September 58 BC · Alsace (Rhine plain) Theater
September 58 BC
Ariovistus of the Suebi had crossed the Rhine a generation earlier with an invitation from Gallic tribes seeking military aid and had never left — his Germans now occupied the fertile Alsace plain, enslaved local tribes, and demanded tribute. When the Aedui appealed to Rome, Caesar marched north with six legions and demanded Ariovistus withdraw. The German king refused, and the two armies maneuvered for weeks — Ariovistus avoiding pitched battle until Roman supply shortages might force a withdrawal. Caesar forced the issue by blocking the German supply lines. In the battle that followed, the Roman right wing broke the German left immediately, but the Roman left was pushed back until Publius Crassus (Caesar's cavalry commander) sent in the third line as a reserve. The Germans broke and fled to the Rhine; Ariovistus escaped across it with a handful of men.
Commanders