When trying to decide on the greatest roman general, there are a few outstanding candidates to put forward for nomination. Julius Caesar, Lucius Cornelius Sulla, Pompey the Great and Scipio Africanus are some generals who could all make a legitimate claim for this title. To properly judge who was the greatest, many different categories needed to be closely examined and also many elements are shared amongst them which contributed to their greatness. These elements include such things as strategic and tactical excellence, charismatic leadership, their victory records, personal courage, intellect and knowledge into the strengths and weaknesses of their opposition. Indeed another aspect which had to be considered was the actual calibre of the men they were pitted against and the strength of the armies they had to militarily overcome. With all these considerations taken into account, Scipio Africanus would seem to be the outstanding candidate to be called the greatest roman general. There are several vital aspects of Scipio Africanus’ career which elevates him into the role of greatest. Over the course of this essay we will explore a specific aspect of Scipio’s career, which highlight his military brilliance.
The first aspect to examine is the early career of Scipio, where in the Second Punic War, a young Scipio showed his character and willingness to lead in situations where others had already failed or were unwilling to take on the responsibility of leadership for the rest of the war in Spain. “…..that no one dared to take the command in Spain. When suddenly Publius Cornelius, son of Publius who had fallen in Spain, who was about twenty-four years of age, declared himself a candidate, and took his station on a eminence by which he could be seen by all.”
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Scipio arrived in Spain in 210BC, and soon set about showing Rome and other Roman generals that victory did not lie solely in numbers. He decided that with an army of far less numbers than that of the various Carthaginian armies, the best way to make an impact in Spain was not to take the Carthaginian armies on one by one, but to launch a masterful surprise attack on the Carthaginian stronghold at New Carthage. This is where Scipio shows his first sign of military genius. He carefully planned out a brilliant strategy that would lead to the Roman capture of the almost impenetrable New Cartage. This included marching his armies on the city, knowing that the three Carthaginian armies were all at least ten days march from that position and would be caught unaware. Upon arrival he set about trying to lure out the best Carthaginian fighters away from the city walls, by refusing to meet them head on when they charged out of the city to disrupt the Roman camp building. When Scipio did engage with the Carthaginian forces, again he showed incredible strategy in how he set up his forces against the enemy. By sending his less experienced troops to the front and constantly replacing with fresh troops, he exhausted the Carthaginians and then sent in his most experienced soldiers. This resulted in a rout and a moral boosting victory for the Romans, which also had a demoralising effect on the defenders. “…well knowing that if he destroyed those who were, so to speak, the steel edge of the population he would cause universal dejection, and none of those inside would venture out the gate again.” Scipio had learned of an ebb tide which reduced the water levels in the lagoon, so he sent five hundred men to attack the undefended wall from the lagoon side, while the rest of his forces attacked from the front. This was the move which resulted in the winning of the city for the Romans, as these men scaled the walls and New Cartage fell.
What the victory at New Cartage showed was that Scipio was willing to take reasoned and well thought out risks to gain massive advantages but he was not so reckless as to put his armies in positions where the outcome was out of his control. “Just one week after launching his first military campaign, Scipio had upset the balance of power in Spain. He had deprived the Carthaginians of their main supply base, captured almost 20 war galleys and now held a large part of the Carthaginian treasury,”
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It was also his actions after the capture of New Cartage which showed his cleverness and intelligence. Inside were noble Carthaginian hostages from the Spanish tribes. Some of the tribes represented were those which had betrayed Scipio’s father, however he elected to let them all go free. It was this kind of forward thinking which allowed Scipio to gain every advantage he possibly could to win the war in Spain. “That bit of wisdom, coupled with Scipio’s proven ability to win, brought more Spanish allies into the Roman camp. Scipio used them, but was never so foolish as to trust them.”
A lot of Scipio’s strength lay with the respect he garnered from the people and his solders. He always seemed to inspire those around him, such as his lieutenants and there never seemed to be any dissension amongst his troops against him. A fiercely loyal army was one of his greatest strengths. “Scipio’s personality was doubtless one of the causes of his success. He gained the devotion of his men, some of whom may have regarded him with religious fervour.” The discipline which Scipio demanded from his troops was not just military discipline, but a moral discipline also. “Scipio’s appreciation of the moral factor and of the value of personal observation, two vital elements in generalship, was shown in his earliest steps.”
An advantage which Scipio has over other worthy Roman generals throughout history was that he had a worthy adversary in Hannibal, who is also regarded as one of the greatest of all time. Being a charismatic, tactically astute, military leader is one thing, but if one is never really tested or challenged in battle, doubt will always arise in regard to how good one actually was. Obviously, Scipio had a more then worthy adversary in Hannibal. To be the man to defeat the great Hannibal at Zama, would be enough in itself to carry his name forward though history for thousands of years as a great military general, but there was more than just defeating Hannibal to carry on Scipio’s name. Hannibal said himself in a conversation he had with Scipio years after the end of the second Punic wars that he ranked himself third behind Alexander and Pyrrhus, and when Scipio asked ‘”what would you have said if you had beaten me’? Hannibal replied ‘Then without question I’d put myself ahead of Alexander and Pyrrhus and all the other generals.’”
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Scipio Africanus can be looked back upon as one of the greatest Romans to have lived. He was protector of the Empire when she needed protecting the most. Hannibal was striking fear into the hearts of all Romans until he was brought to his knees by Scipio. When others were afraid to stand up and take responsibility for the safety of Rome, and young man seized the opportunity to prove himself worthy to protect Rome. Unlike his adversary Hannibal, Scipio was not just a destructive force. “Scipio’s was a creative spirit, one of the fertilizing forces in man’s progress.” There was a lack of vindictiveness in Scipio, which places him apart from many of his peers. The peace terms he would place on conquered lands spoke for the intelligence and foresight of the man. Very fair terms left no anger amongst the people, and therefore no immediate threat of vengeance against Rome. This would lead to the conversion of enemies of Rome into useful allies. Unlike many of Scipio’s rivals for the title of greatest, he fought for Rome first and foremost. Scipio built Rome an Empire which stretched from the Atlantic to the Black Sea, and it was an Empire which endured and increased.
Bibliography
Kamm, Antony, The Romans, London ; New York : Routledge, 1995.
Lacy, James, Rome’s Craftiest General, Scipio Africanus, Military History, Vol.24, Issue 5, July/Aug 2007, , p56-61.
Liddell Hart B.H., A Greater than Napoleon, Scipio Africanus, Edinburgh, Blackwood, 1926.
Scullard, H.H., Scipio africanus : soldier and politician, London Thames and Hudson, 1970.
