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Brent Ventura
Ms. Bergen, Mrs. Downer, Mrs. Ibrahim
English 10-2, Latin 2-4, World History MWF
10 November 2010
The Military Genius of Julius Caesar in Gaul
The only thing that surpassed Julius Caesar’s military genius was his charisma. His
military victories displayed cunning, wit and an adept understanding of military affairs. From
the very start, Caesar battled throughout Gaul and even farther on his way to becoming a legend.
The climactic struggle would come to define the man, Julius Caesar.
Julius Caesar first began to display his military genius when he was given the
governorship of Gaul. From the start, he wanted military glory but was not allowed out of the
small section of Gaul under Roman authority. However, the Germanic tribe of Helvetti provided
the perfect excuse to advance. His campaign is described as, “By quick marches and daring
tactics, he defeated the Helvetti...” (Asimov 192). It was an awe inspiring victory that would give
Caesar permission to conquer the rest of Gaul.
The victory against the Helvetti was Caesar’s first major military victory. What was
especially shocking is that it was also Caesar’s first major battle as well (Asimov 193). It was
simply a display of Caesar’s enormous potential in a military position. After the battle, Caesar
also displayed amazing diplomacy skills in getting several small tribes in Gaul to submit without
a fight. However, this would not be the end of the campaign in Gaul.
Caesar would not be stopped. Plutarch summed up the events with,” ...he slew one
million in hand to hand fighting and took as many more prisoners.”(15.1). This is a great
description of Caesar’s brutality. It was very much accepted to do this in ancient Rome. It would
be viewed as protection against filthy and disgusting barbarians. Caesar could get inventive with
his methods of “extermination”, and he executed it with cunning brilliance. In one case, he
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bridged the Rhine only to slaughter an entire tribe of Germans who had come to Gaul. This was
the first time a Roman bridged the Rhine River into Germania, and the bridge was put up in a
few days and torn down when he was done. This helped Caesar but did not solve new problems.
Despite the ability to wipe out entire tribes at once, Caesar had armies around him on all
fronts because he not only had to fight Gauls but invading Germans as well. To cope with this,
the crafty general switched track. Instead of fighting “honorably”, he would use any means
possible. In one case, Caesar, “...held a conference with them ... and in an act of bad faith, seized
the leaders”(Asimov 194). He then massacred the scattered and wholly unprepared Gauls still at
camp. This was overlooked by the populace because the treachery was committed on the enemy.
Caesar also used a more defensive approach and let the Gauls attack him. He let them wear down
their already dwindling supply lines, and they were forced to submit. It was a very effective
strategy that could have only been thought of by Caesar’s incredible intelligence.
As Caesar continued an almost perfect record in Gaul, several tribes were forced to
cede defeat either militarily or by diplomacy. Any tribe who stood up to Caesar was either
entirely eliminated or sold into slavery. However, there was a great number of them who
accepted Caesar as their new overlord. Diplomacy became powerful in Caesar’s use. It was
mainly fear that was utilized though. With a massive Roman army under the command of a
seemingly unstoppable man, the Romans got a lot of diplomatic victories.
Along with the numerous victories came a problem for Caesar. Large casualties that
depleted his army. Since Caesar began to employ diplomacy, not only did this mean fewer
chances to lose men, but now the Gaul allies of Rome presented an untapped resource for
recruiting. This put Caesar’s charisma to the test. Only that could convince the barbarians to
join the Romans in arms against their brethren, combined with his great military mind. He
succeeded, and his army was reinforced for an offensive on two new and almost mythical fronts,
where no Roman had ever gone before.
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Caesar’s campaigns brought him outside of Gaul as well. Caesar on a few different
occasions, bridged the Rhine River into Germania. He also became the first Roman ever to cross
the English Channel into Britain, a place no one in the Mediterranean ever thought of as a place
of interest. It was nothing more than a far off land thought to be out of their military capability.
Germania, although a familiar battlefield of Rome, had never been battled from the west. Caesar
would show everyone that Rome, specifically he, was capable of such feats, and he would do so
with authority.
The physical barrier between Gaul and Germania (the Rhine River) also presented a
mental barrier which the Germans controlled. Caesar would put an end to that. Plutarch said,”...
he coveted the fame of being the first man to cross the Rhine with an army”(22). Caesar, a
smart man, knew if he were to destroy the mental barrier, he would become a great hero.
Now the Germans would have to respect Rome because they could get to their home. Although
he never conquered the land beyond the Rhine, it was a display of his power that he could use as
leverage against his military and political enemies.
Britain would be another daunting task in its own right. Not only would he have to
conquer the Channel itself, he had no knowledge of the terrain. This would give a great strategic
advantage to the British. However, Caesar went on. He proved his ability to improvise as he
faced an enemy whom no one had ever before. He had some dazzling success, but as Caesar
himself said, “... no one would afterward pass over into Britain for the purpose of making war.”
(4.30). Although Caesar was wrong about that, he knew that it was just out of his supply line’s
reach. He displayed great common sense in getting out of Britain before he lost his army to
starvation and barbarians.
Despite the fact that Caesar conquered neither Germania nor Britain, he did what was
probably his intentions in the first place. That would be, display his capabilities to inspire fear
in his enemies with a grand showing of what was thought to be impossible. It would also give
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Caesar incredible political clout in Rome as a great hero of the abyss. His ventures into the
unknown would make him a superstar in Rome, but for now, problems began to arise elsewhere.
Caesar returned to Gaul believing his position was secure, but it was quite the contrary.
Unrest in Gaul was beginning to take place. One man in particular was stirring up trouble. His
name was Vercingetorix, and he wanted revenge. Vercingetorix was a former lieutenant of
Caesar’s in the early campaigns. Even Caesar described him as, “...a young man of the highest
power...”(7.4). He very much disliked Caesar’s presence in his homeland, so he rose up against
him.
Vercingetorix was, in the beginning of his rebellion, able to enjoy success against Caesar.
Being numerically inferior to the Romans, he employed hit and run raids on Roman supplies. He,
“Never... allowed them to bring about a general engagement...” (Malleson 23). Caesar stood firm
and did not retreat, but he needed to do something or else his decade of effort would go to waste.
He would force them into a decisive battle where he knew he could win. He faked south to
Rome, so Vercingetorix believed it to be safe to fortify a position of his whole army for a grand
camp. Caesar immediately turned around and got to Vercingetorix at the town of Alesia.
Vercingetorix’s fortifications were built, but now he was completely surrounded by
Caesar. Caesar, always the showman, had a grand siege works built for containment. Caesar now
had the decisive battle he was looking for. Vercingetorix, undermanned and undersupplied,
needed nothing short of a miracle to escape Caesar. That miracle almost came as,”the nations of
Gaul assembled and came in arms to Alesia, three hundred thousand strong” (Plutarch 27.1).
Caesar was now surrounded as well. However, because the two Gallic armies had little to no
coordination, they were unable to press their advantage. As Caesar masterfully wielded troops
into the best possible places, the siege was maintained. As time ran out for a breakthrough, even
“Hannibal... would have quitted Alesia...” (Malleson 36). When Vercingetorix finally
surrendered, it marked the end of the conquest of Gaul. No forces were left to keep up the
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rebellion. After ten hard fought years, Rome had all of Gaul, thanks to Caesar.
Ten years after Julius Caesar took command, half of a continent was added to Rome’s
ever increasing borders. Through superior tactics, bravery and improvisation, Caesar became
master of Gaul. He overcame staunch resistance and several challenges. He proved himself to be
a true Roman great. His achievements in Gaul would inspire the empire to continue expansion
for generations to come.
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Works Cited
Asimov, Isaac. The Roman Republic. Boston: The Houghton Mifflin Company, 1966. Print.
Malleson, G.B. “Vercingetorix”. Transactions of the Royal Historical Society, New Series. Vol.
4. 1889. pp 1-40. Print.
C. Julius Caesar. Gallic War. Trans. W. A. McDevitte. Trans. W.S. Bohn. First Edition. New
York: Harper and Brothers. 1869. New Classical Library. Print.
Plutarch. Lives. Trans. Bernadotte Perrin. Cambridge, Massachusetts. Harvard University Press.
William Heinemann Ltd. 1919. Print.