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716:. This proved very effective, as the legionaries could not retaliate. The Numidians would simply withdraw to a safe distance and continue launching projectiles. The Numidian cavalry routed Caesar's cavalry and succeeded in surrounding his legions, who redeployed into a circle to face attacks from all sides. The Numidian light infantry bombarded the legionaries with missiles. Caesar's legionaries threw their
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Caesar had been defeated, having failed in his mission of gathering supplies. However, his army remained intact; Caesar fortified his camp at
Ruspina and equipped sailors as light infantry to serve on land. The army's craftsmen manufactured slingshots and javelins and Caesar sent messages to bring up
748:
appeared with 1,600 Numidian cavalry and a large number of light infantry who harassed Caesar's legionaries as they retreated. Caesar redeployed his army for combat and launched a counterattack that drove the
Optimates forces back over high ground. Petreius was wounded at this point. Completely
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Caesar gave the order to make the battle line as long as possible and every second cohort to turn around, so the standards would be facing the
Numidian cavalry in the Romans' rear and the other cohorts the Numidian light infantry to the front. The legionaries charged and threw their
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Leptis and marched back to
Ruspina. On 4 January Caesar went off on a foraging mission, initially with 9000 legionaries in thirty understrength cohorts. Three miles out, the enemy was spotted and Caesar sent for his 400 cavalry and 150 archers as well. Caesar then personally led a
727:
approached
Labienus, who recognized him. The veteran threw his pilum at Labienus's horse, killing it. "That'll teach you Labienus, that a soldier of the Tenth is attacking you", the veteran growled, shaming Labienus in front of his own men. Some men however began to panic. An
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deploy in unusually close and dense formations for cavalry. The deployment accomplished its goal of misleading Caesar, who believed them to be close-order infantry. Caesar therefore deployed his army in a single extended line to prevent
604:
were left behind in Sicily. Caesar hoped the supply situation would improve in Africa. He set sail on 25 December, but his poor planning based on limited information about a good landing site and strong
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The action outside
Ruspina – it is sometimes described as a battle – was without doubt a defeat for Caesar, who had been prevented from his aim of gathering the supplies that his army required.
701:, with his small force of 150 archers up front and the 400 cavalry on the wings. In a surprising move, Labienus then extended his cavalry on both flanks to envelop Caesar, bringing up his
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where he was reinforced by some of his scattered troops (elements of fifth and the tenth legions). The next day several more reinforcements arrived at
Ruspina. He left six
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at the enemy in return, but were ineffective. The nervous Roman soldiers bunched up together, making themselves easier targets for the
Numidian missiles.
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Titus
Labienus rode up to the front rank of Caesar's troops, coming very near in order to taunt the enemy troops. A veteran of the
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and proclaiming "I have hold of you, Africa!". Having failed to concentrate his force, Caesar lacked the strength to
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in the center. The
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attempted to flee but Caesar grabbed the man, spun him around and shouted "the enemy are over there!"
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joined forces with Labienus and Petreius and they set up camp three miles from Caesar's.
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on 28 December with only 3,000 legionaries and 150 cavalry. He fell down on the
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on 17 December 47 BC and built up an invasion force there to crush the
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who had defected to the Republican side at the beginning of the
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Titus Labienus commanded the Optimate force and had his 8,000
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in a single fleet and a large quantity of transport animals,
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but dispelled his officers' superstitions by grabbing some
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exhausted, both armies withdrew back to their camps.
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758:as much grain and other supplies as possible.
640:. On 1 January 46 BC, he captured the town of
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956:Caesar Beats the Odds: The Battle of Ruspina
48:introducing citations to additional sources
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556:, Caesar's former lieutenant during the
38:Relevant discussion may be found on the
1262:Planned invasion of the Parthian Empire
552:. The Republican army was commanded by
544:, between the Republican forces of the
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677:Map of the second phase of the battle
536:was fought on 4 January 46 BC in the
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1688:Battles involving the Roman Republic
1579:Cultural depictions of Julius Caesar
669:Map of the first phase of the battle
136:Map of the third phase of the battle
15:
13:
111:Part of Caesar's civil war (46 BC)
14:
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1381:Ut est rerum omnium magister usus
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588:. Caesar failed to gather enough
260:1,600 Gallic and Germanic cavalry
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31:relies largely or entirely on a
20:
906:
418:Caesar's invasion of Macedonia
1:
1703:Battles of Caesar's civil war
1536:Gaius Julius Caesar (father)
1337:Commentarii de Bello Gallico
767:
752:
500:Caesar's invasion of Africa
7:
1713:Military history of Tunisia
1330:Commentarii de Bello Civili
10:
1734:
921:Caesar: Life of a Colossus
632:of Hadrumentum and set up
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592:to carry his army of six
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240:Publius Hostilius Saserna
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1418:Temple of Venus Genetrix
1698:Africa (Roman province)
402:Macedonia and Illyricum
263:Numerous light infantry
1599:Julio-Claudian dynasty
1423:Caesar's Rhine bridges
1350:Poems by Julius Caesar
1316:Laudatio Iuliae amitae
1292:Constitutional reforms
1279:Lex Julia de maiestate
927:New Haven, Connecticut
746:Gnaeus Calpurnius Piso
678:
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609:scattered his convoy.
257:9,600 Numidian cavalry
231:Gnaeus Calpurnius Piso
203:Commanders and leaders
1041:Early life and career
931:Yale University Press
676:
668:
1640:Marcus Junius Brutus
1551:Julia Minor (sister)
1546:Julia Major (sister)
1144:Invasions of Britain
1061:Crossing the Rubicon
548:and forces loyal to
44:improve this article
1479:Cossutia (disputed)
979:35.7667°N 10.8167°E
975: /
915:Goldsworthy, Adrian
884:, pp. 457–458.
838:, pp. 456–457.
811:, pp. 454–455.
612:Caesar landed near
236:Gaius Julius Caesar
59:"Battle of Ruspina"
1520:Augustus (adopted)
1444:Chiaramonti Caesar
1222:Battle of the Nile
1078:Military campaigns
1056:Caesar's civil war
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590:transport shipping
321:Caesar's civil war
124:Caesar's Civil War
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1439:Tusculum portrait
1298:Dictator perpetuo
1257:
1256:
1149:Ambiorix's revolt
1046:First Triumvirate
1034:Major life events
940:978-0-300-12048-6
534:Battle of Ruspina
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274:9,000 legionaries
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1541:Aurelia (mother)
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1374:Veni, vidi, vici
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725:Tenth Legion
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181:Belligerents
100:January 2019
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1625:Mark Antony
1574:by Plutarch
1408:Curia Julia
1344:De analogia
1271:Legislation
1202:Dyrrhachium
1169:Uxellodunum
1096:Gallic Wars
1051:Gallic wars
982: /
699:envelopment
614:Hadrumentum
558:Gallic Wars
428:Dyrrhachium
280:150 archers
277:400 cavalry
1682:Categories
1620:Julia gens
1454:Arles bust
1387:Last words
1286:Lex Roscia
1192:Brundisium
970:10°49′00″E
967:35°46′00″N
685:and 1,600
462:Alexandria
349:Brundisium
197:Caesarians
70:newspapers
1630:Cleopatra
1594:Caesarism
1515:Caesarion
1494:Calpurnia
1432:Portraits
1396:Buildings
1207:Pharsalus
1187:Corfinium
1179:Civil War
1134:Octodurus
768:Citations
753:Aftermath
730:aquilifer
630:surrender
582:Optimates
574:Lilybaeum
562:civil war
546:Optimates
452:Nicopolis
438:Pharsalus
376:Tauroento
344:Corfinium
40:talk page
1666:Category
1635:Servilia
1503:Children
1484:Cornelia
1323:Anticato
1159:Gergovia
1154:Avaricum
1139:Morbihan
1129:Atuatuci
1109:Bibracte
1086:Mytilene
917:(2006).
710:javelins
703:Numidian
691:Germanic
650:garrison
496:Bagradas
252:11,200+
246:Strength
153:Location
122:Part of
1613:Related
1489:Pompeia
1244:Thapsus
1239:Corduba
1234:Ruspina
694:cavalry
646:cohorts
638:Ruspina
626:besiege
622:pebbles
594:legions
568:Prelude
514:Thapsus
509:Ascurum
504:Ruspina
408:Curicta
391:Corduba
381:Carteia
339:Rubicon
222: (
211: (
192:Numidia
158:Ruspina
84:scholar
1718:40s BC
1564:Legacy
1464:Family
1359:Quotes
1197:Ilerda
1164:Alesia
1114:Vosges
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714:arrows
687:Gallic
661:Battle
642:Leptis
602:fodder
600:, and
586:Africa
578:Sicily
542:Africa
485:Africa
479:Apamea
433:Gomphi
423:Oricum
413:Tauris
366:Ilerda
269:9,550
169:Result
162:Africa
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1693:46 BC
1529:Other
1510:Julia
1472:Wives
1308:Works
1249:Munda
1217:Siege
1124:Sabis
1119:Axona
636:near
618:beach
607:winds
491:Utica
396:Lauro
386:Munda
355:Spain
333:Italy
91:JSTOR
77:books
1229:Zela
1104:Arar
935:ISBN
744:and
738:pila
718:pila
712:and
689:and
634:camp
598:food
532:The
474:Zela
467:Nile
188:Cato
145:Date
63:news
648:to
584:in
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225:WIA
214:WIA
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