Legio XVII: Battle of the Danube Page 3
At sundown, the column simply stopped on the road and remained in their march position. Animals were cared for and the people cooked and ate their dinner alongside their wagons under the rolled down leather tarps. As a precaution and to set a pattern for the rest of the migration, the Army patrolled the surrounding country side to protect the sleeping people. At sun up, the wagons began to roll and people ate breakfast on the move. Lunch was a similar affair; the march never stopped. Eat when you were hungry, but keep going was the order of the day. Moving south was the driving imperative and the convoy only stopped when the sun set.
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Years before the first wagon began heading south, Timur wisely began to court the favor of the two Tribes immediately across the Elbe: the smaller Caridi and the powerful Langobardi. He visited them, brought lavish gifts, established friendship pacts, and even married one of Boiorix’s daughters to the Chief’s son. His intention was to obtain permission for his people to cross the Elbe and secure safe passage to traverse their land. The latter was obtained only after huge bribes of cattle, copper and bronze ingots, weapons, and what little gold they had. Timur felt it was worth it to have a positive start to their migration in order to encourage the people.
One of the conditions that Timur had to agree to was to keep the wagons rolling day and night once they entered the Tribes’ territory. They would not be permitted to stop. The local Tribes wanted them out of their territory as soon as possible. They did not want a 40 mile (64km) trail of fecal matter lining the four roads, pillaging, or worse, inflicted upon the local inhabitants. The Caridi and Langobardi also demanded that any damage to bridges and roads from so many wagons be repaired.
The length of the Caridi and Langobardi tribal area was about 40 miles (64km). By alternating the team of four oxen pulling each wagon every six hours, Timur estimated they could enter the tribal lands and completely pass through in six days. But everyone knew that if the oxen refuse to move, which they do when tired, the columns will have to make short stops to allow them to rest.
Three months before the migration began, in January, the coldest month of the year, Timur dispatched a large element of his Army to four separate crossing sites east of Hamburg where the Elbe River was at its narrowest. He had personally selected these sites back in November. The Army had three months to build four pontoon bridges spanning the river. Their mission was to build numerous wooden rafts, lash them securely together, extend them across the river, and then build a corduroy (wooden) roadway over the rafts to support the heavy wagons. Timur instructed them to build barriers upstream to protect the four bridges from floating debris and to build a supply of extra rafts in the event one or more became damaged during storms or a quickening river flow.
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As the soldiers soon discovered, there were numerous sub-tasks inherent in their mission. First, they had to build sturdy shelters with large fireplaces for protection from the bitter cold. Temperatures in January and February were usually in the low to mid 30s. Once that was done, they had to prepare the four crossing sites, which meant constructing roads into each site. To make these “roads” passable, the troops built wooden roads using timber from the local area. The men next built strong anchor points to prevent the bridges from shifting in the river’s current. When these important preliminary steps were completed, work began on the rafts. The river ran high February-March and began slowing in April, so the finished rafts only entered the water in mid April when the river was lower and slower. Floods were not expected again until July. The migrating columns had to cross the river during May and June or wait until next year.
Timur’s plan was to separate the one long column into four smaller columns on the north side of the Elbe River just before the crossing. Each column would then take a different route south, but maintain daily contact with the other columns by means of mounted Army couriers. The Army had about 500 horses to use as couriers and scouts. The riders were not trained to fight as mounted cavalry, but were armed. Timur planned to place his wife Jennike, their two children, and their elderly parents in the lead wagon of column number 3, which is where he and his Army leaders would also be positioned. The columns were numbered 1 through 4 with 1 in the east and 4 in the west.
When the lead wagons arrived at the first of the four crossing sites, the people dismounted except for one driver per wagon and two men leading the oxen. The people and extra oxen waited on the shore while the wagons rolled onto the bridge. This was the first test to determine if heavy wagons could actually make the crossing. Everyone held their breath when the first raft sunk deeper into the water under the weight of the wagon, but then cheered when the wagon continued bouncing its way across. It was a success! A great shout of joy erupted from the soldiers and civilians. The people then walked across and remounted their wagons. They went to a large prearranged staging area some distance away from the bridge until all the wagons in their particular column were across the river before continuing the journey south.
As the wagons arrived at the river, they were directed to their designated crossing site and soon all four bridges were in use simultaneously. Timur thanked Odin that nothing serious happened during the crossing. There were no heavy rains, the upstream barriers successfully captured floating river debris, and no wagons fell off the bridges. As soon as the last wagons crossed, the Army began dismantling the bridges to avoid blocking river traffic. Timur, Jennike, and the Cimbri Chief Boiorix rode to the four encampments to encourage the people and wish them well on their journey.
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1 July 215 BC
The next phase of the trip was going to be difficult. They would be traveling on four relatively parallel roads that were unfamiliar to them and doing half of it at night. In many places, the forest came right up to the road and offered no room to bypass a broken down wagon. If one stopped, the entire column stopped. Soldiers would walk alongside the wagons and others would scout ahead of each column. The soldiers were prepared to use torches to light the way when necessary, fill in holes in the road, help pull wagons up the hills and slow them when going down. They would build wooden roads when it became too muddy to continue and pull wagons out of the mud when they got stuck. The Army also built temporary bridges over streams and swampy areas. Eventually, the Army became quite skilled at constructing roads and bridges.
Because of the heavy rain they encountered, instead of the expected six days to pass through the Tribes’ area, it took 12. After the first two days of traveling non-stop as required, the “no-stop” practice was abandoned as impractical in view of the muddy conditions. The Caridi and Langobardi leaders offered no objections.
When the columns were about three days away from completing this phase of the journey, Timur dispatched a small squad of volunteers to ride south into the Semnones’ territory to find their Chief and explain who they were and to arrange a meeting with Timur. In six days, all but one man returned. He was being held hostage. The men told Timur that the Semnones’ Chief boasted of a 100,000 man Army that could stop them at the border if he ordered it, but that he was willing to listen to Timur’s proposal. The men said that they doubted the truth of a 100,000-man Army, but advised caution. The men also described the Semnones’ armament and brought back a Semnones’ shield. Upon examination, they discovered that it was made of standard wicker, but thin and badly woven. Timur braced it against a tree and threw a spear at it. The shield offered no protection. He then thrust his sword straight into it with the same results.
After an exhausting 12 days travelling through muddy roads and rocky creeks, the four columns exited the Langobardi’s area. At least, the columns were not attacked or harassed by hostile enemy forces. The Chiefs had kept their word.
The men not driving the wagons adopted the practice of walking in the woods parallel to the convoy hunting for game. If they had to walk alongside the wagon, they could just as easily walk in the woods and hope to scare up a rabbit or edible fowl. Some even got lucky and killed a deer or boar. Fresh food was a delicacy after days of dried fish and meat.
The 40 miles they had just traveled were a nightmare, but they learned many invaluable lessons. Oxen are hard working animals but they need constant attention under these extreme conditions. Rest for everyone is essential. Wagons need to be better waterproofed and checked daily for mechanical problems, particularly the wheels and axels. Everyone agreed that the Army provided invaluable assistance and was critical to the future success of the migration, but soldiers were in short supply.
Now that they were at the border of the next tribe, the Semnones, Timur directed the Clan Chiefs to establish four large fortified encampments for each column to allow the people and animals to rest, dry out, make improvements, and build up their strength before continuing. The fortifications consisted simply of a barrier of felled trees and huge piles of brush and limbs. The Army’s mounted riders surrounded each of the four encampments to provide early warning and the Infantry was equally divided among the settlements to repel any attack. The people remained in their encampments for two weeks and were quite happy to rest, care for the animals, and repair the wagons.
Timur planned to meet with the Semnones’ Chief to negotiate a passage through their land, but first he needed to devise a strategy for the passage. Over the next few days, Timur met with Donar his Military Commander, Tribal and Clan Chiefs, and Elders under a large tent set up within the third column’s encampment.
Timur knew very little about the Semnones, but with what he did know from the intelligence gather by his scouts and the additional information provided by the Langobardi Tribe, he was not encouraged. In fact, he feared the worst ~ outright warfare. The Semnones had a reputation for violence, dishonesty, and deception. It was also reported that the Chief only exerci
sed nominal control over his people. In other words, even though the Semnones Chief may agree to something, the unruly clans within the Tribe would not necessarily honor his word. The wellbeing of the single hostage also weighed heavily on his mind.
The Semnones Tribal land extended some 60 miles (96.5km) south and included more open, but more difficult terrain than that of the Langobardi’s in the form of steeper hills and many more small streams. The scouts reported that the roads were very poor and the makeshift bridges washed out in the spring floods.
Timur assembled his General Council to announce the decisions reached by the leaders. “Tomorrow,” he stated, “I will meet with the Semnones Chief and his Tribal Council to negotiate crossing their land. I will take 250 horsemen with me for protection and as a show of force. In the meantime, I have instructed Commander Donar to prepare the people of each column to implement the following actions once we resume the march south.”
“Each night when we stop, the columns will circle every 10 wagons into a defensive perimeter. This will mean clearing a sufficient portion of the forest on each side of the roadway to make space for the circle of wagons and to establish makeshift barriers. Two soldiers will be assigned to each group of 10 wagons to assist in repelling attackers. The men occupying each circle must be prepared to participate in their own defense.” Timur was particularly concerned with the eastern most column since it would be some 10 miles (16km) away from the nearest column. He decided to supply it with additional mounted troops as well as infantry because of their vulnerability.
“As you may have heard, 5,000 young men from the Langobardi and Caridi Tribes have joined our ranks as we passed through their land and have been incorporated into our Army. As of today, we are announcing a new policy: all young men 17 years of age and all men who turn 17 will become soldiers for the duration of our journey. This will impose a hardship on some of the families, but it cannot be helped. They will be told where and when to report for training.” The Army just grew from 70,000 men to 80,000 and would become 90,000 by the time they reached the Danube.
The Army itself had few wagons and no food stocks. Families of the soldiers were expected to feed their husbands and sons. Another unexpected event occurred while crossing the Langobardi’s land. Young teenage boys and girls approached the columns in large numbers asking for asylum from their husbands or masters. Many of the girls had been forced into unhappy marriages against their will and young boys and girls had been sold as servants by desperate parents. For the Teutons and Cimbri, who loved their children, this was an outrageous injustice and act of pure cruelty. The youth were welcomed with opened arms, but it did cause some problems. There were now more mouths to feed. The young people were equally distributed among the columns and expected to do their share of the work. At least they were young and strong and could easily walk alongside the wagons and carry packs of fodder and care for the animals. Everyone was very protective of the young people and watched that they not be unfairly used or abused.
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15 July 215 BC
The next morning, Timur rode out of camp to meet the Semnones’ Chief. His settlement was a good five hours of hard riding away. He arrived at noon and pulled up at the outskirts of a large group of huts. The people in the immediate area scattered and sent up a shout of warning. The 250 Teuton horsemen made them feel they were under attack. Timur waited and shortly two men approached Timur and asked his purpose. Based on the Semnones’ reputation, Timur decided to be strong and demanding. “I am here to see your Chief and I am tired of waiting,” he declared angrily The two men scurried off and were shortly replaced by another man who instructed Timur and his men to follow him to a large meeting hut in the center of the settlement. Timur boldly walked into the hut followed by his 10 personal body guards. Once inside, he looked around and asked rather loudly, “Who is the Chief?”
A man in his late 40s, a little overweight, but tall and strong looking stood up and said, “I am over here Timur, we’ve been expecting you. Bring Timur something to drink,” he said to no one in particular.
Timur thought, “Good, he knows my name!”
A young girl appeared with a mug of wine. Timur said angrily, “I am not here to socialize” and took the cup and poured the wine on the floor. “I am here to talk about 300,000 of my people and 80,000 warriors passing through your land. I’ve been told that you have 100,000 warriors and that you said you could use them to stop us at your border. Let me be clear, I do not like to be threatened. If you want to fight, we will fight, but know this, regardless of the outcome, both our armies will suffer huge losses that will take years to recover. You don’t want that and neither do I, so let’s stop the threats and get down to business. Is anyone going to offer me a place to sit?”
This unexpected show of bravado and directness by Timur unsettled his audience. Timur sat down and said, “I understand the hardships that this large host will impose on your people and lands and I am prepared to compensate you. I can’t give you silver or gold, but I can improve your roads and bridges. My Army will lay down wooden roads where required and build sturdy bridges over your streams. Your people will be able to move their products to market and travel much faster and with less inconvenience. These improvements will reflect well on your leadership and enable you to move your Army across your land that much more quickly. We can move 10-12 miles (19 to 19km) a day and should be out of your area in six days. That is my proposal.”
The Semnones Chief was interested in Timur’s proposal, but felt he had lost face and been disrespected by Timur’s directness. It appeared that Timur was in charge and not him. He also felt insulted that Timur did not bring any gifts specifically for him. Not a single cow or copper item. His anger grew. “Timur,” he said, as he rose slowly from his chair “My warriors could easily defeat your Army and slaughter your people. We know the land and my warriors have been hardened by constant warfare against our neighbors to the east. I think we should fight your Army and claim your wagons as spoil. My men will enjoy your women and your children will make good servants.”
Timur stood and spoke slowly in a lowered tone. “I am tired of this! Let’s settle this man to man, you and I; if you kill me my wagons will detour around your area, if I win, we will drive straight through your land and pillage the countryside as we go.” Timur continued while raising his voice; “We will burn your settlements and take your livestock and women.” Then Timur spoke with an intensity that even Donar had never heard. “Let’s settle this right now. Draw your sword!”
The Semnones’ bluff had been called and he knew Timur meant it. He stared at Timur, his face turning an angry red. He put his hand on his sword’s hilt, but something deep inside told him not to draw it. He realized that he feared Timur. Timur saw the hesitation and fear in the Semnones’ eyes and quickly offered him a way out. “Look, let’s share a cup of wine and talk about this. Surely two brave men can reach an agreement.”
The Chief grabbed at the life line and said, “Two cups of wine, now!” The talk went well and Timur was given permission to travel through the land and make the promised improvements. Timur brought up the status of the hostage and was told that he would be returned when the convoy was completely out of Semnones’ territory.
On the ride back to the camp, Timur recognized that he had been willing to fight and die if need be for the sake of his people. He felt proud of that. He felt stronger and more confident than ever. He turned to Donar and said, “I do not trust that Semnones. I think he will attack one or more of our columns. I also doubt our hostage is still alive.”
Despite Donar’s loyalty to Timur, he felt he had to speak up. “Timur, listen to me. I speak as a friend. No one doubts your leadership ability or bravery. You are a good leader and respected by your people. I want to caution you though that your pride is obscuring your good sense. You provoked and insulted that Semnones. We neglected to bring him gifts and your directness with him was uncalled for. You could have been killed and your people would then have been leaderless.”