The Roman Custer: the battle of Adrianople, 378BC

Introduction

Having seized the territories of the Alans in the early 370’s, the Huns looked to continue their expansion westwards by conquering the Eastern Goths (or Ostrogoths) inhabiting the area around the Baltic Sea.  This they had achieved by the mid-370’s, next turning their attentions to the Western Goths (or Visigoths) on the borders of the Roman Empire, in Dacia.  

Despite a well-fought defensive campaign, the Visigoths were gradually pushed back by the advancing Huns, eventually splitting into two main groups:  one hiding out in the mountains of Transylvania, the other petitioning the Romans in 376AD for permission to cross the Danube and settle in the Roman territory of Thrace.

This Valens, Emperor of Rome’s Eastern empire, allowed.  He had land available for colonisation and the Goths were not only Christians like himself but would also provide a ready source of men for his armies.

Unfortunately, despite Roman efforts to limit numbers by letting only the followers of the Goth leaders Fritigern and Alaviv cross the river, the sheer scale of immigration rapidly proved problematic.  Firstly, the region could not feed so many extra mouths, and the Goths quickly became desperate for food as famine and hardship took hold.  Secondly, the Romans suddenly realised that rather than sheltering a few fugitive semi-barbarians, they now had a well-organised but starving army on their doorstep.

An attempt by Lupicinus, Roman commander in Thrace, to break the Goths up by treacherously murdering Fritigern and Alaviv failed when Fritigern survived.  He, somewhat miffed by this duplicity, immediately led his forces on the rampage throughout the region.  

The main Roman army was occupied in fighting the Persians in Armenia, but Lupicinus gathered together what forces he could and set out to destroy the Goths in pitched battle.  Unfortunately, his army was completely defeated:  leaving Thrace effectively in Fritigern’s hands and the border open to hoards of other Goths who lost no time in streaming across the Danube themselves.

Valens at first underestimated the Gothic threat:  despatching subordinate commanders to take care of them with the help of auxiliary units seconded to the campaign from the western empire.  The Romans were initially successful:  bottling Fritigern up behind the Balkan passes in Dobrudja. 

In the summer of 377AD, however, Fritigern, whose host mostly comprised foot warriors, managed to persuade the newly arrived cavalry armies of Altheus and Saphrax to join his command, and the Goths broke out into Thrace again through sheer weight of numbers.

With the Roman army in retreat westwards, Valens now realised that something needed to be done about the Goths.  He sued for peace with the Persians and hurried at the head of his army to the fortified city of Adrianople, arriving there in mid-July 378AD.

There he was greeted by two pieces of good news.  Firstly, his nephew Gratian, Emperor of Rome’s western empire, was on his way to join him with a large army of regular troops and, secondly, his subordinates in the region had managed to inflict a hefty defeat on a Gothic force returning from a looting expedition in Southern Thrace.

Dismissing suggestions that he should wait for Gratian, Valens determined to strike at the remaining Goths immediately:  confident that he could defeat them without his nephew’s help.  Ignoring suggestions that he not underestimate his enemy, he led his army out from behind Adrianople’s walls towards where his scouts had told him a small part of the Goth force, around 10,000 men, was encamped.

Surprise, Surprise!

After a day of hard marching over difficult terrain, the Gothic wagon laager came into view.

It was a shock for both sides.

Valens suddenly realised that he was not attacking, as he had thought, a part of the Goth army, but the whole damn lot!  Okay, so there weren’t too many horsemen about, but there were far more than 10,000 Goths now facing his army of around 25,000 regulars.

Fritigern was equally surprised.  Altheus, Saphrax and their horsemen were out foraging for supplies, and although he was laagered with around 100,000 people, only about 30,000 were fighters.  He quickly sent riders to recall the cavalry, and attempted to delay the Roman advance by setting fire to the dry plain in front of the laager.

There are conflicting reports of how the battle actually started.  Some accounts state that an overconfident Valens attacked despite the apparent disparity in numbers, recognising that here was a chance to defeat a Goth force smaller than the collected host he could be facing in the future.  Others suggest that both the Romans and Goths were negotiating a possible parlay when the skirmishing activity of each battle line gradually sucked the main infantry bodies into action.

Whatever the reason, the Roman line began to advance towards the Gothic wagon laager.

The Forces

As with many battles of the ancients period, the number of troops involved in Adrianople is somewhat of a mystery.  Some commentators claim that upwards of 200,000 Goths faced 50,000 Romans, some claim that 15,000 Romans faced 50,000 Goths.

The numbers given below are those quoted by John Warry in Warfare in the Classical World.  Although they should only be treated as at best approximate, they do give a good battle that either side can win.  I’ll be playing the Goths though!

As can be seen, the Romans begin the game with a much stronger force on the table, with the Goths only gaining an advantage in numbers if their heavy cavalry arrive.

You can download the army sheets here:

The Romans at Adrianople

The Goths at Adrianople

Initial Deployment

Valens deployed his infantry in the centre with cavalry on both wings.  As they approached the Goth laager, the line naturally curled to match the curve of the encircled wagons.

The Goth foot stayed within their laager, but some Alannic light horse emerged from the back of the circled wagons and moved out to threaten the Roman right.  See Map 1.

The Battle

Even before the Roman line reached the wagon laager, the foraging Gothic heavy cavalry under Alatheus and Saphrax returned.  About a third split off and headed around the back of the wagon laager to threaten the Roman left whilst the rest, supported by the Alannic light horse, smashed into the Roman right flank and drove the Roman cavalry there from the field.  See Map 2.

The battlefield was now covered with both smoke and dust:  so much so that the Roman left and centre pressed on towards the wagons unaware that their right flank was now exposed.

The Gothic cavalry that had circled behind the wagons now slammed into the left flank of the Roman line:  also driving it from the field.  Seeing the Roman cavalry effectively destroyed, the Gothic foot warriors behind the wagon laager charged forward, and a vicious melee developed between them and the Roman infantry.  See Map 3.

The Roman infantry was outflanked and encircled, and began to give way.  An attempt to shore up the retreat with the Roman elite troops failed, and an ordered withdrawal turned into a rout.

Now overwhelmed by the victorious Goths, and with no cavalry to cover their escape, around 15,000 Romans, a third of their force, was killed:  including Valens and his senior commanders.

It is the worst defeat for Rome since Cannae.

After the Battle

Although the Goth alliance broke up shortly after the battle, war with the Romans dragged on for another two years until, accepting the inevitable, the new Eastern Emperor, Theodosius, agreed to let them found a quasi-independent foederati state in Dacia.

It was Goths from here, under Alaric, that eventually sacked Rome.

Wargaming Adrianople

Adrianople works best with players either unfamiliar with battle or with the game disguised as “just another Roman vs Goth action”.

The Romans should have no idea that the Gothic cavalry might turn up during the battle:  seeing only that they outnumber the Goths on the table. Perfidious scenario-runners might suggest to the Roman player(s) that this is just an example of a superior force attacking a defensive line, and that it is not so much whether they win that is important, as they are “bound to win”, but how long/how difficult it is for them to do so that counts!

The Goths should know that there is the potential for their cavalry to arrive, but should not know when it will do so.  

Numbers of bases for Vis Bellica are provided both at 1:1 scale and 1:4 scale.  A 1:4 scale battle should be ideal for an evening’s play.  

Roman Player Briefing  

“You are the Emperor Valens, ruler of Rome’s eastern empire.  You are keen to defeat the rampaging Goths without the aid of your nephew Gratian, your western counterpart.  You have marched to attack a small Gothic wagon laager separated from their main force.  The laager is in front of you now and although it’s far bigger than you expected, it’s comparatively empty of warriors. You know the barbarian swine are vulnerable as, rather than fight, they’ve tried to delay your advance by setting fire to the grass on the plain and sending out false emissaries. If you can destroy the laager and it’s occupants, which shouldn’t be difficult with the vastly superior force you have at your disposal, then you destroy the main base from which your enemy operates.  You could then mop up any survivors at will. Your men are deployed and waiting for you to order the advance!”  

Gothic Player Briefing

“Your main cavalry force is out foraging when a massive Roman army comes into view.  You’ve tried delaying their assault by setting fire to the plain and sending out emissaries to treat with the them, but to no avail.  Hoping your cavalry will return soon, you’ve retreated into the laager and prepared to fight.”

Special Rules

1. The Goth wagon lager is best represented as a rectangle of Train bases eight wide and two deep (at 1:1) or four wide and one deep (at 1:4).  This allows the Goth infantry bases room enough to comfortably fit inside.  Note layout of Train bases shown in the accompanying diagram.
2. Except for conversion to Foot Warrior bases (see point 4, below) no Goth Train bases may move for the duration of the scenario.
3. All Goth Train bases count as having Strength 5 (instead of the usual 10) for the duration of the scenario.
4. The Goth foraging force should be treated as an outflanking manoeuvre i.e. it’s arrival should be rolled for just before the start of the battle.  The Gothic player should not know when it will arrive.  If it does appear, it appears at point A.
5. All command point costs are DOUBLED as soon as the first melee is joined.  This represents the fact that communication on the battlefield was rendered almost impossible by the clouds of dust thrown up by the fighting.
6. Once the Goth foraging force has arrived, the Goth player may use command points in the command phase to convert Train bases to Foot Warrior bases at a cost of 1 point (i.e. 2 points if any melees have already occurred) per base.  Remove the Train base and place a Foot Warrior base where it was.  The Foot Warrior base will be facing out of the wagon laager.  Note that this is a one way conversion only:  once a Train base has been converted to a Foot Warrior base it cannot be changed back again.

Robert Avery
This article reproduced from Wargames Illustrated (issue dated July 2003)