Forino 663 AD

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Battle of Forino  663 AD

Byzantines under Saburrus , general of Constans II
Lombards under Romuald son of king Grimuald

Numbers are not known, but perhaps 10,000 a side. Paul has 20,00 for the Romans, but given that Constans had suffered casualties in the siege of Benevento and then in the action with Mitola, then lost  a sizeable number at this battle and then  had a substantial force left (Grimuald does not follow up), I believe around 10,000 more likely, perhaps the Lombards had an advantage in numbers.
Source, Paul the Deacon, History of the Lombards book V Chapter 9 ff.  Trs, William Dudley Foulke 1907

Chapter 9
Then the emperor, fearing the sudden approach of  king Grimuald broke up the siege of Benevento and set out for Naples. Mitola, however, the Count of Capua forcibly defeated his army near the river Calore in the place which, up to the present time is called Pugna (the fight).

Chapter 10
After the emperor came to Naples it is said that one of his chief men, whose name was Saburrus, asked for twenty thousand soldiers from his sovereign and pledged himself to fight against Romuald and win the victory. And when he had received the troops and come to a place called Forinoand had set up his camp there, Grimuald, who had already come to Benevento, when he heard these things, wanted to set out  against him. His son Romuald said to him ' There is no need , but only turn over to me a part of your army. With God's favour I will fight with him and when I shall have conquered him a greater glory indeed , will be ascribed of your power.'  It was done and when he had received some part of his father's army, he set out with his own men likewise against Saburrus. . Before he began the battle against him he ordered the trumpets to sound on four sides and immediately he rushed daringly upon them. And while both lines were fighting with great obstinacy, a man from the king's army named Amalung, who had been accustomed to carry the royal spear, taking this spear in both hands struck violently with it a certain little Greek and lifted him from the saddle on which he was riding and raised him in the air over his head. When  the army of the Greeks saw this, it  was terrified by boundless fear and at once betook itself to flight, and overwhelmed with the utmost disaster, in fleeing it brought death upon itself and victory to Romuald and the Lombards. Thus Saburrus, who had promised that he would achieve for hs emperor a trophy of victory from the Lombards, returned to him with a few men only  and came off with disgrace;
But Romuald, when the victory was obtained from the enemy, returned in triumph to Benevento and brought joy to his father and safety to all, now that the fear of the enemy was taken away.
Commentary,
Grimuald (610-671) who had begun his career as Duke of the Lombard principality of Benevento was in the North of Italy resisting the Franks when word arrived that Constans II the Byzantine Emperor had invaded Southern Italy fom Sicily, taken several towns and besieged his son Romuald in Benevento.
Grimuald won a victory against the Franks near Asti, allegedly by feigning retreat, letting the Franks capture a  camp full food and wine  and returning to massacre the disordered enemy.
Constns II ( 630-668) took the opportunity  of Grimuald's absence to snuff out the Southern Lombard duchies which would enable the Byzantines to scure their frontier in Italy. At the siege of Benevento,  Romuald conducted an active defence, penetrating to Constans' camp and causing heavy casualties.
Upon the news that Grimuald's relieving army was close Constans fell back to Naples , being harried on the way by Mitola. 
Whether Saburrus really volunteered or was ordered to attack we cannot be certain,  but it is likely that his plan was to deal with the Lombards as they arrived and he expected to face Romuald's vanguard and outnumber it. Romuald had, however, added troops from his father's army to his own.
We are told little of the tactics employed, but perhaps the use of ' trumpets on four sides' by the Lombards indicates that they outflanked the Byzantines.  The episode of Amalung is likely true because his descendants will have kept alive his memory, perhaps his act of strength brought special reward or recognition. It always strikes me as one of those 'he threw a six and I threw a one moments' that justify a dramatic effect from chance events.

Lombard minor tactics are  an aggressive rush forwards, a tactic normally ascribed to them by Paul. Clearly bravery and aggression are valued, but so, as the example of Grimuald shows, are sneaky tactics.
This battle ended the campaign,  Constans left for Sicily, where had reportedly  thought of refounding the capital of the Byzantine  Empire and was murdered. In the subsequent disorder the Lombards made some small further conquests such as Forli
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