Caesar+as+Military+Commander

Ryan Hannah

Suetonius, Life of Julius Caesar, 57-68:

57 He was highly skilled in arms and horsemanship, and of incredible powers of endurance. On the march he headed his army, sometimes on horseback, but oftener on foot, bareheaded both in the heat of the sun and in rain. He covered great distances with incredible speed, making a hundred miles a day in a hired carriage and with little baggage, swimming the rivers which barred his path or crossing them on inflated skins, and very often arriving before the messengers sent to announce his coming. 58 In the conduct of his campaigns it is a question whether he was more cautious or more daring, for he never led his army where ambuscades were possible without carefully reconnoitring the country, and he did not cross to Britain without making personal inquiries[|55] about the harbours, the course, and the approach to the island. But on the other hand, when news came that his camp in Germany was beleaguered, he made his way to his men through the enemies' pickets, disguised as a Gaul. 2 He crossed from Brundisium to Dyrrachium in winter time, running the blockade of the enemy's fleets; and when the troops which he had ordered to follow him delayed to do so, and he had sent to fetch them many times in vain, at last in secret and alone he boarded a small boat at night with his head muffled up; and he did not reveal who he was, or suffer the helmsman to give way to the gale blowing in their teeth, until he was all but overwhelmed by the waves. 59 No regard for religion ever turned him from any undertaking, or even delayed him. Though the victim escaped as he was offering sacrifice, he did not put off his expedition against Scipio and Juba. Even p83 when he had a fall as he disembarked, he gave the omen a favourable turn by crying: "I hold thee fast, Africa." Furthermore, to make the prophecies ridiculous which declared that the stock of the Scipios was fated to be fortunate and invincible in that province, he kept with him in camp a contemptible fellow belonging to the Cornelian family, to whom the nickname Salvito[|56] had been given as a reproach for his manner of life. 60 He joined battle, not only after planning his movements in advance but on a sudden opportunity, often immediately at the end of a march, and sometimes in the foulest weather, when one would least expect him to make a move. It was not until his later years that he became slower to engage, through a conviction that the oftener he had been victor, the less he ought to tempt fate, and that he could not possibly gain as much by success as he might lose by defeat. He never put his enemy to flight without also driving him from his camp, thus giving him no respite in his panic. When the issue was doubtful, he used to send away the horses, and his own among the first, to impose upon the troops the greater necessity of standing their ground by taking away that aid to flight. 61 He rode a remarkable horse, too, with feet that were almost human; for its hoofs were cloven in such a way as to look like toes. This horse was foaled on his own place, and since the soothsayers had declared that it foretold the rule of the world for its master, he reared it with the greatest care, and was the first to mount it, for it would endure no other rider. Afterwards, too, he dedicated a statue of it before the temple of Venus Genetrix. 62 When his army gave way, he often rallied it single-handed, planting himself in the way of the fleeing men, laying hold of them one by one, and even catching them by the throat and forcing them to face the enemy; that, too, when they were in such a panic that an eagle-bearer made a pass at him with the point[|57] as he tried to stop him, while another left the standard in Caesar's hand when he would hold him back. 63 His presence of mind was no less renowned, and the instances of it will appear even more striking. After the battle of Pharsalus, when he had sent on his troops and was crossing the strait of the Hellespont in a small passenger boat, he met Lucius Cassius, of the hostile party, with ten armoured ships,[|58] and made no attempt to escape, but went to meet Cassius and actually urged him to surrender; and Cassius sued for mercy and was taken on board. 64 At Alexandria, while assaulting a bridge, he was forced by a sudden sally of the enemy to take to a small skiff; when many others threw themselves into the same boat, he plunged into the sea, and after swimming for two hundred paces, got away to the nearest ship, holding up his left hand all the way, so as not to wet some papers which he was carrying, and dragging his cloak after him with his teeth, to keep the enemy from getting it as a trophy. 65 He valued his soldiers neither for their personal character nor for their fortune, but solely for their prowess, and he treated them with equal strictness and indulgence; for he did not curb them everywhere and at all times, but only in the presence p87 of the enemy. Then he required the strictest discipline, not announcing the time of a march or a battle, but keeping them ready and alert to be led on a sudden at any moment wheresoever he might wish. He often called them out even when there was no occasion for it, especially on rainy days and holidays. And warning them every now and then that they must keep close watch on him, he would steal away suddenly by day or night and make a longer march than usual, to tire out those who were tardy in following. 66 When they were in a panic through reports about the enemy's numbers, he used to rouse their courage not by denying or discounting the rumours, but by falsely exaggerating the true danger. For instance, when the anticipation of Juba's coming filled them with terror, he called the soldiers together and said: "Let me tell you that within the next few days the king will be here with ten legions, thirty thousand horsemen, a hundred thousand light-armed troops, and three hundred elephants. Therefore some of you may as well cease to ask further questions or make surmises and may rather believe me, since I know all about it. Otherwise, I shall surely have them shipped on some worn out craft and carried off to whatever lands the wind may blow them." 67 He did not take notice of all their offences or punish them by rule, but he kept a sharp look out for deserters and mutineers, and chastised them most severely, shutting his eyes to other faults. Sometimes, too, after a great victory he relieved of all duties and gave them full licence to revel, being in the habit of boasting that his soldiers could fight well even when reeking of perfumes. p89 2 In the assembly he addressed them not as "soldiers," but by the more flattering term "comrades," and he kept them in fine trim, furnishing them with arms inlaid with silver and gold, both for show and to make them hold the faster to them in battle, through fear of the greatness of the loss. Such was his love for them that when he heard of the disaster to Titurius, he let his hair and beard grow long, and would not cut them until he had taken vengeance. 68 In this way he made them most devoted to his interests as well as most valiant. When he began the civil war, every centurion of each legion proposed to supply a horseman from his own savings, and the soldiers one and all offered their service without pay and without rations, the richer assuming the care of the poorer. Throughout the long struggle not one deserted and many of them, on being taken prisoner, refused to accept their lives, when offered them on the condition of consenting to serve against Caesar. 2 They bore hunger and other hardships, both when in a state of siege and when besieging others, with such fortitude, that when Pompey saw in the works at Dyrrachium a kind of bread made of herbs, on which they were living, he said that he was fighting wild beasts; and he gave orders that it be put out of sight quickly and shown to none of his men, for fear that the endurance and resolution of the foe would break their spirit. <span style="color: #000066; display: block; font-family: Georgia,Palatino,serif; font-size: medium; text-align: justify;">3 How valiantly they fought is shown by the fact that when they suffered their sole defeat before Dyrrachium, they insisted on being punished, and their commander felt called upon rather to console them than to chastise them. In the other battles they p91 overcame with ease countless forces of the enemy, though decidedly fewer in number themselves. Indeed one cohort of the sixth legion, when set to defend a redoubt, kept four legions of Pompey at bay for several hours, though almost all were wounded by the enemy's showers of arrows, of which a hundred and thirty thousand were picked up within the ramparts. 4 And no wonder, when one thinks of the deeds of individual soldiers, either of Cassius Scaeva the centurion, or of Gaius Acilius of the rank and file, not to mention others. Scaeva, with one eye gone, his thigh and shoulder wounded, and his shield bored through in a hundred and twenty places, continued to guard the gate of a fortress put in his charge. Acilius in the sea-fight at Massilia grasped the stern of one of the enemy's ships, and when his right hand was lopped off, rivalling the famous exploit of the Greek hero Cynegirus, boarded the ship and drove the enemy before him with the boss of his shield.

<span style="color: #000066; display: block; font-family: Georgia,Palatino,serif; font-size: medium; text-align: justify;">Questions: <span style="color: #000066; display: block; font-family: Georgia,Palatino,serif; font-size: medium; text-align: justify;">1. Soldiers had to be well trained and in great physical shape. What would have been a common distance to cover in one day for a Roman soldier?2. What are inflated skins and were they often used?3. What were Caesar's methods of besieging Dyrrachium and were these methods used often?4. Caesar had a very strong bond with his horse. Was the relationship between a soldier and their horse that strong for everyone? <span style="color: #000066; display: block; font-family: Georgia,Palatino,serif; text-align: justify;">There are many reasons that this beneficial to our knowledge of historical Rome. The first is that it allows us to understand why Caesar is such a widely known name in today's world. Caesar was not only an Emperor of the Roman Empire, but he was also a great military leader. He was extremely intelligent and was very brave. He was able to win battles and wars by outwitting his opponents. Even if his military forces were outnumbered he was able to develop a strategy to defeat his enemy. Whether it was in a battle involving hand to hand combat, or enforcing the siege of a city, Caesar was often victorious. An instance where he lost was during the [|besiege of Dyrrachium]. Caesar was invading Italy to take power, and he needed Dyrrachium as a base camp. Caesar constructed twenty four forts and a massive wall to prevent the enemy from receiving food. It also hindered their ability to use cavalry. Before his wall was finished however, Pompey attacked it and forced Caesar and his men to retreat. <span style="color: #000066; display: block; font-family: Georgia,Palatino,serif; text-align: justify;">This document also enlightens us to some of the practices of soldiers in the military. One of these practices was using inflated skins. These were animal skins sewn together to create flotation devices. Soldiers could use them to help them swim across rivers and other bodies of water. The skins trapped air in the middle providing buoyancy for the soldiers. It was risky using these inflated skins, however, because there were many instances when the skins would burst while the soldier was crossing the river leaving them stranded to swim the rest of the way. If the soldier was a novice at swimming then there would be a good chance that they could drown. Roman soldiers were also expected to be able to march between twenty and twenty four miles in five summer hours. They were also expected to complete these marches with a seventy pound pack on their back. Knowing this information makes the theory of Caesar traveling one hundred miles in a single day with a carriage very plausible. <span style="color: #000066; display: block; font-family: Georgia,Palatino,serif; text-align: justify;">We also learn from this that there was a strong bond between a soldier and their horse. Horses played a very important role in Roman society, especially the military. Many times horses were even considered to be it's own soldier within the military. A horse allowed the soldier to be taller and faster than the enemy. Horses were used to scout territory, send messages, and intimidate the opponent. [|Soldiers with horses] were placed on the front lines of the army. Horses allowed for efficiency when time was an issue and inspired confidence in the soldiers. A Roman soldier on a horse had a dramatic advantage over an opposing foe on foot. <span style="color: #000066; display: block; font-family: Georgia,Palatino,serif; text-align: justify;"> <span style="color: #000066; display: block; font-family: Georgia,Palatino,serif; text-align: justify;">Another strong connection in the Roman army was the bond between Caesar and his men. Not only did Caesar lead an extremely large army of men, but those men were very loyal to him. This made the army that much more threatening. The Roman army had a sense of [|loyalty] that was far greater than any other army at the time. Where as other armies would break apart and retreat when the enemy was overpowering them the Roman army grew stronger and more focused. They would stand in their position and fight to the death if that is what Caesar told them to do. The fact that they were strong, tough men and were willing to die rather than retreat made them a very intimidating force. <span style="color: #000066; display: block; font-family: Georgia,Palatino,serif; text-align: justify;">This article provides information that allows us to understand what an average Roman citizen would have wanted to read. It also shows us how they viewed an ideal Roman leader. It provides background as to why Caesar is so widely renowned as being one of the greatest military leaders in history. Caesar embodied Roman values to an extent because he was wealthy, well educated, and an exceptional military commander. These three things were very important in Roman society. To have one was good, but to have all three of these qualities was excellent. He was brave in battle and a fierce commander. The fact that his men were willing to give their lives for him shows that he was respected and idolized. Not all of [|Caesar's qualities] were ideal, however. He knew this and used his writings to make others look worse so that his flaws would not seem so great. Though Caesar had his supporters and his enemies, he still will remain one of the greatest Roman and political leaders in history. Overall, this document greatly adds to the realm of historical knowledge about Rome and Caesar as a military strategist. **<span style="color: #000066; font-family: Georgia,Palatino,serif;">Works Cited: **

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[|http://books.google.com/books?id=IJytuwyqKgcC&pg=PA124&lpg=PA124&dq=roman+inflated+skins+to+float&source=bl&ots=VarINqJ8MS&sig=TWTQVtgAVa7c3BjvkZnAFDotAak&hl=en&sa=X&ei=lkR9T7zOD5Km8ATb_fSMDQ&ved=0CDkQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=roman%20inflated%20skins%20to%20float&f=false]

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[] Character of Hadrian This link is good because Hadrian was another Emperor of Rome. It is useful because it allows us to compare the two Emperors. We can see if the role of Emperors changed over time. Caesar's Domestic Agenda as Dictator Caesar and the Pirates These two links are beneficial because they are both about Caesar as well. They will provide more depth on the character and actions of Caesar. They will also show if Caesar changed over time and what caused him to become the man he was.

Ryan, I think you did a really good job analyzing the source. I would like to see some more hyperlinks in the actual text, so that when people are looking at just the text, they can still get needed information. I also think that looking at some of the content at the end of the document, like the last paragraph, would be good, so that you are getting a thorough analysis. I would also like to see some more depth to your questions. Otherwise, great job. -Josh Kaylor Ryan, very well done. i also think that more links in the text would help as well because it is so long. it would of been nice to see what you had to say on Caesar and the relationship of his troops. also maybe you could talk about the first triumvirate a little but very nice start- Tyler Duncan

Ryan, this was great! Your wording flows very nicely and I enjoy your discussion of the inflated skins. I think you could probably add some more insight as to how this helps show how Caesar embodied Roman values and what exactly those values were. I also agree that you could add more hyperlinks to the text. Overall, great job, I learned a lot from reading your page. --Maggie Dewar