The Nisibis War: The Defence of the Roman East AD 337-363 by John S. Harrel

Author:John S. Harrel
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
Tags: HISTORY / Military / Ancient
ISBN: 9781473848313
Publisher: Pen and Sword
Published: 2016-02-29T05:00:00+00:00

Map 13. Julian’s Gallic Campaign: 357.25 1. The Laeti raid slipped through the gap between the two converging Roman armies. 2. Julian’s attempt to ambush the three returning Laeti war parties interfered with Baratio’s operations. 3. Barbatio is defeated and burns his and Julian’s supplies as he retreats. 4. The Alamanni Tribal Confederation is caught by Julian fleeing to the east bank of the Rhine.

While the Army of Gaul was busy rebuilding the fort and foraging for supplies, the Alamanni conducted a surprise assault on Barbatio’s army defeating it and pursuing it back to Augst. Barbatio’s baggage train was also captured. During the retreat, Barbatio’s men plundered and then burned a supply train destined for the Army of Gaul. Ammianus sees ulterior motives for the burning of Julian’s supplies. He ignores the fact that the larger Roman army had been defeated and was in full retreat. A failure to burn the supplies would have allowed them to be captured by the rampaging Alamanni. Ammianus alleges that, after his defeat, Barbatio regrouped his army and then, instead of re-entering the campaign, broke his army into detachments and sent them into winter quarters while he returned to court.26

The Alamanni tribal confederation that had repeatedly humbled the Roman Army in the early 350s was led by seven kings of whom Chnodomar is reportedly mentioned as the primary king in Roman sources. The other kings, Vestralp, Urius, Ursicinus, Serapio, Suomar, and Hortar each lead a canton or sub-tribe in the Alamanni host. It would be a mistake to picture these warriors as the half-naked Gallic and Germanic warriors that Julius Caesar fought in the first century BCE. The Alamanni were well armed and armoured by barbarian standards, with many having served in the Roman army. Chnodomar had defeated the usurper Decentius in open battle and sacked many towns in Gaul, and his warriors had defeated most of Julian’s legions and auxilia regiments in the countless skirmishes that were not recorded. The Alamanni warriors easily recognized these unlucky legions and regiments by their shield devices. A deserter from Barbatio’s army informed the kings that Julian only mustered half of Barbatio’s force. With Barbatio routed from the field, Julian now allegedly faced 35,000 confident and well-armed warriors with only 13,000 Roman soldiers. The Alamanni kings were so confident of victory that they sent an envoy demanding Julian retreat from the territory they had won by the sword.27

While there are problems with Ammianus’ narrative due to his bias up to this point, they become glaring leading up to Julian’s victory at Argentorate (Strasbourg).28 There is a good indication that Barbatio’s defeat and Julian’s victory at Argentorate took place within thirty days of each other. Julian issued his men twenty days rations when he left Tres Tabenae and Barbatio plundered and burned his resupply convoy; however, Ammianus does not state that the Army of Gaul suffered from lack of supplies during the manoeuvres before and after the battle. King Chnodomar, an experienced and successful warlord, did not march out and force a battle with the outnumbered Army of Gaul.

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