Eventually the planned pincer movement was frustrated when Barbatio, in the words of Ammianus, "…as if he had ended the campaign successfully, distributed his soldiers in winter quarters and returned to the Emperor's court to frame some charges against Caesar, as was his custom." His departure left Julian open to attack, but against all expectations he defeated the Alemanni at the Battle of Strasbourg. Constantius, in distant Milan, immediately claimed the victory as his own.
The planned encirclement maneuver was ultimately foiled when Barbatio, in the words of Ammianus, "…as if he had ended the campaign successfully, allocated his troops during winter quarters and returned to the imperial court to bring up false accusations against Caesar, a practice he frequently engaged in.