A quantity of objects of various kinds were collected by the spoilers, the booty coming quite up to the expectation of the Carthaginians.
They spent that night under arms, and on the next day Hannibal calling a general meeting which included the Tarentines, decided to shut off the town from the citadel, so that the Tarentines should have no further fear of the Romans who held that fortress.
His first measure was to construct a palisade parallel to the wall of the citadel and the moat in front of it.
As he knew very well that the enemy would not submit to this, but would make some kind of armed demonstration against it, he held in readiness some of his best troops, thinking that nothing was most necessary with respect to the future than to strike terror into the Romans and give confidence to the Tarentines.
When accordingly upon their planting the first palisade the Romans made a most bold and daring attack on the enemy, Hannibal after a short resistance retired in order to tempt the assailants on, and when most of them advanced beyond the moat, ordered up his men and fell upon them.
A stubborn engagement followed, as the fighting took place in a narrow space between two walls, but in the end the Romans were forced back and put to flight.
Many of them fell in the action, but the largest number perished by being hurled back and precipitated into the moat.
Walbank Commentary