Spartacus and his army of slaves were marching toward Apulia to set sail for Thrace when Crassus, who was at the head of a well-armed Roman army, attacked from behind. Spartacus, partially due to the weariness of his men, wanted to take the battle to the Romans. Spartacus killed his horse, saying that if he won he would have all the horses he wanted, but if he lost he would not be tempted to run away.