Gergovia

On learning his design, men flew to arms.

Gobannitio, his father's brother, and the other chiefs, who thought that this was no occasion for tempting fortune, frowned upon his enterprise and expelled him from Gergovia.

Still he did not abandon his purpose, but raised a posse of needy and desperate men in the rural districts.

districts.Master of this force, he won over every tribesman whom he approached and urged them to take up arms in the cause of national freedom, and raising a numerous host, he drove his opponents, by whom he had himself just before been banished, to leave the country.

They were to send him quickly the whole of their cavalry and ten thousand foot, that he might distribute them for the protection of his convoys.

He then divided the army into two parts.

Assigning part of the cavalry to Labienus and retaining the rest, he gave him four legions, with which he was to march against the Senones and the Parisii, and advance in person at the head of the remaining six towards the country of the Arverni, in the direction of the stronghold of Gergovia, following the course of the Allier.

On learning this, Vercingetorix broke down all the bridges over the river, and marched up the opposite bank.

A young Arvernian noble named Vercingetorix united a large part of Gaul against Rome, and he understood his enemy very well.

He fought Caesar at Gergovia, and Caesar was beaten there, and it's a defeat that Caesar records, though he puts the blame on his men for pushing too far.

And afterward, Vercingetorix withdrew to a hill in the town of Alesia, with Caesar following him.

Archeologists have traced what Caesar built at Alesia, near the village of Alise-Sainte-Reine, and a section of it has been reconstructed there.

On learning his design, men flew to arms.

Gobannitio, his father's brother, and the other chiefs, who thought that this was no occasion for tempting fortune, frowned upon his enterprise and expelled him from Gergovia.

Still he did not abandon his purpose, but raised a posse of needy and desperate men in the rural districts.

Master of this force, he won over every tribesman whom he approached and urged them to take up arms in the cause of national freedom, and raising a numerous host, he drove his opponents, by whom he had himself just before been banished, to leave the country.

They were to send him quickly the whole of their cavalry and ten thousand foot, that he might distribute them for the protection of his convoys.

He then divided the army into two parts.

Assigning part of the cavalry to Labienus and retaining the rest, he gave him four legions, with which he was to march against the Senones and the Parisii, and advance in person at the head of the remaining six towards the country of the Arverni, in the direction of the stronghold of Gergovia, following the course of the Allier.

On learning this, Vercingetorix broke down all the bridges over the river and marched up the opposite bank.