The Ballad of Bradicles

Brett Buckstaff’s version of events

As we moved towards the farm, our scouts encountered scouts of a Greek force and we moved to engage them. I positioned my Samnites on the left flank, where the small thicket of trees was located, and my Equites on the right flank nearer the fields and farmhouse. As both armies marched towards the clearing in the middle of the farm, I ordered the Equites onto the fields in the hopes of catching some of the enemy skirmishers out in the open. With some luck (and a considerable investment of command points to go first), they were indeed able to catch them but the armor on the peltasts surprised my horsemen, leading to an ongoing engagement as the rest of the men moved up. Alas, as most of my focus was on the calvalry, we had to cede the initiative to the Greeks, who readily claimed the center of the field for themselves. Cousin Titus, though, was not distracted, and ordered our Samnites to engage the other group of armored peltasts who were moving through the woods on our far left flank. Once the Samnites got into the forest, they were able to cut through the Greeks like a hot knife through butter. While they dominantly won, they did exhaust themselves from the exertion and needed to rest as the center of both armies finally engaged each other.

In the center, I could hear the sound of sling stones as they ricocheted off of the shields (and sometimes men) in front of me as their thrice damned slingers rained down upon us. As I rode the lines giving encouragement, the Hastati directly in front of me were charged by the massive unit of pikemen and I realized I had left myself incredibly vulnerable – already down two men, only four stood between me and the strongest enemy formation on the field. However, critically, those four men stood on the field. They weathered the storm of slings and the push of the phalanx and held their formation. Twice they were pressed by the phalanx and twice they held the line. After the second, the Principes were able to engage and break up the formation of the phalanx and the fighting in front of me ground to a standstill.

After a time, the Equites were able to finish off the peltasts but were stopped in their tracks by the sheer violence with which the peltasts died. Taking the brief window of opportunity, the junior enemy commander charged into them and actually forced the cavalry back, allowing those acursed slingers to strike yet again. They brought down one of the Equites but, more critically, the constant barrage of stones was sapping our strength and morale. As the Equites were teetering on the brink (4 fatigue) cousin Titus shouted across the battlefield for them to charge the exposed commander and charge they did, managing to bring him down (though not capture him) before maneuvering to the rear of the enemy lines to threaten their avenue of retreat.

With both wings now collapsed and down a commander, the Greeks made a last, desperate attempt to regain the initiative, moving their pikemen to attack the flank of my tired Principes. As they were shifting position and therefore out of formation, I yelled at the Velites to charge into them(dumping the last of my command points for the turn into the attempt). The Gods themselves intervened on both sides (both of us used a reroll) but our Gods must have been paying more attention as our Velites were able to stop the pikemen in their tracks and bring down two of them, losing one of their own in the process.

Once it was clear their last gambit failed to secure victory, the enemy commander conceded the field to our forces. As my men were in no shape to pursue, the Greeks were able to retreat in good order and get their wounded junior commander back to their camp. We tended to our wounded and I took a moment to thank the Gods for their timely intervention.

Father,

I write once again with excellent news for our family’s gravitas. Today as our armies were maneuvering I was selected to lead a small force and secure a site of import – a small farm with a thicket of trees and a pond. I quickly gathered the allies I had been cultivating these last weeks and moved out with cousin Titus to take the farm. As we approached, we discovered and engaged a force of Greeks who were attempting to claim the site for the Carthaginians. Both the Equites and the Samnites proved themselves useful in this battle and secured our flanks, driving off the armored peltasts and forcing the Greek force to quit the field entirely. I must also commend my brave Hastati, for at one point in the battle they were the only forces between myself and the might of the enemy phalanx and they held the line through multiple assaults. Once again we emerged victorious and once again I can depend on the loyalty of my forces. On a related note, I do believe cousin Titus is going to be promoted to Decanus. My Centurion has asked of him on occasion and this is the third engagement he has stood with the battle line and not faltered, emboldening the men and extolling them to stand fast.

The men I have been cultivating relationships with – the Samnites and Equites – celebrated our victory heartily and I believe I have firmly established some new clients. Time will, of course, tell, but if I keep giving them victory and the spoils that go along with it, these men will soon be as devoted as the infantry I command. With more time spent with the Samnites, I have been introduced to some of their elders, serving in a unit of Extrordinarii. I may be able to call on these men should I be ordered to deploy somewhere substantial enemy forces are expected to be. I have also been informed that the army has hired some Cretan archers and I will make an effort to see them practice sometime soon – I would see their legendary accuracy for myself if at all possible.

Titus’ upcoming promotion will mean he will on occasion be off on missions of his own as I am called upon, but I will not be without a scion of the house of Sempronius by my side as Publius has arrived at the camp. I pulled a few strings and he was assigned to our Century so he will serve as my second in command when cousin Titus is away. I’m sure he has written to you of his posting at Messana in the garrison but we are so close to the city that my request was approved with the next shipment of food.

Do not fear, father, I will keep my younger brother safe and teach him what I have learned so far in this war.

Your devoted son,
Appius