Political correctness in Varus\' time?

[John M McDermott]

Here is a quote from the Roman Velleius Paterculus, a witness of the Varan disaster, who seems to imply that Varus may have been reluctant to allow his troops to fight without 'one hand tied behing their backs':

",...,An Army unexcelled in bravery, the first of the Roman armies in discipline, energy and experience on the field, through negligence of its general, the treachery of the enemy and the unkindness of Fortune was surrounded, nor was as much opportunity as they had wished given to the soldiers either of fighting or of extricating themselves, except against heavy odds; indeed, some were even chastised for using their weapons and showing the spirit of Romans.

[Tarbicus]

It's been suggested before that the Romans may have attacked friendly auxiliaries mistaking them for their attackers. Perhaps it was more an attempt to prevent "friendly fire"? Command had broken down, and it's not impossible to believe the order would be issued to stop fighting in an attempt to clarify who was who, and what the real situation was. All in a panic, that is.

[Carlton Bach]

It sounds more like a 'resignation' topos to me. The general, paralysed by despair, simply refuses to make any further moves and forbids individuals to take their own initiative. I wonder, how would the author know? Survivors may well have had their own biased account - meh, cavalry 'showing the spirit of true Romans' and 'extricating themselves' may well look to an infantryman to be turning tail and running.

[Titus Amatius Paulus]

Carlton Bach said:

meh, cavalry 'showing the spirit of true Romans' and 'extricating themselves' may well look to an infantryman to be turning tail and running.

In the Varian disaster the comander of the cavalry Vala Numonio run away to the Rhin leaving his troops who lost their mount, later he died drowned in the Rhin.

Only the praefecti castroum and the centurions of the legions as Lucio Egio of the legion keep fighting.

The Varus´s measure of punish who counterattack could be explained to Keep the march order or be a sign of the Varus´s incompetence

[John M McDermott]

The writer was a witness, so I assume he had to be there.

[Kate Gilliver]

Velleius served in Germany, Illyricum & on the Danube with Tiberius but he wasn't in Varus' army in AD9. He may have had access to eye-witnesses who escaped the disaster. I think Velleius here is criticising Varus and his officers for leading their army, sheep-like, into an easy ambush, and Varus for committing suicide rather than dying fighting - compared with others resisted fiercely, showing 'the spirit of the Romans'.