Legio XVII: Battle of Zama (19 page)

Tomaeus ordered his cavalrymen to go over to the settlement to find out what was happening.  They returned just thirty minutes later with exciting news.  “Here’s what we heard.  Chief Segovesus is ordering all the people to converge on Brixia.  They’re supposed to bring all their food, livestock, and valuables.  The riders are saying that 50,000 mercenaries from Illyria will be passing through here in July.  The
entire
tribe is evacuating to Brixia.  The other riders are going to Verona and the surrounding area to spread the word.  I heard that Segovesus is sending 10,000 men to help us man this position, and they should be here on June 1st.  Sir, this is great news!”

Tomaeus slapped Decimus on the back and said, “Decimus, we may come out of this alive!  That also means that when the people leave, we’ll have all the boats we want.  Tomorrow, I’ll take a small cavalry detachment and ride south to find Manius.  They should only be a six or seven days’ ride away.”  Tomaeus looked at the cavalryman who had brought the news and said, “Tell your Centurion that I plan to leave here tomorrow at 8:00 A.M. to ride to meet the Legions.  Plan for a seven day ride.  Decimus, while I’m gone I would like you to go to the islands and site in the walls completely around each island.  Figure out how we’re going to extend the wall through the water and how to build the bridges.  That should keep you busy until I return.”  He smiled at Decimus who shrugged his shoulders.

The following morning, Tomaeus and his escort rode south, while Decimus assembled his engineers and described the tasks that lay ahead.

*******

Servilius and his group covered six miles that day on top of the massive hill that was flanked by a sheer drop to the lake, hundreds of feet below.  They made camp and ventured to the edge to look down.  It was quite a sight.  They could see about halfway to the southern end of the lake, and had a full view of the northern end, which was flat and dotted with huts and fishing boats.

The following day, when they were about 2,000 feet from the villages at the northern end of the lake, Servilius reined in his horse.  On his right, the land was relatively flat as it approached the cliffs.  On his left, about 1,600 feet (487m) away, was an irregularly shaped lake that extended for some distance.  He questioned Emil, “What’s beyond that lake over there?”

“Nothing,” said Emil.  The ground is so broken and steep, you can’t cross it.”

“Have you tried?”

“Yes.  One time I was chasing a deer, and it ran into that area.  I tried to follow, but it was too difficult and dangerous.  I gave it up.”

Servilius rode over to the small lake.  He was envisioning a perfect blocking position.  He made a note in his journal:
“Not too wide an area; the cliff’s on one side, and the lake is on the other.  Both flanks well protected.”
The group rode down the gently descending hill into the villages at the top of the Lake.  They stopped and took a break.  The local people all gathered to talk to them and find out who they were.  They had lunch with the people, then remounted and rode east.  They crossed the bridge over the Sarca River that feeds Lake Benacus, and then rode south along the eastern side of the mountains for another 15 miles before stopping for the night.

The next day, they rode the remaining 33 miles and arrived back at camp late in the evening.  It was May 26, and they had been gone for five days.  During a late night dinner, Decimus told Servilius, “Tomaeus and Vitulus left two days ago to link up with Manius and brief him on what they found.  Segovesus is sending riders throughout his territory warning the people that mercenaries are coming and to evacuate to Brixia.  He then plans to move the people north.  Everyone is supposed to be in Brixia by June 15th.  The good news is that Segovesus has promised to send us 10,000 men to help man this position.  They should arrive by June 1st. That’s a good start, but we need more men if we are to hold this position.”

“Tell me Decimus, what did Vitulus find?”

Decimus thought for a moment and responded. “The day after we arrived, Vitulus surveyed the eastern approach to our position.  He said we need to thin out some of the trees and brush on the eastern side of the river to give us more observation into how the mercenaries are moving about.  He also found an ideal observation post in the mountains for our men to watch the road on the eastern side of the mountains, in case they try to move around the lake.  He feels that we will need a strong mobile reserve inside the camp to support the defense of the walls.  He foresees that if the mercenaries concentrate their forces at one point on the wall, while creating diversions, they could overcome our defenses.  The next day, he examined the westerly approaches to the walls.  Visibility is not an issue on that side; it’s pretty much open terrain.  He is of the opinion that if we are attacked simultaneously from the east and west, we’re in serious trouble.  We simply won’t have enough men to effectively man the walls.  I expect Tomaeus and Vitulus will return on June 1st, and the Legions should arrive on the 5th or 6th.  How was your trip?”

Servilius took a sip of wine and said, “On the eastern side of the lake, the road is passable for troops and horses up to Limone.  There are several ideal ambush positions along the way.  At Limone, we went up a valley, and then climbed the mountains to get above and around the cliffs that drop straight down into the lake.  From the top, it’s about eight miles of relatively easy going terrain and leads to the north end of the lake.  There is a spot on the top that would make a perfect blocking position if we need one.  The cliffs guard one flank, and a small lake up there protects the other flank.  The space between the two is only about 1,600 feet wide.  There is soil up there, so I think we could dig a ditch, and there are plenty of trees to cut to build a wall.”

Servilius went on, “About 20 miles from here on the western side, we passed a settlement called Salo.  At the back end of the place is a road that winds around the hills for a while, but eventually heads south and comes out about eight miles from Brixia.  It the mercenaries don’t want to fight us, they could go around the lake, take the Salo road, and be on their way to Milan.  That road completely nullifies our blocking position here. There are some options though.  We’ll have to see what Manius wants to do.”

*******

Tomaeus, Vitulus, and their escort had been riding for four days when they were suddenly confronted by Manius’ cavalry screening to the front.  Once they were identified, they rode another 10 miles south and spotted the marching Legions.  They stood off to the side until the Command Group came into sight, and then fell into line alongside Manius.

“Tomaeus, Vitulus, it’s good to see you both.  I’m anxious to hear your report, but let’s wait until we’ve set up our camp for the night, and then you can brief me and the staff.  The engineers are already preparing the next camp, which should only be a few miles up the road.  You probably passed them.  Why don’t you go there now and rest.  We’ll be marching another couple of hours.”

The group rode ahead, found the camp, and took a break.  They watched the engineers lay out the camp.  When the leading Legion approached two hours later, the camp and ditch were already staked out.  After a short break, the digging of the ditch began in earnest.  When the second Legion arrived, they began work on constructing the palisade and ramparts.  In no time, tents were set up, fires lit, and guards manned the walls.  The Legionaries settled down for another night in the field.  Manius called for a staff meeting at 5:30 P.M., and Tomaeus and Vitulus took their seats.

Each staff officer presented items of interest in his area of responsibility.  They briefed on the number of sick and injured, the status of the grain supply, the animals, distance covered and distance remaining, morale among the men, total strength of the force (minus the four Maniples left at Ariminum to escort the supply wagons), and so forth.  Finally, Manius turned to Tomaeus, “Welcome back!  Would you brief the staff on what you’ve discovered at the lake.”

Tomaeus started.  “It’s good to be back with the Legions!  The situation at the lake is pretty much as you outlined back at Rome.  It is the only place available to set up an effective blocking position.  We examined the river, the swamp, the three islands, and the approaches to our position coming from the east and west.  Tribune Vitulus will cover that when I complete my report. My engineers have staked out the wall along the river and allowed room for a ditch and mound.  We may want to consider flooding the ditch with water from the river to make it even more formidable.  The swamp starts approximately 1.5 miles from the lake and extends about two miles along the river.  From the river, it extends inland for about three miles.  A desperate and determined army could fight their way through it, but it is highly unlikely.  It is a solid obstacle.  Nonetheless, I recommend regular cavalry patrols and watch towers to keep it under constant observation.”

He continued, “The depth of the lake around the three islands is seven feet at its deepest and will permit a wall to be built from the shore to the eastern most island.  The islands are firm enough to permit construction of palisades completely around each one.  The three islands can easily be connected by bridges.  I recommend the construction of two additional bridges.  The first one will connect the north shore to the eastern most island, and the second will connect the north shore to the island closest to the western shore.  This will allow us to reinforce or evacuate the islands.”

“The west wall of the camp has also been staked out, as well as the eight Legion camps in between the two walls.  The camp is ready to be constructed.  Sir that concludes my briefing; do you have any questions?”

“That’s a good, thorough report.  Tribune Vitulus, your report please.”

“Sir I examined our blocking position from the enemy point of view from the east and from the west.  Looking east in the direction of Verona, there is a line of trees and thick underbrush alongside the river that will completely obscure our view of the mercenaries.  They are free to maneuver and shift forces along the river unobserved. I recommend that we thin out those trees and clear the underbrush.  We will then have maximum warning time if they decide to ford the river and attack the wall.  On the west looking wall, guards will have an unobstructed view for 300 yards.”

“There is a mountain ridge that runs north-south along the eastern side of the lake.  The mountains lie between the lake and a road that runs up to Trento.  The mountain starts about 10 miles from the mouth of the Mincio.  An enemy outpost positioned on the mountain can see very little of our camp because of the distance.  They will be able to see the three islands and possibly our wall, but the distance is too great to make out any detail.  During daylight hours, they would be able to see large troop formations walking up the western side of the lake.  There is another potential place for a Roman outpost about a mile farther up the mountain that provides a clear view of the road leading to Trento and Verona.  From that outpost, an observer can also look down upon the mercenary camp.  Because of the distance, only large troop formations would be visible.  I recommend we place individuals on the mountain.”

“Another outstanding briefing!  Thank you, Vitulus.  Well done.  Tomaeus, have we heard anything from the Cenomani?”

“Yes sir, after they talked with Andreas and Elitovius, they sent riders throughout their territory telling the people to pack their wagons and go to Brixia by June 15th.  Chief Segovesus plans to evacuate his people north to Lake Iseo.  He also promised that he would supply 10,000 men to help us man the blocking position.”

“That’s great news!” exclaimed Manius.  “When will they arrive?”

“I’ve heard that they should be at the lake by June1st.  And they will be led by Taluric.”

“Wonderful; now if only Timo will provide troops.  Tomaeus, at our current rate of march, I estimate that we will arrive at the lake on June 5th.  When the Cenomani arrive, ask Taluric to have his men cut the trees and clear the brush along the Mincio.  I think he’ll see the wisdom in that.  Where is Tribune Servilius?”

“Sir, he took an escort and a few men from a nearby settlement to attempt to ride around the lake.  He is looking to see if there is a route that the mercenaries could use to bypass our blocking position.  It’s a big lake, and he hadn’t returned when I left to come here.”

Manius leaned back in his camp chair. “That’s a critical piece of information to know.  I want you to ride back to the lake tomorrow.  If Servilius is back from his trip, send him to meet us.  I need to know what he found.  If the mercenaries can get around us, we’re wasting our time.”

Tomaeus and Vitulus departed the next day for the lake.  Two days later, they encountered Servilius on his way to brief Manius.  “Manius is most anxious to hear your report,” said Tomaeus.  “He fears that if the mercenaries can simply bypass our position, we’ll need to rethink our entire operation.”  Two days later, Tomaeus arrived back at the lake.  The Cenomani contingent was due to arrive the next day, June 1st.