Legio XVII: Battle of Zama

by Thomas A. Timmes

  Scipio meanwhile had ravaged the towns around the Medjerda River and was so heavily loaded with loot and other items that he had to return to Castra Cornelia to store them. He then decided to march on Tunis, a mere 10 miles northeast of Carthage. Tunis was strongly defended, but the Carthaginian troops abandoned the city when they saw the Legions approaching. Scipio marched into the city unopposed. Carthage was in a panic!

  After years of ship building, the Carthaginian fleet sailed out of Carthage and headed for Utica. Scipio saw the fleet and immediately departed Tunis for Utica. His fleet was not prepared for a sea battle. The Carthaginian fleet steadily advanced on Scipio’s position until a lookout high atop the Commander’s ship shouted, “Ships off the starboard.” All eyes scanned the distant horizon. Slowly the tops of several ships came into view

  The Commander signaled the fleet, “All stop.” He had to determine if these were Roman warship. He was afraid of getting trapped between the oncoming ships and Scipio’s fleet at Utica. While he waited, he repositioned his fleet to face the advancing ships. Two hours later, the lookout shouted, “Supply ships and a few warships.” The Commander cursed his bad luck. These ships were no threat, but he had wasted precious time, and the delay had given Scipio the time he needed to prepare his defenses.

  Scipio’s transports were lashed together in a protective ring around the Roman warships, which were pulled in close to shore. Planks were laid between the transports to allow troops to move about more easily. Scorpio were positioned on the transports as well as ballista to keep the enemy ships at bay. Initially, the Carthaginian fleet stayed off the coast waiting for the Roman fleet to sail out and offer battle. When they failed to show, they rowed closer and saw the protective ring of transports. The Carthaginian managed to throw hooks onto some of the transports and pull them out of line, but accomplished very little. They eventually returned to their base having done minor damage.

  A Carthaginian ship stole away at night to evade Roman warships that patrolled the sea off the coast. It landed successfully at Bruttium to communicate Senate orders to Hannibal.

  Cirta at red flag (Google Maps)

  Masinissa and Laelius marched 250 miles to Cirta (modern Constantine) the capital city of the Numidian Kingdom to engage Syphax. They caught him by the river Ampsaga (modern Rhumel), which runs through he city. His small army formed a battle line, which melted away when Laelius’ 3,000 men appeared on the field. In an attempt to rally his troops, Syphax rode his horse across their front in full view of the Romans. Something struck the horse and it threw Syphax. Legionaries fell upon him and captured him. Masinissa took Syphax into the capital to formally depose him and declare his reign over all Numidia. Syphax was eventually taken to Scipio.

  Scipio was now free to devote all his energy to the siege of Utica. Carthage made a deceptive plea for peace terms. They were waiting for the arrival of Hannibal and the possible success of Mago. The peace talks were formal and included exchanging ambassadors. Rome sent negotiators to Carthage and Carthaginian envoys went to Rome. An agreement was reached and both capitals consented. Shortly thereafter, Rome declared the agreement null and void because of numerous Carthaginian violations.

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  Mago Attacks 203 BC

  Mago knew he wasn’t ready to engage the Romans, but felt he had no choice. Hamilcar was applying constant pressure to attack and threatening dire consequences if he did not. Mago’s army consisted of 20,000 veteran Carthaginian and Numidian warriors and 15,000 Ligurians and Celts. He also had 2,000 cavalry and seven elephants. He marched his troops out of Savona to Milan and headed south.

  Roman cavalry scouts detected the deployment and notified the two Roman Commanders Proconsul M Cornelius and Praetor P Quintilius Varus, who had recently replaced the original Commanders Proconsul Livius and Lucretius. The new Commanders had already moved their camps farther north to get closer to Mago when they saw unmistakable signs that Mago was massing his army. The long wait was finally over and the future of Rome now hung in the balance.

  Over several days, the two armies edged closer and closer together. Each was searching for favorable terrain upon which to entice the other to attack. South of Milan the armies faced each other across a mile long field. Mago felt that fighting this close to Milan would encourage his Gallic warriors to put forth their best effort. The terrain also favored the use of his elephants. The Roman Commanders had the advantage in cavalry and the ground favored their employment. The three Roman Legions, the XI, XII, and XIII were battle hardened and would fight well. The four Auxiliaries Legions were also comprised of veterans. It was now in the hands of the gods.

  Mago arrayed his troops in two thick lines. The Romans did the same. Legiones XI, XII, and XIIII were placed side by side in the center with an Auxiliary Legion on each flank. Legio XIII stood in the second line behind Legio XII and alongside the one remaining Auxiliary Legion. The opposing armies each had about 35,000 infantry. Proconsul Cornelius sounded the trumpets and the Roman line advanced at a walk. Mago’s army did the same. Two large armies yelled their battle cries and closed the distance. Unlike Hannibal who led with his elephants, Mago held them back behind the first line. He was worried about the Roman cavalry and planned to use his mighty beasts to scare the horses. It was well known that horses that are not use to the smell of elephants will easily panic and become uncontrollable.

  When only 100 yards separated the lines, the Romans began to attack on the run. When they were 50 feet away from the Carthaginians, they threw their deadly pila. Mago’s men unleashed their spears at the same time. Shields took the impact. Some were penetrated; men began falling on both sides. Gladii were drawn as the two lines smashed together. Men were uprooted by the impact and knocked down or pushed into the man to their rear. The fighting was intense and soldiers dropped all along the line. Legionaries rotated to the rear for a brief respite, but quickly found themselves back in the front fighting for their lives.

  The two armies fought to a standstill when Praetor Varus loosed his 4,000 cavalry on Mago’s right flank. Expecting a cavalry attack, Mago turned his elephants to run into the horses. The Roman horses panicked as expected and scattered across the field. Mago then turned the elephants on the Legions. His Carthaginians facing Legio XII parted to allow the elephants to pass through and the animals smashed in the Maniples. The troops scattered to get away. The Carthaginians saw their opportunity and drove deep into the Roman first line. Proconsul Cornelius ordered his second line to advance. Legio XIII filtered through Legio XII and countered the Punic advance. With their pila and shouts they managed to kill four elephants and turned the rest back into Mago’s own men. The Roman Auxiliaries on the flanks broke the Gallic and Ligurian formation and they began to turn and run.

  Mago seeing his army beginning to crumble rode forward to rally his troops. Something struck him in the thigh and he fell from his horse. Loyal Carthaginians rescued him and the army began to retreat. Mago’s wound was serious; he lost a lot of blood. His army was disheartened by his wound and lost the will to fight. Mago was carried from the field. The Romans did not pursue because Mago’s army was still a lethal and organized force. The Carthaginians lost over 5,000 men and the Gauls many more. Legio XII lost the most of the Legions on the field that day. Overall, the Romans lost 2,300 men and a number of cavalry. They returned to Etruria to await Mago’s next move.

  Mago and his army returned to Genoa. Most of the Gauls and Ligurians returned home. Mago had no choice but to sail for Carthage. He stayed for another month hoping his leg would heal, but the infection only got worse. In early June 203, Mago and his men boarded the ships and set a course for Carthage. As they passed Sardinia, Mago succumbed to his wound. The fleet evaded Roman warship and eventually landed in Africa. The Carthaginians had another 12,000 veterans available to fight Scipio, but were sorely grieved by the loss of Mago, and his defeat. Everything now hinged on Hannibal’s return.

  Hamilcar stayed behind at Genoa. His orders were to try to inspire
a Gallic rebellion against Rome and continue to tie up Roman Legions in northern Italy. For the next three years he travelled throughout the Cisalpine fomenting rebellion by words and bribes.

  Chapter XI: Battle of Zama 202 BC

  News of Mago defeat hit Rome like a thunderbolt. The number one priority had been to prevent a Mago-Hannibal link up and the chance of that now happening was gone thanks to the discipline and courage of the Legionaries. The Senate heard that most of the Gauls and Ligurians had deserted Mago and his fleet had sailed back to Africa. Their number two priority was to rid Italy of Hannibal. Roman sources indicated that the Carthaginian Senate had sent a courier to recall him from southern Italy to deal with Scipio. The Roman Senate made a decision that should a Carthaginian fleet appear off the coast of Africa headed to Italy, to allow it to sail unmolested. If Hannibal was, indeed, going to return to Africa, Rome would not stand in his way. The Roman fleet was alerted not to interfere.

  Segovesus and the Cenomani were relieved when news reached them of Mago’s defeat at the hands of the Romans. For the last two years, the threat posed by Mago and his allies had weighed heavily on everyone’s mind. Life in the Cisalpine returned to normal. Titus was busy training with the Cenomani army. He and Mincia had visited King Timo and Rosa and crossed the Alps to visit Queen Bethica. Titus considered remaining in Brixia. He spoke the language and was familiar with Cenomani customs. It felt like home. Mincia was expecting and Segovesus begged Titus to stay. He agreed.

  Lucia welcomed the news about Mago’s retreat from Italy. She knew it was a matter of time before Hannibal would go back to Africa and Manius could finally set aside his sword and live a more comfortable life. She felt relieved that he would be available to spend more time with her.

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  Two months after the defeat of Mago, a Carthaginian fleet set sail for Bruttium. It was spotted by Roman warship, but allowed to pass. The Roman Senate was alerted and collectively held their breath. Hannibal had been in Italy for 15 long, bloody, and costly years. Would they finally be rid of him?

  The Carthaginian fleet comprised of warship and transports swung south of Sicily and headed northeast. After rounding Cape Colonna, they beached at Croton. The Legions were ordered to not to interfere with Hannibal’s troops as they marched out of Bruttium enroute to Croton. An unspoken truce kept the peace. It took four days to load the men and animals before the ships disembarked for Africa. All of Italy breathed a collective sigh of relief. Their long nightmare was finally over. Soldiers and civilians alike took to the street to rejoice. All of Italy rejoiced, except Scipio who doubled down on his determination to defeat Hannibal. He was facing the greatest challenge of his life!

  The many Legions that had been fully occupied containing Hannibal expected to return to Rome, but their dreams of marching home were dashed. Instead, they were directed to disperse among the many cities in southern Italy that had pledged their allegiance to Hannibal and turned their backs on Rome. These cities were occupied by Legionaries and forced to pay a tribute to Rome. Traitorous city leaders were executed and new leaders loyal to Rome were installed. Rome imposed its will throughout southern Italy. Loyal cities were rewarded and those disloyal were punished. These duties occupied the Legions for the next few years.

  Hannibal landed at Leptis (modern Al-Khums, Libya). He disembarked his troops for several days to allow himself and his men to recover from the sea voyage. He then set sail along the coast for Hadrumetum (modern Sousse, Tunisia) 300 miles (560km) to the northwest and 90 miles from Scipio and Carthage. The town of Hadrumetum had pledged their loyalty to Rome during the war and was garrisoned by 5,000 legionaries under the command of Septus Loriinus. The garrison was shocked when they saw a huge armada approach the harbor. They were even more shocked when they saw Hannibal along with 15,000 troops occupy the surrounding area. They expected an attack, but it never came.

  Shortly after Hannibal landed, he sent out mounted scouts to locate Scipio’s army. When news of Hannibal’s arrival reached the remnant of Mago’s army of 12,000 men, they marched to join him. Tychaeus, a relative of Syphax, arrived with 2,000 light cavalry. Similarly, Vermina, a son of Syphax, promised to join Hannibal with troops and cavalry, but said it would take time to gather his army. Mesotulus, a local Chief, joined him with 1,000 horsemen. Throughout the winter of 203 BC, Hannibal sent his men far and wide to recruit troops, punish deserters, and acquire grain and other necessities for war. He estimated that it would take six months to build his army to take on Scipio.

  A few weeks after the scouts went to find Scipio, they returned with an intriguing tale. Scipio’s men had captured them, but instead of death, they were treated to a complete tour of Scipio’s camp. Scipio himself asked them if they had seen everything they wished. When they replied in the affirmative, he released them. Hannibal knew he was facing a Roman General unlike any other he had faced before. This man was different and it gave him a chill.

  Day by day, Hannibal’s army was growing larger. He heard that the peace treaty had been voided and he continued to prepare for war. Men were sent to hire elephants. He wanted more than he had ever used before. He recruited Balearic and Numidian slingers, archers, and Numidian spearmen. His goal was to form an army of 40,000 infantry, 4,000 cavalry, and 80 elephants. It would take time. Carthage sent envoy after envoy to Hannibal ordering him to attack Scipio. Each time, he would reply, “When I’m ready.”

  Eventually, Hannibal acquired the army he wanted. He had 15,000 veterans from Italy, 12,000 of Mago’s troops, and he gathered another 14,000 raw recruits that he would have to supply with weapons and training. Feeding such an army was a constant struggle, and Scipio didn’t make it any easier. Scipio’s supplies came across the sea from Sicily. Hannibal had to acquire them locally, which made them vulnerable to Roman attack.

  Scipio learned that a large supply column was enroute to Hannibal’s camp. He sent Tribune Quintus Minucius Thermus and a large force of cavalry to conduct a surprise night attack, which caught the convoy totally unprepared to fight. Thermus killed 4,000 African locals and took hundreds of prisoners. The supplies were taken to Scipio. Hannibal knew that many more such raids by the Romans would create a serious food shortage.

  And the raids did continue. To buy time, Hannibal tried to initiate peace talks with Scipio, but to no avail. Scipio’s major concern was not supplies, but Masinissa. After defeating Syphax, Masinissa stayed in Cirta and declared himself King of all Numidia. Since then, he rode throughout his territory imposing his will on the cities and towns. As Scipio watched Hannibal’s growing army, he knew he had to have Masinissa’s cavalry and troops. It was critical. He sent numerous envoys to Masinissa asking him to send his army. He also demanded that he send Sophonisba, Syphax’s wife, for transport back to Rome. Masinissa still loved her and would not comply. To shield her from the Romans, he married her. Scipio chided him for this and his failure to send troops. It was now a waiting game. Scipio needed the Numidians’ support before he could move against Hannibal.

  Scipio continued to send troops to the fertile Bagradas Valley, the home of wealthy Carthaginian landowners, some 15-20 miles from Carthage to pillage and loot. These rich men applied continuous pressure on the Carthaginian Senate to have Hannibal attack Scipio to stop the raids. “When I’m ready,” was his response.

  Roman and Carthaginians scouts and couriers constantly patrolled and crisscrossed the area from Masinissa’s capital city of Cirta to Utica, to Hannibal’s base at Hadrumetum. Couriers and scouts generally tried to evade enemy patrols, but were occasionally forced to fight and were killed or captured. Armed patrols sometime went looking for trouble. The Romans generally won these contests.

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  Legio XVII deploys to Africa

  In one such encounter in the summer of 202 BC Scipio’s cavalry captured a Numidian horseman coming from the east with a message for Hannibal from Vermina, Syphax’s son. The threat of scouring and crucifixion convinced the man to give up his message. It was mos
t disturbing to Scipio.

  Vermina’s message was that he was recruiting 4,000 horsemen and 6,000 infantry and would join Hannibal as soon as possible. Scipio was relying on his numerically superior cavalry to tip the odds of victory in his favor. If Vermina’s Numidians reinforced Hannibal, he would lose his advantage.

  That evening he summoned his Commanders to review this latest piece of intelligence. Scipio started the discussion. “You’ve all heard that the Numidian Vermina is sending Hannibal more cavalry. We can’t allow them to reach Hannibal. I don’t want to send our cavalry to attack Vermina for two reasons: they may be defeated or they may suffer too many casualties. I will need every one of them for the fight against Hannibal. We can’t rely on Masinissa; his cavalry may never arrive. We also can’t spare any Legions to confront the Numidians. I’m open to any ideas. Speak freely.”

  Laelius, Scipio’s multi talented Commander, said, “Why not ask Rome to send us more Legions. There’s still time to get them here. Once we find out the expected route of the Numidians, the Legions could block them from joining Hannibal.”

  Silanus, Scipio’s Deputy Commander, said, “The only problem I can see with that idea is where these Legions will come from. The seven that fought with Mago are still in the Cisalpine conducting punitive operations and the Legions that were containing Hannibal in southern Italy are now spread out all over the region. It would take too long to recall them and get them here in time.”