How Did Hannibal Lead Such A Campaign?
2nd Punic War The Roman Republic, early on in her history, was faced with a great foe from the South. Carthage and Rome were rivals throughout their shared history. What is likely the most notable of the conflicts waged between these two powers is the Second Punic War. This war, waged between the years of 218 – 201 B.C, saw Rome come dangerously close to her own demise. The Carthaginian campaign in Italy, led by Hannibal Barca, was immensely destructive and costly for Rome. It is interesting to note, however, that Hannibal never led a direct campaign against the City of Rome—a detail that has been both praised and criticized. One would naturally then ask, why did Hannibal never lead such a campaign? An investigation of Hannibal’s strengths
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Livy writes that after defeating Rome overwhelmingly at the Battle of Cannae, one of Hannibal’s generals, Maharbal, approached Hannibal, pleading: “Sir,’ he said, ‘if you want to know the true significance of this battle, let me tell you that within five days you will take your dinner, in triumph, on the Capitol.” Hannibal responded to Maharbal, saying “I commend your zeal… but I need time to weigh the plan which you propose.” Maharbal was certainly disappointed with Hannibal’s response, and reportedly told him “no one man has been blessed with all God’s gifts. You know, Hannibal, how to win a fight; you do not know how to use your victory.” Livy seems to agree with Maharbal’s frustration, writing that “it is generally believed that that day’s delay was the salvation of the City and of the Empire.” Livy’s account of Hannibal’s delay has influenced the thought of other writers; for example, Field Marshall Viscount Montgomery of Alamein writes in his A History of Warfare that “Maharbal was right when he told Hannibal after Cannae that he did not know how to use a victory. It is extraordinary that he never raised a proper siege-train.” In addition to these notable critiques of Hannibal’s decision, Plutarch describes Hannibal’s decision to march into Campania and lay the fertile fields to waste as a “serious blunder.” These accounts of Hannibal’s delay seem to suggest that his apprehension about leading a siege on Rome cost him a chance at victory, and ultimately led to his
Livy writes that after defeating Rome overwhelmingly at the Battle of Cannae, one of Hannibal’s generals, Maharbal, approached Hannibal, pleading: “Sir,’ he said, ‘if you want to know the true significance of this battle, let me tell you that within five days you will take your dinner, in triumph, on the Capitol.” Hannibal responded to Maharbal, saying “I commend your zeal… but I need time to weigh the plan which you propose.” Maharbal was certainly disappointed with Hannibal’s response, and reportedly told him “no one man has been blessed with all God’s gifts. You know, Hannibal, how to win a fight; you do not know how to use your victory.” Livy seems to agree with Maharbal’s frustration, writing that “it is generally believed that that day’s delay was the salvation of the City and of the Empire.” Livy’s account of Hannibal’s delay has influenced the thought of other writers; for example, Field Marshall Viscount Montgomery of Alamein writes in his A History of Warfare that “Maharbal was right when he told Hannibal after Cannae that he did not know how to use a victory. It is extraordinary that he never raised a proper siege-train.” In addition to these notable critiques of Hannibal’s decision, Plutarch describes Hannibal’s decision to march into Campania and lay the fertile fields to waste as a “serious blunder.” These accounts of Hannibal’s delay seem to suggest that his apprehension about leading a siege on Rome cost him a chance at victory, and ultimately led to his