Legio XVII: Roman Legion at War

by Thomas A. Timmes

  As soon as the Veneti rode off, the remaining cavalrymen told Servilius that something was wrong. They pointed out that three of “Veneti” did not look at all like the others. Servilius listened intently. Their observation confirmed that something was not quite right and that, indeed, Axius was trying to warn him. When he looked towards the village, he could see his two men dismount and enter a hut. It was too late to recall them.

  Appius and Marius were led into a large hut by Axius. As their eyes adjusted to the dim light, they could see 20 to 30 people, women and children, and old men mostly sitting and looking at them. Around the outside of the circle were the younger men. No one was talking or smiling. Axius had a young girl bring them each a glass of wine and said, “As you can see, it is safe here. Summon the rest of your group.” The pair obediently stepped outside and beckoned for Servilius to come down to the village.

  Servilius suspected it was a trap and now regretted sending the two down to the village. His men reappeared. He could see them waving for the others to come down. He knew they were doomed no matter what he did now. He told his men to mount up, waved for his men in the village to rejoin the group, waited for about five minutes, and then rode off in the direction of Patavium.

  Because of their youth and inexperience, neither Appius nor Marius noticed that the people in the hut were actually prisoners and the young men their guards. When they returned to the hut, they were grabbed, disarmed, and tied up.

  As soon as they were over the hill and out of sight of the village, Servilius directed two men to find a place to observe the village without being seen. “Once you figure out what is happening, report back to me immediately. I need to know the approximate size of the force that has captured the village. Meanwhile, we will strengthen our defenses and wait to hear from you.” Servilius then gathered up food and water from everyone and gave it to the two. “Stay hidden,” he told them, as he rode away.

  Servilius returned to the camp to brief the Legionaries on what had occurred at Mestre and to have them continue strengthening the fort. He then sent two riders to warn Darmo that mercenaries may be moving through the area and that he could move his people to the fort for protection when the time comes.

  Servilius gathered his leadership team and began a walking tour inside the encampment. Satisfied it was strong; he then took the group outside the camp to look at it again but this time from an attacker’s perspective. Then entire group brainstormed how and where an attacker would position his troops for an assault. They also tried to estimate the size of the force necessary to capture a village of 3000 huts and perhaps 12,000 people. Most guessed in the range of 3,000 to 5,000 warriors. Servilius had plenty of provision that had accompanied them on the ships so he was not overly concerned about being besieged in the fort.

  Other than a few patches of woods to the west, the ground surrounding the encampment for 500 yards around was fairly clear of undergrowth, which was one of the reasons he had chosen it. He did not want to give an enemy any places to hide troops.

  Servilius guessed that the mercenaries would attempt to lure the Romans outside the encampment to fight, but no one thought they would attempt to storm the fort; it was definitely too strong for a direct assault. If the Romans simply sat tight, they could probably outlast the attackers. While looking over the terrain, the group identified a likely enemy base camp about half a mile south of the Roman camp on a hill that was lightly wooded; they then identified a likely place for the enemy to form up for a battle.

  The site was a relatively cleared area about 300 yards from the hill and 500 from the Roman camp. Servilius figured he would send a Maniple to this area to cut the few trees and underbrush to ensure they had a good view of it and that it afforded the mercenaries a full view of the Roman camp; he wanted the enemy to use it! Lastly there was a deep ditch about 200 yards from the north wall of the Roman camp that could hide 1000 or more men. This ditch was about 150 yards long and ran parallel to the camp’s north wall.

  Servilius envisioned the mercenaries would try to draw the Romans out of the camp by forming up in the cleared space 500 yards away to the south. Then while fully occupying the Romans with this show of force, they would try to storm the north side of the camp using troops hidden in the ditch. The Gaesatae attack scenario was very Hannibalic in nature, but the Romans had learned from their multiple defeats at the hands of the Carthaginian “fox.” Now, whether in Italy or Spain, Roman Commanders always looked for the unusual and sought to incorporate the unexpected into their own plans. Hannibal had taught them well.

  Servilius ordered his 200 archers and two war dogs to position themselves on the north side of the camp facing the ditch. Their effective range was about 250 yards, which would allow them to drop their arrows into the ditch and disrupt any plans to storm the fort from that direction. If the mercenaries stormed out of the ditch and attacked the camp, the archers would have them under direct fire for at least a minute.

  Each of the 200 archers could fire 12 arrows per minute or 2400 arrows in total, which should break up the attack. Servilius then ordered the four ballistae to the south wall and instructed the gunners to fit the arrows with wings to gain the necessary distance to hit targets at 500 yards. Servilius wanted to attack them with the ballistae while they were forming their ranks and least expecting a Roman response.

  The Commander of the 200 archers, an Illyrian by the name of Clausal, formed up his men and briefed them on the mission, which was to fire on the mercenaries while they lie hidden in the ditch and then kill them in the open should they decide on a direct assault. To ensure that the plunging arrows landed in the ditch, Clausal sent out two men to spot the fall of the test arrows; one stood on the east end of the ditch and the other on the west end. Several archers then aimed their bows upwards at about a 45 degree angle and fired. The two men adjusted the arrow strikes with hand and arm signals.

  This was repeated several times until all the arrows landed inside the ditch. Clausal then planted thin long sticks in the ground at an angle that corresponded to the drawn bows. He adjusted the angle of the sticks with each additional shot. When the arrows were on target, he substituted 10 large poles for the sticks and planted them where the archers would form up to fire. He then summoned all the archers and formed them into seven parallel lines of 30 archers each facing the ditch. He instructed them to draw their bows at the same angle as the poles and to fire on his command. The vast majority landed squarely in the ditch. After five more practice shots, he told them to go to the ditch to retrieve their arrows. Practice was over. Servilius watched approvingly.

  The Commander of the four ballistae similarly conducted practice shots on the south field for his crews. Each Scorpio was adjusted until all the arrows landed in the likely enemy assembly area that had just been cleared. Like the archers, the crew then went out and retrieved their arrows. Arrows were too difficult to make to simply waste. Besides, if they were left lying on the ground, the mercenaries would become suspicious and may abandon that location. The ballistae team did, however, implant two tree-like poles into the ground on either end of the field to denote the 500 yards range and help with the aiming.

  At about 5:00 PM that evening, the two riders who were left to observe the village at Mestre returned. They reported, “We saw about 5000 armed men throughout the village. They were looting it and treating the people very roughly. Our two men were tied to stakes in the center square, but were still alive. We guess the invaders are Gaesatae mercenaries based on their clothing, weapons, and shield markings.” A shiver went up Servilius spine when he heard the word, “Gaesatae.” They were known for their brutality. They were generally bigger and more muscular than his men. They were professional soldiers and knew every trick in the book. He did not like to admit it, but the Gaesatae were also more aggressive and skilled than his men. He would not fight them on the open battlefield.

  Appius and Marius were tied to stakes in the middle of the village and initially denied food or water. They were n
ot beaten, but knew they would eventually be killed. When the thirst got too much, Appius said “aqua” to a passing Gaesatae.

  When Bagaudas heard that the Romans wanted water, he said, “Give it to them. I want them alive when we move against the Romans.”

  Two days later, cavalry scouts informed Servilius that Darmo and about 200 of his villagers were headed to the camp. Six hours later the villagers arrived and informed Servilius that about 5000 mercenaries were four or five hours behind them and headed this way. Darmo added that he heard that their leader was a man named Bagaudas. The Romans fed and quartered the frightened Euganei. The camp was alerted to the imminent arrival of the Gaesatae and final preparations were made.

  That night, Clausal sent out two of his best men to serve as listening posts at each end of the ditch. They stripped off anything that could make noise. They wore soft leather sandals, carried no weapons except for a short dagger, and blacked their faces. Clausal told them to simply sit and listen; if they heard the mercenaries approaching the ditch, to leave immediately and return to the camp

  The guards on the ramparts were doubled, but the rest of the camp slept knowing that the guards, the surrounding ditch, and palisade walls would keep them secure. The night passed without incident until midnight when Servilius was awaken and told that the Gaesatae were passing by the camp about half a mile to the east and appeared to be headed to the hill that was identified earlier as a possible enemy base camp. So far, the Romans were guessing correctly. Servilius went back to sleep. He felt calmer.

  Appius and Marius were bound with their hands tied behind their backs and a lead rope around their necks. They were led out of the village and walked along with the Gaesatae army. Appius kept repeating to himself, “Keep my head and eyes down. Do not make eye contact. Be completely submissive. Do what you are told. I want a quick painless death. I do not want to be tortured.” At this point, Appius was not scared, but he was in pain from the ropes. He knew he would die and he wanted to get it over with.

  The next morning, Sura’s cavalry scouts confirmed the presence of a strong enemy force atop the hill. There was no evidence of digging or defensive fortification. Servilius guessed they would rest during the day, move forces to the ditch around 0200, and form up in their battle lines in the morning after breakfast. Servilius hoped he could fight this battle with arrows only, but knew he had to be ready for anything. He summoned his leaders and again reviewed their options to a variety of enemy initiatives. The group always came back to three fundamental truths: the Romans were too weak to fight them in the field; the Illyrians were too weak to take the fort by storm; he could outlast them should they choose to conduct a siege. Their best option was simply to do nothing more than they had already done. The next step was up to the mercenaries. The day passed without any movement on the hill.

  When it was dark, Clausal again sent out his men to watch over the ditch and this night it paid off. About 0230, the dogs started growling and shortly thereafter both scouts returned and reported that a large force was approaching the ditch. Clausal informed Servilius. The camp was up at 0400 and ate breakfast. Darmo was told to keep his villagers quiet and not to move about. Just as the sun was rising, Clausal assembled his archers and had them sit down in their 30-man lines. The ballistae crew also readied their weapons and then relaxed. It could be a long day. Servilius inspected the walls, ditches, men’s equipment, archers, and ballistae. He was more nervous than he had ever been before, but tried to appear outwardly calm for the sake of his men.

  That morning, Bagaudas called for the two Romans. Marius knew this was it. Like Appius, he told himself, “Be submissive, do not move about, keep my eyes down. Mother I love you. Thank you for my life.” They were both brought before Bagaudas and forced into a kneeling position with their heads down. Appius thought, “Good, no torture. It will be quick.” Bagaudas drew his sword, walked over to Appius and swung the blade down hard. He then moved over to Marius, who closed his eyes and held his breath. He felt nothing.

  “Taulas, come here,” growled Bagaudas. “I want you to ride down to the Roman fort and deliver a message for me. Take the two heads with you. Tell them to give me all their supplies and we will not attack them. Then tell them these two men died bravely, but the men in the fort will not die as painlessly if you refuse my offer. Go now.” Taulas mounted up, picked his way down the hill, and rode for the Romans. He felt proud that Bagaudas picked him to do this. He covered the distance quickly and was ready to repeat Bagaudas’ message.

  About 0730, the guards on the walls shouted, “Rider coming.” Servilius sent for Darmo who spoke several languages and calmly walked up the dirt wall to see for himself. A single rider stopped about 60’ from the fort and shouted that his Commander had a message for the Roman Commander. He yelled, “All we want are your supplies. In exchange, we will not attack you.” He added, “Bagaudas wants to spare you and your men from a painful death.”

  Servilius told Darmo to tell the rider that he wanted his two Legionaries returned unharmed and then he would talk about a meeting. He then told an aide who was standing with him, to tell the ballistae gunners to load their weapons, aim at the horse, and await his command.

  At the other end of the fort, Clausal had his men stand, form their lines, and fit an arrow. His eyes were glued to Servilius.

  Taulas replied that the two Legionaries died bravely and that his Commander wanted to return this. He then untied a sack from his waist and threw it towards the Roman camp. When it hit the ground, two heads rolled out. Servilius called out, “Scorpio fire!” Immediately, there was a snapping sound and a 6 foot long 3 inch thick arrow whizzed out, passed the ditches, and covered the 60 foot distance in half a second. It passed almost entirely through the horse, which rose up, dumping Taulas, and fell dead to the ground. Taulas jumped free of the horse just in time to avoid being crushed, got up, and began a desperate run for his lines when the second ballista arrow hit him squarely in the back. Servilius then turned, found Clausal with his eyes, raised his arm and chopped it sharply downward.

  Clausal ordered, “Prepare to draw your bows,” he paused for a second then continued, “Draw.” A quick look to ensure everyone was aligned with the poles and, “Fire!” 200 arrows were immediately in the air; followed with another 200, then another 200 until after one minute 2400 arrows were landing in the ditch or still in the air. The ditch was hit from one end to the other. The effect was immediate. There were screams of pain; men could be seen rising up and running. Some ran towards the fort in their panic; others away. Clausal kept up the fire until it was obvious that the survivors were out of bow range. The archers started out for the ditch to kill survivors and see the results of their work and were only restrained with shouts from Clausal. There would be time to inspect their work later. He did, though, send out five men to capture a few prisoners. Servilius would want to question them.

  Because of the distance from the Roman camp to the Gaesatae’s position on the hill, Bagaudas was not sure what had just happened. He saw the horse fall, but did not know why. He also saw Taulas go down, but again could not see clearly enough to figure out what had just happened. Younger men with better eyes could see hundreds of arrows arching skyward and men fleeing the ditch. It was clear that that part of the Gaesatae plan had failed, but maybe the Romans would still come out to fight. Bagaudas knew that the sight of 5000 men would ensure the Romans stayed in their camp, so he devised a strategy to appear weaker than he really was.

  When it got dark, he told his Deputy, Mandos, to march 3000 men around to the west side of the Roman camp and to stay in the tree line to avoid detection. Tomorrow, he would form up his remaining 1000 men including what was left of the troops who survived the arrow storm in the ditch and offer battle. If the Romans accepted and came out, he would signal the 3000 to charge out of the woods and storm the fort. “Mandos, do not attack unless you hear from me, is that clear.” Mandos nodded.

  Servilius asked the two prisoners, who they were, the nam
e of their leader, and where they were going. They added little not already known. They were, indeed, the dreaded Gaesatae, their leader was Bagaudas, and they were headed south to join Hannibal. The two added that the reason for capturing Mestre was to secure enough food to enable them to continue their journey south, but that the Veneti had apparently hidden their supplies before they arrived. Very little was found. They continued, “Bagaudas guessed that the Roman camp was well provisioned, but would be difficult to capture.” Servilius had his doctors treat their wounds, feed them, and then released them with a message for Bagaudas. They limped off towards the Gaesatae camp.

  Once they stood before Bagaudas, they repeated the message. “The Romans want you to know that they have very little food and were planning to purchase their provision from the local villages. Attacking their encampment will only cause you casualties and you will still fail to achieve your purpose. Break off your attack and go south before you suffer more losses.” Bagaudas did not believe a word of it. He had just lost about 300 men in the ditch and probably triple that number wounded. If he left without first killing Romans, his men might think him weak. “No,” he thought, “I’ll have to continue the attack. Maybe the gods will smile on us tomorrow.”

  When the countryside was enveloped in darkness, the 3000 Gaesatae silently left the hill and took up their position in the wood line about 400 yards to the west of the Roman camp. The men were experienced and knew how to keep quiet. The “no cooking” order was a hardship, but spoils from the Roman camp would make it worthwhile.

  The next morning, Bagaudas had his men eat breakfast and then moved them off the hill and towards the field facing the Romans. He put his 1200 men into two thick columns and began the 300 yard march to the site he selected to form up. From that position, he would be about 500 yards from the Romans. The two Gaesatae columns easily covered the 300 yards, halted, and began to maneuver to reform into two battle lines. They were now in the exact area envisioned by Servilius.