Battle of Cornus

Overview

The Battle of Decimomannu, Battle of Cornus or Battle of Caralis was fought 215 BC on the island of Sardinia when a Carthaginian army sailed to the island to support a local revolt against Roman rule. The army, led by Hasdrubal the Bald, fought a Roman army of similar size under the praetor Titus Manlius Torquatus in the Fall of 215 BC somewhere between Sestu and Decimomannu, just north of Caralis. The Romans destroyed the Carthaginian army and then scattered their fleet in a sea battle south of Sardinia.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Significance

The Battle of Cornus ended a Carthaginian attempt to exploit an internal revolt against Roman rule in Sardinia during the Second Punic War. A Carthaginian army under Hasdrubal the Bald had sailed to the island to support the local insurgency led by Hampsicora, opening a potential second front against Rome at a moment when Carthaginian forces under Hannibal were active in Italy. The Roman praetor Titus Manlius Torquatus met this force near Sestu and Decimomannu, north of Caralis, and destroyed it: Carthaginian casualties reached 13,500 out of a force of 15,000. A subsequent Roman naval engagement south of Sardinia scattered the Carthaginian fleet, eliminating both the land and sea components of the expedition. The double defeat closed off Sardinia as an operational theater, securing Roman control of the island and denying Carthage a base from which to threaten Roman communications and supply in the western Mediterranean.

Forces & casualties

Commanders (3)