31.21
By this
time the consular army in Gaul had been transferred from Arretium to
Ariminum, and the 5000 men of the Latin contingent had moved from Gaul
into Etruria. L. Furius accordingly left Ariminum and hastened by forced
marches to Cremona which the Gauls were at the time besieging. He fixed
his camp a mile and a half distant from the enemy and would have had a
chance of winning a brilliant victory if he had led his men straight from their
march against the Gaulish camp. The Gauls were scattered over the fields in
all directions and the camp had been left insufficiently guarded. But he was
afraid that his men would be too much fatigued after their rapid march, and
the shouts of the Gauls recalled their comrades, who, leaving the plunder
which they had gathered behind, ran back to their camp. The next day they
marched out to battle. The Romans were not slow in accepting the
challenge, but they had hardly time to complete their formation, so rapidly
did the enemy come on. Furius had formed the allied troops into two
divisions, and the right division was stationed in the first line, the two Roman
legions forming the reserve. M. Furius was in command of this division, M.
Caecilius commanded the legions and L. Valerius Flaccus the cavalry. These
were all staff-officers. The praetor kept two of his staff with him -C.
Laetorius and P. Titinius -to assist him in surveying the field and meeting
any sudden attempt of the enemy.
At first the Gauls brought their whole strength to bear in one
direction, hoping to be able to overwhelm the right wing and smash it up.
Failing in this, they endeavoured to work round the flanks and envelop the
enemy's line, which, considering their numbers and the fewness of their
opponents, seemed an easy task. When the praetor saw this maneuver he
extended his front by bringing up the two legions in reserve to the right and
left of the allied troops, and he also vowed a temple to Diovis, in case he
routed the enemy that day. He then ordered L. Valerius to launch the Roman
cavalry against one wing of the Gauls and the allied cavalry against the other
to check the enveloping movement. As soon as he saw that the Gauls had
weakened their centre by diverting troops to the wings, he ordered his
infantry to advance in close order at the charge and break through the
opposing ranks. This was decisive; the wings were repulsed by the cavalry
and the centre by the infantry. As they were being cut down in all parts of
the field, the Gauls turned, and in wild flight sought shelter in their camp.
The cavalry followed in hot pursuit and the infantry soon came up and
attacked the camp. Not 6000 men succeeded in making their escape; more
than 35,000 were killed or made prisoners; 70 standards were taken together
with 200 Gaulish carts loaded with spoil. The Carthaginian general Hamilcar
fell in that battle as well as three Gaulish nobles who were in command.
2000 men whom the Gauls had taken at Placentia were set at liberty and
restored to their homes.
