12-13-2022, 02:10 PM
Some time ago I "volunteered" to try my hand at a military appreciation of this campaign. I have, so far, added a few volumes to my library as pre-Christmas presents to myself and looked at the British and Roman ways of fighting, their logistics and rates of maneouvre. So I have been doing quite a lot of reading, internet searches and watched a TV documentary ("Britain's Lost Battles - the Battle of Watling Street"). I am still researching and will be going in to the National Library of Scotland (NLS) after Christmas and Hogmanay. To speed me along the way I have a few questions/observations that need evidence and so any help on direction and sources is appreciated (lead me to the sources of evidence and I will try to draw military conclusions):
1. I am having a bit of difficulty creating a time line for Suetonius Paulinus (SP) in Britain. Am I correct in saying that Tacitus (Annals) has his appointment after the untimely death of his predecessor and on arrival spends 2 Campaign Seasons fighting in Britannia. On the Third season (year) he attacks Mona?
2. I have read three different translations of Tacitus (my Latin is not good enough) - all say that for the final battle SP had XIV Legion and some of XX and gathered in nearby Auxiliaries. One implies that "gathered in" troops might number 10,000 and brought no Auxiliaries with him. One that he gathered in veterans of the XX as well and may have auxiliaries from the Mona task force as well as local troops and one that his entire force was 10,000. So from these I think I have his force being between 10,000 and 20,000.
3. In the TV documentary one historian (cannot remember her name) said that in describing the battlefield the word Tacitus uses for "defile(s)" is plural. Can anyone say if this is correct? If it is then it will affect my interpretation of how SP managed his battle space.
4. Timeline issue: Boudicca attacks Camulodunum and courier sent to SP who is some 250 miles away. Message probably gets to him about the time the Temple of Claudius falls. At best marching speed I would estimate that SP's column would take 10-12 days to reach Londinium so probably about 13 days at best to muster then march and arrive. Boudicca's host seems to take longer than that to march 60 miles to get there as Tacitus says that SP gets there first. (Unless he did do a cavalry dash - oh no not that again! or sent a recce party and Tacitus gave him credit for getting his army there.) So the Roman average rate of forced march over hostile ground was about 25-30 miles a day and Boudicca's host appears to be about 4 miles a day.
5. It may be that looting Camulodunum and maybe destroying villas and settlements along the way (was there anything at Caesaromagus?) Archaeology seems to provide that tribal settlement(s) were burnt around this time but whether by Boudicca's host or by Roman reprisals is not clear.
No great rush for information as we are off to Londinium overnight tonight on the Megabus from Edinburgh (11 hours) for the Prince and Princess of Wales Trust Carol Service at Westminster Abbey on Thursday. Then Megabus back on Friday (9 hours). We had trains booked but had to change to the bus.
1. I am having a bit of difficulty creating a time line for Suetonius Paulinus (SP) in Britain. Am I correct in saying that Tacitus (Annals) has his appointment after the untimely death of his predecessor and on arrival spends 2 Campaign Seasons fighting in Britannia. On the Third season (year) he attacks Mona?
2. I have read three different translations of Tacitus (my Latin is not good enough) - all say that for the final battle SP had XIV Legion and some of XX and gathered in nearby Auxiliaries. One implies that "gathered in" troops might number 10,000 and brought no Auxiliaries with him. One that he gathered in veterans of the XX as well and may have auxiliaries from the Mona task force as well as local troops and one that his entire force was 10,000. So from these I think I have his force being between 10,000 and 20,000.
3. In the TV documentary one historian (cannot remember her name) said that in describing the battlefield the word Tacitus uses for "defile(s)" is plural. Can anyone say if this is correct? If it is then it will affect my interpretation of how SP managed his battle space.
4. Timeline issue: Boudicca attacks Camulodunum and courier sent to SP who is some 250 miles away. Message probably gets to him about the time the Temple of Claudius falls. At best marching speed I would estimate that SP's column would take 10-12 days to reach Londinium so probably about 13 days at best to muster then march and arrive. Boudicca's host seems to take longer than that to march 60 miles to get there as Tacitus says that SP gets there first. (Unless he did do a cavalry dash - oh no not that again! or sent a recce party and Tacitus gave him credit for getting his army there.) So the Roman average rate of forced march over hostile ground was about 25-30 miles a day and Boudicca's host appears to be about 4 miles a day.
5. It may be that looting Camulodunum and maybe destroying villas and settlements along the way (was there anything at Caesaromagus?) Archaeology seems to provide that tribal settlement(s) were burnt around this time but whether by Boudicca's host or by Roman reprisals is not clear.
No great rush for information as we are off to Londinium overnight tonight on the Megabus from Edinburgh (11 hours) for the Prince and Princess of Wales Trust Carol Service at Westminster Abbey on Thursday. Then Megabus back on Friday (9 hours). We had trains booked but had to change to the bus.
Alan
Lives in Caledonia not far from the Antonine Wall.
Lives in Caledonia not far from the Antonine Wall.
