Next day the Consuls broke up their camp and advanced towards the place where they heard that of the enemy was. Coming in view of them on the second day, they encamped at a distance of about fifty stadia from them.
Aemilius, seeing that the district round was flat and treeless, was opposed to attacking the enemy there as they were superior in cavalry, his advice being to lure them on by advancing into a country where the battle would be decided rather by the infantry.
As Terentius, owing to his inexperience, was of the contrary opinion, difficulties and disputes arose between the generals, one of the most pernicious things possible.
Terentius was in command next day — the two Consuls according to the usual practice commanding on alternate days — and he broke up his camp and advanced with the object of approaching the enemy in spite of Aemilius's strong protests and efforts to prevent him.
Hannibal met him with his light-armed troops and cavalry and surprising him while still on the march disordered the Romans much.
They met, however, the first charge by advancing some of their heavy infantry, and afterwards sending forwards also their javelineers and cavalry got the better in the whole engagement, as the Carthaginians had no considerable covering force, while they themselves had some companies of their legions fighting mixed with the light-armed troops.
The fall of night now made them draw off from each other, the attack of the Carthaginians not having had the success they hoped.
Next day, Aemilius, who neither judged it advisable to fight nor could now withdraw the army in safety, encamped with two-thirds of it on the bank of the river <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Aufidus&groupId=384&placeId=723">Aufidus</a>.
This is the only river which traverses the <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Apennines&groupId=343&placeId=664">Apennines</a>, the long chain of mountains separating all the Italian streams, those on one side descending to the Tyrrhenian sea and those on the other to the Adriatic. The <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Aufidus&groupId=384&placeId=723">Aufidus</a>, however, runs right through these mountains, having its source on the side of <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Italy&groupId=656&placeId=1199">Italy</a> turned to the <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Tyrrhenian Sea&groupId=1054&placeId=1856">Tyrrhenian Sea</a> and falling into the Adriatic.
For the remaining portion of his army he fortified a position on the farther side of the river, to the east of the ford, at a distance of about ten stadia from his own camp and rather more from that of the enemy,
intending thus to cover the foraging parties from his main camp across the river and harass those of the Carthaginians.
Walbank Commentary