Book IV Section II: First Expedition to Britain
Conflict:
Caesar decided the time was ripe for an invasion into Britain, the hazy island of so-called “savages” swimming on the outskirts of Gaul. Caesar had suspicions that auxiliaries and support were funneling from the British tribes into Gaul, and he wanted to spook the Britons into submission. Seeing as the Romans are terrible at sailing (and everyone knew that), the Britons weren’t about to give up without a fight.
Characters:
- Caius Volusenus — a Roman instructed by Caesar to make a preliminary survey of the British lands and tribes and report his findings
- Commius — chief of the Atrebates and Caesar’s go-to man when it came to being an envoy to other native tribes
- Q. Titurius Sabinus — general of the Roman army; he was sent to harass the Menapii tribe while Caesar was playing in Britain
- L. Aurunculeius Cota — general of the Roman army; he was sent to harass the Morini tribe, who lived on the Western side of Gaul and were closest to the British isles
- T. Labienus — another Roman general who was sent to chastise the Morini tribe (again) after they attacked the Romans when they disembarked from their ships
Quotes:
“residue of the army” (page 94)
“Waiting then till the men had become scattered, as, with arms laid down aside for the sickle, they were busily engaged with their harvest, they [the Britons] had suddenly attacked, and after killing a certain number, had thrown the rest into dire confusion.” (page 99)
“Thus ended the year’s campaign, on a full account of which being received at Rome through the Governor’s dispatches, a public thanksgiving of twenty days was ordered by the Senate.” (page 102)
“‘I, at any rate,’ he exclaimed, ‘shall not be found wanting in my duty to my country and general.’” (page 96)
Words:
- men-of-war -an armed sailing ship
- ineffaceable — unable to be erased or forgotten
Summary:
Of course Caesar wanted to cause trouble in Britain, a remote, foggy land not even connected to the main continent! His boldness was striking, even for the ancient days of barbarism and cutthroat politics. Caesar gathered intel on the British tribes and then decided to make the trip himself. He was throwing the dice here — it was almost wintertime and the risk of getting stuck on a cold, hostile island was real. Caesar received peaceful envoys from a few British tribes, but their gestures were fruitless — Caesar instead collected the fleet he used to subjugate the Veneti tribe and built new vessels. “As soon as the wind was fair,” Caesar and his legions sailed to the island and the “whole line of hills was crowned with the armed forces of the enemy.” Undaunted, Caesar distracted the enemy with his large warships while the smaller transports, containing the troops, made for the shore. At this point, we get the first direct quote from an unnamed eagle bearer of the tenth legion:
“‘I, at any rate,’ he exclaimed, ‘shall not be found wanting in my duty to my country and general.’”
The soldier “flung himself out of the ship” and ran straight towards the enemy. After this display of gallantry, the rest of the Romans followed and vanquished the enemy. The Brits sent new envoys and cries for peace (again), but in a stroke of misfortune which often seemed to plague the Romans , a tumultuous storm came and wrecked all of their ships — the transports, warships, everything. Caesar and the tribes were no dummies — the Britons knew this was their chance to oust the Romans and Caesar was perfectly expecting this. While a group of Romans was gathering grain, “with arms laid aside for the sickle,” they were attacked by a fierce British coalition.
Caesar swooped in just in time and the Romans were saved. A period of incessant rain interrupted the fighting, and when two forces met again in a pitched battle, the Romans routed the tribes. British envoys were sent again to Caesar, and he “doubled the number of hostages previously imposed” (obviously). Since it was the eaves of wintertime and the winds and waters had already proved unfriendly, Caesar and his troops hiked it back to Gaul…where they were greeted by the rebellious local tribe, the Morini! Some Romans were killed, so Caesar sent T. Labienus to slaughter them. Declaring the British expedition a success, Caesar sent word to Rome and received a 20-day Thanksgiving thrown in his honor.
Macc Reacc:
What a juicy chapter! Caesar’s exploits in Britain were famous for their novelty and daring. I don’t know what possessed Caesar to cross treacherous seas to meet unknown tribes (oh wait, megalomania!), but I’m glad we got this first-hand account. The expedition was more of a reconnaissance trip than outright conquest, so Caesar was allowed to admit misfortune (i.e. the bajillion storms) and loss in battle. My favorite part of this section was the passage about the chariot-fighting technique of the Britons. We’ve heard about different tribal fighting methods before, but the use of screaming chariots and missiles was something else. Here’s what Caesar had to say:
“Beginning with a wild gallop down the whole field of battle, to the accompaniment of dense volleys of missiles, they generally succeed in this part of the action in creating disorder among the opposing ranks simply by the terrifying aspect of the horses and loud rattle of the wheels…” (page 99)
This vivid, primary account was warfare narration at its finest.
It’s also ironic that no matter how powerful Caesar and his troops were, the natural elements were always stronger — the wind, the rain, and the tides are misfortune’s children. Hearing a powerful general admit this has an unusual, mystical tone to it. The ancients associated elements with the universal gods and goddesses, so this trip to Britain was more than just a military playdate.
