Plutarch on Caesar's War in Africa

Plutarch of Chaeronea (46-c.122): influential Greek philosopher and author, well known for his biographies and his moral treatises. His biography is here; the following fragment is from his Life of Julius Caesar.

In April 46, Julius Caesar defeated an army of his opponents at Thapsus in modern Tunisia. Among his enemies was Cato the Younger, a conservative who had been Caesar's most outspoken critic. The Greek author Plutarch of Chaeronea (46-c.120) describes what happened in chapter 52-55 of his Life of Julius Caesar.

The translation below was made by Robin Seager.

Chapter
52
53
54
55
Section
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2
3
4
5
6
7

[53.1] Scipio was encouraged by these successes to risk a decisive action. He left Afranius and Juba encamped each a short distance from the other and himself began to fortify a camp beyond a lake near the city of Thapsus, with the idea that this camp should serve the entire army as a base from which to go into action and as a place into which they could retreat.

[53.2] But while he was engaged on this operation, Caesar, marching with incredible speed, made his way through thick woods which disguised his approach, outflanked one division of the enemy, and attacked another from the front.

[53.3] After routing them, he made full use of his opportunity and of the fortune that was going his way. At the first attack he captured the camp of Afranius, and at the first attack he overran and sacked the camp of the Numidians, from which Juba ran away.

[53.4] So in a small part of a single day he made himself master of these camps and killed 50,000 of the enemy without losing as many as fifty of his own men.note

[53.5] This is the account given by some authorities of the battle. Others say that Caesar was not present personally at the action: he began to suffer from an attack of his usual illness just as he was drawing up his troops

[53.6] and ordering them to their positions, and, being aware at once that the illness was coming on, and finding that he was already losing the use of his faculties, he was carried, before they entirely left him, to a tower nearby, where he rested while the battle was going on.

[53.7] Of the men of consular or praetorian rank who survived the battle, some killed themselves as they were being rounded up and others, who were captured, were put to death by Caesar.