Uxellodunum

Uxellodunum was a Gallic "oppidum" located near modern-day Puy D'Issolu in France. This particular stronghold lay within the lands of the Carduci. According to Aulus Hirtius in his addendum to Julius Caesar's "Commentaries", the last revolt against Rome's authority in Gaul occurred here, and was brutally punished.

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Luterius, the chieftain of the Carduci, and Drapes, the leader of the Senones, had withdrawn inside Uxellodunum, intent on waiting out the end of Caesar's governorship, after which, they could once again rebel in force. Uxellodunum, strongly fortified by its natural position, with a river dividing the valley below that almost surrounded the steep craggy mountain on which Uxellodunum was built, could not be taken as Alesia had been. The legate in charge at Uxellodunum, Gaius Cabinius Rebilus, was aware that his two legions could not hope to replicate Caesar's success at Alesia, and contented himself with dividing his legions into three camps situated on ground high enough to ensure that a secret evacuation of Uxellodunum could not succeed, and that would enable him to close off the citadel by degrees.

Those within the "oppidum" perceived Cabinius' intent, and Luterius, who had been at Alesia, urged them to increase their supplies. Stealing away in the dark of night, Luterius and Drapes left two thousand men inside Uxellodunum, and took the rest to forage for grain. While some of the Carduci willingly provided them with supplies, others had their food seized by force. After gathering a great quantity, they attempted to sneak the supplies into the fortress. However, Cabinius' sentries detected this, and Cabinius led his troops in a fierce attack on the convoys. Luterius, in charge of the convoy, fled without warning Drapes. The rest of the men accompanying the convoy were slaughtered to the last man.

Cabinius, reveling in his good fortune, then left one legion defending the camps, and took the other legion and all of his cavalry to strike at Drapes, successfully killing or capturing all of the Gauls, including Drapes himself. Pleased that he no longer had to worry about enemy reinforcements, he dedicated his men to completing the encirclement of Uxellodunum. Gaius Fabius, another one of Caesar's legates who had been given the task of subduing the Senones, arrived soon after, and put his own two legions to work alongside Cabinius'.

Caesar had been kept informed of the events at Uxellodunum, and was furious with the town's continued defiance. Determined to subdue Gaul while he was still its governor, he left his legions behind, and rode with his cavalry toward Uxellodunum, moving as quickly as his horses could allow. Startling his legates, who had not expected him to deal with this revolt in person, he quickly perceived that Uxellodunum could not be taken by storm. Having been informed the town had plenty of food, despite Luterius' and Drapes' failure to increase the stockpile, Caesar elected to deny its inhabitants water, and quickly devised a method of doing so. The nature of the ground prevented him from diverting the river, as it ran so close to the foot of the mountain that no drains could be sunk deep enough to draw it off in any direction. But that same steepness also made life difficult for the defenders, as the descent to the river was extremely difficult. Realizing this, Caesar stationed archers and ballistae to pick off any defenders foolish enough to attempt to gather water from the river.

The only other supply of water, a spring that gushed out of the craggy mountain right beneath Uxellodunum's walls, seemed to be impossible to deny to the Gauls. The terrain was too rugged, and could not be taken by force. However, Caesar knew more or less where the sources of the spring were, and decided to deny it to the Gauls. He ordered his men to build a ramp of stone and earth, for the purpose of holding a siege tower ten stories high to bombard the spring. However, while this work was going on, he had men mining the earth, tunneling inexorably to the sources of the spring.

The Gauls were fooled by Caesar's siege tower, and when they saw its final height, they attacked fiercely. The tower was soon on fire, and the limited front afforded by the terrain made for a bloody affair. Caesar ordered his men to circle the stronghold and raise a loud shout, as if they were attempting to storm the walls. This second deception succeeded, and the Gauls retreated back within Uxellodunum. The fire successfully put out, work resumed on the tower, but by the time it could have been used, Caesar's miners had succeeded in diverting the sources of the spring. When the spring dried up, the Gauls within Uxellodunum were driven to utter despair, convinced that the gods had abandoned them, and capitulated.

Aftermath

However, Caesar's patience and mercy had come to an end. Perceiving that there would be no end to his troubles if several tribes should attempt to rebel in the same manner as Uxellodunum and in different places, he decided to inflict an extraordinary punishment on those who had rebelled against him to deter the rest of Gaul. Accordingly, he cut off the hands of those who had borne arms against him, but permitted them to continue living. He scattered them throughout Gaul, determined that all of Gaul see that there would be no more mercy for continued defiance.

References

* [http://digilander.libero.it/jackdanielspl/Cesare/english.html Collected works of Caesar in Latin, Italian and English]