Crassus defeats the Parthians

[Grey Wolf]

Marcus Licinius Crassus died in the catastrophic defeat for his forces at the Battle of Carrhae in 53 BC but what if he had won the campaign against the Parthians?

One survivor was Gaius Cassius Longinus who was quick to announce that if Crassus had followed his advice, he would have won. Whilst there would be some element of self-justification, and also saving of his own reputation in this, it cannot be denied that Crassus's strategy was pretty dumb, marching away from water sources and when battle offered deploying in a purely defensive formation that hampered any sensible counter-attacking options.

So, what if Crassus had co-ordinated with the Armenians better, and listened to their advice?
or what if things went the same up to Carrhae and he listened to Cassius and decided to deploy his forces in such a way that counter-attacks and force mobility remained in his hands and he was able to defeat the Parthians?

One question might be, how EVIDENT might it be that Cassius' advice is the key here? Would Crassus seek to discredit, or even kill him if he thought his victory might be diluted by Cassius saying "I did that"?

 

[bguy]

One question might be, how EVIDENT might it be that Cassius' advice is the key here? Would Crassus seek to discredit, or even kill him if he thought his victory might be diluted by Cassius saying "I did that"?

Crassus wouldn't have any need to discredit and certainly wouldn't try to kill Cassius. The Romans believed in the idea that the commanding officer ultimately got the credit (or blame) for how a campaign went. (Witness Gaius Marius getting credit for winning the Jugurthine War, even though it was his legate, Lucius Cornelius Sulla that went on a dangerous mission deep behind enemy lines and successfully captured Jugurtha.) Thus Crassus will still get the credit for any victory even if the victory came about from following Cassius' advice.

Also, the other thing to consider is that the Parthian force Crassus faced at Carrhae wasn't even the main Parthian army (which was menacing Armenia at the time.) Thus for Crassus to have a successful campaign, he's going to have to do a lot more fighting than just at Carrhae, so even if he's deemed to have underperformed in a Roman victory at Carrhae he'll have some additional chances to build up his reputation.