In the ensuing operations around Uzitta and Aggar, the initiative passed to Caesar who pushed for a decisive encounter. His attempts were frustrated by Labienus, whose cavalry hampered his lines of supply and harried his troops on the march. But Scipio refused to commit his infantry, and Labienus could make little headway against Caesar’s legions.
Caesar marched southward from Ruspina and began to build entrenchments along the western slope of a series of low hills overlooking Uzitta and Scipio’s camp (BAf. 37–38.2). On one hill stood a fort held by Numidians. Caesar sent a squadron of Spanish horse who quickly dislodged them (39.1–3). Labienus in turn sent his right wing consisting of German and Gallic troops to their rescue, but, because of a farmhouse obstructing his view, he did not notice that they had been cut off by Caesar’s cavalry (39.4–40.3). Their loss was a severe blow. In the positional warfare that followed, Labienus had nearly trapped Caesar in a ravine when his own men, unnerved at the approach of the legions, turned and suffered heavy casualties (49–50). Another ambush failed when Caesar was informed beforehand and surprised Labienus’ light armed troops (65–66).
After three weeks of maneuvering had not brought about a pitched battle, Caesar moved farther south and took up a position two mile southwest of Aggar (BAf. 67.1). Both sides continued the same tactics. Hoping to force Scipio to commit himself by attacking his sources of supply,[52] Caesar seized Zeta, a town ten miles from his camp (68.1–2). His route, however, necessitated passing Scipio’s camp on his flank. On the return march, Labienus and Afranius emerged from behind nearby hills and fell upon Caesar’s rear guard (69.1). Their object was to cause Caesar to pitch camp on the spot, away from water. Hence they avoided close quarters, giving way before the rush of the legionaries while wounding the horses of Caesar’s cavalry (69.3–5). It was the same situation as on the plain of Ruspina. But this time by replacing cavalry with foot soldiers, Caesar slowly extricated his column, although with greater losses than the author of the Bellum Africum admits