The Siege of Alesia was one of the greatest victories in Julius Caesar’s military career. Outnumbering the Romans and awaiting reinforcements from other tribes in Gaul, Vercingetorix seemed ready to wipe out Caesar’s army all the while holed up in the town of Alesia. Yet with Caesar’s ingenuity, ruthlessness, and military genius, the siege ended with Vercingetorix’s surrender at Caesar’s feet.
The ingenuity of Caesar shines through in the construction of two consecutive walls surrounding the town of Alesia, after Vercingetorix sought a defensive position inside the town. The quick construction of the first wall only took around three weeks and consisted of an eleven mile wall and a series of ditches and watchtowers, a second wall was constructed shortly after (Hickman). This effectively cut any supply lines from reaching the Gauls and blocked any communication to the outside. Basing themselves within the two walls afforded Caesar a unique advantage, he could defend his position from both sides and block the reinforcements from reaching their fellow Gauls in Alesia. This strategy proved effective during the siege as only a minimal amount of enemy Gauls were able to escape the town and only during the first wall’s construction. Though beset on both sides, the Romans were able to defend their walls and keep the enemy from uniting with Vercingetorix within Alesia. The circumvallation was key in Caesar’s eventual victory over the Gauls. …show more content…
Having been cut off from supplies and slowly being starved out, Vercingetorix attempted to send the non-combatant women and children out in the hopes that Caesar might show mercy and let them pass. In Caesar’s own words from his third person narrative “Commentaries on the Gallic
The ingenuity of Caesar shines through in the construction of two consecutive walls surrounding the town of Alesia, after Vercingetorix sought a defensive position inside the town. The quick construction of the first wall only took around three weeks and consisted of an eleven mile wall and a series of ditches and watchtowers, a second wall was constructed shortly after (Hickman). This effectively cut any supply lines from reaching the Gauls and blocked any communication to the outside. Basing themselves within the two walls afforded Caesar a unique advantage, he could defend his position from both sides and block the reinforcements from reaching their fellow Gauls in Alesia. This strategy proved effective during the siege as only a minimal amount of enemy Gauls were able to escape the town and only during the first wall’s construction. Though beset on both sides, the Romans were able to defend their walls and keep the enemy from uniting with Vercingetorix within Alesia. The circumvallation was key in Caesar’s eventual victory over the Gauls. …show more content…
Having been cut off from supplies and slowly being starved out, Vercingetorix attempted to send the non-combatant women and children out in the hopes that Caesar might show mercy and let them pass. In Caesar’s own words from his third person narrative “Commentaries on the Gallic