Why did They do that? ... Takes on the Punic Wars
by David E. Woody, Parkersburg Catholic High School, WV
You have changed History! It is difficult to imagine how this might have turned out differently than it actually did. Had Hannibal crossed the Ticinus, he would probably have had to move north first, since he could not risk being caught by Scipio while crossing. Many areas in the Po region are swampy, and though most branches of the Po are wide and shallow, the Ticinus is rather deep at this location. It is difficult to fight while in water, and Hannibal certainly didn't want any disadvantages. Had he got his entire army across, it is equally possible that he may have destroyed Scipio's army, or that they may have been able to resist him. Since the actual events at the Ticinus turned on Hannibal's usual craftiness, and little bit of luck, he may not have been as successful had he crossed the river. Below is what really occurred.
By allowing Scipio to complete his bridge, you improve the likelihood of an engagement, and that is, after all, just what Hannibal wants. He spent the intervening time consolidating his allies in Gaul, and cleaning up "messes" in his area. He made promises every day to his men that they would have great wealth once Rome was defeated. He also struck a lamb dead with a stone, as evidence of his intention to keep his promises.
His "best case" plan was that Scipio would cross over the bridge, be defeated in battle, and leave Hannibal an easy path across the river. The Romans crossed over, and went looking for Hannibal, with the two armies coming together at a point where neither was actually prepared to see the other. This sort of engagement favored Hannibal and his veteran troops, who quickly formed up and attacked, while the Romans seemed utterly discombobulated by the whole encounter. The destruction was terrible, Scipio was wounded, and the Roman army fled in retreat. They made it across the Ticinus, and destroyed their bridge. Hannibal attempted to pursue them the following day, but Scipio had kept his troops moving all night, and thus escaped from immediate danger.
Hannibal was victorious, but not fulfilled. He was now faced with another decision.
The wounding of Scipio put the Roman army in dread of complete collapse. They appealed to the Senate, who decided to bring Sempronius north from Sicily, and have him reinforce Scipio's troops. Here the Leadership Factor hit with full force, as the two consuls disagreed upon the best course of action. Scipio wished to delay until he was returned to full health. Sempronius was not enamored of that choice, since it was not clear that Scipio would ever recover. Scipio also knew that winter was coming on, and it might not be necessary to engage Hannibal again until spring. Scipio had also seen the danger of Hannibal's army, and thought Sempronius, who had not, was too eager to prove his great leadership. Sempronius was excited by the fact that some Roman detachments had met with Carthaginians, and been successful. He lobbied every day with Scipio to let him take one good shot at Hannibal, and made preparations to do so.
Hannibal, as usual, was aware of all this disagreement. The movement of spies in those days made it almost impossible to keep any ongoing issues secret. He hoped that Sempronius would win the debate soon, so that he might fight a decisive battle before the winter got any worse. It was already a very cold, rainy year, and Hannibal knew he'd soon no longer be able to carry out a battle. It would be difficult to wait much longer and expect to get anything more accomplished.
In fact, he is forced to make a decision NOW. What would you have him do?
