The Gauls were defeated. Vercingetorix was taken prisoner, and eventually executed. The account of his decisive victory at Alesia brings Caesar's own record of ‘The Gallic War’ to a close. However, after his assassination, in 44BC, an extra (eighth) book was written by, his friend, Aulus Hirtius, in which the subsequent mopping-up operations are described. After Alesia, Caesar was determined to crush Gallic resistance. Campaigning was normally abandoned during the wintertime, but he pressed on through the winter of 52/51BC. By the end of the campaigning season of 51BC, Gaul was subdued. One of the leaders of Gallic resistance during this period was Commius. Hirtius reveals that Commius was particularly embittered because there had been an attempt to assassinate him. Prior to Alesia, Caesar's lieutenant, Titus Labienus had discovered that Commius was “raising a conspiracy against Caesar”. Labienus sent Gaius Volusenus to kill Commius “under pretence of conference”. The plan went awry. Commius was not killed, but he did receive a serious head wound:
“Upon this transaction, it was said that Commius made a resolution never to come within sight of any Roman.”
‘The Gallic War’ Book VIII Chapter 23
Hirtius makes it plain that the plan to assassinate Commius – clearly accepted as discreditable – was conceived by Labienus in Caesar's absence. Hirtius was, of course, writing after the civil war and Caesar's own assassination. In 49BC, Labienus had turned against Caesar, and shifted his allegiance to Caesar's enemies. According to Dio Cassius (‘Romaika’ Book XLI Chapter 4), Labienus: “... had abandoned Caesar and deserted to the other side, and he announced all Caesar's secrets to Pompey. One might feel surprise, now, that after having always been most highly honoured by Caesar to the extent even of commanding all the legions beyond the Alps whenever the proconsul was in Italy, he should have done this. The reason was that when he had acquired wealth and fame he began to conduct himself more haughtily than his rank warranted, and Caesar, seeing that he put himself on the same level with his superior, ceased to be so fond of him. And so, as Labienus could not endure this change and was at the same time afraid of coming to some harm, he transferred his allegiance.” In 45BC, Labienus was killed in battle against Caesar. Appian, writing around the mid-2nd century AD, says (‘The Civil Wars’ Book II Chapter 105) that Labienus' head was taken to Caesar.