The Second Punic War battle of Ticinus was fought in late November 218 BC between Hannibal’s Carthaginian forces and Publius Cornelius Scipio’s Roman forces. The battle took place in Pavia County, on the Ticino River’s right bank, at its junction with the Po. This was Carthage’s first significant battle against the Romans in the Second Punic War. This was the first combat with legion-sized Roman soldiers. The Roman defeat and temporary loss of Scipio’s command paved the way for the December disaster at the Trebia.
Hannibal crossed the Alps in late 218 BC. But first he must deal with his three immediate priorities: 1) He replenishes and rests his men. Since his army is hardly larger than a single Roman consular army, he begins strengthening it by recruiting Gallic men from the Po Valley. 3) After resting his men, he moves to win Gallic tribes’ support. To demonstrate his power, Hannibal uses the Taurini tribe, which resisted the Carthaginian advance, as an example. He orders his forces to storm Taurini’s capital after a three-day siege. He slaughtered everyone, men, women, and children.
This premeditated act of cruelty shows the Gallic nations the cost of opposing the Carthaginian cause. On the waters off Sicily, the Carthaginians attack first. Their ships began invading vital islands around Sicily in preparation for a full-scale invasion to retake important port cities. The west operation is a success. A strong storm blows few Carthaginian ships off course while attacking the Vulcan islands. The Syracusian navy eventually finds and attacks them near the Straits of Messina. It captures three Carthaginian ships and sailors. Tortured seamen tell information of the Carthaginian raid on Sicily. Syracusan King tells allies, and the Roman praetor in Sicily responds immediately. The Romans discovered the Carthaginians had a stronger fleet nearby, but they didn’t send many soldiers.
This gives the Roman praetor the opportunity to double the legionaries on his ships, thereby allowing each crew to battle two Carthaginian ships. Set up watch posts along the shore for a Roman ambush The Carthaginians advance alone. The Romans go on the offensive as they approach their target. They hurry to board one part of the Carthaginian fleet. In this one-on-one battle, the Roman crews overtake the Carthaginian ships and destroy them one by one. The Carthaginian naval onslaught is thwarted and their attempt to conquer Sicily in 218 BC fails. Consul Tiberius Sempronius Longus comes, starts a counter-offensive down Sicily’s south coast, and captures Malta. He intercepts Carthaginian ships. The ships raided Vibo and Bruttium. Longus’ quest is cut short when reports of Hannibal’s presence in the Po Valley compel him to return north to aid Scipio.
Scipio, meanwhile, is eager to fight Hannibal. Scipio crosses the Po at Placentia with his 17-year-old son Publius, who will eventually be known as Scipio Africanus. Scipio is confident of defeating Hannibal despite his inexperienced forces. He had challenged Hannibal on the Rhone and the Carthaginian general had fled. Hannibal, on the other side, is startled by Scipio’s swift return to the Po Valley. But he has no means of knowing that Scipio’s troops went on to Iberia. The Carthaginian general thinks that the Romans’ two armies in the Po valley are strong enough to discourage Gallic tribes from joining him, and he wants a victory… fast. If Hannibal does not appear confident in destroying Rome, the Gallic tribes will not coalesce with him. He marches his army down the northern bank of the Po River to meet Scipio. The two generals deploy scouting parties ahead of their respective armies as they march towards each other. The scouts of both armies alert Hannibal and Scipio to the enemy’s presence. Across the Ticinus River, the Romans establish a camp on the western side.
About 15km west, the Carthaginian column encamps for the night on the level plain. A day later, Hannibal and Scipio ride out in force to scout the area, each eager for a key early victory that would excite their men and secure the Gallic tribes’ support. Hannibal travels with most of his cavalry, while Scipio rides with all his cavalry and a few velites. The dust clouds created by the horses’ hooves help the two contingents to identify each other as they proceed over the flat plain. Both generals resolve to fight. Hannibal deploys his close order Spanish cavalry in front, followed by two units of Numidian light horsemen. Scipio places his velites in front to javelin-throw Hannibal’s cavalry. The Roman cavalry is in reserve, flanked by Gallic allies. As both contingents close in on one other, Hannibal notices the Roman cavalry is smaller and decides not to skirmish with the Roman velites. Instead, he orders a full-scale assault on the Roman front. Due to the advancing Carthaginians, Scipio leads his cavalry forward, while the velites retire through the gaps to form a second line. The cavalry clashes in the center. Unlike the customary mobile cavalry clashes, a violent bloody-static melee occurs. In the chaos of close-quarters combat, many cavalrymen dismount to fight more effectively on foot.
The fighting appears stale for a moment, but this is another Hannibal ruse. He sends his Numidians on a flanking maneuver after most of the Roman cavalry has committed. The Romans are completely taken aback. When the flank velites see the envelopment, they panic and flee. The Numidian cavalry swoops around the Roman flanks, trampling the light infantry. The Roman contingent’s noose tightens. A Carthaginian knocked Scipio off his horse. The Carthaginians move in on the wounded general, but the Romans save him. His 17-year-old son Publius charged to save his father with a small number of Roman cavalry that swarmed around the consul, before withdrawing back towards the Roman camp. Soon after Hannibal’s triumph, Gallic tribes send delegates to congratulate him. Despite their promises, the Gauls provide nothing in terms of reinforcements and supplies early in the conflict.
This causes Hannibal to dispatch a cavalry troop to take a Roman grain storage at Clastidium, defended by a Roman garrison. Lucky for Ha
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