09-27-2021, 05:43 PM
Renatus wrote:
I don't think it was quite like that. Tacitus tells us that there was a small military unit at Colchester. My guess is that, perceiving that there was a major threat on the way, the commander of that unit would send messages simultaneously to all possible sources of help, Catus Decianus, Cerialis and Suetonius. By my calculations, given sufficient remounts and relief riders, a message could have been got to Suetonius at the Menai Straits within 24 hours.
Certainly I would agree that if a message had been sent when the military at Colchester perceived there was an imminent danger it would have been an urgent matter and at 10mph (which the Pony Express moved at) you are right around 24 hours to do the 265 miles to Segontium, 5 hours to London and 7.5 hours to Longthorpe.
The question is where was Seutonius at this time? If he was at the Menai Straits he was still 200 miles (or 10 days) away from Godmanchester (which would be the obvious place to rendezvous with the 9th and Cerialis) or if at Wroxeter, 100 miles or 5 days away from Godmanchester.
One would assume that the letter from Colchester was "Come quick, huge force spotted on the outskirts of the town". No commander with 2,000 soldiers and a cavalry force at hand would wait for at the very least 5 days when he was 4 days march away from a roman city about to be attacked. He would go straight away. I believe that this would have been the standard response anyway in these circumstances.
Interesting that according to local history, the fort at Godmanchester (Durovigutum) was burnt at around the time of Boudica and rebuilt later.
I don't think it was quite like that. Tacitus tells us that there was a small military unit at Colchester. My guess is that, perceiving that there was a major threat on the way, the commander of that unit would send messages simultaneously to all possible sources of help, Catus Decianus, Cerialis and Suetonius. By my calculations, given sufficient remounts and relief riders, a message could have been got to Suetonius at the Menai Straits within 24 hours.
Certainly I would agree that if a message had been sent when the military at Colchester perceived there was an imminent danger it would have been an urgent matter and at 10mph (which the Pony Express moved at) you are right around 24 hours to do the 265 miles to Segontium, 5 hours to London and 7.5 hours to Longthorpe.
The question is where was Seutonius at this time? If he was at the Menai Straits he was still 200 miles (or 10 days) away from Godmanchester (which would be the obvious place to rendezvous with the 9th and Cerialis) or if at Wroxeter, 100 miles or 5 days away from Godmanchester.
One would assume that the letter from Colchester was "Come quick, huge force spotted on the outskirts of the town". No commander with 2,000 soldiers and a cavalry force at hand would wait for at the very least 5 days when he was 4 days march away from a roman city about to be attacked. He would go straight away. I believe that this would have been the standard response anyway in these circumstances.
Interesting that according to local history, the fort at Godmanchester (Durovigutum) was burnt at around the time of Boudica and rebuilt later.
Deryk
