After hearing about the Celtic (or Gaulish) invasion of Etruria, the consul returned hastily to engage in battle.
According to Polybius[2]Just at this time, Gaius Atilius, the other Consul, had reached Pisa from Sardinia with his legions and was on his way to Rome, marching in the opposite direction to the enemy.
On being examined by the Consul they narrated all that had recently occurred and told him of the presence of the two armies, stating that the Gauls were quite near and Lucius behind them.
[3]At first the battle was confined to the hill, all the armies gazing on it, so great were the numbers of cavalry from each host combating there pell-mell.
In this action Gaius the Consul fell in the melee fighting with desperate courage, and his head was brought to the Celtic kings; but the Roman cavalry, after a stubborn struggle, at length overmastered the enemy and gained possession of the hill.
However, the Roman victory was due to the Gaulish decision to face the battle both ways (according to historian Aryeh Nusbacher) and thus divide their energies.
The surviving consul Lucius Aemilius Papus obtained sole credit for the victory, and was awarded a triumph.