Epic Moments - Heroes of Julius Caesar's Gallic War

Julius Caesar is remembered as a military genius who famously stated, I came, I saw, I conquered. Yet these victories were not won single-handedly. Rather, they were owed to the thousands of loyal soldiers under his command, who all too often go overlooked by history. Today, we'll be exploring the great stories of bravery by the heroes of Caesar's army over the course of the general's campaigns. And yes, this will include the tale of Lucius Verinus and Titus Pullo. This video was sponsored by Raid Shadow Legends, whose turn-based RPG game allows you to build an entire team of soldier heroes. Raid has over 300 champions to choose from, amongst the ranks of men, elves, orcs, the undead, and more. Explore 13 locations, play through the fully voiced story campaign, fight fearsome bosses with friends in a clan, or test your mettle against other players in PvP arenas. Raid Shadow Legends has been growing rapidly and collecting awards with a huge roadmap of updates for the months ahead. You can find me in the game under the name Invicta History. I've been quite enjoying kitting out my own orc warband and taking on the bigger bosses with the boys. The game is free to play right now, and if you go to the video description you can click on the links to get 50,000 silver and a free epic champion as part of the new player program to start your journey. Good luck, and see you out there! The first of Caesar's heroes is Publius Licinius Crassus, the son of the famous triumvir Marcus Licinius Crassus. Publius was one of the many young aristocratic officers who entered Caesar's army in 58 BC. Due to his father's connections, Publius was able to secure a high rank within his army as the commander of Caesar's cavalry as a Praefectus Equitum. He first made a name for himself in Gaul during Caesar's battle against the Germanic warlord Ariovistus. As the two armies clashed, the Romans had begun to push back against the Germans on the center and the right flank. However, the Germans' own right flank, through its superiority in numbers, was mounting great pressure on the Roman left. Publius was quick to notice this, and he rode up to the third Roman line to get help. On his own initiative, he ordered the reserve cohorts forward, stabilizing the wavering Roman left flank. Soon after, the whole German line broke, and Ariovistus' army was disastrously defeated. In 57 BC, Caesar promoted Publius to one of his legates and gave him command of the 7th Legion to subdue the hostile tribes at the Atlantic seaboard. The following year, however, these subdued tribes were in an uproar, and Caesar dispatched Publius to Aquitania with 12 cohorts of legionaries and a large force of cavalry to prevent the Gauls there from reinforcing the rebels. Aware of the stubborn and martial nature of the local people, Publius raised some additional troops before beginning the campaign in Ernest. His column was ambushed by a tribe known as the Santiades, where, after a confused cavalry battle, the two forces of infantry joined in and a hard fight ensued. The Romans were ultimately victorious, and Publius took advantage of this success to attack the nearby hillfort of the tribe, where they soon capitulated and surrendered all their arms to him. This victory alarmed the nearby tribes, who confederated together to defeat the Romans. According to Caesar, a Gallic force of 50,000 men was marshaled. Undaunted, Publius led his whole force out to attack their camp, ordering his legionaries to attack the fortifications at the front, supported by his auxiliary infantry. Meanwhile, he sent reserve cohorts under the command of his cavalry officers to attack the vulnerable rear of the enemy camp. This move caught the Gauls completely by surprise, and most of their army was slaughtered, after which the rest of the hostile Aquitanians surrendered, save for a few very remote tribes. Publius would leave Caesar's army after his great victory in Aquitania to continue his career, but he was by no means the last of the heroes we'll be covering. In 55 BC, Caesar launched his first campaign into Britain, an island steeped in mystery for the Romans and thus an attractive prospect for Caesar to explore. A part of the task force was the famous 10th Legion, which grew to be Caesar's favorite during his war in Gaul. The landing on Britain proved to be difficult, since the Romans had a hard time locating safe harbors and were met at the shore by the enemy warriors. To inspire his nervous comrades forward, the aquilifer carrying the silver eagle standard of the 10th legion, whose name is unfortunately unknown, inspired his fellow soldiers forward by yelling, jump down men, unless you want to betray your eagle to the enemy. I, at any rate, shall have done my duty to my country and my general. And with that, he leapt out from the transport ship and was followed closely by his comrades who swarmed the beach and soon secured a beachhead. The rank and file of Caesar's army are also recorded throughout his history as fighting with great skill and bravery, even when faced with high odds or likely defeat. This was well exemplified by a group of 300 legionaries who were shipwrecked in Gaul during Caesar's return voyage from Britain in 55 BC. A nearby tribe, the Morini, thought this offered an excellent chance for plunder and slaves, and sent some of their warriors to demand the surrender of the Romans. The legionaries refused and instead formed a protective orbis and prepared to fight for their lives. Soon, more Gauls gathered around them, amounting to 6,000 warriors according to Caesar, and they tried to break the Roman circle. But the legionaries held out with great courage and stubbornness for over 4 hours despite the huge disparity in numbers, until Caesar heard of their plight and sent out a cavalry force to assist them. At the sight of the incoming Roman horsemen, the Gauls fled, and large numbers were killed in pursuit. Meanwhile, across his commentaries on the Gallic and civil wars, we find all sorts of records of Caesar's officers, the centurions, who were a key element in running a Roman legion, feature prominently. And none today are more famous than Titus Pullo and Lucius Verinus. Known better for their fictional adaptations in HBO's Rome, the real Pullo and Verinus were both centurions of the 11th legion and fierce rivals for the position of primus pillus, and were known to argue constantly over who was the better soldier. In 54 BC, during a Gallic attack on the 11th legion's winter camp under Quintus Cicero, the two men would seize the opportunity to prove themselves. Upon seeing the massed ranks of the Gauls before the camp, Pullo called out to Verinus that today they would finally settle their rivalry and charged alone against the entire enemy army. He was followed closely by Verinus, afraid of how he would look to his men if he did not stand up to his colleague. Pullo, who was now ahead, threw his pillum at the Gauls and was able to wound one of them, causing the enemy to faint. The Gauls covered their comrade behind a wall of shields and threw their own javelins at the centurion, one of which pierced his shield and got stuck in his belt as the centurion fell. This dislocated his belt and made it hard for Pullo to draw his sword, and while he struggled with the weapon, the Gauls surrounded him. Apparently everyone thought that Pullo was down for the count and now turned their attention to Verinus. Verinus was furious at what he had seen and now drew his own sword and charged headlong at the Gauls, killing one and forcing the others back a little, but his furious advance actually caused him to slip and fall into a hollowed out part of the ground under him. Verinus was now himself surrounded. However, now Pullo, whom everyone thought was dead, raised himself up to his feet. He came to the rescue of the downed Verinus. Now fighting together, the rival centurions killed many Gauls who got in their path and made their way back to the fortified camp of the Roman army, being cheered on by their fellow legionaries. In the end, it was impossible to decide which of the two had been braver, and it appears that Pullo and Verinus, probably contrary to their expectations, decided the only answer was that they were both indeed equals. Verinus then disappears from history, though Pullo would appear again in the civil war, but this time he was fighting against Caesar, having convinced the army under Caius Antonius to switch sides to Caesar's rival Pompey, and he later fought at Dyrrhachium in 48 BC, having lost none of his characteristic fury in battle. In 53 BC, Caesar was being opposed by a Gallic warlord for the Sugambri tribe named Ambiorix. As the campaign against him began, one of Caesar's officers, Lucius Minucius Bacillus, was given a force of cavalry and ordered to advance ahead of the main army with great speed and stealth. By riding hard and refusing to light any fires at camp, this allowed him to catch the Gauls by surprise, and he was able to capture many of them in the open without a fight. From these prisoners, Bacillus learned that Ambiorix himself was nearby with a few of his cavalrymen, and the Romans immediately set off in pursuit. Bacillus moved so rapidly that Ambiorix didn't even realize an attack was coming in his position, until the Romans were upon him. Luck, however, was on Ambiorix's side, as one of his men was able to mount him on a horse and allow him to escape just before Bacillus broke through his followers, though the Roman would claim his arms, armor, and chariot as trophies. During the same campaign, the camp of Cicero once again came under attack, this time from a raiding party of German warriors. Among the defenders was a wounded and sickly centurion named Publius Sextius Bacillus. Bacillus was the senior centurion, the primus pilus, of Caesar's 12th legion, who first appears in 57 BC during the chaotic battle of the Sombra river. Here, being caught by surprise by a large Gallic army, Bacillus and the 12th legion fought furiously against their attackers. By the end of the battle, the centurion was badly wounded to the point where he could barely stand but managed to survive. He would eventually recover and go on to serve under Servius Sulpicius Gabba in 56 BC during his campaign in the Alps. However, conditions were tough, and Bacillus had fallen sick and was in a severely weakened state after reportedly not having eaten in five days. Nonetheless, when a German raid was launched against the Roman camp, he immediately took the weapons from the hands of some nearby soldiers and rushed to the ramparts of the camp to defend it. Here, he was joined by the centurions of the cohort, manning the walls, and was again wounded in the fighting, causing him to retreat. The brief respite bought by Bacillus and his fellow centurions, however, proved enough for men to start getting a handle on the situation. Soon after, the Germans were repulsed, and Bacillus would live to fight another day. Marcus Petronius is another brave centurion who appears in Caesar's war commentaries, this time in 52 BC during the battle at Gergovia. Petronius was among the bulk of Caesar's legionaries who charged up the hill towards the fortified Gallic town in defiance of the orders of their officers, confident due to earlier victories against the Gauls. Eager for glory, Petronius reached the gates of Gergovia and tried to break through the Gallic lines, but succeeded only in getting himself wounded several times. At this point, Petronius decided to go down fighting and do what he could to save his sentry from his glory-seeking charge, ordering them to fall back as the rest of the army crumbled, while he delayed the enemy. The bold centurion thrust alone into the midst of the Gauls and was able to cut down two of them, and his men tried to move up to support their commander, but were again ordered back by him. Soon after this, Petronius died fighting, but his brave delaying action had saved the lives of his legionaries. One of the longest serving officers in Caesar's army was an equestrian Caius Volusinus Quadratus, who enters the historical record in 56 BC in the army of Galba in the Alps where he served as a tribune in the 12th legion. Noted for his great courage and sound strategic thinking, he served with distinction throughout the entire Gallic war and was eventually promoted to the post of Praefectus Equitum. In 51 BC, he was dispatched with a group of centurions by Caesar's legate Labienus to assassinate the troublesome Gallic chieftain Comius, who had been plotting against Caesar. The Roman squad managed to lure their target in under the false pretense of a meeting. A scuffle ensued in which Comius received a blow to the head but miraculously escaped the trap. However, a manhunt would soon be underway. Under orders from Marc Antony, Quadratus set up his cavalry to ambush the Gallic chieftain at several different locations. Comius was mercilessly harassed by the Romans and his men defeated in several skirmishes. At one point, Quadratus at last caught up with his prey and boldly charged him with only a few men. The Gaul fled for a short while until he was in the middle of an open field at which point he called on his men to suddenly turn back and attack. Quadratus' numerically inferior cavalry was pushed back and Comius managed to charge Quadratus and stab him through the thigh with his spear. This however encouraged the Roman cavalry to regroup and rescue their commander. Going on to defeat Comius who sued for peace with Caesar after his defeat here in this field. Despite his severe injury, Quadratus made a full recovery and was still serving as Caesar's cavalry commander by 48 BC during the civil war. His last recorded appearance is during the siege of Dyrrhachium where he became the target of an assassination attempt by two deserting Gallic noblemen in Caesar's army who wanted to show Pompey proof of their commitment to his cause. Though they decided not to carry out the assassination as the deed was considered too risky. Thus concludes our highlight reel of the top heroes of Caesar's Gallic war. In the next episode we'll turn our attention to those who fought valiantly during the civil war. A huge thanks to our patrons who support the channel and our many researchers, writers, and artists who made this video possible. See you in the next one.