Battle Report: Imperial Romans v New Kingdom Egyptian

5th July '97
 

Armies and Deployment

I tried my first sortie with the Trajanic Romans (c100 AD) last week, facing off against Gordon wielding the dreaded Egyptian Chariots. After sorting through what figures had survived the last move from house to house, I gathered up 14 cohortes of legionarii, 6 Alae of Cavalry, with a further 2 Alae of Cataphractarii, 8 Alae of Auxilia, 4 Alae of Sagitarii trained to deploy as Psiloi,  a small group of British symacharii, a few SPanish slingers, a couple of clans of Numidian Light Horse, and a mercenary force of Sarmatian Lancers who'd fortuitously sailed through the Bosporus & wound up in nearby Crete. These were under a mercenary general, by name of Philokrater (lover of the wine jug), and I decided to hire them against my better judgement - I thought he looked surly & untrustworthy. Still, we set sail to invade th Land of the Ancients...

We fought on the Nile, of course: although, as I had neglected to order up my naval strength, this was ineligible as terrain! My opponent kindly placed it instead! He had summoned a host of these wheeled carts, over a dozen, with a long line of well-trained spearmen, and a large group of the expert Egyptian archers. There were also innumerable dispersed groups of javelinmen and slingers, a small band of heavily-armoured foot bearing iron blades on their shoulder and (unbeknownst to me) a levy of local peasantry fighting uncertainly in auxiliary fashion.

The battlefield was almost bare: We had the Nile on our right flank, with the town of Timia on its banks, halfway between the armies, and a small patch of scrubby bushes near the Egyptian camp. I deployed my right, under Gn. Tibia with the Symacharii on the banks of the Nile, and the auxilia to the left of them, with a screen of slingers to lead off there. My centre was under the command of the reliable Q. Pompus Pompilius, as ever, and he had command of all the cohorts of the legions, together with the catafractarii to support his flank, and the Sagitarii to provide a skirmish line. To the left of them was placed the mercenary Philokrater, with all his 10 clans of Sarmatians. Myself, I commanded a reserve, made up of a few Auxilia, all the Alae of Cavalry, and the Numidians. I placed half of the cavalry and the Numidians on the left of the Sarmatians - to cover their iinevitable impetuous dash against the enemy, and the rest directly behind the shifty Philokrater - to discourage any thoughts of untrusty nature!.
 
  My opponent placed his peasant levies (AxI) in the town of Timia, with the iron-bladed guardsmen well behind the town, covering the falnk of his mass of archers. The Spearwall was next and in front of these archers, with a few groups of slingers and archers dispersed over the front. To the right of his spearwall was a looong line of his warcarts - I counted 16 squadrons of them.

Well my plan was obvious - tenpt and face off the spearwall with my legio, fire the Sarmatians like a Cretan arrow into the mass of chariotry, try to uncover the Egyptian flanks by using the Auxiliaries and Symacharii on my right and the Alae of Cavalry on my left, while the reserves cover the left of the legionaries from incursion by the chariotry. 

The Battle

Things did not start as well as they might have! On the far left, the Alae of cavalry moved off, and the Egyptian detached some squadrons to counter them: unfortunately the Numidians were tempted into a rash charge by some apparently exposed skirmishers, but having defeated these found themselves taken in flank by a squadron of chariots, who drove them back in such confusion that they fled the field. On the right, the Auxiliaries mounted a brisk attack on the levies, driving them back in handsome style: unfortunately the Symacharii, obviously unsettled by the change in climate, were driven back by a small group of slingers standing atop one of the buildings.

The Sarmatian mercenaries, much to my surprise, were keen for battle, and rushed off to engage the chariotry with much gusto, not to mention much ribaldry at such antique weaponry. They plunged into these without ado, ignoring the long line of spearmen marching in stately fashion past their right flank. After much pushing and shoving, they started making inroads, destroying two squadrons. On their left the alae of cavalry struggled to little effect with the detachment of Chariots sent to face them, while in the centre the Egyptian Spearwall had approached the legion, then hesitated, daunted by the appearance of our Roman glory no doubt. On the right, the Auxilia had driven back and broken the peasant levies. Although the plucky slingers on the rooftop fought off three charges by the Symacharii, when they saw themselves alone, they decided to retire also, and the Symacharii spent the rest of the battle hunting them through the streets of Timia, to little effect I might add.

However, while the Sarmatians were expending themselves driving back the Chariotry, the Egyptian was marching his archers over to face them, and a small group of Chariotry, led by the Pharaoh slipped around the Sarmatians to threaten the flank of the Legion. In response, I led up the catfractarii and my bodyguard of loyal german cavalry. The catafractarii tried conclusions with the extreme edge of the Spearwall, and after being repulsed, I directed their charge into the Pharaoh’s own bodyguard, while the Legion plunged, sword on high, into the Spearwall. On the right, we were making little headway: after emerging from the winding streets of Timia, the Auxiliaries found themselves facing the Royal Guard, with the Governors bodyguard chariots and a few remaining skirmishers. Both adopted a posture of defence, to see what ensued.

At this moment, the Sarmatians finally broke the Egyptian chariotry, sending it streaming off the field: unfortunately, the bulk of the Sarmatians streamed after it in hot pursuit. On the extreme left, the flank cavalry were still going back and forth with the detachment of Chariotry they faced - although these were disheartened at the rout of their main body, they clung tenaciously on. The struggle in the centre continued, with no headway being made by the Legion against the tough & expert Egyptian spearmen. The battle seemed hung by a thread, as the Egyptian archers massed to destroy the pursuing Sarmatian mercenaries.

I judged the time right to plunge in, having little other chance of affecting the battle from here onward. I led my bodyguard in a desparate charge against the flank of the Pharaoh’s bodyguard, destroying them. Meanwhile, Philokrater rallied a handful of Sarmatians and brought them to my aid. The Pharaoh had just completed the destruction of the catphractarii, when we fell upon him like a whirlwind, pinning the Chariots without room to manouevre against the flank of their spearwall, then driving them into this, destroying them and so disordering the spearmen there that they fell easy prey to the Legionaries they were fighting. At the capture of Pharaoh, the Spearwall unravelled and fell away, pursued hotly by the vengeful Legionaries, while the Archers were so disheartened they fled pell-mell, though not before destroying the bulk of the Sarmatian mercenaries. Last off the field were the Governor with the Royal Bodyguard infantry, stalking unmolested and formidable to the rear.

The Aftermath

A lucky victory, as much as a deserved one, I think: If I had not destroyed Pahraoh then, his archers would in the following turn destroyed the Sarmatians, and probably with them my own bodyguard. However, if the Egyptian had garrisoned the town with his Foot Guard (Blade(O)), then he could have kept me out of the town indefinitely, and compelled the Legion to stay back - which would have opened such a gap between them and the Sarmatians as to ensure the isolation and destruction of the Sarmatians, and eventually the whole army thereby.

Lessons for the Romans:

Lessons for the Egyptians: