![]() Learning from the difficulties he faced in the previous year’s expedition, he designed many of the ships to be more suited for amphibious landings, and established supply lines from Portus Itius to ensure regular transport of provisions.Ĭaesar and his troops landed relatively unhindered, suggesting that “being alarmed by the great number of our ships,more than eight hundred of which, including the ships of the preceding year, and those private vessels which each had built for his own convenience, had appeared at one time, they (the Britons) had quitted the coast and concealed themselves among the higher points.” Realising the Romans lacked provisions, the Britons planned to protract hostilities again in the hope that they could vanquish the invaders, or cut off their return so that “no one would afterward pass over into Britain for the purpose of making war.”Īfter several skirmishes, the ambassadors approached Caesar to sue for peace, for which Caesar doubled the tribute of hostages and set sail with his fleet back to the continent.įor the next campaign season, Caesar planned to return to Britain and assembled a much larger army consisting of five legions and around 2,000 cavalry. The ambassadors claimed that the resistance the Roman’s faced were the “common people,” and promised reparations by offering further hostages.ĭays later, a storm surge in the English Channel forced the ships carrying Caesar’s Calvary to return to Gaul, whilst an unusually high tide caused the beached warships to fill with water, and wrecked several of his transports. I, for my part, will perform my duty to the commonwealth and my general” driving back the Britons to establish a beach head.Ĭaesar was approached yet again by ambassadors of the Britons, accompanied by Commius who had been imprisoned upon his arrival. The Romans hesitated to advance, but the standard bearer holding the eagle of the 10 th Legion exclaimed, “Leap, fellow soldiers, unless you wish to betray your eagle to the enemy. The Roman ships were too low in the water to land the troops, resulting in soldiers having to wade ashore whilst weighed down by heavy armour, all the while being attacked by the enemy from the shallows. After waiting in anchor for the remainder of the Roman fleet to arrive, they sailed seven miles to what is believed to be Pegwell Bay on the Isle of Thanet in Kent.Ĭaesars accounts state that “the barbarians, upon perceiving the design of the Romans, sent forward their cavalry and charioteers, a class of warriors of whom it is their practice to make great use in their battles, and following with the rest of their forces, endeavoured to prevent our men landing.” The fleet sailed for Dubris (Dover), however, upon reaching sight of the shoreline it was apparent that the Britons had planned to resist, and gathered a force of defenders to repel the Roman landing. The ambassadors returned to Britain along with Commius, king of the Belgae Atrebates to persuade as many nations as possible to embrace the “protection of the Roman people”, and apprise Britain’s inhabitants of the impending arrival of Roman forces to their shores.Ĭaesar gathered a fleet of eighty transport ships to carry up to two legions, numerous warships under a quaestor, and eighteen transports containing cavalry. ![]()
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