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Calling all armchair generals! Boudica's Last Stand.
#65
Purely out of interest (and my inability to leave this topic alone :wink: ), I've tried to come up with a hypothetical chronology of the Boudica uprising and Paulinus' campaign. I've used a comparison of movement speeds between the various forces to try and plot positions, and my principal arguments here are the campaign itself could have been completed within a relatively short time frame, spring to autumn AD61, including all communications with Rome, and that Paulinus could have advanced all the way to London with his legion force.

For the sake of argument I've gone for a northern route out of London, and placed the final battle site at Dunstable - with a few days leeway it could easily have happened either further north-west around Church Stowe, or to the west beyond Staines.

I must repeat that all dates and places are entirely hypothetical!

Movement speeds are as follows:

Legion march rate: 18-25 miles per day.
Roman messenger: 50 miles per day.
Message from Britain to Rome, or vice versa: 10-20 days.
Journey from Rome to Britain: 1 month.
British advance: variable, up to 10 miles a day.


AD60 – December – Prasutagus, King of the Iceni, dies. His will divides the Iceni kingdom between Rome and his own two unmarried daughters. His widow Boudica becomes regent.

AD61 - March – After questioning the terms of Prasutagus's will, Procurator Catus sends men to flog Boudica and rape her daughters. Boudica vows revenge and begins to muster her forces.

April – Iceni begin mobilisation, uncovering caches of 'decommissioned' weapons. Catus, informed of this, sends a message to Governor Paulinus at his campaign headquarters at Wroxeter.

May 1st – Paulinus begins his campaign against the Ordovices, marching north and west from Wroxeter.

May 10th – Boudica holds giant tribal assembly. Message sent to Catus from Colchester.

May 18th – Boudica’s force moves south into Trinovante territory. Catus sends 200 men from his bodyguard to reinforce Colchester, and another message to Paulinus.

May 20th – Paulinus’s army reaches the Mona Strait opposite Anglesey. Catus’ 200 men reach Colchester.

May 22nd – Catus’ second message (unrest amongst Iceni, gathering forces, threat to Colchester) reaches Paulinus at his camp on the Mona strait.

May 25th – Paulinus’s army crosses the strait and attacks Anglesey.

May 27th – Romans destroy the remaining enemy forces on Anglesey.

May 28th – Romans burn sacred Druidic groves on Anglesey. Paulinus then pulls his army back across the straits, and sends an express messenger to Cerialis to advance to reinforce Colchester.

May 30th – Paulinus begins a rapid march back towards Wroxeter with the Fourteenth legion and several cohorts of the Twentieth.

June 2nd – Paulinus arrives at Chester.

June 3rd – Iceni attack Colchester. Civilians barricade themselves inside the temple. Cerialis, legate of the Ninth Legion at Longthorpe, receives the order to advance in support of Paulinus's main column.

June 4th – Paulinus arrives back at Wroxeter. Cerialis, outpacing the main column with his lightly-equipped force, marches 22 miles from Longthorpe to Godmanchester.

June 5th – last defenders of the Colchester temple die by fire. Message of destruction despatched to London. Paulinus on the march east down Watling Street. Cerialis marches 15 miles to Cambridge.

June 6th – Iceni looting and burning Colchester. Paulinus arrives at Mancetter. Message reaches the Second Legion base at Gloucester, but their Prefect does not give the order to move. Cerialis marches 20 miles on the Via Devana to Wixoe.

June 7th – Cerealis’s force ambushed and destroyed on the Via Devana between Wixoe and Colchester.

June 8th - Paulinus's advance reaches Towcester. Catus flees for Gaul by ship.

June 9th – Paulinus, still on Watling Street, meets Catus’ messenger coming north with news of the fall of Colchester. Catus arrives in Gaul and sends a message to Rome, reporting the imminent loss of the province. Iceni begin to muster outside Colchester and advance south-west towards London.

June 10th – Paulinus marches into St Albans and meets a second messenger with news of the defeat of Cerialis and flight of Catus.

June 11th – Paulinus marches on from St Albans and enters London. He learns that the Second Legion have not advanced to meet him. Iceni plundering in the area of Romford.

June 12th - Paulinus, deciding that London cannot be held, orders the inhabitants to evacuate the city.

June 13th – Paulinus destroys his supplies and retreats from London to St Albans.

June 14th – Iceni sack and burn London, but are running short of supplies. Paulinus retreats from St Albans to Dunstable.

June 15th – Iceni begin advance north from London on Watling Street. Paulinus draws up his force at the junction of Iknield Way and Watling Street.

June 16th – Iceni sack and burn St Albans. Paulinus rests and prepares his position.

June 17th – Iceni advance from St Albans to just short of Dunstable.

June 18th - Battle is joined. Roman victory. Boudica defeated.

June 19th – Paulinus rests his troops after the battle.

June 20th – Paulinus enters the ruins of St Albans.

June 21st – Paulinus enters the ruins of London. Catus’ initial message of disaster arrives at Rome. Nero considers giving up the province.

June 22nd – Paulinus establishes camp outside London and sends a victory message to Rome. Classicianus ordered to Britain as replacement procurator.

June 24th – Paulinus enters the ruins of Colchester.

July 1st-28th – Roman troops spread out across Iceni land burning crops and villages. Boudica takes poison and dies. Paulinus’ message of victory reaches Rome. Order for reinforcements sent from Rome to the Rhine.

August 10th - Classicianus reaches Britain as Procurator. Reinforcement order reaches the Rhine.

August 15th – Polyclitus, ordered to investigate the situation in Britain, sets out from Rome with a huge retinue. Reinforcements sent from the Rhine.

September 15th – Polyclitus reaches Britain.

September 20th – Reinforcements start to reach Britain.

October 1st – Paulinus sends his main army into winter quarters. Detachments continue devastating Iceni lands. Polyclitus sends report to Rome.

October 14th – Polyclitus departs Britain.

November 18th – Several ships wrecked on the coast of East Anglia in a storm while supporting land troops in counter-insurgency operations. Classicianus sends report of the losses, and the severity of Paulinus's actions, to Rome.

December 15th – Classicianus’ report reaches Rome. Turpilianus (ordinary consul of that year) nominated to replace Paulinus as governor of Britain.

March AD62: Turpilianus arrives in Britain and replaces Paulinus.


:-D
Nathan Ross
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Messages In This Thread
Re: Calling all armchair generals! - by Ensifer - 03-11-2010, 03:13 PM
Re: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Nathan Ross - 02-14-2012, 06:13 AM
Re: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Steve Kaye - 02-18-2012, 06:26 PM
Re: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Steve Kaye - 02-19-2012, 12:02 AM
Re: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Steve Kaye - 02-19-2012, 02:50 PM
Re: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Steve Kaye - 02-19-2012, 05:40 PM
Re: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Steve Kaye - 02-19-2012, 11:26 PM
Re: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Steve Kaye - 04-24-2012, 05:11 PM
Re: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Steve Kaye - 04-24-2012, 09:42 PM
Re: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Steve Kaye - 04-24-2012, 10:10 PM
Re: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Steve Kaye - 04-25-2012, 03:11 PM
Re: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Steve Kaye - 04-25-2012, 03:25 PM
Re: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Steve Kaye - 04-25-2012, 08:36 PM
Re: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Steve Kaye - 04-26-2012, 02:57 PM
Re: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Steve Kaye - 04-27-2012, 01:50 PM
Re: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Steve Kaye - 08-05-2012, 02:24 PM
Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by antiochus - 11-07-2014, 02:18 PM
Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by antiochus - 11-08-2014, 01:50 AM
Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by antiochus - 11-11-2014, 02:03 AM
Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by antiochus - 11-18-2014, 07:54 AM
Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by antiochus - 11-20-2014, 02:37 AM
Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by antiochus - 11-25-2014, 08:29 AM

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