Book VI Section III: The Hunting of Ambiorix
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Conflict:
The goose chase for Ambiorix, the rebel Eburonian chief, was turning into a hot ancient mess. Just when the Romans were about to ambush Ambiorix, he always managed to just slip away. Caesar deployed his legions across the country — one under Labienus, another under Trebonius, a few under Cicero to hold the town of Aduatica and the last couplet under his leadership — but to no avail.
Eventually, Caesar sent an open invitation to the tribes of Gaul and Germany to plunder Eburonian territory, and soon the country was overridden. There was one snag though — the Germans, in addition to plundering Gallic territory, started harassing the Roman legions at Aduatica. The troops were terrified, believing Caesar was defeated in battle and that they were going to languish horribly. Roman battalions were massacred and hysteria was running high — until the Germans magically melted away and Caesar appeared on the horizon. 🤷
Characters:
- C. Volcatius Tullus — officer of the garrison stationed at the Rhine, oversaw 12 battalions who were guarding the remaining bridgehead
- L. Minucius Basilus — commander of the cavalry that was sent by Caesar to explore the Ardennes Forest in hopes of finding & capturing Ambiorix
- Catuvolcus — the other prince of the Eburones; “allowed himself to become entangled in the treacherous designs of Ambiorix,” ended up poisoning himself
- Q. Tullius Cicero — commander of the troops at Aduatica, the fortress holding all the Roman baggage (and scene of the former disaster that befell Sabinus and Cotta)
Quotes:
“The enemy were without a single organized band in the field…it was a war against a whole population scattered to the wind.” (page 162)
“Now it was confidently affirmed that the camp was already captured, now someone would passionately declare that the whole Roman army had perished with its commander…the great majority became victims of superstitious terrors…and with fevered imagination saw impending on themselves the same fate that in this fort [Aduatica] had overtaken Cotta and Sabinus.” (page 165)
“The sudden nature of the emergency had unstrung the stoutest hearts.” (page 166)
“…again and again the hunted king [Ambiorix] would from some secret nook in a forest glen watch his enemies go by, until under the friendly covering of night he could steal away to another part of his dominions…” (page 169)
Words:
- sauve qui peut — a general stampede, panic, or disorder
- imprecation — a spoken curse
- rapine — the violent seizure of someone’s property
- morass — an area of muddy or boggy ground
- sutler — civilian merchant who sells provisions to an army in the field, in camp, or in quarters. Sutlers sold wares from the back of a wagon or a temporary tent, traveling with an army or to remote military outposts
- melee — a confused fight, skirmish, or scuffle
Summary:
Caesar cut the bridge he erected across the Rhine, built a scary watchtower on the extreme end of it and focused his full attention on catching the Eburonian scumbag, Ambiorix. It wasn’t so easy though — he first sent L. Minucius Basilus and a body of cavalry into the Ardennes Forest, which stretched from the Rhine to the Nervian countryside. Basilus “rode straight upon the Eburonian leader whilst the latter was lulled in a false sense of security,” but Ambiorix managed to slip away. Caesar bemoaned the fickle nature of Fortune and her “disposing hand” that was sometimes for and against the Romans. From his various hideouts, Ambiorix sent the order for his armies to scatter and hide themselves in the forests, marshlands and low-lying flats by the ocean. Catuvolcus, the other Eburonian chief, ended up killing himself by swallowing yew. ☹️
Caesar was sick of stalling and deployed his legions across Gallic territory to find Ambiorix. One of his legions under Cicero was sent to Aduatica, a fortress where the Romans kept all their valuable baggage and possessions (it was also the scene of disaster to Sabinus and Cotta earlier in the year). Caesar implied he and the other legions would return to the fort in seven days. Meanwhile the enemy, though they were effectively disbanded, fought against the Romans in guerilla warfare.
“Wherever a hidden gorge, a wooded clump, or a treacherous marsh held out hopes either of concealment or defense, they [Gauls] lay ensconced.” (page 162).
The Roman troops were “burning for revenge,” but Caesar put his “calm and collected hat” on — he sent out an open invitation across Gaul to come and pillage the Eburonian territory. Gauls and Germans (who heard about Caesar’s mating call from across the Rhine) fled into the country. The Germans, “bred up as such men are from their cradles to war and rapine,” learned about the lavish Roman riches at Aduatica and decided to attack it.
Meanwhile, Cicero and his legions at Aduatica were getting restless. A small band of battalions was granted leave outside the fortress walls and was scavenging in the neighboring wheat fields when the Germans came on the scene. All hell broke loose. The Germans rushed the fortress defenses, attacked the foraging party and charged upon the pickets guarding the walls. Unprepared and flustered, the Romans had their hearts unstrung by fear and were grieving their fate, which they believed to be the same as the doomed Sabinus and Cotta. The foraging party managed to “boldly cut their way through the heart of the enemy” and reach the safety of camp. After wreaking havoc and slaughtering another Roman contingent on an adjacent hill, the Germans decided they had enough fun for the day.
“Seeing that the garrison had by this time manned the walls, the German raiders quickly abandoned whatever hopes they might have entertained of storming a Roman camp, and after recovering the spoil from the woods in which it had been hid, started off for the Rhine towards home.” (page 167)
The Roman troops were still scared silly until Caesar showed up and mollified them. Thus, the hunting of Ambiorix was a failure — at least in this chapter.
“Prisoners would declare that only a moment ago they had seen Ambiorix fleeing for his life, and straining their eyes to the horizon would insist that even yet he was not clearly out of sight……again and again the hunted king [Ambiorix] would from some secret nook in a forest glen watch his enemies go by, until under the friendly covering of night he could steal away to another part of his dominions…” (page 169)
Macc Reacc:
What a disaster! All of that effort, pillaging and hide-and-go-seek and Ambiorix still wasn’t captured. The Romans in this chapter were not portrayed in a flattering light — they were easily fooled and nervous, thinking that every hiccup in military plans meant the decimation of Caesar and all their hopes. The quasi-battle with the German raiders illustrated this: the raiding band was probably meagre at best, while the Romans were supported by full legions, cavalry detachments and strong fortifications. The Germans only had their rudimentary swords and skins. Despite the advantages, the Romans lost heart and were thrown into chaos without Caesar being present in the purple flesh.
Also, how can Caesar casually call for tribesmen to plunder Gallic lands? He basically said, “Hey, I’m hunting this one prince so all of his territory is fair game for rape and plunder.” I guess when you’re the defacto leader of the ancient world, the skies and fields are the limit. Caesar was playing on the stereotype of fierce, unruly tribesmen, but it appears his gamble worked. He threw an entire territory into disorder and ruined countless lives, all for getting revenge on an elusive prince.
This chapter is the final one before The Big Finale of Vercingetorix and the Battle of Alesia. To better digest all these details and the confusing tribal names, I recommend watching the below YouTube video that shows the animated blow-by-blow of the Gallic conflict:
