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The
elephants alone occasioned a great deal of trouble. They were
wafted
over
the next day in the following manner. From the bank of the river
was
thrown
a raft, two hundred feet in length, and fifty in breadth; this
was
fixed
strongly to the banks by large ropes, and quite covered over with
earth;
so that the elephants, deceived by its appearance, thought
themselves
upon firm ground. From this first raft they proceeded to a
second,
which was built in the same form, but only a hundred feet long,
and
fastened to the former by chains that were easily loosened. The
female
elephants
were put upon the first raft, and the males followed after; and
when
they were got upon the second raft, it was loosened from the
first,
and,
by the help of small boats, towed to the opposite shore. After
this,
it
was sent back to fetch those which were behind. Some fell into
the
water,
but they at last got safe to shore, and not a single elephant was
drowned.
_The
March after the Battle of the Rhone._—The
two Roman consuls had, in
the
beginning of the spring, set out for their respective
provinces;(739)
P.
Scipio for Spain with sixty ships, two Roman legions, fourteen
thousand
foot,
and twelve hundred horse of the allies; Tiberius Sempronius for
Sicily,
with a hundred and sixty ships, two legions, sixteen thousand
foot,
and eighteen hundred horse of the allies. The Roman legion
consisted,
at that time, of four thousand foot and three hundred horse.
Sempronius
had made extraordinary preparations at Lilybæum, a seaport town
in
Sicily, with the design of crossing over directly into Africa.
Scipio
was
equally confident that he should find Hannibal still in Spain,
and
make
that country the seat of war. But he was greatly astonished, when,
on
his
arrival at Marseilles, advice was brought him, that Hannibal was
upon
the
banks of the Rhone, and preparing to cross it. He then detached
three
hundred
horse, to view the posture of the enemy; and Hannibal detached
five
hundred Numidian horse for the same purpose; during which, some
of
his
soldiers were employed in wafting over the elephants.
At
the same time he gave audience, in the presence of his whole army,
to
one
of the princes of that part of Gaul which is situated near the Po,
who
assured
him, by an interpreter, in the name of his subjects, that his
arrival
was impatiently expected; that the Gauls were ready to join him,
and
march against the Romans, and he himself offered to conduct his
army
through
places where they should meet with a plentiful supply of
provisions.
When the prince was withdrawn, Hannibal, in a speech to his
troops,
magnified extremely this deputation from the Gauls; extolled,
with
just
praises, the bravery which his forces had shown hitherto; and
exhorted
them to sustain, to the last, their reputation and glory. The
soldiers
inspired with fresh ardour and courage, all at once raised their
hands,
and declared their readiness to follow whithersoever he should
lead
the
way. Accordingly, he appointed the next day for his march; and,
after
offering
up vows, and making supplications to the gods for the safety of
his
troops, he dismissed them; desiring, at the same time, that they
would
take
the necessary refreshments.
Whilst
this was doing, the Numidians returned. They had met with, and
charged,
the Roman detachment: the conflict was very obstinate, and the
slaughter
great, considering the small number of the combatants. A hundred
and
sixty of the Romans were left dead upon the spot, and more than
two
hundred
of their enemies. But the honour of this skirmish fell to the
Romans;
the Numidians having retired and left them the field of battle.
This
first action was interpreted as an omen(740) of the fate of the
whole
war,
and seemed to promise success to the Romans, but which, at the
same
time,
would be dearly bought, and strongly contested. On both sides,
those
who
had survived this engagement, and who had been engaged in
reconnoitring,
returned to inform their respective generals of what they
had
discovered.
Hannibal,
as he had declared, decamped the next day, and crossed through
the
midst of Gaul, advancing northward; not that this was the shortest
way
to
the Alps, but only, as by leading him from the sea, it prevented
his
meeting
Scipio; and, by that means, favoured the design he had, of
marching
all his forces into Italy, without having weakened them by a
battle.
Though
Scipio marched with the utmost expedition, he did not reach the
place
where Hannibal had passed the Rhone, till three days after he had
set
out from it. Despairing therefore to overtake him, he returned to
his
fleet,
and reimbarked, fully resolved to wait for Hannibal at the foot
of
the
Alps. But, in order that he might not leave Spain defenceless, he
sent
his
brother Cneius thither, with the greatest part of his army, to
make
head
against Asdrubal; and himself set forward immediately for Genoa,
with
intention
to oppose the army which was in Gaul, near the Po, to that of
Hannibal.
The
latter, after four days’ march, arrived at a kind of island, formed
by
the
conflux(741) of two rivers, which unite their streams in this
place.
Here
he was chosen umpire between two brothers, who disputed their
right
to
the kingdom. He to whom Hannibal decreed it, furnished his whole
army
with
provisions, clothes, and arms. This was the country of the
Allobroges,
by which name the people were called, who now inhabit the
district
of Geneva,(742) Vienne, and Grenoble. His march was not much
interrupted
till he arrived at the Durance, and from thence he reached the
foot
of the Alps without any opposition.
_The
Passage of the Alps._—The
sight of these mountains, whose tops seemed
to
touch the skies, and were covered with snow, and where nothing
appeared
to
the eye but a few pitiful cottages, scattered here and there, on
the
sharp
tops of inaccessible rocks; nothing but meagre flocks, almost
perished
with cold, and hairy men of a savage and fierce aspect; this
spectacle,
I say, renewed the terror which the distant prospect had
raised,
and chilled with fear the hearts of the soldiers.(743) When they
began
to climb up, they perceived the mountaineers, who had seized upon
the
highest cliffs, and were prepared to oppose their passage. They
therefore
were forced to halt. Had the mountaineers, says Polybius, only
lain
in ambuscade, and after having suffered Hannibal’s troops to
entangle
themselves
in some difficult passage, had then charged them on a sudden,
the
Carthaginian army would have been irrecoverably lost. Hannibal,
being
informed
that they kept those posts only in the daytime, and quitted them
in
the evening, possessed himself of them by night. The Gauls
returning
early
in the morning, were very much surprised to find their posts in
the
enemy’s
hand: but still they were not disheartened. Being used to climb
up
those
rocks, they attacked the Carthaginians who were upon their march,
and
harassed them on all sides. The latter were obliged, at one and
the
same
time, to engage with the enemy, and struggle with the ruggedness
of
the
paths of the mountains, where they could hardly stand. But the
greatest
disorder was caused by the horses and beasts of burden laden with
the
baggage; who being frighted by the cries and howling of the
Gauls,
which
echoed dreadfully among the mountains, and being sometimes
wounded
by
the mountaineers, came tumbling on the soldiers, and dragged them
headlong
with them down the precipices which skirted the road. Hannibal,
being
sensible that the loss of his baggage alone was enough to destroy
his
army, ran to the assistance of his troops, who were thus
embarrassed;
and
having put the enemy to flight, continued his march without
molestation
or danger, and came to a castle, which was the most important
fortress
in the whole country. He possessed himself of it, and of all the
neighbouring
villages, in which he found a large quantity of corn, and
cattle
sufficient to subsist his army three days.
After
a pretty quiet march, the Carthaginians were to encounter a new
danger.
The Gauls, feigning to take advantage of the misfortunes of their
neighbours,
who had suffered for opposing the passage of Hannibal’s
troops,
came to pay their respects to that general, brought him
provisions,
offered to be his guides; and left him hostages, as pledges of
their
fidelity. However, Hannibal placed no great confidence in them.
The
elephants
and horses marched in the front, whilst himself followed with
the
main body of his foot, keeping a vigilant eye over all. They came
at
length
to a very narrow and rugged pass, which was commanded by an
eminence
where the Gauls had placed an ambuscade. These rushing out on a
sudden,
assailed the Carthaginians on every side, rolling down stones
upon
them
of a prodigious size. The army would have been entirely routed,
had
not
Hannibal exerted himself in an extraordinary manner to extricate
them
out
of this difficulty.
At
last, on the ninth day, they reached the summit of the Alps. Here
the
army
halted two days, to rest and refresh themselves after their
fatigue,
after
which they continued their march. As it was now autumn, a great
quantity
of snow had lately fallen, and covered all the roads, which
caused
a consternation among the troops, and disheartened them very
much.
Hannibal
perceived it, and halting on a hill from whence there was a
prospect
of all Italy, he showed them the fruitful plains(744) watered by
the
river Po, to which they were almost come; adding, that they had
but
one
effort more to make, before they arrived at them. He represented
to
them,
that a battle or two would put a glorious period to their toils,
and
enrich
them for ever, by giving them possession of the capital of the
Roman
empire. This speech, filled with such pleasing hopes, and
enforced
by
the sight of Italy, inspired the dejected soldiers with fresh
vigour
and
alacrity. They therefore pursued their march. But still the road
was
more
craggy and troublesome than ever; and as they were now on a
descent,
the
difficulty and danger increased. For the ways were narrow, steep,
and
slippery,
in most places; so that the soldiers could neither keep upon
their
feet as they marched, nor recover themselves when they made a
false
step,
but stumbled, and beat down one another.
They
were now come to a worse place than any they had yet met with.
This
was
a path naturally very rugged and craggy, which having been made
more
so
by the late falling in of the earth, terminated in a frightful
precipice
above a thousand feet deep. Here the cavalry stopped short.
Hannibal,
wondering at this sudden halt, ran to the place, and saw that it
really
would be impossible for the troops to advance. He therefore was
for
making
a circuitous route, but this also was found impracticable. As,
upon
the
old snow, which was grown hard by lying, there was some newly
fallen
that
was of no great depth, the feet, at first, by their sinking into
it,
found
a firm support; but this snow being soon dissolved, by the
treading
of
the foremost troops and beasts of burden, the soldiers marched on
nothing
but ice, which was so slippery, that they had no firm footing;
and
where,
if they made the least false step, or endeavoured to save
themselves
with their hands or knees, there were no boughs or roots to
catch
hold of. Besides this difficulty, the horses, striking their feet
forcibly
into the ice to keep themselves from falling, could not draw them
out
again, but were caught as in a gin. They therefore were forced to
seek
some
other expedient.
Hannibal
resolved to pitch his camp, and to give his troops some days’
rest
on the summit of this hill, which was of a considerable extent;
after
they
should have cleared the ground, and removed all the old as well
as
the
new fallen snow, which was a work of immense labour. He
afterwards
ordered
a path to be cut into the rock itself, and this was carried on
with
amazing patience and ardour. To open and enlarge this path, all
the
trees
thereabouts were cut down, and piled round the rock; after which
fire
was set to them. The wind, by good fortune, blowing hard, a
fierce
flame
soon broke out, so that the rock glowed like the very coals with
which
it was surrounded. Then Hannibal, if Livy may be credited, (for
Polybius
says nothing of this matter,) caused a great quantity of vinegar
to
be poured on the rock,(745) which piercing into the veins of it,
that
were
now cracked by the intense heat of the fire, calcined and
softened
it.
In this manner, taking a large compass about, in order that the
descent
might be easier, they cut away along the rock, which opened a
free
passage
to the forces, the baggage, and even to the elephants. Four days
were
employed in this work, during which the beasts of burden were
dying
with
hunger; there being no food for them on these mountains buried
under
eternal
snows. At last they came into cultivated and fruitful spots,
which
yielded
plenty of forage for the horses, and all kinds of food for the
soldiers.
_Hannibal
enters Italy._—When
Hannibal entered into Italy, his army was
not
near so numerous as when he left Spain, where we have seen it
amounted
to
near sixty thousand men.(746) It had sustained great losses during
the
march,
either in the battles it was forced to fight, or in the passage
of
rivers.
At his departure from the Rhone, it still consisted of
thirty-eight
thousand foot, and above eight thousand horse. The march over
the
Alps destroyed near half this number; so that Hannibal had now
remaining
only twelve thousand Africans, eight thousand Spanish foot, and
six
thousand horse. This account he himself caused to be engraved on
a
pillar
near the promontory called Lacinium. It was five months and a
half
since
his first setting out from New Carthage, including the fortnight
he
employed
in marching over the Alps, when he set up his standards in the
plains
of the Po, at the entrance of Piedmont. It might then be
September.
His
first care was to give his troops some rest, which they very much
wanted.
When he perceived that they were fit for action, the inhabitants
of
the territories of Turin(747) refusing to conclude an alliance
with
him,
he marched and encamped before their chief city; carried it in
three
days,
and put all who had opposed him to the sword. This expedition
struck
the
barbarians with so much dread, that they all came voluntarily,
and
surrendered
at discretion. The rest of the Gauls would have done the same,
had
they not been awed by the terror of the Roman arms, which were
now
approaching.
Hannibal thought therefore that he had no time to lose; that
it
was his interest to march up into the country, and attempt some
great
exploit;
such as might inspire those who should have an inclination to
join
him with confidence.
The
rapid progress which Hannibal had made, greatly alarmed Rome, and
caused
the utmost consternation throughout the city. Sempronius was
ordered
to leave Sicily, and hasten to the relief of his country; and P.
Scipio,
the other consul, advanced by forced marches towards the enemy,
crossed
the Po, and pitched his camp near the Ticinus.(748)
_Battle
of the Cavalry near the Ticinus._—The
armies being now in sight,
the
generals on each side made a speech to their soldiers before they
engaged.(749)
Scipio, after having represented to his forces the glory of
their
country, t
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