54 BCE - Caesar Returns To Britain

by Iain MacAnTsaoir

The legal pretense for moving against the tribes in Britain was that they were helping the various forces who occasionally rose up against Caesar. While the first expedition was purely to reconnoiter the area, with the second expedition he landed over 30,000 troops. After establishing and securing their beachhead, they moved inland and engaged the Cantii at a hill fort at what is now known as Bigbury Wood. Eventually the Romans took this fort, but not before the Cantii cheifs and most of their forces had escaped.

While inland the Romans were enjoying their victory, at the beach, winds had skuttled most of the Roman ships. After withdrawing back to his base camp, Caesar dispatched a war-galley to Portus Itius with orders to build replacement troop transports. He then began another march into the interior. This march did not go as well for the Romans, as a new Celtic commander (Cassivelaunos), elected after the fall of the hillfort at Bigbury Wood, utilized guerilla warfare tactics. With the one exception of a concentrated attack by the Romans, these tactics cost the Romans greatly, nearly decimating even Caesar's crack troops.

Though constantly harried, Caesar pushed forward. Believing that they were fighting a losing battle, five southern and eastern septs of the Canttii surrendered. Cassivelaunos kept with the very effective tactics of low intensity engagement. Eventually Caesar crossed the Medway, and then the Thames, where they encountered warriors of the Cassivelauni proper. From here on out the guerilla tactics intensified as Caesar pressed further inland along the Colne Valley. The Romans eventually forced their way to the very capital of the Cassivelauni, a hillfort at what is now Wheathampstead. The Romans stormed the fort from two direction and took it, though Cassivelaunos and members of his entourage escaped. This victory by the Romans caused another tribe, the Trinovantes, to seek terms with the Romans. This, even though there were over a dozen other hillforts from which Cassivelaunos could still inflict damage on the Roman forces. Hoping to cause Caesar to fall back, Cassivelaunos sent orders to four Cantii chiefs to draw up and attack the Roman base camp. While they did what was ordered, causing Caesar himself to return to the rear areas to assess, Caesar left his forces at Wheathampstead, rendering the plan a failure. Cassivelaunos, facing the bleak prospects generated by defecting tribes and Roman rapine of of his territories, sent an ambassador to Caesar to work out terms. Having secured a promise that tribute would be paid to the Roman treasury, as well as obtaining a great many hostages, Caesar fell back to his beachhead. When the transports were ready, he and his forces left British soil. No payments were ever made, and no further hostages were sent. Any thoughts that Caesar may have had for military occupation of Britain never materialized because of problems in Gaul.

Sources:

The Battle For Gaul, Julius Caesar, David R. Godine Pub, (c)1980, ISBN 0-87923-306-0

The Celtic Empire, Peter Berresford Ellis, Carolina Acedemic Press, (c)1994,ISBN 0-89089-457-4

The World of the Celts, Simon James, Thames and Hudson Ltd., (c)1993, ISBN 0-500-0567-8

The Celts, Gerhard Herm, St. Martin's Press, (c)1977, ISBN 312-1205-7

The Celts, Jean Markale, Inner Traditions Intl, (c)1978, ISBN 0-89281-413-6

The Celtic World, Amanda Green, Routledge, (c)1995, ISBN 0-415-05764-7

Encyclopedia Brittanica15th Edition, Vol. 2, ISBN 0-85229-591X

History of the World, J.M. Roberts,Oxford Press, 1993, ISBN 0-19-521043-3

prepared by Iain MacAnTsaoir

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