Roman Civil War - Backs to the Sea!

 

Defence of Leptiminius. Pompeians sieze the initiative

The Caesarian advance upon Utica, the main city of the Africa Proconsularis north of Carthago, having been checked and driven back, Gaius Curio led his army back into the Byzacena district towards Thapsus. Before reaching that seaport, he determined upon a stand close by the town, at the village of Leptiminius. Forming close under the town precincts, he placed I Auxilia in the village itself, and the heavy horse backed up by II Auxilia to the left of the place. Placing IV Legion in reserve behind the village, he placed himself with II Legion on the right, with the velites - light infantry - in close support.

Caesarian Army:

Left front: Equites = 2SP
Left rear: II Auxilia = 2SP
Centre front: I Auxilia = 2SP (in the village)
Right front: IV Legion = 3SP led by Gaius Curio
Right rear: Velites = 2SP in direct support
Reserve: II Legion = 2SP (under strength)
    Totals: 6 units, 13SP

Caesarians

As expected, Publius Varus stood in the centre with XXIII Legion, with Auxilia in the second line. The understrength XXI Legion he placed in support of the heavy horse on the right, facing the Caesarian mounted troops. On the left, XXIV Legion was supported by the second unit of auxiliaries.

Pompeian Army:

Right front: Equites heavy horse = 2SP
Right rear: XXI Legion = 2SP (under strength)
Centre front: XXIII Legion = 3SP led by Publius Varus
Centre rear: I Auxilia = 2SP 
Left front: XXIV Legion = 3SP
Left rear: II Auxilia = 2SP
    Totals: 6 units, 14SP
 

Pompeians

As the attackers, the Pompeians advanced bravely into the battle, and were at once checked. XXIV Legion was stopped, then driven back by Curio's own IV Legion. So began a fierce to-and-fro action on the Caesarian right wing.

Pompeian assault

Following up his early success, Curio struck the Pompeian II Auxilia formation to receive a rude and costly check in his turn. 

To and fro fighting on the Caesarian right

This failed to discourage the Caesarians, who seized the initiative (the 5-3 die roll in the following pic)...

Caesarians seize the initiative

... and visited upon the Pompeian auxilia unit an equally punishing requital. 

Curio pushes back the Pompeian wing

The auxilia falling back brought XXIV Legion back into the fray. Following up, the Caesarians also forced back the opposing legionaries (the 1-1 dice roll becoming 3-1 owing to the presence of Curio himself, and the direct light infantry support).

Pompeian wing barely hanging on!

In the meantime, there had been little movement elsewhere. The Caesarian left drove off the enemy horse, but found themselves face to face with XXI Legion. Though losses were heavy, the fighting remained undecided for a considerable while.  

Indecisive blood letting on the Caesarian left

Meanwhile, the garrison having withstood the Pompeian attack, Curio took advantage of a pause in the action to order II Legion to relieve the Auxilia, thence to take the fight to the enemy. This they did in fine style, throwing Varus and XXIII Legion back behind the supporting auxiliaries, then following up to engage this second line.

Overview: Caesarians advancing

Success now followed upon success all along the front. Having driven the Pompeians back beyond their deployment line, Curio withstood the furious counter attack XXIV Legion mounted, and drove them with loss from the field.

Pompeian attempt to restore their line fails

On the opposite wing, the equites' final charge crushed XXI once and for all. The follow-up failed, however, to sweep the enemy horse from the field. The Pompeians managed to hold up this front. 

XXI Legion collapses in rout

In the final act of the day, the stout IV Legion held Varus's counter attack. Barely holding their right and centre, the Pompeians lost the day on their left. Curio had crushed XXIV Legion and II Auxilia both, and inflicted 3 casualties for each received. It was time for the Pompeians to quit the field. The Caesarians had won.

A Decisive Caesarian victory!

It was only in camp that evening that Curio discovered how essential that victory was. His fleet having been decisively defeated at sea, a defeat on land might well have ended the African campaign right there with the loss of the whole expedition. In view of recent events, he'd got off lightly, just 1SP lost from his horse, and 1SP from IV Legion. Pompeian losses were XXI Legion destroyed, and 6 SP overall. 

Meanwhile, at Luca, in the north of Italy, the Pompeian fleet having driven the Caesarian towards Rome, found itself in a quandary. A Roman army lay in that town, which rather discouraged any notions of following up. The fleet carried no ground troops, so could effect nothing ashore. Learning of the Afranius's failure to restore the situation at Narbo, the Pompeian fleet turned westward...

To be continued:
Having, more or less, weathered the Pompeian counter-offensive, The Caesarian forces carry the fight to their adversaries. There is some talk in Rome of converging what is left of the Caesarian fleets into one. Even then the Pompeian fleet in Spain would be the greater.

The next posting will include the state of the opposing forces, as Caesar tries to bring the war to a rapid conclusion...