Those Barcid boys, what a rowdy bunch of troublemakers they were. Mago, Hasdrubal and, especially our favorite, Hannibal (“he who enjoys Baal’s favor”) Barca, raged around the Mediterranean for many years. Of course, we mainly remember Hannibal for crossing the Alps with his elephants and for the battle of Cannae. Ole Hannibal stills hold the world record for most soldiers killed in a day, approx 48,000 give or take. Amazing isn’t it, considering how we have improved and streamlined the killing of our fellow man over the years. Even the first day of the Somme pales in comparison. Hannibal and his men killed them face-to-face, with spear and sword, eye-to-eye, slicing, stabbing, cleaving, bashing…. A feat truly beyond our imagination, or at least mine. In [b:The Ghosts of Cannae: Hannibal and the Darkest Hour of the Roman Republic|10293344|The Ghosts of Cannae Hannibal and the Darkest Hour of the Roman Republic|Robert L. O'Connell|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320543811s/10293344.jpg|12798516], O’Connell will give you a good feel for how it was done. 4 Stars from me and highly recommended.Honestly, I knew so little about Carthage and the Punic Wars. I had to remedy that and this book is a good start. O’Connell really gives you an account of the Second Punic War. The battle at Cannae only comprises about 35 pages. The rise of Carthage, the Spanish base of the Barcids (how he refers to the Barca family), the march of Hannibal to Italy and many of Hannibal’s battles are discussed. In addition, we see the rise of P.C. Scipio Africanus who will eventually become the commander who defeats Hannibal on the North African shore.
O’Connell paints a picture of Carthage that will be familiar to any student of WWII. Like Germany, Carthage enjoys, through Hannibal, tremendous tactical and operational successes on the battlefield yet ultimately strategic failure in the war. Carthage was in the business of making money and hired out much of its military needs to mercenaries. Carthage had tremendous resources and naval power, yet did not employ these effectively. Unlike Rome, Carthage did not have the resources or the strength of will for a prolonged war.
What stands out most for me was how Rome absorbed the onslaught of the Carthaginians, the Gauls, and others. Rome loses battle after battle, legion after legion, army after army, yet they never consider surrender and eventually prevail. O’Connell explains the strengths of the Roman system and compares it to the Carthaginian way. It was inevitable that these two power centers would clash but this book helps explain why the end result, genocide for Carthage, rather than incorporation into a Roman empire was the eventual conclusion.
The Ghosts of Cannae refers most directly to the survivors of that battle (and a couple of other battles subsequent to Cannae). These survivors were banished to Sicily because they survived after having taken an oath not to retreat and were made an example ”pour encourager les autres”. They would eventually be rehabilitated under Scipio Africanus and would form the core of his army to fight Carthage in North Africa. Echoing Victor Davis Hanson’s “Ripples of Battle” method, O’Connell posits that Hannibal’s invasion and the Punic Wars had unforeseen, wide-ranging impacts. Never again could a Cincinnatus figure be given power for a short time to save Rome. A dictator must have power for many years to beat a threat like Hannibal. The survivors of Cannae would look to their generals for salvation and rewards, rather than the state. This inevitably leads to Caesar taking power with the help of his legions.
Having lived for 3 ½ years in Italy, the description of the locations of battles and marches was endlessly fascinating. I wish I’d read about the Punic Wars while I was there. I’ve wandered the ruins of Capua, the coast of Apulia, the coastal cities of Magna Graecia, all beautiful places. Guess I’ll just have to go back and see them again. ;)