Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 56, Number 348Various
History
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 56, Number 348
Various
England -- Periodicals; Scotland -- Periodicals
"The Romans had annihilated, at Magnesia, the Asiatic and Greek
forces: yet the conquest of the country appeared to them still
incomplete. They had encountered, beneath the banners of Antiochus,
some bands of a force less easily conquered than the Syrians or the
Phrygians: by the armour, by the lofty stature, by the yellow or
reddish locks, by the war-cry, by the rattling clash of arms, by
the dauntless valour above all, the legions had easily recognised
that old enemy of Rome whom they had been brought up to fear.
Before deciding any thing as to the lot of the vanquished, the
Roman generals then determined to carry the war into Galatia."--(I.
360-361.)
Accordingly, in the spring of 189 B.C., Cn. Manlius, with 22,000
legionaries and an auxiliary army furnished by the King of Pergamus,
invaded Galatia: at his approach the Tolistoboies and Tectosages
intrenched themselves upon Mount Olympus, and the Trocmes upon Mount
Megalon, and there awaited the attack. The consul first advanced to
Mount Olympus. He led his troops to attack the Gaulish position in three
columns; the principal column, under his own orders, was to advance on
the Gauls in front, the other two were to try and turn their position on
either flank. The column which he led first engaged.
"His _velites_ advanced in front of the standards, with the Cretan
archers of Attalus, the slingers, and the corps of Trulles and of
the Thracians. The infantry of the legions followed with slow
steps, as the steepness of the declivity rendered necessary,
sheltered beneath their bucklers, so as to avoid stones and arrows.
At a considerable distance the combat began with discharges of
arrows, and at first with equal success. The Gauls had the
advantage in position, the Romans in the number and variety of
their arms. The action continued, the equality no longer remained.
The narrow and flat bucklers of the Gauls protected them
insufficiently: soon having expended their darts and javelins, they
found themselves altogether disarmed: for at that distance their
sabres were useless. As they had made no selection of flints and
stones beforehand, they seized the first which chance threw in
their way, which were for the most part too large to be easily
wielded, or for inexperienced arms to throw with effect. The
Romans, meanwhile, poured down upon them a murderous hail of
arrows, javelins, and leaden balls, which wounded them, without
their having any possibility of avoiding the approach. * * * * A
great number had bit the dust, others adopted the course of rushing
right on the enemy, and they, at least, did not perish unavenged.
It was the corps of the Roman _velites_ who did them most harm.
These _velites_ carried on their left arm a buckler three feet in
size, in their right hand javelins, which they threw from afar, at
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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