Roman Army
The Roman Army By: Luke Ying The most important part of the Roman Army was the infantry legionary. ... The Roman legions also had musicians with bugles and trumpets to signal advances or retreats in battle, and to order the legionnaires to make camp for the night after a long march. ... The cavalry used to be made up of Roman citizens, but Julius Caesar stopped that and instead used soldiers of captured countries and allies. At first, the Roman legions were solely made up of Roman citizens, but after the expansion of the empire, foreign mercenaries seeking wealth began volunteering for the army, and the legions became well organized and were made up of professional soldiers. ... The Roman Army depended upon the shock to the enemies from their first charge to win the battle, so they placed their best soldiers at the front ranks. ... The Roman Army also used artillery on their campaigns. ... The Roman Army’s tactic to win against the enemy was to first slow them down and tire them with pitfalls, ditches, iron or wooden spikes planted into the ground; then hit them hard and weaken them with catapults and ballistae; and finally attack them at their weakest point. The Roman Army favored hills, where they could hit the enemies with javelins and easily fight back a charge. As the enemies charge up the hill, the Roman legions would send a volley of javelins at them, and then fight with swords. The Roman style of fighting and formation of its army is like that of modern armies.