The Battle of Vesontio, also known as the Battle of Vosges, was fought in 58 BC when the Roman general Julius Caesar defeated a Suebi-led Germanic horde under King Ariovistus in present-day Alsace.
Background[]
In 63 BC, the Celtic Sequani tribe of Gaul, seeking outside support in their struggle against the Aedui, invited the Germanic Suebi tribe under Ariovistus to migrate into Gaul and invade the Aedui lands. At Magetobriga, the Aedui nobility was massacred and the Sequani forced the Aedui to become a tributary state. However, in return for his aid, Ariovistus demanded a third of Sequani territory, which they reluctantly agreed to. By 58 BC, 120,000 Suebi had crossed the Rhine and made their home in Gaul, and Ariovistus demanded additional Sequani territory in order to settle an extra 24,000 Germans, while he took Sequani and Aedui hostages to keep them obedient.
The Roman general Julius Caesar and his legions had been resting at Bibracte following their final victory over the Helvetii, when a council of Gallic leaders and diplomats under the Aedui statesman Diviciacus implored Caesar to intervene against the Suebi (who would soon migrate towards Genua, Roman territory). Caesar was happy to oblige, but, as Ariovistus was a friend of Rome, Caesar offered to meet him first. Ariovistus declined his invitation, and Caesar then sent a diplomat to Ariovistus to demand the release of the Gallic hostages and a cessation of hostilities.
Ariovistus would be allowed to keep his lands and his friendship with Rome in exchange for these concessions, but he instead doubled down and sent a message back to Caesar, telling him that, if the Romans could conquer wherever they liked, so could he. In the meantime, the 24,000 additional Germans crossed the Rhine and began to pillage Gaul. Caesar, who had an order from the Roman Senate to protect Rome's allies, again marketed himself as the savior of Gaul and took his 30,000 troops to confront Ariovistus' horde at Vesontio, the largest town in the Sequani territories.
Battle[]
The Romans reached Vesontio first after marching throughout both daytime and nighttime, but the Romans were demoralized by reports of the Germans' strength, nearly causing a mutiny. Caesar insisted that, if no one else would fight, he and Legio X Gemina would face the Germans alone; this inspired Gemina to fanatically support him, while the other legions were shamed into taking a stand.
Ariovistus then sent messages to Caesar to ask for a meeting at Vosges in Alsace, and Caesar agreed, although the meeting did not go well, and Ariovistus claimed that, if he killed Caesar, there would be many in Rome that were grateful. Caesar and Ariovistus' cavalry bodyguards skirmished before retreating to their camps. A few days later, Ariovistus asked for another meeting, so Caesar sent his two translators to the meeting, anticipating a trap; Ariovistus considered burning them, but ultimately spared them.
Ariovistus instead moved to battle with his 6,000 cavalry, 16,000 light infantry, while the rest consisted of heavier infantry, for a total of 30-40,000 men. The Suebi surprised Caesar by moving behind his position and cutting off the Romans from their supply lines. For five days, Caesar drew out his army in battle formation, but Ariovistus was content to strangle Caesar's supply line as they waited. Caesar then formed his legion into three lines and built a new camp closer to the German ranks. Ariovistus sent all of his light infantry and cavalry to harass the Romans at their new camp, but they were driven off. After Caesar returned to his first camp with four legions and left two legions and auxiliaries at the new camp, Ariovistus decided to attack the new Roman camp.
The fighting was fierce, lasting from midday and into the evening. The Romans eventually repelled the attack and took some prisoners, discovering that Ariovistus had been told by his priests not to fight until after the new moon. Caesar decided to go on the offensive, leaving small garrisons in each camp before marching on the Suebi camp. The Suebi formed a semicircle of baggage trains on which their women stood to cheer their men on. Caesar then ordered his men to charge, but the Suebi also charged, forcing the Romans to drop their javelins before they could even throw them. The Germans formed a shield wall, and neither side could gain the upper hand early in the battle. The Romans struggled to break the shield wall, and, after hard fighting, Caesar's right flank began to push back the German left.
However, the Roman left began to falter. Marcus Licinius Crassus' son Publius Licinius Crassus led the Romans' third-line reserve to support the flank, arriving just in time to avert disaster. The Suebi army broke and ran, and the Germans attempting to retreat through their wagons were packed so tightly that the dead could not even fall over. The entire Suebi force fled back across the Rhine, pursued by the Roman cavalry, and Caesar left Titus Labienus to winter with the legions in Sequani territory as Caesar left to govern Cisalpine Gaul.
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