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USO Canteen FReeper Style ~ Julius Caesar: The Gallic Wars ~ September 16, 2003
Heraklia.fws1.com ^ | September 16, 2003 | LaDivaLoca

Posted on 09/16/2003 2:53:23 AM PDT by LaDivaLoca

 
 
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ANCIENT WARFARE



ANCIENT ROMAN MILITARY
(continuation)

 

Julius Caesar: The Gallic Wars

"I am bound to suspect, Caesar, that your friendship is a sham and that your army here in Gaul is for no other purpose than to crush me.

So if you do not get out of this area and take your army with you, I shall treat you not as a friend but as an enemy; and if I kill you, I shall give great satisfaction to a large number of noble and distinguished Roman citizens." Caesar quoting Ariovistus, 58 BC (Saaben-Clare)

"I am convinced that, when he [Ariovistus] has understood my demands and realized how fair are my terms, he will not forfeit my goodwill or that of the Roman people. But if some lunatic frenzy drives him to make war on us, what have we to fear"? Caesar's comment on Ariovistus (Saaben-Clare).

For more than 500 years, generations of western schoolchildren have been introduced to the history of Caesar's conquest of Gaul by learning that it was then divided into three parts. The eight years of his Gallic campaigns, in which by far the largest part of what is now France, Belgium, and parts of Holland, Switzerland, and Germany west of the Rhine, were brought into Rome's provincial empire, gave Caesar the wealth, stature and power to contend with Pompey and the Senate for the dominion of Rome during the Civil War. His victories created much of his enduring reputation as one of the greatest military geniuses of history. His account of his own campaigns, De BelloGallico ("The Gallic Wars" or his "Commentaries") is a classic of ancient history and literature and established his reputation as one of the best writers of his or any generation. The coins above, representing a Gallic warrior in horned helmet and a disheveled female captive, were made to his own orders when he was dictator of Rome. In the final analysis, Gaul made him.

What Caesar did for Gaul was to kill, by Plutarch's estimate, over one million of its perhaps twelve million inhabitants and enslave a million more. When Caesar found a provocation to carry his command into unconquered Gaul, there were hundreds of free tribes indifferent or actively hostile to Rome; when his term as governor expired, a vast new and profitable province was added permanently to the Empire, adopting Roman culture within a few generations. Gaul's romanization survived the fall of the city that conquered it. It was, and remained, one of the crown jewels of Rome's conquests. Perhaps the greatest irony of all is that Caesar initially appeared to the Gauls in the guise of a protector.

 

GALLIA COMATA

What is now Provence in France was the original "Province" held by Rome since 122 BC and was peacefully established by Caesar's day and known as "GalliaNarbonensis." Stretching beyond its relatively narrow confines on the Mediterranean towards the Baltic lay a vast interior peopled by semi-civilized tribes of whom most were of Celtic heritage, dating from invasions over several centuries. Romans called it "Gallia Comata" or "long-haired Gaul." Although once ruled by kings, by the late Republic most Gallic tribes -including The Atrebates, Morini, Nervii and Eburones of what is now Belgium and Germany, the Bellovaci, Suessones, Lingones, Carnutes and Aedui of central France, and the Bituriges, Arverni, Allobroges and Aquitani of the south - were ruled by nobles or elected tribal leaders. Although not literate, the Celts often spoke Latin, traded with Rome and other nations, had their own established coinage, were adept at agriculture, mining, and metallurgy, and had a vivid tradition of decorative arts. The Druids - about whom Caesar is our primary source in ancient history - were the ruling elite, exempt from taxation and warfare and passing down the oral tradition of religious observance and law from the highest position in Celtic society. The aristocracy ruled. Much of the rest of the people were small farmers, many more or less in bondage to their chiefs.

The Celts lived with the threat of the aggressive German tribes to the northeast, across the Rhine. When Caesar's uncle, the famous Gaius Marius, won his great victories against the invading tribes of the Germanic Cimbrii and Teutonii, their invasions were halted in Gaul. The Germans, as described by Caesar, were entirely warlike and despised the weakness of the settled Gallic tribes, frequently crossing the Rhine for plunder and to take territory if they could. It was to prevent the immigration of additional Germanic tribes that Caesar was first called to assist the Gauls; he never left.


THE HELVETII AND ARIOVISTUS, 58 BC

Caesar had, after much political maneuvering, received both the provinces of Cisalpine Gaul (roughly, northern Italy and the Adriatic coast) and Transalpine Gaul (France) following his year as Consul in 59, BC. Southern Gaul, largely pacified, had been a Roman province for almost a century, officially since 112 BC. There is strong evidence that, in the beginning, Caesar thought to make his reputation not in Gaul, but in Cisalpine Gaul and Illyricum. It left him close to political events in Rome and, particularly in Illyricum, offered opportunities for military fame and plunder. However, a Germanic tribe, the Helvetii, gave him an irresistible opportunity in the first months of his command which had far-reaching implications for the future.

The Roman fear of the Gauls went back to the last great invasion of Italy by Gallic tribes in the late fifth and early fourth centuries BC. Tribal movements led to Gallic invasions in Greece and Asia Minor (the "Galatians" of biblical fame). Around 400, Gallic tribes filtered into northern Italy towards the Etruscan settlements of the Po Valley; this was afterwards called "Cisalpine" Gaul ("Gaul this side of the Alps" whereas Gaul proper was known as "Gaul on the other side of the Alps"). On July 19, 386 BC, the Gallic army wiped out the Roman defensive forces at the river Allia, leaving Rome open to sack more severe than any suffered until Alaric six centuries later. The day was forever afterwards a black memorial in Rome's calendar. Matius' victories against the German Cimbri and Teutoni in Gaul in the 2nd century merely confirmed the threat of these northern invaders in popular fears.




Thus when Caesar learned that a great folk migration of a northern Celtic tribe, the Helvetii (originally from what is now Switzerland) planned to pass through Gaul to obtain land in the west, he was given the ideal excuse for action. The Gauls, naturally, feared that the Helvetii would plunder en route, if not take over their lands outright. Caesar forbade the Helvetii to pass through lands so close to Rome's territory. He took five hastily assembled legions into battle against a vastly superior horde, estimated as nearly 270,000 people. However, the Helvetii had their woman and children with them, which severely restricted their mobility. In a series of skirmishes and the final battle near Toulon, Caesar claims only 130,000 of the tribe were left alive. They were forced by Caesar to return to their original lands in Switzerland after a brief but definitive campaign.

Almost immediately, the leaders of several tribes, including the Aedui, Rome's allies, called on Caesar for help against the Germanic Sequani tribe under their leader, Ariovistus. One of the reasons for the Helvetian migration had been pressure from Ariovistus, whose people were filtering into northern Gaul and threatening their lands. The tribes begged Caesar to stop Ariovistus. Since the German was titled as a "Friend and Ally of the Roman people," Caesar tried to handle him diplomatically but his overtures only received defiant denials. When he moved against the German troops (near modern-day Besancon), Caesar was dumbfounded to find his own troops panic-stricken about fighting the Germans. He had to exhort the army to remember that Marius had beaten the Germans before and they would again. In a great battle (in which Caesar routed the German right wing), the Germans broke and streamed back across the Rhine. As Caesar wrote with understandable pride, "Two campaigns were thus finished in a single summer." He retired his army to winter quarters among the Sequani and returned to his duties in Cisalpine Gaul for the winter with the praises of those Gauls who had asked for Rome's protection.


57 BC: CAMPAIGNS AGAINST THE BELGAE

Many scholars believe that it was not until the end of his first year in Gaul that Caesar fully realized that, having once begun, he could not safely withdraw his forces until the whole of Gaul was pacified. He was particularly aware that, before he could move into Gaul's interior, he had to secure his rear (northeastern Gaul) from German incursions, in the area of the Belgic tribes between the Moselle and the North Sea, many of which were ethnically German. He also heard while in Cisalpine Gaul that the Belgae, fearful that Caesar would turn on them after he had pacified Celtic Gaul, were arming and preparing for war. Raising two new legions (the 13th and 14th), he moved quickly to the borders of the Belgae on the Marne River.

Upon arrival, Caesar learned that fifteen tribes had united under Galba, king of the Suessiones, and planned to field 300,000 warriors. When the Belgic Remi tribe agreed to aid Caesar, the Belgae attacked their chief towns and pillaged their lands. In protecting the Remi, Caesar forced the assembled tribes to withdraw to within miles of the Sambre river. There he learned that the Nervii, fiercest of the Belgic tribes, the Atrebates and Aduatuci were waiting on the far side. The Battle of the Sambre was touch-and-go for Caesar: in the first of many battles, he was forced to personally rally his men, turning a near-defeat into victory, vitally assisted by Titus Labienus and his cavalry. The Nervii surrendered and were permitted to retain their lands. The Aduatuci, however, surrendered and then attempted to escape. In the first of many harsh retaliations upon Gauls who (in his mind) broke their word, Caesar sold the whole 53,000 men, women and children of the tribe into slavery. Meanwhile, Marcus Crassus' son had successfully moved into Normandy and Brittany and subdued the Armorican tribes. Caesar wrote that he believed his two years' campaigns had pacified Gaul and again returned to northern Italy. He was over-optimistic.

It should be noted before going further, that Caesar's brutal actions in Gaul are sometimes distinguished as singular in ancient warfare. This is untrue. The history of Roman conquest generally involved either surrender or annihilation; by definition, to be conquered meant dead warriors and enslaved women and children, with pillage of all they owned. It was only during the Civil War, when Caesar did not apply this normal standard to fellow-Romans, that his clemency was considered remarkable. His harshness towards the Gauls when they refused to accept their conquest would increase over time.


56 BC: CAMPAIGNS AGAINST THE MARITIME TRIBES

Caesar had already decided that he would invade Britain; the tribal kinships between British tribes and Gallic ones meant continual escape from Gaul to Britain of "troublemakers" and aid from Britain to rebellious tribes. To do so, he had to secure the Channel tribes, particularly the Veneti, a seagoing people. The campaigns of 56 began with Caesar, unusually, dividing his forces, stationing legions under Labienus, Crassus, Sabinus and others throughout Gaul to prevent tribes aiding his efforts against the seagoing peoples. The Veneti, with a body of British auxiliaries, had prepared for war and amassed a fleet of light, maneuverable sailing ships far more expert than the lumbering Roman galleys. Decimus Brutus - one of Caesar's future assassins - was given command of the Roman fleet. Initial contacts were unsuccessful until the Romans realized that the use of archers permitted them to row closely to the Veneti vessels and that long "hooks" could then grapple the masts of the vessels and tow away so that the masts and sails were broken off, permitting boarding. This was so successful against the fleet - aided with a calm in which the sailing vessels were helpless before Caesar's galleys - that the entire fleet was decisively defeated and the Veneti overrun. This tribe, too, was sold into slavery. The campaign took all summer and Caesar once again put his troops into winter quarters and began building his own fleet with which to conquer Britain, while he returned to Cisalpine Gaul to administer that province.


56 BC: CAMPAIGNS AGAINST THE MARITIME TRIBES

Caesar had already decided that he would invade Britain; the tribal kinships between British tribes and Gallic ones meant continual escape from Gaul to Britain of "troublemakers" and aid from Britain to rebellious tribes. To do so, he had to secure the Channel tribes, particularly the Veneti, a seagoing people. The campaigns of 56 began with Caesar, unusually, dividing his forces, stationing legions under Labienus, Crassus, Sabinus and others throughout Gaul to prevent tribes aiding his efforts against the seagoing peoples. The Veneti, with a body of British auxiliaries, had prepared for war and amassed a fleet of light, maneuverable sailing ships far more expert than the lumbering Roman galleys. Decimus Brutus - one of Caesar's future assassins - was given command of the Roman fleet. Initial contacts were unsuccessful until the Romans realized that the use of archers permitted them to row closely to the Veneti vessels and that long "hooks" could then grapple the masts of the vessels and tow away so that the masts and sails were broken off, permitting boarding. This was so successful against the fleet - aided with a calm in which the sailing vessels were helpless before Caesar's galleys - that the entire fleet was decisively defeated and the Veneti overrun. This tribe, too, was sold into slavery. The campaign took all summer and Caesar once again put his troops into winter quarters and began building his own fleet with which to conquer Britain, while he returned to Cisalpine Gaul to administer that province.


54 BC: BRITAIN AND DISASTER

When Caesar returned in the spring, he found 600 new transports and 28 galleys and ordered an assembly at Portius Itius (near modern-day Boulogne). He also found that the Treveri were treating with the Germans beyond the Rhine to attack while he was in Britain and had to march to the Ardennes to intimidate the Treveri and take hostages (many of whom he took with him to Britain). The second expedition to Britain sailed with five legions, 2,000 cavalry, and eight hundred ships. The size of the fleet - the largest until D-Day in 1944 - terrified the Britons and Caesar's landing was unopposed. Leaving ten cohorts to protect the ships, Caesar's army moved inland and rapidly overcame the British tribes, when Caesar received word that - again - his ships had been badly damaged by a freak storm. Caesar instantly recalled his men and returned to the beach to find 40 ships lost and many more damaged. He diverted men for repair and beached the ships behind entrenchments; meanwhile, Caesar learned that the British (convinced the Romans had turned back through fear) had elected Cassivellaunus their leader. He immediately set out against him, leaving his ships heavily guarded.

Caesar for the first time experienced the only type of warfare which truly threatened his successful career; the guerrilla warfare of an enemy who would not stand and fight. The very close-order drill and discipline that taught the Roman legions to battle according to plan was a hindrance in dealing with an enemy that "...never fought in close array":

"Throughout this peculiar combat, which was fought in front of the camp in full view of everyone, it was seen that our troops were too heavily weighted by their armor to deal with such an enemy: they could not pursue them when they retreated and dared not get separated from their standards. The cavalry, too, found it very dangerous work fighting the charioteers; for the Britons would generally give ground on purpose and after drawing them some distance from the legions would jump down from their chariots and fight on foot, with the odds in their favor." B.G., V, 16.

Eventually Caesar advanced to the Thames, possibly near Brentford, crossed to the left bank against strong opposition, and advanced deep into the country of the Trinobantes where he stormed the fortress of Cassivellaunus, who proposed surrender. But again, time and Gallic developments called him away from completing the campaign. The British surrender, hostages, and tribute was fixed before Caesar returned to Gaul upon word that "sudden commotions" required his presence. The conquest of Britain would have to wait almost a century for completion.

Upon his return, Caesar called a convocation of tribes at Samarobriva (Amiens); a bad harvest, and Roman requisitioning, showed discontent simmering beneath the surface. As supplies were difficult, he divided and quartered his legions at strategic points throughout Gaul, remaining himself at Amiens in case of speedy action. He delayed leaving for northern Italy. It was prescient he did so.

With the encouragement of Ambiorix, the Belgic Eburones were persuaded to attack the newly-formed legion stationed near Liege under Titurius Sabinus and Cotta, 50 miles from Cicero's supporting legion. The Gauls frightened Sabinus and his men by painting a terrifying picture of upcoming surprise attacks by both Gauls and Germans, suggesting that Sabinus evacuate to join Cicero's forces. Inevitably, as soon as the legion left its defensive fort, it was attacked and slaughtered by the exultant Gauls. Immediately, Ambiorix convinced the Nervii and their allies to attack Quintus Cicero's position, probably near Namur. In one of the most dramatic episodes in the Gallic War, Cicero was unable to get a messenger through to Caesar while he was besieged by Gauls who began to besiege him using what they had learned from Roman siege tactics.

Finally a messenger managed to get through to Caesar, almost 170 miles away near Amiens, and Caesar raced to Cicero's rescue with two legions against the enemy's nearly 60,000 men. As Caesar approached, the Gauls raised the siege and fell on Caesar's legions. Entrenching and resorting to craft, Caesar persuaded the Gauls to attack and routed them with a cavalry charge. News of the victory caused Indutiomarus, who had planned a related attack on Labienus' legion, to desist. With the loss of one complete legion and serious casualties to a second, Caesar settled down to raise new new legions from Cisalpine Gaul and borrow a third from Pompey, which arrived before the end of winter. He ordered another convocation of Gallic chiefs in Lutetia (Paris), attended by all but the Senones, Carnutes and Treveri who were obviously planning continued resistance.

 

53 BC: THE POT COMES TOWARDS THE BOIL

Ambiorix had caused Caesar endless grief in 54 and he marched against him and his allies as soon as the spring campaigning season arrived. Trebonius and Labienus jointly attacked the lands of the Manipii and Aduatuci while Caesar marched back into Eburone territory in search of Ambiorix. Caesar again bridged the Rhine to harry the Germans in case Ambiorix sought refuge with them, returning to search the vast Ardennes Forest where rumor said Ambiorix was in hiding. Unable to break through the guerrilla harassments offered, Caesar offered a bounty to all Celtic tribes who would join him in pillaging the Eburones and immediately raised large forces; here, as always, the Gauls were always as ready to attack and plunder each other as the Romans. Unfortunately it also appealed to the Germans; the Sugambri crossed the Rhine and fell upon the unfortunate Cicero, whose troops were guarding the baggage at Aduatuca. Two cohorts were destroyed when Cicero expressly ignored Caesar's orders and it was not until Caesar's return that the Germans scampered off.

Caesar then turned on the lands of the Eburones without mercy; however, the devastation did not flush out Ambiorix, who was never captured but was not seen again. As the campaign drew to a close, Caesar ordered another great Gallic convocation at Durocortorum (Rheims). Seizing one of the tribal leaders, Acco, as the remaining arch-conspirator of the revolt, he had him flogged to death in a Roman-style execution. Distributing his legions in winter quarters, he returned to Cisalpine Gaul, believing that "Gaul was quiet."

Instead, what the Gallic victories of 53 and Caesar's increasing severity had created was the one thing that had never happened before; a desperate determination by the Gauls to put aside their everlasting tribal contentions and unite to beat back the legions once and for all. More importantly, a leader would be found more capable of any other of facing Caesar.



52 BC: ANNUS HORRIBILIS

In the winter of 53-52 BC, Caesar was in Cisalpine Gaul holding the normal pattern of judicial assizes. Rome was in turmoil following the murder of Publius Clodius and the political intrigues of multiple political factions. With his political career in crisis, Caesar suddenly learned that the Carnutes, hitherto thought largely pacified, had massacred all Roman citizen traders as well as Caesar's commissariat officer in their oppidum of Cenabum (Orleans). It was the signal. Despite the fact that six legions, the bulk of the Roman army, were quartered in the lands of the Senones, a guerilla force at once formed and began seriously disrupting the army's food supply. Related maneuvers were being handled by Gallic confederates throughout the center of France against the Roman armies in winter quarters. When word came of the uprising, Caesar crossed the Alps in late-February as well as the heavy snows of the Cevennes mountains, appearing in the center of France with his usual unexpectedness. He began collecting the Roman legions in Gaul around the region of Agedincum (Sens).

To deal with the now widespread revolt, Caesar divided his legions: he himself led six legions in the direction of Gergovia, the main stronghold of the Averni, while Titus Labienus took four legions into the lands of the Senones and the Parisii, further to the north. Meanwhile, Vercingetorix, manning the strong natural fortress of Gergovia, had secured the support of the Aedui tribe and its leader, Commius, once considered one of Caesar's most dependable allies. The Aedui for some years had served in the legions as auxiliaries and were highly valued by Caesar as his cavalry. This negotiating triumph led immediately to the massacre of Roman troops by 10,000 supposedly loyal Aedui cavalry and additional murders of all Roman citizens in Cabillonum (Chalon-sur-Saone). Caesar's efforts before Gergovia led to as near a military defeat as he ever suffered in Gaul, and he was forced to withdraw. Tribal leaders formerly loyal to Caesar began deserting with their troops to Vercingetorix. It is estimated that as many as 45 tribes joined against Rome. They torched the army depot of Noviodonum, massacred its Roman merchants and Caesar's hostages, and continued attacks on Caesar's supply lines. Caesar fell back toward the Loire, although he managed to successfully reunite with the legions of Labienus and find some breathing room to replenish his cavalry with German (not Aeduan) auxiliaries. Paradoxically for a tribe in revolt, this appears to have horrified the Aedui, who viewed the German horsemen as brutal barbarians who fought with insane inspiration.


In an historic move, the tribes had elected Vercingetorix their commander in chief and, some sources claim, King of Gaul. In this anxious summer of 52, he was maintaining his leadership position with the now-swollen confederacy with some difficulty. The tribes, long used to warring against each other for territory and plunder, cooperated only with difficulty. Vercingetorix had become convinced that a "scorched earth" policy would best succeed against the legions since, as both an intelligent and perceptive leader, he knew that numbers had not in the past succeeded against legionary discipline. He pleaded with the tribal leaders to have their people destroy their grain and all foodstuffs which might support the Romans as well as themselves during the campaign. As Caesar himself quotes the great Gaul, All you have to do...is to destroy your corn crops without hesitation and burn your granaries, knowing that this sacrifice will make you free men for ever and rulers over others." This pragmatic advice was, however, directly contradictory to the Gallic warrior tradition and was not universally followed. After inconclusive contests with Caesar at Gergovia, Vercingetorix was persuaded to invest the citadel of Alesia, the capital of the Mandubrii, as his base, and to attack Caesar's army (en route to the lands of the Sequani) with his vastly superior cavalry forces. Caesar's legions were, however, able to completely repulse the attack with the frightening aid of their new German cavalry: they proved not only of signal support to Caesar but were greatly feared by the Gauls themselves. This quite unexpected defeat led Vercingetorix to retire his army (allegedly 80,000 strong) to the great hilltop fortress of Alesia.

Caesar quickly grasped the changed situation and followed, immediately beginning on his arrival that inexorable enclosure of his enemy that would isolate Vercingetorix's army from its remaining allies. The siege at Alesia - one of the most extraordinary in Roman military history - broke the back of Gallic resistance when Vercingetorix surrendered. With the capitulation of the king of united Gaul, Caesar would spend the next two years exterminating whatever remaining resistance the decimated tribes could offer.


51 BC: THE SIEGE OF UXELLODUNUM

One final year of campaigning remained; Caesar was determined to complete the pacification of Gaul before his term of office expired in early 49. Hirtius, who picks up the final book of the Gallic Wars after Caesar, notes a distinct change in Caesar's policy of retribution after Alesia. Dissension among the Bituriges in late 52 met unaccustomed leniency. The great Gallic confederacy seems to have disintegrated back into inter-tribal raiding and Caesar aided both the Suessiones and Bituriges against the Bellovaci and Carnutes. In both cases, after his victories, he avoided strong retaliation. However, when he heard that Ambiorix was again on the warpath, he savagely stripped the country of the Eburones of whatever remained to it, to make Ambiorix's own people hate the chieftan who brought such misery upon them. He then moved against fugitives under Drappes and Lucterius who had marched south to plunder the Roman province. He cought up with them in the town of Uxellodunum (Puy d'Issolu). This stood on a plateau crowning a rocky hill rising 600 feet above the plain near the Dordogne River. While pretending to erect great siegeworks against this impregnable position, Caesar's engineers found and diverted all sources to the spring that supplied water to the citadel. Without water, the town surrendered.

Caesar had tried mercy and he had tried savagery, but his punishment of the survivors of Uxellodonum must be viewed as one of the great atrocities of warfare. He granted the surviving soldiers - perhaps 2,000 men - their lives. He then cut off both their hands. They were sent away as cripples to remind Gaul of Caesar's punishment. This was the effective end of the Gallic war.


 

THE CONQUEROR DEPARTS

Caesar had conquered and pacified Gaul. His military reputation had soared during eight increasingly merciless years, while Pompey's star was correspondingly dimmed. The cost was, as Plutarch notes, that he "took by storm more than 800 cities, subdued 300 nations, and fought pitched battles at various times with three million men, of whom he destroyed one million in the actual fighting and took another million prisoners" [slaves]. Life, XV. The Roman province was safe; Caesar organized the new territories, permitting them to pay their own tribute (preventing victimization by tax farmers) of a relatively moderate 40,000,000 sesterces annually. He returned some 20,000 prisoners to the rebellious Aedui and Averni who, in spite of their participation in Vercingetorix' rebellion, would remain as a bulwark of loyal tribes to come. His relentless successes had decimated and enslaved whole tribes. Vercingetorix would walk in the Gallic triumph in 46 in Rome before his traditional execution. Caesar had, indeed, accomplished all that he had required of himself.


Vercingetorix, preparing to surrender alone to Caesar (in red, far distance),
hesitates before the Roman camp at Alesia. Henry-Paul Motte, 1886.

Doubts, however, have remained. Goethe spoke for many when he remarked, "We have become too humane not to be repelled by Caesar's triumphs."

 

Continuation of Part II-D Ancient Roman Military: Julius Caesar
Winter Rebellion & Siege of Alesia



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To: Kathy in Alaska; MoJo2001; LindaSOG; LaDivaLoca; bentfeather; beachn4fun; Ragtime Cowgirl; ...
From the men in the Military and the Canteen


21 posted on 09/16/2003 4:45:31 AM PDT by 68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub (Good Morning Ladies)
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To: All
To every service man or woman reading this thread.
Thank You for your service to our country.
No matter where you are stationed,
No matter what your job description
Know that we are are proud of each and everyone of you.


To our military readers, we remain steadfast in keeping the Canteen doors open.
The Canteen is Free Republics longest running daily thread specifically designed
to provide entertainment and morale support for the military.

The doors have been open since Oct 7 2001,
the day of the start of the war in Afghanistan.

We are indebted to you for your sacrifices for our Freedom.




FReepers:

If YOU are interested in participating in doing threads, either your own,
or helping on existing ones, please contact LindaSOG by FReep mail.

If you are interested in being a Sports Columnist please FReep mail MoJo2001







22 posted on 09/16/2003 4:53:46 AM PDT by 68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub (THANK YOU TROOPS, PAST AND PRESENT)
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To: TEXOKIE; All
CLICK HERE for Troop Prayer Thread 7

Thank You TEXOKIE
23 posted on 09/16/2003 4:56:53 AM PDT by 68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub (God Bless and Protect our military and our allies military.)
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To: 68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub

Morning Tonk. I was wondering if that is a box of Krispy Kremes OR Dunkin Donuts?

24 posted on 09/16/2003 4:57:41 AM PDT by beachn4fun (Today is the day after yesterday and the day before tomorrow.)
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To: Ragtime Cowgirl; All

25 posted on 09/16/2003 4:59:14 AM PDT by 68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub (THANK YOU TROOPS, PAST AND PRESENT)
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To: beachn4fun
"I was wondering if that is a box of Krispy Kremes OR Dunkin Donuts?"

Some of each!
BTW YOU have been missed in the Canteen!
26 posted on 09/16/2003 5:01:03 AM PDT by 68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub (THANK YOU TROOPS, PAST AND PRESENT)
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To: R. Scott
Morning R. Scott...... for joining us today.
27 posted on 09/16/2003 5:02:22 AM PDT by beachn4fun (Today is the day after yesterday and the day before tomorrow. So?)
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To: LaDivaLoca
On This Day In History


Birthdates which occurred on September 16:
1387 Henry V king of England (1413-22)
1638 Louis XIV [Sun King] king of France (1643-1715)
1685 John Gay poet (Beggar's Opera)
1797 Sir Anthony Panizzi Librarian at the British Museum
1822 Charles S Crocker Pres of Central & South Pacific Railroad
1823 Francis Parkman American historian/author (Oregon Trail)
1838 James J Hill Canada, RR entrepreneur (Great Northern Railroad)
1858 A Bonar Law (C) British PM (1922-23)
1875 James Cash Penney department store founder (J.C. Penney)
1877 James J Jeans cosmologist/astrophysicist (Mysterious Universe)
1880 Alfred Noyes England, poet (The Highwayman)
1887 Nadia Boulanger Paris, music teacher (Lasir‚ne Ideology)
1888 Frans Sillanp„„ Finland, writer (Meek Heritage-Nobel 1939)
1893 Albert Szent-Gyorgyi Hungary, biochemist (Nobel 1937)
1895 Charles W Bidwill Sr Chicago, NFL hall of famer (Chicago Cardinals)
1899 Hans Swarowsky Budapest Hungary, conductor (Graz Opera 1947-50)
1911 Wilfred Burchett Australia, communist/writer (Catapult to Freedom)
1912 Jerry Wald NYC, producer (Mildred Pierce, Johnny Belinda)
1914 Allen Funt Bkln NY, TV host & creator (Candid Camera)
1915 Cy Walter Minneapolis Mn, pianist (3's Company)
1920 Franco Pandolfini Italy, water polo (Olympic-gold-1948)
1922 Janis Paige Tacoma Wash, actress (Lanigan's Rabbi, Trapper John MD)
1924 Bess Myerson NY, Miss America 1945/shoplifter (or 0716)
1924 Lauren Bacall Staten Island, actress (Dark Passage, Key Largo)
1924 Paddy Stone Winnipeg Manitoba, choreographer (Piccadilly Palace)
1925 B(lues) B(oy) King Itta Bena Miss, blues singer (The Thrill is Gone)
1925 Charlie Byrd guitarist (Desafinado)
1926 Robert Schuller televangelist (Glass Cathedral)
1927 Jack Kelly Astoria Queens, actor (Bart-Maverick, Get Christie Love)
1927 Peter Falk Ossining NY, actor (Colombo, Scared Straight)
1932 Anne Francis Ossining NY, actress (Honey West, Pancho Villa)
1933 George Chakiris Norwood Ohio, actor (West Side Story)
1934 Elgin Baylor NBA star (1958-59 Rookie of the Year-Lakers)
1937 Aleksandr Medved USSR, super heavyweight (Olympic-gold-1964 68, 72)
1941 Jim McBride NYC, director/actor (Hot Times, Breathless, Big Easy)
1942 Linda G Miller NYC, actress (Night of the Juggler, Mississippi)
1944 Ard Schenk Holland 1500m, 5K, 10K speed skater (Olympic-gold-1972)
1947 Lucius Allen NBA star (Milwaukee Bucks)
1947 Russ Abbott British TV comedian
1948 Rosemary Casals tennis player (US Open doubles 1967,71,74)
1949 Ed Begley Jr LA Cal, actor (Eating Raoul, St Elsewhere, Parenthood)
1949 Susan Ruttan Oregon City Ore, actress (Roxanne-LA Law)
1953 Jerry Pate Macon Ga, PGA golfer (US Open 1976, Canadian Open 1976)
1956 Anatoly Beloglazov USSR, 52 kg freestyle wrestler (Olympic-gold-1980)
1956 Kevin R Kregel NYC NY, Pilot/astronaut
1956 Sergei Beloglazov USSR, 57 kg freestyle wrestler (Olympic-gold-1980)
1958 Jennifer Tilly LA Calif, actress (Let it Ride, Off Beat, Psycho II)
1962 Kimberly McArthur Fort Worth Texas, playmate (January, 1982)
1963 Richard Marx Chicago Ill, rocker (Hold on to the Night)
1964 David Michael Sabo Perth Amboy NJ, rocker (Skid Row-Psycho Love)
1965 Katy Kurtzman Wash DC, actress (Lindsay-Dynasty)
1969 Kathi Wolfgram Minneapolis, rocker (Jets-You Got it All)
1971 Charlie Fields Bkln NY, actor (Shannon)
1972 Shalane McCall actor (Charlie Wade-Dallas)
1976 Andres Javier Blazquez PR, singer (Menudo-Cannonball)





Deaths which occurred on September 16:
0096 Titus Flavius Domitianus, emperor of Rome (81-96), murdered at 45
1498 Tomas de Torquemada inquisitor who burned 10,000 people, dies
1542 Diego de Almagro, Spanish captain-general of Peru, beheaded
1672 Anne Bradstreet American poet, dies (birth date unknown)
1889 Robert Younger, in Minnesota's Stillwater Penitentiary for life, dies of tuberculosis. Brothers Cole and Bob remain in the prison.
1946 Sir James Jeans dies
1973 Frederic Meyer actor (Faraway Hill), dies at 63
1977 Maria Callas American-born prima donna, dies in Paris at 53
1982 Rolfe Sedan actor, dies at 86





Reported: MISSING in ACTION
1965 MERRITT RAYMOND J. PORTLAND OR.
[02/12/73 RELEASED BY DRV, ALIVE AND WELL 98]
1965 RISNER ROBINSON TULSA OK.
[02/12/73 RELEASED BY DRV, ALIVE AND WELL 98]
1966 BUCHANAN HUBERT E. INDIANAPOLIS IN.
[03/04/73 RELEASED BY DRV, ALIVE IN 98]
1966 ROBERTSON JOHN L. SEATTLE WA.
[NVN TOLD SUBJ DIED IN INTERROG]
1967 BAGLEY BOBBY R. CUMMING GA.
[03/14/73 RELEASED BY DRV, DECEASED 12/05/97]
1969 TRAMPSKI DONALD J. CHESTERTON IN.
1975 BIAGINI FREDERICK J.

POW / MIA Data & Bios supplied by
the P.O.W. NETWORK. Skidmore, MO. USA.




On this day...
1630 Mass village of Shawmut changes name to Boston
1662 Flamsteed sees solar eclipse, 1st known astronomical observation
1668 King John Casimer V of Poland abdicates the throne.
1782 Great Seal of US used for 1st time
1795 British capture Capetown
1810 Hidalgo begins Mexican revolt against Spain (National Day)
1812 Fire of Moscow
1857 Typesetting machine patent
1858 1st overland mail for California
1862 Gen Bragg's army surrounds 4000 federals at Munfordville, KY
1864 Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest leads 4,500 men out of Verona, Miss. to harass Union outposts in northern Alabama and Tennessee
1885 Puritan (US) beats Genesta (England) in 6th running of America's Cup
1890 Newswriter George Whitney Calhoun names Green Bay team the Packers
1893 Cherokee Strip, Oklahoma opened to white settlement homesteaders
1906 Roald Amundsen discovers Magnetic South Pole
1908 General Motors founded by William C Durant
1915 US takes control of customs & finances of Haiti for 10 years
1919 American Legion incorporated by an act of Congress
1920 Thirty people are killed in a terrorist bombing in New York's Wall Street financial district.
1924 Cardinal Jim Bottomley bats in 12 RBIs in 1 game
1926 St Louis Cards beat Phillies 23-3
1927 Rene Lacoste beats Bill Tilden for US Lawn Tennis Assn title
1930 Phillies trailing 10-5, score 5 in 9th, then Pirates score 4 in top of 10th, so Phillies score 5 in bottom of 10th to win 15-14
1934 Anti-Nazi Lutherans stage protest in Munich.
1938 George E.T. Eyston sets world auto speed record at 357.5 MPH
1939 Yanks clinch pennant #11
1940 Samuel T Rayburn of Tx elected speaker of the House
1940 FDR signs Selective Training & Service Act (1st peacetime draft)
1940 Leo Durocher suspended from Ebbetts Field for "inciting a riot"
1945 Barometric pressure at 856 mb (25.55") off Okinawa (record low)
1947 John Cobb sets world auto speed record at 394.2 MPH
1950 Cleveland Rams (formerly AAFC) play 1st NFL game, beat Phila. 35-10)
1950 The U.S. 8th Army breaks out of the Pusan Perimeter in South Korea and begins heading north to meet MacArthur's troops heading south from Inchon
1951 Betsy Rawls wins the US Women's Open Golf title
1953 AL approves St Louis Browns move to become Baltimore Orioles
1955 Bauer & Berra homer in the 9th beating Red Sox 5-4 taking over 1st
1955 US Auto Club forms to oversee 4 major auto reacing categories
1960 Amos Alonzo Stagg retires as a football coach at 98
1960 Mil Brave Warren Spahn no-hits Phila Phillies, 4-0
1962 Public TV channel 13 begins in NYC
1963 "Outer Limits" premiers on TV
1963 Malaysia formed from Malaya, Singapore, Br. N. Borneo & Sarawak
1964 "Shindig" premiers
1965 Boston Red Sox Dave Morehead no-hits Cleve Indians, 2-0
1966 Metropolitan Opera opens at NY's Lincoln Center
1968 Richard Nixon appears on "Laugh-in"
1971 6 Klansmen arrested in connection with bombing of 10 school buses
1972 1st TV series about mixed marriage-Bridgit Loves Bernie
1972 Penny Marshall appears on Bob Newhart Show in "Fly Unfriendly Skies"
1973 Buff Bill OJ Simpson rushes 250 yards (2 TDs), beating NE Pats 31-13
1974 BART begins regular transbay service
1974 Pres Ford announces conditional amnesty for US, Vietnam War deserters
1975 Papua New Guinea gains independence from Australia (National Day)
1975 Pirates beat Cubs 22-0, Rennie Stennett is 3rd to go 7 for 7
1976 Episcopal Church approves ordination of women as priests & bishop
1977 90 minute pilot of "Logan's Run" premiers on TV
1977 Ringo releases "Drowning in the Sea of Love"
1978 25,000 die in 7.7 earthquake in Iran
1978 Yanks beat Red Sox for 6th time in 2 weeks, 3-2
1979 Catfish Hunter Day at Yankee Stadium
1982 Massacre of 1000+ Palestinian refugees at Chatila & Sabra begins
1983 Arnold Schwarzenegger becomes a US citizen
1984 "Miami Vice" premiers
1987 NASA launches space vehicle S-209
1987 NY's WNET-TV channel 13 begins round the clock broadcasting
1988 Jury awards Valerie Harper $1.6 M in dispute over TV series
1988 Tom Browning of Cincinnati Reds pitches a perfect game against LA Dodgers (1-0)
1989 Singer Natalie Cole marries record producer Andre Fisher
1990 101 year old Sam Ackerman weds 95 year old Eva in New Rochelle NY
1990 Dennis Quaid & Meg Ryan wed
1990 Emmy Awards
1990 Iraq televises an 8 minute uncensored speech from George Bush
1990 Pirate Radio New York International begins transmissions on WWCR
1991 US trial of Panamanian leader Noriega begins
1999 At least 18 people were killed and 200 more injured in the bombing of an apartment building in Volgodonsk, Russia.





Holidays
Note: Some Holidays are only applicable on a given "day of the week"
National Honey Month
Malaysia, Singapore : Independence Day (1963)
Oklahoma : Cherokee Strip Day (1893)
Papua-New Guinea : National Day (1975)
US : American Legion Charter Day (1919)
Hispanics : National Hispanic Heritage Week (Sunday)
UN observance : Intl Day of Peace (Tuesday)
International Day of Peace
National Thank You Day





Religious Observances
RC : SS Cornelius, pope (251-53), & Cyprian, bishop, martyrs
Ang : Commemoration of St Ninian, Bishop in Galloway






Religious History
1224 During an extended period of prayer and fasting, St. Francis of Assisi, 42, received the stigmata (crucifixion scars of Christ) on Mount Alvernia, in Italy. Francis, the founder of the Franciscans in 1209, has been called by some the greatest of all the Christian saints.
1620 The "Mayflower" set sail from Plymouth, England, bound for the New World. On board were 48 crew members and 101 colonists (including 35 Separatists from Leiden, Holland, known afterward as the Pilgrims). During the three-month voyage, two passengers died and two babies were born.
1840 Scottish pastor Robert Murray McCheyne wrote in a letter: 'Grace fills us with very different feelings from the possession of anything else. If you have tasted the grace of the Gospel, the irresistible longing of your hearts will be, "Oh, that all the world might taste its regenerating waters."'
1906 Birth of J.B. Phillips, Anglican clergyman. Ordained in 1930, he wrote "Your God is Too Small" (1951), but is better remembered for his biblical paraphrase, "The New Testament in Modern English," first published in 1958.
1976 In Minneapolis, the 65th Triennial General Convention of the Episcopal Church officially approved ordination of women to the priesthood.

Source: William D. Blake. ALMANAC OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. Minneapolis: Bethany House, 1987.




Thought for the day :
"How many things are there which I do not want."




You might be a packrat if...
it's not a junk drawer. It's a junk ROOM



Murphys Law of the day...(Parker's Law of Political Statements)
The truth of a proposition has nothing to do with its credibility, and vice versa.





It's a little known fact that...
Donald Duck lives at 1313 Webfoot Walk, Duckburg, Calisota.
28 posted on 09/16/2003 5:21:21 AM PDT by Valin (There is all the difference in the world between treating people equally and attempting to make them)
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To: LaDivaLoca
Morning Diva. You know, I think I like your car better than your threads!!! he he! Ready to roll? (no that is not me in the car...LOL)
29 posted on 09/16/2003 5:25:09 AM PDT by beachn4fun (Today is the day after yesterday and the day before tomorrow. So?)
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To: 68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub
Some of each!

WOW... you sure know how to cover all the bases, bringing both kinds to the Canteen. Mmmmmm, but I can only have one....got to watch the waistline (and no...I do NOT want to watch it expand!!!)......now which one do I want?

BTW YOU have been missed in the Canteen!

AND THANKS. I SURE MISSED BEING HERE!

30 posted on 09/16/2003 5:28:52 AM PDT by beachn4fun (Today is the day after yesterday and the day before tomorrow. So?)
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To: tomkow6
Morning Tomkow.....here's one for you this morning.....

An Indian and a Hillbilly were walking in the woods, all of a sudden one of the Indians ran up a hill to the mouth of a small cave. "Wooooo! Wooooo! Wooooo!" he called into the cave and then he listened very closely until he heard an answering, "Wooooo! Wooooo! Wooooo!" He tore off his clothes and ran into the cave. The Hillbilly was puzzled and asked the other Indian what that was all about, was the other Indian crazy or what? "No," said the Indian. "It is our custom during mating season when Indian men see cave, they holler 'Wooooo Wooooo! Wooooo!' into the opening. If they get an answer back, it means there is a girl in there waiting to mate." Just then they saw another cave. The Indian ran up to the opening of the cave stopped, and hollered, "Wooooo! Wooooo! Wooooo!" Immediately, there was an answering "Wooooo! Wooooo! Wooooo!" from deep inside the cave. He tore off his clothes and ran into the cave. The Hillbilly wandered around in the woods alone for a while, and then he came upon a great big cave. As he looked in amazement at the size of the huge opening, he was thinking, "Hoo, man! Look at the size of this cave! It is bigger than those the Indians found. There must be some really big, fine women in this cave!" He stood in front of the opening and hollered with all his might Wooooo! Wooooo! Wooooo!" He grinned and closed his eyes in anticipation, and then he heard the answering call, "WOOOOOOOOO! WOOOOOOOO! WOOOOOOOOO!" With a gleam in his eyes and a smile on his face, He raced into the cave tearing off his clothes as he ran. The following day, the headline of a Newspaper read..... "NAKED HILLBILLY FROM KENTUCKY RUN OVER BY FREIGHT TRAIN."

31 posted on 09/16/2003 5:31:48 AM PDT by beachn4fun (If you can read this tagline.....thank beachn for posting it!)
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To: beachn4fun; LindaSOG; Radix; LaDivaLoca; Severa; Bethbg79; southerngrit; Wild Thing; rwgal; ...
Scientists have finally figured out what is wrong with men.
The problem lies in the two halves of their brains -
the left and the right. 

The left half has nothing right in it

And the right half has nothing left in it!

32 posted on 09/16/2003 5:54:42 AM PDT by tomkow6 (.......................)
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To: E.G.C.
I'm in VA Beach and we're already getting our stuff packed and ready to move inland prolly later this evening. Husband's being sent out to sea this afternoon. Wish us luck!
33 posted on 09/16/2003 6:00:48 AM PDT by Severa (Wife of Freeper Hostel, USN STS3(SS))
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To: tomkow6
is that why most men fail in practicing random acts of intelligence and senseless acts of self control? Yikes!

34 posted on 09/16/2003 6:03:22 AM PDT by Saint Lucie ("Give me chastity and continence, but not yet - Saint Augustine")
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To: Severa
our thoughts and prayers are with all of you in VA Beach - and as a survivor of the wrath of Andrew take these words of advice - "batten down the hatches . . . and quick!" Keep us posted - please!

35 posted on 09/16/2003 6:09:42 AM PDT by Saint Lucie ("Give me chastity and continence, but not yet - Saint Augustine")
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To: Saint Lucie

36 posted on 09/16/2003 6:21:20 AM PDT by tomkow6 (.......................)
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To: tomkow6
WOW, finally an answer!!!
37 posted on 09/16/2003 6:56:50 AM PDT by beachn4fun (If you can read this tagline.....thank beachn for posting it!)
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To: Saint Lucie
Hey Saint Lucie.......
38 posted on 09/16/2003 6:58:49 AM PDT by beachn4fun (If you can read this tagline.....thank beachn for posting it!)
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To: LaDivaLoca; tomkow6; TexasCowboy; HiJinx; 68-69TonkinGulfYatchClub; MoJo2001; beachn4fun; ...
WELL, This will be the last post for me for awhile (until I get that modem) but I just found out I wasn't supposed to be posting on an open forum at work on a government computer (wished they would've told me that before!). But I guess in order not to get in trouble with the "high mucky-mucks" I'd better stick to lurking for awhile. sheesh! Anything to keep me away!

That's the vast left wing conspiracy!

At least I can catch up with my reading!

So.....

I'll keep lurking when I can get here and pray I get that modem soon.

EVERYBODY HAVE A SUPER GREAT DAY!

39 posted on 09/16/2003 7:07:03 AM PDT by Pippin (Bush/Cheney in '04)
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To: All

40 posted on 09/16/2003 7:08:54 AM PDT by Kathy in Alaska (God Bless America and Our Troops Who Protect Her!)
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