Legio XVII: Roman Legion at War (15 page)

During the trip, he and Timo got acquainted and Manius looked after him as though he were his own son.  Having been raised as a future King, Timo was a little arrogant and spoiled, but, for a boy of 10, surprisingly knowledgeable about events that affected the
Raeti
people.  His father had taught him well.  Manius did not talk about the boy’s father.  He figured it best to let him find out about his father’s failing health for himself.

The journey north was not particularly difficult and passed quickly.  Manius successfully befriended Timo and heard his version of the origins of the
Raeti
people.

Timo said, “My people are Germanic, as is my name; years ago, my people crossed the Danube and settled in the
Oeni Pons
[Innsbruck] valley.  Over time,” he said, “pressure from other southward moving
Alamanni
[German] people, particularly the
Suevi
tribe, pushed the
Raeti
farther south, across the
Oenus
[Inn] River, over the mountains, and into the present Adige River Valley.”  He added that the hostile
Suevi
had recently blocked any further movement north or south through Innsbruck with the construction of a fortified bridge over the Inn River.  Manius made a mental note to pass on this bit of intelligence when he returned to the Legion.

Timo was given a King’s greeting when the party finally arrived at
Tridentum
.  His father, the King, had died two months earlier.  All of
Tridentum
mourned along with Timo.  Manius slipped into the background, but continued meeting quietly with the new King’s advisors.  Manius proposed that when Timo came of age, Rome would offer him a Roman bride to secure the growing relationship between Rome and the
Rhaetian
people.  The advisors concurred.

On the appointed day, the Romans packed up their belongings, thanked the
Rhaetians
for their hospitality, bade farewell to the young King, and rode to catch the Legions.  Before they left, Timo made Manius promise to come back and see him.  Manius promised that he would and did 14 years later.

Upon the return of the Army to Rome, Marcellus was awarded the Republic’s highest award to a Consul in time of war ~ the
Spolia optima
~ for killing Viridomarus in single combat.  [This award was the third and final award of the
Spolia optima
in the long history of Rome.]  He was given the valuable armor of the fallen Chieftain and a large sum of money.  Marcellus dutifully presented the armor to one of the temples of the gods.

For now, the Gauls were defeated and passive, but Rome would soon be fighting them again.

Rome’s highest recognition for success in time of war was the Triumph; this magnificent spectacle consisted of a parade through the heart of Rome complete with marching Legions, musical band, and a display of captured prisoners.  It was usually followed by speeches and the distribution of awards.  Rome turned out for Consul Marcellus’ parade and the people lined the
Via Sacea
.  Marcellus rode in a chariot while his driver repeated, “Memento mori,” “Remember you are mortal.”

Manius marched with the Legions and never felt prouder.  He caught sight of Lucia and Decima and managed a tiny almost imperceptible smile, which she noticed nonetheless.  The Legionaries looked their absolute best having taken great pains over the last two days to clean and shine everything they owned and fought with.  Marcellus was true to his word and was very generous to his Tribunes, Centurions, and Legionaries.  Each received wealth from the sale of slaves commensurate with his performance and duties.  Manius received 23,800
As
[$50,000], which was more money than he had already earned in his entire life and at 37 was now considered a wealthy man.

F
or the next six years, 222-216, Manius was assigned to one of the Legions garrisoned in Rome, which, rather than disappointing him, exceedingly pleased him.  It was relatively easy duty and consisted mostly of required monthly training, guarding the Forum and other public building, and patrolling the city.  Arresting drunken citizens was a lot safer than facing the
Insubres
or fighting the Carthaginians in Spain.  Besides, he did not volunteer for this duty, it was where the Army wanted him at the moment.  His philosophy was to do his best in whatever the assignment.

Since his return from the battle of
Clastidium
, Manius’ mother, Flavia, had died and Lucia had given birth to a girl also named Flavia, and a son Titus.  Manius used some of his newly acquired wealth to purchase a villa not far from his childhood home.  As a Tribune, he was authorized to live there as opposed to the barracks, which had moved recently from
Campus Martius
because of the construction of
Circus Flaminius
on the same grounds.  A new, vastly improved training site for the Legions was constructed west of the city, across the Tiber, and actually closer to his villa.  He enjoyed his time with his family more than his time patrolling the streets of Rome.  He was beginning to consider retiring, but, as of 220 BC, he was only 39 and had to do something to earn a living, so he decided to stay in the Army.

Five years earlier, in 225 BC, and concurrent with the battles at
Faesulae
and
Telamon
, the Roman Senate had taken a policy gamble with the Carthaginians concerning Spain.

Alarmed by the Celtic mobilization among the
Insubres
,
Boii
,
Ligures
, and other tribes in the Cisalpine, the Senate signed a treaty giving the Carthaginian General Hasdrubal the Fair (270-221 BC) unimpeded control of Spain south of the River Ebro so Rome could concentrate on the Gallic threat closer to home.  Rome also wanted to discourage Hasdrubal from supporting the
Insubres
and
Boii
with arms, personnel, or funding as a way for Carthage to fight and weaken Rome without getting directly involved.  It worked, but, as it turned out, Spain would later become the focal point of conflict between these two powers and eventually lead to the downfall of Carthage.

After Carthage’s defeat by the Romans in the First Punic War (264 BC–241 BC), Carthage compensated herself for its loss of Sicily by building a vibrant commercial empire in Spain.  The resulting economic competition between Rome and Carthage made the 2nd Punic War almost inevitable.  The Mediterranean basin was not big enough for these two growing empires and the spark of conflict was lit at the Spanish coastal town of
Saguntum
, which was closely allied with Rome.  After an eight month siege, Hannibal, brother-in-law of Hasdrubal, captured it and, thereby, thumbed his nose at Rome.

As a result of
Saguntum
, Roman armies invaded Spain in 218 BC to slow Carthaginian hegemony and to use the fighting against the Carthaginians as a training ground for officers and a proving ground for tactics.   None of these deployments or battles affected Manius who continued with his duties in Rome.  The results of the fighting in Spain were reported back to Rome where Manius heard about them and was able to maintain his currency with evolving tactics and equipment.  While other generals were making a name for themselves, he was content with his current reputation, garrison duties, and time with his family.

In 218 BC, everything changed.  Rome would be shook to its foundation.  For the next 15 years, Hannibal and his Carthaginian army would occupy large swaths of the Italian peninsula.  Rome was almost destroyed in the process, but continued to resist and doggedly pursued her Sisyphus-like task of defeating Hannibal or forcing him to leave Italy.

Carthage mightily resented Roman interference with her economic activities in Spain and was only waiting for the right time to strike back.  They already had a superb, proven army and navy that was supported by extremely capable North African allies.  With the death of Hasdrubal the Fair in 221 BC, what Carthage lacked was an aggressive leader.  What they got was Hannibal, [248-183 BC] son of Hamilcar Barca, 275-228 BC, a military commander and tactician who is popularly credited as one of the most talented commanders in history.

Hannibal decided to strike at the heart of the problem ~ Rome itself and more importantly all of Italy.  It was personal!  He wanted to destroy Rome’s Legions and cripple its economy.  In 218 BC, the 30 year old Hannibal marched an army of 100,000 mostly mercenaries from Libya, Spain, and
Numidia
[modern day Algeria and part of Tunisia], including war elephants, over the Pyrenees Mountains, through
Gaul
[modern day southern France], and over the Alps into northern
Italy
.  Rome saw these movements as they were unfolding and attempted to stop Hannibal before he entered into Italy.

Scipio [not Scipio Africanus] served as
consul
in 218 BC and sailed with an army from Pisa to
Massilia
[modern Marseille], with the intention of stopping or slowing Hannibal's advance on Italy.  Failing to find Hannibal, he returned to Cisalpine Gaul by sea, and sent his army on to Spain under the command of his brother Gnaeus Cornelius Scipio with instructions to hold and block other Carthaginian forces from joining Hannibal.  He reasoned that if he could threaten Carthaginian interests in Spain, Hannibal might be persuaded to turn back.  It did not work.  Hannibal crossed the Alps and was in Italy for the long haul.

On Scipio’s return to Italy, he assembled another army and advanced at once to meet Hannibal as he exited the Alps.  In a sharp cavalry engagement near the Ticinus, a tributary of the Po River, Scipio was defeated by the numerically stronger and more capable North African cavalry.  This was the first of three major defeats inflicted on Rome by Hannibal.

In December of the same year, 218 BC, Scipio again witnessed the complete defeat of the Roman army at Trebia, when his fellow consul Tiberius Sempronius Longus insisted on fighting against his advice.  As a result of poor planning and leadership, on the morning of the battle of
Trebia
, the Legions had no breakfast and were forced to wade through freezing water to get into position.  When the Carthaginians attacked them from a hidden defilade, they were too weak and numb to offer much resistance.  Even though the individual Roman Legionaire was as good as his Carthaginian counterpart in hand to hand fighting, the difference at
Trebia
was leadership and Hannibal was second to none.

Despite these military defeats, Scipio still retained the confidence of the Roman Senate.  His term of command as Consul was extended and the following year he was in Spain with his brother, winning victories over the Carthaginians. Scipio successfully continued his Iberian campaign and prevented reinforcements from reaching Hannibal.  That is until 211, when he was killed and his army defeated on the upper Baetis River [modern Quadalquivir]. That same year, his brother and his army were destroyed at Ilorci near Carthago Nova. The details of these campaigns are not completely known, but it seems that the ultimate defeat and death of the two Scipios was due to the desertion of the Celtiberians, who were bribed to desert the Romans by Hasdrubal, Hannibal's brother.

The Roman attempt to lure Hannibal out of Italy by attacking Carthaginian interests in Spain from 218 to 211 BC continued to fail, but was a better alternative than directly attacking the seemingly invincible Hannibal.

In the end, this Roman strategy of focusing on Spain was correct.  Spain was, indeed, Carthage’s center of gravity.  When it fell to Roman arms, it was just a matter of time until Hannibal fled Italy and Carthage itself fell.

When Hannibal entered Italy in 218 BC, the tribes of the Cisalpine, particularly the
Insubres
and
Boii
, quickly rallied to him and his army swelled.  These additional troops were important because Hannibal lost about 30,000 men while fighting various tribes that tried to block his approach to the Alps and from additional losses that occurred during the difficult crossing itself.

In his first two years in Italy, Hannibal won three dramatic victories, the Battles of
Trebia
in 218 and
Lake Trasimene
in 217, where Rome lost two legions.  These two defeats were followed by the Battle of
Cannae
in August 216 where Rome lost a staggering 86,000 Legionaries in one day. The entire Roman Army had been decimated.  There was little left.  At the most critical moment in its history, Roman leadership had failed dramatically.  This was, indeed, Rome’s darkest hour in her long history.

Since the city of Rome itself was heavily fortified with massive walls, Hannibal bypassed it on his way south choosing instead to obtain wealth, food, and former allies of Rome rather than conduct a lengthy siege with inadequate forces.  Besides, his objective was to weaken Rome, not destroy it.

Victory on the battlefield continued to evade Rome.  Four years after
Cannae
, in 212, the Romans temporarily abandoned their successful scorch-the-earth-and-avoid-Hannibal policy and suffered yet another defeat at
Herdonea
[modern Ordona, not far from
Cannae
] and the loss of 18,000 Legionaries.  Two years later, while besieging the same town, four Roman Legions were surprised by Hannibal and lost another 13,000 men.  Despite these defeats and enormous losses of manpower, Rome never conceded.

The training of new troops was interrupted in 211 when Hannibal came up out of the south of Italy where he had been operating since 213 and briefly appeared outside the very walls of Rome.  His presence caused barely a stir within Rome itself as the leadership and people had complete confidence in their city walls and defenders.  After demonstrating for a while, Hannibal returned to the south.  As Hannibal traveled throughout Italy, he won over more tribes and cities previously allied with Rome such as
Capua
e [Capua] (Hannibal’s winter headquarters) and
Tarentum
[
Taranto]
.  Hannibal also concluded an alliance with Philip V, king of Macedon.  The future looked bleak for Rome future existence.

In the meantime, Roman Legions were successfully attacking Hannibal’s forces and allies around the edges at places such as
Syracusae
[Syracuse] and
Tarentum
, the richest city in southern Italy that went over to Hannibal after
Cannae
.

Capua was eventually recaptured in 211 BC due to the dogged determination of six Roman Legions who successfully besieged the city by first building a wall completely around the city, then a ditch, and finally another wall.  The city was starved into submission while the besiegers fended off a determined effort by Hannibal to relieve the city.

Just prior to the Battle of
Cannae
, Rome fought another battle against the
Boii
in northern Italy.  Two Legions and an equal number of Auxiliaries, 25,000 men in all, were ambushed in the battle and totally destroyed.  Consul L. Postumius Albinus was killed, beheaded, and his skull converted into a
Boii
drinking cup.  Rome was already reeling from these losses when the terrible news from
Cannae
struck the city.