Mark Jones  - Apr 10, 2007 2:10 pm (#5471 Total: 5480)  
"Rem tene; verba sequentur" - "Grasp the subject, the words 
will follow" - Cato the Elder 
	 
More AAR goodness, this time in the form of The First 
Alexander Invasion.

327 B.C.

In the Consulship of Q. Publilius Philo & L. Cornelius Lentulus 

Alexander, the King of Molossia crossed the Adriatic in response to a
plea for aid from the Tarentines in 327 B.C. Rumour has it that
Alexander has crossed to Italy to escape the ill omen from an oracle who
told him that he would be killed near the Acheron, a river in western
Greece as well as the prospect for carving out his own small empire
amongst the divided Greeks of Magna Graecia. To the north of Tarentum,
the Samnites have grown in power and the fear of attacks from the tribe
was what gave reason for the Tarentines to request aid from across the
sea. Rome too has expanded, starting to conquer the surrounding areas
and coming into inevitable conflict with the Samnites and other Italian
tribes. 

Gaius Pontius, one of the Meddix of the Samnites (equivalent to a
magistrate in Rome) along with Statius Gellius, began a campaign in
Apulia, entering the region with some 8,000 infantry and 900 cavalry.
The army manages to reach the small city of Canusium with little
resistance from the locals though there are rumours that the Apulians
are gathering in numbers to expel the Samnites at Luceria, to the north.
Canusium surrenders to the Samnite forces and allows them entrance to
the city where Pontius orders his force to gather supplies for the
forthcoming campaign. 

Alexander himself, after subduing the Lucanians and Bruttians, is torn
between what to do. He could strike north into Samnium or even confront
the Samnites in Apulia where he may be able to gather support from the
locals. However, ever the optimist, Alexander heads toward Rhegium,
hoping to capture the valuable city that will provide him with income,
reinforcements and consolidate his control over Bruttium. He leads his
army of 12,500 Epirote infantry and 1,200 cavalry and follows the west
coast to the nearby city of Locri. Alexander hopes to take Locri and use
it as a base to supply his troops during the ensuring siege of Rhegium
but the stubborn Locrians refuse him entry and he is forced to march on
Rhegium regardless. Reaching the city Alexander begins preparations for
a lengthy siege, especially given the city’s access to vital sea
resources. During this time Alexander loses around 500 men to the
effects of attrition. 

Meanwhile, Gaius Pontius takes his army south to the city of Gnaitha,
which again submits without a struggle. The Meddix is making slow
progress in his campaign in Apulia, again remaining inside the city for
a length period of time to re-supply his men. 

With the majority of the Samnite army in Apulia under Pontius, the
Consul Cornelius Lentulus leads his Consular army (some 11,000 foot and
1,200 cavalry) across the river that borders Campania and Samnium. The
Romans attack and besiege Maleventum, a city that will be made famous by
another Epirote in a few decades, losing a small number of men during
the river crossing. The city itself is garrisoned by 2,000 men plus a
small militia force meaning that it will be no easy siege for the
Romans. 

With many of the Romans supplied from Campania the losses at Maleventum
are somewhat limited on both sides, with approximately 1,000 men lost
throughout the entire duration of the siege. At Rhegium however, things
are far more serious with Alexander losing 2,000 able Epirotes and the
defenders also losing 1,000. It is said that Alexander greatly cursed
the Locrians during the early months of the siege. He eventually
captured the city when a number of Greek traders within Rhegium opened
the gates to his men and allowed them access. Though the defending
troops were mercilessly slaughtered the city was spared in hope that a
number of Greeks within the city would join his cause. 

In Apulia local leaders gather an army of just 2,500 infantry and 300
cavalry to oppose the Samnite invasion. Realising they cannot directly
confront and defeat the Samnites in battle the army occupies Ausculum
where it can guard two river crossings on either side of the city and
hopefully engage the Samnites on better terms should they attempt to
cross the rivers. 

The other Consul Publilius Philo begins a campaign in Umbria with his
Consular army, which includes a legion of veteran troops from the wars
of conquest over the previous years. The campaign is not an easy one
however, with the route into Umbria a difficult one, and around 1,000
men losing their lives early on crossing hostile territory. The army
moves on Spoletium when word reaches Philo that an army of over 7,000
Umbrians has gathered at Camerinum. 

During this time the Meddix Gaius Pontius receives word of the Roman
incursion into his homeland and is ordered to return to Samnium to
ensure the safety of his people. His army of 8,000 infantry and 900
cavalry attacks the besieging Romans under Lentulus, with 11,000
infantry and 1,200 cavalry and manages a decisive but not major victory
over the Romans. The cavalry wings were largely ineffective due to the
nature of the terrain around Maleventum and the Romans lose 2,500
infantry; the Samnites, 1,500 infantry; and both lose around 500 cavalry
each. Though the outnumbered Samnite cavalry can do little to harass the
beaten Romans they nevertheless suffer even greater losses as the army
retreats across the river and back to Capua.

When word reaches the Senate of the defeat of Lentulus there is panic in
the Forum and many cry out for a Dictator to be appointed to rescue the
city from disaster. D. Junius Brutus Scaeva is favourite to become
Dictator but the upcoming magisterial elections delay his appointment
for a short while. 

In Umbria, the large army of locals descends upon the Romans inside
Spoletium. The Consul Philo leads his army out of the city to meet the
Umbrian army, though the Umbrian lands aren’t particularly well-suited
to pitched battle. The Romans suffer greater casualties during the
battle, losing 2,300 men to the Umbrians 1,500 but Philo refuses to
accept defeat and the battle ends in a stalemate. 

When news reaches Rome of the resistance put up in Umbria it only serves
to reinforce the calls for Junius Brutus Scaeva to be appointed to the
Dictatorship. The Senate grants him the office, and Scaeva appoints L.
Papirus Cursor as the Magister Equitum. Scaeva remains in Rome to pass
necessary legislation and properly consult the augers while Cursor
prepares to ride to Capua to take command of the battered legions under
Lentulus. 


Mark Jones - Apr 10, 2007 2:10 pm (#5472 Total: 5480)  
"Rem tene; verba sequentur" - "Grasp the subject, the words will 
follow" - Cato the Elder 326 B.C.

In the Consulship of Q. Aulius Cerratanus & Q. Fabius Maximus Rullianus 

In Rome the dictator Junius Scaeva oversees the Consular elections which
see Aulius Cerratanus serving in Rome while Fabius Maximus Rullianus
takes command of the legions in Umbria. A newly raised Roman legion
remains with the dictator in Rome while Papirus Cursor heads to Capua.
Fortunately for Rome, the popular general Gaius Pontius is relieved of
his position by Statius Gellius, using Pontius’ limited success in
Apulia as a springboard. Papius Brutulus is elected as one of the other
Meddix commanding Samnite forces from the stronghold of Bovianum. In the
south, almost 2,000 Greeks join with Alexander’s Epirote army, with a
vast proportion coming from newly captured Rhegium. 

The year starts particularly slowly as the Romans attempt to recover
from the setbacks of the previous year which ensures less rigorous
campaigning, and the Samnites fail to take advantage of the situation
due to inept leadership and political intrigue which has seen them
deprived of their most able general. Papirus Cursor takes command of the
legions at Capua and has them undergo hard training in order to recover
from the defeat suffered the previous year, and reclaim their
masculinity. Cursor then leads them from the protection of Capua to the
smaller town of Nola, which borders Samnium and allows the Roman legions
under his command to contest a river crossing should the Samnites
attempt to invade Campania. 

In the south Alexander triumphantly returns to Locri having prosecuted
the siege of Rhegium, and this time the city wisely welcomes him with
open arms. He spends little time at Locri, instead following the
southern coast to Croton, hoping to recruit more Greeks to his cause to
replace the soldiers lost at Rhegium. 

Papius Brutulus decides to continue the campaign in Apulia began by
Gaius Pontius the previous year. He leads an army of 5,000 infantry and
just 500 cavalry into northern Apulia but fails to capture the city of
Teanum. Rather than force the issue he instead heads for Arpi, making
slow progress and doing considerable less that Pontius in the same
amount of time. 

In Umbria, Rullianus takes command of the Roman legions there. Though
some senators have urged him to take the legions south to combine with
Cursor, the enmity between the two ensures he decides to restore Roman
honour by defeating the Umbrians. The Umbrians again make use of the
terrain and their knowledge of the area to offset the Roman advantage in
numbers and cavalry but Rullianus still wins a narrow victory, slaying
over 2,000 Umbrians at a loss of around 1,800 of his own men. 

Rullianus, desperate for a decisive battle that will end the campaign in
Umbria, pursues battle again. Another 1,500 Umbrians are killed in
another Roman victory, but Rullianus himself is wounded during the
battle ensuring the Romans fail to eliminate the Umbrian army
completely, with the remnants escaping to Camerium. 

With the onset of winter approaching, Alexander finally succeeds in
securing the surrender of Croton, while Statius Gellius fails to
accomplish little more than get the army of his predecessor, Gaius
Pontius, into Maleventum to join with some of the newly raised forces
there. 


Mark Jones - Apr 10, 2007 2:11 pm (#5473 Total: 5480)  
"Rem tene; verba sequentur" - "Grasp the subject, the words will 
follow" - Cato the Elder 325 B.C.

In the Consulship of Q. Publilius Philo & C. Sulpicius Longus

The Samnite inability to follow up on their victory over Philo over a
year ago sees the crisis in Rome successful averted by Junius Scaeva as
Dictator, whose main role was to oversee the training of a new legion in
Rome alongside the Praetor Urbanus. Some accomplished politicking allows
Publilius Philo to recapture the consulship with vows of revenge on the
Samnites helping to assist with his election. The Consul Sulpicius
Longus takes command of the army in Umbria, Philo remains in Rome and L.
Furius Camillus takes over as Proconsul of the legions in Campania. 

The Samnites amazingly allow Papius Brutulus to retain command of the
army which campaigned so ineffectively in Apulia but the Meddix Statius
Gellius’ relinquishes the command of the large Samnite force at
Maleventum to Gellius Egnatius who recruits a further 3,500 infantry and
300 cavalry. Alexander’s army is swelled by some 3,000 Greek infantry
and 300 cavalry. 

Brutulus finally captures a city in Apulia as Arpi surrenders to him,
while almost simultaneously Sulpicius Longus avoids further
confrontation with the Umbrian forces but subdues the majority of the
area for Rome with the surrender of Sentium. 

The Consul Publilius Philo takes the newly recruited legion and the
veteran legion raised in the previous year and heads for Capua.
Gathering supplies at the city he then sets of not against the Samnites
but to counter the growing threat imposed by Alexander in the south. He
makes for Potentia, losing around 500 men on route and failing to
convert it to Rome’s cause. Rather than waste time on the small city he
instead makes for Bruxentum, a city loyal to the Epirotes and blocking
the most likely route that Alexander’s army must traverse should he wish
to head north. 

The Meddix Gellius Egnatius gathers a Samnite army of some 15,000
infantry and over 2,000 cavalry and crosses the river into Campania.
Camilius attempts to intercept the Samnites as they cross, but his
depleted army cannot reasonably control the river as hoped, allowing the
Samnites to slip by. The hazardous river crossing does cause some
casualties for the Samnites who then head for Capua and besiege the
powerful city. 

In Apulia, the native Italian army makes a move to confront the Samnites
under Brutulus despite their inferior numbers. As the army of fewer than
3,000 men advances on Arpi the Samnites come out to confront it.
Brutulus loses 1,000 of the 5,000 infantry and 300 cavalry under his
command but the battle ends unresolved, with both sides retreating from
the field. 

Alexander now heads north, any agreement with Rome forgotten since word
reached him of the Roman army outside Bruxentum. His army now contains
14,000 Epirote and Greek infantry and 1,800 cavalry, slightly
outnumbering Philo’s legions. Alexander engages the Romans not far from
the city of Bruxentum itself and the Romans mange to win a major victory
thanks to the Roman veteran and terrain which ensured Alexander’s
cavalry was ineffective. Alexander loses around 3,000 men to Rome’s
1,000. The Epirote King is wounded during the battle and his battered
forces retreat inside Bruxentum. 

The siege of Capua sees 3,500 Samnites die along with almost half of the
Roman garrison of the city, but it manages to hold out with fresh hope
that it may be saved once the winter frosts clear and allow armies back
into the field. 


Mark Jones - Apr 10, 2007 2:11 pm (#5474 Total: 5480)  
"Rem tene; verba sequentur" - "Grasp the subject, the words will 
follow" - Cato the Elder 	 

Last one!

324 B.C.

In the Consulship of D. Junius Scaeva & L. Cornelius Lentulus 

The successful dictatorship of Junius Scaeva in 326 B.C. sees his
election as Consul alongside Cornelius Lentulus, the man whose own
consulship ended so timidly in 327 B.C. The great success of Publilius
Philo over Alexander, King of Molossia gains himself a proroguing as
Proconsul, allowing him to retain command of his victorious legions.
With Scaeva in Rome and Lentulus back campaigning in Umbria, the former
Consul Fabius Maximus Rullianus takes over the command of the legions in
Campania as Proconsul. 

In Samnium, Papius Brutulus and Gellius Egnatius both retain command of
their armies, but the Samnite manpower starts to thin, with only 2,000
infantry and 300 cavalry being raised in Bovianum, the chief city of the
Samnites. Despite his defeat in the previous year, Alexander has over
3,000 Greeks swell his ranks from the various Greek colonies under
control. 

The Samnites took the initiative early in the year, throwing themselves
back into the siege of Capua, losing 1,500 of their number but reducing
the garrison to just a few hundred of men, who were barely holding out.
The Meddix Papius Brutulus defeated the Apulians, who had made
campaigning in northern Apulia so troublesome, in a small engagement
with both sides losing only a small number of troops. The Consul Junius
Scaeva led a newly recruited Roman army to Nola to join with Rullianus
but deemed the Samnite cavalry too problematic to deal with on the open
plains surrounding Capua. Scaeva therefore decided that the war against
Alexander should first be concluded before Capua was to be relieved so
that all of Rome’s might could be brought to bare. 

Publilius Philo, the Proconsul who had recovered from the shame of his
defeat to the Samnite Gaius Pontius with a crushing victory over
Alexander now proceeded to attempt to remove Epirote presence from
Lucania. He led is remaining army, which was almost at full strength of
two full legions and besieged the city of Paestum which had a garrison
of 2,000 Epirotes left by Alexander. Realising the importance of a quick
resolution to the siege and the war against Alexander, Philo ordered his
men to assault the city walls which they accomplished successfully
losing just 1,000 men and slaughtering the Epirotes within. Fabius
Maximus Rullianus then led his own army of 6,000 infantry and 900
cavalry to Potentia in Lucania in support of Philo and succeeded in
capturing the city promptly. 

With the Romans successfully conquering many of the cities captured by
Alexander in the previous years, the Epirote king gathered his own
demoralised and disorganised army and immediately marched for Paestum,
hoping to trap the Romans within the city while they still celebrated
their victory. When word reached Philo that Alexander was on his way,
the Proconsul could not react in time to meet the enemy on the field of
battle and found Alexander already cutting supplies to the city. The
fact that Philo was so ill prepared for the siege almost cost the Romans
dear as Alexander conspired with those within still loyal to him, but
their treachery was discovered at the last moment by the Romans, and
Alexander was not able to take the city by devious methods. 

Seeing the threat still posed by Alexander, Rullianus led his men from
Potentia to Paestum, seeking battle. Rullianus managed to sneak spies
into the city to inform Philo of what was to transpire and the Gods
proved to be on the side of Rome, as both the armies of Rullianus and
Philo fell upon the Epirotes outside Paestum. The Romans mustered over
16,000 compared to Alexander’s 15,000 with neither side holding an
advantage in cavalry. Alexander lost over 3,000 compared to 1,800
Romans, narrowly losing a hard fought battle despite the condition of
his troops and facing a number of Roman veterans. During the battle
itself Alexander was slain, his forces retreating to the friendly city
of Vena, and Rullianus again wounded. The battle itself took place near
an offshoot of the Silaris, know to locals as the Acheron, ironically
fulfilling the prophecy Alexander had struggled to escape. 

Outside Capua, Gellius Egnatius, tired of the long siege of the city,
gambled upon an assault with his army of some 12,500 infantry. The
Samnites managed to storm the city though almost half of their number
were lost during the struggle and Egnatius himself lost his life. The
Samnites took out the frustrations of the difficult siege on the city,
sacking and looting it in an act of cruel retribution. 

The year closed with the threat of Alexander’s invasion largely over.
Bruttium still remains in Epirote hands but without their leader it is
difficult seeing it remaining so for much longer, especially with Roman
dominance in Lucania. The Samnites managed to cause a significant blow
to Rome in capturing and sacking the Campanian city of Capua, but the
failed campaigns in Apulia have cost them dear over the previous year,
mainly due to inept leadership. Rome meanwhile, has subdued Umbria and
wrestled Lucania from Alexander’s Epirotes though Campania has now
become a battleground with the Samnites for the years to come… 

Roman Victory! Rome controls Latium (2), Umbria (3), and Lucania (3) = 8
Samnites control Samnium (3) = 3 Epirotes control Bruttium (3) =3