Stories Thread

[navarro951]

Part II: The Story of Dentatvs

290 BC

It was the eve of battle. The last Samnites and Sabine army waited across a muddy field. The battlefield was some miles south of what is now the great Roman city of Capua.

Dentatvs had fought many battles now along side his legion,The Latium Conscription, and had finally accepted and won the nomination of Consul. He had just 7,000 men and faced nearly 7,000 Samnites and 4,000 Sabines. But his soldiers were far superior in the art of combat.

The Evening Before Battle in Dentatvs' Tent

A map was laid out across a long table. A much younger, Tribune Blasio, lay out unit markers across the map in a battle formation.

"If I may speak consul..." Blasio requested.

"You may young friend, of course" Dentatvs replied with a smile.

"Well we are obviously outnumbered, but we are not outmatched. The enemy has brought no cavalry to the fight. But we have 300 horsemen unto ourselves." Blasio placed a marker on the map to represent a cavalry unit. Dentatvs nodded, listening to his third in command with much consideration.

"Now, our good Legate Marcus had proposed to keep the cavalry as one solid unit to wing round and break the back of the enemy. But I see another plan. We separate the horse Blasio laid down another piece representing a half of the cavalry and set one on each side of the foot soldier pieces and we wing round squeezing them into a slaughter from our infantry." Blasio displayed this maneuver like a child playing war; knocking over all the pieces on the other side of the map, representing the enemy.

"Indeed a plausible idea. But our cavalry so divided? You think this a wise idea? Should they be vanquished it would leave the flanks of our men open to attack." Dentatvs slid his hand into the side of the infantry pieces.

"Indeed, but not if our best cavalrymen lead them."

Dentatvs' eyes opened widely and he grinned.

"Our best cavalrymen? And who would you say that is?"

"Well sir, you have taught me everything you know about being on horseback. And Legate Marcus, respectfully, has never failed in a charge before. I feel the both of us are up to the challenge." Blasio gulped. Dentatvs looked over to Legatus Marcus who had simply watched with a smile as the young Tribune had been laying our his plan. He looked to Dentatvs and nodded.

"Very well...then the fate of this battle may very well rest on you two. Wine!" A slave brought about three cups of wine and the three men toasted.

"To glory in battle! And the end of this tiring war!"

The cups clashed!

To be continued...