29.36
In
addition to the corn which had been accumulated from the plunder of all the
country round, and the supplies which had been conveyed from Sicily and
Italy, a large quantity was sent by the propraetor Cnaeus Octavius which he
had obtained from Ti. Claudius, the governor of Sardinia. The existing
granaries being all full, new ones were built. The army was in need of
clothing and Octavius received instructions to confer with the governor as to
whether any could be made and despatched from that island. The matter was
promptly attended to and in a short time 1200 togas and 12,000 tunics were
sent off. During this summer the consul P. Sempronius, who was
commanding in Bruttium, was marching near Croto when he fell in with
Hannibal. An irregular battle ensued, as both armies were in column of
march and did not deploy into line. The Romans were repulsed, and though
it was more of a melee than a battle no fewer than 1200 of the consul's army
were killed. They retreated in confusion to their camp, but the enemy did not
venture to attack it. The consul, however, marched away in the silence of the
night after despatching a message to the proconsul P. Licinius to bring up his
legions. With their united forces the two commanders marched back to meet
Hannibal. There was no hesitation on either side, the consul's confidence was
restored by the doubling of his strength, and the enemy's courage was raised
by his recent victory. P. Sempronius stationed his own legions in front, those
of P. Licinius were placed in reserve. At the commencement of the battle the
consul vowed a temple to Fortuna Primigenia in case he routed the enemy,
and his prayer was granted. The Carthaginians were routed and put to flight,
above 4000 were killed, nearly 300 were made prisoners and 40 horses and
11 standards were captured. Daunted by his failure, Hannibal withdrew to
Croto. Etruria, at the other end of Italy, was almost wholly in sympathy with
Mago, hoping to effect a revolution with his help. The consul M. Cornelius
kept his hold on the province more by the terror created by his judicial
proceedings than by force of arms. He conducted the investigations which
the senate had commissioned him to make without any respect of persons,
and many Etrurian nobles who had personally interviewed Mago or been in
correspondence with him about the defection of their cantons were brought
up and condemned to death; others knowing themselves to be equally guilty
went into exile and were sentenced in their absence. As their persons were
beyond arrest, their property only could be confiscated as an earnest of their
future punishment.
