Caesar Review Ch. 49-52

Megan Royer & Katy King

CHAPTER 49: Caesar builds a second camp

  • Caesar chose a convenient place to camp that was 600 paces away from the Germans so they wouldn't be cut off from supplies.
  • Caesar drew up his army in 3 lines; the 1st and 2nd lines were to have weapons and the 3rd was meant to fortify the camp.
  • Ariovistus sent 16,000 men to intimidate them and try and stop them from fortifying their camp.
  • Caesar ordered the first 2 lines to drive them away.
  • He stationed people at the fortified camp and led the other four legions into the larger camp.

CHAPTER 50: Caesar discovers why Ariovistus refuses to fight

  • The next day Cesar took the forces from both camps and offered to fight the enemy.
  • He found that they wouldn't come out from their entrenchments and brought his armies back to their camps.
  • Then Ariovistus sent some of his forces to attack the smaller camp.
  • They fought from noon until evening and then Ariovistus retreated.
  • Caesar asked his prisoners why Ariovistus did not come to an engagement and found that the Germans did not engage in battle before the new moon because then they would be destined to lose the battle.

CHAPTER51: Caesar forces Ariovistus to engage in battle

  • Caesar leaves guards at the two roman camps and the Romans gather in auxiliaries in sight of the enemy.
  • Caesar had a much smaller army than the enemy and they gather in 3 lines of legions
  • Seeing the Romans gather for battle, the Germans also gather.
  • The Harudes, Marcomanni, Triboces, Vaniones, Nemetes, Sedusii, and Suebi all line up in cantons and surround the Roman army.
  • They circle around the roman army with chariots and wagons with the distressed German women sitting in the wagons

CHAPTER 52: Caesar describes the battle

  • Caesar appoint a lieutenant and a quaestor over each legion.
  • The Romans attack vigorously on the enemy, but the enemy rushes forward suddenly so that the Romans have no time to throw javelins.
  • Instead, they fight with swords.
  • The Germans form a phalanx to block Caesar’s men attacking with swords. Some of Caesar’s men leap onto the phalanx and wound the enemy by tearing away their shields.
  • The weaker right wing was being attacked, so Publius Crassus, the young commander of the cavalry, sent the third line of the legion to relieve Caesar’s right wing.