08-08-2015, 04:03 AM
Quote:Independency of cohorts is given regardless if you have intervals or not.
No, only on paper. Military forces need distance between each other or they will be just be one unit. Caesar even emphasizes this in DBC, describing his force composition at Pharsalus, where because both the 8th and 9th legions were so depleted he placed them so close together they effectively became one unit. Independence means being independent of others, meaning some sort of internal is necessary.
Again our sources just say, that the romans had a sort of rotation implemented, but the sources are unclear, how this rotation actually worked. However, such a replacement seems to not work, if the line is under pressure.
Relieving units on line with trail units can be really easy. Lead unit retreats backwards, adjacent trail unit fills gap. Done. No fancy drill maneuver. Follow the standard, march to the rear, while facing forward against threat, keep cohesion and bring any wounded with you.
Fortunately, no battle lasts for long without short retreats and breaks. And now it does not matter, if you got intervals or not, in order to replace a cohort with a fresh one. The neccesary manoeuvers for a cohort to retreat, in order to replace it are not that sophisticated as experimantal archaeology shows. And it could work with and without intervals. Actually even without intervals, a cohort, which is not under attack is always able to establish gaps, e.g. in order to let light infantry pass and attack. We know such manoeuvers e.g. against cavalry armies in the 3rd century.
Romans didn't close the gaps always, that is evident by numerous sources. No need to close the gaps either.
Gaps make a lot of sense while approaching the enemy lines. But it makes even more sense to close these gaps shortly before you get into melee combat. I don't see much disadvantages for the integrity and mobilitys of a well trained cohort, if standing close to the next one.
Do you think melee combat is stationary? Look at Pydna, Munda, and Forum Gallorum, all three had maniples in contact fighting over hundreds of meters. Not the whole line either, just certain units. How could that have happened unless recognized intervals existed between units? Look at battle of cynoscephalae, some Roman legions were driven back, while others advanced forward; how can that happen if there is no definitive separation between units actively fighting, not in approach march?
As mentioned above, retreat is suicidal if the line is under pressure. If the gaps are already occupied by enemies, retreat becomes impossible at all. And if not under pressure, it does not matter, if there are intervals or not.
Forum Gallorum had a unit back step hundreds of paces with the enemy in their faces. Cynoscephalae and Pydna and multiple battles in phyrric war had Romans retreating while in contact with the enemy.
This should have worked against a macedonian phalanx, which cannot exploit these gaps and flank a cohort this way. But against barbarian hordes, which would immediately rush into the gap and flank a cohort this way into its unshielded right side, the gaps must be closed.
Macedonian phalanx weren't the only type of infantry present, they had lighter versions armed nearly identical to Romans and just as flexible, yet these didn't penetrate the gaps, probably because the aren't willing to sacrifice their own line integrity to do it. Without firm unit cohesion, performance in combat drops dramatically.
I doubt, cohorts moved, while in melee combat. And there is never meleee combat for hours. There were always breaks, as also our sources confirm. Actually it does not matter for the mobility of a cohort, if there are intervals or not. All what matter is, if there is melee combat or a short break.
At Pharsalus, Caesar charged 1/2 mile or so. When did his legions before a complicated gap closing drill maneuver? Is it your belief that battle was stationary and that forces didn't move front, back, sideways, while engaged in direct hand to hand fighting?
And if you got intervals, the barbarian hordes already flooded the intervals, before you like to retreat. Or a cohort of the 2nd line closed it and you end with a line without intervals anyways. So intervals are no help! A known exception is a macedonian phalanx, which is not able to rush into the gap, without fully destroying its order and effciency
No, see my previous post. Any force that tries to enter the gap will first destroy the integrity of their own line by detaching dozens or scores of men to move forward independently, and they will still be hit missiles from velites, armed calo, and the Romans standing in the exterior files of the first line maniples and the front ranks of the 2nd line maniples covering the gap.
Doing this on phone, sorry about typos.
