Battle of the Axona The Battle of the Axona was fought in 57 BC , between the Roman army of Gaius Julius Caesar and the Belgae . The Belgae , led by King Galba of the Suessiones , attacked , only to be repelled by Caesar . Fearing an ambush , the Romans delayed their pursuit . Caesar ' s " Commentarii de Bello Gallico " describes this battle at 2 . 7 - 2 . 11 . Prelude . After the Belgae gave up on their siege of the town of Bibrax , belonging to the Remi tribe , they encamped their army within two Roman miles of Caesar ' s camp . Although he was reluctant to give battle at first , some minor cavalry skirmishes between the camps gave Caesar the impression that his men were not inferior to the Belgae , and thus decided on a pitched battle . Battle . Initial Phase . As Caesar ' s forces were outnumbered and thus at risk of being out - flanked , he had his army build two trenches , each 400 paces long , one on each side of the plain before the Roman camp . At the end of these trenches , Caesar had small forts built in which he placed his artillery . Then , leaving two legions as a reserve in the camp , he drew up his remaining six in battle order , and the enemy did the same . The crux of the battle lay in the small marsh that was situated between the two armies , and both forces anxiously anticipated the other ' s crossing of this obstacle , as it was sure to disorder the forces that did so . Cavalry skirmishes began the battle , although neither force crossed the marsh . Caesar claims his forces came out favourably in these initial actions , and so led his forces back to his camp . Second Phase : Belgic repositioning and main engagement . After Caesar ' s maneouver the Belgic forces circumvented the camp and endeavoured to approach it from behind . The rear of the camp was bordered by the river Axona , and the Belgae sought to attack the camp via a single fording spot in the river . Caesar claims their intention was to lead a part of their force over the bridge , and either take the camp by storm , or cut the Romans off from the lands on the opposite side of the river . This tactic would both deprive the Romans of land for foraging , and prevent them from coming to the aid of the Remi tribe whose lands the Belgae had the intention of pillaging ( as mentioned in the Prelude , above ) . To counter this maneouver , Caesar sent all his light infantry and cavalry to manage the difficult terrain ( as it would have been more difficult for the heavy infantry to do so ) . This action is described in his Gallic Wars at 2 . 10 : Caesar , being apprized of [ the situation ] by Titurius [ his legate ] , leads all his cavalry and light - armed Numidians , slingers and archers , over the bridge , and hastens toward them . There was a severe struggle in that place . Our men , attacking in the river the disordered enemy , slew a great part of them . By the immense number of their missiles they drove back the rest , who , in a most courageous manner were attempting to pass over their bodies , and surrounded with their cavalry , and cut to pieces those who had first crossed the river . Dismayed by the courageous attack by Caesar ' s men , and by their consequent inability to either take the camp by storm or blockade the Romans from crossing the river , the Belgic forces withdrew to their camp . Then , calling a council of war , they immediately resigned to returning to their home territories , where they might better be able to engage Caesar ' s invading army . Aftermath . So rushed and unorganized was the Belgic departure from their camp , that it seemed very much like a panicked retreat to the Roman forces . However , as Caesar was as yet unaware of their reason for departing , he decided not to immediately pursue the forces , for fear of an ambush . The following day , after learning from his scouts of the fully - fledged retreat of the Belgic forces , Caesar sent three legions and all his cavalry to attack the rear of the Belgic marching column . In his account of this action , Caesar claims that these Roman forces killed as many men as the daylight allowed , without any risk to themselves ( as the Belgic forces were taken by surprise and breaking rank , sought safety in flight ) .