28.14
After
the strength of each side had been sufficiently tested in these encounters
Hasdrubal led out his army to battle, on which the Romans did the same.
Each army remained standing in front of its camp, neither caring to begin the
fight. Towards sunset the two armies, first the Carthaginian and then the
Roman, marched back to camp. This went on for some days; the
Carthaginians were always the first to get into line and the first to receive the
order to retire when they were tired out with standing. No forward
movement took place on either side, no missile was discharged, no
battle-shout raised. The Romans were posted in the centre on the one side,
the Carthaginians in the centre of the other; the flanks on both armies were
composed of Spanish troops. In front of the Carthaginian line were the
elephants which looked in the distance like towers. It was generally
supposed in both camps that they would fight in the order in which they had
been standing, and that the main battle would be between the Romans and
Carthaginians in the centre, the principals in the war and fairly matched in
courage and in arms. When Scipio found that this was assumed as a matter
of course, he carefully altered his dispositions for the day on which he
intended to fight. The previous evening he sent a tessera through the camp
ordering the men to take their breakfast and see that their horses were fed
before daybreak, the cavalry were at the same time to be fully armed with
their horses ready, bitted and saddled. Day had scarcely broken when he sent
the whole of his cavalry with the light infantry against the Carthaginian
outposts, and at once followed them up with the heavy infantry of the
legions under his personal command. Contrary to universal expectation he
had made his wings the strongest part of his army by posting the Roman
troops there, the auxiliaries occupied the centre.
The shouts of the cavalry roused Hasdrubal and he rushed out of
his tent. When he saw the melee in front of the rampart and the disordered
state of his men, and in the distance the glittering standards of the legions
and the whole plain covered with the enemy, he at once sent the whole of his
mounted force against the hostile cavalry. He then led his infantry out of the
camp, and formed his battle line without any change in the existing order.
The cavalry fight had now been going on for some time without either side
gaining the advantage. Nor could any decision be arrived at, for as each side
was in turn driven back they retreated into safety amongst their infantry. But
when the main bodies were within half a mile of each other, Scipio recalled
his cavalry and ordered them to pass to the rear of the infantry, whose ranks
opened out to give them passage, he then formed them into two divisions,
and posted one as a support behind each of the wings. Then when the
moment for executing his maneuver arrived he ordered the Spaniards in the
centre to make a slow advance, and sent word to Silanus and Marcius that
they were to extend to the left as they had seen him extend to the right, and
engage the enemy with their light cavalry and infantry before the centers had
time to close. Each wing was thus lengthened by three infantry cohorts and
three troops of horse, besides velites, and in this formation they advanced
against the enemy at a run, the others following en echelon. The line curved
inwards towards the centre because of the slower advance of the Spaniards.
The wings were already engaged whilst the Carthaginians and African
veterans, the main strength of their army, had not yet had the chance of
discharging a single missile. They did not dare to leave their place in the line
and help their comrades for fear of leaving the centre open to the advance of
the enemy. The wings were being pressed by a double attack, the cavalry and
light infantry had wheeled round and were making a flank charge, whilst the
cohorts were pressing their front in order to sever them from their centre.
