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NATIONAL BESTSELLER
For millennia, Carthage’s overcome Rome at Cannae in 216 B.C. has inspired reverence and awe. No general since has matched Hannibal’s so much unexpected, innovative, and brutal military victory. Now Robert L. O’Connell, one of the vital admired names in military history, tells the entire story of Cannae for the primary time, giving us a stirring account of this apocalyptic battle, its causes and consequences.
O’Connell brilliantly conveys how Rome amassed an incredible army to punish Carthage’s masterful commander, how Hannibal outwitted enemies that outnumbered him, and how this disastrous pivot point in Rome’s history in the long run led to the republic’s resurgence and the creation of its empire. Piecing together decayed shreds of ancient reportage, the writer paints powerful portraits of the leading players, from Hannibalâresolutely sane and uncannily strategicâto Scipio Africanus, the self-promoting Roman military tribune. In spite of everything, O’Connell reveals how Cannae’s legend has inspired and haunted military leaders ever since, and the teachings it teaches for our own wars.