The Shasta courier., 1866-03-31
Hannibal.

Hannibal, celebrated Carthagenian gen.
eral, the son of Amilcar, was born B. C,
241. He was educated in his fathers camp,
and Injured from his early years to the labors
of the field. He passed into Spain when
nine years old, and at the request of his
father, took solemn oath that he never
would be at peace with the Romans. After
his fathers death he was appointed over
the cavalry of Spain; and, some time after,
upon the death of Asdrubal, he was invest.
ed with the command of all the armies of
Carthage, though not yet in the twenty fifth
year of his age. In three years of continual
success he subdued all the nations of Spain
whichsopposed the Carthagenian power, and
took Saguntum, after siege of eight months.
The city was in alliance with the Romans,
and its fall was the cause of the second
Punic war, which Hannibal prepared to sup
port with all the courage and prudence of
consumate general. He levied three large
armies, one of which he sent to Africa he
left another in Spain, and marched at the
head of the third toward Italy. This army
some have calculated at twenty thousand
foot and six thousand horse: others say that
1t consisted Of one hundred thousand foot
and twenty thousand horse. He came to
the Alps, and after much trouble gained the
by this bold leader, which struck the utmost
terror in the Romans, appeared to them SO
prodigious that the embellishments of fiction
seemed to add nothing of wonder to the
recital, and it soon began to be believed that
this extraordinary passage had been effected
by the use of vinegar, in which the Alpine
rocks were dissolved. Modern writers, how
ever, by the application of a just criticism,
and being, moreover, less excited and less
interested on this point, have generally as
signed to the marvellous story its proper
place among the inventions of fancy. An
author, nevertheless, of great learning and
genius at the present day, seems, by the
weight OF his opinion, to give the story of
the Older writers fresh currency and new
authority; since he manifestly inclines to
receive the tradition. He thinks, however,
that there might have been one difficulty in
the way, and ingenously allows that he can
not imagine how Hannibal obtained " suf.
fcient supply for his purpose" He was op-
posed by the Romans as soon as he entered
Italy and after he had defeated Publus,
Cornelius, Scipio, and Sempronius, near the
Rhone, the Pc, aud the Trebia he crossed
the Apprentices and invaded Etruria. He
defeated the army of the consul Flaminius
near the lake Trasinenus and soon after
met the two consuls, G. Terentius and L.
Emilius, at Canine. His army consisted of
forty thousand foot and ten thousand horse.
with whom he engaged the Romans at the eel
ebrated battle of Cann9. The slaughter was
SO great that no less than forty thousand
Romans were killed, and the cJnqueror
made bridge of the dead carcases; and, as
a sign of victory, he sent to Carthage three
bushels of gold rings, which had been taken
from six thousand Roman knights slain in
the battle.
Instead of following up the advantage
which this victory held out to him, Hannibal
rested at Capua, which enabled the Romans
to recover from their fright, so that when
the Carthagenians encamped before the city.
their appearance created no alarm. Han
nibal, finding it hopeless to make any at
tempt upon the capital, retreated. Two
years afterwards he defeated Maccllus, but
Notwithstanding this, finding his affairs
growing desperate in Italy, where he had
now been sixteen years, he made cvetures of
peace. which terminated without effect
The battle of Zama, in which he lost twenty
thousand men, completely ruined Hannibal,
and he retired to Asia, where he took
refuge with Prussia, king of Bithynia but
being apprehensive that he should be deliv-
cred up TO the Romans, he took poison, at
the age of sixty four, B. c. 1S3.