Battle of Baecula The Battle of Baecula was Scipio Africanus ’ s first major field battle after he had taken command of Roman interests in Iberia during the Second Punic War , in which he routed the Carthaginian army under the command of Hasdrubal Barca . Prelude . After Scipio ’ s surprise attack and capture of Carthago Nova , the three Carthaginian armies in Iberia remained separated , and their generals at odds with each other , thus giving the Romans a chance to deal with them one by one . Early in 208 BC , Scipio moved against Hasdrubal , whose force wintered at Baecula , on the upper reaches of the river Baetis ( modern day Guadalquivir ) . Upon learning the approach of the Romans , Hasdrubal shifted his camp to a strong defensive position — a high and deep plateau south of Baecula , protected by ravines on the flanks and the river to the front and rear . Moreover the plateau was formed into two steps , on which Hasdrubal posted his light troops on the lower one and his main camp behind . After his arrival , Scipio at first was uncertain how to attack such a formidable position , but concerned that the other two Carthaginian armies might take advantage of his inaction and join with Hasdrubal , he took action on the third day . Battle . Before his main attack , Scipio sent one detachment to block the entrance to the valley separating the two armies and one to the road leading north to Baecula , thus providing security to his main force while harassing any Carthaginian attempt to retreat . After these preliminary deployments were done , the Roman light troops advanced against their Carthaginian counterparts on the first step . Despite the steep slope and under a shower of missile attack , the Romans had little difficulty driving back the Carthaginian light troops once they got into hand to hand combat . After reinforcing his leading force , Scipio derived a pincer attack on the flanks of the Carthaginian main camp , by ordering Gaius Laelius to lead half of the remaining heavy foot to the right of the enemy position , and he himself scaling the left . Hasdrubal , meanwhile , was under the impression that the Roman attack was only a skirmish ( Scipio had hidden his main army in camp until the final attack ) , failed to properly deploy his main force , thus his ill - prepared army was caught on three sides by the Romans . Despite being trapped , Hasdrubal was able to retreat unmolested with his elephants , his main baggage train , and most of his Carthaginian troops . It appeared that his main losses in the battle were most of his light troops and Iberian allies . This was largely due to the legionnaries ' choice to plunder the Carthaginian camp rather than pursue Hasdrubal with any earnestness . Aftermath . After the battle , Hasdrubal led his depleted army over the western passes of the Pyrenees into Gaul , and subsequently into Italy with a mostly Gallic force in an ill - fated attempt to join his brother Hannibal . While Scipio could be criticised for letting Hasdrubal escape from Iberia , a pursuit by the Romans through unknown mountainous and hostile terrains , leaving two full strength and numerously superior Carthaginian armies to his rear , would have been to risk another disaster like the Battle of Lake Trasimene . Instead , Scipio retired his army to Tarraco , and managed to secure alliances with most of the native Iberian tribes , who switched side after the Roman successes in Carthago Nova and Baecula . Meanwhile , Carthaginian reinforcements landed in Iberia during the winter , and would soon launch a final attempt to recover their losses .