Andes/Andecavi (northwest Celtica), Carduci: Loire River (Dumnacus)
Although the main Gallic army had been defeated, the revolt continued on into the following year with the Gauls no longer attempting to form a single army to defeat Caesar’s ten legions, but instead engaging in a series of uprisings on the fringes of Gaul in the hope of wearing the Romans down.
One of these uprisings was led by Dumnacus, a general of the Andes (central-northwest), who invaded the land of the Pictones (west coast) and besieged the town of Limonum (=Poitiers). Among those locked in the city was Duracius, who during the defection to Vercingetorix by part of his people had remained faithful to the Romans.
He managed to get a message out to the nearest Roman army, two weak legions under Caninius (cos.45 BC). Caninius advanced towards Limonum but unwilling to risk a battle with his weak legions he fixed his camp in a strong position nearby. Dumnacus raised his siege and marched to meet the legions, but after several fruitless attempts to force their camp he returned to the siege at Limonum.
Gaius Fabius (16), another of Caesar’s legates, on being informed by a letter of the events at Limonum, marched to relieve Duracius. Hearing of his approach Dumnacus, not wanting to be caught between the Romans and the men in the city, left the town to seek safety across the Loire. As it was too deep to ford, he headed for an existing bridge over the river.
Fabius, though not yet in sight of the enemy, concluded from information he had received that Dumnacus was retreating towards this bridge. He too therefore marched in that direction and sent his cavalry ahead to intercept and delay Dumnacus’ forces.
When the Roman legions came into sight, the enemy’s cavalry and infantry panicked, and a general flight followed. Some twelve thousand of them were killed; about two or five thousand (the records vary) escaped with Lucterius, the leader of the Carduci (south), who the year before attempted to invade Narbonensis, to the Senonian Drappes who was now planning to attack the province himself. Caninius set out with his two legions in pursuit of the two rebel leaders.
Carduci (South Celtica): Uxellodunum (Lucterius/Drappes)
The two rebel leaders, learning of the pursuit, abandoned their march and occupied Uxellodunum in the country of the Carduci. The town was built on a rocky hill, closely and almost surrounded by a bend in the Dordogne River. The open side of the town was only three hundred feet wide and contained a spring that provided the garrison with its water supply. When Caninius reached the town he saw that it would be very difficult to storm. He therefore divided his forces into three camps around the town and began to build a circumvallation.
The inhabitants of Uxellodunum were naturally worried that they would run out of supplies. Lucterius, who had been present at the siege of Alesia, shared this concern, and so the two Gallic leaders set out on a foraging expedition. In a few days they collected a large amount of corn, but were then faced with the problem of getting it past the Roman blockade. It was decided that Drappes, with half of the army, would defend their camp, which was ten miles from the town, while Lucterius transferred their supplies gradually into the town.
Just before dawn Caninius with some cohorts found Lucterius’ convoy and overwhelmed the escort. Lucterius himself escaped and fled the area (he was captured later and handed over to the Romans). Caninius sent forward one of his two legions, his cavalry and his German auxiliaries (infantry and cavalry). The German cavalry found Drappes camped near the banks of a river and attacked without waiting for the rest of the force to catch up. Caninius arrived and formed his legion behind the high ground around the camp and when they were all in place advanced over the ridge, trapping the Gauls against the river. The Gallic force was destroyed; Drappes was captured and by the end of the siege had starved himself to death. The following day Fabius arrived with twenty-five cohorts, which brought the Romans up to four and a half legions, enough men to begin a proper blockade of the town.
While Caesar was among the Carnutes he was informed of the siege of Uxellodunum by the letters of Caninius. Caesar ordered 01Fufius Calenus (cos.47 BC) with two legions to follow him, and then with all his cavalry hurried south to take personal command of the siege.
On his arrival at Uxellodunum Caesar quickly realised that the easiest way to bring about its surrender was to attack the town’s water supplies. As the nature of the ground prevented the river being diverted, he prevented the townsmen from collecting its water by positioning archers and slingers, and even engines in some places, on the limited number of possible routes that the townsmen could use to descend to the river.
The spring on the side facing away from the river, emerged high on the hillside and until now had been safe from Roman missile fire. Caesar decided to make two different attempts to cut off this final water supply. The first was a giant mound, sixty feet high, with a ten storey high tower on top. From the top of this tower the Romans were able to fire down on the paths that led to the spring, making it much more dangerous for the Gauls to fetch water.
The Gauls responded to this threat with an attempt to burn down the tower. Barrels filled with tallow, pitch and dried wood were rolled down the hill onto the Roman works, causing a major fire; at the same time they attacked the defenders of the tower to prevent them putting out the fires. Caesar responded by ordering a fake attack up the slopes of the hill towards the town walls. This forced the Gauls to abandon the attack and man their walls, a move which gave the Romans time to put out the fires.
The second attempt to prevent water being provided by the spring was made underground, where the Romans built a series of tunnels searching for its source. Eventually their tunnels cut into its ‘veins’ and diverted the spring. This final blow was too much for the defenders and they surrendered.
Caesar spared the lives of those who had defended the town – in all perhaps two thousand men – but had chopped off the hands of every one of them to deter other Gallic revolts. It seems to have worked because after the capitulation of Uxellodunum there were no more rebellious outbreaks in Gaul.
After visiting Aquitania for the first time, Caesar proceeded to Narbo and then distributed his legions strategically around the country: four were in Belgium, under Mark Antony, Trebonius, Vatinius and Quintus Cicero; two among the Aedui; two among the Turones (central-northwest; the remaining two among the Lemovices (central-south), near the borders of the Arverni. After a brief visit to Cisalpina, he went to Belgica and wintered in the Atrebates’ capital Nemetocenna (=Arras).
As commander of the northern region, Antony came into contact with Commius, who was waging a guerrilla war. Antony sent Volusenus to frustrate Commius’ raids. The two met in a skirmish and Commius personally led the charge against the Roman cavalry and wounded Volusius in the thigh. Eventually, Commius agreed terms with Antony and sent hostages as guarantee for his good behaviour. The peoples of Gaul finally accepted Roman rule and Commius migrated to Britain.
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