23.41
What
more than anything else made the battle glorious and memorable was the
capture of the commander-in-chief, Hasdrubal, and also of Hanno and Mago,
two Carthaginian nobles. Mago was a member of the house of Barca, a near
relative of Hannibal; Hanno had taken the lead in the Sardinian revolt and
was unquestionably the chief instigator of the war. The battle was no less
famous for the fate which overtook the Sardinian generals; Hampsicora's
son, Hostus, fell on the field, and when Hampsicora, who was fleeing from
the carnage with a few horsemen, heard of his son's death, he was so crushed
by the tidings, coming as it did on the top of all the other disasters, that in
the dead of night, when none could hinder his purpose, he slew himself with
his own hand. The rest of the fugitives found shelter as they had done before
in Cornus, but Manlius leading his victorious troops against it effected its
capture in a few days. On this the other cities which had espoused the cause
of Hampsicora and the Carthaginians gave hostages and surrendered to him.
He imposed upon each of them a tribute of money and corn; the amount was
proportioned to their resources and also to the share they had taken in the
revolt. After this he returned to Carales. There the ships which had been
hauled ashore were launched, the troops he had brought with him were
re-embarked, and he sailed for Rome. On his arrival he reported to the
senate the complete subjugation of Sardinia, and made over the money to the
quaestors, the corn to the aediles, and the prisoners to Q. Fulvius, the
praetor.
During this time T. Otacilius had crossed with his fleet from
Lilybaeum to the coast of Africa and was ravaging the territory of Carthage,
when rumours came to him that Hasdrubal had recently sailed from the
Balearic Isles to Sardinia. He set sail for that island and fell in with the
Carthaginian fleet returning to Africa. A brief action followed on the high
seas in which Otacilius took seven ships with their crews. The rest dispersed
in a panic far and wide, as though they had been scattered by a storm. It so
happened at this time that Bomilcar arrived at Locri with reinforcements of
men and elephants and also with supplies. Appius Claudius intended to
surprise him, and with this view he led his army hurriedly to Messana as
though he were going to make a circuit of the province, and finding the wind
and tide favourable, crossed over to Locri. Bomilcar had already left to join
Hanno in Bruttium and the Locrians shut their gates against the Romans;
Appius after all his efforts achieved no results and returned to Messana. This
same summer Marcellus made frequent excursions from Nola, which he was
holding with a garrison, into the territory of the Hirpini and in the
neighbourhood of Samnite Caudium. Such utter devastation did he spread
everywhere with fire and sword that he revived throughout Samnium the
memory of her ancient disasters.
