It’s the dawn of a new year and Rome is at its wits end. Hannibal marches through Italy scorching the countryside and slaying innocent Roman civilians caught in his path. Terrified families along the Adriatic coast desperately seek shelter in the nearest walled city, abandoning their homes to the wrath of the invaders. The unbeaten Commander has humiliated every Roman Army sent against him. After enduring Fabius’s method of evasion through the summer and fall of 217 BC; Rome dispenses with experimenting on the best approach to neuter the Carthaginian Commander.

In the early months of 216 the Romans marshal one of the largest field armies the ancient world has ever seen. The coalition of Romans and allies still loyal to the Republic numbers between 70,000 and 90,000 men. Rome decides that if its generals can’t outsmart Hannibal then this gargantuan army will suffocate him with sheer numbers. The Senate grants command of this magnificent force to the newly elected Consuls Lucius Aemilius Paullus and Caius Terentius Varro.

When summer rolls around the Roman Colossus journeys across central Italy to the Adriatic where Hannibal’s Army resides. The size of this fighting behemoth is so vast that their marching footsteps can be heard for miles. In wide open plains their movements generate clouds of dust. The men who comprise this fighting force are disciplined and well-trained. They include veterans who survived Hannibal in prior campaigns. Around 30 Senators and a bevy of Roman aristocrats march alongside the less affluent units, showcasing a blend of rich and poor equally determined to ruin Hannibal.

Historian Adrian Goldsworthy observes that Rome’s ability to absorb immense set backs in battle and still manage to raise new armies is because the Roman umbrella covers a population that outnumbers Carthage by an extraordinary sum. The ancient historian Polybius claims that Rome has a pool of 700,000 able-bodied men to call into service around this period.

Hannibal mobilizes his men and they meander south into the region of Apulia. It is here that Hannibal spots a hilltop village named Cannae. It serves as a hub where critical supplies are ferried from the Adriatic coast to Rome. He finds the town abandoned so the Carthaginian encamps his army there. They render the hub unusable for Rome. When looking northward, Hannibal sees a vast open plain before him. He thinks the flat terrain could work to his advantage for his next clash with Rome he knows will come. So he decides to make the hilltop village his home for the time being.

The Romans follow Hannibal to this new location. Their route takes them South toward the very plain just North of Cannae. Ancient sources say that when the Carthaginians first hear the Romans approach they gaze out and see a tremendous dust cloud envelop the entire region. It doesn’t take long before Hannibal’s scouts return to Cannae and relay with shock the size of this new force sent to destroy them.

Hannibal reacts to this news not with fear but with nervous excitement. Figuring out how to take on a force that outnumbers him two to one is the kind of challenge that makes legends of men. Despite the seemingly indelible force set against him, Hannibal plans to deal with this new challenge as he would any other. He’ll tempt the Romans to battle him on favorable ground. Of course he knows that to have any hope of victory against an army of this magnitude he must execute a flawless strategy. There can be no room for error. So Hannibal puts his ingenious mind to work.

In the final days of July Paullus and Varros argue over the best plan of action. Their disagreement stems from whether taking Hannibal on such open ground give him an advantage. Varros believes the flat terrain protects the Romans from a geographical ambush, such as the one that killed Flaminius at Lake Trasimine. However, Paullus counters that the topography favors Hannibal’s superior cavalry.

The problem the Consuls face is that such a large army can’t sustain itself forever. The amount of food alone needed to feed the infantry means that they can’t waste time in one location. But the close proximity between the opposing forces means that Rome must either fight Hannibal here or disengage. The latter option will be met with the same scorn and derision from Rome that plagued Fabius. So the Consuls make their decision. They will fight Hannibal here.

The events that occur on August 2, 216 BC will alter the course of history forever. What’s about to transpire will rank in the annuls of time as one of the most catastrophic military blunders ever recorded.

On that morning Hannibal lines up his men opposite the much larger Roman force on the Southern half of the open field. Sources estimate his army to number around 40,000. Hannibal weakens his center by dispersing some of his men to either flank. He hopes to allure the Romans to attack his center which now appears vulnerable. To reinforce this he juts the middle portion of his center line further out in a wedge formation. And just as he hopes, the Roman heavy infantry hurls into the main body of Hannibal’s line with thunderous voracity. The Romans apply maximum pressure to Hannibal’s line which starts to crack. They push the Carthaginians back, albeit at a very slow pace.

But as the Roman infantry advance they start getting carried away by exciting prospect of breaking the Carthaginians. As a result, their formations devolve from ordered lines and units equally spaced apart into scattered, incoherent clumps. Roman commanders try to order the men back in line but in the noise and confusion their commands go unheard. So as the battle wears on the 70,000 Roman infantry now resembles a shapeless mass of men loosely migrating in the same direction as they ram the Carthaginians.

This is precisely what Hannibal intends. As the Romans pour their raw might into wearing down his center they miss the Carthaginian soldiers on the wings who begin pressing inward from either side. The Romans are slowly being flanked, unbeknownst to them. The disintegration of their formations makes the flanking operation easier because they’re more tightly packed together. Imagine the army as a circle who’s circumference shrinks considerably.

Meantime Hannibal’s Numidian cavalry cuts through the Roman horsemen which allows them to form up behind the Roman infantry. The cavalry units link up with the flanking Carthaginians on either wing completing the noose. The entire Roman army is now surrounded.

A Carthaginian ring holds 70,000 Romans in place with no chance of breaking out. The Carthaginians must now begin the most ghastly task of their lives. They must slaughter each and every entrapped Roman. Hannibal bellows at his men to show no mercy. So the Carthaginians press forward on all sides. The Carthaginians transition from soldiers to butchers. They kill every Roman they can get their hands on. As Romans fall the circle shrinks. But carving and slicing through 70,000 men is no easy task. It requires great physical strength to swing a sword into a fully armored man and knock him to the ground. But this is what every Carthaginian must do… over… and over.

Hours tick by. The Romans now fully aware of their hopeless situation put up a stalwart stubborn last stand. Many Romans choose to die with dignity. They force the enemy to hand to hand combat. In several instances the individual Roman triumphs. But for the most part its Hannibal’s men riddling the ground with the slain and mortally wounded.

By the afternoon the Carthaginians are so exhausted they must resort to attacking in waves. They move in and strike only to then retreat a few meters back to take a breather. The Carthaginians rest their hands on their thighs. Their arms shake with fatigue. Their bodies bake under the excruciating summer heat. Puddles of sweat drip off their armor. The Romans can do nothing but watch their beleaguered killers from ten feet away. After a few minutes of rest the Carthaginians advance and swing again. Inch-by-inch, foot-by-foot, they slowly carve their way through the core of the Roman army. All the while Hannibal moves among them issuing words of encouragement.

By nightfall the battle is finally put to rest. But the results are staggering. The bodies of 50,000 to 60,000 Romans litter the Cannae plain. This marks the single deadliest day of battle in world history. Carnage of this magnitude won’t be seen again until industry and technology introduce machine guns to the battlefield. The only other date in which a skirmish produced a similar outcome was July 1, 1916 when the Germans inflicted 57,000 casualties against the British at the Somme, according to the National British Museum.

Historians both ancient and contemporary agree that the gristly sight would be traumatic for anyone to witness. Even the Carthaginians are appalled at what they’ve done. Thousands of mangled corpses, as well as limbs and organs permeate every inch of the Cannae plain. No one can take a step without splashing in a pool of blood and bile. The victorious hear moaning and cries of agony as the wounded beg for an end to their misery. The Carthaginians do not celebrate as they struggle to find solace in such a grim victory.

Those Romans who weren’t killed were taken prisoner leaving about 15,000 of the original 90,000 man army alive and free. Many of the Roman elite lay among the dead, including ex Consuls, praetors, magistrates, more than a dozen Senators and the current Consul Paullus. The other Consul Varros escaped the mayhem with a small contingent of survivors. Cornelius Scipio, the son of Publius Scipio who lost to Hannibal at Trebia is said to have fought at Cannae. He also survives.

At just 31 years old Hannibal Barca pulls off the single greatest victory in world history. Hannibal’s stunning success is owed to his imaginative and creative genius which stands in stark contrast to Rome’s dull and narrow plan to overwhelm by numbers. But Hannibal’s strategy came with high risk. Goldsworthy points out that many minor elements had to fall perfectly in place for Hannibal. For example, if the Romans had maintained their formations and kept themselves spaced apart then encirclement would’ve been impossible. The circumference of the Roman Army would then have been too wide for the Carthaginians to envelope.

Regardless, the battle of Cannae ranks Hannibal as the best military mind to ever live. Military schools around the world teach the Cannae strategy to this day. Many commanders since have tried replicating Hannibal’s tactical encirclement but to no success.

This battle marks a turning point in the 2nd Punic War. One that Hannibal believes will favor him. He’s optimistic that hostilities with Rome will soon come to an end. He has good reason to believe this. As the sun rises on August 3, 216 the Roman Republic appears to be breathing its last.

Continued in Part 7…

Timeline

August 2, 216 BC – Hannibal annihilates the largest Roman Army ever assembled to that point at the Battle of Cannae

If you want to learn more about Hannibal Barca and the 2nd Punic War then please read Cannae: Hannibal’s Greatest Victory by Adrian Goldsworthy

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