The Will of the Senate - Battle reports

[TinCow]

Autumn, 264 BC



Half a league, half a league,
Half a league onward,
All in the valley of Greeks
Rode the twenty-three.
"Forward, the Praetoria!
"Charge for the flanks!" he said:
Into the valley of Greeks
Rode the twenty-three.

"Forward, the Praetoria!"
Cried the man called Oratoria.
Not tho' the soldier knew
The Legate had needed a pee:
Their's not to make reply,
Their's not to reason why,
Their's but to hold the fly:
Into the valley of Greeks
Rode the twenty-three.



Spears to right of them,
Spears to left of them,
Spears in front of them
Waver'd like trees;
Assault'd with odor and yell,
Boldly they rode and well,
Into the view of Greeks,
Into the vile smell
Rode the twenty-three.

Flash'd all their spatha bare,
Flash'd as they turn'd in air,
Slashing the hoplites there,
Charging a phalanx, while
All the Legion could see:
Plunged in the enemy-joke
Right thro' the line they broke;
Epirote and Spartan
Reel'd from the spatha stroke
Turn'd to flee.
Then they rode back, but not
Not the twenty-three.



No spears to right of them,
No spears to left of them,
No spears behind them,
Waver'd like trees;
No longer assault'd with odor and yell,
No more horse and hero fell,
They that had fought so well
Came thro' the view of Greeks
Back from the vile smell,
All that was left of them,
Left of twenty-three.

When can their die their euphoria?
O the wild charge of the Oratoria!
All the Legion could see.
Honor the charge through historia,
Honor the Praetoria,
Noble twenty-three.

[Death the destroyer of worlds]

Near Patavium, Autumn 262 BC

Finding myself leading the Legio I Italia Victrix in an attack on a Macedonian army outnumbering my men and so well suited to defense, I had to disorganize the enemy somehow.
I accordingly split my army into two halves, one led by myself, Lucius Aemilius, and the other one led by the tribune Gnaeus Hordeonius (Silver Rusher).
My half of the army tried to tempt the Macedonians into attacking me, while the other half marched through the forest to outflank the Macedonian line. My troops killed a lot of peltastai, but the Macedonians were not inclined to attack and so my men were eventually forced to attack the Macedonian phalanx line in order to pin them down. When the lines clashed and the Macedonians were committed, Gnaeus Hordeonius and his troops charged out of the forest on their flank.


Ambush force charging out of the forest

The Macedonian general countered well, ordering a countercharge of this attack with his remaining peltastai units, while the phalanx line desperately tried to reorganize to meet this new threat.
With the ambush infantry force held up it was now up to the cavalry, which I had joined by now, to take the point and charge the now undefended Macedonian flank.


Lucius Aemilius leading the charge

Just as the Macedonians were about to crack their general countercharged and restored the Macedonian's flagging courage. Now the battle was beginning to move against us, but the ambush infantry finally arrived to complete the encirclement of the Macedonians and both the captain and general of the Macedonian force were slain. The battle became very disorganized, but eventually the enemy routed and was wiped out.