The Science of War of the Romans

The Romans devoted themselves entirely to war, and considered it as the only science. Vegetius says that this inspired them with the idea of the legion.

They judged that it would be necessary to arm the legion’s soldiers with weapons stronger and heavier than those of any other nation.

But war also needs light forces. This is why they included a band of light forces with the legions to provoke the enemy to battle, or draw back into it in case of necessity.

They also strengthened their legion with cavalry, archers, and slingers to pursue those who fled and complete the victory.

It was defended by military engines of every kind which came after it. This would make its entrenchments a stronghold.

The Roman soldiers went through perpetual labour to increase their vigour so that they could carry heavier arms than other men.

The Romans preserved themselves through their incredible labour. Their toils were continual and uninterrupted. Whereas our soldiers are ever shifting from the extremes of labour to the extremes of idleness. This is most destructive.

The Roman soldiers were made to walk 20 miles, sometimes 24 miles in 5 hours with 30 pounds weight. They habituated themselves to running and leaping, armed cap-a-pee. In their exercises, they used swords, javelins and arrows, double the weight of common weapons. These exercises were carried on without intermission.

The camp was not the only military school. Rome had a Campus Martius where the citizens performed exercises. After their fatigues * they plunged into the Tiber to get used to swimming and cleanse away the dust and sweat.

We tend to view men who exercise vigorously in a contemplible light because we think that it is for their self-gratification. But among the ancients, every exercise, even down to that of dancing, made a part of the art military.

We now see warlike weapons as ridiculous. Ever since the custom of single combats was introduced, fencing has been regarded as the science of quarrelsome fellows or cowards.

Those who criticise Homer for inspiring his heroes with strength, dexterity and agility of body, should hold Sallust ridiculous, who celebrates Pompey † for running, leaping, or carrying a burthen as well as any man of his time.

Whenever the Romans thought themselves exposed to any danger, or were desirous of repairing some loss, it was a constant practice among them to invigotate and give new life to their military discipline.

Are they engaged in a war with the Latins, a people no less martial than themselves? Manlius reflects upon the best methods of strengthening the command in the field, and puts to death his own son, for conquering without his orders. Are they defeated before Numantia? Scipio Æmilianus immediately removes the several blandishments, which had enervated them. Have the Roman legions passed under the yoke at Numedia?

Metellus wipes away their ignominy, the instant he has obliged them to resume their ancient institutions. [13] Marius, that he may be enabled to vanquish the Cm bri and the Teutones, begins by diverting the course of * rivers; and Sylla employs in such hard labour his soldiers, who were terrified at the war which was carrying on against Mithridates, that they sue for battle, to put an end to their hardships.

Publius Nassica made the Romans build a fleet of ships, at a time when they had no occasion for such a force= these people dreaded idleness more than an enemy.

Aulus Gellius † gives no very good reasons for the custom among the Romans of letting soldiers blood who had committed a fault; the true reason is, that strength being the chief qualification of a soldier, this was the means of adding not to his weakness, but to his disgrace.

These men thus inured were generally healthy and vigorous= we do not find by historians, that the Roman armies, which waged war in so great a variety of climate, fell often a prey to diseases; whereas in the present age we daily see armies, without once engaging, perish and melt away, if I may use the expression, in a single campaign.

Desertions are very frequent among us for this reason, because the soldiers are the dregs of every nation, and not one of them possesses, or thinks himself possessed of, a certain advantage which gives him a superiority over his comrades. But among the Romans they were less froquent; it being scarce possible that soldiers, raised from among a people naturally so haughty and imperious, and so sure of commanding over others, should demean themselves to such a degree, as to cease to be Romans.

As their armies were not great, they were easily subsisted= the commander had a better opportunity of knowing the several individuals; and could more [14] easily perceive the various faults and misdemeanours committed by the soldiery.

The violence of their exercises, and the wonderful roads they built, enabled them to make long and speedy marches. Their sudden presence damped the spirits of their opposers they shewed themselves, especially after some unfortunate event, at a time when their enemies were in that state of negligence which is generally consequent on victory.

In the battles fought in our age, every single soldier has very little security and confidence, except in the multitude; but among the Romans, every individual, more robust and of greater experience in war, as well as more inured to the fatigues of it, than his enemy, relied upon himself only. He was naturally endued with courage, or in other words, with that virtue which a sensibility of our own strength inspires.

As no troops in the world were, in any age, so well disciplined, it was hardly possible that in a battle, how unfortunate soever, but some Romans must rally in one part or other of it; or, on the other side, but that the enemy must be defeated in some part of the field= and, indeed, we find every where in history, that whenever the Romans happened to be overpowered at the beginning, either by numbers, or the fierceness of the onset, they at last wrested the laurel out of the enemy’s hand.

Their chief care was to examine, in what particular their enemies had an advantage over them, and when this was found, they immediately rectified it. They accustomed themselves to behold the blood and the wounds of the gladiators. The cutting swords * of the Gauls, and the elephants of Pyrrhus intimidated them but once. They strengthened their cavalry † first, [15] by taking the bridles from the horses, that their impetuosity might be boundless; and afterwards by intermixing them with Velites * = when they understood the excellence of the Spanish † sword, they quitted their own for it. They baffled all the art of the most experienced pilots, by the invention of an engine which is described by Polybius. In fine, as Josephus observes ‡ , war was a subject of meditation to the Romans, and peace and exercise.

If any nation boasted, either from nature or its institution, any peculiar advantage, the Romans immediately made use of it= they employed their utmost endeavours to procure horses from Numedia, bowmen from Crete, slingers from the Baleares, and ships from the Rhodians.

To conclude, no nation in the world ever prepared for war with so much wisdom, and carried it on with so much intrepidity.