Hannibal Secures Tarentum
A vast quantity of miscellaneous property having been
note
got together by this plundering, and a booty
fully answering the expectations of the Carthaginians, they bivouacked for that night under
arms. But the next day, after consulting with the
Tarentines, Hannibal decided to cut off the city
from the citadel by a wall, that the Tarentines might not any
longer be under continual alarm from the Romans in possession of the citadel. His first measure was to throw up a
palisade, parallel to the wall of the citadel and to the trench in
front of it. But as he very well knew that the enemy would
not allow this tamely, but would make a demonstration of their
power in that direction, he got ready for the work a number
of his best hands, thinking that the first thing necessary was to
overawe the Romans and give confidence to the Tarentines.
But as soon as the first palisade was begun, the Romans began
a bold and determined attack; whereupon Hannibal, offering
just enough resistance to induce the rest to come out, as soon
as the greater part of them had crossed the trench, gave the
word of command to his men and charged the enemy. A
desperate struggle ensued; for the fight took place in a narrow
space surrounded by walls; but at last the Romans were forced
to turn and fly. Many of them fell in the actual fighting, but
the larger number were forced over the edge of the trench and
were killed by the fall over its steep bank.
