for the work of fortification if successful, and, after the first
watch, set out with Eurymedon and Menander and the whole army for
Epipolae, Nicias being left behind in the lines. Having come up by the
hill of Euryelus (where the former army had ascended at first)
unobserved by the enemy's guards, they went up to the fort which the
Syracusans had there, and took it, and put to the sword part of the
garrison. The greater number, however, escaped at once and gave the
alarm to the camps, of which there were three upon Epipolae,
defended by outworks, one of the Syracusans, one of the other
Siceliots, and one of the allies; and also to the six hundred
Syracusans forming the original garrison for this part of Epipolae.
These at once advanced against the assailants and, falling in with
Demosthenes and the Athenians, were routed by them after a sharp
resistance, the victors immediately pushing on, eager to achieve the
objects of the attack without giving time for their ardour to cool;
meanwhile others from the very beginning were taking the counterwall
of the Syracusans, which was abandoned by its garrison, and pulling
down the battlements. The Syracusans and the allies, and Gylippus with
the troops under his command, advanced to the rescue from the
outworks, but engaged in some consternation (a night attack being a
piece of audacity which they had never expected), and were at first
compelled to retreat. But while the Athenians, flushed with their
victory, now advanced with less order, wishing to make their way as
quickly as possible through the whole force of the enemy not yet
engaged, without relaxing their attack or giving them time to rally,
the Boeotians made the first stand against them, attacked them, routed
them, and put them to flight.
The Athenians now fell into great disorder and perplexity, so that
it was not easy to get from one side or the other any detailed account
of the affair. By day certainly the combatants have a clearer
notion, though even then by no means of all that takes place, no one
knowing much of anything that does not go on in his own immediate
neighbourhood; but in a night engagement (and this was the only one
that occurred between great armies during the war) how could any one
know anything for certain? Although there was a bright moon they saw
each other only as men do by moonlight, that is to say, they could
distinguish the form of the body, but could not tell for certain
whether it was a friend or an enemy. Both had great numbers of heavy
infantry moving about in a small space. Some of the Athenians were
already defeated, while others were coming up yet unconquered for
their first attack. A large part also of the rest of their forces
either had only just got up, or were still ascending, so that they did
not know which way to march. Owing to the rout that had taken place
all in front was now in confusion, and the noise made it difficult
to distinguish anything. The victorious Syracusans and allies were
cheering each other on with loud cries, by night the only possible
means of communication, and meanwhile receiving all who came against
them; while the Athenians were seeking for one another, taking all
in front of them for enemies, even although they might be some of
their now flying friends; and by constantly asking for the
watchword, which was their only means of recognition, not only
caused great confusion among themselves by asking all at once, but
also made it known to the enemy, whose own they did not so readily
discover, as the Syracusans were victorious and not scattered, and
thus less easily mistaken. The result was that if the Athenians fell
in with a party of the enemy that was weaker than they, it escaped
them through knowing their watchword; while if they themselves
failed to answer they were put to the sword. But what hurt them as
much, or indeed more than anything else, was the singing of the paean,
from the perplexity which it caused by being nearly the same on either
side; the Argives and Corcyraeans and any other Dorian peoples in
the army, struck terror into the Athenians whenever they raised
their paean, no less than did the enemy. Thus, after being once thrown
into disorder, they ended by coming into collision with each other