Julian the Emperor – Gibbon’s Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Chapter 22 Part 2
In the late summer of 360 Julian marched across the Rhine near modern day Basel and out of the empire with a mere 3,000 hand picked volunteers. He penetrated the Black Forest just north of the Alps. Travelling light and crossing mountains and morasses by obscure and rarely used routes he was soon out of contact with the civilised world.