Calling all armchair generals! Boudica's Last Stand.

[MonsGraupius]

WHEN WILL PEOPLE GIVE UP THE GALLOPING HORSEMAN SCENARIO?
WHEN WILL THEY START AFRESH AND DUMP ALL THE FALSE ASSUMPTIONS OF THE GALLOPING HORSEMAN?

Where does this come from?  No one here subscribes to the 'galloping horseman' scenario.  On the other hand, if you mean the pro-Mancetter brigade, despite our other disagreements on this I am with you all the way.

I see it all over the place. The text clearly talk of delay "Prepared" to "break off delay", not acting "rashly" like Cerialis, wanting a "seat for war" ...but instead everyone has Suetonius rushing around like a nutter in some kind of race at fool's speed ... which is the Galloping Horseman ... madly dashing around the place, ignoring any strategic barrier like the Thames, ignoring the need to prepare, to recover, to regroup, to gain intelligence, ... doing nothing the "cautious, prudent and experienced character" of Suetonius would do, instead just doing the mad Galloping Horseman's rushing.

People have this strange idea of a race between Suetonius and Boudica ... the text tells us he sat still for a substantial delay.
The only other person to think about going over the Thames, has Suetonius dashing over the Thames to ... leaving the known barrier totally undefended ... as if it never existed ... any soldier knows, you use the terrain to your advantage ... and the Thames is the best defensive line possibly in all England.  

The Galloping scenario is one of a desperate action packed few days of rash rushing, which might have sold a book, but it is totally false. The reality of Roman warfare, (indeed most warfare), is boredom inaction, doing routine tasks and waiting for something to happen.

As for the Thames ... yes the modern Thames is extremely easy to cross, but can I point out that that is entirely modern. They didn't have the bridges at the time of Suetonius. And, may I point out that without the bridges, the Thames is a very difficult wall to cross, because that is what it is ... in the sense that the "Antonine wall" is mostly a big ditch, likewise Roman forts like Ardoch... are made using a series of ditches. And, indeed, one of the hallmarks of a Roman fortification ... is the Roman ditch.

So, what is the problem with understanding that the Thames is an extremely difficult barrier to cross ... what is it that people are having problems understanding ...

THE THAMES IS A DEFENSIVE BARRIER!