Gallic Resistance

As Roman governor of Cisalpine and Transalpine Gaul (northern Italy and southern France), Caesar campaigned against tribes of Gauls throughout modern France and across the Rhine River into Germany. His victories did not awe many Gauls, but they began to realize that as long as they practiced their traditional internecine warfare, they would never defeat Rome. They finally rallied around a single leader, Vercingetorix, chieftain of the Arverni. Dozens of tribes and literally hundreds of thousands of people swore allegiance to him, and Vercingetorix organized and trained the Gallic warriors to a level they had never before attained.

As the Romans marched south after capturing Lutetia (present-day Paris), Vercingetorix withdrew his army of perhaps 80,000 into the fortress town of Alesia (present-day Alise-Sainte-Reine), near the source of the Seine River. He also sent a cavalry force north to harass and delay the Romans.

Roman Invasion

Caesar’s army consisted of Roman legionaries, Germanic cavalry, and auxiliary troops that together totaled approximately 70,000 men. He reached Alesia and began the siege sometime in July 52 BCE. First, the Romans dug a trench completely around the hill on which Alesia sat. It was 15 to 20 feet wide with a high wall and observation towers. Meanwhile, Vercingetorix had dispatched riders and ordered them to rally the tribes to his aid. If the siege went on too long, the Romans could easily find themselves fighting back Gallic relief attacks while attempting to maintain their siege. Caesar then ordered the digging of a second set of trenches and walls outside the first as a defensive line against any relieving force.

In October, the relief force, numbering as many as 250,000 men, arrived. Caesar gathered whatever food was within foraging distance into his lines and continued the siege. The relief force attacked twice, using ladders and sandbags against the outer trenches, while Vercingetorix led sorties out of Alesia in support. The Romans with difficulty managed to beat back all assaults.

The third attack almost succeeded, as the Gauls discovered what they thought to be the weakest point of the Roman position. They approached at night and screened themselves behind a hill all morning. After a diversionary attack shifted Roman attention, multiple waves of Gauls charged the Romans. The Romans were pressed to the breaking point when the Romans’ Germanic cavalry struck the Gallic rear. That broke the assault, and the Gauls fled.

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