'As the hours passed, the Romans slowly tightened the circle on them, hacking and killing as each Belgic warrior fought with all his might. With the tide of battle now turned the Belgic warriors demonstrated their own ferocity and determination to remain an unconquered people. 'His arrival brought such hope to the beleaguered men around Caesar that even those who had been seriously wounded propped themselves against their shields for support to continue to fight.' But the real turning point of the battle hinged on the counterattack led by Labienus who, seeing Caesar's desperate struggle, dashed back across the river.

They managed to stop the encirclement and were presently reinforced by the the arrival of the two legions that had escorted the baggage train. Caesar had been rushing madly to every corner of the battlefield, but when he saw the dire threat at the camp, he leapt from his horse, grabbed a sword, and joined the fray.'Īlthough Caesar's men rallied with their commander beside them calling them by name, their plight was dire. The Nervii stormed over the uncompleted walls of the Roman stronghold, killing many of the legionaries and threatening to outflank the Roman forces who had already crossed the river. With a herculean effort, the Roman troops on the eastern side of the battlefield were able to push the Atrebates and then the Vironmandui back across the river with heavy losses on both sides, but the Nervii on the western end would not yield and pressed the Romans until they fell back in a hopeless struggle to save their camp. There was no time to call his officers together and form a plan, so each organized whatever men were nearest and struck back at the Belgae. His army would surely have been overwhelmed had it not been for the training and experience they had gained during the past year. 'He had been caught unprepared for a surprise assault of such force and speed. The details of a surprise attack by Belgic tribes was particularly intense and sadly ironic because Caesar was essentially saved by his future Civil War opponent, Labienus. I especially found the defeats or near-defeats suffered at the hands of the Celts as fascinating as Caesar's famous victory at Alesia.

He recounts Caesar's conquest of the Celtic tribes of Gaul against a vivid tapestry of the Celtic culture gleaned from such works as Rankin's 'Celts and the Classical World, Cunliff's 'The Ancient Celts', and Green's 'The World of the Druids'. Freeman not only stitches together the various ancient accounts of Caesar's exploits but adds context to his activities by including helpful background information about his various adversaries pulled from a wealth of modern scholarship. Philip Freeman's 'Julius Caesar' is a comprehensive biography of the Roman conqueror that is as straightforward and readable as the general's own 'Gallic Wars'.

Julius caesar by philip freeman