Numbers and Strategic situation at Adrianople

[Mrbsct]

No my point was why can't the Limitanei be made into Pseduocomiatenses to meet the Goths in battle? Like at Chalons, a huge number of troops were psedocomiatenses.

Hmm if Gratian wasn't outnumbered...why not finish Fritigern off? Christian writers almost describe the destruction to the countryside in be devastating. Wouldn't the best thing for the emperor do is to make is people happy?

Its hard to say. We do not know how large Praesentalis armies were before.

I got it from the book I mentioned Roman Army: Greatest military machine in the Ancient World But I highly doubt the Goths had 10-20,000. Seriously. If a Praesentalis got wiped out....why can't Gratian, the Illyrian army or another Praesentalis save Greece from being plunder? The troops being tied down to the East, and Gratian having insuffecient ammount of forces is a likely explanation. The book says that.

[Robert Vermaat]

Hi Andy,

No my point was why can't the Limitanei be made into Pseduocomiatenses to meet the Goths in battle? Like at Chalons, a huge number of troops were psedocomiatenses.

Exactly the same thing - you remove them from the border, which a) takes time and b) leaves you with an unprotected border. The only difference in your proposal is that the status of the uniits is raised, on paper, by adding them to the field army command.

Hmm if Gratian wasn't outnumbered...why not finish Fritigern off? Christian writers almost describe the destruction to the countryside in be devastating. Wouldn't the best thing for the emperor do is to make is people happy?

Well, it's not a democracy.. but an aotocracy. The Emperor would a) secure his own position and b) look to the means to secure a). If that meant peasing anyone he would do so, but my guess is that they deemed the risk of losing another batle too high.

I got it from the book I mentioned Roman Army: Greatest military machine in the Ancient World But I highly doubt the Goths had 10-20,000. Seriously. If a Praesentalis got wiped out....why can't Gratian, the Illyrian army or another Praesentalis save Greece from being plunder? The troops being tied down to the East, and Gratian having insuffecient ammount of forces is a likely explanation. The book says that.

OK, an Osprey title by Chris McNab, apparently. Not exactly an in-depth study, unfortunately. Gratian would have had only a few options. Either he would attack the Goths as soon as possible with what he had, or a bit later with all troops in Thrace, or he would attempt to contain them. He chose option 3, I think because he did not trust that options 1 or 2 would succeed, or succeed fast enough. Because (as we've seen with Stilicho vs. Alaric later), this could turn into a very long cat-and-mouse game in the southern Balkans, tying down most Roman troops between the Rhine and the Danube. As a result, the emptied borders could invite any willing barbarian to raid across the Danube, adding even more damage to Illyria and Thrace. Also, Valens' defeat might see renewed trouble in the West, which would have needed securing. So he chose a general's son to become his colleague in the East (not an enviable position) while hurrying back West himself.