History of the Peloponnesian War

The next day the Athenians, setting out from their lines, began to build at the cliffs over the marsh, which on this side of Epipolae looks towards the great harbour, and in which direction their wall of circumvallation would be finished in the shortest distance by their going down over the plain and the marsh to the harbour.

The Syracusans meanwhile went out, and on their part also began again to interrupt the line by a palisade, commencing from the city across the middle of the marsh;

and at the same time dug a ditch parallel with it, that it might not be possible for the Athenians to carry their wall of circumvallation as far as the sea. They, after their work at the cliff was completed, again assaulted the palisade and ditch of the Syracusans. They had ordered their fleet to sail round from Thapsus to the great harbour of Syracuse, while they themselves descended at dawn from Epipolae into the plain, and laying doors and planks over the marsh, where [*]( Literally, where it was muddy and most firm ) the mud was most firm, crossed it upon them, and in the morning carried the palisade, excepting a small part of it, and the ditch, and afterwards the remaining part.

On this occasion a battle was fought, in which the Athenians were victorious, those of the Syracusans posted on the right wing flying to the city, those on the left, to the river. Wishing to intercept the passage of these, the three hundred chosen troops of the Atheniaes pressed on at full speed to the bridge;

but the Syracusans were alarmed, and, as the greater part of their forces were there, closed on these three hundred, routed them, and drove them in on the right wing of the Athenians. By their charge the tribe posted first on the wing was also thrown into panic;

on observing which, Lamachus came to their assistance from their left, with a few archers and the Argives, and having crossed a ditch in advance, and being cut off from the rest, with only a few who had crossed with him, was killed with five or six of his men. These the Syracusans immediately snatched up, and had time to get over the river into a place of security; while their own troops retreated, as the rest of the Athenian force was now coming against them.