Total War History: Battle of Cannae (Part 1/5)

This plane would witness one of the most famous battles of antiquity, a battle that would pit the genius of Hannibal Barca against the raw power of Rome's legions. 120,000 men would take part in this colossal clash of titans, and by the time the sun set, nearly half of them would lay dead or dying, lying in a pool of their own blood, and vomit, and feces. The day was August 2nd, 216 BC. The battlefield was Cannae. To understand what happened, we must first step back and take account of its context. The battle was part of a much larger series of conflicts between the nations of Rome and Carthage, known as the Punic Wars. Hannibal's famous invasion of Italy took place during the second outbreak of these hostilities. Like the great wars of the 20th century, the dawn of the second Punic War was the result of the first. The kindling for these wars was the self-interested agendas of both nations. Founded in 753 BC, according to mythology, Rome had fought with its neighbors as the fledgling city expanded. Repeated conflicts with the Latins, Etruscans, Samnites, and various other peoples of the Italian peninsula forged the Romans into a martial culture. As Rome expanded, it overthrew the kings that had ruled the city and instituted a republic. In this system, politicians were warriors, whose main hope for attaining power was military glory. In 280 BC, these men showed their characteristic stubbornness in fighting the Greek armies led by Pyrrhus of This gives us the term Pyrrhic victory. The Romans refused to accept defeat, raising new legions to replace those which had fallen. The senate denied all talks of peace until final victory was achieved in 275 BC. Now in control of all of southern Italy, Rome came elbow to elbow with Carthage. Carthage was a Phoenician colony originally founded in 814 BC. Thanks to prolific agriculture and extensive maritime trade, the nation rose to become a superpower of the Mediterranean. Holdings in North Africa, Spain, Sicily, Sardinia, and Corsica poured wealth into the city's coffers while a massive fleet ensured control of the sea. The spark for war between Rome and Carthage would be lit in Sicily when a band of mercenaries in a local conflict called for the assistance of both of these superpowers. Both nations believed that relinquishing control of the strategic island to the other was unacceptable and would threaten the security of their respective countries. Thus in 264 BC, Rome and Carthage escalated this local matter into a bloody 23-year war for control of the strategic island of Sicily. The first Punic war was characterized by titanic naval engagements along the coast while the land war was restricted in scale to sieges and skirmishes due to Sicilian terrain. Despite staggering reversals, Rome was able to slowly gain an advantage at sea and forced Carthage to admit defeat in 241 BC after final fleet battle at the Aegean Islands. Carthage was required to pay enormous annual reparations, free all Roman prisoners, and relinquish control of Sicily. Within months, Carthage soon faced another war at home. Mishandling of returning veterans caused a mercenary uprising. Libyans took this opportunity to revolt as well and nearly brought Carthage to its knees. In the chaos, Rome greedily took the opportunity to seize the island of Sardinia. When Carthage objected, the Romans threatened war. Not only was the weakened Punic power forced to surrender Sardinia, but it was further humiliated when Rome demanded additional tribute. Kicked while on the ground, Carthage harbored a deep hate for the Romans. This hate is captured in legend when the general Hamilcar Barca is said to have made his son Hannibal swear an oath to forever be an enemy of Rome. Hamilcar then took his son with him to Spain where the Barca family helped pave the way for Punic expansion. When the father was killed in an ambush by Spanish tribes, Hannibal took control of the army. In the following years, Carthage was able to stabilize and even grow in part due to the rich resources of the Iberian Peninsula. Rome took note of these expansions and employed measures to restrain Carthage. Despite having little direct involvement in Spain at the time, Rome allied herself with the city of Saguntum and prohibited Carthage from pushing past the Ebro river. Hannibal resented this Roman intrusion into Punic affairs and would not allow himself to be bullied. He involved himself in a local dispute and laid siege to Saguntum, seizing it by storm. Otherwise occupied with unrest in Illyria and Gallic raids in northern Italy, Rome could only send an angry delegation to Carthage. Tensions ran high as the majority of the Punic senators found Rome had gone too far in asserting itself as Carthage's superior. Quintus Fabius Maximus, who had led the delegation, is said to have stood in the middle of the chamber and announced that he carried in the folds of his toga both peace and war and could let fall from it whichever the Carthaginians chose. He was met by an uproar and declared that he let fall war. The Carthaginians shouted back, we accept it. In 218 BC, the second Punic war had begun. Rome anticipated a repeat of the first war where it was the one with the initiative. The senate amassed troops and prepared the legions for a dual invasion of Spain and North Africa. Hannibal, however, was a much more aggressive commander. He had been carefully preparing for this day and executed a rapid march with his army. To the amazement of the Romans, he conquered the Alps and burst into the pastures of northern Italy unopposed. Though the journey was costly, it achieved total surprise and stupefied the Romans who never expected to be fighting a campaign in their own backyard. Everything the Romans could throw at the invading force was destroyed. At Ticinus, the superior Punic cavalry swept aside their Roman counterparts. At Trebia, the Punic center pinned the Romans while hidden forces tore into their flanks. At Lake Trasimene, the entire Roman army was ambushed on the march and driven into frigid waters. With each victory, Hannibal's reputation grew, and with it, the army, as more and more discontented tribesmen from the northern Italian borders flocked to greet the general. Hannibal now dictated the terms of the war. For the next six months, Quintus Fabius Maximus was appointed as dictator and established a retreating scorched earth policy during his rule. He became known as Maximus the Delayer for his unpopular but effective tactics of refusing battle. The Romans believed they had now caught their breath and eagerly awaited an opportunity to finally face Hannibal head-on. The Senate still had reason to believe in their military. Its fundamentals were strong and would provide security for the next half millennium. Yes, Hannibal was powerful, but he was also alone, far from Carthage and its reinforcements. If the Punic force were to lose even just one significant battle, it was too far from any secure base to survive.