[3] It was followed shortly by the suicides of Scipio and his ally, Cato the Younger, the Numidian king Juba, and his Roman peer Marcus Petreius.

In 49 BC, the last civil war of the Roman Republic was initiated after Julius Caesar, who saw that his political enemies in Rome were looking to arrest and prosecute him,[4] defied senatorial orders to disband his army following the conclusion of hostilities in Gaul.

The Optimates fled to Greece under the command of Pompey since they had not organised an army and were incapable of defending the city of Rome itself against Caesar.

Other key figures from the nobility in the resistance were Titus Labienus, Publius Attius Varus, Lucius Afranius, Marcus Petreius and the brothers Sextus and Gnaeus Pompeius (Pompey's sons).

Hadrumetum was held by a strong Optimate garrison under Gaius Considius Longus and Gnaeus Calpurnius Piso.

Caesar made camp south of the city and tried to negotiate with Considius, but the Optimate commander refused to read his message.

When his scouts reported that a large force of enemy cavalry was en route he decided to march south.

Caesar was a much better and far more experienced commander than Curio and kept his forces moving using his cavalry to keep the Numidians at bay while his legionaries marched on to Ruspina.

Meanwhile, one of Caesar's admirals, Sallust, had captured a large Optimate grain supply on the Cercina islands and the XIII and XIV legions had arrived in Ruspina.

Caesar kept the initiative by marching on Uzitta, a major water source for the Optimates, and tried to force his enemy to do battle.

Despite Juba's arrival, bringing his forces up to thirteen legions, Scipio refused to attack Caesar's positions.

In the beginning of February, Caesar arrived at Thapsus and besieged the city, surrounding it with a double line of circumvallation.

This forced his opponents to either attack the fortifications or march round the Marsh of Moknine and advance at his army via the eastern approach.

The Optimates, led by Metellus Scipio, decided not to attack Caesar's southern fortifications, but march to the eastern approach.

Caesar's archers on the right flank attacked the elephants opposing them, causing them to panic and turn and trample their own men.

Caesar's light infantry and cavalry moved out of the elephants' path clearing their way to the detachment (five cohorts) of Legio V Alaudae which was placed behind the flank.

The legionaries of the fifth stabbed their pila at the elephants eyes and weak spots and blasted away on their trumpets frightening the beasts, causing them to turn back and run towards their own lines.

After the loss of the elephants, Metellus Scipio started to lose ground, his left broke first the rest followed.

Around ten thousand enemies were killed, those surviving the battle being put to the sword by the furious soldiers in spite of Caesar's repeated orders to spare them, which were ignored.

Scipio also tried to escape to Roman Hispania; he gathered a small fleet and the remaining Optimate leadership around him and set sail for the Iberian Peninsula.

Bad weather forced them to return to the African coast, where they were caught off Hippo Regius by Sittius and his fleet.

However, Caesar's opposition was not done yet; Titus Labienus, the sons of Pompey, Varus and several others managed to gather another army in Baetica in Hispania Ulterior.