Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1867-12-21
GENERAL INTELLIGENCE
Roman soldiers.


by an English writer, the following ac-
count of the Roman soldiers occurs:
The Roman soldier was trained to
march twenty miles day, under bur-
den of eighty pounds; yea, to swim
rivers. TO climb mountains, TO pene-
trate forests, and to encounter every
kind of danger. He was taught that
his destiny was to die in battle. He ex-
peeted death. he was ready to die.
Death was his duty, and his glory. he
enlisted in the armies with iittie nope
of revising his home he crossed
seas and deserts and forests, WIN the
idea of spending his life IN the service
of his country. His pay was only
danarius daily, equal TO abont sixteen
cents of our money. Marriage was dis
conraoed or forbidden. He belonged
tn the state. and the state was exacting
and hard. He was reduced To ablect
obedience. vet he held IN his hand the
tba destiniss of the empire. And now
ever insignificant was the legionary as
a man. he gained importance from the
o,eat bndV with which he was ldenti-
fad He was the servant and the mas
ter of the state. He had an intense
ESPRIT de corps. He was bound up IN
tia glory of his legion, Both religion
aud honor bound him TO his standards.
The ool5en eagle which glittered in his
front was the object OF his tondest de-
votion. Nor was 1t possible 20 escape
the penalty OF cowsrdice or treachery,
or disobedieuce. He could be chas-
tised with blows by his centurion; his
general could doom him TO death.
Never was the severity of military dis
cinl,ue relaxed. Military exercises
were incessant, ia Winter as in sum
mer Ia the midst of peace the Roman
troons were famiIiariZed with the prac-
tice of war.
II was the spirit which animated the
Roman legions and the discipline to
which they were inured which gave
them their irresistible strength. When
we remember that they had not our
firearms. we are surprised at their eff
cheney. especially IN taking strongly
fortiGt 4 cities. Jerusalem was defend
ed by triple wall and the most elab'
crate Notifications, and twenty-tour
thousand soldiers, beside the ard re-
ceived from the citizens; and yet 1t
fell in little more than four months
before an army of eighty thousand,
under Titus. How great the science
to reduce a place of such great
STRENGTH in so short a time, without
the aid of other artillery than the
ancient catapult and battering ram!
Whether the military science OF the
Romans was superior or inferior to our
own. no one can question that 1t was
carried to utmost perfection before the
invention Of gun powder. We are only
superior in the application OF this
great invention, especially IN artillery.
There can be no doubt that Roman
army was superior to tendal army IN
the brightest days of chivalry. The
world has produced no generals supe-
rior to Caesar. Pompey, Sulla and
Marius. No armies ever won greater
victories over superior numbers than
the Roman, and no armies of their size
ever retained in submission so great an
empire, and for so long a time. At no
period in the history of the empire
were the armies so large as those sus-
tanned by France in time of peace.
Two hundred Thousand legionarles, and
as many more auxlliaries, controlled
diverse nations and powerful monarch
les. The single province Of Syria once
boosted of military force equal In the
number of soldiers to that welded by
Tiberius. twenty-five legions made
the conquest of the world, and re-
tanned that conquest for Ave hundred
years. The self sustained energy of
Caesar IN Gaul puts to the blush the
efforts of all modern generals, except
Frederic IL, Marlborough, Napoleon,
Wellington, Grant, Sherman, and a few
other great geninses which warlike
age developed; nor is there text book
on the art OF war than that furnished
by Caesar himself, in his Commentaries
And the great victories of the Romans
over barbarians, over Gauls, over Car
thagenians, over Syrians, were not the
result of short livedsenthusiam, like
those of Attila and Tamerlane, but ex-
tended over a thousand years. The
Romans were essentially military in
their tastes and habits. Luxurious
Senators and mobiles showed the great
est courage and skill in the most diff
cult campaigns, Antony, Caesar, Pom
pew and LucuIlus were at home eEerva-
ted and luxurious, but at the head OF
the legions were capable of any priva
ton and fatigue. The Roman legion
was most perfect organization, 8
great mechanical force, and could sus-
tain furious attacks after vigor, patriot
ism and public spirit had fed. Fol
three hundred years a vast empire was
sustained by mechanism alone.