Battle of the Trebia 218 BC - Hannibal (Part 4) - Second Punic War

 

After the defeat at Ticinus, the Roman senate looks to save face by blaming Gallic allies for being "ineffective".

 Taking comfort in the fact that Hannibal has yet to face the vaunted Roman infantry, Longus'

 Longus' arrival to northern Italy restores confidence.

 Hannibal now faces armies of both Roman consuls.

 It's early December 218 BC.

 Publius Scipio's life still hangs in the balance due to wounds he sustained at Ticinus.

 But, ironically, his troubles are only just starting.

 His defeat at Ticinus has major consequences for Rome:

 It directly caused the garrison at Clastidium to surrender the town's massive grain depot.

 This strips his army of food reserves and disrupts his supply lines, making any advance into enemy territory a risky venture.

 At the same time, Hannibal finally replenishes his own reserves, which were dwindling eversince he descended from the Alps, right until the clash at Ticinus, just a few days ago.

 The damage to Roman prestige raises the danger of further defections.

 What's worse, Gallic tribes are flocking to join Hannibal, enthused by his ability to defeat the Romans and his softer administrative touch.

 Scipio has no option but to retreat, realizing he is deep in hostile territory.

 He marches to Placentia and makes camp across the Po river.

 Hannibal pursuits and catches up two days later.

 Learning of his arrival, over 2000 Gauls allied to Rome rise up in the camp and attack Roman soldiers, killing many in their sleep.

 Before sunrise they cross the Trebia to join Hannibal, bringing with them the severed heads of slain Romans.

 Using the Gallic defection as propaganda, Hannibal makes sure to spread the word that Rome's allies are joining him en masse, thereby boosting his popularity among the tribes.

 Scipio again moves south, not wanting to risk being caught in the open.

 A day later he reaches the hills and sets up camp in a strong position, with hills protecting his flanks from cavalry attacks.

 Then, he settles in and waits for reinforcements.

 By mid-December, the two consuls join forces.

 Discussing how to confront Hannibal, Scipio argues against taking the field, stressing that Longus' troops lack experience and need additional training, having been raised less than a year ago.

 Longus disagrees and sets up camp a few kilometres north from Scipio's position.

 Just as eager to fight as Longus, Hannibal maintains his camp on the flat plain and surveys the potential battlefield west of the Trebia river.

 Meanwhile, he sends a raiding party to ravage the area along the river, suspecting that Gallic tribes living there, who pledged allegiance to him, are now negotiating with the Romans.

 It's unclear if the Gauls intended to betray Hannibal, but with their villages now being raided some of the tribesmen appeal to the Romans for help.

 Longus promptly sends 1000 velites across the river to attack the raiders.

 With Hannibal's troops scattered across the area and encumbered by plunder, Roman troops start picking off small groups of Carthaginians, quickly routing the raiders.

 Seeing this, troops on duty outside Hannibal's camp rush to the aid of the retreating raiding party.

 The fighting is fierce, as both sides want to prove their superiority.

 But the Roman velites are soon forced into a fighting retreat.

 The skirmish escalates rapidly, spreading across a large area.

 More and more troops from each side join in.

 Pockets of clashes develop as neither side is able to shore up its' ranks.

 It becomes apparent that the chaotic skirmish might turn into a full-scale battle that neither commander will be able to control.

 Hannibal takes the initiative.

 He stops sending more troops into the fray, trying to avoid a battle that he did not plan and can do little to influence.

 He then audaciously rides out in person and rallies the scattered troops.

 He pulls them back and arrays them in a line outside the camp.

 The Romans advance, but Hannibal restrains his men from advancing on the enemy.

 The Romans too halt their advance, refusing to attack the well positioned Carthaginians who can now be supported from the camp with projectiles and fresh troops.

 The day draws to a close.

 Hannibal demonstrates his shrewdness by not commiting to an uncertain battle.

 And by restraining his troops he exibits what he would become so famous for - his extraordinary ability to excersize control over his army.

 Romans retire towards their camp, satisfied at scoring a victory against Hannibal's troops, their morale and confidence partially restored.

 Longus, who is described by sources as having an aggressive temperament, shows his eagerness to do battle as soon as possible.

 He won't have to wait long...

 At dawn, Roman guards sound the alarm.

 The Carthaginians are attacking the camp!

 Awoken to projectils flying over the palisades, Roman troops are ordered to get ready for battle.

 On empty stomatchs, the men rush to form up in front of their tents, in frigid conditions.

 Longus sends all 4000 of his cavalry against the Numidians, closely followed by 6000 velites.

 But the Numidians soon break off.

 As the fighting moves north, the fast cavalrymen engage in hit and run attacks.

 Longus marches out with the rest of his army to meet the enemy.

 Heavy infantry forms into three columns - each some 3.5km long.

 They lag behind the cavalry and velites, but make steady progress.

 Numidians continue to avoid a direct confrontation with the Roman cavalry and velites.

 Meanwhile, Hannibal gathers his officers to lay out his plans.

 He offers words of encouragement and orders them to ready the men for battle.

 Well rested and well fed, Carthaginian troops take to the field.

 To the east, the skirmish continues.

 Numidians find themselves backed against the Trebia.

 They start crossing the river as they continue to pull back, pursued by the Romans.

 Arriving with the infantry and eager for battle, Longus orders the army to deploy on the western bank.

 The three columns begin crossing, chest deep in the freezing water.

 Meanwhile, Hannibal sends 8000 infantry forward to support the Numidian retreat and to provide a screen for his own deployment.

 He then moves his main line about 1km towards the approaching Romans.

 Across the field, Longus' army takes several hours to deploy.

 After fording the cold Trebia, his men are hungry, soaked, and standing in the near-freezing temperature.

 The Roman consul places his velites in the front, forms his veteran infantry in the center, with Gallic and allied infantry on either side, and cavalry on the flanks.

 Hannibal deploys his infantry in a thin line.

 Gallic allies in the center, with Spanish and Lybian infantry on either side.

 Elephants flank the infantry, while the Numidian and Gallic cavalry is further wide.

 Around noon, Longus orders his entire line to advance, confident in the clear numerical advantage of his heavy infantry.

 The Romans advance in good order.

 The flat plain, free of any obstacles seems an ideal battleground for their style of warfare.

 Meanwhile, Hannibal holds the line, letting the the enemy come to him.

 Skirmishes get into range and begin exchanging projectiles.

 With Balearic slingers in their ranks, combining with javelinmen, the Carthaginians quickly gain the upper hand against the Roman velites, who used up many of their javelins while pursuing the Numidian cavalry earlier in the day.

 Skirmishers from both sides withdraw through the gaps, as the main lines of infantry close in.

 The heavier, more compact Roman infantry pushes the Carthaginian line back, causing heavy casualties to Hannibal's Gallic infantry in the center.

 On the flanks, Hannibal orders his cavalry to push forward.

 Some of the Roman horses become frightened by Hannibal's elephants, causing disruption within the ranks.

 But groups of Roman velites, specially trained to deal with elephants, mix with the cavalry and attack the terrifying beasts, wounding and killing many.

 Eventually, the Numidians manage to overwhelm and advance against the Roman cavalry.

 But despite Roman flanks being pushed back, the Carthaginian center is crumbling.

 Veteran legionaries are hacking through the Gallic infantry.

 Without any reinforcements available, it seems that Hannibal cannot stop the onslaught.

 But... what the Romans don't know is that, while surveying the field on the eve of battle, Hannibal personally picked 2000 elite troops and positioned them in a dry river bed, hidden from view.

 Now, they emerge from the ravine with perfect timing, just as the Numidians finally rout the Roman cavalry, poised to encircle the enemy.

 Hard pressed from the front by elephants, Carthaginian infantry and skirmishers, the wings of the Roman infantry buckle as the Numidians attack their rear.

 Meanwhile, Hannibal's center collapses as the veteran Roman heavy infantry cuts right through the Carthaginian line, still unaffected by the encirclement thanks to their discipline and organization.

 However, realizing the battle is lost, the legionaries retreat back across the river to Placentia, maintain their battle formation.

 Roman casualties are heavy, likely around 28,000 dead or wounded, while the Carthaginian losses are much lower, between 3000 and 5000.

 Losing most of his elephants (possibly all but one) is the only major loss for Hannibal at Trebia.

 In just a matter of weeks Hannibal outperformed both Roman consuls with superior planning, near-perfect coordination and control of his troops.

 News of the defeat rocks the Roman Senate and causes widespread panic among the population.

 The damage to Roman prestige persuades many more Gauls to join Hannibal.

 Additional attacks on Roman outposts and towns cause further disruption, before cold weather finally forces armies of both sides into winter quarters.

 But, as Hannibal's devastating campaign in Italy gains momentum, a seemingly minor event in Iberia could threaten the Carthaginian war effort in the long run.