Nicias was the only general in command of the army, because Alcibiades had left, and Lamachus was a very poor man, so Nicias paid no attention to him. They bribed a man to tell the Syracusans that they could plunder the Athenians' camp. The Syracusans came and were caught by the Athenians, but they escaped. Then Nicias took the army to Naxos for the winter, and spent a lot of money keeping the army there. Then the Syracusans set fire to the camp to the Athenians' camp, and all blamed Nicias. He won another victory, and was suffering from kidney stones, yet he started to build a wall to stop the Syracusans.
I think that Plutarch thinks that Lamachus is better at military stuff than Nicias, because Nicias is too cautious, and lets the time for action spoil.
more later,
Bell
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