What follows here is an account of the fighting in the Northern Epeirote border;
Before the battle, I decided upon a stratagem that Alexander once used. I started a loud routine in our camp for a week of clanging pots and pans for the amusement of the enemy scouts. Then on the 8th day I marched our army around the Epeirote border, and crossed it back to our side. In the end the enemy's supply line was cut and we were on the gentlest slope to attack the enemy on.
I had decided against our usual formation due to the nature of the hill and the surrounding forests. I formed up all the legions in 3 lines with minimal space between them to keep communications easy and open.
Next I ordered the legions forward to the base of the hill and ordered th Aetolian cavalry to perform a wide flanking amneuver under the cover of forests around our right the enemy's left and they spotted the enemy army, it hadn't changed at all in its composition which gave us the advantage.
Once we came under missile fire from the enemy archers I ordered an advance by the velites at the double-quick to engage the enemy militia and coax them down the hill. Due to their ill discipline they obliged and a unit of them came charging down at us and were promptly routed, although they did not rout before the rest of their hoplites' discipline broke down and they too charged down the hill into a storm of pila.
The enemy commander, captain Tuethranes, and his cavalry swept down our right flank to try to stop his militia from charging, but it was too late. Over 6/10 of them were dead and I ordered the Aetolians to advance and cut off the enemy commander from the rest of his force and the rest of our cavalry, along with triarii that the commander of the 6th legion broke off on his own initiative engaged them long enough for the Aetolians to come up behind him and capture him. The enemy commander should arrive in Rome soon and in chains.
After their general was captured, the enemy withdrew back to the hill and in fact regained some of their discipline.
Seeing this, and noticing that there was no point to a decisive engagement against an enemy on high ground without any further pila, we withdrew in good order, the enemy did not give chase and in fact withdrew themselves.
We are still stationed in our camp on the road ready to give chase to the enemy should the senate still wish it.
Until such orders are given I will rest the troops after this marginal victory and focus on the training of the new Legio VII Epeirotus. Here is a statistical breakdown of supposed kills and our losses counted during roll call the morning after the battle.
As a last statement I would like to give attention to the plague, for in the last month it has spread to Croton and has started killing more and more people. This recent report should be tripled since the plague hit Tarentum.