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Battle of Capua (212 BC)
Encyclopedia
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, but ultimately it did not help the Capuans.
Hannibal had enjoyed considerable success, as Thruii, Metapontum and Heraclea had fallen under Carthaginian control. Hanno the Elder was active in Bruttium. All of Magna Graecia
except Rhegium and Tarentum was allied to Carthage. Hannibal was in Southern Italy, trying to gain the citadel of Tarentum, while the city had fallen to him in 213 BC. (Cottrell, Leonard, Hannibal: Enemy of Rome p.172).
In Iberia, The Romans and Carthaginians were deadlocked with neither side gaining any decisive advantage. In fact, the situation was favorable enough for Hasdrubal Barca
to move to Africa and crush the rebellion of Syphax
without the Scipios gaining any advantages in Iberia.
In Sicily, the Siege of Syracuse
continued. On the whole, the Romans under Marcus Claudius Marcellus had gained the upper hand. The Carthaginians had not recovered from the ravages of pestilence which had decimated their army.
had defected to Hannibal after the Battle of Cannae
in 216 BC. Hannibal had made Capua his winter quarter in 215 BC and had conducted his campaigns against Nola and Casilinum from here. The Romans had recaptured Casilinum
, crucial for attacking Capua, in 214 BC. Since then they had conducted annual raids during harvest time to prevent the Capuans from gathering provisions. (Cottrell, Leonard, Hannibal: Enemy of Rome p.173).
In 212 BC, the elected consuls, Appius Claudius and Quintus Flavius Flaccus resolved to besiege Capua. The Roman army of eight legions (four Roman and four allied) encamped near Capua in the spring of 212 BC. This had prompted the Capuans to appeal to Hannibal for aid. In response to their appeal, Hanno the Elder
and his army moved north from Bruttium and collected provisions for Capua, and encamped near Beneventum. The Capuan authorities were late in providing the carts for carrying provisions. The Romans under Fulvius Flaccus attacked Hanno's camp while most of his men were foraging, and captured it after initial setbacks. Hanno retired to Bruttium, leaving the Romans in command of the situation. The Capuans again sent an appeal for help to Hannibal. (Lazanby, J.F., Hannibal's War, p.113).
In response, Hannibal sent 2,000 Numidian cavalry under Boaster and Hanno as reinforcements to Capua. The Romans called on Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus to join their armies around Capua with his force, but he was ambushed in Lucania, and with his death his army dispersed. (Goldsworthy, A. The Fall of Carthage, p.233-235).
. Hannibal, having raised the siege of Capua, moved to attack Brundisium. The Roman consuls decided to besiege Capua again in the absence of Hannibal. Neither side gained any decisive strategic advantage from this battle.
212 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...
between Hannibal and two Roman consular armies. The Roman force was led by two consuls, Quintus Fulvius Flaccus
Quintus Fulvius Flaccus
Quintus Fulvius Flaccus, son of Marcus Fulvius Flaccus , Quintus was consul in 237 BC, fighting the Gauls in northern Italy. He was censor in 231 BC, again consul in 224 BC, when he subdued the Boii...
and Appius Claudius Pulcher
Appius Claudius Pulcher (consul 212 BC)
Appius Claudius Pulcher was a Roman general of the 3rd century BC, active in the Second Punic War.-Life:...
. The Roman force was defeated, but managed to escape. Hannibal temporarily managed to raise the siege of Capua. A tactical Carthaginian victory, but ultimately it did not help the Capuans.
Strategic situation
In Italy, The Romans had fielded at least four armies. The Consular armies were poised to attack Capua, while an army under Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus was active in Lucania. Legions were also stationed in Rome, Samnium and North Italy. Romans had retaken Arpi, Casilinum and Sussela from the Carthaginians.Hannibal had enjoyed considerable success, as Thruii, Metapontum and Heraclea had fallen under Carthaginian control. Hanno the Elder was active in Bruttium. All of Magna Graecia
Magna Graecia
Magna Græcia is the name of the coastal areas of Southern Italy on the Tarentine Gulf that were extensively colonized by Greek settlers; particularly the Achaean colonies of Tarentum, Crotone, and Sybaris, but also, more loosely, the cities of Cumae and Neapolis to the north...
except Rhegium and Tarentum was allied to Carthage. Hannibal was in Southern Italy, trying to gain the citadel of Tarentum, while the city had fallen to him in 213 BC. (Cottrell, Leonard, Hannibal: Enemy of Rome p.172).
In Iberia, The Romans and Carthaginians were deadlocked with neither side gaining any decisive advantage. In fact, the situation was favorable enough for Hasdrubal Barca
Hasdrubal Barca
Hasdrubal was Hamilcar Barca's second son and a Carthaginian general in the Second Punic War. He was a younger brother of the much more famous Hannibal.-Youth and Iberian leadership:...
to move to Africa and crush the rebellion of Syphax
Syphax
Syphax was a king of the ancient Algerian tribe Masaesyli of western Numidia during the last quarter of the 3rd century BC. His story is told in Livy's Ab Urbe Condita .-Biography:...
without the Scipios gaining any advantages in Iberia.
In Sicily, the Siege of Syracuse
Siege of Syracuse (212 BC)
The Siege of Syracuse by the Roman Republic took place in 214-212 BC, at the end of which the Magna Graecia Hellenistic city of Syracuse, located on the east coast of Sicily, fell. The Romans stormed the city after a protracted siege giving them control of the entire island of Sicily. During the...
continued. On the whole, the Romans under Marcus Claudius Marcellus had gained the upper hand. The Carthaginians had not recovered from the ravages of pestilence which had decimated their army.
Prelude
CapuaCapua
Capua is a city and comune in the province of Caserta, Campania, southern Italy, situated 25 km north of Naples, on the northeastern edge of the Campanian plain. Ancient Capua was situated where Santa Maria Capua Vetere is now...
had defected to Hannibal after the Battle of Cannae
Battle of Cannae
The Battle of Cannae was a major battle of the Second Punic War, which took place on August 2, 216 BC near the town of Cannae in Apulia in southeast Italy. The army of Carthage under Hannibal decisively defeated a numerically superior army of the Roman Republic under command of the consuls Lucius...
in 216 BC. Hannibal had made Capua his winter quarter in 215 BC and had conducted his campaigns against Nola and Casilinum from here. The Romans had recaptured Casilinum
Casilinum
Casilinum , an ancient city of Campania, Italy, 3 m. NW of the ancient Capua. Its position at the point of junction of the Via Appia and Via Latina, and at their crossing of the river Volturnus by a three-arched bridge, which still exists, gave it considerable importance under the Roman republic;...
, crucial for attacking Capua, in 214 BC. Since then they had conducted annual raids during harvest time to prevent the Capuans from gathering provisions. (Cottrell, Leonard, Hannibal: Enemy of Rome p.173).
In 212 BC, the elected consuls, Appius Claudius and Quintus Flavius Flaccus resolved to besiege Capua. The Roman army of eight legions (four Roman and four allied) encamped near Capua in the spring of 212 BC. This had prompted the Capuans to appeal to Hannibal for aid. In response to their appeal, Hanno the Elder
Hanno the Elder
Hanno the Elder was a Carthaginian general who served under Hannibal during the Second Punic War. According to the historian Livy, his track record was terrible: in 215 BC he was defeated by Tiberius Sempronius Longus at Grumentum, in 214 BC he was defeated by Gracchus at Beneventum, two years...
and his army moved north from Bruttium and collected provisions for Capua, and encamped near Beneventum. The Capuan authorities were late in providing the carts for carrying provisions. The Romans under Fulvius Flaccus attacked Hanno's camp while most of his men were foraging, and captured it after initial setbacks. Hanno retired to Bruttium, leaving the Romans in command of the situation. The Capuans again sent an appeal for help to Hannibal. (Lazanby, J.F., Hannibal's War, p.113).
In response, Hannibal sent 2,000 Numidian cavalry under Boaster and Hanno as reinforcements to Capua. The Romans called on Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus to join their armies around Capua with his force, but he was ambushed in Lucania, and with his death his army dispersed. (Goldsworthy, A. The Fall of Carthage, p.233-235).
Battle
The Numidians, along with the Capuan Cavalry, raided the Roman camp, winning several skirmishes and causing casualties among the Romans. The Romans were waiting for Gracchus to reinforce them with additional cavalry and did not start any general action against Capua. However, before the expected reinforcements arrived, Hannibal and his army moved into Campania, and encamped on Mount Tifata on the eastern side of Capua. After three days he offered battle, and the Romans accepted the challenge. The battle was a long drawn affair with neither side gaining any decisive advantage, but again the Numidians gained considerable successes against the Roman cavalry. However, seeing horsemen approaching from the south, both armies broke off action and retired to their respective camps. The horsemen turned out to be the cavalry of Gracchus, under the command of Cornelius, a junior officer, coming to join the consular armies.Aftermath
Although the Battle had not produced any decisive results, the Roman consuls decided to split their armies and withdraw from Campania altogether. Whether this was a result of casualties (G.P. Baker, Hannibal, p194) or deliberate strategy, Flavius Flaccus moved towards Cumae, while Appius Claudius moved into Lucania. Hannibal entered Capua, and then set off in pursuit of Claudius. Appius Claudis and part of his army managed to slip past Hannibal, but a Roman Army under M. Centenius Paenula was wiped out in the Battle of the SilarusBattle of the Silarus
The Battle of the Silarus was fought in 212 BC between Hannibal's army and a Roman force led by praetor Marcus Centenius Penula. The Carthaginians were victorious, destroying the entire Roman army...
. Hannibal, having raised the siege of Capua, moved to attack Brundisium. The Roman consuls decided to besiege Capua again in the absence of Hannibal. Neither side gained any decisive strategic advantage from this battle.