The Achaeans Defeated
Naturally the result of the engagement was in harmony
with such a beginning. For when the lightarmed troops approached, the Aetolian cavalry
retired in good order up the hill, being anxious
to effect a junction with their own infantry. But Aratus,
having an imperfect view of what was going on, and making
a bad conjecture of what would happen next, no sooner saw
the cavalry retiring, than, hoping that they were in absolute
flight, he sent forward the heavy-armed troops of his two wings,
with orders to join and support the advanced guard of their
light-armed troops; while he himself, with his remaining forces,
executed a flank movement, and led his men on at the double.
But the Aetolian cavalry had now cleared the plain, and, having
effected the junction with their infantry, drew up under cover
of the hill; massed the infantry on their flanks; and called to
them to stand by them: the infantry themselves showing great
promptness in answering to their shouts, and in coming to
their relief, as the several companies arrived. Thinking themselves
now sufficiently strong in numbers, they closed their
ranks, and charged the advanced guard of Achaean cavalry
and light-armed troops; and being superior in number, and
having the advantage of charging from higher ground, after a
long struggle, they finally turned their opponents to flight:
whose flight involved that of the heavy-armed troops also which
were coming to their relief. For the latter were advancing in
separate detachments in loose order, and, either in dismay at
what was happening, or upon meeting their flying comrades on
their retreat, were compelled to follow their example: the result
being that, whereas the number of those actually defeated on
the field was less than five hundred, the number that fled was
more than two thousand. Taught by experience what to do,
the Aetolians followed behind them with round after round of
loud and boisterous shouts. The Achaeans at first retreated
in good order and without danger, because they were retiring
upon their heavy-armed troops, whom they imagined to be in
a place of safety on their original ground; but when they saw
that these too had abandoned their position of safety, and were
marching in a long straggling line, some of them immediately
broke off from the main body and sought refuge in various
towns in the neighbourhood; while others, meeting the phalanx
as it was coming up to their relief, proved to be quite sufficient,
without the presence of an enemy, to strike fear into it and
force it into headlong flight. They directed their flight, as I
said, to the towns of the neighbourhood.
Orchomenus and
Caphyae, which were close by, saved large numbers of them:
and if this had not been the case, they would in all probability have been annihilated by this unlooked-for catastrophe.
Such was the result of the engagement at Caphyae.