21. The Mark of a Great General
The mark of a great general is his ability to get the most of what he has available, even if it is not the best or most ideal raw material. Hannibal’s army was a mishmash of ethnic units of varied abilities. It functioned only because of Hannibal’s ability to deploy each group so as to maximize its strengths and minimize its weaknesses. A significant part of his army were Gaulish levies recruited from northern Italy. While brave, they were not as professional as Hannibal’s African infantry and Greek mercenaries. So at the Battle of Cannae, the Carthaginian general placed the Gauls in the center, in a formation that bulged outwards.
To either side of the Gauls, Hannibal positioned his more professional African heavy infantry. On the flanks, Hannibal positioned his cavalry. When combat commenced, Hannibal expected that the Gauls would be forced backward under relentless Roman pressure. Eventually, the Gaulish formation which had started off bulging outwards, would bend and bulge inwards, and form a bowl shape or sack. The confident Romans would scent victory as their foe gave ground, and push into the sack. Once that happened, as seen below, Hannibal knew he had them.
