The Battle of Acerrae was the first Roman victory of the Social War, though its gains were quickly reversed by desertion and territorial losses.
Key Facts
- Date
- circa 90 BC, during the Social War
- Rebel casualties
- 6,000 killed
- Roman commander
- Lucius Julius Caesar
- Rebel commander
- Gaius Papius Mutilus
- Roman force composition
- Gallic, Mauritanian, and Numidian troops
- Outcome status
- Likely pyrrhic; Caesar forced to withdraw afterward
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
After suffering a near-total defeat near Aesernia, the Roman commander Lucius Julius Caesar reconstituted his army with Gallic, Mauritanian, and Numidian auxiliaries. The rebel leader Gaius Papius Mutilus exploited the Numidian contingent's loyalty by presenting Oxynta, a son of the Numidian king Jugurtha, prompting mass desertion from Caesar's ranks.
With his Numidian forces compromised, Caesar dismissed the remaining auxiliaries and held a fortified camp. When Papius launched an assault, Caesar led his cavalry out through a secondary gate, striking the exposed rebel force in a surprise charge that killed approximately 6,000 enemy combatants, marking the first Roman battlefield success of the Social War.
Despite the tactical victory, the battle's gains proved short-lived. Several Italian communities in the region defected to the rebel cause, Caesar lost his Numidian troops entirely, and he was compelled to withdraw and cede territory to Papius shortly after the engagement, rendering the outcome effectively pyrrhic.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Lucius Julius Caesar.
Side B
1 belligerent
Gaius Papius Mutilus.