Battle of The Bagradas River (49 BC) - Battle Near The Bagradas

Battle Near The Bagradas

Moving away from the river, Curio eventually saw the army of Saburra. When Curio saw the retreating backs of the Numidians, he believed his tactics were playing out as expected. Descending from the heights that bordered a sandy and waterless plain, he and his men moved to engage the Numidians. With a hot sun beating down on them, his soldiers were soon both tired and dying of thirst. Saburra gave the signal, and his forces turned around and engaged the flagging Romans. Relying solely on his cavalry, he kept his infantry in reserve and a good distance from the fighting. The open and level plain was perfect for the Numidian horsemen, who continually harassed the Roman legionaries. Nevertheless, the Romans fought well under the circumstances, and initially forced Saburra to give ground as they moved inexorably forward.

However, their fatigue began to tell against Curio’s troops, and they were too tired to pursue the Numidians who were steadily falling back, and Curio’s cavalry were too few and too tired to take advantage of the break in the attack. Soon the Numidian cavalry had returned and began to envelop the Roman line, pushing in to attack the Roman rear. Each time a cohort would attempt to engage the enemy, the Numidians would disengage and swing away, before wheeling around and close around the legionaries, preventing them from rejoining the line and cutting them down where they stood. Even worse for the Romans was that Juba was continually reinforcing Saburra with fresh reserves, while the Romans continued to weaken as the battle went on. With Roman resolve weakening, Curio tried to bolster their spirits, calling on them to stand firm. But he soon realised that his forces were beginning to crack, so he ordered his army to retreat northward to some low hills that bordered the plain. Saburra saw what was happening and had his cavalry cut off Curio’s retreat. The Romans began to scatter, cut down as they ran, while others simply lay down on the ground exhausted, waiting for death.

One of Curio’s legates, Gnaeus Domitius, rode up to Curio with a handful of men, and urged him to flee and make it back to the camp. Curio queried how he could ever look Caesar in the face after he had lost him his army, and turning to face the oncoming Numidians, fell fighting them to the very last. Only a few soldiers managed to escape the bloodbath that followed, while the three hundred cavalry that had not followed Curio into battle returned to the camp at Castra Cornelia, bearing the bad news.