23.40
The
active operations in Sardinia which had been dropped owing to the serious
illness of Q. Mucius were resumed under the direction of T. Manlius. He
hauled ashore his war-ships and furnished the seamen and rowers with arms,
so that they might be available for service on land; with these and the army
he had taken over from the praetor he made up a force of 22,000 infantry
and 1200 cavalry. With this combined force he invaded the hostile territory
and fixed his camp at no great distance from Hampsicora's lines. Hampsicora
himself happened to be absent; he had paid a visit to the Pelliti-Sardinians in
order to arm the younger men amongst them so as to increase his own
strength. His son Hostus was in command and in the impetuosity of youth he
rashly offered battle, with the result that he was defeated and put to flight.
3000 Sardinians were killed in that battle and 800 taken alive; the rest of the
army after wandering in their flight through fields and woods heard that their
general had fled to a place called Cornus, the chief town of the district, and
thither they directed their flight. That battle would have finished the war had
not the Carthaginian fleet under Hasdrubal, which had been driven by a
storm down to the Balearic Isles, arrived in time to revive their hopes of
renewing the war. When Manlius heard of its arrival he retired upon Carales,
and this gave Hampsicora an opportunity of forming a junction with the
Carthaginian. Hasdrubal disembarked his force and sent the ships back to
Carthage, and then, under Hampsicora's guidance, proceeded to harry and
waste the land belonging to the allies of Rome. He would have gone as far as
Carales if Manlius had not met him with his army and checked his
widespread ravages. At first the two camps faced each other, with only a
small space between; then small sorties and skirmishes took place with
varying results; at last it came to a battle, a regular action, which lasted for
four hours. For a long time the Carthaginians made the issue doubtful, the
Sardinians, who were accustomed to defeat, being easily beaten, but at last
when they saw the whole field covered with dead and flying Sardinians they
too gave way, but when they turned to flee the Roman wing which had
routed the Sardinians wheeled round and hemmed them in. Then it was more
of a massacre than a battle. 12,000 of the enemy, Sardinians and
Carthaginians, were slain, about 3700 were made prisoners, and 27 military
standards were captured.
