Forced.

This is coolbert:

Here begins a series of blog entries the topic the marching ability of military units throughout history, ancient and modern.

As excerpted from the Roosh Internet web site the article by ANDRÉ DU PÔLE  the Roman Legions their marching ability second to none.

Roman troops carrying a weight while on the march that to the modern man  would be considered ponderous.

A COMBINED LOAD "PONDEROUS' OF BODY ARMOR, WEAPONS, PERSONNEL ITEMS. WHAT IS CALLED AN EXISTENCE LOAD IN THE U.S. ARMY.

"THE ROMAN EMPIRE WAS BUILT AND MAINTAINED BY TOP ATHLETES"

As excerpted:

"All this weighted between 75 lbs. [34 kg.] and 100 lbs. [45 kg.]. Once a week, legionaries had to undergo an 18 miles [29 km.] long testing walk across the country carrying all their equipment."

"Only after centuries of a burgeoning empire would the supply networks become more secure. Julius Caesar (100-44 B.C.) then reduced the load to 45 lbs per man, improving his legions’ maneuverability, yet he maintained the test and training walks with the original load."

CAESAR AS I REMEMBER NOT ONLY REDUCING LOAD BUT DOUBLING PAY AT THE SAME TIME.LEGIONS MORE LOYAL TO HIM THAN ROME ITSELF AS A CONSEQUENCE.

Forced march to battle also an aspect of the amazing marching ability of the Roman Legions:

"forced march  - - (military) A movement on foot by soldiers . . . who must, in order to satisfy a military requirement, travel at a speed or in adverse conditions that would normally tire them excessively."

"In times of war, forced march could come in as well: Crassus’ (115-53 B.C.) legions once walked 23 miles without stopping, while Caesar’s stepped 28 miles—and later carried out the prowess of treading 46 miles in 24 hours, without their usual load, but with just one 3-hour break."

THAT FORCED MARCH OF CRASSUS DONE TO BOLSTER THE ROMAN ARMY IN THE LAST BATTLE WITH SPARTACUS AS I RECALL.

I might correctly think that in modern American society only the Amish man having that essential proper combination of strength and endurance to match the ordinary Roman legionnaire. Amish man walking twice as far per day as the the average American man and twice as strong pound for pound.

coolbert.