Battle of Gergovia The Battle of Gergovia took place in 52 BC in Gaul at Gergovia , the chief oppidum ( fortified town ) of the Arverni . The battle was fought between a Roman Republic an army , led by proconsul Julius Caesar , and Gallic forces led by Vercingetorix . The Gauls won the battle . The site is identified with Merdogne , now called Gergovie , a village located on a hill within the town of La Roche - Blanche , near Clermont - Ferrand , in south central France . Some walls and earthworks still survive from the pre - Roman Iron Age . Prelude . As with much of the early history of Gaul , our knowledge of the war comes principally from Julius Caesar ' s " Commentaries on the Gallic War " . As there are no suriving Gaulish accounts , our view of the battle may be coloured by Roman propoganda . Vercingetorix had earlier been expelled from Gergovia . In winter 53 BC , whilst Caesar was gathering his forces for a strike against the Gauls , Vercingetorix attacked Gergovia . Caesar states that this left him with a difficult decision , between keeping his forces safe over the winter but showing Roman weakness in defending her allies the Aedui and thus losing their support , or bringing Vercingetorix to open battle but risking running out of supplies - he chose the latter . Leaving two legions and all his baggage train behind in Agedincum , Caesar led the remaining legions to Gergovia ' s aid . His sieges of Vellaunodunum , Genabum and Noviodunum en route caused Vercingetorix to lift his siege and march to meet Caesar in open battle at Noviodunum , which Caesar won . Caesar then besieged and captured Avaricum and resupplied there . Caesar then set out in the direction of Gergovia , which Vercingetorix was probably able to guess once he had divined his direction . The heights of Gergovia itself stand twelve hundred feet above the plain that they overlook . It is a plateau that is a mile and a half long by a third of a mile wide . It was an advantageous place to hold , as there was only one way in , and a small body of troops could hold the entrance to the place . It was a reasonably easy guess to make . Vercingetorix therefore crossed the river Elave , and started marching up and down the bank , mirroring Caesar ' s movements and destroying all the bridges to keep him from crossing , the purpose presumably being to destroy part of his force as he attempted to cross . Realizing Vercingetorix ' s plan , Caesar resolved to trick him and cross under his very nose . Caesar one night camped near the town of Varennes , where there had previously been a bridge before Vercingetorix had destroyed it . That night , he divided his force into two parts , one part being 2 / 3rds of the force , the other being 1 / 3rd of the force . However , the larger force he ordered to march in 6 corps , as if it were in fact the full corps . He then ordered it to continue its march south . Vercingetorix , duped , took the bait and followed this part of the force . Caesar , with the two legions still present at Varennes , speedily rebuilt the bridge that had been present there . He then sent for the other force , which during that next day stole a march on Vercingetorix , and completed a junction with the original force , and crossed the rebuilt bridge . Realizing that he had been duped , Vercingetorix set out south , to beat Caesar to Gergovia The battle . Five days later Caesar reached Gergovia , the first march being short because the majority of the troops were tired after the march they had stolen , and the last march because the legions arrived at the town . Realising its mountainous location made a frontal assault risky , he decided to rely on his superior siege tactics . Upon arriving , Caesar discovered that there was a small hill that the Gauls held that was essential to their holding Gergovia itself . The reasons for this being , that holding this , they were able to get at water , corn and forage . Considering the importance of this place to their holding Gergovia itself , the outpost with which they held this small hill should have been larger . Caesar took this in a night raid , and swiftly stationed two legions upon this same hill . He then linked it to his main camp , by digging a double trench , twelve feet wide , and a parapet . The result of this was a wall that kept the Gauls from the supplies , which they desperately needed . As a result of this fortification , they were forced to resort to the meager glen that supplied water to Gergovia itself , and this was small . During the course of this siege , the Aeduan nobles had been ' corrupted ' by emissaries of Vercingetorix , with both gold and misleading them about the nature of Caesar ' s conquests - Caesar would have one believe . Caesar had earlier made an agreement with this tribe , to the effect that ten thousand men would protect his line of supplies . Convictolitavis - who had previously been made chief of this tribe by Caesar - convinced , under whatever pretext by Vercingetorix , ordered these same men under the pretext of joining Caesar , to join Vercingetorix upon their arrival at the oppidum . This same unit of men attacked Romans who were accompanying their train , leaving Caesar in an embarrassing position . His rations threatened , Caesar took four legions from the siege and surrounded this Aeduan army , and swiftly brought it to terms . Despite the fact that the Aeduan army was brought to terms , large parts of the nation were still revolting . Many Romans were subsequently massacred . The revolt still going on , Caesar sped to his two legions ' aid , which were still left over at Gergovia , and hard pressed to keep Vercingetorix ' s much larger force at bay . Caesar then went back to Gergovia and realised that his siege would fail . His only chance now of victory was to get Vercingetorix off the high ground . He used a legion as a decoy and moved onto better ground , capturing three Gallic camps in the process . He then ordered a general retreat to fool Vercingetorix and pull him off the high ground . However , the retreat was not heard by most of Caesar ' s force . Instead , spurred on by the ease with which they captured the camps , they pressed on toward the town and mounted a direct assault on it . The noise of the assault drew Vercingetorix back into the town . Forty - six centurions and 700 legionaries died in the resulting engagement , and over 6 , 000 were wounded on the Roman side , compared to the several hundred Gauls killed and wounded . In the wake of the battle , Caesar lifted his siege and advanced instead into Aedui territory .