Previously we went over the journey of the 10th
Legion through the Gallic Wars. Now, with no time to rest, the 10th's service was needed more than ever
in the coming Civil War between the two triumvirs: Caesar and Pompey. The 10th was put under
the command of Gaius Fabius and sent with two other Legions towards Hispania to quickly
secure important mountain passages; blocking off Pompey's six best legions in Spain. I'd like to
point out a side note that will be important later: Upon reaching Hispania, Fabius retired some
veteran centurions of the 10th legion there whose 16-year service now came to an end. These men
were initially assigned to the 10th legion from the 9th and 8th and so were considerably older.
They were replaced by other men of the 10th who seemed worthy of the role. One of the centurions
that retired was Crastinus; the first centurion of the 10th legion. He outranked all the other
centurions and proved himself many times in the Gallic campaigns. Remember his name for later.
Why Fabius did this was probably because he thought that the Civil War would be over soon,
and perhaps out of the respect he had for these veterans. So for the first time in almost 10 years,
the whole 10th legion returned to Hispania and were completely different men compared to the
recruits they once were. The 10th legion was to fight it's first Civil War at the battle of Ilerda,
against six experienced fellow legions, personally raised by Pompey. The Pompeian 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Legions were considered elite and dated as far back as 83 BC and were recruited from Italians.
The 1st Legion at this time would even mirror the tenth in loyalty and fame. The other three
were also veterans but were Spaniards, the 6th having even fought under caesar at the battle of
Alesia after Pompey lent to him. On the other side, half of Caesar's Legions were fresh recruits. The
last two had yet to even face an enemy in battle. Caesar was soon to be reinforced but his force
would still on average, be less experienced. Even without Pompey present, it would be a huge risk
to face these veterans of Spain up front, and Caesar knew this. But the Spanish legions would
have had friends and relatives on both sides and would be reluctant to fight each other. Caesar
even writes that men from both sides at some point started secretly meeting and talking to each
other; discussing the civil war and asking about relatives back home. It wasn't long before some of
Caesar's men were even found in the Pompeian camp and were publicly executed by it's commanders
after they found out. This would have included some men of the 10th. The few hours of peace were
short-lived. It was due to Caesar's brilliance in strategy that he was able to out-position the
Pompeians and force them to surrender, after which he chose to show them mercy and disbanded some of
the pompeian legions, making them swear to never fight against him again. But the 1st and 3rd
Legions he sent back to Italy, and he was not aware that they would soon slip away to join Pompey, only
to face him again in the future. Caesar's next move was to recruit back the previously retired veteran
centurions of the 10th Legion into the ranks, as he was probably displeased that Fabius would have
retired such experienced men at such an important time. The centurions, together with Crastinus, the
previous first centurion, had to join the Legion again. The 10th was now sent to march to Brindisi,
where it would begin to cross over to Greece (that was where Pompey retreated to), and Caesar
again chose the 10th to accompany him in the first wave of landings. After Caesar landed in
Greece with nine legions, the battle of Dyrrhachium followed. In Greece, Pompey mustered a force of
up to twelve legions, and outnumbered Caesar's eight. But this time, it was Caesar's men that were more
experienced overall. Here, the tent did not play a crucial role in the engagement, as it was a
full stalemate, and Pompey was reluctant to give battle against Caesar's more experienced Legions.
Pompey was a great strategist himself, and did not choose to engage them. He instead attacked a weak
point, pointed out by some Gauls from Caesar's army who defected to him. Caesar had to fall
back because of this, and the battle was lost. The next battle was about to be the biggest and
one of the most important battles in the Civil War, and the 10th Legion would be right in the
spotlight of it. The two armies met at Pharsalus, with Pompey occupying a steep hill and again, not
engaging Caesar straight up, but waiting it out. You can probably imagine what kind of
thoughts crossed Pompey's men at this point: Why couldn't they just attack? the Caesarians
were severely outnumbered, out supplied, and they lost the previous engagement at Dyrrhachium not long
ago. Perhaps their general did not trust them? These sorts of rumors would have reached Pompey, and
were one of the reasons he ordered his men to come down from the hill and offer an engagement. This
was Caesar's chance. Caesar's old second-in-command Labienus, who has left him to join Pompey's side,
would have known what the 10th legion was capable of, and informed Pompey that they were a key in this
battle. According to Plutarch, all Pompey's cavalry were given precise orders to target and separate
the 10th, along with Caesar, from the other legions. Caesar was about to demonstrate to Pompey's men as
to why their general was so cautious about facing his Spanish Legions. Caesar's plan was to win with
his right flank, so he placed his most reliable 10th legion there. Pompey countered this by placing
his proud 1st legion directly in front of them. This was the same legion that fought at Ilerda a
few months back. But Pompey would have known that as elite as the 1st would have believed themselves
to be, they lacked the experience that the 10th Legion would have had by this time. Caesar, standing
right behind the 10th legion, as he normally did, also ordered 120 volunteers of the 10th legion
to stand ahead and lead the charge. He did this knowing that the fresher units in the center
would be motivated by the performance of his famous Legion. One of the men who volunteered was
the previously mentioned Crastinus, the ex-first centurion of the legion. The same guy who got
discharged and then recruited back into the Legion. The man was said to turn to his comrades and
inspire them once more before leading the charge; telling them that this one last battle
remains before they earned their freedom. He then turned to Caesar and told him that he will
earn his gratitude today, dead or alive, and he will be victorious. It would have been a great honor for
the other men to stand by Crastinus and lead the charge, after all he led them through every battle
since their very recruitment back in 61 BC. When the order was given, the two armies clashed, and the
two favored legions clashed violently, as Crastinus led the charge of the 10th legion and fought
bravely, before being stabbed by a gladius in the mouth. Why the centurion volunteered for such
a suicide mission is unknown, and some historians such as Ross Cowan believed that he offered
himself as a sacrifice to the gods, in exchange for Caesar winning the battle that was so heavily
stacked against his favor. Regardless, the body of the centurion was found after the battle and
buried separately from the rest, along with several decorations for bravery and courage. At Pharsalus,
Caesar brilliantly routed the Pompeian cavalry with the charge of a hidden fourth line, and then
together with the cavalry, rushed to assist the 10th Legion; charging into the Pompeian exposed
left flank. Pompeii's 1st legion stood bravely, but was soon forced to fall back, causing a wave
of panic throughout the rest of the army, as the 10th Legion now attacked them in the open flank,
and their best 1st legion was now on the run. The whole Pompeian force was soon to be in full
retreat. That day, Pompey experienced his first ever military defeat in his career, having reluctantly
agreed to an engagement that he himself was not fully confident of. And guess what! The 10th
Legion was again, a crucial part of this victory. What I want to achieve with these Legion analyses,
is to give you a different perspective on battles. Not just from a general view, like "Caesar won
Pharsalus with his right flank", but actually the thought process that went into placing the 10th
on the right, and where Caesar got the confidence that they would succeed in this task and be the
major anchor of this entire battle. Well now, we can look back at their history and say for sure:
When fighting the Germans at the battle of Vosges, the 10th was also on the right, but it took them
MUCH effort before they slowly started pushing the enemy back. After this, they would have gained
a lot of pride and confidence in themselves, having pushed back such a fierce tribe as this Suebi.
Then, take a look at the ambush of the Sabis river: the 10th again, were told to charge, and this
time they were even MORE successful, and chased the enemy all the way across the river, then
they rear-charged the main Nervii force and pushed them back too. Again, this added to
their confidence and fearlessness. This pattern that kept occurring in battles made the 10th very
good at one thing - pushing the enemy back, and they did this more effectively than any other Legion,
and this was their "trademark", if you will. Now, look at their opponents: the 1st legion. Proud and
disciplined, but the majority of their skill comes from campaigning in Hispania against Spaniards
that employed "hit-and-run" tactics, and rarely engaged in full open battles, unlike the Gauls and
Germans. So they wouldn't be as experienced as the 10th legion would be at stopping a full-on charge.
These were some of the many small details both generals had to consider before this battle, and
you could tell that it wouldn't take a military genius like Caesar to think of placing the 10th
on the right at Pharsalus as well, and let them just do what they do best. In fact, this was such an
obvious move that before the battle even started, Labienus informed Pompey that Caesar would be on
the right with his 10th Legion, and THIS is where Caesar's genius truly came to play - in creating a
hidden infantry line to protect the 10ths flank. Everything from there, he fully relied on the
10th, and as expected, they didn't let him down.. Caesar's next steps were to chase down Pompey in
further Greece. He chose to do so with his fresher Legions, and sent Mark Antony along with the
12th and his original four Spanish Legions (7,8,9,10), 10th included, back to Italy where they encamped in the
Field of Mars, presumably to await their rewards. Unfortunately for the veterans, Antony did
not have the authority to disband and reward them. This could only be done by Caesar himself, who
is now soon to be sieged in Egypt for many months. All the while, the Spanish veteran Legions
waited for Caesar to arrive and disband them, but no word of him arrived. Many started to
presume he was dead, and if that was the case, no one was entitled to give them their hard-earned
bonuses. These thoughts would have been in the minds of these men for months, and eventually, it
turned into a full-out mutiny. the Legions (except the 7th) went on a complete looting spree; breaking into the homes
of Roman citizens and taking goods for themselves. What made the situation even more dangerous
is that there was no army anywhere near Rome that could stand up to these Spanish veterans
"gone rogue". Antony himself was too scared to go anywhere near them, and all the ambassadors he sent
to negotiate with them were chased off, fearing for their lives. The Legions developed such a taste
for spoils and anger, that according to Plutarch, they even killed some former Praetors (Roman
commanders). As the months passed by, it became known that Caesar had arrived in Rome, but even
this did not stop the looting. Caesar was setting up for an invasion of Africa, and needed his best
Legions among him. He sent an ambassador to parlay with the Legions, but he was chased off from the
camp. There was nothing left to do but for Caesar to personally attend the camp. According to Appian,
Caesar walked through the main gate along with some other officers. He walked past the mutineers
and right up to the stairs of the tribunal, where he could see them all. A lot of the men, recognizing
their old commander, saluted him with honor. He stood there silently for a few moments,
until there was complete silence around him. "State your demands", he said, to which no one seemed
to reply. A few voices were soon heard demanding for payment and retirement, and to go back to their
homes. In a calm voice, Caesar replied: "very well, all of you were discharged". For a few moments there was
nothing but silence, until some of the men urged him to say something else, and not to end it in
this way after all the years they served together. "My citizens", he said to them and paused for
a few moments, this was the first time in 16 years that Caesar has referred to them by
anything but "my fellow soldiers", and this had guilty and shameful effects on the veterans. "I
will pay you everything I promised", he continued, "but only after I win the war with the legions
that are currently serving me, and only after those Legions have been fully paid for their service". A
huge sense of emotional guilt struck the soldiers. They never expected that after 16 years of serving
Caesar and earning such respect from him, it would end with him looking down at them, and even
comparing them to mere citizens with full disappointment in his eyes. How could they proudly
claim they belong to a Legion that will forever be known as a disappointment to its nation? How could
some fresh Legion steal their glory and be hailed as victors of the whole war when it was them that
once did the unthinkable, crushing anyone in their path? They were the ones that won the battles
that mattered. Caesar turned his back on his men and headed for the stairs to leave. He was met with
voices asking him to stay and to punish the few guilty, and that the others were ready to serve him.
"I will not punish any man here", Caesar responded, "it pains me that even the 10th Legion, whom I have
continually praised and honored over the years could be involved in agitation of this kind.. This
Legion alone I discharge from the army. The rest of you can join me, but when I return from Africa, I
will have them rewarded as well as the rest of you". The men from the other legions cheered Caesar's
response, happy to regain their reputation once again. However the 10th Legion, having prior to this
held the highest reputation, felt the guiltiest. They were now no longer one of four disgraced
Legions, they were now the ONLY disgraced Legion - a title their pride could not bear, after being
spoiled by years of praise. Some men of the 10th begged Caesar to reconsider, and take them to
Africa. Some even begged him to decimate them as punishment, but to take the rest. Caesar, seeming
reluctant, finally agreed to take the 10th with him and to not punish anyone. Obviously, Caesar
was not reluctant about this. For he had just in a simple speech, or according to Tacitus, by a single
word: "citizens", convinced three of his best Legions to fight and die for him in another campaign that
could last years. This goes to show just how much these veterans valued their pride and honor,
typical of many romans, and that they wouldn't even agreed to see their families after almost
two decades and receive a hefty amount of pay, if it meant living in shame and disgracing their
Legion's title. The 10th Equestris was back in the field, more committed and loyal than ever. In 47
BC, Caesar landed at the port of Sousse, in Africa. He had some cohorts of the 10th, and his veterans
of the 5th *and some fresh Legions*. Most of the 10th Legion was still on its way from Sicily with the other three spanish
Legions (7, 8, 9). Along Caesar's march, he was caught in the open by his previous second in command Labienus,
who he has not seen since Pharsalus. Labinus's force was mostly cavalry and local infantry, but he had
an overwhelming amount of them. Caesar's men were out foraging for supplies and just barely were
able to get into formation as the locals attacked. Labienus' superior numbers eventually managed
to surround them. Caesar had to order a circular Orbis formation. Labienus, seeking revenge for the
battle of Pharsalus, started mocking the legionaries; saying Caesar got them in a very bad situation,
and calling out the men as they were mere recruits and didn't know what they were doing. After all,
most of the Legions present were indeed recruits, but some men of the 10th legion were also present
there, and one of them yelled out in defense of his honor, that he was not a raw recruit, but a
veteran of the 10th Legion. Labienus laughingly replied that he did not see the standards of the
10th legion present. This is because most of them had not arrived yet. To this, the man responded by
stepping out of formation, removing his helmet, and throwing his javelin across the air and hitting
Labienus' horse right in the chest; killing it instantly beneath him. He would have had to being
carried away by his bodyguards. "Perhaps that will help you recognize a soldier of the 10th", he added.
The cheering Romans were reinvigorated, and under Caesar's command, fought off the now wavering
enemies, and were just able to escape. They were soon to win the battle of Thapsus against Scipio,
where the 10th held the right flank and smashed through the enemies left, as usual. But this time
they went on a complete rampage and slaughtered everybody, including those who surrendered
to them. Nevertheless, this battle concluded the African campaign, sending the remaining
Pompeians fleeing to Hispania, where it all began. The next battle would be there, and would conclude
the Civil War. Caesar took his best legions to link up with the fresh ones already there. According to
some sources, the 10th by now would have numbered less than half of its original 6 000 recruited
men. This would be the same for almost all his other veteran legions. The Pompeian Legions
outnumbered Caesar's greatly, but they were raw recruits. Despite their superior numbers, they had
no idea what men they were about to fight against; grizzled and battle-hardened veterans in their
40s who were tested by all imaginable challenges of war, for decades. One could only imagine how
indifferent they probably were to taking life, given their complete rampage at Thapsus.. The
recruits would be up against the real challenge. They were led by Gnaeus Pompeius, the oldest son of
Pompey, and none other than Labienus, who seemed to always escape every battle, desperately fighting
for the Pompeian cause. Caesar's men had to cross a river and charge upwards, having to stop due to
countless javelins and arrows from the Pompeians rained on them. The charge only renewed when Caesar
himself picked up a sword and shield and charged ahead of his men, telling them that they will be
forever shamed if he dies to the recruits ahead of him. The 10th legion, stationed as always on the
right, charged with the other legions to protect their general, and fought for hours. As always,
the 10th Legion was making the most progress, striking fear into the fresh recruits fighting
ahead of them. Labenus even had to call off some Legions on his right wing to aid his crumbling
left. His unexperienced legions in the center must have mistook this as a call to retreat, as some of
them started pulling back, until the entire force was on the run. Despite being one of the smallest
Legions in size, these veterans of Gaul, Spain, Greece, and Africa, were once again the anchor of
the battle, concluding the Civil War. The battle was so violent, that Caesar would have later said that
in all his battles, he fought for victory, but at Munda he fought for his life. He also said that at
Munda, the charge of the 10th Legion deprived the Pompeian Legions of their confidence. The Civil War
was finally at an end. The 10th legion was finally discharged and got all of its promised pay, along
with the other legions. The ranks were refilled with more raw recruits from Spain, and some of the
previous veterans decided to stay and re-enlisted for another 16 years of service. The legion was
now stationed in Spain under Lepidus, its new governor. The 10th soon found itself under another
civil war right after Caesar's assassination. The Legion's first battle was at Philippi, under Mark
Antony, against Brutus and Cassius, two of Caesar's assassins. The 10th ended up on the victorious
side. After Philippi was the 10th Legion's final battle: the naval battle of Actium. The 10th
Legion sided with Mark Antony and against Octavian. If you count Dyrrhachium as a tactical *retreat*,
Actium was the 10th legion's first real defeat. It was also their last battle. They surrendered to
Octavian, who ordered them to march against Mark Antony in Egypt. In around 29 BC, the 10th Legion
was to be discharged, but Octavian delayed it. The 10th responded to this by starting a riot.
Octavian was already on not-so-good terms with the 10th, since they fought against him, and now
he responded by discharging the whole Legion and removing its title of "Equestris". He soon
ordered other recruits to be raised into the 10th Legion, most probably from Spain, and to
be stationed in Syria for many years to come. I suppose you can argue that this soon to be "10th
Gemina" would be its new self, but many would argue, me included, that the 10th Equestris died with its
name. It no longer had any veterans in it from the former conflicts, and even its centurions would
have been drawn up from different Legions. The only tie the Legion had to its former self was its
number. So just like that, in one swift order, the story of the famous 10th Equestris came to an end.
Its accomplishments and battles have shaped more of the future than you'd think. It was the Legion
that fought its way into fame and glory in one of the most crucial periods of late antiquity, giving
birth to one of the greatest Empires to ever exist, that shaped much of our world today... You now know
everything there is to know of Caesar's best Legion. Subscribe and drop a like if you enjoyed!
More videos are on the way. Thank you for watching.
