From this selection one can readily say that Hannibal was a ...
a weak commander
cruel commander
an easy go lucky commander
polite commander
brilliant commander
STORY Hannibal the Great Carthage, a great city-state in North Africa had grown into power. She had extensive colonies in the African continent, conquered Spain and was in constant warfare with the Roman Empire and its satellite cities. The war which had been going between Rome and Carthage for nearly a century had been indecisive, the Carthaginians having lost and won as many battles as Romans. In Carthage, there arose a general, Hannibal, who almost destroyed the Roman Empire. No general had ever beaten the famed Roman army in as many battles as Hannibal had, and no army had caused so much fear and so much destruction as Hannibal’s army did. Hannibal conceived of attacking the Romans in Italy. It was a feat never before made or even dared by any army. He began his invasion with 90,000 foot soldiers, 12,000 horsemen and 40 elephants. He reached the foot of the Alps and crossed these mountains in nine days. Then he met the Roman armies. By swift maneuvers, Hannibal managed to meet the Roman armies one by one. The sight of the giant elephants charging them brought terror to the Roman cavalry. They fled from the fight and were easily defeated. On one occasion, Hannibal found himself completely surrounded. He ordered his army to fasten burning torches on the cattle horns. At midnight, he drove the animals toward a heavily defended enemy front. The terrible sight frightened the Roman ranks and destroyed them completely. In many of these battles, Hannibal’s forces were often outnumbered, but his elephant juggernaut, the swiftness of his movements and his brilliant command gave him victory. For sixteen years Hannibal roamed the Italian peninsula, defeating all the armies sent against him. Finally, he was only few mile from home. Meanwhile, powerful Roman forces had been sent to Carthage. Hannibal was then recalled to defend Carthage. However his forces had been decimated in the Italian campaign. At Zama, near Carthage, the powerful Roman army met Hannibal’s forces. Here Hannibal met his defeat with a loss of 20,000 men. When peace was concluded, the Roman demanded Hannibal’s surrender to Rome. To escape, Hannibal committed suicide.
