he was never a general. he was a consumate politician.
Never a general??
Historians place the generalship of Julius Caesar (100
BC-44 BC) on the level of such geniuses as Scipio Africanus,
Napoleon Bonaparte and Erwin Rommel.
Although he suffered occasional tactical defeats such as Gergovia
during the Gallic War and Dyrrhachium during the Civil War,
Caesar's tactical brilliance was highlighted by such feats as his
circumvallation of Alesia during the Gallic War, the rout of
Pompey's numerically superior forces at Pharsalus during the Civil
War, and the complete destruction of Pharnaces's army at
Zela.
Caesar's successful campaigning in any terrain and under all
weather conditions owes much to the strict but fair discipline of
his legionaries, whose admiration and devotion to him was
proverbial. Caesar's infantry and cavalry was first rate, and he
made heavy use of formidable Roman artillery; additional factors
which made him so effective in the field were his army's
superlative engineering abilities and the legendary speed with
which he maneuvered (Caesar's army sometimes marched as many as 40
miles a day).
Caesar levied several Roman legions and most of them remained
strategically important until the 5th century. They were: Legio I
Germanica, III Gallica, IV Macedonica, V Alaudae, VI Ferrata, VII
Claudia, VIII Augusta, IX Hispana, X Equestris (his favorite
legion), XI Claudia, XII Fulminata and XIII Gemina (which
accompanied him across the Rubicon).
Roman battles fought by Caesar:
* 58 BC:
o June Battle of the Arar (Saone): Caesar engages and defeats the
Helvetii
o July Battle of Bibracte: Caesar engages and defeats the
Helvetii
* 57 BC:
o Battle of the Axona (Aisne): Caesar engages and defeats the
Belgae
o Battle of the Sabis (Sambre): Caesar defeats the Nervii.
* 52 BC:
o Battle of Alesia: Caesar lays siege to Alesia and is
simultaneously lain under siege by the Gallic leader Vercingetorix;
Caesar defeats Vercingetorix
* 48 BC:
o July 10 Battle of Dyrrhachium: Caesar lays siege to Gnaeus
Pompeius Magnus at Dyrrhachium and withdraws before his forces can
be decisively beaten
o August 9 Battle of Pharsalus: Caesar engages and defeats
Pompey
* 47 BC:
o February Battle of the Nile: Caesar engages and defeats King
Ptolemy XIII of Alexandria and Egypt
o May Battle of Zela: Caesar engages and defeats King Pharnaces
II of Pontus ("I came, I saw, I conquered")
* 46 BC, February Battle of Thapsus: defeats the Pompeian army of
Metellus Scipio in North Africa.
* 45 BC March 17 Battle of Munda: defeats the Pompeian forces of
Titus Labienus and Gnaeus Pompeius
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_career_of_Julius_Caesar
