Caesars Legion

[Germanicus]

This was a great book for learning about Legions and their enlistment dates, structure, who served where etc.

 

I post this here just because there is one particular passage which I can't quote verbatim as I don't have the book with me but it's something like:-

 

When the 10th came to fight Pompey the younger at the conclusion of the Civil War, a large number of the troops in the 10th had :-

 

1)-Fought and vanquished Lusitanians in Spain

2)-Moved onto Gaul and fought all the way, crossed the Rhine

3)-Headed over to Britain to subdue a few tribes (twice)

4)-Completed the final conquest of Gaul at Alesia

5)-Met up with Caesar again in Greece for the Civil war

6)-Held pride of place at Pharsalus

7)-Hung out back at Rome and got involved in Mutiny

8)-Agreed to go to Africa with Caesar after he called them "Citizens"

9)-Fought in Africa

 

It just slightly amazed me that here were some guys who were blooded with Caesar in Spain and then did all this before retirement. Lot to tell the grand kiddies !

[Favonius Cornelius]

Hm, I wonder just how many men of the XXth could claim to have really experienced all that, when you consider legionary reinforcement from deaths, retirement, rotating shifts and so on. Just because 'Legio XX' was with Caesar in all these cases does not mean that Legio XX was made of the same men every time...

[Primus Pilus]

In the Republican era, legions (and its X, by the way) were far less likely to be reinforced and stayed together from recruitment to retirement. We generally hear of Caesar's legions operating at less than full strength, simply because they were recruited together, fought and died together, and retired together. Casualties were generally not replaced.

 

We know that Caesar's XIVth was reconstituted after it suffered greatly in Gaul but for the most part the legions only received light reinforcement. It was important to maintain the legions in this manner so that retirement eligibility, spoil sharing benefits, etc. could all be determined. It was only with the imperial era that legions became permanent (which did include some of Caesar's late recruits) and 'salaries' virtually replaced payment via spoils. With this method, Rome kept track of its soldiers as individuals rather than entire armies. What an administrative nightmare that must have created...

[Favonius Cornelius]

In the Republican era, legions (and its X, by the way)

 

Heh oops. I blame the pre-coffee morning.

[Germanicus]

Thanks for answering that PP, I believe we are talking in terms of at least 1000 men who would have seen and done all in the list. You've got to remember also that after the initial enlistment term of 16 years was over, a large proportion of troops decided to go for a second, even a third enlistment. There are records of a centurion stationed on the Rhine that was 63 years old at his death, still under the colors.

[ungoliant]

as a veteran of the US army myself, i know that some soldiers always last from the beginning of hostilities all the way through to the end. a few always survive everything thrown at them and make it into retirement.

 

my grandfather went to war december 8th, 1941. of his original group of 120 or so guys, only about a dozen made it to the end of the war still whole and healthy, including him. the rest were killed or seriously wounded. but those 12 guys made it through.

[Favonius Cornelius]

What was the worst battle for the Xth? The battle with the most losses?

[Germanicus]

Not sure, but I'd say that in Caesars time it was probably Gergovia, considering the near disaster there. After Caesar I'd say they probably suffered some major casualties during the seige of Jerusalem.

[Tobias]

Just going back to the replacement of troops, i understand that Caesar usually had an "oddments box" legion; that is, a legion that was usually made up of raw recruits, and as his soldiers in his other legions died off, the recruits that had gained more experience or had been "blooded" in the oddments box legion were removed to bolster the numbers of the more expert or reliable legions, such as the Xth or some of the other legions.

In that list, when it says "Moved onto gaul", does that mean Caesar's flight to stop the migration of the Helvetii?

[Germanicus]

I just mean that after Spain, their next combat posting was Gaul and they faught numerous battles - subduing many tribes - wasn't going to run through the list as there were so many.

[Tobias]

Ok, fair enough, i just wanted to clarify that.