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Calling all armchair generals! Boudica's Last Stand.
you shouldn't tar Nathan with that one, it's only me, on my own, completely isolated. The theory goes something like this;

There was a big horde at Colchester, there was a big horde at the final battle. The two events were days or weeks apart, holding that big a force together and feeding them would be tough. So did the horde move as one? did it move as several units? did it assemble for each of the two events?

In any of those scenarios how could they have got to the battle site? in my case I am testing this against the CS site. If it is CS or within the general northern area, it’s a great base to threaten Norfolk the links to which would be along the Nene and Ouse valley’s. Reinforcements using this route would allow for the swelling of Brit numbers before the final engagement rather than the diminution of the force one would expect over time.
In any of the three scenarios you’d need a muster point for the Brits before battle, if using Watling St the column could take days to reach a given point. In the event the muster point could cope with a big column, other mobile groups and indeed back up from Norfolk all at once for the final roll of the dice. It’s a simple and effective tool, low management, low complexity, easily transmitted and easily pre-briefed.

The road system is a roman invention and isn't very developed in terms of size (maybe), may not yet be considered more effective than the pre-Roman routes and was not fit for the Iceni’s purpose. The straight plan lines are very inefficient in terms of slopes, Watling St around Towcester goes up and down constantly whereas the river valley’s connect at grade, more useful for a cart encumbered big force. So there is a chance the Brits are using the network they were using before 43AD which in this case is the great Nene and Ouse alignment, whether the valley’s or ridges.

So rather than a big column going into action, relax a bit, there is going to be a pitched battle, both sides want it. SP isn't on the run, there is no-where to run to, he has his pre-selected position he has had time to dig in. There is very little speed/discipline/cohesion in Brit numbers but they are told to be at an RV so they get there from whatever direction, when there are enough of them then they head down the road a few miles to where the Romans have pitched up. So now we are looking for a battle site and a pre -battle muster site as well and then the rationales to justify each.

This whole “gone home” theory is blatantly derived from a justification of the CS site, it’s almost reverse engineering. When the site really is located we will be able to unpick how forces moved and assembled, but I’m pre-empting this for CS as an attempt to see where this site can pick holes in/ re-interpret some assumptions that are made in the debate that has faltered at Mancetter for some decades now.

Please don't loose any sleep over this idea, there are as many reasons against it as there are for it.
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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 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
Re: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by John1 - 08-22-2012, 08:37 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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