HANNIBAL. 



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Zat. uUr die Alpeti/ in oL IT. of hU < G*cvraphie d. Orieeh .n. Uom. ;' 

 and Arnold. HUi. ..f Horn*, 1 .-!. iii. pp. 83-92. 



Hannibal completed lus march from New Carthago to Italy iu livo 

 months, durinf which h lo.i a great number of men, especially in bit 

 SSUi ovw the Alps. According to a statement engraved by his 

 ecder on a column at Laciuium, in Bruttia, which IV.lybius aw, hi* 

 army was reduod to 18,000 Africans. 8000 Spaniards, and 6000 

 cavalry, when he armed in the territories of the Inaubrian Gauls. 

 After r-m-ii^g some time among the Intubriani to recruit his army, 

 be marched southward and encountered P. Cornelius Scipio on the 

 right bank of the river Ticinus (Teaino). In the battle which ensued 

 the *Mn"* were defeated, and Scipio with the remainder of the army 

 retreating along the left bank of the To, crossed the river before 

 H.nnih.) coulJ overtake him, and encamped near Hacentia. Ho 

 afterwards retreated more to the south, and entrenched himself 

 strongly on the right bank of the Trebia, where he waited for the 

 arrival of the army under the other consul T. Sempronius. Seuipro- 

 nius had already crossed over into Sicily with the intention of sailing 

 to Africa, when he was recalled to join his colleague. After the union 

 of the two armies Sempronius determined, against the advice of Scipio, 

 to risk another battle. The skill and fortune of Hannibal again pre- 

 vailed; the Romans were entirely defeated, and the troops which 

 survived took refuge in the fortified cities. In consequence of these 

 victories the whole of Cisalpine Ouul (the northern part of Italy) fell 

 into the hands of Hannibal ; and the Gauls, who on his first arrival 

 were prevented from joining him by the presence of Scipio's army in 

 their country, now eagerly assisted him with men and supplies. 



In the following year (B.C. 217) the Romans made great preparations 

 to oppose their formidable enemy. Two new armies were levied ; 

 on was posted at Arretium, under the command of the consul 

 Klaminius, and the other at Ariminum, under the other consul 

 Scrvilius. Hannibal determined to attack Klaminius first. In his 

 march southward through the swamps of the basin of the Arno his 

 army Buffered greatly, and he himself loat the sight of one eye, by an 

 attack of ophthalmia. After resting his troops for a short time in the 

 neighbourhood of Fnsulie, be marched past Arretium, ravaging the 

 country as he went, with the view of drawing out Klaminius to a battle. 

 Klauiiuius, who appears to have been a rash, headstrong man, hastily 

 followed Hannibal, and being attacked iu the basin of the Lake 

 Traaimenua, was completely defeated by the Carthaginians, who 

 were posted on the mountains which encircled the valley. Three or 

 four days after, Hannibal cut off a detachment of Roman cavalry, 

 amounting to 4000 men, which had been sent by Servilius to assist 

 his colleague. 



Hannibal appears to have entertained hopes of overthrowing the 

 Roman dominion, and to have expected that the other states of Italy 

 would take up arms against Rome, in order to recover their iude- 

 pt-udenor. To conciliate the affections of the Italians, he dismissed 

 without ransom all the prisoners whom he took in battle ; and to give 

 them an opportunity of joining his army, he marched slowly along 

 the eastern side of the peninsula, through Uiubria and I'loeuum, into 

 Apulia ; but he did not meet with that co-operation which he appears 

 have expected. 



After the defeat of Klaminius, Q. Fabius Mnxiuius was appointed 

 dictator, and a defensive system of warfare was adopted by the 

 Romans till the end of the year. 



In the following year, B.C. 216, the Romans resolved upon another 

 battle. An army of 80,000 foot and 0000 hone was raised, which 

 was commanded by the consuls L. yEoiiliua Paulus and C. Terentius 

 Varro, The Carthaginian army now amounted to 40,000 [foot and 

 10,000 horse. The armies were encamped in the neighbourhood of 

 (Jounce, in Apulia. In the battle which was fought near this place the 

 Romans were defeated with dreadful carnage, and with a loss which, 

 as stated by Polybius, is quite incredible : the whole of the infantry 

 engaged in the battle, amounting to 70,000, was destroyed, with the 

 exception of 3000 men who escaped to the neighbouring cities, and 

 also all the cavalry, with the exception of 800 belonging to tho allies, 

 and 70 that escaped with Varro. A detachment of 10,000 foot, which 

 had been sent to surprise the Crtliaginian camp, was obliged to 

 surrender as prisoners. The consul L. Jfemilius, snd the two consuls 

 of the former year, Servilius and Attilius, were also among the slain. 

 Hannibal lost only 4000 Gauls, 1500 Africans and Spaniards, and 200 



This victory placed the whole of Lower Italy iu the power of 

 Hannibal ; but it wu not followed by such important results as 

 might have teen expected. Hannibal, for some unexplained reason, 

 delayed to follow np his victory, and the delay gave the Romans time 

 to repair their loss and make preparations again to take the field 

 against him. He probably expected a general rising of the Italian 

 cities against the Roman tyranny. Capua and most of the cities of 

 Osmpania espoused his cause, but the majority of the Italian states 

 continued firm to Rome. The defensive syttem was now strictly 

 adopted by the Romans, and Hannibal was unable to make any active 

 exertions for the further conquest of Italy till he received a reinforce- 

 ment of troops. He was hi hopes of obtaining support from Philip of 

 Macedon and from the Syrsousans, with both of whom he formed an 

 alliance ; but the Romans found means to keep Philip employed in 

 Greece, and Syracuse was besieged and taken by Marcellus, B.C. 214-212. 



In addition to this, Capua was retaken by the Romans, n.c. 211. 

 Hannibal was therefore obliged to depend upon the Carthaginians fur 

 help, and Hasdrubal was accordingly ordered to march from Spain to 

 : - .- I 



Cnreus Scipio, u already observed, wns left in Spain to oppose 

 Hasdrubal. Ho was afterwards joined by P. Cornelius Scipio, and 

 the war was carried on with various success for many years, till at 

 length the Roman army was entirely defeated by Hasdrubal, B.C. - 1 .'. 

 Both the Scipius fell in tho battle, Hasdrubal was now preparing to 

 join his brother, but was prevented by the arrival of young 1'. Corne- 

 lius Scipio in Spain, B.C. 210, who quickly recovered what the Romans 

 had loat. In B.C. 210 he took New CarUuge; and it was not till 

 u.o. 207, when the Carthaginians had lost almost all their dominions 

 in Spain, that Hasdrubal set out to join his brother in Italy. He 

 crossed the Alps without meeting with any opposition from the Gauls, 

 and arrived at Placeutia before the Romans were aware that he bad 

 entered Italy. After besieging this town without success, he continued 

 his march southward; but before he could effect a junction with 

 Hannibal he was attacked by the consuls C. Claudius Nero and 

 M. Livius, on the banks of the Metaurus, in Umbria, his army was 

 cut to pieces, and he himself fell in the battle. This misfortune 

 obliged Hannibal to act on the defensive, and from this time till his 

 departure from Italy, B.C. 203, he was confined to Bruttia ; but by his 

 superior military skill he maintained bis army in a hostile country 

 without any assistance from his government at home. 



After effecting the conquest of Spain, Scipio passed over into Africa 

 to carry the war into the enemy's country (B.C. 204). With th 

 assistance of Masiuissa, a NumidUu prince, he gained two victories 

 over the Carthaginians, who hastily recalled their great commander 

 from Italy to defend his native state. Hannibal landed at Leptis, and 

 advanced near Zaina, five clays' journey from Carthage t nv.irds the 

 west Here he was entirely defeated by Scipio, B.C. 202; 20,000 

 Carthaginians fell in the battle, and an equal number were taken 

 prisoners. The Carthaginians were obliged to sue for peace ; and thus 

 ended the second Punic war, B.C. 201. 



After the conclusion of the war Hannibal vigorously applied himself 

 to correct the abuses which existed iu the Carthaginian government. 

 He reduced the power of the perpetual judges (as Livy, xxxiiu 4<i, 

 calls them), and provided for the proper collection of the public 

 revenue, which had been embezzled. He was supported by the people 

 iu these reforms ; but he incurred the enmity of many powerful men, 

 who traitorously turned to the Romans, and represented to them that 

 Hannibal was endeavouring to persuade his countrymen to join 

 Autiochus, king of Syria, in a war against them. A Roman embassy 

 was consequently sent to Carthage to demand the punishment of 

 Hannibal as a disturber of the public peace ; but Hannibal, aware that 

 he fhould not be able to resist his enemies, supported by the Roman 

 power, escaped from the city, and sailed to Tyre. Krom Tyre he went 

 to Ephesua to joiu Antiochus, B.C. 196, and contributed to fix him in 

 his determination to make war against the Romans. If Hannibal's 

 advice as to the conduct of the war had been followed, the result of 

 the contest might have been different ; but he was only employed in 

 a subordinate command, and had no opportunity for tho exertion of 

 his great military talents. At the conclusion of this war Hannibal 

 was obliged to seek refuge at the court of Prusias, king of Bithyuia, 

 where he remained about five years, and on one occasion obtained a 

 victory over Kumenes, king of 1'ergamus. But the Romans appear 

 to have been uneasy as long as their once formidable enemy was alive. 

 An embassy was Bent to demand him of Prusias, who being air 

 offending the Roman*, agreed to give him up. To avoid falling into 

 the hands of his ungenerous enemies, Hannibal destroyed himself by 

 poison at Nicomedia, in Bithyuia, n.c. 183, in the sixty-fifth year of 

 his age. 



The personal character of Hannibal is only known to us from tho 

 events of his public life, and even the.-e have not been commemorated 

 by any historian of his own country ; but we cannot read the history 

 of his campaigns, of which we have here presented a mere outline, even 

 iu the narrative of his enemies, without admiring his great abilities and 

 courage. Polybius remarks (b. xi., p. 637, Casaubon) : " How 

 wonderful is it that in a course of sixteen years, in which he maintained 

 the war in Italy, he should never once dismiss his army from the field, 

 and yet be able, like a good governor, to keep in subjection so great a 

 multitude, and to confine them within the bounds of their duty, so 

 that they neither mutinied against him nor quarrelled among them- 

 selves. Though his army was composed of people of various countries, 

 of Africans, Spaniards, Gauls, Carthaginians, Italians, and Greeks 

 men who bad different laws, different customs, and different language, 

 and, iu a word, nothing amoug them that was common yet so 

 dexterous was his management that, notwithstanding this great 

 diversity, he forced all of them to acknowledge one authority and to 

 yield obedience to one command ; and this too he effected in the 

 midst of very various fortune. How high as well as just an opinion 

 must these thiugs convey to us of his ability iu war. It may be 

 affirmed with confidence that if ho had first tried his strength iu the 

 othur parts of the world, and had come last to attack the Romans, ho 

 could scarcely have failed in any part of bis design." (Hampton's 

 Translation.) A good estimate of the character of Hannibal (though 

 oue which unfortunately the historian did not live to revise) will bo 



