3. C.Cosconius, praetor in the Social war, B. C. 89, distinguished himself in the command of one of the Roman armies. According to Livy (Liv. Epit. 75) Cosconius and Lucceius defeated the Samnites in battle, slew Marius Egnatius, the most distinguished of the enemy's generals, and received the surrender of very many towns. Appian (App. BC 1.52) says, that Cosconius burnt Salapia, took possession of Cannae, and then proceeded to besiege Canusium; but a Samnite army came to the relief of the town, which defeated Cosconius and obliged him to fall back upon Cannae. Trebatius, the Samnite general, following up his advantage, crossed the Aufidus, but was attacked, immediately after his passage of the river, by Cosconius, defeated with a loss of 15,000 men, and fled with the remnant to Canusium. Hereupon, Cosconius marched into the territories of the Larinates, Venusini, and Apulians, and conquered the Poediculi in two days. Most modern commentators Appian has made a mistake in the name (Schweigh. ad App. l.c.); but Livy and Appian probably speak of two different battles.

The above-named Cosconius seems to be the same with the C. Cosconius who was sent into Illyricum, with the title of proconsul, about B. C. 78, and who conquered a great part of Dalmatia, took Salonae, and, after concluding the war, returned to Rome at the end of two years' time. (Eutrop. 6.4; Oros. 5.23; comp. Cic. Clu. 35.)