About This Book

A Concise, Classic Narrative of Hannibal’s Military Engagements

The great Carthaginian general, Hannibal, remains one of the most fascinating personalities of the ancient world. Most are familiar with his famous trek across the Alps, complete with elephants and an army of tens of thousands, but fewer understand that the Carthaginian clash with Rome during the third century B.C. was a war between two mighty regional powers that would define the future of Mediterranean world. The victor of the Punic Wars would determine whether the focus would be on North Africa or along the Italian Peninsula.

The Campaigns of Hannibal begins with an account of the organization, weapons, and chief tactics of both the Romans and Carthaginians, and then proceeds in chronological order through the thirteen campaigns waged by Hannibal against Rome over the course of 218–207 B.C., including the battles of Trebbia and Cannae. After each campaign, the author discusses the salient points that students of strategy and the history of warfare should recognize. The book concludes with Hannibal’s return to North Africa, his final defeat at Zama in 203 B.C., his subsequent exile and death. Based on classical sources and originally published in 1858, The Campaigns of Hannibal is a model of clarity and synthesis, a wonderful one-volume history that is ideal for those who wish to learn more about Hannibal’s military genius as well as those seeking a synopsis of the Punic Wars.

Sir Patrick Leonard MacDougall (1819–1894) was a military officer and author. He was commander of British troops in North America from 1878 to 1883.