul, Gaius Claudius Nero had just scored a minor victory against Hannibal at Grumentum [modern Grumento Nova], some 370 miles south of Metaurus. When Nero was informed that Hasdrubal outnumbered the four Legions sent to fight him, he conceived a risky and arduous plan to enhance the chance of a Roman victory. Under cover of darkness, he detached 7,000 Legionaries, including 1000 cavalry, from the battle lines facing Hannibal and marched them north to join Consul Livius. In a remarkable feat of endurance, Consul Nero marched his men 50 miles a day for seven days until he reached the Metaurus.

  The four Legions that faced Hasdrubal’s army were clearly outnumbered, but Hasdrubal hesitated to attack. This delay enabled Consul Nero to arrive at Fossombrone undetected in the middle of the night and to add his 7000 troops to the Legions already there. The next morning, the two hostile armies again faced each other. Hasdrubal immediately noticed that Livius’ army had grown considerably during the night. Even though he still had a numerical advantage, he decided not to fight and began looking for an escape route. That night, he began an orderly retreat north to the Metaurus River in search of a crossing site. At some point during the night, his local guides deserted him and left him stranded.

  The river was wide, flowing fast, and the banks on the north side were too steep to support a crossing. In addition, his scouts had spotted a Legion arrayed along the north bank. Legio XVII had joined the battle.

  When morning arrived, Hasdrubal heard the approaching Roman cavalry and knew the Legions would be close behind. Hasdrubal was trapped between the river and Roman soldiers. He would have to fight. On June 22, 207, the two Consuls aligned their Legions to match Hasdrubal’s formation and attacked. The result was a Roman victory in every sense of the word. Just about every Carthaginian soldier was a casualty; few escaped. Hannibal’s best chance to break the stalemate in Italy now lay in bloody heaps.

  Consul Nero immediately marched his 7000 men back to Grumentum and unceremoniously catapulted the head of Hasdrubal into Hannibal’s camp. This was the first news that Hannibal had received about the Battle of Metaurus and the fate of his brother.

  The Consuls thanked Manius and the XVII for their support and instructed Manius to bring the long deployed XVII back to Rome. Her 30 month mission was complete. Manius passed the word and the troops cheered. Manius thanked the Auxiliaries and released them to return to their homes. The Legion was finally going home. The distance to Rome was 230 miles, but it seemed to pass like a summer cloud. Couriers were sent ahead to alert the
families and to plan a celebration. Two weeks later the walls of the city came into view. The Legion was given permission to enter the city and parade before the grateful population. As Manius crossed the Pons Sublicus, he remembered that 10 year old boy who watched just such a spectacle so many years ago; he felt fulfilled and grateful for the opportunity to lead a Legion like the XVII.

  Family, friends, and onlookers crowded the streets as the Legion proudly marched by. Just before the Forum, they halted. Manius praised them for their bravery and thanked them for their service. Then in his loudest voice, he yelled, “Dismissed!” The Centurions took command of their Maniples and led them out of the city and into their camp.

  Manius received a hero’s welcome and was invited into the Forum to receive his Ovation; the proudest moment of his life. Surrounded by family and friends, he could only utter his profound gratitude and desire to continue serving the Senate and People of Rome. For now though, he would retire to a more peaceful and bucolic life not far from his beloved Tiber.

  Epilogue

  In 206, Scipio scored another major victory against a Carthaginian army in Ilipa, Spain [ten miles north of modern Seville]. In this engagement, which revealed his tactical genius, he killed, wounded, or captured 48,500 Carthaginian soldiers and their allies while losing 7000. In early summer of 205, Mago, Hannibal’s youngest brother, made another and final attempt to reinforce Hannibal by sailing to northern Italy with 15,000 soldiers and capturing the port of Genua. Some of the tribes resisted his invasion while others rallied to his cause.