27.48
Nero
with the whole of the cavalry was the first to come up, then Porcius followed
with the light infantry. They began to harass their wearied enemy by repeated
charges on all sides, until Hasdrubal stopped a march which began to
resemble a flight, and decided to form camp on a hill which commanded the
river. At this juncture Livius appeared with the heavy infantry, not in order
of march, but deployed and armed for immediate battle. All their forces were
now massed together, and the line was formed; Claudius Nero taking
command of the right wing, Livius of the left, while the centre was assigned
to the praetor. When Hasdrubal saw that he must give up all idea of
entrenching himself and prepare to fight, he stationed the elephants in the
front, the Gauls near them on the left to oppose Claudius, not so much
because he trusted them as because he hoped they would frighten the enemy,
while on the right, where he commanded in person, he posted the Spaniards
in whom as veteran troops he placed most confidence. The Ligurians were
stationed in the centre behind the elephants. His formation was greater in
depth than length and the Gauls were covered by a hill which extended
across their front. That part of the line which Hasdrubal and his Spaniards
held engaged the Roman left; the whole of the Roman right was shut out
from the fighting, the hill in front prevented them from making either a
frontal or a flank attack. The struggle between Livius and Hasdrubal was a
fierce one, and both sides lost heavily. Here were the two captains, the
greater part of the Roman infantry and cavalry, the Spaniards who were
veteran soldiers and used to the Roman methods of fighting, and also the
Ligurians, a people hardened by warfare. To this part of the field the
elephants too had been driven, and at their first onset they threw the front
ranks into confusion and forced the standards to give way. Then as the
fighting became hotter and the noise and shouting more furious, it became
impossible to control them, they rushed about between the two armies as
though they did not know to which side they belonged, just like ships drifting
rudderless. Nero made fruitless efforts to scale the hill in front of him, calling
out repeatedly to his men, "Why have we made so long a march at such
break-neck speed? "When he found it impossible to reach the enemy in that
direction, he detached some cohorts from his right wing where he saw that
they were more likely to stand on guard than to take any part in the fighting,
led them past the rear of his division and to the surprise of his own men as
much as of the enemy commenced an attack upon the enemy's flank. So
rapidly was this maneuver executed, that almost as soon as they showed
themselves on the flank, they were attacking the rear of the enemy. Thus
attacked on every side, front, flank and rear, Spaniards and Ligurians alike
were simply massacred where they stood. At last the carnage reached the
Gauls. Here there was very little fighting, for a great many had fallen out
during the night and were lying asleep everywhere in the fields, and those
who were still with the standards were worn out by the long march and want
of sleep, and being quite unable to stand fatigue could hardly sustain the
weight of their armour. It was now mid-day, and the heat and thirst made
them gasp for breath, until they were cut down or made prisoners without
offering any resistance.