Battle of Ilerda facts for kids

The Battle of Ilerda was a military campaign that happened in June 49 BC. It was fought between the forces of Julius Caesar and an army loyal to Pompey Magnus in Spain. Pompey's army was led by his generals, Lucius Afranius and Marcus Petreius.

This battle was different from many others in the Caesar's Civil War. It was more about smart moves and strategies than big, bloody fights. Caesar's victory here helped him remove a threat from Pompey's forces in Spain. This allowed Caesar to later face Pompey himself in Greece at the Battle of Pharsalus in 48 BC.

Why the Battle Happened

After chasing his political rivals, the Optimates (a group of conservative Roman senators), out of Italy, Caesar turned his attention to Spain. In March 49 BC, he headed towards the Iberian provinces.

On his way, Caesar faced a delay. The city of Massilia (modern-day Marseille, France) rebelled in April. It was led by Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus. Caesar left two of his generals, Gaius Trebonius and Decimus Junius Brutus Albinus, to besiege Massilia. Then, Caesar moved to Hispania Citerior (a Roman province in Spain). He went to help the three legions he had sent ahead under his general, Fabius.

The Ilerda Campaign Begins

Fabius had already taken control of some mountain passes in the Pyrenees. After getting three more legions as reinforcements, he moved further into Spain.

The Pompeian generals, Lucius Afranius and Marcus Petreius, set up their camp on a hill. This hill was south of the city of Ilerda (modern-day Lleida, Spain). Their camp was on the western side of the Sicoris River (modern Segre). This location gave them easy access to supplies from the land east of the river. They could cross a stone bridge near the city to get these supplies and water.

Fabius and his army were on the eastern side of the Sicoris River. They decided to build two new wooden bridges upstream from Ilerda. After finishing his bridges, Fabius marched his army across. He also set up camp on the western bank.

Since the Pompeians had already taken most supplies from the western bank, Fabius had to send groups to find food across the river. During these missions, Caesar's soldiers often fought small battles with Pompey's cavalry.

One time, after two of Fabius's legions had crossed the river, their bridge was washed away. The broken pieces of the bridge floated past Ilerda. Afranius decided to attack Fabius's isolated two legions. He led four of his legions and his cavalry across the stone bridge. Lucius Plancus, who commanded the two legions, took a position on a nearby hill. He was soon attacked. He was only saved when Fabius's other two legions arrived. They had crossed the other bridge to help.

Two days later, Caesar arrived at Fabius's camp and took command. Caesar tried to set up his camp about 400 paces from the Pompeians' hill. Afranius's forces threatened to fight, but Caesar refused a direct battle. Instead, he had his first two lines of troops ready for battle. Meanwhile, his third line secretly dug a wide ditch behind them. As night fell, Caesar pulled his army back behind the ditch and stayed ready for anything.

The next day, Caesar's soldiers finished the ditch and built a protective wall for their camp. Caesar kept part of his army on guard during this work. The Pompeian forces were about half a mile outside Ilerda. The city held many of their supplies. A small hill stood between Caesar's army and the Pompeians. Caesar decided to try and capture this hill. If he could fortify it, he could cut off the Pompeians from their supplies in the town.

Caesar explained his plan: "Between the city of Ilerda and the hill where Petreius and Afranius were camped, there was a flat area about 300 paces wide. In the middle of this area was a small rise in the ground. Caesar wanted to take control of this rise. By doing so, he could stop the enemy from reaching the town and the bridge. This would make their supplies in the town useless."

The fight for this hill led to a long and difficult battle.

The Battle for the Hill

Both armies sent groups of soldiers towards the hill. The Pompeians reached it first and took control. Their fighting style, which involved quick attacks and retreats, overwhelmed Caesar's soldiers. Caesar's troops were forced to fall back, eventually retreating to safety.

This small setback made Caesar decide to launch another attack. This led to a longer fight. Caesar described it (writing about himself in the third person):

"Caesar saw that his army was starting to get worried, which he didn't expect. He encouraged his men and brought the Ninth Legion to help them. He quickly stopped the enemy's strong pursuit. He forced them to turn back and pushed them all the way to the walls of Ilerda. But the soldiers of the Ninth Legion were excited by their success. They wanted to make up for the loss we had suffered. They chased the fleeing enemy so eagerly that they ended up in a bad spot. They found themselves right below the hill where the town stood. When they tried to retreat, the enemy turned around and attacked strongly from the higher ground."

"The hill was rough and steep on both sides. It was only wide enough for three groups of soldiers to stand side-by-side. Our soldiers couldn't get help from the sides or from cavalry. The path down from the town was a bit easier for about 400 paces. This helped our men get out of the danger their eagerness had put them in. They fought bravely here, even though they were at a great disadvantage. This was because the place was narrow, and since they were at the bottom of the hill, none of the enemy's spears missed. Still, they kept fighting with courage and patience. They were not discouraged by the many wounds they received."

"The enemy's forces grew every moment. Fresh groups of soldiers were sent from their camp through the town. They replaced those who were tired. Caesar also had to send small groups to keep the battle going and to bring back the wounded. The fight had now lasted five hours without stopping. Our men were overwhelmed by the large number of enemies. They had used all their spears. So, they attacked the mountain with their swords. They defeated those who stood against them and forced the rest to run away."

"The chase continued to the very walls of Ilerda. Some enemies, out of fear, hid in the town. This gave our men a chance to retreat safely. At the same time, our cavalry, even though they were in a bad position in a valley, managed to reach the top of the mountain. They rode between both armies, stopping the enemy from attacking our rear. So, the battle had many ups and downs."

In this fight, Caesar lost about 70 men. Among them was Q. Fulginius, a brave leader of the Fourteenth Legion. More than 600 of Caesar's men were wounded. On Afranius's side, a main leader named T. Caecilius was killed. Also, four other leaders and over 200 regular soldiers died.

After the Battle

After the fighting, spring storms and melting snow from the mountains caused floods. Caesar's camp was in a lower area, so it was badly flooded. This meant Caesar's troops couldn't find food, and his army faced hunger and sickness.

When the floodwaters of the Sicoris River finally went down, Caesar's soldiers dug deep channels. They used these to change the river's path. This forced Petreius and Afranius to leave their camp and the city of Ilerda. They tried to retreat towards another republican army led by Marcus Terentius Varro.

Caesar sent his cavalry across the river. After his foot soldiers showed they were ready, Caesar had his legions cross the river too, even though the water was shoulder-high.

Caesar ordered his army to chase the retreating republican army. With a clever move, Caesar managed to outsmart them. He blocked the path the republicans were using to retreat. The two armies again camped close to each other. This led to some soldiers from both sides talking to each other.

Petreius wanted to stop this friendly talk. He had Caesar's soldiers who had wandered into the republican camp rounded up and killed. After this, the republicans again retreated towards Ilerda. But Caesar's army then surrounded them in their new camp. By July 30, Caesar had completely trapped Afranius and Petreius's army.

Afranius and Petreius asked Caesar for terms to surrender. In front of both armies, Caesar accepted the surrender of the five Pompeian legions.

After the main republican army in Spain surrendered, Caesar marched towards Varro in Hispania Ulterior (another Roman province in Spain). Varro immediately surrendered without a fight. This led to two more legions surrendering to Caesar.

After this, Caesar left his general, Quintus Cassius Longinus, in charge of Spain. Longinus was given four legions, some of which were made up of men who had surrendered and joined Caesar's side. Caesar then returned with the rest of his army to Massilia and its ongoing siege.

See also

In Spanish: Batalla de Ilerda para niños

• Modern-day district Instituts-Templers of Lleida/Lérida, where the battle took place.