The Battle of Vesuvius

The Battle of Vesuvius (also known as the battle of Veseris) was fought near Mount Vesuvius

Mount Vesuvius

Mount Vesuvius is a stratovolcano in the Gulf of Naples, Italy, about east of Naples and a short distance from the shore. It is the only volcano on the European mainland to have erupted within the last hundred years, although it is not currently erupting...

 in 340 BC

340 BC

Year 340 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Torquatus and Mus...

. The battle was fought between the Romans (led by Manlius Torquatus and Publius Decius Mus

Publius Decius Mus (340 BC)

Publius Decius Mus, son of Quintus, of the plebeian gens Decia, was a Roman consul in the year 340 BC. He is noted particularly for sacrificing himself in battle through the ritual of devotio, as recorded by the Augustan historian Livy.-Career:...

) and the Latin army. This Latin War

Latin War

The Latin War was a conflict between the Roman Republic and its neighbors the Latin peoples of ancient Italy. It ended in the dissolution of the Latin League, and incorporation of its territory into the Roman sphere of influence, with the Latins gaining partial rights and varying levels of...

 was made famous due to the execution of Titus Manlius Torquatus

Titus Manlius Torquatus (347 BC)

Titus Manlius Imperiosus Torquatus held three consulships of republican Rome and was also three times Roman Dictator.His father Lucius was appointed dictator in 363 BC in order to fulfill religious duties, but instead undertook preparations for war...

(at the hand of his father, consul Manlius Torquatus) and the self-sacrifice of Decius Mus.

After Decius Mus charged into enemy lines and was slain, consul Manlius Torquatus led his veteran reserve against Latin lines and killed or captured nearly three fourths of the Latin army. The remaining soldiers of the Latin army fled but because the Roman loss was so great, they could not pursue their enemies.

Leading up to the Battle

The Latin and Campanian armies were stationed in Capua. Since the Romans saw this as a legitimate threat, they sent in both consuls to Campania to work together.

During the Battle

According to Livy, both armies arrived in the vicinity of Mount Vesuvius near the Veseris river. The consuls had ordered that no man was to leave his post to fight the enemy unless ordered to do so. However, after this order was put into motion Titus Manlius Torquatus, consul Manlius Torquatus' son, led a patrol into Latin territory and was challenged to a single combat against Geminus Maecius (a well known Tusculan warrior). T. Manlius accepted the challenge against his father's wishes and won the battle. On T. Manlius' return to camp he was arrested and then beheaded as an example of maintaining discipline.

Decius Mus and Manlius Torquatus both had a dream before the final battle that the Romans would only be victorious if one of the consuls died. Decius and Manlius made a pact that which ever side of the battle opened up, then that leader would sacrifice himself in the battle.

Manlius commanded that his soldiers be stationed on the right and Decius' forces on the left. Decius' wing opened and he charged into battle, immediately being killed on the front lines of the Latin army. Manlius then led his forces into battle to victory against the Latin army.