17 



C^SAR, CAIUS JULIUS. 



C.ESAR, CAIUS JULIUS. 



is 



the Romans, supported his claims. This took place just before the 

 expedition to Britain. On his return from Britain he repaired to 

 Samarobriva (Amiens), where he held a council of the Gaulish 

 deputies. On account of the bad harvest and scarcity of provisions, 

 he was obliged to disperse his legions in various parts of the country 

 for the winter. This proved nearly fatal to the Roman arms. He 

 himself remained in Belgic Gaul to see his legions properly quartered. 

 A fortnight only had elapsed when the Euberones (Tongres), excited 

 by Induciomarus, revolted and attacked the camp of Titurius Sabinus 

 and L. Gotta, who had one legion and five cohorts with them. Ambio- 

 rix, king of the Eburones, alarmed Sabinus by telling him that the 

 whole country was in arms, and that the Germans were coming. 

 Much against Cotta's opinion, Sabinus resolved on retiring towards 

 the next Kouian garrison, which was exactly what Ambiorix wished. 

 The Romans were attacked on their march by numerous forces, sur- 

 rounded, and all cut to pieces. Ambiorix, elated with this success, 

 next attacked the camp of Quintus Cicero, brother to the orator, who 

 was stationed with one legion in the country of the Nervii. Quintus 

 made a brave defence. After several days' siege, the Gauls threw 

 combustibles into the camp and set fire to the huts of the soldiers, 

 which were thatched after the Gaulish fashion. At the same time the 

 Gauls advanced to scale the ramparts ; but the legionaries stood firm 

 at their post, and Caesar, having at last received news through a 

 Gaulish slave of the danger of his men, marched with two legions to 

 their relief, defeated the Gauls, and entered Cicero's camp, where he 

 found not one tenth of the soldiers free from wounds. He praised 

 Cicero, he praised the men, he spoke of the catastrophe of Sabinus 

 and Cotta as a consequence of imprudence, and a lesson to other com- 

 manders. He then resolved to pass the winter in Gaul, and stationed 

 himx-lf with three legions at Samarobriva. Induciomarus, having 

 attacked Labieuus, was defeated and killed. 



The following year, B.C. 53, which was the sixth of Caesar's 

 government, symptoms of general disaffection manifested themselves 

 throughout Gaul. The people had been overawed but not subdued. 

 The harshness and rapacity of the conquerors made the Gauls wish 

 to shake off the yoke ; but all their attempts were detached, partial, 

 and not combined, and they failed, after giving however full employ- 

 ment to the Romans. It was a year of desultory though destructive 

 warfare. Caesar obtained of Pompey the loan of one legion, and had 

 recruited two legions more in the Cisalpine province. He bad now ten 

 legions (60,000 men) under his orders, which was considered a very 

 large Roman army. He first defeated the Senones, the Nervii, and 

 the Menapii : the Treviri were defeated by Labieuus. Caesar then 

 crossed the Rhine again from the country of the Treviri, having con- 

 structed a new bridge a little below the former one. He expected that 

 the Suevi would attack him, but that wary people withdrew inland to 

 the entrance of the great forest called Bacenis (the Harz ?), which lay 

 between their territory and that of the Cherusci, and there waited for 

 Cicaar to advance. But the Roman avoided the snare, and withdrew 

 his army across the Rhine, leaving part of the bridge standing for a 

 future occasion. He then marched against Ambiorix aud the 

 Eburones, who did not wait for him, but took refuge in the forests 

 and marshes, where they kept up a partisan or guerrilla warfare. 

 Caesar ordered the country of the Eburones to be thoroughly devas- 

 tated, and invited the neighbouring tribes, Germans and Gauls, to assist 

 in the work of destruction. One German tribe however, the Sicambri, 

 who had crossed the Rhine for the purpose of booty, thought it 

 expedient to attack the camp of Quiutus Cicero, which they had nearly 

 forced. Ambiorix escaped, notwithstanding all endeavours to seize 

 him ; but sentence of death was passed against Acco, the leader of 

 the previous revolt of the Senones. His accomplices, who had escaped, 

 were banished. Having put his legions to winter among the Treviri, 

 Lingoues, aud Senoues, Caesar repaired to Cisalpine Gaul. 



The disturbances which occurred at Rome in consequence of the 

 murder of Clodius made Cesar turn his attention towards that quarter. 

 He raised troops in every part of the Cisalpine province. These 

 rumours spreading among the Transalpine GauU, exasperated as they 

 were by the execution of Acco and Caesar's fearful vengeance upon the 

 Eburones, they thought the time was come for one great effort while 

 Caesar was engaged in Italy. The Carnutes began by massacreing all 

 the Romans whom they found in the town of Genabum (Orleans). 

 Vercingetorix, a young man of one of the first families of the Arverni, 

 was placed at the head of a confederacy of the whole of Celtic Gaul. 

 Tin: lUturiges joined the league, and the /Edui themselves wavered 

 in their allegiance. Caesar hearing this newg, and seeing that the affairs 

 of Rome had through Pompey's influence assumed a quieter aspect, 

 set off in the middle of winter (beginning of B.C. 52) for the province 

 of Ulterior Gaul, repaired to Narbo, which was threatened by the 

 Gauls, and having collected some troops, crossed the Cebenna and 

 pread alarm through the country of the Arverni, who hastily recalled 

 Vercingetorix to their defence. Having thus effected his object of 

 causing a diversion, Cicsar moved quickly northward to the country 

 of the Lingones, whence he went among the Camutes, attacked and 

 took Vellaunodunum, Genabum, and Noviodunum. Verciugetorix in 

 a great council of the chiefs advised, as the only means of harassing 

 the Romans, to burn and destroy the whole country around them. 

 This was executed in the country of' the Bituriges, the villages and 

 towns of which were set on fire except the town of Avaricum (Bourges), 



which was garrisoned by the Gauls. Caesar laid siega to Avaricum, 

 and took it after a most brave defeuce, when the Roman soldiers killed 

 all old men, women, and children. The next siege was that of 

 Gergovia (near Clermout, in Auvergue), which, after a murderous 

 attempt to storm the place, Caesar was obliged to raise. The .^Edui, 

 till then the firmest allies of Rome, had now thrown off the mask, 

 joined the league, massacred the Romans at Noviodunum (Nevers), 

 and seized the depots, the baggage, and the treasury, which Csesar had 

 deposited there. Caesar's next movement was to the north into the 

 country of the Seuones, in order to join Labienus and the legions 

 under him. The defection of the ^Edui rendered Caesar's position in 

 the centre of Gaul very difficult. Having effected a junction with 

 Labienus, he directed his march towards the Liugones aud the Sequani. 

 Meantime he was enabled to collect a body of German cavalry from 

 beyond the Rhine, which was of the greatest service to him during the 

 rest of the campaign. Vercingetorix, who followed Cseiiar closely, had 

 his cavalry defeated by these new auxiliaries of the Romans, upon which 

 he retired to Alesia (now a village called St.-Reiue, and also Alise, near 

 Flavigny and Seuiur in North Burgundy, ten leagues north-west of 

 Dijon). Caesar immediately invested the place, and began his lines o 

 circumvallation. For this celebrated siege of Alesia we must refer to 

 Caesar's own account. The whole forces of the Gallic confederation, 

 stated at about 300,000 men, advanced to the relief of Alesia. Caesar 

 found himself besieged in his own Hues, having to fight Vercingetorix 

 from within, and the confederates from without. After a desperate 

 battle, in which the Gauls penetrated into the Roman entrenchments, 

 they were at last repulsed by Caesar, who was well supported by his 

 lieutenant Labieuus. The Gaulish confederates, having sustained a 

 tremendous loss, broke up the camp and returned home. Next day 

 Vercingetorix assembled his council in Alesia, and offered to devote 

 himself to save their lives by giving himself up to Caesar. Alesia sur- 

 rendered, aud Vercingetorix was afterwards taken to Rome. Several 

 years later he walked before the triumphal car of the conqueror ; after 

 which he was put to death in prison. 



The .!) Uu and the Arverni now made their submission to Caesar, 

 who took their hostages, and restored their prisoners. After putting 

 his army into quarters, he stationed himself at Bibracte for the winter. 

 This was the hardest fought campaign of all the Gallic war. 



Caesar's eighth and last campaign in Gaul (B.C. 51) is related by 

 Hirtius, who has continued his ' Commentaries ' by writing an eighth 

 or supplementary book. After the great but unsuccessful exertions 

 of the Gauls in the preceding year their spirit was broken, but they 

 still made some expiring efforts. Caesar easily defeated the Camutes, 

 where his soldiers made an immense booty. He had more trouble 

 with the Bellovaci (Beauvais), a Belgic nation, who at l.i.^t submitted 

 and gave hostages, all except Comius, the chief of the Atrebates, who 

 had once been a friend to Caesar. He had joined in the general revolt 

 of the preceding year, in consequence of his life having been attempted 

 by Labieuus, who sent to him Volusenus Quadratus under pretence 

 of a conference, but in reality with orders to kill him. During the 

 interview a centurion of Volusenus's escort struck Comius and wounded 

 him on the head, when theGaulish escort interposed and saved Comius' a 

 life. From that time Comius swore he would never trust himself to 

 a Roman. This disgraceful transaction, not mentioned by Caesar, is 

 related by Hirtiua (' Bell. GalL,' b. viii. 23). A revolt in western Gaul 

 was quelled by C. Fabius, who subjugated all Armorica (Hirtius, 31). 

 Gutruatus, chief of the Carnutes, who had joined in the revolt, was 

 taken to Caesar's camp, whipped with rods till he fainted, and then 

 beheaded. Hirtius says that this inhuman act, repugnant to Caesar's 

 nature, was forced upon him by the clamour of his soldiers. Caesar 

 next besieged aud took Uxellodunum, a stronghold of the Cadurci 

 (Cahors). Here Caesar's clemency, which Hirtius repeatedly extols, 

 did not prevent him from sentencing all the men who had shared in 

 the defeuce of Uxellodunum to have their hands chopped off. Caesar 

 entered Aquitauia, the people of which gave hostages. Thence he 

 repaired to Narbo, and there distributed his army in winter-quarters. 

 He placed four legions among the Belgae under M. Autouius (afterwards 

 the celebrated triumvir), Trebouius, Vatinius, and Q. Tullius Cicero ; 

 two among the Jvlui, two amoug the Turoues, and two among the 

 Lemovices, near the borders of the Arverni. He then visited the 

 Provinoia, held tbe courts, distributed rewards, and went to winter at 

 Nemetocenna (Arras), then within the limits of the country called 

 Belgium. During the winter he endeavoured to heal in some measure 

 the wounds which he had inflicted upon the unfortunate countries of 

 Gaul. He endeavoured to conciliate the principal inhabitants by great 

 rewards, treated the people with kindness, established no new taxes, 

 and by rendering the Roman yoke smooth and light he succeeded in 

 pacifying Gaul, exhausted as it was by so long and so unfortunate a 

 struggle. 



In the spring of B.C. 51 Caesar set off for Italy, where he was received 

 by all the municipal towns aud colonies of his government with great 

 rejoicings. On his return to Belgic Gaul he reviewed his troops, and 

 soon after returned to the north of Italy, where the dissensions between 

 him and the senate had begun which led to the civil war. This was 

 the ninth and last year of Caesar's government of the Gauls. 



Before the close of his Gallic campaign, Caesar had probably deter- 

 mined not to divest himself of the command of his army. He feared, 

 and apparently with good reason, that if he were once in the power 



