Battle of Herdonia ( 212 BC ) The first Battle of Herdonia was fought in 212 BC during the Second Punic War between Hannibal ' s Carthaginian army and Roman forces led by Praetor Gnaeus Fulvius Flaccus , brother of the consul . The Roman army was destroyed , leaving Apulia free of Romans for the year . Strategic situation . Hannibal had destroyed the Roman army in Campania under the command of Marcus Centenius in Battle of the Silarus . After completely wiping out this army in his greatest victory after Cannae , Hannibal chose not to remain in Campania to safeguard Capua . Nor did he march west towards Cumae to confront the consular armies of Flavius Flaccus and Appius Claudius . Instead Hannibal marched east into Apulia . The Roman consuls decided to march towards Capua . The Romans started to make deliberate preparations to secure their supply lines . They fortified Casilinum , and built forts on the Volturnes River to guard their supply lines . Praetor Claudius Nero ' s army moved from Lucania to Suessula ; in total 6 Roman and 6 allied legions were prepared to move against Capua . In Iberia , Hasdrubal Barca had moved to Africa to subdue Syphax , and in his efforts was being aided by a Numidian prince called Masinissa . The Scipio brothers had started to recruit and train Celtiberian mercenaries to build up their forces for a major campaign against the Carthaginians . The battle . Fulvius and his army had had a rather easy time in Apulia , and the Romans were unaware of Hannibal ' s presence until he was within the immediate area of Herdonia . Fulvius is said to have become careless from his easy successes and his army was also weighted down with loot . Fulvius accepted battle on Hannibal ' s offer at the behest of his extremely eager soldiers . Hannibal ' s army probably outnumbered the Romans , who had about 18 , 000 men available . Hannibal deployed his forces on the plain outside his camp , while sending about 3 , 000 light infantry to his extreme left flank to effect a surprise attack from the woodlands and farms located in that direction . Hannibal also sent out 2 , 000 Numidians to take control of the roads in the rear of Fulvius ' army , thus cutting off all escape routes . It is surprising that Flaccus did not detect the deployments of the Carthaginians , which is either a tribute to the skill of Hannibal ' s commanders or a glaring example of Roman negligence . Hannibal ' s army , which still outnumbered the Romans after 5 , 000 soldiers had been detached from it , overwhelmed the Roman legions almost at once . Fulvius fled the field almost immediately with 200 troops as Hannibal ' s attacks came from the front , behind and to both sides . Roughly 2 , 000 Romans are said to have survived the battle . This battle resembles the trap Hannibal had set for the army of Minucius at the Battle of Geronium in 217 BC . Aftermath . In the span of a few weeks , Hannibal had wiped out 6 Roman legions in Campania and Apulia . After this battle , Hannibal marched south towards Tarentum , where the Romans were besieged in the citadel while the town had fallen to Carthaginian allies in 213 BC . The Roman senate decided to raise four new legions to send to Apulia . The Roman consuls then marched nearer to Capua , intent on blockading the city totally . The reason for Hannibal ' s retreat south has been a source of puzzlement for some authors . They have speculated that Hannibal had retired to rest his army and give the wounded a chance to recover after three hard fought battles and rapid marches .