Battle of the Great Plains
Saguntum - Lilybaeum II - Rhone - Ticinus - Trebia - Cissa - Lake Trasimeno - Ager Falernus - Geronium - Cannae - I Nola - Nola II - Ibera - Cornus - Nola III - Beneventum I - Syracuse - Tarentum I - Capua I - Beneventum II - Silarus - Herdonia I - Upper Baetis - Capua II - Herdonia II - Numistro - Asculum - Tarentum II - New Carthage - Baecula - Grumentum - Metaurus - Ilipa - Crotona - Large fields - Cirta - Zama
In the battle fields of the Great also known by the Latin name Battle of Campi Magni or after the river that flows through the big fields, as Battle of the Bagradas or First Battle of Utica struggled to 203 BC during the Second Punic War Roman troops under Scipio Africanus against Carthaginian forces under Hasdrubal. It ended with a decisive victory for the Romans.
Prehistory
Hasdrubal and Syphax Gisco were with her weakened army fleeing from Scipio Africanus. They wanted to move from their landing site north of Utica to Carthage. For a pitched battle against the legions of Scipio they felt too weak. Only when they could hire inland Numidian mercenaries, thus increasing the strength of the Carthaginian army increased to 30,000 men, they set themselves the Romans 203 BC, near Utica.
The Battle
The army of the Carthaginians was composed of three nations: the Carthaginians, the Celtiberian and the Numidian mercenaries. Hasdrubal took over command of the Numidians and Celtiberian while Syphax the main army, the Carthaginians led. In the middle of the great plain, which should be the battlefield, the Celts were erected, the Numidians and Carthaginians, especially their cavalry came as usual on the wings. On the opposite side, the Roman legions were made up in the new meeting -up of Scipio: The Hastati front, behind the Principes and Triarier as a rear meetings. It was the first attempt with this newly developed tactics of Scipio. The numerically large cavalry of the Romans was also a bit away on the wings of the main army, erected.
At the beginning of the battle stormed the Carthaginians, the attack was, however, captured by the Roman cavalry. From the unexpected intervention of the riders surprised in the battle, the Numidians and Carthaginians providing very little resistance, then they fled. As Scipio riders but wanted to crush the core of the army, the Celtiberian rendered fierce resistance, especially the spear carrier added the cavalrymen significant losses. It is interesting that the fighting spirit of coming from Spain mercenaries was greater than that of the compatriots of Hasdrubal. So the rider turned away, and the Roman infantry under the command of Gaius Laelius went before. She tried to outflank the Spaniards by attacking on a broad front with the first two meetings. The disciplined legionaries were the Celts in close combat vastly superior. After some time, the soldiers refused to surrender to the Romans. Angry about the high losses had Scipio, however, massacred without exception, only a handful managed to escape.
The Roman cavalry pursued the fugitives, but Syphax was able to escape and fled to his kingdom in Numidia. Hasdrubal Gisco came with a small cavalcade up to Carthage, where he committed suicide in 202 BC.
Follow
After this battle had the Carthaginians, who lived near Utica, close a very disadvantageous peace with the Romans. Scipio Africanus had his army store in the area and feed on the locals. With the battle on the great fields the last Carthaginian army had been beaten, only Hannibal was undefeated. This event was followed by the Battle of Zama.