the pace to 15 miles a day and calculated they would arrive at Ariminum in 14 days. He was only off by one day. It took 13.
The rate of march was grueling even when slowed. Unlike other Centurions, he chose to carry his own gear like his men and eschewed the perk of stowing his equipment aboard one of the many mule drawn wagons that accompanied the Legions.
Figure 5 Apennines Mountains
The Gallic cavalry that spotted Regulus’ landing at Leghorn also observed the two Roman Legions now marching up the Via Flaminia , and the three Auxiliary Legions going north on the Via Aurelia . Riders galloped back to report the news, which prompted an immediate change of plans for the Gallic Army. Wishing to avoid an encounter with Papus’ heavy Roman Legions that were now marching to confront them, the Gauls abandoned the east coast and marched rapidly through the central passes of the Apennines Mountains and emerged into Tuscany on the west coast. They were now on a collision course with the Auxiliaries.
Always greedy for loot, the Gauls plundered and burned the villages as they went. They got as far as Clusium [Chiusi] only 100 miles north of Rome when they were suddenly brought face to face with the three Auxiliary Legions in battle formation. The Gauls were completely surprised. The Gallic chieftains were outraged that their cavalry had failed to detect the rapidly moving Auxiliaries.
Not wanting to fight the Auxiliaries where they could get trapped between four Roman Legions coming to their aid from the east and the west, the Gauls traveled north away from Rome. They march 80 miles in five days hoping to shake the pursuing Auxiliaries and finally stopped at Fluentia [Florence]. On several occasions, the Gallic cavalry attempted to block the Auxiliaries pursuit, but without success. The head strong Praetor was determined to fight and relentlessly pushed his untrained troops to catch the fleeing Gauls.
When word was brought to Consul Papus that the Gauls were in a headlong retreat northward from Chiusi to Florence with the Auxiliary Legions in pursuit, he immediately sensed disaster and ordered his now five Legions (the 15,000 veterans had joined him) to force march across the Apennines Mountains to support the Praetor . He also dispatched riders to order the Auxiliary Legions to immediately break off the pursuit and await his arrival. These orders arrived too late. Similarly, messages sent to Regulus instructing him to break camp at Pisa and march with all haste the 68 miles south to aid the Auxiliaries, did not arrive in time.
Figure 5 Ballista
By now, the Gauls had a good fix on the locations of the two Consuls’ seven Legions and realized that they were too far away to support the Auxiliaries. Concolitanus and Aneroestes picked the village of Faesulae [modern Fiesole, about two miles NE of Florence] as the place to fight the Auxiliaries. They sensed an easy victory and they were correct.
The Gauls prepared an ambush and other surprises for the Praetor’s army. The Gauls dug in on a slight rise behind a 8’ wide 6’ deep ditch. Large Gallic infantry formations were hidden out of sight in woods and ravines on the two flanks. Their new ballistae were positioned on a hill overlooking the battlefield in a perfect position to hurl their huge 9’ shafts over the heads of their men and into the charging Auxiliary ranks.
[The ballista was originally a Greek weapon mounted on city walls to fire down into attacking enemy infantry or into their siege weapons. It was ungainly and could only be moved from one location to another with great effort. Roman engineers and blacksmiths were in the process of adapting the ballista for mobile field operations, but had not yet perfected it. Somehow the Gauls beat them to it and were about to unleash its power on the hapless Auxiliaries.]
The Battle of Faesulae 225 BC
Marcellus’ mounted scouts found the Gauls drawn up in battle lines on a
The rate of march was grueling even when slowed. Unlike other Centurions, he chose to carry his own gear like his men and eschewed the perk of stowing his equipment aboard one of the many mule drawn wagons that accompanied the Legions.
Figure 5 Apennines Mountains
The Gallic cavalry that spotted Regulus’ landing at Leghorn also observed the two Roman Legions now marching up the Via Flaminia , and the three Auxiliary Legions going north on the Via Aurelia . Riders galloped back to report the news, which prompted an immediate change of plans for the Gallic Army. Wishing to avoid an encounter with Papus’ heavy Roman Legions that were now marching to confront them, the Gauls abandoned the east coast and marched rapidly through the central passes of the Apennines Mountains and emerged into Tuscany on the west coast. They were now on a collision course with the Auxiliaries.
Always greedy for loot, the Gauls plundered and burned the villages as they went. They got as far as Clusium [Chiusi] only 100 miles north of Rome when they were suddenly brought face to face with the three Auxiliary Legions in battle formation. The Gauls were completely surprised. The Gallic chieftains were outraged that their cavalry had failed to detect the rapidly moving Auxiliaries.
Not wanting to fight the Auxiliaries where they could get trapped between four Roman Legions coming to their aid from the east and the west, the Gauls traveled north away from Rome. They march 80 miles in five days hoping to shake the pursuing Auxiliaries and finally stopped at Fluentia [Florence]. On several occasions, the Gallic cavalry attempted to block the Auxiliaries pursuit, but without success. The head strong Praetor was determined to fight and relentlessly pushed his untrained troops to catch the fleeing Gauls.
When word was brought to Consul Papus that the Gauls were in a headlong retreat northward from Chiusi to Florence with the Auxiliary Legions in pursuit, he immediately sensed disaster and ordered his now five Legions (the 15,000 veterans had joined him) to force march across the Apennines Mountains to support the Praetor . He also dispatched riders to order the Auxiliary Legions to immediately break off the pursuit and await his arrival. These orders arrived too late. Similarly, messages sent to Regulus instructing him to break camp at Pisa and march with all haste the 68 miles south to aid the Auxiliaries, did not arrive in time.
Figure 5 Ballista
By now, the Gauls had a good fix on the locations of the two Consuls’ seven Legions and realized that they were too far away to support the Auxiliaries. Concolitanus and Aneroestes picked the village of Faesulae [modern Fiesole, about two miles NE of Florence] as the place to fight the Auxiliaries. They sensed an easy victory and they were correct.
The Gauls prepared an ambush and other surprises for the Praetor’s army. The Gauls dug in on a slight rise behind a 8’ wide 6’ deep ditch. Large Gallic infantry formations were hidden out of sight in woods and ravines on the two flanks. Their new ballistae were positioned on a hill overlooking the battlefield in a perfect position to hurl their huge 9’ shafts over the heads of their men and into the charging Auxiliary ranks.
[The ballista was originally a Greek weapon mounted on city walls to fire down into attacking enemy infantry or into their siege weapons. It was ungainly and could only be moved from one location to another with great effort. Roman engineers and blacksmiths were in the process of adapting the ballista for mobile field operations, but had not yet perfected it. Somehow the Gauls beat them to it and were about to unleash its power on the hapless Auxiliaries.]
The Battle of Faesulae 225 BC
Marcellus’ mounted scouts found the Gauls drawn up in battle lines on a
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