by K. M. Ashman
Vespasian
Legatus Vespasian did indeed campaign through southern England and subdued all the tribes in the south including the Durotriges. The Augusta Legion were eventually tasked against the Silures in Wales and many years later, Vespasian went on to become Emperor of Rome.
Ostorius Scapula
Scapula took over from Plautius as Governor of Britain and successfully campaigned against Caratacus. Reports show that shortly after, he died through exhaustion.
Afterword
Accurate information from the time is limited and different sources quote different things. For instance, some sources state that the Gemina and Victrix took part in the final battle with Caratacus while others include the Augusta in the conflict. The information within this book has been used to support the main story line of the characters and as such may not accurately reflect the history. However, the Roman historian Tacitus has documented one of the few records from the time. Please see below.
The Report of the Battle with Caratacus as recorded by Tacitus, the Roman Historian.
‘The army then marched against the Silures, a naturally fierce people and now full of confidence in the might of Caratacus, who by many an indecisive and many a successful battle had raised himself far above all the other generals of the Britons. Inferior in military strength but deriving an advantage from the deceptiveness of the country, he at once shifted the war by a stratagem into the territory of the Ordovices, where, joined by all who dreaded peace with us, he resolved on a final struggle. He selected a position for the engagement in which advance and retreat alike would be difficult for our men and comparatively easy for his own, and then on some lofty hills, wherever their sides could be approached by a gentle slope, he piled up stones to serve as a rampart. A river too of varying depth was in his front, and his armed bands were drawn up before his defences.’
‘Then too the chieftains of the several tribes went from rank to rank, encouraging and confirming the spirit of their men by making light of their fears, kindling their hopes, and by every other warlike incitement. As for Caratacus, he flew hither and thither, protesting that that day and that battle would be the beginning of the recovery of their freedom, or of everlasting bondage. He appealed, by name, to their forefathers who had driven back the dictator Caesar, by whose valour they were free from the Roman axe and tribute, and still preserved inviolate the persons of their wives and of their children. While he was thus speaking, the host shouted applause; every warrior bound himself by his national oath not to shrink from weapons or wounds.’
‘Such enthusiasm confounded the Roman general. The river too in his face, the rampart they had added to it, the frowning hilltops, the stern resistance and masses of fighting men everywhere apparent, daunted him. But his soldiers insisted on battle, exclaiming that valour could overcome all things; and the prefects and tribunes, with similar language, stimulated the ardour of the troops. Ostorius having ascertained by a survey the inaccessible and the assailable points of the position, led on his furious men, and crossed the river without difficulty. When he reached the barrier, as long as it was a fight with missiles, the wounds and the slaughter fell chiefly on our soldiers; but when he had formed the military Testudo, and the rude, ill-compacted fence of stones was torn down, and it was an equal hand-to-hand engagement, the barbarians retired to the heights. Yet even there, both light and heavy-armed soldiers rushed to the attack; the first harassed the foe with missiles, while the latter closed with them, and the opposing ranks of the Britons were broken, destitute as they were of the defence of breastplates or helmets. When they faced the auxiliaries, they were felled by the swords and javelins of our Legionaries; if they wheeled round, they were again met by the sabres and spears of the auxiliaries. It was a glorious victory; the wife and daughter of Caratacus were captured, and his brothers too were admitted to surrender.’
Next in The Roman Chronicles:
Roman III – The Wrath of Boudicca
One warrior will bring an army to its knees…
Find out more
First published in the United Kingdom in 2012 by FeedaRead
This edition published in the United Kingdom in 2020 by
Canelo Digital Publishing Limited
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Copyright © K. M. Ashman, 2012
The moral right of K. M. Ashman to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN 9781788639309
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places and events are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
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