Battle of the Bagradas (49 BC)

North African battle of Caesar's civil war

The Battle of the Bagradas (49 BC) occurred near the Bagradas River (the classical name of the Medjerda) in what is now Tunisia on 24 August and was fought between Julius Caesar's general Gaius Scribonius Curio and the Pompeian Republicans under Publius Attius Varus and King Juba I of Numidia. The result was a crushing defeat for the Caesarean forces and the death of Curio.

Engaged in a civil war with the Roman general Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus and a hostile group of Republican senators, in 49 BC Julius Caesar sent a force to North Africa under the command of Gaius Scribonius Curio to deal with the Pompeian forces there. Overconfident and holding the usurping governor of Africa, Publius Attius Varus, in low esteem, Curio took fewer of his legions than were available to him, leaving two behind in Sicily. After getting the better of Varus's Numidian allies in a number of skirmishes, he defeated Varus at the Battle of Utica, who fled into the town of Utica. In the confusion of the battle, Curio was urged to take the town before Varus could regroup, but he held himself back, as he did not have the means at hand to undertake an assault of the town. The next day however, he began to form a contravallation of Utica, with the intent of starving the town into submission. Varus was approached by the leading citizens of the town, who begged him to surrender and spare the town the horrors of a siege.

Quickly entrenching himself in the Castra Cornelia, he sent an urgent message to Sicily, requesting that his officers immediately send the two legions and the cavalry he had left behind. His initial plan was to defend his position until the reinforcements arrived, as he had access to the sea, allowing easy resupply and communications with Sicily, and locally there was sufficient water, food, and timber to meet his needs. guarding his own camp under the command of Marcius Rufus, Curio began his march to the Bagradas River about two hours before dawn. Flushed with success, the cavalry did not wait by the river, but rather rode back to find Curio, meeting him about six miles south of the Castra Cornelia. Proposing to attack Saburra whilst his forces were in disarray, Curio ordered a forced march towards the river; he was unconcerned having to leave the majority of his cavalry behind due to the exhausted state of the horses, and proceeded with his reduced legions and 200 cavalry. 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 attempted 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. With Roman resolve weakening, Curio tried to bolster their spirits, calling on them to stand firm. But he soon realized that his forces were beginning to crack, so he ordered his army to retreat northward to some low hills that bordered the plain. 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. The majority of the galleys and transports fled without waiting to collect the stranded soldiers, while the few who sent boats to ferry the soldiers back were quickly swamped by terrified soldiers, and many sank in the process. The remaining soldiers sent their centurions as delegates to Varus, seeking assurances that they would not be harmed; Varus gave his word. Juba sent a message to Pompey and the Republican senators in Macedonia, who responded by granting him the title of King of Numidia. Caesar and the remains of the Roman Senate proclaimed him a public enemy. Juba then returned to Numidia, along with the captured senators for display and execution.