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20 Times a General’s Luck Decided History

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#17: Julius Caesar at Pharsalus (48 BC)

Caesar’s outnumbered legions faced Pompey’s massive forces. Pompey unleashed his cavalry, confident of crushing Caesar’s flank. But luck—and dust—intervened. The charge bogged down in confusion, and Caesar’s hidden reserves struck at the right moment. The sudden reversal won him the battle and cemented his grip on Rome. Fortune played as large a role as tactics that day.

2-G61-R1-41 (297721) Rom.Legionaries on the March / Watercol. History: Antiquity / Roman Military. – Legionaries on the march (the field pack weighed 30 kilos). – Watercolour, undated, by Peter Connolly (1935-2012).