The carnage continues!

Syrian War 191-190BC

The proconsul Claudius Pulcher displayed all of his renowned vigour in prosecuting the Syrian War. Having defeated one Seleukid army, he marched to invest Sardis, rumoured to be the supply dump for the Seleukid effort in the region. The defenders hastily pulled together what troops they did in an effort to stop Pulcher. He had the advantage of numbers and cavalry superiority.



The Seleukids deployed in a single line, with a screen of skirmishers out ahead of their heavy troops.



The Roman skirmishers ran out to engage their counterparts.



They took a heavy toll before retreating to the safety of the line.



As the lines engaged, the allied cavalry looped around the fighting front.



The elements on the wings were routed, and the Roman maniples marched around to outflank the elites in the centre.



The centre caved, and a general rout started.



The elites had fought hard, causing some casualties, but the day was Roman.



Sardis was seized and a garrison allied to Pergamon was installed.

Marching to guard Pergamon against invasions from other directions, Pulcher ran into a Seleukid noble.



He wasted no time in eliminating the threat of a competent general joining up with the enemy armies.



Guarding the river crossings against rumours of a large body of Seleukids, Pulcher halted a Seleukid detachment.



The crossing was hard fought, and Roman losses were high despite the victory. A runner had come ahead from the fleet saying reinforcements were on their way, but it could be close.



Hearing that Pergamon was under threat, Pulcher turned around and marched to it's relief.



Initially the Seleukids looked willing to fight.



But on seeing the clouds of dust from the reinforcements marching from Pergamon, decided to break off contact.



The Romans had to content themselves with destroying the Seleukid cavalry, and wiping out their rearguard.



Another Seleukid army marched to invest Pergamon, and Pulcher was on hand to stop them.



They meant to fight.



First the skirmishers traded fire.



Then the lines clashed.



The Asian allied cavalry roamed at will behind the Seleukid line.



The commander of the Seleukid force was careless and caught out in the open.



At his death, the Jewish spearmen on the Roman right lost the will to fight on.



Those in the centre carried on fighting for some time.



But even they were not immune to the spread of panic.



At little cost to the Romans, another Seleukid army had been laid low.