THE BATTLE OF ZAMA
Hannibal was not ready for battle when the Roman army drew near to him
at Zama. He had but just determined to change his camp and move to a
better position in which to face the enemy.
Before he had time to carry out his plan, the enemy was upon him, and
he was forced to fight in a position with which he was not satisfied.
The elephants belonging to the Punic army no longer terrified the
Romans as they used to do, for they had grown accustomed to the animals
on many an Italian battleground.
Besides, they had now learned how to elude the onslaught of the heavy
beasts, by simply leaving spaces between their companies, through which
the elephants could run without causing much damage. These spaces were
at the beginning of the battle filled with soldiers, who irritated the
elephants with darts and then stepped swiftly aside.
But at Zama, the elephants did not even attack the enemy. Startled
by the noise of trumpets and the blowing of horns, they rushed back,
instead of forward, upon the Numidian cavalry, which was stationed on
Hannibal’s left wing. Masinissa seized the opportunity, and before the
cavalry had rallied from the shock of the elephants, he charged and put
it to flight. The Carthaginian cavalry on Hannibal’s right was at the
same time routed by Lælius.
Two bodies of heavily-armed troops still faced the Romans.
First came the mercenaries hired by Hannibal. Fiercely they fought and
well, although they were no match for their enemy. Nor did they once
falter until they began to fear that the Carthaginians were failing to
support them.
Then they turned, stricken by sudden panic, and anxious only to force
their way through those behind, who they believed had betrayed them.
As the Romans followed them in their flight, all was soon in confusion,
the mercenaries and Carthaginians being slain, not only by the Romans,
but by each other.
Hannibal, meanwhile, was with a band of veterans whom he had held in
reserve.
Those soldiers who had escaped from the Romans now tried to steal in
among these veterans, but Hannibal, who had no mercy for cowards,
ordered his men to lower their spears and push them away. The desperate
wretches then escaped from the battlefield as best they might.
Scipio was now ready to advance against the veterans, and here the
struggle was long and stern. For these Carthaginian soldiers were
inflexible against every attack. Not one man flinched, but each stood
steadfastly at his post until he was killed. Only when Lælius and
Masinissa returned from pursuing the enemy’s horse and fell upon
Hannibal’s rear was the battle won.
The number of the slain was terrible. Twenty thousand Carthaginians
were said to have fallen, and almost as many to have been taken
prisoner, while the Romans did not lose more than fifteen thousand men.
Hannibal escaped to Carthage, leaving his camp to be seized by the
enemy.