Vexillations

[LonginusXXI]

Could the First Cohort of a legion be in a vexillation?

[Frank]

Could the First Cohort of a legion be in a vexillation?

I never heard of one. And it makes actually no sense, because some centurions e.g. the princeps played a vital part in the organisation of the legion. So the 1st cohort, is probably the last you send away. But perhaps some soldiers or centuriae joined a vexillation marching to the other end of the world.

But it depends on what kind of vexillatio you mean. And if we talk about the army of the principate or late empire.

Looking to "local vexillations", a kind of mixed force and independent mini-exercitus of about 1000 or 2000 men (heavy- and light infantry plus cavalry), like Vespasianus used them in Paelaestina, I can imagine the use of the 1st cohort or parts of it. But even in this case, the use of the 1st cohort just makes sense if an entire legion is splitted into vexillationes and enlarged by auxilia.

And looking to vexillationes on the battlefield, I can imagine that in a 1-legion-exercitus the 1st cohort is a vital part of the vexillatio on the right wing. Arrian organised his army in such wings, but on a much larger scale than cohort-level. Unfortunately it is unclear if the correct latin term for such a subunit of an exercitus on the battlefield is vexillatio.

But perhaps it was called vexillatio. Because on the other side 5 men under the command of a beneficarius with the order to buy clothes in the next city could be called a vexillatio too, or 50 men travelling to the procurator getting the money for the next payday under the command of a signifer.