The First Punic War Was Occasioned By A Desire On The Part Of The
Carthaginians To Enlarge And Secure Their
Acquisitions in Sicily, and to
preserve their dominion of the sea, and by a determination on the part of
the
Romans to check the progress of the Carthaginians in that island, so
immediately adjoining the continent of Italy. An opportunity soon occurred,
which seemed to promise to each the accomplishment of their respective
objects: the Mamertines, being hard pursued by Hiero king of Syracuse, and
shut up in Messina, the only city which remained to them, were divided in
opinion; some were for accepting the protection offered them by Hannibal,
who at that time commanded the Carthaginian army in Sicily; others were for
calling in the aid of the Romans. Both these powers gladly accepted the
proffered opportunity of extending their conquests, and checking their
rival.
The consul Appius Claudius, was ordered by the senate to proceed to Sicily:
previously to his departure, he despatched Caius Claudius, a legionary
tribune, with a few vessels to Rhegium, principally, it would seem, to
reconnoitre the naval force of the Carthaginians. The consul himself soon
followed with a small fleet, hired principally from the Tarentines,
Locrians, and Neapolitans. This fleet being attacked by the Carthaginian
fleet, which was not only much more numerous, but better equipped and
manned, and a violent storm rising during the engagement, which dashed many
of the Roman vessels in pieces among the rocks, was completely worsted. The
Carthaginians, however, restored most of the vessels they captured, only
expostulating with the Romans on the infraction of the treaty at that time
subsisting between the two republics. This loss was in some measure
counterbalanced by Claudius capturing, on his voyage back to Rhegium, a
Carthaginian quinquireme, the first which fell into the possession of the
Romans, and which served them for a model. According to other historians,
however, a Carthaginian galley, venturing too near the shore, was stranded,
and taken by the Romans; and after the model of this galley, the Romans
built many of their vessels.
Claudius was not in the least discouraged by his defeat, observing that he
could not expect to learn the art of navigation without paying dear for it;
but having repaired his fleet, he sailed again for Sicily, and eluding the
vigilance of the Carthaginian admiral, arrived safe in the port of Messina.
After the alliance formed between the Romans and Hiero king of Syracuse,
and the capture of Agrigentium, they resolved to use all their efforts for
the entire subjugation of Sicily. As, however, the Carthaginians were
extremely powerful by sea, they could not hope to accomplish this object,
unless they were able to cope with them on that element. They resolved,
therefore, no longer to trust in any degree to hired vessels, but to build
and equip a formidable fleet of their own. Powerfully actuated by this
resolution, they began the arduous undertaking with that ardour and spirit
of perseverance, which so eminently distinguished them; they deemed it
absolutely necessary to have 120 ships.
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