Hannibal

Rating:
Summary: Instructive for Present Day Carthaginian/Republicans
Review: According to Dodge, Carthage was a wealthy trading city-state that refused to tax itself. Sound familiar? Dodge shows how Hannibal proved that he was the best general in recorded history, and his assessment was made even after writing detailed texts on Alexander, Caesar, Gustavus Adolphus, and Napolean as well as the American Civil War generals he served under.
Although the United States presently has the greatest military force and leadership the world has ever known, we are not entirely immune from the stinginess of Carthage. Carthage refused to help Hannibal in an ancient version of tax revolt, but Hannibal still gave Rome decisive defeat after defeat after defeat. He taught them, Dodge shows, what real generalship and strategies were, and helped them progress from mere bravura into the refined tactics and strategies that used their strength to advantage. ...

Rating:
Summary: Punic Patriot
Review: Dodge really hits the mark with his epic account of Hannibal's campaigns against Rome. Unlike the Caesar narrative, which sticks pedantically to the military equation and refuses discussion of Roman politics, Dodge allows himself much greater latitude in exploring who Hannibal was, what motivated him and what political forces drove him to his final defeat at Zama. Having performed one of the great logistical feats of all time (elephants across the Alps), Hannibal's army remained on the Italian peninsula for the best part of twenty years, gradually losing the strategic initiative but never suffering a decisive defeat. Yet as Dodge explains, had the Carthaginian Senate provided Hannibal with backup after his stupendous triumph over the Roman consuls at Cannae in 216 B.C., victory could have been his. Interestingly, Dodge is at odds with the later writer Liddell Hart on the supposed genius of Hannibal's nemesis, Scipio Africanus: Dodge ranks him behind Fabius and Nero. (Dodge's account of Nero's march to the Battle of the Metaurus is thrilling).

Rating:
Summary: Fine Book on History 's Greatest General
Review: Dodge's history of the Second Punic War is a marvelous narrative of perhaps the greatest military campaign ever conceived or executed. The only flaws were Hannibal's dependence on his native Carthagonians for reinforcements and material support and his underestimation of the political cohesiveness of the Roman Empire.

When one considers that Hannibal survived, and even flourished militarily, for more than fifteen years in the hostile territory of Roman Italy, only then can the accomplishments of Hannibal be understood. Dodge artfully describes these accomplishments and puts them in their proper perspective. His description of his abandonment by the Carthagonians, out of fear of his political strength, is compelling.

The book is well written and flows. The author describes not only the military campaigns from a tactical perspective but also does a fine job explaining the strategic and political imperatives. Dodge describes Hannibal's crossing of the Alps and his campaign in Italy as primarily a political war whose intent was to divide the states that made up the Roman Empire. As such, Dodge shows a deep understanding of the nature of the War and what led to the ultimate Roman victory.

For anyone wishing to understand the rise of the Roman Empire or the accomplishments of Hannibal this is a must read.

Rating:
Summary: Dodge's Classic is Never Dull
Review: For a book of almost 700 pages, Dodge's Hannibal is never dull.
Dodge recreates the Hannibal's battles with amazing detail, considering the events occured over 2,100 years prior to his account. I would highly recommend this book for anyone interested in ancient battle tactics, or the Roman legions.

Rating:
Summary: A fair and honest tribute to an enternal hero!
Review: Hannibal, is one of those mytical figures that everyone knows of, but few people knows much about. And I sincerely believe the main reason that the author had written this book, more than 150 years ago, was an earnest attempt to clarfy the mist, and to let people know who Hannibal really was. This book started with the First Punic War as its background. All relevant historical facts were clearly presented by the author, which led to a resonable conclusion as to why the Second Punic War was fought. Having said that, the main focus of this book is the full depliction of the Second Punic War, the war in which Hannibal shines larger than life. The author went thru great lenght to compare the military, political, and geography components of the two waring parties, the Roman and the Carthagian. Especially of importance are his full analysis of the military leadership of Hannibal. The military genius' talents, as well as his weakness as a commander, were all throughly discussed in the pages. By reading this excellent book, one will not only gain lots of insights about the 'real' Hannibal, but one will also be greatly entertained by a grand lecture in ancient military history and theories.

Rating:
Summary: Dodge is great, and so was Hannibal
Review: I bought Hannibal because I was interested in learning more about him, and the Dodge book was the cheapest on the subject to be found at my local book store. I have since come to admire Dodge greatly, and have read many more of his books as a result.

Dodge is a first rate historian who draws from all available historical sources to paint an even-handed picture of one of the greatest generals to ever walk the earth. He visited every battle site and pored over the terrain, attempting to reconcile inconsistencies.

The Hannibal that dodge paints may be the best general ever, and if not, is second only to Alexander. In an accessible style Dodge shows us this great Captain's work, and I found it as compelling as the best of novels.

Though I started with this book, I would recommend the reader begine with Alexander and move sequentially through Dodge's "History of the Art of War" series, which goes, Alexander, Hannibal, Ceasar, Gustavus Adolphus, Frederick, Napoleon. Good luck finding Napoleon, for some reason this is the only one of Dodge's books that has not recently been reprinted, ostensibly because there are so many other good books about that great Captain.

Rating:
Summary: Good Read
Review: I have read several of Dodge's books and enjoy them, including this one, very much. One of the best features of his books is that he includes numerous maps and simple drawings to better show the battles, troops, weapons, etc.

Limited, like all histories of the Punic Wars, in the available source material, in this book Dodge relies heavily on Polybius and Livy (not that he has a choice). However, he also relies heavily on his own military experience and visits to the actual battlefields to present his summary and analysis of the battles, and in this case, of Hannibal's route across the Alps.

My one criticism has been noted by other reviewers--Dodge just LOVES Hannibal. Hannibal is the yardstick by which Dodge measures all other commanders. While this may be justifiable, it seems a bit overdone.

Rating:
Summary: Classic
Review: One of the best two or three books on the Second Punic War.

Rating:
Summary: A magnificent story of a brilliant general
Review: Theodore Ayrault Dodge was an officer in the Union army during the civil war. He saw action at Gettysburg, among other places. As a soldier, Dodge gives a unique, in-the-trenches perspective to military history that can be lost amongst history professors who sometimes tend to view their discipline from the ivory towers of academia. Although this is the only book I have read on the life of Hannibal, I cannot fathom anyone writing a more thorough biography of this singularly extraordinary individual. Dodge does a great job of providing background information such as the critical error of the Greek general Pyrrhus (why Hannibal refrained from attempting to siege Rome after Cannae), as well as a first hand account of the most likely route that Hannibal chose to march his army thru the Alps (Dodge personally visited & inspected the various passages himself). He also furnishes us with detailed information on Hannibal's brother, Hasdrubal & his ultimate defeat by Nero.

At heart, however, this book is about the Second Punic War (also known as the war against Hannibal). Dodge gives us an exhilerating picture of how this man led a basically rag-tag army of mercenaries against the greatest fighting machine the world had ever known.....and somehow managed to win, anyway. From his infamous triumph over Varro at Cannae to his eventual defeat at Zama in 202 BC, Dodge chronicles the successes and tribulations of this important historical figure. It is no wonder that Virgil intentionally wrote allusions to him in The AEneid.

For those who enjoy this book, I would HIGHLY recommend the biography that B.H. Liddell Hart wrote on the life of Scipio Africanus for a glimpse of the "other side" of this struggle.

Rating:
Summary: Even though I know how it ends...
Review: Theodore Dodge is one of those historians whose undying patience produces works of incredible depth. In this work Dodge recounts in great detail the successes and frustrations of one of the greatest military minds the world has ever known. Hannibal is the essence of the cool reserved commander, calculating every move and ready for every contingency. The sheer size of Hannibal's undertaking is unbelievable. To the modern mind the logistical aspects alone are enough to dismiss the idea immediately. Yet for Hannibal it was a real and attainable goal. Such a confidence and vision is very rare indeed.

In this book Dodge provides a detailed account of Hannibal's exploits throughout the second punic war. Some background information on both the Romans and Carthaginians is provided to place the war into context. As in all of Dodge's work countless illustrations are provided. What really makes this book unique is that Dodge personally visited the regions in question, interviewing locals and studying the probable landscape of the great battles. The wealth of information gleaned from such an excursion provides the book with added details that enhance the realism of the account.

However, I do disagree with one point repeatedly made by Dodge which requires me giving only four stars. In the book Scipio Africanus is decidedly demeaned. Dodge seems to go out of his way to discount the exploits of this great Roman general and repeatedly states that "good fortune" is the only reason Scipio accomplished what he did. For me this tarnished the work considerably. Hannibal's reputation is safe from harm without Dodge going out of his way to belittle the man who defeated him at Zama. Hannibal needs no such protection because his exploits speak for themselves. Dodge is usually fairly objective with any opinions presented based on fairly logical conclusions. In this instance the bias was a little to thick to swallow. I recommend reading B.H. Liddell Hart's "Scipio Africanus: Greater Than Napoleon" for a view contrary to that presented by Dodge.

Overall I found this book to be excellent. Dodge's work reads surprisingly well for being a hundred years old. He provides a very insightful view of Hannibal and what he accomplished and struggled with in this book and it would be a good addition to any library.