Why did They do that? ... Takes on the Punic Wars
by David E. Woody, Parkersburg Catholic High School, WV
You have changed History! After all his striving, had Hannibal chosen to lay siege to Rome, all of Western history would have changed. There is no guarantee that he would have been successful, because it is certain that the Roman citizens would have fought tooth & nail through the streets. Rome was still in the flower of its Republic, and the people would not likely have taken well to being ruled by an "outsider". If he had been successful, Rome would likely have been looted of all its treasure, and perhaps burned to the ground. Carthage would have ruled the entire western Mediterranean region with virtually no opposition.
Of all the people who despised and resisted Rome, Hannibal was the only one to come so close to bringing about its destruction. Yet, when faced with the opportunity to destroy it, he withdrew for reasons we may never fully understand. Scroll down...
By choosing to withdraw, Hannibal lost his only chance to defeat his hated Romans. He removed his army to Capua, which he intended to make a second capitol. He sent to Carthage great baskets of rings taken from the hands of the Roman soldiers killed at Cannae. The Carthaginian Senate was not particularly impressed that he would sent them so much gold and then request money and reinforcements in the same message. They debated for a long time, before granting his wishes, and the delay ruined the assault.
Hannibal's men, living in style in Capua, lost the edge that had made them so successful in the past. For 9 years, they skirmished infrequently with the Romans, and found themselves in a standoff, for, when Hannibal would besiege Rome, the Romans would besiege Capua. The end result was a stalemate that required the introduction of a new element to change the balance. That element leads to your next great choice.
Carthage decided to sent Hannibal's reinforcements by the same path Hannibal himself had taken. This force was led by Hannibal's brother, Hasdrubal. (This is not the same guy that you met earlier, just the same name.) For this decision, you get to see the situation from Hasdrubal's point of view.
Hasdrubal had come over the Alps in much easier fashion than Hannibal had been able to. He was excited to join his famous brother, and help him complete his mission. Hasdrubal knew that Hannibal had been a in a strange land for many years, and would welcome the assistance from home that he had craved. Descending from the Alps, Hasdrubal could barely contain his enthusiasm for battle. He was now faced with a decision of his own.
Should he send word to his brother that he had arrived? The news would surely be appreciated, and would help Hannibal maneuver into position to link the two armies. Hasdrubal could also keep pressing forward, until he encountered Hannibal, but Hasdrubal was unfamiliar with the territory, and was not certain of the best path. What would you do?
