In 6 AD, the new …show more content…
When the Roman’s entered the Teutoburg Forest, heavy rains began to fall that along with rough terrain and a primitive road caused the column to stretch between nine and twelve miles. It was during this time, that Arminius returned; not with allies, but leading attacking Germanic troops. The first series of attacks were hit and run strikes. As Arminius knew, the wooded terrain prevented the Romans from forming into formidable defensive formations. Isolated groups of Roman soldiers were overpowered as the Germanic warriors gained local superiority over them. The legions suffered heavy losses, but were able to construct a fortified camp for the first night of the …show more content…
The losses among the Germanic forces is unknown. The three Roman legions suffered the ultimate disgrace of losing their eagle standards. In Rome, the people were stunned and terrified by the defeat. Emperor Augustus, strongly affected, refused to cut his hair or beard and at times would dash his head against a door, crying "Quintilius Varus, give me back my legions!" Reprisal campaigns of Roman forces were launched to punish the Germanic tribes, and succeeded in recapturing the lost standards. However Roman never again sought to occupy lands east of the Rhine