Battle of Beneventum (214 BC)

Last updated
Battle of Beneventum
Part of the Second Punic War
Plan of the Battle of Beneventum (214 BC).jpg
Plan of the Battle of Beneventum (214 BC)
Date214 BC
Location
Beneventum; modern Benevento
41°08′00″N14°47′00″E / 41.1333°N 14.7833°E / 41.1333; 14.7833
Result Roman victory
Belligerents
Vexilloid of the Roman Empire.svg Roman Republic Carthage standard.svg Carthage
Commanders and leaders
Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus Carthage standard.svg Hanno
Strength
18,000 infantry and cavalry

18,200


17,000 infantry
1,200 Numidian cavalry
Casualties and losses
2,000 killed 16,200 killed

The Battle of Beneventum was fought in 214 BC near modern Benevento during the Second Punic War. Roman legions under Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus defeated Hanno's Carthaginian forces, denying Hannibal reinforcements. Livy gives a brief description of the battle, [1] which was part of the Roman campaign to subdue the southern Italian city-states that had joined Hannibal after the Battle of Cannae.

Contents

Background

Hannibal, while preparing to assault the city of Nola in Campania, was waiting for his lieutenant Hanno to bring his 1,200 Numidian horsemen along with 17,000 Bruttians and Lucanians up the Via Appia from Bruttium. Hanno had been ordered down there on a previous occasion to stir up the southern cities of Magna Graecia against Rome and to recruit fresh soldiers, which he had done. Hannibal ordered his lieutenant to come to him to reinforce him, and he specifically advised him to march to Campania by way of Beneventum. There were however, alternative routes that Hanno could have taken.[ citation needed ]

The consul Fabius had ordered Gracchus, a praetor, to march from Lucercia, where he had been wintering, on to Beneventum. [2] Fabius' son, the Q. Fabius Maximus who became consul the following year, was in command of a separate force, and was ordered to take possession of Lucercia. [2] Fabius ordered Gracchus to Beneventum with the idea of cooping up Hannibal in Campania, he had failed to do this previously in 215 BC, and perhaps with the scheme in mind of preventing reinforcements from reaching him. There is no evidence that Fabius had any idea that reinforcements were on their way. [2]

Preliminaries

Hanno and Gracchus reached the city about the same time, but Gracchus got actual possession of the city due to the fact that there was a Roman garrison within it. [2] He encamped about a mile outside of the city, astride Hanno's path. Hanno encamped roughly three miles from the city. [2] It was at this time that Gracchus received permission from the senate to promise the two legions that consisted of slaves, that were the battle won, and they brought him the head of an enemy, they would be granted their freedom. [3]

Map of Campanian operations in 214 BC Campania bellum Hannibalicum 214 aC.png
Map of Campanian operations in 214 BC

It was not until the next day that the armies lined up in order of battle. The two sides arrayed their respective forces in a fashion typical of the day. Hanno, with his right wing, half his cavalry, placed on the Calor river. Next to these, in his center, came his infantry. To the left of these, "Flying in the air" so to speak due to the fact they were not protected by any topographical feature, was the other half of Hanno's cavalry.

The Roman line was longer than that of the Carthaginians. The Roman left was similarly arrayed, except that the Roman cavalry was stationed on the left. Traditionally, the Roman cavalry was weaker in number than the allied cavalry. To the right of the Roman cavalry were the legions. Traditionally, a Roman army consisted of four legions, the two Roman legions "Proper" (In the sense that they were Roman) so to speak were on the inner part of the Roman line and the two allied legions were placed to the left and right of these respectively. However, it is not clear if there were any allied legions in this battle, it is not specified. It is also not specified where the proper Roman legions and the legions manned by slaves were placed respectively. To the right of the infantry was where the majority of the Roman cavalry was stationed.

Battle

The ensuing battle was a bloody slogging match. Gracchus' proclamation almost proved to be the Roman¹s undoing. As not only were the slaves stopping to decapitate the slain, but they were carrying them around the battle field with them, thus hampering them. [4] Realizing what was happening, he declared no man would be freed unless the enemy were completely defeated.

While this was going on, Gracchus ordered his cavalry to attack Hanno's flanks, where the Numidian cavalry was stationed. The Numidian cavalry fought skillfully against this cavalry charge, and for some time the combat on the flanks was in doubt. [4] However, Gracchus again sent word through his orderlies to the rank and file that unless the enemy were quickly defeated, they would not win their freedom. Being thus motivated, the slave legions made one last desperate push, and forced the Carthaginian army to retreat back to their camp where they were swiftly followed by the legionaries themselves. Upon arriving in the camp, the Carthaginians found that some of their Roman prisoners had armed themselves with weapons. Completely surrounded, the Carthaginian reinforcements were utterly destroyed. [4]

Aftermath

The ensuing onslaught led to the total destruction of Hanno's army and the capture of his camp; less than 2,000 of his men escaped with their lives, including Hanno. [4] 2,000 Romans were also killed in the battle. [4] Although Gracchus proclaimed the liberty of his soldiers for thus winning the victory, there were some 4,000 soldiers that he was displeased with. As a result of this, he ordered that they should eat their evening meal standing, instead of sitting, for the rest of their service in the legions. In the legions, the morning meal was taken standing, but the evening meal was taken sitting. This gesture was meant to dishonor them for a perceived lack of courage during the battle. [4]

Gracchus, after the battle, proceeded into Lucania, in order to prevent Hanno from raising another army in this area and using it to reinforce Hannibal. Gracchus was eventually able to push Hanno into Bruttium as a result of his victory outside of Beneventum. [5]

Being robbed of the prospect of badly needed reinforcements, Hannibal was forced to come to terms with the fact that he would be unable to conduct a successful campaign in Campania. [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hannibal</span> Carthaginian general and statesman (247–183/181 BC)

Hannibal was a Carthaginian general and statesman who commanded the forces of Carthage in their battle against the Roman Republic during the Second Punic War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Second Punic War</span> War between Rome and Carthage, 218 to 201 BC

The Second Punic War was the second of three wars fought between Carthage and Rome, the two main powers of the western Mediterranean in the 3rd century BC. For 17 years the two states struggled for supremacy, primarily in Italy and Iberia, but also on the islands of Sicily and Sardinia and, towards the end of the war, in North Africa. After immense materiel and human losses on both sides, the Carthaginians were once again defeated. Macedonia, Syracuse and several Numidian kingdoms were drawn into the fighting, and Iberian and Gallic forces fought on both sides. There were three main military theatres during the war: Italy, where Hannibal defeated the Roman legions repeatedly, with occasional subsidiary campaigns in Sicily, Sardinia and Greece; Iberia, where Hasdrubal, a younger brother of Hannibal, defended the Carthaginian colonial cities with mixed success before moving into Italy; and Africa, where Rome finally won the war.

This article concerns the period 219 BC – 210 BC.

Year 212 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Flaccus and Pulcher. The denomination 212 BC for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

Gnaeus Cornelius Scipio Calvus was a Roman general and statesman during the third century BC. He played a major part in the Second Punic War, establishing Roman rule in the east of the Iberian peninsula and tying up several Carthaginian armies to keep them from reinforcing Hannibal.

Mago Barca was a Carthaginian, member of the Barcid family, who played an important role in the Second Punic War, leading forces of Carthage against the Roman Republic in Iberia and northern and central Italy. Mago was the third son of Hamilcar Barca, was the brother of Hannibal and Hasdrubal, and was the brother-in-law of Hasdrubal the Fair.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Agrigentum</span> Naval battle between Carthage and Rome in 262 BC

The Battle of Agrigentum was the first pitched battle of the First Punic War and the first large-scale military confrontation between Carthage and the Roman Republic. The battle was fought after a long siege which started in 262 BC and resulted both in a Roman victory and the beginning of Roman control of Sicily.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hasdrubal Barca</span> Carthaginian general (245–207 BC)

Hasdrubal Barca, a latinization of ʿAzrubaʿal son of Hamilcar Barca, was a Carthaginian general in the Second Punic War. He was the brother of Hannibal and Mago Barca.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Capua</span>

The First Battle of Capua was fought in 212 BC between Hannibal and two Roman consular armies. The Roman force was led by two consuls, Quintus Fulvius Flaccus and Appius Claudius Pulcher. The Roman force was defeated, but managed to escape. Hannibal temporarily managed to raise the siege of Capua. A tactical Carthaginian victory, it ultimately did not help the Capuans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of the Silarus</span> 212 BC victory of Hannibals army

The Battle of the Silarus was fought in 212 BC between Hannibal's army and a Roman force led by centurion Marcus Centenius Penula. The Carthaginians were victorious, destroying the entire Roman army and killing 15,000 Roman soldiers in the process.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Decimomannu</span>

The Battle of Decimomannu or Caralis took place in Sardinia when a Carthaginian army sailed to the island to support a local revolt against Roman rule. The army, led by Hasdrubal the Bald, fought a similar size Roman army under the Praetor Titus Manlius Torquatus in the Fall of 215 BC somewhere between Sestu and Decimomannu, just north of Caralis. The Romans destroyed the Carthaginian army and then scattered their fleet in a sea battle south of Sardinia.

Hanno, distinguished as the son of the suffet Bomilcar, was a Carthaginian officer in the Second Punic War.

Hasdrubal was a Carthaginian officer in the Second Punic War. After the Battle of Ticinus, Hannibal led his army east along the Po River to catch the Roman army. When a convenient place was found to cross the army began building rafts, Hasdrubal supervised the main force's crossing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Ager Falernus</span> Military clash between Rome and Carthage

The Battle of Ager Falernus was a skirmish during the Second Punic War between the armies of Rome and Carthage. After winning the Battle of Lake Trasimene in Italy in 217 BC, the army commanded by Hannibal marched south and reached Campania. The Carthaginians ultimately moved into the district of Falernum, a fertile river valley surrounded by mountains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Insubria</span> Battle in the second Punic War

The Battle of Insubria in 203 BC was the culmination of a major war, carried out by the Carthaginian commander Mago, brother of Hannibal Barca, at the end of the Second Punic war between Rome and Carthage in what is now northwestern Italy. Mago had landed at Genoa, Liguria, two years before, in an effort to keep the Romans busy to the North and thus hamper indirectly their plans to invade Carthage's hinterland in Africa. He was quite successful in reigniting the unrest among various peoples against the Roman dominance. Rome was forced to concentrate large forces against him which finally resulted in a battle fought in the land of the Insubres (Lombardy). Mago suffered defeat and had to retreat. The strategy to divert the enemy's forces failed as the Roman general Publius Cornelius Scipio laid waste to Africa and wiped out the Carthaginian armies that were sent to destroy the invader. To counter Scipio, the Carthaginian government recalled Mago from Italy. However, the remnants of the Carthaginian forces in Cisalpine Gaul continued to harass the Romans for several years after the end of the war.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Rhone Crossing</span> Battle of the Second Punic War

The Battle of the Rhône Crossing was a battle during the Second Punic War in September of 218 BC. Hannibal marched on the Italian Alps, and an army of Gallic Volcae attacked the Carthaginian army on the east bank of the Rhône. The Roman army camped near Massalia. The Volcae tried to prevent the Carthaginians from crossing the Alps and invading Italy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Canusium</span>

The Battle of Canusium also known as the Battle of Asculum was a three-day engagement between the forces of Rome and Carthage. It took place in Apulia during the spring of 209 BC, the tenth year of the Second Punic War. A larger Roman offensive, of which it was a part, aimed to subjugate and to punish cities and tribes that had abandoned the alliance with Rome after the Battle of Cannae, and to narrow the base of the Carthaginian leader, Hannibal, in southern Italy.

<i>Velites</i> Type of light infantry of Ancient Rome

Velites were a class of infantry in the Roman army of the mid-Republic from 211 to 107 BC. Velites were light infantry and skirmishers armed with javelins, each with a 75cm wooden shaft the diameter of a finger, with a 25cm narrow metal point, to fling at the enemy. They also carried short thrusting swords, or gladii, for use in melee. They rarely wore armour as they were the youngest and poorest soldiers in the legion and could not afford much equipment. They did carry small wooden shields called parma for protection, and wore headdresses made from wolf skins so their brave deeds could be recognized. The velites were placed at the front partly for tactical reasons, and also so that they had the opportunity to secure glory for themselves in single combat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hannibal's crossing of the Alps</span> 218 BC Carthaginian attack against the Roman Republic through the Alps

Hannibal's crossing of the Alps in 218 BC was one of the major events of the Second Punic War, and one of the most celebrated achievements of any military force in ancient warfare.

References

  1. Livy 24.14-16.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Dodge, Theodore Ayrault (2008-11-07). Hannibal – a history of the art of war among the Carthaginians and Romans down to the battle of Pydna, 168 B.C., with a detailed account of the second Punic war ... – Theodore Ayrault Dodge – Google eBookstore . Retrieved 2012-03-04.
  3. Dodge, Theodore Ayrault (2008-11-07). Hannibal – a history of the art of war among the Carthaginians and Romans down to the battle of Pydna, 168 B.C., with a detailed account of the second Punic war ... – Theodore Ayrault Dodge – Google eBookstore . Retrieved 2012-03-04.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Dodge, Theodore Ayrault (2008-11-07). Hannibal – a history of the art of war among the Carthaginians and Romans down to the battle of Pydna, 168 B.C., with a detailed account of the second Punic war ... – Theodore Ayrault Dodge – Google eBookstore . Retrieved 2012-03-04.
  5. 1 2 Dodge, Theodore Ayrault (2008-11-07). Hannibal – a history of the art of war among the Carthaginians and Romans down to the battle of Pydna, 168 B.C., with a detailed account of the second Punic war ... – Theodore Ayrault Dodge – Google eBookstore . Retrieved 2012-03-04.