23.29
For
some days they remained encamped at a distance of about five miles from
each other, and though frequent skirmishes took place there was no general
action. At last on the same day, as though by previous agreement, the signal
was given on both sides and they descended with their entire forces on to the
plain. The Roman line was in three divisions. Some of the light infantry were
posted between the leading ranks of the legions, the rest amongst those
behind; the cavalry closed the wings. Hasdrubal strengthened his centre with
his Spaniards, on the right wing he posted the Carthaginians, on the left the
Africans and the mercenaries, the Numidian horse he stationed in front of the
Carthaginian infantry, and the rest of the cavalry in front of the Africans. Not
all the Numidian horse, however, were on the right wing, but only those who
were trained to manage two horses at the same time like circus-riders and,
when the battle was at the hottest, were in the habit of jumping off the
wearied horse on to the fresh one, such were the agility of the riders and the
docility of the horses.
These were the dispositions on each side, and whilst the two armies
were standing ready to engage, their commanders felt almost equally
confident of victory, for neither side was much superior to the other either in
the numbers or the quality of the troops. With the men themselves it was far
otherwise. Though the Romans were fighting far away from their homes
their generals had no difficulty in making them realise that they were fighting
for Italy and for Rome. They knew that it hung upon the issue of that fight
whether they were to see their homes again or not, and they resolutely
determined either to conquer or to die. The other army possessed nothing
like the same determination, for they were most of them natives of Spain and
would rather be defeated in Spain than win the victory and be dragged to
Italy. At the first onset, almost before they had hurled their javelins, the
centre gave ground, and when the Romans came on in a tremendous charge
they turned and fled. The brunt of the fighting now fell upon the wings; the
Carthaginians pressed forward on the right, the Africans on the left, and
slowly wheeling round attacked the advancing Roman infantry on both
flanks. But the whole force had now concentrated on the centre, and forming
front in both directions beat back the attack on their flanks. So two separate
actions were going on. The Romans, having already repulsed Hasdrubal's
centre, and having the advantage as regarded both the numbers and the
strength of their men, proved themselves undoubtedly superior on both
fronts. A very large number of the enemy fell in these two attacks, and had
not their centre taken to hasty flight almost before the battle began, very few
would have survived out of their whole army. The cavalry took no part
whatever in the fighting, for no sooner did the Moors and Numidians see the
centre of the line giving way than they fled precipitately, leaving the wings
exposed, and even driving the elephants before them. Hasdrubal waited to
see the final issue of the battle and then escaped out of the slaughter with a
few followers. The camp was seized and plundered by the Romans. This
battle secured for Rome all the tribes who were wavering and deprived
Hasdrubal of all hopes of taking his army to Italy or even of remaining with
anything like safety in Spain. When the contents of the despatch from the
Scipios was made known in Rome, the gratification felt was not so much on
account of the victory as that Hasdrubal's march into Italy was at an end.
