Hermann The First German Leader

(9--21 A. D.)



The Cherusci. --Hermann's Early Life. --His Return to Germany. --Enmity

of Segestes. --Secret Union of the Tribes. --The Revolt.

--Destruction of Varus and his Legions. --Terror in Rome. --The

Battle-Field and Monument. --Dissensions. --First March of

Germanicus. --Second March and Battle with Hermann. --Defeat of

Caecina. --Third Expedition of Germanicus. --Battles on th Weser.

--His Retreat. --Views of Tiberius. --War between Hermann and

Marbod. --Murder of Hermann. --His Character. --Tacitus.





[Sidenote: 9 A. D. HERMANN.]



The Cherusci, who inhabited a part of the land between the Weser and the

Elbe, including the Hartz Mountains, were the most powerful of the

tribes conquered by Tiberius. They had no permanent class of nobles, as

none of the early Germans seem to have had, but certain families were

distinguished for their abilities and their character, or the services

which they had rendered to their people in war. The head of one of these

Cheruscan families was Segimar, one of whose sons was named Hermann. The

latter entered the Roman service as a youth, distinguished himself by

his military talent, was made a Roman knight, and commanded one of the

legions which were employed by Augustus in suppressing the great

insurrection of the Dalmatians and Pannonians. It seems probable that he

visited Rome at the period of its highest power and splendor: it is

certain, at least, that he comprehended the political system by means of

which the Empire had become so great.



When Hermann returned to his people, he was a man of twenty-five and

already an experienced commander. He is described by the Latin writers

as a chief of fine personal presence, great strength, an animated

countenance and bright eyes. He was always self-possessed, quick in

action, yet never rash or heedless. He found the Cherusci and all the

neighboring tribes filled with hate of the Roman rule and burning to

revenge the injuries they had suffered. His first movement was to

organize a secret conspiracy among the tribes, which could be called

into action as soon as a fortunate opportunity should arrive. Varus was

then--A. D. 9--encamped near the Weser, in the land of the Saxons, with

an army of 40,000 men, the best of the Roman legions. Hermann was still

in the Roman service, and held a command under him. But among the other

Germans in the Roman camp was Segestes, a chief of the Cherusci, whose

daughter, Thusnelda, Hermann had stolen away from him and married.

Thusnelda was afterwards celebrated in the German legends as a

high-hearted, patriotic woman, who was devotedly attached to Hermann:

but her father, Segestes, became his bitterest enemy.



[Sidenote: 9 A. D.]



In engaging the different tribes to unite, Hermann had great

difficulties to overcome. They were not only jealous of each other,

remembering ancient quarrels between themselves, but many families in

each tribe were disposed to submit to Rome, being either hopeless of

succeeding or tempted by the chance of office and wealth under the Roman

Government. Hermann's own brother, Flavus, had become, and always

remained, a Roman; other members of his family were opposed to his

undertaking, and it seems that only his mother and his wife encouraged

him with their sympathy. Nevertheless, he formed his plans with as much

skill as boldness, while serving in the army of Varus and liable to be

betrayed at any moment. In fact he was betrayed by his father-in-law,

Segestes, who became acquainted with the fact of a conspiracy and

communicated the news to the Roman general. But Varus, haughty and

self-confident, laughed at the story.



It was time to act; and, as no opportunity came Hermann created one. He

caused messengers to come to Varus, declaring that a dangerous

insurrection had broken out in the lands between him and the Rhine. This

was in the month of September, and Varus, believing the reports, broke

up his camp and set out to suppress the insurrection before the winter.

His nearest way led through the wooded, mountainous country along the

Weser, which is now called the Teutoburger Forest. According to one

account, Hermann was left behind to collect the auxiliary German troops,

and then, with them, rejoin his general. It is certain that he remained,

and instantly sent his messengers to all the tribes engaged in the

conspiracy, whose warriors came to him with all speed. In a few days he

had an army probably equal in numbers to that of Varus. In the meantime

the season had changed: violent autumn storms burst over the land, and

the Romans slowly advanced through the forests and mountain-passes, in

the wind and rain.



[Sidenote: 9 A. D. HERMANN'S CONSPIRACY.]



Hermann knew the ground and was able to choose the best point of attack.

With his army, hastily organized, he burst upon the legions of Varus,

who resisted him, the first day, with their accustomed valor. But the

attack was renewed the second day, and the endurance of the Roman troops

began to give way: they held their ground with difficulty, but exerted

themselves to the utmost, for there was now only one mountain ridge to

be passed. Beyond it lay the broad plains of Westphalia, with fortresses

and military roads, where they had better chances of defence. When the

third day dawned, the storm was fiercer than ever. The Roman army

crossed the summit of the last ridge and saw the securer plains before

them. They commenced descending the long slope, but, just as they

reached three steep, wooded ravines which were still to be traversed,

the Germans swept down upon them from the summits, like a torrent, with

shouts and far-sounding songs of battle.



A complete panic seized the exhausted and disheartened Roman troops, and

the fight soon became a slaughter. Varus, wounded, threw himself upon

his sword: the wooded passes, below, were occupied in advance by the

Germans, and hardly enough escaped to carry the news of the terrible

defeat to the Roman frontier on the Rhine. Those who escaped death were

sacrificed upon the altars of the gods, and the fiercest revenge was

visited upon the Roman judges, lawyers and civil officers, who had

trampled upon all the hallowed laws and customs of the people. The news

of this great German victory reached Rome in the midst of the rejoicings

over the suppression of the insurrection in Dalmatia and Pannonia, and

turned the triumph into mourning. The aged Augustus feared the overthrow

of his power. He was unable to comprehend such a sudden and terrible

disaster: he let his hair and beard grow for months, as a sign of his

trouble, and was often heard to cry aloud: "O, Varus, Varus, give me

back my legions!"



The location of the battle-field where Hermann defeated Varus has been

preserved by tradition. The long southern slope of the mountain, near

Detmold, now bare, but surrounded by forests, is called to this day the

Winfield. Around the summit of the mountain there is a ring of huge

stones, showing that it was originally consecrated to the worship of the

ancient pagan deities. Here a pedestal of granite, in the form of a

temple, has been built, and upon it has been placed a colossal statue of

Hermann in bronze, 90 feet high, and visible at a distance of fifty

miles.



[Sidenote: 14 A. D.]



Hermann's deeds were afterwards celebrated in the songs of his people,

as they have been in modern German literature; but, like many other

great men, the best results of his victory were cast away by the people

whom he had liberated. It was now possible to organize into a nation the

tribes which had united to overthrow the Romans, and such seems to have

been his intention. He sent the head of Varus to Marbod, Chief of the

Marcomanni, whose power he had secured by carrying out his original

design; but he failed to secure the friendship, or even the neutrality,

of the rival leader. At home his own family--bitterest among them all

his father-in-law, Segestes--opposed his plans, and the Cherusci were

soon divided into two parties,--that of the people, headed by Hermann,

and that of the nobility, headed by Segestes.



When Tiberius, therefore, hastily collected a new army and marched into

Germany the following year, he encountered no serious opposition. The

union of the tribes had been dissolved, and each avoided an encounter

with the Romans. The country was apparently subjugated for the second

time. The Emperor Augustus died, A. D. 14: Tiberius succeeded to the

purple, and the command in Germany then devolved upon his nephew,

Germanicus, the son of Drusus.



The new commander, however, was detained in Gaul by insubordination in

the army and signs of a revolt among the people, following the death of

Augustus, and he did not reach Germany until six years after the defeat

of Varus. His march was sudden and swift, and took the people by

surprise, for the apparent indifference of Rome had made them careless.

The Marsi were all assembled at one of their religious festivals,

unprepared for defence, in a consecrated pine forest, when Germanicus

fell upon them and slaughtered the greater number, after which he

destroyed the sacred trees. The news of this outrage roused the sluggish

spirit of all the neighboring tribes: they gathered together in such

numbers that Germanicus had much difficulty in fighting his way back to

the Rhine.



[Sidenote: 15 A. D. THE INVASION OF GERMANICUS.]



Hermann succeeded in escaping from his father-in-law, by whom he had

been captured and imprisoned, and began to form a new union of the

tribes. His first design was to release his wife, Thusnelda, from the

hands of Segestes, and then destroy the authority of the latter, who was

the head of the faction friendly to Rome. Germanicus re-entered Germany

the following summer, A. D. 15, with a powerful army, and to him

Segestes appealed for help against his own countrymen. The Romans

marched at once into the land of the Cherusci. After a few days they

reached the scene of the defeat of Varus, and there they halted to bury

the thousands of skeletons which lay wasting on the mountainside. Then

they met Segestes, who gave up his own daughter, Thusnelda, to

Germanicus, as a captive.



The loss of his wife roused Hermann to fury. He went hither and thither

among the tribes, stirring the hearts of all with his fiery addresses.

Germanicus soon perceived that a storm was gathering, and prepared to

meet it. He divided his army into two parts, one of which was commanded

by Caecina, and built a large fleet which transported one-half of his

troops by sea and up the Weser. After joining Caecina, he marched into

the Teutoburger Forest. Hermann met him near the scene of his great

victory over Varus, and a fierce battle was fought. According to the

Romans, neither side obtained any advantage over the other; but

Germanicus, with half the army, fell back upon his fleet and returned to

the Rhine by way of the North Sea.



Caecina, with the remnant of his four legions, also retreated across the

country, pursued by Hermann. In the dark forests and on the marshy

plains they were exposed to constant assaults, and were obliged to fight

every step of the way. Finally, in a marshy valley, the site of which

cannot be discovered, the Germans suddenly attacked the Romans on all

sides. Hermann cried out to his soldiers: "It shall be another day of

Varus!" the songs of the women prophesied triumph, and the Romans were

filled with forebodings of defeat. They fought desperately, but were

forced to yield, and Hermann's words would have been made truth, had not

the Germans ceased fighting in order to plunder the camp of their

enemies. The latter were thus able to cut their way out of the valley

and hastily fortify themselves for the night on an adjoining plain.



[Sidenote: 15 A. D.]



The German chiefs held a council of war, and decided, against the

remonstrances of Hermann, to renew the attack at daybreak. This was

precisely what Caecina expected; he knew what fate awaited them all if he

should fail, and arranged his weakened forces to meet the assault. They

fought with such desperation that the Germans were defeated, and Caecina

was enabled, by forced marches, to reach the Rhine, whither the rumor of

the entire destruction of his army had preceded him. The voyage of

Germanicus was also unfortunate: he encountered a violent storm on the

coast of Holland, and two of his legions barely escaped destruction. He

had nothing to show, as the result of his campaign, except his captive

Thusnelda and her son, who walked behind his triumphal chariot, in Rome,

three years afterwards, and never again saw their native land; and his

ally, the traitor Segestes, who ended his contemptible life somewhere in

Gaul, under Roman protection.



Germanicus, nevertheless, determined not to rest until he had completed

the subjugation of the country as far as the Elbe. By employing all the

means at his command he raised a new army of eight legions, with a great

body of cavalry, and a number of auxiliary troops, formed of Gauls,

Rhaetians, and even of Germans. He collected a fleet of more than a

thousand vessels, and transported his army to the mouth of the Ems,

where he landed and commenced the campaign. The Chauci, living near the

sea, submitted at once, and some of the neighboring tribes were disposed

to follow their example; but Hermann, with a large force of the united

Germans, waited for the Romans among the mountains of the Weser.

Germanicus entered the mountains by a gorge, near where the city of

Minden now stands, and the two armies faced each other, separated only

by the river. The legends state that Hermann and his brother Flavus, who

was still in the service of Germanicus, held an angry conversation from

the opposite shores, and the latter became so exasperated that he

endeavored to cross on horseback and attack Hermann.



Germanicus first sent his cavalry across the Weser, and then built a

bridge, over which his whole army crossed. The Romans and Germans then

met in battle, upon a narrow place between the river and some wooded

hills, called the Meadow of the Elves. The fight was long and bloody:

Hermann himself, severely wounded, was at one time almost in the hands

of the Romans. It is said that his face was so covered with blood that

he was only recognized by some of the German soldiers on the Roman side,

who purposely allowed him to escape. The superior military skill of

Germanicus, and the discipline of his troops, won the day: the Germans

retreated, beaten but not yet subdued.



[Sidenote: 16 A. D. END OF THE INVASION.]



In a short time the latter were so far recruited that they brought on a

second battle. On account of his wounds, Hermann was unable to command

in person, but his uncle, Ingiomar, who took his place, imitated his

boldness and bravery. The fight was even more fierce than the first had

been, and the Romans, at one time, were only prevented from giving way

by Germanicus placing himself at their head, in the thick of the battle.

It appears that both sides held their ground at the close, and their

losses were probably equally great, so that neither was in a condition

to continue the struggle.



Germanicus erected a monument on the banks of the Weser, claiming that

he had conquered Germany to the Elbe; but before the end of the summer

of the year 16 he re-embarked with his army, without leaving any tokens

of Roman authority behind him. A terrible storm on the North Sea so

scattered his fleet that many vessels were driven to the English coast:

his own ship was in such danger that he landed among the Chauci and

returned across the country to the Rhine. The autumn was far advanced

before the scattered remnants of his great army could be collected and

reorganized: then, in spite of the lateness of the season, he made a new

invasion into the lands of the Chatti, or Hessians, in order to show

that he was still powerful.



Germanicus was a man of great ambition and of astonishing energy. As

Julius Caesar had made Gaul Roman, so he determined to make Germany

Roman. He began his preparations for another expedition the following

summer; but the Emperor Tiberius, jealous of his increasing renown,

recalled him to Rome, saying that it was better to let the German tribes

exhaust themselves in their own internal discords, than to waste so many

of the best legions in subduing them. Germanicus obeyed, returned to

Rome, had his grand triumph, and was then sent to the East, where he

shortly afterwards died, it was supposed by poison.



[Sidenote: 19 A. D.]



The words of the shrewd Emperor were true: two rival powers had been

developed in Germany through the resistance to Rome, and they soon came

into conflict. Marbod, Chief of the Marcomanni and many allied tribes,

had maintained his position without war; but Hermann, now the recognized

head of the Cherusci and their confederates, who had destroyed Varus and

held Germanicus at bay, possessed a popularity, founded on his heroism,

which spread far and wide through the German land. Even at that early

day, the small chiefs in each tribe (corresponding to the later

nobility) were opposed to the broad, patriotic union which Hermann had

established, because it weakened their power and increased that of the

people. They were also jealous of his great authority and influence, and

even his uncle, Ingiomar, who had led so bravely the last battle against

Germanicus, went over to the side of Marbod when it became evident that

the rivalry of the two chiefs must lead to war.



Our account of these events is obscure and imperfect. On the one side,

it seems that Marbod's neutrality was a ground of complaint with

Hermann; while Marbod declared that the latter had no right to draw the

Semnones and Longobards--at first allied with the Marcomanni--into union

with the Cherusci against Rome. In the year 19 the two marched against

each other, and a great battle took place. Although neither was

victorious, the popularity of Hermann drew so many of Marbod's allies to

his side, that the latter fled to Italy and claimed the protection of

Tiberius, who assigned to him Ravenna as a residence. He died there in

the year 37, at a very advanced age. A Goth, named Catwalda, assisted by

Roman influence, became his successor as chief of the Marcomanni.



[Sidenote: 21 A. D. DEATH OF HERMANN.]



After the flight of Marbod, Hermann seems to have devoted himself to the

creation of a permanent union of the tribes which he had commanded. We

may guess, but can not assert, that his object was to establish a

national organization, like that of Rome, and in doing this, he must

have come into conflict with laws and customs which were considered

sacred by the people. But his remaining days were too few for even the

beginning of a task which included such an advance in the civilization

of the race. We only know that he was waylaid and assassinated by

members of his own family in the year 21. He was then thirty-seven years

old, and had been for thirteen years a leader of his people. The best

monument to his ability and heroism may be found in the words of a

Roman, the historian Tacitus; who says: "He was undoubtedly the

liberator of Germany, having dared to grapple with the Roman power, not

in its beginnings, like other kings and commanders, but in the maturity

of its strength. He was not always victorious in battle, but in war he

was never subdued. He still lives in the songs of the Barbarians,

unknown to the annals of the Greeks, who only admire that which belongs

to themselves--nor celebrated as he deserves by the Romans, who, in

praising the olden times, neglect the events of the later years."