Anonymous
7/15/2025, 5:28:11 AM No.24550924
From Caesar's Gallic War during his siege of Avaricum:
>The Gauls had tried everything, but nothing had brought success; so the next day, at the urging and order of Vercingetorix, they adopted the plan of fleeing from the town. They hoped that if they made a break for it in the still of the night, they could achieve their goal without a great loss of troops, as Vercingetorix' camp was not far from the town and the uninterrupted swamp that lay in between would slow down the Romans in their pursuit. They were making the appropriate preparations that night when suddenly their matrons rushed out into the open and threw themselves at the feet of their men, sobbing and making every imaginable plea to persuade them not to abandon the women and children–they were the men's children, too!–to the cruel vengeance of the enemy: their natural weakness would hinder them when they sought to escape. When they saw that the men persisted in their decision, since at the height of danger fear tends to leave no room for pity, the women all began to shout and make gestures toward the Romans, revealing the flight that was going to take place. The Gauls, profoundly frightened that the Roman cavalry would block the paths before they could get there, gave up their plan.
At the battle of Battle of Gergovia:
Having achieved the goal he had set for himself, Caesar ordered the signal for retreat to be sounded. He was with the 10th Legion and stopped its advance immediately. But the soldiers of the other legions did not hear the sound of the trumpet, because quite a wide ravine lay in between them and the trumpeter. Still, in accordance with Caesar's instructions, the military tribunes and legates tried to hold them back. But the soldiers were carried away by their hope for a swift victory, the flight of the enemy, and memories of past successful battles. They thought that there was nothing so difficult that their bravery would not allow them to accomplish it, and they did not halt their pursuit until they were close to the town wall and the gates. Shouts then rose from every part of the town. Those who were some distance away were terrified by the sudden uproar; thinking that the Romans were within the gates already, they burst out of the town. Matrons were throwing clothing and silver utensils down from the wall. They leaned over the top of it, bared their breasts, and stretched their arms out, begging the Romans to spare them and not behave as at Avaricum, where they had shown no restraint even toward women or babies. Some women were let down from the wall, hanging onto the hands of others, and gave themselves up to the soldiers.
>[...]
>When a large crowd of these men had come together, the matrons, who a little before had been stretching out their hands to the Romans in supplication, now began to plead with their own menfolk; in the Gallic manner, they made a display of disheveled hair and brought out their children so that they could be seen.
>The Gauls had tried everything, but nothing had brought success; so the next day, at the urging and order of Vercingetorix, they adopted the plan of fleeing from the town. They hoped that if they made a break for it in the still of the night, they could achieve their goal without a great loss of troops, as Vercingetorix' camp was not far from the town and the uninterrupted swamp that lay in between would slow down the Romans in their pursuit. They were making the appropriate preparations that night when suddenly their matrons rushed out into the open and threw themselves at the feet of their men, sobbing and making every imaginable plea to persuade them not to abandon the women and children–they were the men's children, too!–to the cruel vengeance of the enemy: their natural weakness would hinder them when they sought to escape. When they saw that the men persisted in their decision, since at the height of danger fear tends to leave no room for pity, the women all began to shout and make gestures toward the Romans, revealing the flight that was going to take place. The Gauls, profoundly frightened that the Roman cavalry would block the paths before they could get there, gave up their plan.
At the battle of Battle of Gergovia:
Having achieved the goal he had set for himself, Caesar ordered the signal for retreat to be sounded. He was with the 10th Legion and stopped its advance immediately. But the soldiers of the other legions did not hear the sound of the trumpet, because quite a wide ravine lay in between them and the trumpeter. Still, in accordance with Caesar's instructions, the military tribunes and legates tried to hold them back. But the soldiers were carried away by their hope for a swift victory, the flight of the enemy, and memories of past successful battles. They thought that there was nothing so difficult that their bravery would not allow them to accomplish it, and they did not halt their pursuit until they were close to the town wall and the gates. Shouts then rose from every part of the town. Those who were some distance away were terrified by the sudden uproar; thinking that the Romans were within the gates already, they burst out of the town. Matrons were throwing clothing and silver utensils down from the wall. They leaned over the top of it, bared their breasts, and stretched their arms out, begging the Romans to spare them and not behave as at Avaricum, where they had shown no restraint even toward women or babies. Some women were let down from the wall, hanging onto the hands of others, and gave themselves up to the soldiers.
>[...]
>When a large crowd of these men had come together, the matrons, who a little before had been stretching out their hands to the Romans in supplication, now began to plead with their own menfolk; in the Gallic manner, they made a display of disheveled hair and brought out their children so that they could be seen.