Book VII Section I: The Rising of Vercingetorix
Conflict:
This chapter marks the feverish beginning of the end of Gallic civilization as the ancient world knew it. The upcoming stories of heroism and despair were the apex of the Gallic war that Caesar waged and drew out until an entire culture was exterminated. Vercingetorix, a younger chief of the Arverni tribe, was the last great unifier of Gaul and the last real chance the country had of reclaiming its sovereignty. In this chapter, Caesar fast forwards quickly throughout time and describes the rise of Vercingetorix and the unification of the tribes, the taking of Vellaunodunum, Cenabum and Noviodunum (prominent Gallic towns), and finally, the harrowing siege of Avaricum. It was the Gallic version of Custer’s Last Stand, and the bloodshed, anguish and heaps of crying wives we see in this narrative is unparalleled. These conflicts were only the beginnings of the Caesar versus Vercingetorix showdown.
Characters:
- Vercingetorix — young, dynamic chieftain of the Arverni tribe, son of the once “titular head of all Gaul” and unifier of the Gallic tribes
- Caesar — my old friend!
- Lucterius — member of the Cadurcan tribe and military leader of half of Vercingetorix’s forces
- Cotuatus and Conconnetodumnus — “two desperadoes” of the Carnutan tribe who attacked Cenabum and massacred the Romans there; sparked the final Roman x Gallic conflict
Quotes:
“And come what might it was universally agreed that to fall fighting on the field of battle was infinitely better than to endure the loss of their ancient military renown, and of their sacred heritage of freedom as a people.” (page 171)
“Going upon their knees before all their compatriots, the Bituriges passionately pleaded the cause of this queen of Gallic cities [Avaricum] — their pride alike and their protection — and begged they might not be forced with their own hands to apply the torch for its destruction.” (page 178)
“…suddenly the streets were filled with wives and mothers pouring from their homes, who, throwing themselves with tears before their husbands, begged and implored them…not to betray them and their children, their common offspring, to the tender mercies of the foe…they rent the air with piercing cries intended to inform the Romans of what was going forward.” (page 186)
“…for he [Vercingetorix] was endeavoring to effect the unification of Gaul — and Gaul united might face a world in arms.” (page 188)
“Old and infirm, women and children, were indiscriminately butchered.” (page 187)
Words:
- debouch — emerge from a narrow or confined space into a wide, open area
- mantlet — a bulletproof screen for a soldier
- circumvallation — a line of fortifications, built by the attackers around the besieged fortification facing towards an enemy fort
- cur — an aggressive dog or one that is in poor condition, especially a mongrel
- succor — assistance and support in times of hardship and distress
- windlasses — any of various machines for hoisting or hauling
- baulk — a roughly squared timber beam
- indomitable — impossible to subdue or defeat
- accouter — clothe or equip in something noticeable or impressive
- glib — (of words or the person speaking them) fluent and voluble but insincere and shallow
Summary:
Caesar was tending to local business back in Italy when the Gauls were stirred by “interested mischief makers” saying that Caesar was “forcibly detained in Italy owing to the [political] disturbances at Rome.” The Gauls saw the opportunity to strike and secret councils were held throughout Gaul, with local tribes pledging their support and fighting men to yet another unifying cause. The Carnutes tribe stepped up to take the first offensive move against the Romans and massacred Roman mercantile residents of Cenabum (present-day Orleans). The news of the slaughter — and subsequent distribution of the merchants’ property — was spread throughout Gaul in a single day and it stirred the heartstrings of a man named Vercingetorix. The son of an executed Gallic monarch, Vercingetorix was a natural leader and soon “roused the countryside” to enlist all the tribes, who were eager for unification and revenge.
“Proclaimed king by his followers,” Vercingetorix got a whole pocketful of tribes on his side overnight. He exacted hostages, tribute, weapons and fighting men from these tribes and ruled with an iron fist. Half of the military forces were led by Lucterius, a bold leader from the Cadurcan tribe, while the rest remained under Vercingetorix.
Caesar finally got wind of these rapid and alarming developments and got his booty to the Province. The country was crawling with Gallic insurgents and Lucterius was marching down to the strategic town of Narbo — however, he was stopped by the strong Roman fortifications he met and retreated. Caesar went full steam ahead and crossed a wintery mountain range (the Cevennes), much to the surprise of the Arverni tribe that lay on the other side (side note: Vercingetorix’s mother tribe was the Arverni). Caesar plundered and scoured the countryside, but his real issue was uniting his legions, which were spread across Gallic territory and extremely vulnerable. Leaving a small contingent of his forces with the Arverni, Caesar “raced across the country of the Aedui,” picked up his cavalry along the way and united them with his largest force at Lingones.
Vercingetorix then decided to attack the town of Gorgobina, which was inhabited by the Boii tribe (remember this sad tribe from the Helvetii chapter?). Caesar didn’t think it was politically correct to let a known ally of the Romans, the Boii, be ravaged by fellow Gauls, so he made haste to the town.
“…it seemed preferable to endure any degree of hardship than, by a tame acquiescence in such a humiliating ignominy, to alienate the sympathies of every Roman supporter…he [Caesar] sent word to the Boii that he himself was marching to their relief.” (page 176)
On the way, he assaulted and conquered the towns of Vellaunodunum, Cenabum and Noviodunum. His next object was the rich and fertile town of Avaricum, the stronghold of the Bituriges tribe. At this point, Vercingetorix saw the massive losses his side was incurring and instituted a scorched earth policy to his native lands: “Bluntly declaring that it was no time to cling to the sweets of private property.” However, he exempted the Bituriges’ prized city, Avaricum, after their chieftains groveled at Vercingetorix’s feet and pointed out the natural fortifications the town had.
Caesar dug in his heels at Avaricum and subjected it to good ole’ fashioned Roman siege. I’m talking siege embankments, wooden artillery towers, dwindling grain shipments from “lukewarm” Gallic supporters, the whole shebang. Vercingetorix’s camp also moved closer to the Avaricum walls and Roman camp because of his declining fodder. The two sides almost fought, but Caesar retreated at the last second because he saw how disadvantageous the terrain was for fighting.
And then Vercingetorix was arrested at Gaul HQ because this tribesmen thought he was colluding with Caesar — which he denied vehemently and even starved/coerced a couple of slaves into pretending to be Roman deserters. These faux Romans stated the Roman army was diminished and starved “to such a state of emaciation that the men could no longer perform the manual work demanded by the siege.” Although this was a lie, the Gauls licked it up and reinstated Vercingetorix as their leader. Yay!
Meanwhile, the Romans were still pounding hell into Avaricum’s walls. The traditional Italian siege tools were being rendered useless by Gallic counter-engineering and the fortified, interlocking walls of the town. About a month into the siege (and after the completion of a giant Roman siege mound), the Gauls poured forth from their walls and camp and delivered a fiery strike to the Roman lines. The wooden siege towers were bursting into flames — the battle raged from late night to early morning — the destroyed breastworks! But somehow, the Romans stood their ground and met the continual onslaught of fresh Gallic fighters. The men inside Avaricum were planning an escape to Vercingetorix’s camp in the dead of night, but their ruse was exposed by their wives and mothers, who sent piercing screams throughout the city. The men were going to abandon their wives and children to the mercy of the Romans. ☹️ These feminine cries put the Romans on high alert and the men inside the city were resigned to stay.
On the following day, Caesar revealed his military genius. It was pouring rain outside — a classic French thunderstorm — and the Gauls manning Avaricum’s walls were thinned out. The Romans stormed the ramparts, drove all soldiers from their towers and battlements and slaughtered the inhabitants of the city ruthlessly. The troops inside the city became panicked and ran to the nearest exits — but the Romans were waiting for them and butchered them to pieces. Caesar claims that out of “a total fighting population of forty thousand men, scarcely eight hundred had succeeded in making their way to Vercingetorix.”
Instead of this horrific setback breaking up the army and dampening his spirits, Vercingetorix rallied the troops and once again espoused his lofty vision of a united Gaul. He raised yet another army with fresh recruits and new uniforms and conscripted every available archer in the country.
“The curious result thus followed that, whereas other generals are invariably discredited by failure, he on the other hand found his reputation positively enhanced as the result of a military reverse.” (page 188)
Macc Reacc:
Where should I start? This chapter rocketed across several characters, subplots and military sieges that it seemed Caesar was rushing to finish the story. So many incongruous things happened: Gaul was united for real, they happened to find this brilliant, charismatic leader, Caesar stormed three Gallic towns without struggle, Vercingetorix was arrested, and the two sides fought it out at Avaricum. The military action and anthropological observations, after being out drawn out across several books and chapters, was horse racing towards the end.
The amount of human life lost in this chapter was staggering. At Avaricum alone, a full 40,000 people (or more) were murdered in a single evening. We don’t know the numbers killed at Noviodunum or the other cities, but it seems like lack of food and a pure hatred of the enemy was driving Roman soldiers to violence. Caesar presented one curious humanization of the war though — he described an individual Gallic soldier whose job it was to thrown lumps of grease and flammable pitch onto the Roman towers. A bolt loosened and fell from the tower, striking the boy on his side and killing him. Another fresh pitch-thrower immediately stepped over the boy’s lifeless body and assumed his role — until he met his end that way too. This murderous cycle, Caesar remarked, continued until the fighting was completely over…I’m imagining a pile of dead, young men and feel sick to my stomach.
Honestly, if the Gauls were going to defeat the Romans, they really needed to clinch Avaricum. If the Gauls were so numerous and passionate as Caesar was implying, I don’t know why they couldn’t defeat him. Were the Romans just stellar war machines? But it didn’t seem that way — Caesar even explicitly mentioned that Gallic engineering was thwarting Roman tools and tactics. Whatever the secret ingredient was — superior grit, better commanders, stouter (or colder) hearts, wine and olive oil — the Romans were a nut that the Gauls could not crack. And these tribesmen paid for this deficiency dearly, despite having way more on the line than just their lives. By losing this critical siege and the larger conflict, the Gauls lost their culture, ancestral way of life, the entire fighting population and basic freedom.
