Wargaming with the Restive Spanish

The majority of the Spanish infantry should be javelin and sword-armed infantry. Spanish weapons are justifiably famous. Javelins came in heavy, light and incendiary versions, some having wooden shafts, others being all-metal. Two sword types are most often shown; the straight Gladius - which was copied by the Roman army and the Kepis - something like a flatter curved Ghurka Sword with a partial knuckle guard. Helmets (when wom) could be bronze, iron or the distinctive sinew belmet used by some Spanish troops. Metal helmets tended to be close fitting. Shields, as mentioned before, were usually large oblong Scutati lighter than Celtic shields, or smaller circular targets Caetratus. Few infantry wore mail, but those who acquired the lighter armor from dead Romans or Carthaginians would be found in an Iberian line up, as would captured helmets. Those who like to do bead swaps on figures can have a field day with these conversions. Tunics were usually white with a decorated border, but successful troops would acquire other colors of garment. Sertorius outfitted his reliable troops with flowered tunics and gave them gold and bronze to adorn their gear.

Cavalry would be equipped in a similar fashion to the infantry, although it seems reasonable to attribute the smaller shield to the more numerous light cavalry. A heavier type of cavalry was employed, many using spears and large Celtic shields, and some wearing mail. The light cavalry was of legendary quality and the heavier troops drawn from the nobility and their bodyguards were well thought of That they did not do so well fighting with native armies is more an indication of the type of terrain the Spaniards formed up in than any lack of battlefield elan.

Spanish armies would seek broken ground to engage enemy troops and rely on volleys of javelins and swift attacks to break up heavier formations. Skirmisher troops and cavalry would initiate the attack, failing back to the flanks as the enemy approached. Then the infantry would advance working themselves up with chants and war dances, before discharging a veritable hailstorrn of javelins into the enemy ranks. Raw troops would initiate a series of uncoordinated attacks which on occasion tested the Romans to the limit. About 70% of the infantry would make up the main body, the rest being skirmishers and missile men. In the South of Spain this percentage might be reversed.

Spanish chiefs were not averse to hiring mercenaries, in particular missile troops and most Spanish armies featured another type of warrior - The Celtiberians. Unlike other Spanish troops Celtiberians did not fight well in rough ground and Livy mentions them fighting in a very unorthodox way for Spanish troops. "When the Celtiberians realized they were no match for the legions in a pitched battle with lines in regular array, they made an assault in wedge formation. This is a maneuver in which they are so powerful that the troops in any place at which they hurl their attack are unable to withstand the shock. And on this occasion, even the legions were shaken, and the line was almost broken." (Livy Book XL, 40.)

This style of fighting strongly resembles the Celtic methods of fighting, but with more discipline. It could be represented on the war game table by close order troops or by war bands. The warband option is probably the most accurate for rules which allow such troops a bonus in the first attack.

Cavalry made up something like 12 - 15% of a Spanish army. The army of Indibilis contained 30,000 infantry and 4,000 cavalry. Unfortunately this is as far as detail goes and other percentages have to be speculated upon. Plutarch gives the strength of the army with which Sertorius began his Spanish career as follows: "For with two thousand six hundred men, whom for honour's sake he called Romans, combined with seven hundred Afficans, who landed with him when be first entered Lusitania, together with four thousand targeteers (Caetrati) and seven hundred horse of the Lusitanians themselves, be made war against four Roman generals, who commanded a hundred and twenty thousand foot, six thousand horse, two thousand archers and slingers, and had cities innumerable in their power." (Plutarch "Lives" - Sertorius 11)

Success brought greater numbers of Spanish troops to his standard and at his peak Sertorius commanded a bodyguard of greater size than his original army. The use of armies containing Romans and Spanish cannot be over emphasized. For example, the Romans also gravitated to Sertorius: "Nor were the Spaniards alone ambitious to serve him, but the Roman soldiers, also, that came out of Italy, were impatient to be under his command; and when Perpenna Vento, who was of the same faction with Sertorius, came into Spain with a quantity of money and a large number of troops, and designed to make war against Metellus on his own account, his own soldiers opposed it, and talked continually of Sertorius, much to the mortification of Perpenna, who was puffed up with the grandeur of his family and his riches.

And when they afterwards received tidings that Pompey was passing the Pyrenees, they took up their arms laid bold on their ensigns, called upon Perpenna to lead them to Sertorius, and threatened him that if be refused they would go without him and place themselves under a commander who was ableto defendhimself and those that served him. And so Perpenna was obliged to yield to their desires, and joining Sertorius, added to his army three-and-fifty cohorts." (Plutarch "Lives" - Sertorius 15)

It should be noted that where Spanish armies contain Roman troops the anny is under Roman command. This is probably the only army list in history where the troops of the nation the list covers should count as allies. While this seems odd, it does perfectly underline the wayward and turbulent Spanish character. This does not apply to Sertorius, who would probably have ended up in control of the country if he had not been assassinated by a fellow Roman.

A "Spanish" army should not contain the more exotic Roman units such as cataphracts or elephants, just the legions and their integral cavalry. For the Julian Civil War some of the legionary troops on the Pompeiian side may be fielded in a looser formation or as faster moving but poorer fighting infantry to indicate troops who have "gone native".

Tabletop Tactics

All Spanish armies can form up with infantry in the center and cavalry with light troop support on the wings, or with the infantry in blocks to allow cavalry charges through prepared lanes between units. In this case position the light cavalry on the wings and the heavy cavalry behind the infantry.

If allied, Romans must form up either in the center of Spanish armies, or as one or two units on the flank(s). They should not be broken into single units to bolster the whole line, or used as a reserve. Where Spanish are used outside Spain they should fight as they do at home and not in different formations as some rules suggest.

Generals are advised to purchase terrain and fill it with Iberians. Use Romans and\or Celtiberians to cover open spaces while ensuring that the Celtiberians have some support to stop cavalry riding them down, as Romans often did. Make every effort to neutralize the enemy horse and whittle the opposing troops down using missiles. Only go to the attack if the enemy stands to win. Otherwise, weaken him first.

Raising a Spanish Army

Based on the above information a Spanish Army would be:

• 70% infantry fighting in close order or loose order. (Or a combination of both.)
• 12-15% would beborse. Out of this 5-10% would be heavy.
• The rest would be light-armed infantry. Up to 5% could be long range missilemen, the remainder javelin men.

Morale: Spanish armies could have veteran morale, or raw morale, This depended on bow the Spanish felt about their leader, how long they had been raised as a fighting force and who they were fighting. Perhaps a 50-50 roll to determine if they are veteran or raw, wouldn't be too out of line.

To sum up the Spanish were a powerful force to be reckoned with, and have probably been under valued on the table by designers and gainers both. One word of advice, be sure to fight in an area which resembles Spain to get the best results.

(Editor's note. Morrison's Article brought back memories of a Punic War campaign I fought in the late '70s. I was in Spain commanding a Praetor's army of one Legio and an Ala. There had been an Iberian rebellion and the Senate had charged me with getting the tribe under control again. Barry Jacobson who as the floating Carthaginian commander, (since his command was not in Spain) had set up a series of ridges which he covered with Caetrati. (125 figures if I remember)

In "Sarrisa & Elephant" Roman Manipular lines are not disordered in rough terrain since they can widen the interval between the files. So I thought nothing of moving up into the rough terrain with my 28 LI and 76 HI (104 figures total) and giving battle. Big mistake. The Iberians in rough terrain are a lot different from those on the plains of Spain. They still lost against the Romans, in hand to hand combat, but one dead Roman figure was worth three Spanish. So I had to kill at a 3-1 ratio to break even. And I was killing them at a 1.5- 1. Plus, since they were in rough terrain their morale bonuses increased, so routs no longer effected them like on flat terrain. I lost 50% of the Ala, (26 figures) and a third of the Legio (17 figures) before I called it quits. As I withdrew to the hoots of derision from the victorious Iberians on my way to retirement, my last conscious thought was, "I have to paint more Spanish!" I now have 120 25mm Scutarii. - SFP)

More Restive Spanish

Introduction
Infantry and Cavalry Tactics
Wargaming the Spanish