Chapter 80

There was a lagoon of salt water, separated from the sea by a certain narrow strip of land not more than a mile and a half wide: and this corridor Scipio now attempted to enter to bring help to the men of Thapsus. The likelihood of such a move had not escaped Caesar’s attention: in fact, the day before he had built a fort at this spot and left behind a force of three cohorts to hold it, while he himself with the rest of his forces established a crescent-shaped camp and invested Thapsus with a ring of siege works. Meanwhile Scipio, foiled in his undertaking, bypassed the lagoon to the north by a march which he completed in the ensuing day and night, and then, at the first pale light of dawn, took up a position not far from the camp and the defence area I mentioned above, and a mile and a half from the sea coast: and there he began to fortify a camp. When this was reported to Caesar, the latter withdrew his troops from their work of fortification, left behind the proconsul Asprenas to guard the camp with two legions, and hurriedly marched to that location with a force in light order. As for his fleet, part of it was left behind off Thapsus, while the remaining ships were ordered to advance as close as possible inshore in rear of the enemy and to watch for a signal from Caesar: on the giving of which signal they were suddenly to raise a shout, surprise the enemy from the rear, and thus demoralise them, so that in their utter confusion and panic they would be obliged to look behind them.