Suetonius Battle Analysis

When Suetonius rapidly retreated from London, he was vulnerable to attack and his primary mission was to secure reinforcements for his own small force (Fraser 92). It is important to note that many of the specifics of the battle are at times unclear. There are accounts from two Roman historians (Dio and Tacitus) from the first century, which are inconsistent at times. They likely represented the battle from a biased Roman perspective and there is limited archaeological evidence to dispute their claims. An estimate of the number of united British rebels was approximately 230,000 by this time, but this is assumed an exaggeration by multiple contemporary reviews. Mustering a meager force of 10,000 Roman soldiers in total with the XIV Legion,
together with the detachments of the XX and auxiliaries from the nearest forts, he decided his only option was to force the attack in his favor, choosing the time and location (kightly 48). Suetonius moved his force up Watling Street and positioned them defensively in a defile uphill with his flanks and rear protected by a primitive forest dense with undergrowth (Fields 67). Although the exact location of the battle is unclear, historians believe it took place in modern day Mancetter. The legions XIV and XX were stationed in the center and were flanked on either side by the six auxiliary cohorts (Roman battalion sized element), with the two axillary units at the wings (Fields 71). Boudicca, who relied heavily on the weight of her numbers, placed her chariots in the front, spaced for combat, followed by the war bands. To the rear were the carts and wagons along with the families of the warriors, drawn up in a semicircle.
Boudicca’s force approached the Romans shortly after dawn on a presumed high summer day, and did so leisurely (Fields 74).
She drove her chariot with her daughters amongst the ranks of her army exclaiming, “win this battle, or perish. That is what I, a woman, plan to do- let the men live in slavery if they will!” Her chariots opened the day’s battle by rushing back and forth, the warriors onboard shouting insults at the Roman soldiers and launching missiles towards them. Next were Boudicca’s war bands, which rushed up the narrowing defile. It is important to note that the Britons had to do all the running up the steep slope while the Romans stood silent and fast at the top of the hill (fields 75). They expected to easily slice the outnumbered enemy into pieces, but they were unnoticeably channeled into a tight pack (). The Romans had two great advantages on their side, they were much more skilled in the tactics and arts of battle and they also had the position on the defensive. Roman soldiers were accustomed to defending themselves while attacking fortified positions by forming up in a tight phalanx formation, the men positioned shoulder to shoulder, their shields creating one great continuous shield, a mobile walled fortification. Boudicca’s spear throwers, hurling their weapons uphill, were wholly ineffective. The spears that made contact with the Roman force bounced harmlessly off the impenetrable shield barrier. When Suetonius calculated that the first few waves of
spear throwers had exhausted their supply of projectiles, he ordered his men to reform into a great wedge, from which they let fly a hail stout of Roman javelins. The effect of the volley was devastating.
Having already launched their javelins, the Romans then attacked by battering at the enemy with their shields and doing murderous work with their swords. Boudicca’s army, panicked under the thoroughly coordinated attack. They broke ranks at the very moment that Suetonius capitalized on his javelin assault. With a mixed infantry-cavalry charge, they stormed downhill to envelop the queen’s warriors on the front as well as both flanks. The Britons were forced back and compressed against what became a barricade of immovable wagons and carts. This maneuver, a double envelopment, which by first century was already a classic battle tactic, resulted in the deaths of an estimated 80,000 of Boudicca’s followers. Roman deaths during this battle approximate 400 with an equal number of wounded. As for Boudicca, one historian argues that she took poison to end her life, while another contends that she was captured by the Romans and died in captivity. Despite the overall defeat of her forces at the Battle of Watling Street, the impact of her legacy lived on. Rome, in an effort to discourage a repeat rebellion, rectified many of their corrupt financial and land seizure practices. Suetonius went on a rampage to destroy all remnants of the Iceni, but Rome as a whole worked towards a more sustainable state of affairs for the next 400 years.