THE AFTERMATH OF UXELLODUNUM: CAESAR AND THE ISSUE OF "COLLATERAL DAMAGE"
A. How might the history of the Roman Republic be relevant today?
The founders of the U.S. Constitution (Jefferson, Franklyn, Adams) were thoroughly steeped in the classic historians, especially Polybius. Their admiration for the strength, durability and STABILITY of that ancient People
found its way into our Constitution's most basic provisions. 'Checks and balances' and 'separation of powers' were consciously crafted on their model. The institution of the "Senate" - as a body of powerful notables(and their very name for it) - were stolen quite brazenly!
Across the Atlantic, at the dawn of the French Revolution,
things "Roman" were perhaps even more in vogue among the French intelligentsia. (Recall the paintings of David and the "empire" style of dress.)
CAESAR
Cicero reports that a month before his death, Caesar dismissed his troop of Spanish bodyguards, saying (words to the effect) that it was 'disgraceful for a free man to live continually in fear of death.' Paradoxical in that this action made his death possible!
Cicero, a senator himself and leading literati of his age, had not been included in the conspiracy of Brutus and Cassius because he had been a life long friend and correspondent of Caesar. Yet Cicero, an eyewitness, approved of the assasination. For the power that Caesar then held - as a result of his years in Gaul and 4 years of bitter civil war - violated the most sacred principle of the Romans, viz. that no one man should reach a position of power and preeminence so far above other patricians. Senators competed to flatter Caesar; but they hated themselves for it.
CAESAR'S CLEMENTIA
There is not a single ancient writer who does but acknowledge Caesar's mild, merciful nature. He is quoted on innumerable occasion as saying that nothing gave him greater pleasure than pardoning a suppliant. Enemies - both Roman and barbarian - fell into his power a second, and even a third time, and were forgiven. Caesar was never known (by ancient standards) as using more force or cruelty than necessary to accomplish his object.
His objectives, however, were monumental...frightening -especially - many of his fellow patricians in Rome.
THE CONQUEST OF GAUL
The Gauls were not the barbarians sometimes depicted in the popular imagination. Caesar himself described them as a people of "consummate ingenuity" and "most skilled in imitating and making things. They had a common culture that was in some respects superior to the Romans, especially in some technical areas like metallurgy. There were many millions of them, but they were divided into independent nations (or tribes) spread out over what is now France, Belgium, Holland, Switzerland and Western Germany. They had a common language and a common religion ( I will cover this later) run by the "Druids" with a single religious leader, or"pope."
Caesar's INITIAL conquest of all of Gaul was relatively EASY! He started as govenor of a province that included Northern Italy and a small sliver of Gaul in the very south. Also, he had the advantage of longstanding alliances with some of the bordering Gallic nations ("friends of the Roman People"). These Gallic allies clearly did not comphrehend Caesar's grand design; they "invited" him to help them in their struggles with rival nations.
Before the Gauls really understand what was happening - in a period of only about 6 years - Caesar controlled the whole of Gaul. Not only that, but he built a navy from scratch with which he invaded Britain twice; and built a giant bridge across the Rhine (the ruins of which are still extent), crossed over and defeated the Germans! (He then crossed back and burnt the bridge.)
In these early years, Caesar would typically defeat the army of a Gallic or Belgic nation and then find that his enemy had holed up in an "impregnable" city fortress high on a hill. Caesar was implacable in these situations; and this was part of his genius. He would offer the fortress town generous terms, and if these were refused, he would bend every effort, spend whatever time it took, to overcome the resistance. He famously won his battles, not by having his soldiers fight, but by making them DIG; or if the circumstances required it, MARCH. (Famous also for his "celerity.")
Caesars men would throw up against the town walls a gigantic earth rampart 80 feet high and 300 feet wide. When his tired, angry soldiers broke over and into the fortress city, they would be filled with blood lust and rapine; if not restrained, there would be genocide on a massive scale, the soldiers even forgetting for the moment the profitable alternative of enslaving the population.
In the ancient world - and actually up to the start of the 20th Century - it was accepted wisdom - that a city that did not yield - that prolonged its resistance unreasonable - deserved what it got. It was called "sacking." The rationale of the "wisdom" was that in the long run, this "policy" saved lives.
In Caesar's conquest of Gaul, the above occurred once or twice. Without exception, Caesar found that when he came to the next walled city, the "news" had spread and the residents were far more amenable to "reasonable" terms. Thus, Caesar conquered Gaul...the first time.
THE DRUIDS, VERCINGETORIX AND THE BATTLE OF ALESIA
My brother Ed will be happy to know there was a "hive" reaction.
THE DRUIDS
After 2000+ years, we do not know enough about the religion of the Gauls as we should like. It had come to Gaul from Britain, as the "race" of the people is the same. The druids were the priests or ministers of the religion. They qualified by spending up to 20 years in training, mainly in memorizing innumerable religious verses. They supervised the religious rites - and sacrifices - of the People. A druid was exempt from military service, taxation and the temporal authority of the tribal leader. They decided controversies of the people, both public and private; the source of their authority in these matters was their power to "interdict" from religious ceremonies anyone, even a leader, who ignored their decision. (Obviously, a form of excommunication.)
It was the druids who initiated the country-wide revolt that now took place. They forced the divided Gauls to accept a single leader: Vercingetorix. The pressured almost every Gallic nation, even those that had been "Friends of Rome" to join in the revolt. They planned secretly and carefully to "spring" it on the Romans to create maximum confusion and surprise.
Vercingetorix was a charismatic, somewhat Romanized, leader. He recognized that man-for-man, the Gauls could not stand up to the Roman. He adopted a "scorched earth" policy of avoiding battle, but wearing down the numerically far inferior Romans.
ALESIA
The revolt began with a massacre of Roman settlers and traders; Caesar was at the time in far off Northern Italy. Nevertheless, he reacted with his characteristic "celerity." To make a long story short, despite Vercingetorix's tactics, he was able to quickly intimidate and/or defeat some of the Gallic nations and then drive to ground Vercingetorix and 80,000 of his warrriors in the fortress city of Alesia. Caesar had 60,000 soldiers, including many hastily trained and sent from Northern Italy. Vercingetorix and the Druids sent out word to all of Gaul to come to the rescue: within a few weeks an army of 250,000 arrived in response.
Caesar did not raise his seige of Alesia; he built 11 miles of massive fortifications to keep Vercingetorix in; and he built 13 miles of fortifications(with cunning snares and traps) to keep the relieving army out. The Romans fought from within holding off enemies coming at them from front and back. Ultimately, Vercingetorix came out of Alesia in his most splendid armor and sat proudly down at Caesar's feet in the dirt.
UXELLODUNUM
Even with the surrender of Vercingetorix, the Gauls - and especially the Druids - did not give up. They adopted the strategy of: "revolt everywhere and tire out the romans into retreating from Gaul." <these are not my made-up words>
Caesar in 51 B.C. chased down some 8000 Gallic warriors to the fortress city of Uxellodunum (near present day St. Dennis in Aquaintaine province), considered impregnable and situated on a rocky mountain with a natural spring. Caesar's engineers and sappers tunneled into the mountain and extinguised the spring. Facing death from thirst, the Gauls surrendered.
Caesar's patience was exhausted; he ordered that the right hand of each warrior be cut off! Worried about the psychological damage to his own soldiers, he ordered that the job be done by 50 +volunteers from among the captured Gauls - whose reward was freedom without amputation. The job was done with mallet and sharp chisel. The 8000 Gauls were sent out across Gaul as an object lesson.
Caesar immediately sent out overtures of friendship to Gallic leaders across the country. The revolt was over -for good - in 2 months.
TWO YEARS LATER, CAESAR CROSSED THE RUBICON AND THUS BEGAN THE ROMAN CIVIL WAR; EVEN THOUGH THE LEGIONS WERE ALL WITHDRAWN, THE GAULS NEVER AGAIN REVOLTED.
As far as history can determine, the Gauls no longer nurtured a burning hatred of the Romans and they were no longer capable of revolt - or jihad.
There are some parallels with Iraq, no? |
