Battle of Decimomannu facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Battle of Decimomannu
Part of the Second Punic War
Map of the campaign
Date Fall 215 BC Location Decimomannu, Sardinia 40°05′36″N 8°30′29″E / 40.09333°N 8.50806°E / 40.09333; 8.50806 Result Roman victory Sack of Cornus
Belligerents
Roman Republic	Carthage Nuragic Sardinians
Commanders and leaders
Titus Manlius Torquatus	Hasdrubal the Bald (POW) Hampsicora  †
Strength
22,000 infantry 1,200 cavalry	15,000 infantry 1,500 cavalry + Sardinians (?) + Elephants (?)
Casualties and losses
unknown	13,500 casualties; 12,000 killed and 1,500 captured.

The Battle of Decimomannu (also called the Battle of Caralis) was an important fight during the Second Punic War. It happened on the island of Sardinia in 215 BC. A large army from Carthage sailed to Sardinia to help local people who were rebelling against Roman rule.

The Carthaginian army was led by Hasdrubal the Bald. They fought a Roman army of similar size. The Roman general was Titus Manlius Torquatus. The battle took place somewhere between Sestu and Decimomannu, just north of Caralis (modern-day Cagliari). The Romans won a big victory. They destroyed the Carthaginian army. Later, they also scattered the Carthaginian fleet in a sea battle south of Sardinia.

Why was Sardinia important?

After the Battle of Cannae, the Romans were in a tough spot. Many cities in southern Italy had switched sides to support Hannibal Barca and Carthage. Hannibal's army was active in Italy. The Romans needed to protect their food supply, especially grain, which often came from places like Sardinia.

The Romans had taken control of Sardinia in 237 BC. But the native Sardinians often rebelled. By 216 BC, the island was ready for another revolt. The Roman soldiers there were sick and not enough in number. Their commander, Q. Mucius Scavola, was also ill. Plus, Rome wasn't sending enough supplies or pay.

A local leader named Hampsicora, who was part Punic and part Sardinian, asked Carthage for help. Carthage agreed to send an army to support the rebellion. This army was led by Hasdrubal the Bald.

The journey to Sardinia

Before the Carthaginian army could sail, some things changed. Other Carthaginian forces faced defeats elsewhere. This meant that some troops originally meant for Sardinia were sent to other places instead.

The Carthaginian fleet carrying Hasdrubal's army faced bad luck. A big storm blew their ships off course. They ended up in the Balearic Islands. Many ships were damaged and needed repairs. This delay was a big problem for Carthage. It gave the Romans extra time to prepare.

Roman preparations

While the Carthaginians were delayed, Hampsicora was busy raising his own army. He was also gathering food near the city of Cornus on the western coast of Sardinia.

The Roman general, Titus Manlius Torquatus, arrived in Sardinia. He had been a consul (a top Roman official) in Sardinia before, in 235 BC. He brought fresh Roman soldiers. With these new troops, the total Roman forces in Sardinia grew to about 20,000 foot soldiers and 1,200 horsemen.

Manlius was smart. He managed to trick Hiostus, Hampsicora's son, into attacking the Romans too early. Hampsicora himself was away trying to get more people to join the rebellion. In this fight, about 5,700 Sardinians were killed. The rebel army was scattered.

Hasdrubal the Bald finally arrived in Sardinia in the fall of 215 BC. He landed at Tharros. He gathered any Sardinian forces he could find. Then, he marched towards Caralis. In response, Manlius marched his army out to meet him.

The main battle

The two armies did not fight right away. They set up camps close to each other. For several days, they had small skirmishes, which are minor fights between small groups of soldiers. Neither side gained a clear advantage. So, both commanders decided it was time for a full battle.

The armies lined up in the usual way for ancient battles. The cavalry (soldiers on horseback) were on the sides, and the infantry (foot soldiers) were in the middle. It's not clear if the Carthaginians had war elephants with them in this battle.

The battle was very fierce and lasted for four hours. For a long time, neither side seemed to be winning. The turning point came when the Roman soldiers fighting the Sardinians on one side of the Carthaginian line managed to push them back and make them run away.

These victorious Roman soldiers then turned inward. They attacked the main Carthaginian line from the side. This surprise attack caused the Carthaginian line to break. Their soldiers were then defeated. Hasdrubal, Mago, and Hanno were captured by the Romans. Hiostus, Hampsicora's son, was killed.

The few Carthaginian and Sardinian survivors tried to escape to Cornus. The Romans attacked Cornus a few days later and captured it. Some survivors were rescued by the Carthaginian fleet.

The sea battle of Sardinia

The Carthaginian army had arrived on Sardinia using many transport ships. These were protected by 60 warships called quinqueremes. After the land battle, these ships picked up the remaining survivors and sailed towards Africa.

On their way, they met a Roman fleet. This Roman fleet had 100 quinqueremes and was returning from a mission near Africa. The Roman fleet was led by Titus Ocatilius Crassus. The Romans attacked. They captured seven Carthaginian ships. The rest of the Carthaginian ships scattered and sailed quickly back to Africa. We don't know how many Roman ships were lost.

What happened next?

After these Roman victories, the Sardinian cities that had rebelled surrendered to the Romans. General Manlius was then able to send some of his Roman soldiers back to Italy, where they were badly needed.

The victory meant that Rome's grain supply from Sardinia continued without problems. This was very important because Roman farms were struggling due to the war. Also, the Carthaginian navy could no longer use Sardinia as a base closer to Italy. Carthage did not threaten Roman control of Sardinia again, except for some small naval raids in 210 BC.

While the Roman fleet was busy near Sardinia, the main Carthaginian admiral, Bomilcar, managed to sail to Locri in Italy. He landed 4,000 Numidian horsemen and 40 elephants for Hannibal. This was a significant boost for Hannibal's army.

Images for kids

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  Map of the campaign

See also

In Spanish: Batalla de Cornus para niños