Robert L. O’Connell. The Ghosts of Cannae: Hannibal and the Darkest Hour of the Roman Republic. New York: Random House, 2010. 336 pages.
This book, by military historian Robert O’Connell, looks at the hows and also the whys of the battle of Cannae, one of the most conclusive–but ultimately least decisive–battles in Western history. In 216 B.C,, Hannibal, the brilliant Carthaginian general, inflicted a nearly-mortal wound on the Roman republic. The Roman army lost more men on that day than any other army in any other battle in history. Yet Hannibal ultimately was unable to defeat Rome, and 14 years later suffered his own defeat at Zama, in northern Africa, a battle which effectively ended the Second Punic War. THE GHOSTS OF CANNAE takes the reader from the origins of the Roman/Punic conflicts to the aftermath of the wars.
The book, generally a synthesis of ancient and modern scholarship on Rome, Carthage, and their conflicts, gives the reader a great deal of information. We learn how soldiers on both sides trained, how much equipment they carried, and what it took to get them in the field. O’Connell also sheds light on the political maneuvering that, more than military needs, often determined the pace of the war.
Given that all of this happened about 2,200 years ago, there’s not the same sense of immediacy you’d get from an account of a more recent war–surviving records are sometimes fragmentary, and there is simply a great deal about many of the central characters that we don’t know. At this stage, though, vivid personalities are pretty much the realm of historical fiction, as there’s just not enough in the historical record to flesh out characters. This at times makes the reading a bit one-dimensional, but O’Connell’s good sense of space and geography gives the battles enough context to seem real.
All in all, it’s a good military history of an epic battle, and a good read for those interested in military history.
This book you read seems pretty interesting, especially with the author having to try to fill-in-the-blanks properly thru creative historian-ship.
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I finished the LBJ book I was reading (Vantage Point: Perspectives on the Presidency).
I wanted to know more about LBJ’s views on the Viet Nam war. I’d been highly critical of him decades ago (with just cause).
It was interesting to find out that his actions were well intended though very wrong and costly – in terms of human lives (on both sides) and the resulting ramifications of fighting a war that had no sense to it whatsoever.
Still. Everyone leader usually thinks they are doing the right thing for their country, at the time (including Hitler and even Bush Jr.)
“Vantage Points” and a leader’s “Perspective” can often blind them from seeing the real truth of issues at hand. And in this modern age…when battles are fought with airplanes and bombs…too much “collateral damage” occurs (something I call the ‘Rhino in the Rose Garden’ effect).
If battles must be fought…then face-to-face and hand-to-hand combat probably provides leaders with a better perspective on things.
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One good thing about LBJ (and something I didn’t know before) was that he was the adviser who basically paved the way for USA’s Moon Mission (starting in 1958) while advising IKE…plus (more importantly) insisting that NASA was operated as a civilian agency instead of as a military one.
JFK altered (or modified) departmental structure in order to make LBJ the head commander of the ‘space-race’….which was a wise move because LBJ did the job very well.
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It’s a good thing I say today’s ‘book blog’. Otherwise I wouldn’t have even realized today was Friday.
:>)
Side Note About Viet Nam.
My views on the Viet Nam war weren’t based on what people might call Left Wing Hippie Propaganda.
University Propaganda spouted by undraftable, attention seeking, fake hippies like Jerry Ruben and his Chicago Seven wasn’t what swayed me. Those (over 30) show-off idiots never had their lives on the line like my segment of the population did.
I did my own research, without relying on any of their theatrical rhetoric.
My step-dad was a life-long, career, military man. In order to properly debate the war policy with him and his buddies I had to come fully equipped with adequate information.
Almost every night…from my age of 14 we had heated debates at the dinner table. (My poor mom).
We both had huge vested interests in our opposing sides. He had his Military Career to defend and I had my Opposition to Being Drafted perspective to defend.
My step-dad was the Chief Warrant officer and head of National Guard recruitment in California (after his stints in the Korean War and US Army).
For three years he tried convincing me to let him pull-stings to keep me from being drafted (like he did for my older brother and other family members). I refused his help and that course of action totally on principle.
By 1970 I finally won the Viet Nam debate we’d been having since 1966. It wasn’t an easy thing…battling my step-dad and his bunch of Hawk co-workers. But I went at it full-bore and relentlessly.
If ever there was a Generation Gap, it was there at our house. Eventually him and all his G.I. Joe buddies changed their views on that war.
Just two months out of high-school a little ping-pong Lottery Ball gave me the grand prize of being drafted. (Enuff said).
In the late 1970s President Carter ended the military draft that had been part of American Life since 1918. Young guys now-a-days don’t even realize how easy they have it.
Now-a-days US wars are fought by professional soldiers. I firmly believe this is why the current generation always acts so darn Gung-Ho and ready to allow America to enter into idiotic battles. Their lives aren’t on the line…so it’s easy for them to have their “football mentality” and Right Wing attitudes.
All they have to do is sit back and utter the stupid slogan “We support the troops”.
I’m still trying to figure out exactly HOW they support our troops. Do they even send them a magazine or a can of peanuts?
As long as other people do the fighting…old-men politicians will make the policies and have the full support of a tough talking, young citizenry . It’s a potentially dangerous thing.
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Excuse me for “getting political” here, but they time seems right to spout these views….cuz, quite frankly…parts of the current generation and their thought-patterns has me worried.
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