Caesar\'s Expedition to Britannia, 55/54 BC

[Araujo]

Hi guys. I wanted to know more about Julius Caesar's expedition to Britain, in 55/54 BC. He landed down in british land with only two legions (some 10,000 men), but I don't know much more about it. Another thing which I am curious is how did he change his defeats (if there were any) into a powerful victory after 54 BC. Can someone help me?

[Jona Lendering]

No doubt our British friends will tell you about the best books; here is a nice article with some recent insights.

[Gaius Julius Caesar]

A good source to go by is Caesars Gallic War, a translation of his own commentaries from Penguin Classics.
There are a good many books on this subject too, one on the seige of Alesia called 'Caesars Gallic Triumph',
uniquely enough! A very good analysis of that one event and the events leading up to it.

[Smithy]

You say in your post he landed with 10,000 men, you say that that is too legions, I thought a legion was a thousand men but by the 5th century a legion could be as small as 700 men (taken from the last Legionary) could some one please fill me as to when the legion numbers changed and if possible why?, this is not trying to call some one wrong just asking if it would have changed across the decades ..... centuries of the Roman empire.

[Gaius Julius Caesar]

I can't recall the exact date when legions were shrunk, so to speak, but in Caesar's time a ballpark figure of 5,000 per Legion is not too far off.

[Smithy]

I can't recall the exact date when legions were shrunk, so to speak, but in Caesar's time a ballpark figure of 5,000 per Legion is not too far off.

Thank you for your hasty response, I was not attempting to question his figures, I just find it strange that a legion went from 5000 to around 700 over a period of 500 years, seems like a major army reform.

Surely the shrinks would mean more legions, more legioners, more power sharing, more confusion on the battlefield, less vicotry. ect.

[Dutchhoplite]

I believe most changes to unit structure were in the 4th century. To put it *very* simple: unit sizes were reduced and their numbers increased.

[Francois]

When I studied the Gallic wars, I found that the size of the legions should be about 4000 or 5000 men... in theory of course !
That's what we can see about this expedition : it is written that Caesar gathered about 80 transport ships, enough to carry two legions (nauibus circiter LXXX […] quot satis esse ad duas transportandas legiones existimabat BG, IV, 22, 3). Then, on the way back, we see two ships landing far from the harbour, with 300 men (quibus ex nauibus cum essent expositi milites circiter trecenti BG, IV, 37, 1)... Therefore, if you also count the slaves attached to every legions, it leads to about 5000 men per legion... (5100, says precisely Labisch...).

[Araujo]

Caesar recruted legionaries amoungst the local peoples in Gaul. He had the Seventh, Eight, Nine and Tenth when he entered in Gaul as a proconsul, and he recruted four more legions, the Eleventh, Twelth, Thirteenth and Fourteenth. When he left to Britannia, he only brought the Seventh and the Tenth, I think, and he left the others at the command of Labienus. The total number of the legions would be around 1000-2000 men, that's right, but the point is that the majority of the soldiers in Caesar's armies were auxiliary troops. There are probably no records of how many auxiliary troops Caesar led to Britannia, but it's much probable that grand part of his soldiers were truly gauls recruted from the Province. (I think that only the Tenth didn't have any auxiliaries, because they were only veterans, probably almost all romans.)

[Smithy]

Appolgies for kind of taking over your thread, I do not know much of the initial invasion but I have picked up that Caeser was a great leader so maybe his perseverance is what turned his initial loss into great victory, just by him being around his troops would be motivated.

That is obviously backed by no historical evidence at all just by thought.


Smithy.

[zakhx150]

I definitly agree with the above sentiments on Caesars Gallic Wars. Read. Enjoy.
It should be an eye opener. Especially about the giant wicker man...

Something fairly comprehensive on post-Caesarian Britain would also be a good place to contextualsie it all... like David Mattingly's 'Imperial Posession'

[Antonia Auriga]

Appolgies for kind of taking over your thread, I do not know much of the initial invasion but I have picked up that Caeser was a great leader...

Or perhaps just a great writer? J/K He must have been very determined and charismatic to pull Brittania off, let alone Gaul. Unfortunately I had to return my copy of the Commentaries to the library just as he had just finished his first expedition/invasion. He had a lot to learn about Brittania, there were weather issues, etc. Anyone with an interest in Rome should read this book. You will learn a lot about the military, Caesar and how Caesar saw himself (the edition I had was written in the third person, strange for such a personal account, but understandable in context). I found it interesting and not in the least bit dry as one might imagine it would be. Unfortunately, I would like to purchase the book and finish it, but can't find it anywhere. I know it's on Amazon, but I try to help my local book sellers. : )

[Gaius Julius Caesar]

That is one of the outstanding features of Ceasars writing, it is to the point but very understandable and readable.
Have you looked for it by Penguin Classics, or the Oxford editions?
Usually available in book stores over here, where about in the states are you?
I remember some big bookstores up in Calgary, so I imagine these are quite common down south of the border too? Definately worth having, I think I have read them over a couple of times myself.

[M. Demetrius]

I found it interesting and not in the least bit dry as one might imagine it would be. Unfortunately, I would like to purchase the book and finish it, but can't find it anywhere. I know it's on Amazon, but I try to help my local book sellers.

Try used book stores, particularly those that are near college/universities. It's required reading for some courses in school, and students often unload some of their books after the end of the semester.

As best I can tell, Caesar had no illusion of being able to conquer Britain with only two legions. He was trying to establish real, on-the-ground intel for a future invasion. At the time of the excursion, he was still in the middle of the Gallic War, and was much too smart to allow himself to be divided and faced with a two front war, one front having to be supplied via the other country with which he was still at war. It was not uncommon for people of that day to write in the third person.

[Sallustius Metellus]

Copies of both the Gallic War and the Civil War by Caesar, in English and Latin, are available on Google Book Search.