Calling all armchair generals! Boudica's Last Stand.

[Nathan Ross]

on the basis of an advanced recce of which he may have been a part.

That would be a job for scouts, not the commander, still less the governor of the province. Paulinus knew very well what London looked like already.

{*EDIT - Austin and Rankov's Exploratio includes a section on what they call Autopsy - the personal reconnaissance of an enemy position by a commander. In almost all the cases mentioned, the commander is immediately ahead of his army and in most cases within sight of the enemy, i.e. these are not long-distance missions. Only Julian and Galerius, both very 'energetic' leaders, are mentioned as conducting more extensive surveys.}

Do you have a better translation?

At Suetonius mira constantia medios inter hostes Londinium perrexit… ibi ambiguus, an illam sedem bello deligeret, circumspecta infrequentia militis… unius oppidi damno servare universa statuit.

I'd suggest this:

Suetonius, however, with wonderful steadfastness, pressed on through the midst of the enemy to London… There, uncertain whether to select it as a place of battle, he looked around at the fewness of his soldiers… (and) decided to save the whole (province) with the loss of one town.


It's clear that Paulinus at least considered the option of fighting at London. If his army was stationary somewhere in the Midlands this would not have been possible.

Dunstable to Church Stowe is a mere 27 miles, that’s one march away

And at least three days steady travel for the Britons, who could more easily have diverted northeast on the Iknield beyond Dunstable and returned to their own lands.

Boudica still had the upper hand at this point - why trek all that way to fight a battle at a site of the Romans' choosing, so surrendering the advantage?