Caesar

[-Davo]

I have now completed both, the Gaelic War (58-50B.C) and the Civil War (50-47B.C) by Julius Caesar.

These two novels (which are the only surviving manuscripts of the Dictator) are amazing, anyone who is interested on reading history in the making by the man who created an empire should pick these up. They are not expensive, I think about 30 bucks for the both of them.

The Gaelic War focus' on conquest, but explains why Caesar begun war in the first place, and how he over come the vast majority of his battles. He explains how, and why he maneuvers his army the ways he does, and the result of the campaigns. This also includes where he camped, where, when, and why (he ALWAYS gives a reason for a decision), and includes every single time he ordered his men to fortify their camp, build ditches, build bridges, build towers, build ships and boats, everything. Midnight murder spree's, and run-in's with the enemy.

When you read the battle of Alesia (the defining battle of the war), the way he tells the narrative is insane. This isn't some modern war, this isn't some fairy-tale Narnia bull-shit, this is hardcore. Caesar only had 40,00 troops and roughly 5,000 cavalry, and managed to fend off, and defeat a Gaelic army of nearly 250,000 tribesman.

The Civil War (which, if you didn't know, brought the end of the Roman Republic, and the start of the Emperors - starting with his nephew Octavian, later called Augustus) examines why he went the opposite direction than Pompey - to eliminated political opposition in Spain, to the decisive battle of Pharsalus (although for some reason, he never actually mentions the place).

These books are amazing, and the detail to how he positioned his army is, although brief, fantastic. From the descriptive fallout with the senate, to the death of Cato, these books are for history buffs, and army nuts like me!