11-03-2009, 03:06 AM
AFAIK we don't know that alexander commanded the Companions at Chaerona in the 1st place, so puting that up as an example is highly dubious.
At Carrhae Plutarch describes the Romans being "pressed together" by the Cataphracts so they cannot defend themselves properly - which echoes Polybius and Livy talking about Cannae ...where there were, of course, no cataphracts at all!
At Pharsalus Caesar's infantry were told to thrust their pila at the faces of Pompey's cavalry...who weren't cataphracts either really.....
Arrian's "Order of battle vs the Alans" is a description designed specificaly to fight an asian cataphract charge, has the legionaries 8 deep with the 1st line holding their pila as spears, and javelinmen, archers, horse arhers and artillery shooting over their heads.
At Strasbourg in 357 the Romans had 2 units of Cataphracts, who, infamously, were defeated by German troops getting in amoung them and stabbing the horses in their unprotected belllies. whether this was dismounted German cavalry or light infantry attached to the cavalry is debated.
At Magnesia Seleucid cavalry on their right wing included cataphracts and seem to have defeated the Roman left, which was mostly infantry, but the mechanism for doing this is unknown - as it a straight frontal charge, or did they outflank them?
I'd love to see some T'ang accounts of their battles with Tibetans, which may include more descriptions of cat's in action.
Also the Seleucids fought against Parthians, "Bactrians" and Jews a lot, but I dont' know of any details of battles that mention cataphracts from those wars
At Carrhae Plutarch describes the Romans being "pressed together" by the Cataphracts so they cannot defend themselves properly - which echoes Polybius and Livy talking about Cannae ...where there were, of course, no cataphracts at all!
At Pharsalus Caesar's infantry were told to thrust their pila at the faces of Pompey's cavalry...who weren't cataphracts either really.....
Arrian's "Order of battle vs the Alans" is a description designed specificaly to fight an asian cataphract charge, has the legionaries 8 deep with the 1st line holding their pila as spears, and javelinmen, archers, horse arhers and artillery shooting over their heads.
At Strasbourg in 357 the Romans had 2 units of Cataphracts, who, infamously, were defeated by German troops getting in amoung them and stabbing the horses in their unprotected belllies. whether this was dismounted German cavalry or light infantry attached to the cavalry is debated.
At Magnesia Seleucid cavalry on their right wing included cataphracts and seem to have defeated the Roman left, which was mostly infantry, but the mechanism for doing this is unknown - as it a straight frontal charge, or did they outflank them?
I'd love to see some T'ang accounts of their battles with Tibetans, which may include more descriptions of cat's in action.
Also the Seleucids fought against Parthians, "Bactrians" and Jews a lot, but I dont' know of any details of battles that mention cataphracts from those wars
