Carthaginian general surprises and captures a Roman general, is then surprised and nearly captured in turn by a separate Roman force. TA DA.

[**The following takes place during the First Punic War.**] >News of his [**Gnaeus Cornelius Scipio, a Roman consul at the time**] movements reached the Carthaginian general Hannibal [**not the famous one from the Second Punic War**] at Panormus, and he dispatched Boödes, a member of the Carthaginian Senate, with a force of twenty ships. Boödes sailed to Lipara by night and trapped Scipio in the harbour. When it was daylight, the Roman crews abandoned their ships and fled ashore, while Scipio, who was seized by panic at this turn of events and was in any case powerless to act, surrendered to the enemy. >The Carthaginians at once sailed off to join Hannibal, taking with them the captured ships and their commander. But only a few days later, even though the example of Scipio’s blunder was so glaring and so recent, Hannibal himself very nearly fell into the same error with his eyes open. He had heard that the Roman fleet was close at hand on its voyage down the Italian coast, and as he was anxious to observe its numbers and dispositions, he shaped a course in their direction with a fleet of fifty ships. As he was rounding the Cape of Italy, he suddenly came upon the enemy, who were sailing in good order and formation. He lost most of his ships, but was able to make his own escape with the remainder. ______________________________ **Source:** Polybius, et al. “The First Punic War.” *The Rise of the Roman Empire*. Penguin, 2003. 64. Print. ______________________________ **Further Reading:** [Gnaeus Cornelius Scipio Asina](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gnaeus_Cornelius_Scipio_Asina) [Hannibal Gisco](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hannibal_Gisco) [First Punic War](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Punic_War)