Battle of Campania

The first battle in the Greco-Roman War. Fought on the plains of Campania and ended in a victory for Alexander IV.

Background
The roman expansion threathened the colonies of Magna Graecia. One colony, Cumae, had already been occupied by the Romans. Alexander IV arrived in Taras. His personal interest in proving himself on the battlefield led to him being appointed the leader of a small army of soldiers, including phalangites and hoplites from Taras and Greece.

Alexander IV marched north a few months later and forced a roman fort to surrender. This provoked the Romans into declaring war against Alexander and a few days later Aulus Calidus met the Greeks on the plains of Campania with his legion of Romans.

Troops
Alexander IV had a mixed army, ranging from hoplites and phalangites to mercenaries and freed slaves who had been trained in the art of the macedonian phalanx. The romans on had a fairly standard legion. A more accurate breakdown follows.

Alexander deployed his troops with the phalangites in the center. The phalanx squadron furthest to the right and to the left were deployed slightly behind the center, and the infantry flanking the phalangites were deployed in a similar manner. He kept his cavalry on the right flank, opposite the Roman cavalry.

The romans had a traditional legion formation. The hastati and Leves stood at the front lines. Behind them were the princeps, and behind them the triarii. Behind the triarii stood the reserve of rorarii and accensi.

The Battle
The battle opened with the romans marching forward and trying to provoke the greeks into attacking by hurling insults, which was a valid tactic against barbarians and less disciplined armies. When the greeks did not charge, the romans engaged their frontal line. Meanwhile the greek cavalry attacked the roman cavalry. Alexander killed Aulus in a duel and the roman cavalry fled from the field.

After the princeps joined the hastati and leves in the fight against the phalangites, the greek cavalry hit them from the rear. At the same time, the greek flanks had entered the battle by turning around and marching into the roman side. Surrounded on three sides, the romans were cut down to the last man.

The spearmen at the back of the roman army retreated from the battlefield without being pursued.

Aftermath
The legion was almost completley destroyed except for a few men who had managed to escape. The romans had learnt a lesson that the greeks were not as undisciplined in battlefield as many other foes they had faced in the past. Alexander IV marched onwards towards Rome and faced two more legions at the Battle of Marius Forest.