Hannibal Barca, commander of the Carthaginian army, led his men against the Romans during the Second Punic War. For fifteen years Hannibal out manoeuvred and defeated the Romans time and time again. Hannibal can be considered as one of the best commanders of all antiquity because of his tactical use of terrain to his advantage, his use of psychological warfare to lure the Romans in, and his ability to create a sizeable functioning army made of mercenaries.
A great commander does not solely rely on his men for victory. A vital tactic that can be used to sway battle is the tactical use of terrain. Hannibal became an expert at surveying the land before battle and would later exploit it to garner more inflicting damage on the Romans. Two …show more content…
The Battle of Trebia was fought on December 22-23rd 218 BC. Prior to battle, the Romans and Carthaginians had camped opposite each other on either side of the Trebia river. In between the two camps, Hannibal remarked “a certain piece of ground which was flat and treeless, and yet well suited for an ambush, because there was a stream in it with a high overhanging bank thickly covered with thorns and brambles. Here he determined to entrap the enemy.” The next morning Hannibal ordered his brother, Mago, to lead a Numidian cavalry attack before breakfast to catch the Romans off guard. In order to do so, the cavalry hid in the bushes and at dawn crossed the river to the Roman camp. The Romans were awoken to the attack and quickly assembled to fend their camp. After a short while the Numidian cavalry retreated back across the river as the Romans followed to drive the Numidians off. As the Romans crossed the river Hannibal ordered Mago, with two thousand men of both infantry and cavalry, to hide in “hollow of a ravine hidden by brushwood and aquatic plants,” and to stay there until later to attack the Roman rear. Besides that, the Battle of Trebia followed a regular pitched battle
A great commander does not solely rely on his men for victory. A vital tactic that can be used to sway battle is the tactical use of terrain. Hannibal became an expert at surveying the land before battle and would later exploit it to garner more inflicting damage on the Romans. Two …show more content…
The Battle of Trebia was fought on December 22-23rd 218 BC. Prior to battle, the Romans and Carthaginians had camped opposite each other on either side of the Trebia river. In between the two camps, Hannibal remarked “a certain piece of ground which was flat and treeless, and yet well suited for an ambush, because there was a stream in it with a high overhanging bank thickly covered with thorns and brambles. Here he determined to entrap the enemy.” The next morning Hannibal ordered his brother, Mago, to lead a Numidian cavalry attack before breakfast to catch the Romans off guard. In order to do so, the cavalry hid in the bushes and at dawn crossed the river to the Roman camp. The Romans were awoken to the attack and quickly assembled to fend their camp. After a short while the Numidian cavalry retreated back across the river as the Romans followed to drive the Numidians off. As the Romans crossed the river Hannibal ordered Mago, with two thousand men of both infantry and cavalry, to hide in “hollow of a ravine hidden by brushwood and aquatic plants,” and to stay there until later to attack the Roman rear. Besides that, the Battle of Trebia followed a regular pitched battle