CHAPTER XIV
The War with Spartacus--He defeats the Romans in Several
Engagements--Crassus appointed to the Command--He defeats and kills
Spartacus--End of the War--Rivalry of Pompey and Crassus--Their
Reconciliation
[
116]
At the same time Spartacus, a Thracian by birth, who had once served as a
soldier with the Romans, but had since been a prisoner and sold for a
gladiator, and was in the gladiatorial training-school at Capua, persuaded
about
seventy of his comrades to strike for their own
freedom rather than for the amusement of spectators. They overcame the
guards and ran away. They armed themselves with clubs and daggers that they
took from people on the roads and took refuge on Mount Vesuvius. There many
fugitive slaves and even some freemen from the fields joined Spartacus, and
he plundered the neighboring country, having for subordinate officers two
gladiators named Œnomaus and Crixus. As he divided the plunder
impartially he soon had plenty of men. Varinius Glaber was first sent
against him and afterward Publius Valerius, not with regular armies, but
with forces picked up in haste and at random, for the Romans did not
consider this a war as yet, but a raid, something like an outbreak of
robbery. When they attacked Spartacus they were beaten. Spartacus even
captured the horse of Varinius; so narrowly did a Roman prætor
escape being captured by a gladiator. After this still greater numbers
flocked to Spartacus till his army numbered 70,000 men. For these he
manufactured weapons and collected apparatus.
[
117]
Rome now sent out the consuls with two legions. One of them overcame Crixus
with 30,000 men near Mount Garganus, two-thirds of whom perished together
with himself. Spartacus endeavored to make his way through the Apennines to
the Alps and the Gallic country, but one of the consuls anticipated him and
hindered his march while the other hung upon his rear. He turned upon them
one after the other and beat them in detail. They retreated in confusion in
different directions. Spartacus sacrificed 300 Roman prisoners to the manes
of Crixus, and marched on Rome with 120,000 foot, having burned all his
useless material, killed all his prisoners, and butchered his pack-animals
in order to expedite his movement. Many deserters offered themselves to him,
but he would not accept them. The consuls again met him in the country of
Picenum. Here was another great battle and then, too, a great defeat for the
Romans. Spartacus changed his intention of marching on Rome. He did not
consider himself ready as yet for that kind of a fight, as his whole force
was not suitably armed, for no city had joined him, but only slaves,
deserters, and riff-raff. However, he occupied the
mountains
around Thurii and took the city itself. He prohibited the bringing in of
gold or silver by merchants, and would not allow his own men to acquire any,
but he bought largely of iron and brass and did not interfere with those who
dealt in these articles. Supplied with abundant material from this source
his men provided themselves with plenty of arms and continued in robbery for
the time being. When they next came to an engagement with the Romans they
were again victorious, and returned laden with spoils.
[
118]
This war, so formidable to the Romans (although
ridiculous and contemptible in the beginning, considered as the work of
gladiators), had now lasted three years. When the election of new
prætors came on, fear fell upon all, and nobody offered himself as
a candidate until Licinius Crassus, a man distinguished among the Romans for
birth and wealth, assumed the prætorship and marched against
Spartacus with six new legions. When he arrived at his destination he
received also the two legions of the consuls, whom he decimated by lot for
their bad conduct in several battles. Some say that Crassus, too, having
engaged in battle with his whole army, and having been defeated, decimated
the whole army and was not deterred by their numbers, but destroyed about
4000 of them. Whichever way it was, he demonstrated to them that he was more
dangerous to them than the enemy. Presently he overcame 10,000 of the
Spartacans, who were encamped somewhere in a detached position, and killed
two-thirds of them. He then marched boldly against Spartacus himself,
vanquished him in a brilliant engagement, and pursued his fleeing forces to
the sea, where they tried to pass over to Sicily. He overtook them and
enclosed them with a line of circumvallation consisting of ditch, wall, and
paling.
[
119]
Spartacus tried to break through and make an incursion into the Samnite
country, but Crassus slew about 6000 of his men in the morning and as many
more towards evening. Only three of the Roman army were killed and seven
wounded, so great was the improvement in their morale
inspired by the recent punishment. Spartacus, who was expecting from
somewhere a reënforcement of horse, no longer went into battle with
his whole army, but harassed the besiegers by frequent sallies here and
there. He fell upon them unexpectedly and continually, threw bundles of
fagots into the ditch and set them on fire and made their labor difficult.
He crucified a Roman prisoner in the space between the two armies to show
his own men what fate awaited them if they did not conquer. When the Romans
in the city heard of the siege they thought it would be disgraceful if this
war against gladiators should be prolonged. Believing also that the work
still to be done against Spartacus was great and severe they ordered up the
army of Pompey, which had just arrived from Spain, as a
reënforcement.
[
120]
On account of this vote Crassus tried in every way to come to an engagement
with Spartacus so that Pompey might not reap the glory of the war. Spartacus
himself, thinking to anticipate Pompey, invited Crassus to come to terms
with him. When his proposals were rejected with scorn he resolved to risk a
battle, and as his cavalry had arrived he made a dash with his whole army
through the lines of the besieging force and pushed on to Brundusium with
Crassus in pursuit. When Spartacus learned that Lucullus had just arrived in
Brundusium from his victory over Mithridates he despaired of everything and
brought his forces, which were even then very numerous, to close quarters
with Crassus. The battle was long and bloody, as might have been expected
with so many thousands of desperate men. Spartacus was wounded in the thigh
with a spear and sank upon his knee, holding his shield in front of him and
contending in this way against his assailants until he and the great mass of
those with him were surrounded and slain. The remainder of his army was
thrown into confusion and butchered in crowds. So great was the slaughter
that it was impossible to count them. The Roman loss was about 1000. The
body of Spartacus was not found. A large number of his men fled from the
battle-field to the mountains and Crassus followed them thither. They
divided themselves in four parts, and continued to fight until they all
perished except 6000, who were captured and crucified along the whole road
from Capua to Rome.
[
121]
Crassus accomplished his task within six months, whence arose a contention
for honors between himself and Pompey. Crassus did not dismiss his army, for
Pompey did not dismiss his. Both were candidates for the consulship. Crassus
had been prætor as the law of Sulla required. Pompey had been
neither prætor nor quæstor, and was only thirty-four
years old. He promised the tribunes of the people that much of their former
power should be restored.
When they were chosen consuls they did not even
then dismiss their armies, which were stationed near
the city. Each one offered an excuse. Pompey said that he was waiting the
return of Metellus for his Spanish triumph. Crassus said that Pompey ought
to dismiss his army first. The people, seeing fresh seditions brewing and
fearing two armies encamped round about, besought the consuls, while they
were occupying the curule chairs in the forum, to be reconciled to each
other. At first both of them repelled these solicitations. When certain
persons, who seemed to be divinely inspired, predicted many direful
consequences if the consuls did not come to an agreement, the people again
implored them with lamentation and the greatest dejection, reminding them of
the evils produced by the contentions of Marius and Sulla. Crassus yielded
first. He came down from his chair, advanced to Pompey, and offered him his
hand in the way of reconciliation. Pompey rose and hastened to meet him.
They shook hands amid general acclamations and the people did not leave the
assembly until the consuls had given orders in writing to disband the
armies. Thus was the well-grounded fear of another great dissension happily
dispelled. This was about the sixtieth year in the course of the civil
convulsions, reckoning from the killing of Tiberius Gracchus.
GAIUS MARIUS
Visconti's
Rom. Icon. (Duruy)
