Battle of the Caudine Forks The Battle of Caudine Forks , 321 BC , was a decisive event of the Second Samnite War . Its designation as a battle is a mere historical formality : there was no fighting and there were no casualties . The Romans were trapped in a waterless place by the Samnites before they knew what was happening and nothing remained but to negotiate an unfavorable surrender . The action was entirely political , with the magistrates on both sides trying to obtain the best terms for their side without disrespecting common beliefs concerning the rules of war and the conduct of peace . In the end the Samnites decided it would better for future relations to let the Romans go , while the Romans were impeded in the prosecution of their campaign against the Samnites by considerations of religion and honor . Description . The Samnite commander , Gaius Pontius , hearing that the Roman army was located near Calatia , sent ten soldiers disguised as shepherds with orders to give the same story which was that the Samnites were besieging Lucera in Apulia . The Roman commanders , completely taken in by this ruse , decided to set off to give aid to Luceria . Worse , they chose the quicker route through the Caudine Forks , a narrow mountain pass near Benevento , Campania . The area round the Caudine Forks was surrounded by mountains and could be entered only by two defile s . The Romans entered by one ; but when they reached the second defile they found it barricaded . They returned at once to the first defile only to find it now securely held by the Samnites . At this point the Romans , according to Livy , fell into total despair , knowing the situation was quite hopeless . According to Livy , the Samnites had no idea what to do to take advantage of their success . Hence Pontius was persuaded to send a letter to his father , Herennius . The reply came back that the Romans should be sent on their way , unharmed , as quickly as possible . This advice was rejected , and a further letter was sent to Herennius . This time the advice was to kill the Romans down to the last man . Not knowing what to make of such contradictory advice , the Samnites then asked Herennius to come in person to explain . When Herennius arrived he explained that were they to set the Romans free without harm , they would gain the Romans ' friendship . If they killed the entire Roman army , then Rome would be so weakened that they would not pose a threat for many generations . At this his son asked was there not a middle way . Herennius insisted that any middle way would be utter folly and would leave the Romans smarting for revenge without weakening them . Aftermath . According to Livy , Pontius was unwilling to take the advice of his father and insisted that the Romans surrender and pass under a yoke . This was agreed to by the two commanding consuls , as the army was facing starvation . Livy describes in detail the humiliation of the Romans , which serves to underline the wisdom of Herennius ' s advice . However . Modern views . However , Livy ' s account remains , even if only as a parable , a powerful illustration that the middle course is not always the best . Erich Eyck , in " A History of the Weimar Republic " , uses this example to emphasize the folly of the Entente powers : having defeated Germany in World War I , they humiliated her and thus opened the way to the rise to power of Adolf Hitler but without significantly weakening her , so that Germany under Hitler was a threat .