Imagine a legion so impactful, that thousands of years later, it would inspire statues,
books, and even video games to be created in memory of its achievements and deeds.
A legion that is perhaps worthy of its own movie... Well, the closest I could give you,
is a detailed documentary based on a collection of writings from both modern and ancient historians,
so that you too can know the story of the men that changed history.
This video is sponsored by Private Internet Access, the world's most transparent VPN provider,
with over 30 million downloads. If you want to stay safe online, this software is for you!
That's because Private Internet Access hides your IP address and encrypts your internet connection,
concealing your location and digital footprint. Plus, it blocks all sorts of ads, trackers,
and malicious websites. Private Internet Access has a strict no-logs policy in place, which has
been proven multiple times in court. They don't collect or store any information on their users,
allowing you to browse the internet, safe from hackers or spies. What's more, Private Internet
Access is the most customizable VPN on the market, letting you make your experience truly your own.
The software is available for all platforms, from Windows, macOS, and Linux, to Android and iOS.
And one subscription protects up to 10 devices simultaneously. Most other VPNs support fewer
connections, so you get a lot more bang for your buck when choosing Private Internet Access. Click
the link in the description for a limited-time discount of 78%. That's just $2.59 a month,
plus you get 3 extra months for free! There's also a 30-day money-back guarantee in place,
and Customer Support is available to you 24/7. So, use the link below and sign up for Private
Internet Access today! The 14th was initially raised along with the 13th Legion in 57 BC,
in the middle of Julius Caesar's war with the Gauls. He had instilled a temporary peace in Gaul,
and positioned his Legions all around it. While many Gauls were against the idea of
these Roman war machines so close by, some preferred it, because now for the first
time in centuries, under Roman supervision, the Gallic tribes were not at war with each other.
Despite these conflicting opinions, Rome was currently at peace with all tribes of Gaul,
which made it hard to see who their friends and enemies were. Caesar put the 14th legion under
the command of several tribunes and put one of them named Sabinus in charge. The legion was to
build their fort in Atuatuca, near the small tribe of the Eburones, who supplied them with grain.
On one day, some legionaries, while collecting wood, were ambushed by the Eburones and killed.
Before news arrived to the camp, the 10,000 Gauls assaulted it. The Romans responded well,
shutting all the gates and repelling the attack with a good cavalry counter charge.
The roman commander, Sabinus, would have found us all very strange; the Eburones were a small tribe,
and their 10,000 was nowhere near enough to defeat a full legion in such a well-defended camp;
the whole assault seemed foolish to him. Later that day, a Gallic messenger came to them,
claiming that the leader of the Eburones, King Ambiorix, wanted to meet in private
to reveal some important information benefiting both sides. In the meeting,
Ambiorix said that although he was the king of the Eburones, he had little command over his tribe,
because they were all part of a conspiracy between ALL tribes of Gaul who mutually agreed that today
was the day they will attack every Roman outpost simultaneously, so that no legion could come to
the aid of another. He said that not only did his tribe really want to participate in the
attack and would kill him if he refused them, but he would also be putting his tribe in much
danger if he was to defy all the Gauls and not attack. Furthermore, there was a large force of
Germans that already crossed the Rhine to join the Gauls, and they were only 2 days behind. He
also said that the only reason he was revealing all this was because he already fulfilled his
part of the bargain to attack the 14th, and he was greatly indebted to Caesar for releasing his son
and nephew back to him, instead of selling them into slavery. And Sabinus knew this to be true.
Out of respect to Caesar, he begs Sabinus to save his Legion and fall back. He then offered safe
passage to the Romans if they abandoned their camp and withdrew back to support the other legions.
Sabinus was shocked by this news and considering that Caesar gave him strict orders not to leave
his position, he was in a bit of a conflict. He immediately called a council of his staff to
discuss the situation. One of the officers was Tribune Cotta, who was skeptical in the Gaul’s
story and strongly believed their best bet was to stay and hold out against any number of Gauls and
Germans. Perhaps it wouldn’t even be long until Caesar arrives with the other legions. But Sabinus
didn’t believe such a small tribe of Gauls could attack his fort at their own initiative
and worried of the security of the other Roman forts. For all he knew, they could already be
besieged and in need of their help. Should they listen to the Gaul, and leave their camp to check
on the other legions? Or should they stay and risk being completely surrounded and starved out? What
would you do in this situation?... In the end, he decided that allowing themselves to be surrounded
was the worst they could do, as it could mean death by starvation and every day they spent in
the fort, the enemy grew closer. So, he concluded to march to the aid of their fellow legions,
and make sure they are alright. The nearest Roman fort 50 miles away. If there is a Germanic threat,
they will face it together, and if there isn’t, they will simply return back. It was a noble plan,
and Sabinus was really trying to take initiative instead of just sitting around and ignoring
threats. He wanted no time to be wasted and told legionaries to pack all night so they could leave
at dawn. After all, initiative was a quality Caesar often encouraged in his subordinates,
and it would often give him the edge in battle. but this time, it worked against him. The entire
column was soon ambushed by Ambiorix and his Eburones. No mercy was shown; the legion wavered
and got massacred. Some would escape back to their fort only to commit suicide that same evening.
Only some cavalry escaped to deliver the news to Labienus' camp. This was a big wake-up call for
the other legions. In the previous years their gala campaign was so successful with minimal
losses, that no one could have even imagined such a massacre possible. This was an entire legion,
with over 7,000 legionaries and auxiliaries, and thousands more camp followers consisting of
civilians, slaves, and animals; this was the end of the 14th Legion... but when the news reached
Caesar who was in Gaul at this time, he was so enraged by the actions of the Eburones, that
he raised another "14th Legion" from Cisalpine Gaul. This was seen as a mistake to many Romans,
not a tactical, but a cultural one. You see, the Romans were very superstitious and to them,
naming a new legion with the same number as a fallen one would be making it destined to
share the same fate. This would have for sure crossed the minds of many recruits and officers,
but not Caesar. He didn't share the same views of superstition and was only concerned in covering
up his mistake. He wrote a report to the people of Rome about this whole incident, but he didn't
want the lack of a 14th Legion to serve as an endless reminder of his failure. Caesar placed
this new 14th under the command of Quintus Cicero, the younger brother of the famous statesman Marcus
Cicero. Caesar then rushed to the Eburones, who were currently besieging another fort.
With his favored 10th Legion he defeated them, but King Ambiorix escaped. Caesar had developed
such an unhealthy hate for him, that he wouldn't stop until he was caught. He called up all his
legions and began burning everything in his path. He even sent news to the neighboring Germans that
they were free to cross the Rhine and pillage the Eburones as they pleased. Never once to lose such
an opportunity, the Germanics sent 2,000 cavalry to support the slaughter. To save time and energy,
Caesar left the heavy baggage of nine of his legions in an abandoned fort in Atuatuca,
the same fort where Sabinus and the old 14th were once stationed. Caesar made this the headquarters
of his vengeful campaign. More than that, he left one legion to guard it: the new 14th under
Cicero.The camp would be filled with corpses and remains of the old 14th that committed suicide,
in the same night of the massacre. With no one to bury them, they were in full sight of the
new recruits of the 14th. Now we can imagine the superstitious rumours that would have taken place
among the young men under Cicero. Not only were they named after the men of the 14th,
they also had to sleep in their very graveyard. Before leaving, Caesar left the 14th with enough
food for 7 days, and told them he was to return in that time to resupply them. But history would
already start to repeat itself, as after 7 days, the 14th were out of food, and Caesar was nowhere
in sight. The 14th was again met with an urge to leave camp to avoid starvation. Roman scouts
reported that there was a field of wheat ready for harvesting nearby. The temptation was too
good to bear. Cicero and his officers agreed to send half the legion as a strong foraging party,
to collect the food. Up north, Caesar was unleashing his wrath on the Eburones. In fact,
the tribe simply ceased to exist. Some modern historians came to disagree that the Legions
were capable of exterminating a whole nation. But, we have scientific evidence to support this,
as pollen findings near the area prove there were quite a lot of farmlands present around 50 BC,
then all of a sudden, they were replaced by dense forests… The Germanic cavalry too,
participated in the destruction and looting, up until a Gallic prisoner spoke up. He asked
the Germans why they were bothering looting their poor tribe, when the Romans had left
all their baggage and riches in Atuatuca, with only a small garrison to guard it. The Germanic
cavalry were surprised by the news, and rode out to Atuatuca immediately, in hope of easy loot.
When they arrived, they cheered when they saw the Gaul didn’t lie to them. Atuatuca
was indeed held by a small garrison, as half the legion was out foraging for the past week.
With greedy eyes, they charged the camp. The 14th was not able to close the gates in time
and a huge battle broke out inside the fort. Later that day, over the horizon,
the other half of the legion appeared, carrying supplies collected from nearby villages and
fields. The Germanic cavalry noticed them and disengaged, terrified at first, thinking it was
Caesar's legions, but after they saw there were just five cohorts, they charged for them, with
eyes set on their supplies. At the sight of the cavalry, the centurions broke into an argument.
There were 300 veterans among them, who decided the best thing was to form a wedge formation and
charge for the camp, as it would ensure that at least most of them would reach the camp and only
some would be captured. The centurions of the 14th however, thought it was too risky to run
untrained men across such a field. They decided to stand their ground and fight. As the veterans
charged for the camp, the Germanic cavalry saw the remaining lines of terrified infantry
behind them, with their pack animals and civilians running around with bags of supplies. They chose
to go for the easier target. The cavalry circled the cohorts, throwing javelins and cutting through
men. The recruits, troubled by non combatants and animals running around through their ranks,
decided their centurions chose the wrong decision, and made a run for the camp in total
disarray. In an act of heroism, the centurions formed a line and charged the cavalry, distracting
them long enough for some of their men to reach the camp. But the outcome was unavoidable.
Soon all centurions and over a thousand legionaries and the same amount of non-combatants
lay dead across the field, as the remaining legion watched the enemy loot them from the fort.
Caesar soon arrived to resupply the legion, and would punish Cicero for sending men out of the
camp, but only lightly. He mostly blamed the whole incident on bad luck. But some other Romans would
have sworn it was evidence of superstition at play, and that the legion was unlucky and
incapable, and it would sooner or later come to an unfortunate end. Whether it was because of
superstition, or because Caesar simply mistrusted them, the 14th received no major role for the
entirety of the Gallic campaign, being instead subject to guard baggage and protect forts. With
the start of the civil war, Caesar sent his 10th, 9th, and 14th legions to Spain to cut off Pompeys
best legions. The 14th would have hated the idea of fighting their fellow 6th legion after years of
marching with them, but next to 2 of Caesar’s best legions, the 14TH would have soon been overwhelmed
with the thought of finally proving their worth to Caesar, after years of disgrace. The prayers of
the 14th would be answered, when Caesar himself met up with them at Ilerda. It made them even
happier when Caesar sent them first on a mission. Proudly marching past the 10th and 9th legions,
the 14th was ordered to take a hill in order to cut off supplies reaching the Pompeian fort.
This was a very important task, and if they could succeed, they would secure a premature victory
and finally cleanse their poor reputation. As the cohorts of the 14th reached the foot of the hill
and started scaling it, they noticed the standards of the Pompeian 3rd legion appear on the top of
the hill. Under their legate, Petronius, who led them for years in Spain, the veterans of the 3rd
had secretly scaled the other side of the hill, and now charged at the 14th from above. Back at
the camp, even Caesar was surprised by this, but stubbornly ordered the 14th to engage them uphill,
who in full view of the whole camp, confidently obeyed. Unlike the 14th, the 3rd legion was very
active throughout the years of combat in Spain, and adapted a way of fighting very unusual to
Roman Legions. Their Centurions would operate individually, charging forward and falling back
with no coordination or effort to hold a line. Some units would constantly break off and charge
the flanks unexpectedly. This was too much for the 14th to bear. They slowly started giving way,
and soon found themselves in a full rout, running down the hill as the 3rd Legion chased them,
killing anyone they caught up to. Caesar saw this and unleashed his veteran 9th legion, who rushed
to the aid of their fellow soldiers.. By the time the 14th regrouped and turned around, they saw the
3rd legion routed, and running for their lives back to Ilerda with the 9th legion hot on their
heels, killing hundreds along the way. Caesar again didn’t blame the 14th for his blunder,
but to them, their reputation was even more damaged. They were just chased off the hill in
full view of Caesar's army, until the 9th legion came to their rescue and finished their task.
It seemed to many that the 14th was indeed incapable. After the battle,
Caesar took his legions to continue the war, but left one stationed at Ilerda: his unlucky 14th.
Caesar would later call on his 14th to meet him in Africa for yet another battle.
Whether he liked it or not, the 14th was now in his service for many years and was considered
a veteran legion, which he could definitely make use of, but fortune still seemed to escape them.
Caesar writes how the ships of his veteran 14th were caught in terrible weather and they were
all very tired and seasick on landing. Even worse, some of their ships lost course and were captured
by the Pompeian commander Scipio. An unknown ancient source makes note of the actions of one
of the captured centurions of the 14th. It goes as follows: The man was brought to Scipio along with
other captured veterans. Scipio told them he understood they were not acting of their own
free will but instead under the orders of their "villainous commander", referring to Caesar.
For this, Scipio offered the men their lives as well as a hefty reward for them to switch sides.
Confident in their submission, he let our centurion of the 14th speak: "for your
kindness Scipio - I thank you for my life and safety, but I avail myself of that offer for the
utterly iniquitous condition attached to it. Am I to range myself in armed opposition against Caesar
and his army? To rid myself of the victorious reputation for which I have been fighting for
upwards of 36 years? I will not do that and I strongly advise you to give up the attempt.
For you now have the chance of appreciating whose troops it is you are fighting. Choose from your
men one cohort, the one you regard as your best and a raid against me, while I take no more than
10 from my men who you now hold in your power. Then from our skill you shall realize what you
ought to expect from your men." The man challenged Scipio's best 500 with just 10 seasick men;
a boast extreme even for the Spartans. Scipio was infuriated. He had the centurion executed on the
spot and the other veterans tortured to death. As for the recruits he captured, he assigned
them to his legions and it is through them that Caesar would come to hear of this whole event,
only after the next battle. At the battle of Thapsus, the 14th held the center with Caesar's
fresh legions. As predicted by the dead centurion, Scipio was crushed in the battle. The spotlight
was taken by the 10th and 5th, whose actions decided the battle. On Caesar's return to Rome,
he took all his legions except three newly raised ones, who he left behind to guard the province,
along with one more: the 14th, who Caesar always seemed to leave behind. At this point, it is hard
to believe that this disgraced and unlucky 14th would one day be the most famous legion in Rome,
but they surely will. Unfortunately, they were never able to prove themselves to Caesar because
he would be assassinated in 44 B.C, but the same men of the 14th would fight and win the battle
of Philippi for his son, Octavian. By the end of it, they were all sent back to Africa, having only
around a thousand legionaries left. In 38 B.C, they were discharged and 5,000 fresh recruits
re-enlisted. These men stayed in Africa for the remainder of the civil war and did not partake.
In 30 B.C, Octavian was to limit the number of legions from 59 to only 28,
as many legions were merged, lost, or disbanded. The 14th, for example, was merged with another
and became known as the 14th "Gemina"; the twinned 14th. It was then sent to the Rhine,
being given an honorable position to campaign against the Germanic threats to the east.
From here on, the fame and reputation of Rome's most effective legion is to only keep rising.
Part 2 will be coming out soon. I found this part of their history just as important to go over,
as it gives you an idea of the height to which a legion's prestige could grow to, regardless
of it's humble beginnings, such as in the case of the 14th Legion. I would like to thank my
Patreons for their generous support in my cause. I can't wait to see you all in the next one!