The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1867-08-24
The Roman Legion.

The Roman Legion.
Tlo ,oo,;os or,bo 'ponons woro Gonpdod
an tho greatest mob;I;,v The Legion de-
rived its name from jeoeye. ..to select
hoc,nso >, w,s .omnoood of n;c,ad mon
IN ,hn oro,n;l,,;on ,y.s initial ot once the
supreme nerirction of military systematza.
ron ne ch,r,ctor;gsa hy tho votcron P;cco
Iom;n;. ..strcnoth, dcs1otch. y or d;scinline
in ;is most romnrrhcnsive sense, and cclcri.
,v in ito ,nnlicot;on, General {! do Van.
joncnmr, Who has critically examined and
luc;dlv wri.trn an his subject derived hi,
results as a basis from the works of Poly.
Inns oruifipp thereon olcan,nos of the most
anmosiic facts from Vcgetius. 1he fragments
of CATO, AMI thr historv of I,vv.
The legion embraced as solidity, only
infantry. TO this was added at a very early
date. small PROMOTION of cavalry, and at
u much later period an adjunct artillery
force of well instructed mon. The legion
propcr was composed of four kinds of foot
troops: /. the hasiati, who formed the first
| line ,. the 1,j,ciDes. the second line: 3,
| the frjarii. the third line or reserve, and, 4,
| the reiifes, skirmishers. The first, second
and fourth were equal in number in respect
| to each other, and constituted six.sevenths
| of the legion the third, however, only one.
seventh. Thus there were two kinds of in,
fantry, the .sinews of an army" the light
| uiraillcurs) to open the engagement, the
heavy or line to support, maintain, and de
eide it. How simple, yet how perfect, this
convention. to which twenty five hundred
years has added nothing new; to which
every great military mind has had to recur
when ignorance had wandered from the
broad road of common sense, and prejudice
had willully abandoned it to seek out other
tortuous paths to success.
According to General Vandoncourt, the
lepionary disposition for battle was an order
of three lines be echcons The ten platoons
of haStaf were drployed in the first line.
with intervals equal to their front; those OF
the yyincipes in the second line, behind the
inierruls of the first line those ofthe hidfii,
in the same manner, ia the third line. The
legionary light infantry was deployed, in
skirmish order, in front of the whole extent
of the front, as aauch TO cocer the deploy
| neut ofMe line jntant,v and hold the eaemy
in check untH the moeement acas completed,
| as 10 omen tie action. When the signal to
come TO close action was sounded, the light
| infantry fell back through the intervals OF
the first and second lines, and formed in,
flliny I'M the intervals of the third line
| The facility of subdivision possessed by the
leyions. gave them an aptitude for action on
any broken ground: and this, united to
| their discipline, justified the eloquent re.
| marks of Croly, and made them swift as the
eagle and irresistible as the thundrrbot.
An elegant writer, speaking of the famous
| Roman Legion and its operutions, saws that
.'the execution was done with promptitude
and completeness that less resembled the
ordinary operations of war than the work OF
| superhumnn power:n and the great Roman
| military critic. Count Elayhs kenatus Veg
| ,tius. who wrote his military Institutes"
| A. ID. 1880, contemplating the marvela
accomplished by The legonary discipline,
declared that ''soma god must have suggest,
ed the formations manruvres and armament
of legion to his people" The Roman
| knowledge of disturbances in q country
miliarily occupied was instantaneous.
"Signals established on the hills convey
ed intelligence with the speed oflight, from
the rcmotest corners of the land to their
principal stations. In conspracies, the
first knowledge that they had broken on,
was often conveyed to their partisans in the
next district by the movement ofthe Roman
troops Well had they chosen The eagle for
their ensign. They rushed with the eagles
rapdity on their victim, and when, it was
stretched in blood, they left the spot OF
vengeance ms if they had left it on the wing.
Their march had the rapidity of the most
hurried retreat, and the steadiness of the
most secure triumph. They left nothing
behind but TIE marks Of their irresistible
power.'
When Rome, declining from her supreme
ascension, permitted her tributaries to send
their coningcnts into the field, "a zone Of
| silence and solitude interposcd between the
dangerous riot OF barLariGr,, constituting
auxiliary force, and the severe regularity of
the legons. Far within this circle, the Wis.
itor reached the Roman camp, the aro,M ~
disciplined war. If his visit was toward the
close of day, the setting sun threw bis fame
on the long yistas Of shield and beimci
drawn out according to custom. for the hour
of exercise before nightcall. Tho trbunes
were ON horseback in front of The cohorts,
putting them through that bouodless variety
of admirable movements in which no sol.
d;e;y we're so dextcrious as those of Rome.