Hannibal's Road by Mike Roberts

Author:Mike Roberts [Mike Roberts]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-07-21T16:00:00+00:00

Battle of Numistro 210.

The army surveyors laid out the plan of the camp, a routine followed virtually every day, with flags and upright spears driven into the earth to ensure the tents of the commander were situated in the centre and those of the legionary commanders and tribunes nearby. With these correctly placed around them the accommodation for the infantry maniples and cavalry squadrons could be set out to a pattern the Roman army would follow for centuries. All to be fabricated by the men who erected their own sheepskin tents after first having built the fosse and wooden wall that would make them safe from any attempt at surprise by the enemy. A two legion camp with room for allies as well could be at over 800m² and this one may have been even larger with long stretches of wooden walls for the Velites, customarily allocated this duty, to guard. But if they had arrived now, it had been nervous searching on the road, with plenty of obvious places for an ambush along the route, but Marcellus had finally found his man. And so it is hardly surprising that, well aware of how tricky his enemy could be, he wanted to get a good view of the coming battlefield to get an idea of what they might intend and formulate his own battle plans. Having done so he refuted any disinclination to fight, determined to go ahead regardless of any qualms evidenced by his officers and men, some of whom had experienced defeat before at Hannibal’s hands and must have been anxious about facing him again.

The Carthaginians were encamped on a steep conical hill to the north of the town commanding the valley below with a river cramping in the country to the east. Hannibal himself was far from hiding on top his eminence, when he realized his enemy was close, indeed he may, knowing well the character of Marcellus, have intended to draw him into battle in this advantageous situation. Calculating that even if the Roman was not looking to bring on a fight, he would probably be drawn by the need to defend one of the very few places they still controlled thereabouts. The Carthaginian had chosen his terrain well; the country below his camp was one of the rare localities in extremely rugged, hilly country where a stand-up battle could be fought. And with his own camp well placed for defence he could be confident that if things went wrong they would have a very secure bolthole nearby. While the enemy if they could be beaten would find themselves in inimical country, only able to find refuge in Numistro, where Hannibal might hope to pen them in and starve them out. But despite these dangers that old Marcellus must have recognized as well, he had not just come to contain. The Roman general immediately led his men out of their camp gates, to line up against this enemy he had previously tussled with so frequently and furiously in Campania.

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