Second Punic War - Castulo (211 BC)

This is the seventh scenario in our campaign representing the Second Punic War based on my own campaign rules. It represents the Battle of Castulo fought in 211 BC near modern Linares in Andalusia. 

The scenario was played using the Commands & Colors Ancients rules but on hex terrain from Kallistra with trees from Timecast and using 6mm figures from Baccus instead of blocks.

The History

Time runs out for Publius Scipio. After several years of unbroken successes, the Scipio brothers rashly divide their armies to defeat the Carthaginians in detail. 

As Publius Scipio neared Castulo, he was harassed day and night by the Numidian light cavalry under Masinissa. When informed that Indibilis was moving across his line of retreat with 7,500 Celt-Iberians, Publius Scipio decided not to face Mago but to attack the Iberian chieftain, fearing that he would be surrounded by Carthaginian forces. The Romans marched out that night to launch an attack on the Iberians and, hopefully, evade Masinissa's cavalry. They marched throughout the night and caught Indibilis and his men by surprise in the early morning; and, with a numerical superiority, began to gain the upper hand in the ensuing action. However, the Iberians managed to hold off the Romans in the confused night battle just long enough for Masinissa to arrive.

With the Numidian cavalry attacking from the flank, the Roman assault on the Iberians began to slacken. When Mago and Hasdrubal Gisco arrived with their combined armies, the Romans finally, after a grim struggle, broke and fled, leaving Publius Scipio and most of their comrades dead on the field. 

Shortly thereafter, Publius Scipio’s son, Scipio Africanus, comes to Spain, rebuilds and retrains the Roman army, and wins the battles of Baecula and Ilipa, thus avenging the deaths of his father and uncle.

The Refight

The Romans and the Carthaginians faced off against each other. Rome at the bottom of this picture, and Carthage at the top.

The Romans started by ordering forward their elite heavy legionaries to complete their line.

Ignoring the Roman centre, the Carthaginians activated their flanks.

On their right flank, the Carthaginian infantry with Hasdrubal in command moved into the woods.

While on their left flank, the Celt-Iberian warriors, with Masinissa in close support, charged into the Roman legionaries. Both sides took losses, but the Romans came off the worse. 

The whole Roman line was ordered to advance. They contacted a unit of Celt-Iberian auxilia, which they pushed back with casualties.

The Carthaginians pushed forward their left flank.

The charging Celt-Iberian warriors destroyed one unit of Roman legionaries and caused serious casualties to a second. Masinissa's Numidian light horse caused the Roman light infantry to retreat. Javelins from a unit of Celt-Iberian auxilia caused casualties to the unit of legionaries led by Publius Scipio himself.

The Romans continued their advance in the centre

One unit of Celt-Iberian auxilia was destroyed, the second unit of warriors was decimated and fled, but the third unit of Celt-Iberian auxilia fought well and despite taking losses caused serious casualties to Publius Scipio's already understrength legionaries.

The Carthaginians advanced their right flank though the woods, but this was ignored by the Romans who instead continued to advance their centre.

As they advanced, the Roman elite heavy legionaries eliminated the Celt-Iberian auxilia who stood bravely, but perhaps foolishly, in their path.

Masinissa ordered his Numidian light horse to perform a mounted charge, they rode behind Scipio and his legionaries and attacked from the rear. They destroyed the single unit of legionaries marching with Scipio.

Having first despatched the legionaries, the Numidian light horse with Masinissa at their head, slaughtered Publius Cornelius Scipio and his staff.

Seeing the loss of their general, the Roman army fled the field.

Scenario Result 

Carthaginian Victory: Carthaginians 4 - Romans 3

Campaign Result 

	Victories	Banners
Romans	3	35
Carthaginians	4	31

Second Punic War - 2nd Beneventum (214 BC)

This is the sixth scenario in our campaign representing the Second Punic War based on my own campaign rules. It represents the Battle of Beneventum fought in 214 BC near modern Benevento in Campania, 50 kilometres northeast of Naples. 

The scenario was played using the Commands & Colors Ancients rules but on hex terrain from Kallistra and using 6mm figures from Baccus instead of blocks. The river was made by turning some Kallistra hexes upside down and filling with modelling clay; I have posted about this method in an earlier blog post.

The History

Desperate for manpower to replace the losses at Cannae, the Romans found a unique solution; they formed two legions from slaves. They were given to Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus who saw their potential and trained them well. Two years later, still under his command, these legions engaged a Carthaginian army under Hanno.

Hannibal, while preparing to assault the city of Nola in Campania, was waiting for his nephew Hanno to bring reinforcements up the Via Appia by way of Beneventum. The consul Quintus Fabius Maximus Verrucosus ordered Gracchus, to march from Lucercia to Beneventum with the idea of confining Hannibal in Campania. Hanno and Gracchus reached the city about the same time, but Gracchus got actual possession of the city due to the fact that there was a Roman garrison within. 

The two armies lined up in order of battle, arrayed in the fashion typical of the day. Gracchus issued a decree to his men before the battle - freedom to any soldier bringing back a Carthaginian head. 

The Roman attack started well, but as soon as Carthaginians began to fall, scores of Gracchus's troops broke ranks to decapitate corpses. Faced with a disintegrating army, Gracchus corrected his error by amending his decree to "win the battle and secure your freedom." The slave soldiers quickly reformed and swept all before them. 

Interestingly, these soldiers gave their loyalty to Gracchus - not Rome. When he was killed a few years later, most of the soldiers in these legions deserted.

The Refight

The Romans and the Carthaginians faced off against each other. Rome at the bottom of this picture, and Carthage at the top.

Seeing that his troops were not yet in line, Gracchus ordered his troops forward to form an ordered line.

The Carthaginian light troops, advanced, shot at the Roman warriors and lights, and then moved back again.

The Romans advanced on both their flanks to challenge the Carthaginians.

Mago led his light cavalry and elephants forward in a mounted charge. The cavalry charged the Roman auxilia forcing them to retreat with some loss.

The elephant charged straight into the Roman warriors, even they retreated after having taken losses.

The Carthaginians advanced their right flank, and the Romans countered this by advancing against them.

Hanno led his elite African heavy infantry to attack the Roman legionaries

The fight was a tough one, but the Carthaginians steadily got the better of the Romans.

Hanno ordered his African infantry to double time and surround the lone Roman auxilia unit. At the same time his Spanish warriors double-timed into a position to flank the Romans.

The Romans pushed forward their troops, reforming their line.

The Carthaginian medium infantry crashed into the Roman flank doing great damage.

The Romans fought back, the elite Roman legionaries led by Gracchus charged into the fight. 

This attack wiped out the African medium infantry and caused the Spanish warriors to flee with great loss.

Seeing the success of the Romans, Hanno led his elite African heavy infantry to attack the elite Roman legionaries under the command of Gracchus himself. The legionaries were wiped out and Gracchus was killed in the fighting.

Seeing the loss of their general, and the slaughter of their elite troops, the Roman army fled the field.

Scenario Result 

Carthaginian Victory: Carthaginians 7 - Romans 2

Campaign Result 

	Victories	Banners
Romans	3	32
Carthaginians	3	27