25.14
Courage and resolution, however,
overcame all difficulties, and in some places the Romans had forced their
way to the breastwork and fosse, but with heavy loss in killed and wounded,
when the consul, calling round him the superior officers, told them that they
must desist from the hazardous attempt. He thought it would be wiser to
march back to Beneventum for that day, and on the next day to bring their
camp close up to the enemy's camp, so that the Campanians could not quit it
and Hanno would be unable to return to it. To make more certain of this, he
prepared to send for his colleague and his army and direct their joint
operations against Hanno and the Campanians. The "retire" was already
being sounded when the general's plans were shattered by the angry shouts
of the soldiers who spurned such feeble tactics. The Paelignian cohort
happened to be in closest touch with the enemy, and their commanding
officer, Vibius Accaus, snatched up a standard and flung it across the
enemies' rampart, at the same time invoking a curse on himself and his
cohort if the enemy got possession of the standard. He was the first to dash
over fosse and rampart into the camp. Now the Paelignians were fighting
inside the lines, and Valerius Flaccus, the commanding officer of the third
legion, was rating the Romans for their cowardice in letting the allies have
the glory of capturing the camp, when T. Pedanius, a centurion in command
of the leading maniples' took a standard out of the bearer's hands and
shouted, "This standard and this centurion will be inside the rampart in a
moment, let those follow who will prevent its capture by the enemy." His
own maniples followed him as he sprang across the fosse, then the whole of
the legion pressed hard after. By this time even the consul, when he saw
them climbing over the rampart, changed his mind, and instead of recalling
the troops began to urge them on by pointing to the dangerous position of
their gallant allies and their own fellow citizens. Every man did his best to
push on; over smooth and rough ground alike, amidst missiles showered
upon them from all directions, against the desperate resistance of the enemy
who thrust their persons and their weapons in the way, they advanced step
by step and broke into the camp. Many who were wounded, even those who
were faint from loss of blood, struggled on that they might fall within the
enemies' camp. In this way the camp was taken, and taken too as quickly as
though it lay on level ground, entirely unfortified. It was no longer a fight
but a massacre, for they were all crowded together inside the lines. Over
l0,000 of the enemy were killed and over 7000 made prisoners, including the
Campanians who had come for corn, and all the wagons and draught animals
were captured. There was also an immense quantity of plunder which
Hanno, who had been raiding everywhere, had carried off from the fields of
the allies of Rome. After totally destroying the enemies' camp they returned
to Beneventum. There the two consuls -Appius Claudius had arrived a few
days before -sold and distributed the spoil. Those to whose exertions the
capture of the camp was due were rewarded, especially Accaus the
Paelignian and T. Pedanius the centurion who headed the first legion. Hanno
was at Cominium-Ocritum with a small foraging party when he heard of the
disaster to his camp, and he retreated to Bruttium in a way which suggested
flight rather than an orderly march.
