Legio XVII: Roman Legion at War (20 page)

Levi asked, “How’s my son doing?”  Manius told him, “You have a good son Levi; he’s like you.  I would trust him with my life.”

Within a few days, Sextus had new orders and Manius appointed his deputy, an Etruscan named Rasce, as the new cavalry commander.  Rasce was everything Sextus was not.  His men respected him and he shared their life.  After some initial resistance from his own men, Rasce was able to convince them that mounted archers made them even more important to the
XVII
.  The cavalry would, of course, retain their primary function of scouting and cavalry-on-cavalry engagements.  This was just another employment of cavalry.

Soon, Rasce and Snake worked out a collaborative training schedule and began the joint venture in earnest.  Rasce even came up with an idea to give the archers more stability while bouncing on the back of a galloping horse.  After a number of attempts, he developed an interim solution; a thick soft cloth was wrapped and tied around the horse’s belly; a large knot served as a hand-hold and loops from the knot lay along each side of the horse for the archer’s feet.  The loops enabled the archer to stand up to draw the bow and fire without obstruction.  The hand-hold knot secured the archer during the run up to the target.  It worked pretty well; accuracy improved and fewer archers ended up on the ground.

Snake had one more innovation that he proposed to the staff.  He wanted to double the basic load of arrows that would move with the
XVII
.  Normally, each archer carried 20 arrows in his quiver and another 40 in the baggage train.  He wanted to double the basic load to 80 arrows in the baggage train per archer.  It was approved and the archers began the hunt for the right wood and feathers and began the tedious process of making hundreds of extra arrows.  Extra bows and strings were also gathered.

During his five years at
Campus Martius
, Manius made time to continue his unofficial experiments with the
ballistae
.  Levi and his access to funding made this venture possible.  Since the Battle of
Faesulae
, 15 years earlier, the Army had made significant strides with this weapon.  It was more mobile, but it was still intended primarily for siege warfare rather than for use as a truly mobile infantry weapon.

Manius felt he had solved the problem.  He sacrificed the distance it would fire for less weight, which enabled the weapon’s 3-man crew to dismount it from its traveling configuration atop a wagon and be carried anywhere on the battlefield.  Use of wings on the arrow more than made up for the loss of distance.  He now had a weapon that could be carried by its crew and used effectively to affect the outcome of a battle.  He dubbed it the “
Scorpio
.”

As part of his operational planning, Manius conducted almost daily staff exercises to identify potential issues and possible solutions.  This was also a time to weed out and replace weaker members of his staff.  When the process was compete, he had a loyal, trained, and dedicated staff who could act independently when necessary and follow orders intelligently.

He instituted a daily meeting with his staff to keep himself current on vital issues such as personnel, intelligence, medical, and logistics.  At any given moment, Manius knew the number of soldiers in the Legion, the latest news from the Cisalpine, and number of horses, mules, and food stocks arriving in the Legion.  Knowing that the Legion would face harsh winter weather in the Cisalpine and Austria, Manius directed the procurement of winter clothing to include trousers.  Since trousers were only worn by barbarians, he had to overcome considerable staff resistance.

Manius further directed his medical staff to examine the teeth and gums of every Legionary.  He wanted to weed out men whose poor teeth would eventually render them combat ineffective.  Most men had relatively good teeth because of their healthy diet; some were treated for minor problems and a few underwent tooth extractions.  A handful were actually discharged from the army.  Most Legionaries valued strong, healthy, white teeth.  The men used toothpicks, toothbrushes, and a poultice containing urine to clean and whiten their teeth.

Manius realized from the beginning that this mission into the heart of the Gallic tribal area was fraught with danger and would probably involve fighting, despite what he told his family.  The Gauls had gone over to Hannibal whole heartedly in 218 and continued, even now, to provide him with manpower.  Additionally, the Cisalpine was literally a highway for mercenaries coming and going from
Illyria
to join Hannibal or to just pillage the Italian countryside. Rome was powerless to do anything about it.  The chances of bumping into these very capable and fierce marauding groups were high.

Manius and his staff spend a considerable amount of time trying to arrive at a scheme of maneuver that suited the size of his force.  It was generally agreed that deception, stealth, and surprise had to be the
XVII
mode of operations, particularly now in the planning and preparation phase.  There were Carthaginian spies everywhere.  Manius put a sign on the wall, which simply said, “Ambush” as a security reminder to his staff that four Legions had been destroyed by ambush by the
Boii
in 216 and by Hannibal at
Lake Trasimene
in 217.

A single Legion was simply too small to demand respect or to count on victory in a stand up battle against a larger foe.  The question for Manius was should the
XVII
try to present a low profile to potential foes as a non threat not worth bothering with or try to appear as big and noisy as possible to serve as a bluff.  If they looked too weak they would invite an attack; if too large, they could inadvertently cause the enemy to muster an Army too large to beat.  Manius eventually settled for the former.

As soon as Calvus heard about Manius’ special mission to the Cisalpine and Austria, he told Farrid who asked him to gather as much information on the mission as possible.  Farrid told him Hannibal’s brothers, Mago and Hasdrubal, were recruiting armies to come to Italy to reinforce Hannibal.  Farrid speculated that they would have to land at a port in northern Italy since the Roman fleets had all the southern harbors completed blockaded.  Farrid expressed concern that Manius’ Legion would be in a position to possibly prevent or impede the landings. 
Legio XVII
had to be kept away from the landing sites once they become known.

After weeks of discussion, Manius and his staff developed an overall concept of operation, which included four phases and two key deception elements.  The first phase was the preparation for the mission, which included assembling and training the force as well as acquiring the necessary supplies and draft animals.  Phase II would be the movement to the area of operations; phase III the operation itself; and phase IV the movement back to Rome at the completion of the mission.

The center piece of Manius’ plan was to split the
Triarii
, his third line of battle, into two equal parts, about 800 men each, and place a Centurion in charge of each half.  He would rather have picked Tribunes to command the two parts of the
Triarii
, but he needed the Tribunes to serve as staff members to solve the countless administrative and operational issues that constantly arose.

The Mission ~ Late October 210

Finally, Manius was ready to issue his orders.  He assembled his key leaders, unfurled two large maps, one of the Cisalpine and the other of Austria.

“
Legio
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comprised of 6100 men, 600 cavalry, and 1000 archers has been ordered to demonstrate Rome’s continuing interest in the Cisalpine and Austria by its presence in the region.  Our mission is to enforce freedom of trade into and out of the region, encourage loyalty to the Republic among the many peoples and tribes in the area, and discourage and even halt, when possible, any further support of men and material to Hannibal emanating from within the region.”

He continued, “You all know the general situation in the Cisalpine.  Rome has lived with that threat for hundreds of years.  Austria may be a new region for some of you.  On the northern side of the Alps is Austria.  Its main population center is Innsbruck, which is located on the Inn River.  The
Rhaetia
people were driven from Innsbruck by a powerful and hostile Germanic tribe called the
Suevi
.  About 15 years ago, the
Suevi
built a fortified bridge over the Inn and have completely blocked trade coming or going over the Alps.  They have even been raiding into
Rhaetian
territory.  Our allies in the area, the
Raeti
and
Veneti
people have asked Rome to restore trade, stop the raids, and remove the
Suevi
threat.”

Field Orders
Patavium

He then issued his orders to Centurion Publius Auerlius Servilius, the newly designated commander of one half of the
Triarii
:

“Servilius, your half of the
Triarii
will march to the east coast port of
Aternum
and arrive no later than February 1, 209.  You will board ships with barges in tow and row the 265 miles up the Adriatic to the island of
Fossa Clodia
[modern Chioggia] where the troops and animals will off load the ships.

You will rest the troops for a day then board the barges and proceed through the shallow waters hugging the coast line and make landfall south of Correzzola.  Once there, off load the barges, rest for a day, and march the 12 miles to
Patavium
[modern Padua] where you will be greeted by our loyal allies of the
Euganei
and
Veneti
tribes.  Treat them kindly.  These people fought with us at
Cannae
and they lost a lot of men.”

“Within 90-days of arrival, your mission is to construct a fort at
Patavium
along the west side of the
Medoacus
River [modern Bacchiglione River, formerly Brenta River] large enough to store six-months’ worth of food supplies.  You will use Legion funds to procure help from the
Veneti
people to build and protect the fort.  Stay at the fort until you receive further orders and be prepared to move within two days of receiving new orders.  When you depart, turn the fort over to the
Veneti
and march rapidly to join the Legion.”

“
Patavium
is located on a major east-west highway for mercenaries coming from
Illyria
to Italy to support Hannibal.  Be prepared to encounter hostile forces when you land at Correzzola.  These hostile forces may be larger than your own, so do not engage them unless you are attacked.  Similarly, hostile
Boii
may discover your presence and come up from the south to attack you.  The same rule applies.”

“Take four
Scorpio
ballistae
, 200 archers, 100 cavalry, and two
molossus
dogs.  Bring adequate food, fodder, and fuel to last two weeks.  Secure the barges onshore for future use.  Prepare a strong encampment until the fort is built.  Use the cavalry to scout for enemy forces and to maintain weekly communications with me. Supplies for the Legion during its extended mission will flow continuously from
Aternum
to the island of
Fossa Clodia
and will then be escorted to the fort by the
Veneti
.”

“Arrange to procure additional supplies from the
Veneti
.  Elitovius, our
Cenomani
ally, will provide you with a trained intelligence agent who will hire local tribesmen to circulate throughout your area of responsibility to gather information that may affect your mission.”

Field Order
Clastidium

Manius then turned to Centurion Appollonius Albus Vitulus.  His orders were similar to those given to Centurion Servilius.  Vitulus and his 800-man
Triarii
, along with four
Scorpio
ballistae
, 200 archers, 100 cavalry, and two war dogs will depart from the west coast port of
Ostia
on January 1, 209.  They will board transports and row the 300 miles from
Ostia
to
Genua
.  At
Genua
, they will link up with 500
Ligurians
and then march the 67 miles to the fort at
Clastidium
, the site of the battle in 222 and subsequently captured by Hannibal in 218.

“Your mission is to rebuild the fort as a supply base that is capable of defending itself.  Do this as quickly as possible; complete it no later than 90-days after arriving. Then, on order, be prepared to join the Legion.  Supplies for your half of the
Triarii
during its extended mission will flow continuously from
Ostia
to
Genua
and will then be escorted to the fort by Etruscan Auxiliaries who will arrive with the first supply ships.  This Etruscan Auxiliary unit of 1000 men will man the walls and protect the fort upon your eventual departure from the fort.  Elitovius has trusted agents in
Genua
who are coordinating for another 500-man
Ligurian
force, which should be assembled and armed by the time you arrive.  Legion funds will pay these
Ligurians
to help rebuild the fort and assist in its defense until the Etruscan unit arrives.  Elitovius’ agents will also hire and manage the services of trusted individuals from the
Insubres
and
Ligurian
community to serve you as spies.”

Manius cautioned Vitulus that while the
Ligurians
at
Genua
were, indeed, friends of Rome, “Other
Ligurians
and Celts in the neighboring area were not, and in fact, had and were, even now, materially aiding Hannibal.”

The staff envisioned that Vitulus’ surprise landing by sea in early January 209 at
Genua
and rapid four-day march to the damaged fort at
Clastidium
would go mostly unnoticed by any hostile forces in the area.

Legio
XVII
Orders
Brixia

Manius continued with his formal field orders: “On February 1, 209, I will march north with the remaining 4500 Legionaries from the
Hastati
and
Principes
, four
Scorpio
, 600 archers, 400 cavalry, and 8 dogs up the west coast on the
Via Aurelia
.  While enroute, I plan to continue to conduct maneuver-training for the Legion such as reacting to a surprise attack, laying out an encampment at night, and practicing battle formations.  I intend to stop for two days at the site of the 225 Battle of
Telamon
to rest the troops and conduct a historic walk of the battlefield with the Tribunes and Centurion.”

“Throughout the march northward, the cavalry will be deployed around the Legion in a 360 degree circle and up to a day’s march or 10 hours out from the Legion.”

“The cavalry commander will develop and implement a patrolling scheme that has eight teams of two-horsemen each ride away from the center of the Legion on the eight cardinal points of a circle.  The teams will then return on another cardinal point.  Ten hours after they depart, eight more teams will be dispatched on the same routes as the original teams.  This intense patrolling will ensure that the Legion will always have at least a five hour warning of an approaching enemy.”

“When the road ends near Pisa, the Legion will hire local guides to travel cross-country through the swamps to Parma, which is 75 miles south of our end point,
Brixia
.”

“From Parma, we will travel 16 miles north to where we will cross the Po River.  We will then take a 15 mile detour due west to the settlement of
Cremona
.  From
Cremona
, we will march 32 miles north east to
Brixia
[modern Brescia], which is mid way between the forts at
Patavium
(92 miles to the east) and
Clastidium
(81 miles to the west). Our operational Phase III plan beyond
Brixia
will be issued once we arrive there.”