Rome’s Greatest Defeat
by
John L. Rothdiener

On September 9th, of 2009 the world will remember one of the greatest battles of all time.
The year was 9AD. Jesus, a young boy, was possibly making his way to Jerusalem with his family. About fifteen-hundred miles away twenty-thousand Roman troops, led by Quinctilius Varus entered a forest called Teutoburg, in what we now know as Germany. That was the last ever heard from Varus and his mighty troops. Twenty-thousand soldiers had mysteriously vanished.
Nearly five years later, seventy-thousand Roman troops marched into the forest and discovered the missing legions. The bleached bones of the missing Roman soldiers were scattered throughout the forest.
The Battle of Teutoburg Forest was catastrophic for Rome but also had a significant impact on world events. Most historians believe that the Roman Army was one of the world’s strongest, most disciplined armies of all times. The Roman soldiers, trained to fight and win were almost invincible. Their battle formations are still studied today. What happened in this amazing battle? How could an undisciplined, smaller group of Germanic warriors defeat a powerhouse like the mighty Roman Army?
Caesar Augustus sent Quinctilius Varus to Germania to help keep peace among the Germanic tribes and to expand the Roman Empire. In order to escape the harsh winters in Germany, Varus ordered his three legions to head south to their summer quarters. There were six-thousand men per legion, not including the auxiliaries.
The auxiliaries consisted of captured men, forced into slavery, and ordered to fight for Rome. In return, after serving twenty years they were offered freedom and a piece of property. It is unclear how many auxiliaries were with these legions.
Caesar realized that in order for the Roman Empire to expand, an immense transportation and road system was needed. Therefore, the soldiers built roads and bridges throughout the Roman Empire. The Roman soldiers were only permitted to enter Rome for parades or to fight in the arena.
Word of an uprising in one of the Germanic towns spread, so Varus ordered his caravan of approximately twenty-thousand men to turn back north into an unexplored area called “Teutoburg Wald,” a low mountain area with numerous valleys and swamps. Rumors spread about the large beasts, half man, half-animal who protected the forest from intruders. Thus, many were already leery of the forest.
However, Varus was not intimidated. He sent his trusted friend, Arminius, who knew the area well to recruit more men to help battle the uprising. Arminius, also known as Hermann the German, had been captured as a young boy and trained to fight in the Roman Army and had already earned his Roman citizenship for his bravery in battle. Varus trusted him and believed that Arminius and his auxiliary of German warriors would help his legions through this treacherous area and another victory.
Unknown to Varus, the uprising was not real, at least not yet. Arminius and his men broke camp and rode ahead where a trap for Varus had been prepared.
On September 9th, in the year 9AD, Varus and his legions entered a narrow valley. With mountains on one side and swamps on the other, there were only two ways out—forward or back. Imagine the line of Roman soldiers, which historians believe to be eight to twelve miles long. Included in the caravan were hundreds of wagons and personal belongings of the officers, and many women and children. The sights and sounds of the vast Roman Army as it moved must have been incredible.
Arminius and his Germanic warriors ambushed the legions. The formation was long, an attack could take place anywhere, and most Romans would be unaware of it. Today, you would hear gunfire, but in 9AD, the only weapons were spears and arrows. By the time Varus discovered what was happening, it was too late. His legions were systematically being destroyed. The Germans would repeatedly ambush and retreat. The Romans, known for their unique battle formations, could not defend themselves due to the layout of the land.
Varus ordered a forced march forward. Unknown to him, Arminius and his German warriors had made an impenetrable wall, fortified by dirt and trees, located at Kalkriese Hill. The weight of the Roman soldier’s equipment made it impossible to scale it.
Another major problem was continuous rain. It made many of their weapons, useless and the shields too heavy to carry. The Germans stayed safely behind the wall as they killed the Romans one-by-one.
On September 11th, 9AD, Varus seeing all was lost and humiliated by the defeat, took his own life. To be captured would have been a disgrace. Arminius was victorious. In just three days, Rome had lost ten percent of its military force.
The head of Varus was sent to Caesar Augustus. It is said Augustus suffered from terrible nightmares and would wake up yelling, "Varus, Varus, what have you done to my legions.”
In the next decade, Arminius would continue to fight other battles with the Romans and win. The Roman General Germanicus had success with his legions in this area of Germany but was ordered back to Rome. There was no significant reason to battle in this area—no gold or silver, no port, just treacherous mountains and swamps. The Germans had won.
What effect did this battle have on our society? The English language began in this part of the world. If the outcome would have been different, Latin or another language could have been the language we speak. With the victory at Teutoburg Forest, the Roman Empire was stopped. Much of the rest of the world could live without fear of an empire trying to crush them, thus the different languages were formed.
Arminius died in 21AD. Many historians believe that a member of his own family poisoned him. However, today his memory to the German people is one of importance. He is considered by many to have been the first leader of this great nation, called Germany. In 1865, a 175 ft statue was built of Arminius in the middle of Teutoburg Forest and it still stands today.
When the Germans immigrated to the United States, many settled in Minnesota. In the city of New Ulm, Minnesota stands the third highest statue in North America—A statue of Arminius. The little town of Hermann, Missouri is named after this fierce leader.
September 2009 will be the two thousandth anniversary of this amazing battle. It will be celebrated worldwide and being of German descent myself, I look forward to it.

John L. Rothdiener lives in Bolivar, Missouri. His book, “Terror in Teutoburg Forest” is a fictional account of the Teutoburg Forest battle and can be read by anyone in the family. It has been getting glowing reviews. The book is available at many bookstores and most online book suppliers. For more information, go to www.teutoburgforest.com.