Battle of Lauron

The battle of Lauron^[1][2][3] (also known as the battle of Lauro) was fought in 76 BC by a rebel force under the command of the Roman rebel Quintus Sertorius and a Republican army under the command of the Roman general Gnaeus Pompeius (better known as Pompey). The Sertorian force was victorious. The battle was recorded in detail by Frontinus, the later governor of Britain, in his Stratagems and Plutarch in his Life of Sertorius and Life of Pompey. The battle was part of the Sertorian War which lasted from 80-72 BC.

Lauron was strategically located between Pompey's legions and those of his collegae Quintus Caecilius Metellus Pius. Sertorius wanted to prevent Pompey from linking up with Metellus and also punish Lauron for siding with his opponents. Pompey wanted to finish of Sertorius quickly. Both men marched for Lauron.

Sertorius arrived at Lauron first, and began to lay siege to the city. Pompey had a veteran army (made up of Sullan veterans) of 30,000 infantry and 1,000 cavalry^[4] and was very confident of victory. When he arrived he build his camp close to that of Sertorius. Pompey wanted to force Sertorius into battle, Sertorius was prepared for battle - but on his own terms. Sertorius send out his light troops and cavalry to harras Pompey's foragers in the nearby areas but ordered his men to leave the Pompeians alone in the more distant tracts. Eventually, tiring of the continual raids, the Pompeians moved their foraging operations to the further tracts. Now Sertorius was ready to spring his trap.

During the night he ordered ten cohorts of heavily armed troops, ten cohorts of light troops and two thousand cavalry to move out of his camp and lay an ambush against the foragers^[5]. Pompey's men had also been out overnight, and were well loaded with supplies. When they were heading back to camp they were suddenly hit by light-armed Iberians. Bewildered they frantically tried to form battle lines but before they could do so the Sertorian heavy infantry charged them from the woods. This was too much, within minutes the entire foraging forces was running for their lives. That's when the Sertorians unleashed their cavalry and turned the rout into a massacre.

When Pompey became aware of his foragers predicament he send out a legion to cover his men's retreat. The advancing legion encountered the Sertorian cavalry and forced them back to the right flank where they fell out of sight. They then encountered the Sertorian infantry. While they were forming up to engage these they were hit in the rear by the Sertorian cavalry who had rode around them. As the legion recoiled from the shock of this unexpected attack they were hit again, this time from the front by the Sertorian infantry. Like the foragers before them they broke and fled, and the massacre continued.

Pompey by now was leading out his entire force and forming them up to come to his men's resque. As he was preparing to march Sertorius lead out his remaining troops and offering battle. Pompey now had a dilemma on his hand. If he marched to resque his men, Sertorius could hit his rear or flank, with disastrous results. If, on the other hand, he would march on Sertorius main army then his retreating force would probably be destoryed and he still would have to fight an uphill battle, and Sertorius would have an excellent change of winning.

The result was a stalemate. Pompey was forced to become a bystander while his men were cut down before his eyes. The Pompeian army lost ten thousand men^[6].

With morale very low, Pompey's army was confined to camp while Sertorius burned down Lauron. It was only the timely arrival of Metellus and his army who prevented Sertorius from finishing Pompey off^[7].

With Pompey humbled the war in Hispania would rage on for several years more.