Alan Military Tactics

[Flavivs Aetivs]

"The Battle of Chalons is not the only instance of Alans behaving in an untrustworthy manner in late Antiquity. In 402, at the Battle of Pollentia, Claudian records that:

“The Alan submitted to our authority, went wherever our trumpets ordered him to go, and sought death for Latium… At Stilicho’s command, he went hastily with his swift horsemen and bit the dust of Italy. Fortunate and worthy of the Elysian fields and of these verses, he who, wrongly suspected by us, ardently desired to prove his loyalty even with his death… Deeply affected by the hero’s death his cavalry turned tail and the whole army, deprived of this flank, would have staggered about if Stilicho, who had quickly arranged a legion in battle order, had not started up horseback combat again with infantry support.”
- Claud. Carm. 26.581 – 26.597

In this passage, Claudian indicates the Alans attacked before the Romans had drawn up their battle line, and were repulsed by Alaric and his Goths. Stilicho noticed the crisis after he had drawn up his battle line, and with a few infantry units rallied the Alans, allowing the Romans to emerge victorious. Aetius may have positioned the Alans in the center of his line with Thorismund so they would not behave so rashly, and this may have been the true source of the mistrust of Sambida and his Alans, not that he would defect. Furthermore Jordanes certainly would have read up on Claudian’s works, and may have drawn on them for inspiration."

From my Article (The Formatting for it died, sorry)