09-26-2021, 10:00 AM
Nathan wrote:
I agree with Michael that Paulinus would first have directed his march towards Colchester, intending to link up with Cerialis on the way. Only after abandoning London would he fall back on St Albans, where supplies would remain intact.
Excellent map as Michael points out.
Certainly a feasible solution but you would have thought that Cerialis would have got a message to SP at Mona, telling of his march to Colchester or even a later message of his defeat whilst SP was on the road or at Wroxeter.
Typically you would expect that Cerialis would have gathered what troops he had and gone to the aid of the roman citizens at Colchester as soon as possible. It was his responsibility for that part of the Province and would have been a typical roman response to confront the enemy directly.
Certainly Cerialis was not censored for his action and for losing half a Legion for what otherwise may have been regarded as rash, so this was an acceptable response by Cerialis according to the Administration.
This immediate response may have been the very move that the Iceni were expecting and how they were able to ambush the Ninth Legion. I stick to the ambush theme because as far as I am aware no Brythonic Army ever beat the Roman Army in a formal battle.
My other concern is that St Albans was undefended and open to attack from the Brythons and as Governor SP was responsible for its roman citizens he needed to protect them and this would have been a priority. If Rome could not protect its own citizens it would have lost its reputation as an Empire.
To add emphasis to this St Albans is strategically placed (as can be seen well from your map) as a base to rendezvous at from the West, the North and the South.
I will stick with our original theory that the veterans of the Twentieth came from Kingsholme and travelled along Akeman Street as Michael says as part of the original callout to the Second and Twentieth and the Ninth when SP left Anglesey.
Nathan adds an interesting point that if there was a general callout why didn’t the Twentieth come in force from Monmouth, Usk and Cardiff? Does this support the theory that the army was garrisoning so much territory that they would have to abandon the recent conquests? Pointing to the fact that neither the Second nor the Twentieth sent active troops but only Veterans of the Twentieth attended. Also that after the defeat of Boudicca, Wales was abandoned and effectively re-conquered later.
Of course it would be remiss of me not to agree that the final battle was fought near Tring but I have come to the final conclusion that it was at Pitstone Hill not Newground or Dancers End.
I agree with Michael that Paulinus would first have directed his march towards Colchester, intending to link up with Cerialis on the way. Only after abandoning London would he fall back on St Albans, where supplies would remain intact.
Excellent map as Michael points out.
Certainly a feasible solution but you would have thought that Cerialis would have got a message to SP at Mona, telling of his march to Colchester or even a later message of his defeat whilst SP was on the road or at Wroxeter.
Typically you would expect that Cerialis would have gathered what troops he had and gone to the aid of the roman citizens at Colchester as soon as possible. It was his responsibility for that part of the Province and would have been a typical roman response to confront the enemy directly.
Certainly Cerialis was not censored for his action and for losing half a Legion for what otherwise may have been regarded as rash, so this was an acceptable response by Cerialis according to the Administration.
This immediate response may have been the very move that the Iceni were expecting and how they were able to ambush the Ninth Legion. I stick to the ambush theme because as far as I am aware no Brythonic Army ever beat the Roman Army in a formal battle.
My other concern is that St Albans was undefended and open to attack from the Brythons and as Governor SP was responsible for its roman citizens he needed to protect them and this would have been a priority. If Rome could not protect its own citizens it would have lost its reputation as an Empire.
To add emphasis to this St Albans is strategically placed (as can be seen well from your map) as a base to rendezvous at from the West, the North and the South.
I will stick with our original theory that the veterans of the Twentieth came from Kingsholme and travelled along Akeman Street as Michael says as part of the original callout to the Second and Twentieth and the Ninth when SP left Anglesey.
Nathan adds an interesting point that if there was a general callout why didn’t the Twentieth come in force from Monmouth, Usk and Cardiff? Does this support the theory that the army was garrisoning so much territory that they would have to abandon the recent conquests? Pointing to the fact that neither the Second nor the Twentieth sent active troops but only Veterans of the Twentieth attended. Also that after the defeat of Boudicca, Wales was abandoned and effectively re-conquered later.
Of course it would be remiss of me not to agree that the final battle was fought near Tring but I have come to the final conclusion that it was at Pitstone Hill not Newground or Dancers End.
Deryk
