Thread Rating:
  • 4 Vote(s) - 5 Average
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
Calling all armchair generals! Boudica's Last Stand.
Hi All

Well to continue....

The plateau created by the highest two hills in the Chilterns rises steeply on three sides some 300 feet out of the plain. On the fourth side it is bounded by one of the sections of Grims Ditch along the ridge.

By creating standard defences based on Grims Ditch already there, using artillery and other standard defence features of the marching camp, the plateau is virtually impregnable.

There is enough room to create camps (tented or otherwise) and for horse lines. Water probably was not a problem for either side as there are numerous springs in the area

Possibly the Brythons followed up their overwhelming success at Colchester (the Roman capital), their victory over the Ninth, the capture and destruction of London (the Roman Administrative Centre), the eviction of the Fourteenth from London into the West, by capturing and destroying St Albans the last Roman presence of note in the South East

What they probably were not expecting was Seutonius Paulinus to make a stand at Tring, possibly thinking that they had driven him off.

Once he had established himself there and the Brythons were at St Albans the Brythons had no option but to attack him as their army would have been decimated by SP on their slow march home or onwards towards Silchester.

SP had managed by that one shrewd move to wrest the initiative back from the Brythons since he had been wrong footed by the rise of the rebels.

The plateau has a number of valleys and one based on the Wendover Dean side of the plateau fits the classic description of Tacitus.

This could be reached by the Brythons along Akeman Street and the Icknield Way at Tring.
The valley itself has a mouth of around 1,000 metres and is surrounded by steep sided hills with an Iron Age fort (Boddington) on one side.

[attachment=7795]Tringpics3a.pdf[/attachment]

Tacitus states that the wagons were on the edge of the plain so that the Brythons observing could see the battle.

He even states that the retreating army were hampered in their escape by the “surrounding” wagons.

The following diagrams indicate a possible scenario where wagons are drawn up along the Icknield Way and surrounding hills opposite the possible battle site forming a barrier to swift egress from the battlefield

[attachment=7796]Tringpics3b.pdf[/attachment]

The following diagrams are just an indication of the forces lined against each other.

The lines represent warriors and are based in close order (3 foot per man) trying to give a representative size – I appreciate that the Brythons would not have been drawn up in this type of battle formation.

The idea is to try and give a representation of manpower in each army.

The Brythons are made up (in this scenario) of around 80,000 people plus an undisclosed number of wagons.

The Roman army is broken down into 5,000 Legionaries, 4,000 Auxiliaries and 1,000 Cavalry situated within the valley in front of the plain.

[attachment=7797]Tringpics3c.pdf[/attachment]

Looking at the logistics I am no longer convinced that 10,000 men bursting out of a valley into a host of 80,000 without being totally surrounded and destroyed....

[attachment=7798]Tringpics3d.pdf[/attachment]

So was there more to the battle than is being portrayed by Tacitus as obviously the Brythons lost

Any opinions?

Kind Regards - Deryk


Attached Files
.pdf   Tringpics3a.pdf (Size: 654.92 KB / Downloads: 2)
.pdf   Tringpics3b.pdf (Size: 461.74 KB / Downloads: 2)
.pdf   Tringpics3c.pdf (Size: 540.02 KB / Downloads: 2)
.pdf   Tringpics3d.pdf (Size: 648.82 KB / Downloads: 2)
Deryk
Reply


Messages In This Thread
Re: Calling all armchair generals! - by Ensifer - 03-11-2010, 03:13 PM
Re: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Steve Kaye - 02-18-2012, 06:26 PM
Re: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Steve Kaye - 02-19-2012, 12:02 AM
Re: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Steve Kaye - 02-19-2012, 02:50 PM
Re: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Steve Kaye - 02-19-2012, 05:40 PM
Re: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Steve Kaye - 02-19-2012, 11:26 PM
Re: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Steve Kaye - 04-24-2012, 05:11 PM
Re: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Steve Kaye - 04-24-2012, 09:42 PM
Re: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Steve Kaye - 04-24-2012, 10:10 PM
Re: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Steve Kaye - 04-25-2012, 03:11 PM
Re: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Steve Kaye - 04-25-2012, 03:25 PM
Re: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Steve Kaye - 04-25-2012, 08:36 PM
Re: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Steve Kaye - 04-26-2012, 02:57 PM
Re: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Steve Kaye - 04-27-2012, 01:50 PM
Re: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Steve Kaye - 08-05-2012, 02:24 PM
Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Deryk - 08-17-2013, 07:48 PM
Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by antiochus - 11-07-2014, 02:18 PM
Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by antiochus - 11-08-2014, 01:50 AM
Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by antiochus - 11-11-2014, 02:03 AM
Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by antiochus - 11-18-2014, 07:54 AM
Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by antiochus - 11-20-2014, 02:37 AM
Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by antiochus - 11-25-2014, 08:29 AM

Possibly Related Threads…
Thread Author Replies Views Last Post
  Armchair Wall walking mcbishop 3 3,481 01-11-2012, 03:22 AM
Last Post: Vindex

Forum Jump: