Roman Legions
The name Legio is coeval with the foundation of Rome, and always denoted a body of troops, which, although subdivided into several smaller bodies, was regarded as forming an organised whole. It cannot be held to have been equivalent to what we calla regiment, inasmuch as it contained troops of all arms, infantry, cavalry, and, when military engines were extensively employed, artillery also; it might thus, so far, be regarded as a complete army, but on the other hand the number of soldiers in a legion was fixed within certain limits, never much exceeding 6000, and hence when war was carried on upon a large scale, a single army, under the command of one general, frequently contained two, three, or more legions, besides a large number of auxiliaries of various denominations. The legion for many centuries was composed exclusively of Roman citizens.
Around 390 BC, after the burning of Rome, the leaders of the Roman Empire had to develop new tactics to defeat unconventional attackers. The flexible tactics of the Roman Legion defeated the formidable Greek phalanx that until then had dominated the battlefield. The revolutionary effect of the Roman Legion on warfare is not disputed. As Rome sought to expand, she subdued the previously “invincible” Macedonian Phalanx using new tactics and organization against a tried-and-true army formation. These small units were built to travel fast and light, with many of the soldiers possessing skills in several specialties. They were highly successful in conquering armies throughout Europe and Africa, even when outnumbered.
The ancient Roman legions carried standards in the shape of eagles and were awarded "nicknames" to commemorate distinguished service.
In 58 BC, Caesar had six legions, eight in 58-57 B. C., and ten in 53 B. C. All legions, like our divisions, were numbered according to date of enlistment and, in the time of the Empire, received in addition distinguishing names such as Victrix.
Trajan's campaign against the Parthians expanded the Roman Empire to its greatest extent. After Trajan's death in 870 AUC (117 AD), the new emperor, Hadrian, made defensive moves to protect the existing Roman Empire. Roman legions actually withdrew from the regions across the Danube later in the Second Century AD. By this time, the Roman Army consisted of about 28 Legions with approximately 160,000 legionaries, along with an additional force of some 220,000 auxiliary troops in other types of units. Augustus had inherited some 60 legions after the battle of Actium (31 BC) but soon reduced this to 28 (c.150,000 men) in the interests of political security and economy. The military establishment of Augustus ultimately consisted of twenty-five legions.
Before the military reorganization of Marius in 649 AUC (104 BC), the Roman army went through three phases of development, with the legion reduced from 8400 men to 4000. During the late empire, a legion only consisted of perhaps 1,000 men in the mobile field deployment and around 3,000 men in the territorial legions.
Legio Decima Equitata, the Tenth Legion of Julius Ceasar, was not the same unit as Legio X Fretensis, which was reported to have been officially formed sometime during 712 or 713 AUC (41 to 40 BC) by Octavian. Legio X Fretensis derived its name from the Fretum Siculum, which is the water channel located between Italy and Sicily, now called the Straits of Messina. By 759 AUC (6 AD) Legio X had made Syria its home base, along with the Legio III Gallica, Legio VI Ferrata, and Legio XII Fulminata. Nearby in Egypt two additional legions were stationed. They were the Legio III Cyrenaica, and Legio XXII Deiotariana. Among their many duties of maintaining the peace in this volatile area was the vital protection of the corn supply being exported to Rome. Legion X Fretensis, which took part in the siege of Jerusalem and Masada, garrisoned Jerusalem for nearly 200 years.
The height of military staff development was achieved by the Romans. Warfare had become so complex that complex organizational structures were required to fight it. So effective was the Roman staff organization that more than any other, it still serves as the model for modern armies. Each senior officer had a small administrative staff responsible for paperwork, and the Roman army, like modern armies, generated enormous numbers of permanent files. Each soldier had an administrative file that contained his full history, awards, periodic physical examinations, training records, leave status, retirement bank account records, and pay records. Legion and army staff records included sections dealing with intelligence, supply, medical care, pay, engineers, artillery, siegers, training, and veterinary affairs. There was almost nothing in the organization or function of the Roman military staff that would not be instantly recognizable to a modern staff officer.
The dining-in as a military tradition has its roots in the shadow of antiquity. The pre-Christ Roman Legions probably began the dining-in tradition. Roman military commanders frequently held great banquets to honor individuals and units. These gatherings were victory celebrations during which past feats were remembered and the booty of recent conquests was paraded.
The Change of Command Ceremony is deeply rooted in the military tradition. Some of its aspects date back to the Roman Legions when the baton of command was presented to a newly designated commander. The ceremony itself symbolizes, in graphic form, passing the responsibilities of command and maintaining an unbroken succession of command far a particular unit.
During the chain of command, the senior enlisted soldier presents the colors to the outgoing commander to symbolize the function of entrusted leadership each commander has; responsibility for the soldiers of the unit. The outgoing commander the “surrenders” the unit colors to the senior officer. In this action, the outgoing commander publicly relinquishes his command of the unit to a senior officer. The senior officer, in the name of the higher headquarters, receives the colors and passes them to the incoming commander. By taking the unit colors, the incoming commander signifies his willingness to accept responsibility of the unit, its missions, and its soldiers. The incoming commander then passes the unit colors to the senior enlisted soldier to symbolically state his acceptance and reliance on the soldiers of the command.
The flag used in the Change of Command Ceremony represents a portion of the unit’s history. The flag itself can be traced to the legion standards carried by the Romans as well as standards carried by armies throughout military history. The flag represents the history of the unit itself and caries the battle streamers won by the unit in combat. Where and when possible, the flag is one actually carried by the unit into combat.
