The Will of the Senate - Battle reports

[Braden]

So, this was what Antaeus was hoping for. Re-enforcements! Ha! Even if he’d had these 241 extra men, did he really believe the day would have been different those few months ago?

Perhaps I’ll ask him, well…..I would ask him had his head not have been cleaved from his body when I met him in the Winter!

So, my seasoned troops against a lowly Captain…..I even felt I shouldn’t even have bothered leaving my tent. Oh well, I suppose if I didn’t turn up my men would just do something silly….



The two phalanx’s the comprised the whole of the Captains force clung to a slope of a low hill. We formed up and marched upon them.

I divided my skirmishers up as normal but managed to advance them well up the hill and not only above the enemy but also to their left flank.

Whilst the Funditores engaged and enticed the Phalanx’s to advance upon my main body my Javelin armed Skirmishers prepared on the enemies left.



Blinded by the Funditores and the greater mass of my troops the enemy advanced, only to be hit by a massive barrage of Javelins into their exposed flanks!

The devastation was wondrous for even my troops! Principes and Hastati lent their own missiles as the enemy got close and after the rain of death had ended there was but 30 men left standing!



The result was the cleanest I had ever had. ALL 241 enemy were slain and NOT ONE SINGLE ROMAN OR ALLY lay dead OR even scratched!!

Truly, Seleucia holds no fear for the Republic anymore.



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[Braden]

A reasonable force of Seleucids were reported to be moving to our borders this summer from Tarsus. Charged as we are to hold this border advanced to engage them before they had any contemplation of entering our territory.



The field of battle was a massive expanse of rolling hills, never before have I set eyes upon such wondrous countryside. I ordered us to setup upon a nearby hill and await the arrival of the enemy, they advanced only so far and waited…….they clung to the higher ground as far away from us as they could, thus we had to advance a great distance to fight them.

I did arrange my formation differently than normal and whilst I kept my largest cohort of Principes in the centre, the rest of my front line consisted of my Italian Allies.



As normal though, I separated most of my skirmishers and sent them forward at a dash to engage the enemy re-enforcements before they met up with the enemy on the hill.

Slingers and Javelins rained down at close range upon this hapless Phalanx.



The result was utter devastation! It was unfortunate though that I had not cavalry or infantry that could chase them down…..so advanced had my skirmishers become.



Carefully we advanced, I sent my infantry and skirmishers wide left along the low ridge whilst I lead my cavalry wide right along a similar ridge that brought us to the left flank of the enemy.

Once the body of infantry was in position in front of the enemy at the base of the hill I moved the cavalry into a threatening position, forcing one Phalanx to break formation. They chased the cavalry down the hill and to the right of my infantry where they were greeted by not only a hail of incoming stones from my slingers but also a cohort of Italian swordsmen, there javelin’s and a cohort of Italian spears. These engaged and then all my cavalry committed to the fight swiftly destroying this unit.

Meanwhile, a second Phalanx unit moved down the hill to engage my centre where my Principes held whilst my left flank Italians enveloped them……again I followed with cavalry charging downhill. The final Phalanx was similarly destroyed.



….and victory was ours



Gladly we only lost 19 men for destroying 456 Seleucid lives



It appears I am known as Manius the Victor in this region and that I am “Hailed” as a Conqueror…….perhaps misplaced praise but I will do nothing to staunch such tails as they strike fear into the enemies hearts.



On a more sombre note, I have determined that I shall not permit my cohort of, now 20 Principes, to fight again. They have fought hard and well over these years and 20 men is insufficient to be an effective battlefield unit. I have sent letters to the Senate requesting the survivors have Letters of Passage back to Rome where they may retire in safety. I hope that my request is received well, for my only remaining choice is to continue to bring these men on my continuing campaign or ferry them home by my own means…….I shall not suffer another death in that cohort.
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[Mount Suribachi]

From the town of Icosium, I lead my praetorian force SW to intercept a small Carthaginian army. I am suffering from terrible headaches in the town and I hope that the more robust lifestyle we lead on campaign in this wilderness will clear them.

The enemy have 4 cohorts totalling 305 men, to my 787. I shall not bore you with with elaborate reports of how I did this and that, puffing myself up as if to show I am the greatest general ever. The enemy were dispatched swiftly, apart from their Numidian Cavalry. My only horses were those of my bodyguard, unable to catch the swift Numidians. I became more and more exasperated as my horses and men became more and more tired. Eventually we cornerned them and they were slaughtered. The Carthaginian General was already dead. His name escapes me. Its not important.

We buried 289 enemy bodies. My initial report was of 41 Romans killed, but 8 of the men who my surgeons reliably informed me were mortally wounded have recovered and will be fit for duty next season.

Tingi awaits me to the West....

[Glaucus]

Quintus Libo's Journal, December 14, 251

It is cold day. It seems that the winter never ends here on the Frontier, and I'd give my own horse's life to be in Afrika or Palma... somewhere where I hear the heat is relentless. The consul has ordered that I lead my legions against an Iberian army in the dead of night, the first of many strokes against this awesome power that has shadowed Rome from the west and north for decades. Now I must change that.



I order my slingers to engage the Iberian front, a long line of untested warbands, no match for my legions. They take the rain of pebbles without moving, refusing to come off of the hill the cling to like they no doubt cling to their mothers.



My Roman, Italian, and Gaullic infantry hold the charging Iberians, though some of thier infantry tries to flank my line. I order my son in law to charge them directly, and they break immediatly after. This leaves the entire rear of the Iberian force open to my cavalry, since they have no cavalry of their own. I take care of their slingers w/my bodyguard while the rest of the Gaullic Cavalry smashes the rear of the infantry, causing them to turn and run en mass.



The battle is soon over. Not even one hundred of my men are dead, though over a 12 hundred of the Iberians are. Now Iberian-Occupied Germania lies open to my army, Viberi is just down the road, and accross the Rhine... the unprotected lands of Iberian-Gaul.