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Calling all armchair generals! Boudica's Last Stand.
Thanks for the map - very interesting indeed! I suspect, actually, that you've placed my Roman line a little too far to the south-east - I think it should be about a third of the way back towards Dunstable, but I might be wrong. [*Edit - corrected - thanks Steve!]

Anyway - yes, the water supply is a problem indeed here. If, however, Paulinus camped his men around Dunstable, or a bit north-west, the distance to the water source would be halved. You surely know more than most, Steve, about the amount of water a force of 10,000 would need, and how much of it could be carried. Just one thought - given perhaps several days to prepare, could Paulinus have dammed one of those streams to the north-west to provide a reservoir? I don't know if this would help much!

Your idea of the reverse position is fascinating - if we imagine Boudica moving west from London (Paulinus himself could still have withdrawn north, of course...) and then backtracking north-east up the Iknield way towards Iceni country, she would have to pass the opening in the Chilterns at this point. Hmm. This would fit with a longer campaign of mutual manoeuvre and counter-manoeuvre - Paulinus' 'delays' - but with the shortage of evidence I prefer the Ockam's razor approach, being the most direct line between two points!

In fact, this proposed reverse position brings up another potential terrain consideration. After the Roman charge, the retreating Britons found themselves trapped by their own carts (ceteri terga praebuere, difficili effugio, quia circumiecta vehicula saepserant abitus - translated variously as "The rest turned their back in flight, and flight proved difficult, because the surrounding waggons had blocked retreat" (Church & Brodribb) and "The remainder took to flight, although escape was difficult, as the cordon of waggons had blocked the outlets" (Jackson / Loeb)). Might this imply that the 'open plain' was actually closed in on all sides, with one or more 'exits' that could be blocked by wagons? That would argue for a relatively constricted position, rather than a completely 'open plain'. In fact, Tacitus's 'open plain' (apertam planitiem) might refer more to the lack of forest cover, bushes etc than the size or flatness of the area. These considerations might support my suggested position, which certainly has a narrow exit to the south, easily blocked by wagons...
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 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 Nathan Ross - 04-24-2012, 06:35 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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