The Carthaginians were forced to sue for peace after their disastrous naval defeat at the hands of the Romans during the Battle of the Aegates Islands in 241 BCE. Although vanquished and unable to master the Romans, the Carthaginians never forgot their defeat and vowed to one day to conquer all of Rome.

The peace lasted from 241 - 219 BCE, and during that tirne the Roman empire expanded and the Carthaginians regrouped and raised a new generation of warriors. Finally, in 219, the Carthaginians felt strong enough to test the Romans. Hannibal, son of Hamilcar Barca, assembled his army and demanded the surrender of the city of Saguntum. Saguntum was a Greek city under Roman protection squarely in the middle of Carthaginian territory. Hannibal did not doubt that the Romans would declare war, and he was more than willing to oblige.

Saguntum refused to surrender. Hannibal surrounded the city and placed it under siege. The Romans demanded that the siege be lifted and Hannibal be delivered to them.

When the Carthaginians refused to yield, Rome declared war, and, after an eight- month siege, Hannibal captured the city.

Hannibal feared the Roman naval domination of the Mediterranean and planned to invade Rome by marching overland. In 218, his Carthaginian army left Spain, marched across southern Gaul (France), advanced through the Alps, and massed on the northern Italian plain with 20,000 infantry, 6,000 cavalry, and several war elephants.

The Romans were aware of Hannibal's movements and were prepared to counter the invasion. However, they expected the Carthaginian movement through the Alps to take much longer, and they were shocked when Hannibal and his army arrived in Italy in October.

The Romans quickly dispatched two armies to counter the threat. Sempronius embarked his army in Sicily and sailed up the Adriatic to meet the Carthaginians. However, his arrival was some weeks away. Until he arrived, the only army in the area was the 22,000 men of Praetor Lucius Manlius.

The army had been defeated recently in Gaul and had withdrawn to northern Italy to regroup. The Roman consul Scipio was immediately dispatched to take control of the army and defend the area against the Carthaginians. The two sides met in a brief skirmish at Ticinus in November. The Romans lost. They fell back to await reinforcements, while Hannibal recruited new men for his army and sacked cities friendly to the Romans.

The two armies finally confronted each other south of the Po river in December. The combined Roman armies of 40,000 set up camp on the western bank of the Trebia River, while Hannibal and his 30,000-man army were encamped on the eastern bank of a small tributary located a few miles east.

Hannibal surmised the Romans were anxious to attack and return to their winter quarters. He devised a brilliant plan to lure them into a trap. Ile moved his army close to the Roman position and then turned and retreated. The Romans, believing they had the Carthaginians on the run crossed the icy waters of the river and emerged onto Hannibal's side to find that he had turned his army and was now full of fight. The two armies were so close that the Romans could not advance or retreat. While both armies waited, the Roman soldiers, wet from the crossing, shivered in the cold December air.

However, the Carthaginians had prepared an even more elaborate trap. As the Romans waited, Hannibal moved forward and attacked. As he did, a small detachment of cavalry and infantry concealed itself in a ravine near the Carthaginian camp and, led by his brother Mago, outflanked the Roman line and emerged behind the startled Romans.

The Romans fought well but were hopelessly out maneuvered. Both flanks collapsed. The 10,000 Roman infantry in the center, with nowhere to run, simply charged out toward the Carthaginians. They managed to hack their way through Hannibal's army and were the only Roman survivors that day.

The Romans lost 20,000 men on that day, while Hannibal lost only 5,000. The victory secured northern Italy for the Carthaginians and allowed Hannibal to build his army for the next few months. In the spring he would begin the campaign that would bring him to the very gates of Rome.

Battle Briefs

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The Spirit of the Bayonet
The Browning M2 Heavy Machine Gun
The Battle of Trebia (218BC: Hannibal)