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Calling all armchair generals! Boudica's Last Stand.
Renatus wrote:

........if Catus quietly slipped away without anyone being aware of it, as seems quite probable. Apart from those in official circles, few would have had any hard information and, although there were probably rumours, many would probably have been inclined to disbelieve them.

I think that there would have been more than rumours. The uprising must have been going on for some weeks before Catus left. He had received and sent messengers and he had sent soldiers and yet no one would have arrived from Colchester. Then he left. With the rich and powerful.


Renatus wrote:

Quite, and he was also impervious to all entreaties not to abandon London, although there were, of course, sound strategic grounds for him to leave. I suspect that those allowed to accompany him were those thought wealthy or influential enough to assist in the reconstruction of the province after the suppression of the revolt. Even so, there would probably have been conditions attached, predominantly that they would be able to keep up with the column and not slow it down in any way. This would probably mean that they would have to have had their own horses or horse-drawn transport and to have provided their own foodstuffs.

I think that the Romans would have had plenty of people to re construct the Province. The rich would have had information so would have gone either on the ships or by horse.

Horse drawn transport would have slowed down an escaping army if they were indeed running away. If however they were doing an organised withdrawal and had a fair amount of time SP could have taken most types of refugees.

Tacitus says “and receiving into his army all who would go with him”, not the rich or well mounted. The three exceptions were “Those who were chained to the spot by the weakness of their sex, or the infirmity of age, or the attractions of the place”, were cut off by the enemy.”



Renatus wrote:

I agree that revenge may well have played a large part in the rebels’ actions. However, the sources tell us that there was a conspiracy of the tribes to overthrow the Romans and to regain their freedoms. This could not be achieved by each tribe clearing its own territory of Roman influences and then settling back to await retribution.

I do not see that the tribes taking back their lands individually precludes the tribes acting in concert.

It was not the point of settling back to await retribution but take into account what the Romans normally did. Of course the Ninth did exactly that and SP would have also done so had the rest of his troops turned up.

Renatus wrote:

The route to success would be by carrying the fight to the Romans and eliminating opposition as it presented itself. However, if a tribe were intending to join the main war band, it would be logical for it to dispose of garrisons and centres of Roman influence within its territory before doing so. This may account for the destruction of Verulamium, which does not lie on the direct route of an army advancing from Colchester to London and on into the West.

I agree that they would have disposed of the garrisons in their territories.

Perhaps St Albans was destroyed on the way to London by the Iceni.

Renatus wrote:

He did not have the strategic vision to see that, if Paulinus were defeated, the province would be lost and the south-west with it, so his duty was to support the governor and, if the south-western tribes did rise, they could be dealt with once the main rebellion had been put down.

If what you infer is correct it is more likely that Postumus was well aware of the situation with Paulinus (he had enough messages) and felt that he was in a better position with access to a port (Topsham) than he would have been inland.


Renatus wrote:

A further thought: you cannot equate a temporary hesitation on the field of battle when confronted with an unprecedented and alarming display on the part of the enemy with the deliberate and sustained disobedience of a legitimate command of the commander-in-chief.

You are absolutely correct.
Deryk
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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
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
Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Deryk - 10-25-2012, 04:02 AM

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