From ab9b68ee79c85a821b4c5ae163bf085a9a97ee3a Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Trent Palmer Date: Mon, 18 Oct 2021 20:28:15 -0700 Subject: [PATCH] add trebia-trasimene-cannae-zama.md --- content/trebia-trasimene-cannae-zama.md | 82 +++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 82 insertions(+) create mode 100644 content/trebia-trasimene-cannae-zama.md diff --git a/content/trebia-trasimene-cannae-zama.md b/content/trebia-trasimene-cannae-zama.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d0923ac --- /dev/null +++ b/content/trebia-trasimene-cannae-zama.md @@ -0,0 +1,82 @@ +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.