Samnite Linen Legion

 

Here are some Samnites from the archives, the Linen Legion described by Livy in his The History of Rome (Book 10.38.12.), who fought at the Battle of Aquilonia during the Third Samnite War:

...when the leading Samnites had been bound by this imprecation, the general named ten of them and bade them choose every man another, and so to proceed until they had brought up their number to sixteen thousand. These were named the "Linen Legion," from the roof of the enclosure wherein the nobles had been sworn, and were given splendid arms and crested helmets, to distinguish them from the rest.

https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.02.0155%3Abook%3D10%3Achapter%3D38

These are all Crusader Miniatures figures that I painted about nine years ago. I have a Pen and Sword book on the Third Samnite War by Mike Roberts but haven't read it yet!

Last Sunday we went on a camping trip to Barrington Tops and Ganguddy-Dunns Swamp, near Rylestone in the Wollemi National Park. Below are a few pics from our trip.

Creek crossings at Barrington Tops
were high after all the rain

Beech Forest Walk 

Thunderbolts Lookout

Soggy camping at Polblue Swamp

Brumbies

Polblue Swamp creek

A wallaby

The Firs, Barrington Tops

Campsite at Ganguddy-Dunns Swamp

Dammed Cudgegong River

Pagoda Lookout

The Weir was built in 1921 to provide
water for the Kandos Cement Factory

Samnite Cavalry

 

Here's another post from the archives. These are armoured Samnite cavalry by Aventine Miniatures with LBM shield transfers. I still have more cavalry to paint for my Samnite army, mainly Crusader and A&A Miniatures.

Camillan Romans versus Samnites Mortem et Gloriam Game

View of the table from the Samnite side

View from the Roman side

Armies advance

Roman right flank with Italian allies

Samnite left flank and centre

Samnite right flank and centre

Apulian javelinmen and Samnite foot

Samnite javelinmen and foot

Roman cavalry on the right flank moves around the wood

The armies close

Cavalry manoeuvre near the wood

The Samnites hold, the Romans advance

Samnite infantry move into a marsh

Last Thursday afternoon out in the shed I played a solo Mortem et Gloriam (MeG) game, with the Camillan Romans taking on the Samnites in a Pacto (small) sized game of about 3,500 points a side. I thought the Romans would easily crush the Samnites but it proved to a very close game, level pegging through out much of it. In the end both armies were on the verge of breaking and the Samnites just managed to pip the Romans at the post with a 15-10 victory.

Roman cavalry declare a charge on the right flank

Roman cavalry declare a charge on the left

The Romans charge into combat with the Samnites on the Roman right

And on the left

Infantry combat in the centre

Roman cavalry break on the Roman right, Samnite cavalry break on the Roman left

Infantry slog it out

It's level pegging

Casualties mount

Both armies are on the verge of breaking

Samnite left flank hangs on, the centre is almost gone

Romans break first

Samnites just pip the Romans at the post with a 15-10 victory