alternatehistory.com

Quintus Tullius Cicero, the little brother of the more famous orator Marcus Tullius Cicero, was an officer under Gaius Julius Caesar (THE Caesar) in the Gallic Wars. In 54 BC, One Gallic rebellion opened up with the destruction of one legion commanded by Cotta by ambush (all 15 cohorts destroyed as fighting units less than 50 total survivors according to Caesar) at Atuatuca Tungrorum and the next target was Quintus Tullius Cicero's fort.

Pretty much no one knew about the destruction of the legion until Quintus Tullius Cicero was put under siege. The Gauls demanded the legion surrender and pointed out the destruction of the previous legion. Quintus held his ground during the siege of the winter fort while he tried to contact Caesar. The first few messengers got killed but after a few days a cavalryman who knew the Celtic language got the idea to dress like a Gaul and slipped through. Caesar ended up relieving the siege. The survivors of the ambushed legion, presumably lost in hostile territory, didn't show up for a month after Quintus's fort was saved (which is presumably why the Romans even knew how that unit was destroyed so Caesar could write it in his memoires)

Let's say instead Cotta manages to fight his way back to the camp he abandoned and starts hunkering down with the survivors. Enough cavalrymen of the destroyed legion survived and survived large enough to be a functional albeit leaderless unit. Between these two, they make up 1/8 of the original men and they left the ambush separately. Cotta with some infantry and cavalry survivors back to the fort and some leaderless cavalry going free.

The camp would probably be put under siege to prevent a breakout, but the reduced garrison means the Gauls likely would not need too many men to stop a breakout.

The group of leaderless cavalry rides away from the site of ambush. But instead of riding towards Caesar the free cavalry ride towards the 2nd nearest Roman fort... Quintus's. They see the siege going on and then charge through the siege lines using the element of surprise and end up in the fort. They then report to Quintus what happened.

How would you think Quintus would respond? He just got surrounded by enemies, told one legion was destroyed, then spent days repelling ladder assaults on the fort and watching his messengers who get caught in night escapes executed bloodily the following mornings. Now a few hundred of his friends who survived the ambush (so knew the situation with the first legion since they are that one) and who saw the siege of Quntius's fort (and so know the situation with the siege) just plowed into the fort and are just as trapped as he is.

How would you respond in that situation?

Would this significantly change the course of events of the revolt? OTL was just Caesar tries to relieve Quintus, the Gauls leave the siege to face Caesar, Quintus sends another messanger with where the Gauls went, Caesar wins a pitched battle and he tries to stabilize the situation. Aside from adding a "relieve Cotta" I don't think TTL would be any different.
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