A Picture from History: Hannibal’s Secret Weapon

Hannibal of Carthage saw enough of Roman rule.

He had lived through the First Punic War and had (inadvertently?) been the main reason that the Second Punic War – where Rome fought against what is now modern-day Spain – started.

Knowing full well the devastation of waging war on one’s own soil, Hannibal instead opted to take the fight to the Romans.

He’d become familiar with the benefit of the element of surprise and so, opted to attack Rome from a direction they never expected – from the North.

The only problem?

To do that, Hannibal would have to lead his army through the snow-covered Alps.

Adding a further surprise to Hannibal’s attack was the fact that he had the ancient world’s equivalent of a secret weapon…war elephants.

War Elephants

Covered in armor and loaded with armed men, war elephants were devastating in combat. Hannibal was known for having his men get his elephants drunk before a battle and then prodding their ankles with spears to work them into a frenzy.

By the time it was time to fight, the elephants were furious and, with lowered inhibitions, more than willing to crash into the enemy ranks, stomping on men and battering them with tusks and trunks.

This proved to be such an effective means of shattering enemy lines that Hannibal couldn’t possibly envision sacking Rome without his beloved elephants.

Forsaken Advice

The problem of the Alps led his counselors to be concerned, however. They cautioned him against attempting to march such a large and hungry beast over inhospitable, mountainous terrain.

Hannibal refused. The war elephants must march.

To even get to the Alps, Hannibal first must wage war against a series of violent tribes among the Pyrenees mountains and across the Rhone River. It was no easy path to get to the start of his ascent, and he lost several men in the process.

After a brief battle across the Rhone, Hannibal sent 500 cavalry down the river to serve as a scouting party.

They soon encountered 300 Roman cavalry and, despite outnumbering them, were cut to pieces. The survivors limped back to Hannibal as the Roman cavalry rushed back to Rome to raise the alarm.

All surprise has been lost.

Hannibal fought and traveled for a secret that was now brought to light. But he had gone too far; he had fallen too much in love with his own plan.

The Alps were right there in front of him. And he intended to climb them.

Leading his men, horses, and elephants throughout the Alps was as difficult as his counselors predicted. Logistically, it was a nightmare.

Pack animals and men regularly fell off cliffs and died from the extreme cold.

In addition, Barbarians lived in the Alps, and Hannibal’s forces were regularly harassed by men who rained arrows and boulders down upon them from the peaks above.

Toweling Off from a Blood Bath

By the time Hannibal reached the other side, his Army was less than half of what it was when he first set out.

His supply train was decimated, and even worse, the Roman army was waiting for him.

Despite accomplishing the impossible, Hannibal repeatedly made foolish decisions. And he would soon pay for it at the hands of the Roman army.

This is a new style of article for Pew Pew Tactical, if you liked it — let us know in the comments! If you didn’t enjoy it…well phooey. To catch up on previous Pictures from History, click on over to our History Category.