CHAP. 111.] 



ROMAN CAVALRY. 



81 



him 6,000 Numidian cavalry, men whose value he appre- 

 ciated so well, the force upon which he had relied so 

 much in his early wars, the force which had never failed 

 him in action, and to which he owed his success in so 

 many battles, and his army, food and safety in so many 

 campaigns. 



Hannibal ranged his army in three lines, or phalanges, 

 for he injudiciously drew up his men without intervals. 

 The eighty elephants were placed along the front, 12,000 

 Ligurian, Gallic, and other mercenaries formed the first 

 line, the new levies of Africans and Carthaginians were 

 drawn up in a second, close behind the first, while Han- 

 nibal's veterans from Italy, 24,000 strong, acted as a 

 reserve, and were ranged in one line without intervals at 

 some distance to the rear, so that fugitives from the front 

 might retire around the flanks ; the native cavalry he 

 placed on his right wing ; the 2,000 Numidian horse on 

 bis left.' 



Scipio, who was a great master of the art of war, and 

 who proved his great ability in nothing more than in the 

 originality with which he made necessary changes in 

 organisation and tactics without any regard to custom or 

 precedent, formed his infantry in three lines as usual, but 

 placed the cohorts of the principes exactly behind the 

 cohorts of the hastati, and the triarii behind them, so 

 that his army was virtually formed in a line of columns 

 with intervals between them. The intervals were filled, 

 in line with the front rank, with the velites, so that from 

 Hannibal's position the Roman army would appear to be 

 drawn up in a phalanx without intervals. This disposi- 

 tion was made by Scipio to leave openings for the 

 elephants to get through, or to be driven through to 

 the rear by the velites and other light troops, who were 

 especially charged with that service.^ 



The Eoman cavalry, under Laelius, was on the left 

 flank, while Massanissa, King of Numidia, with his 6,000 

 horsemen, fought upon the right. The cavalry skir- 

 mished against each other for a time, but Scipio, wishing 

 ^ get rid of the elephants before moving his infantry, 



^ Polybius, XV. 1. 



Ibid. 



o 



