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+Title: Trebia Trasimene Cannae and Zama
+Date: 2021-10-18
+Tags: Rome, Carthage, Hannibal, Elephants
+Category: War
+
+What are the four major Battles of the
+[Second Punic War](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Punic_War){target="_blank"}?
+
+If you said, "Trebia, Trasimene, Cannae, and Zama", you are correct!
+
+### Prologue
+In 218 BC, Carthaginian General Hannibal, with an army of 40,000
+and more than 30 war elephants, crossed the 
+[Pyrenees Mountains](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyrenees){target="_blank"},
+then crossed the
+[Rhone River](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rh%C3%B4ne){target="_blank"},
+and then crossed
+[The Alps](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alps){target="_blank"} in winter,
+and invaded Northern Italy, otherwise known as
+[Cisalpine Gaul](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cisalpine_Gaul){target="_blank"}.
+
+### Trebia River
+In December, on a floodplain of the
+[Trebia River](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Trebia){target="_blank"},
+Hannibal decisively defeated a Roman Army led by
+[Roman Consul Tiberius Sempronius Longus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiberius_Sempronius_Longus_(consul_218_BC)){target="_blank"}.
+
+Hannibal's [Numidian Cavalry](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Numidian_cavalry){target="_blank"}
+were instrumental in victory, and the Carthaginian Light Infantry out-flanked the Roman
+Infantry. But the battle was decided when a hidden Carthaginian unit ambushed the
+Roman Army from behind while they were engaged.
+
+### Lake Trasimene
+In the Spring of 217 BC, Hannibal crossed the
+[Apennine Mountains](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apennine_Mountains){target="_blank"},
+marched for four days through the swamps near the mouth of the
+[Arno River](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arno){target="_blank"}
+(which flows through modern Florence and Pisa), and ambushed a Roman Army which was led by
+[Roman Consul Gaius Flaminius](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaius_Flaminius_(consul_223_BC)){target="_blank"},
+as it marched along the shore of
+[Lake Trasimene](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Lake_Trasimene){target="_blank"}.
+
+This was (and still is), the greatest ambush in human military history. And once again
+the Roman Army was wiped out.
+
+### Cannae
+Rome scrambled to rebuild it's army, and once again on August 2 216 BC, met Hannibal at the
+[Battle of Cannae](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Cannae){target="_blank"}. This time the
+Roman Army was led by both [Consuls](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_consul){target="_blank"}:
+[Gaius Terentius Varro](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaius_Terentius_Varro){target="_blank"}, and
+[Lucius Aemilius Paullus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucius_Aemilius_Paullus_(consul_219_BC)){target="_blank"}.
+
+Once again, Hannibal had more and better Cavalry.
+However the Carthaginian Army was outnumbered by the Roman Army nearly two to one. But
+through clever and deceptive battle-field deployment and maneuver, Hannibal's more-experienced infantry
+managed to completely surround the Roman Infantry, which consequently fell-in on itself, and unable to fight or maneuver,
+was almost completely wiped out.
+
+The Battle of Cannae was (and still is), one of the bloodiest days in human history with perhaps 50,000 - 70,000
+casualties in the span of just a few hours.
+
+### Zama
+By waging war against [Carthage](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carthage){target="_blank"},
+Roman General
+[Publius Cornelius Scipio](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scipio_Africanus){target="_blank"}
+compelled Hannibal to return with his Army to Africa, where the two met in 202 BC at the
+[Battle of Zama](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Zama){target="_blank"}.
+
+This time Rome had the superior Cavalry as Numidia was now allied with Rome. Hannibal's 80 war
+elephants spooked and were inneffective.
+
+At first, the Carthaginian Cavalry attempted to lure the Roman Cavalry away from the Battle Field
+by fleeing. However, Hannibal's tactic of placing his veterans in the rear back-fired, because about the
+time that the first two lines of Carthaginian Infantry were wiped out and the third line was engaged,
+the Roman Cavalry returned to the Battle Field and rolled-up the Carthaginians from behind.
+
+Carthage was routed from the Battle Field and the fleeing troops were easily pursued and killed by the
+Roman Cavalry in the flat terrain. On the Ancient Battle Field, you were a winner ... until you were not.
+
+Hannibal would regret not having attacked the City of Rome following the Battle of Cannae.
+
+The Second Punic War earned for Rome the reputation of refusing to give up and refusing to accept defeat.