Scipio in Spain, After the Battle of the Metaurus
Hasdrubal having collected his forces from the various
note
towns in which they had wintered, advanced to
within a short distance of Ilipa and there encamped; forming his entrenchment at the
foot of the mountains, with a plain in front of
him well suited for a contest and battle. His
infantry amounted to seventy thousand, his
cavalry to four thousand, and his elephants to thirty-two.
On his part, Scipio sent M. Junius Silanus to
visit Colichas and take over from him the forces
that had been prepared by him. note These
amounted to three thousand infantry and five hundred horse.
The other allies he received personally in the course of his
march up the country to his destination. When he approached
Castalo and Baecula, and had there been joined by Marcus
Junius and the troops from Colichas, he found himself in a
position of great perplexity. For without their allies the
Roman forces were not strong enough to risk a battle; yet
to do so, in dependence upon the allies for his hopes of ultimate
success, appeared to him to be dangerous and too venturesome.
In spite however of his perplexity, he was obliged to yield to
the force of circumstances so far as to employ the Iberians;
but he resolved to do so only to make a show of numbers to
the enemy, while he really fought the action
with his own legions. note With this purpose in his
mind he got his whole army on the march,
forty-five thousand infantry and three thousand
cavalry; and when he had come within the view of the
Carthaginians, he pitched his camp on some low hills exactly
opposite the enemy.
