Cincinnatus served as consul in 460 BC. When he retired after his one-year term, Cincinnatus retired from politics, and went home to his farm.
In 457 BC, the Romans were fighting the Aequians. The consul Minucius Esquilinus had led an army to fight them but had been trapped by the Aequians in the Alban Hills. The senate fell into a panic and authorized the other consul, Horatius, to nominate a dictator. Horatius nominated Cincinnatus for a dictatorial term of six months.
A group of senators was sent to tell Cincinnatus that he had been nominated dictator. The senators found Cincinnatus plowing on his farm. He put on his senatorial toga and returned to Rome to build an army. Once the army was assembled, Cincinnatus led the infantry in person to fight the Aequi. He did defeat them.
When the war ended, Cincinnatus disbanded his army. He resigned his dictatorship and returned to his farm, only 16 days after he had been nominated dictator.
He came out of retirement again during his second term as dictator (439 BC) to put down a revolt by the plebeians. After the war Cincinnatus left the job and picked back up where he left off, working at a farm.
Is there a “Cincinnatus” in Escambia County?
