Hannibal Through the Eyes of a Roman
* This story is based on true facts, but the dialogue and personalities, however, are inspired by the true facts and are fictional.
The year is 218. We, the Romans, have just declared war on the Carthaginians and their leader, Hannibal. We do not fully know Hannibal's scheme yet, but rumor has leaked out that a possible invasion from the north could occur. All throughout Rome, camps have been pitched. Our camps are square and they resemble our basic town. We train our soldiers very rigorously and give breaks often, for we know that Hannibal will have his troops in tip-top shape and ready to go. After all, he did spend an entire year preparing for the Second Punic War with his soldiers in Spain.
Our camp in the interior is divided into areas for tents. In the middle, there are tents for the officers and commanders. That is where I reside. The whole camp is surrounded by a stone wall with watch-towers. Along the wall, catapults are set up, ready to be fired.
Hannibal has made his moves abruptly and has started off rather quickly. He has advanced across the Pyrenees. We are hoping for various barbarian tribes to cut down on Hannibal's supply of men. This probably will turn out to be a costly flaw in Hannibal's strategy to invade us from the north. They will also have to march through Gaul and the Alps where they should be halted by the harsh weather.
When Hannibal comes, our cavalry will be equipped with only the finest weapons. Each soldier has a sword, javelin, and a small shield. They also have a helmet, used primarily for protection and for identification to me, Gaius Aurelius, their officer. The Carthaginians are essentially using the same weapons, but are bringing along elephants to break our barriers.
Hannibal has been stationed with his troops in Gaul and we are not certain when his next attack will occur. With this in mind, we have given our troops more arduous training. However, Hannibal is persistent and is much like a pest; he won't go down quietly. Hannibal's men have been reduced to 26,000. It's obvious that the bad weather and fierce mountain tribes have taken its toll on the Carthaginians. However, we can't relax now. Hannibal has recruited approximately 17,000 Gauls to his army, and they are our enemies.
The harsh weather in northern Italy has subsided and the Carthaginians have forged on. They have just crossed the Alps, and I suppose this is where we get underway.
I know deep-down that Hannibal is tentative about his moves. We have brought up an army from Sicily to try to halt the Carthaginians' advance. Our legion has moved to the Trebia River. Here, mutiny has broken out. Our soldiers have also gotten their first look at the enormous ego of Hannibal. As it turned out, they maneuvered us into an ambush. Hannibal was boasting that we had more men than his army of tired, volunteering soldiers, but we were still defeated. This was a definite disgrace to our army. As we soon learned, Hannibal had planned a triumph parade. This took definite nerve, especially in the middle of combat. From word of mouth, it was told that Hannibal was hailed by his soldiers. Dressing in his most triumphant apparel, Hannibal then gathered his people and praised them, giving them gifts of money and military decorations. When the ceremony had concluded, Hannibal mounted his elephant, which wore a huge golden plate of armor around its body.
We could not let something like this distract our men or get under our skin. There would be other battles. The ensuing year, we were once again defeated at Lake Trasimeno by the conceited Hannibal. Only this time, we sent a few spies to Hannibal's camp. My soldiers told us that Hannibal had said:
" O, Carthage, in a short amount of time, we will bring those Romans to their knees and make them suffer! You have already exulted, and you will in the near future as well. You have come this far for me, and you will return home in triumph!"
After hearing this, we could not lose to him. Hannibal also had this to say:
" I, Hannibal, have taken an oath to be and always be, till the day I perish, an enemy of Rome. At the next battle at Cannae, we will crush the Romans and finish them off once and for all!"
We knew where Hannibal was advancing, and when we reached Cannae in 216 B.C., we saw we had far outnumbered him. This could be our big chance to win a huge battle and give ourselves the advantage. The battle started and Hannibal had his army in an arc formation. We had our units attack the Carthaginian set up, but as soon as we moved, Hannibal had the middle of the arc retreat. I saw exactly what was going to happen. The arc had turned into two sides, and, along with their calvary, had engulfed our men completely. We had blown an enormous opportunity at victory, and we were defeated again by the great tactician. We lost 50,000 men that day, the worst defeat in Roman history to date. The same spies we had sent to Hannibal's camp after the defeat at Lake Trasimeno reported more news about the Carthaginians.
" We do not have the support of our allies in Macedonia, Syracuse, and Sicily anymore. They are too busy with their own affairs. However, we have continued to be outnumbered by the Romans in various occasions and have been victorious. Our present circumstances are no different. A short while back, I would have been satisfied to bring the Romans to their knees, but now, we must lay them on their backs! Hannibal had said this knowing we still have loyal allies, and he knows we are prepared to end this bloodshed victoriously.
* * *
Fifteen years have passed since the Battle of Cannae. We are nearing the conclusion of the war, and one of my friends, Publius Cornelius Scipio, a Roman general, has driven the Carthaginians out of Spain. Our spies have told us that Hannibal will be called back to Africa soon, and this is our time to win the war.
It appears that Zama, in northern Africa, will be the last battle of the war. Scipio has almost defeated the Carthaginians there, and soon we will be triumphant! Carthage, nevertheless, has plenty of resilience, just like their leader. They continue to put up a fight to the very end. Today, however, in 201 B.C., we have fended off the Carthaginians once and for all. Here, at the Battle of Zama, the Second Punic War has concluded.
Even though the war has concluded, I, and many others, cannot stand to see Hannibal take another breath. I think Hannibal realizes his men are fatigued and he will give in to avoid the Third Punic War. But suddenly, Hannibal has fled from Carthage to avoid being killed. At last, after thirteen years of chasing that scoundrel Hannibal, we trapped him inside his house. When we broke in, we found him dead, and, in his hand, much to our delight, poison!