ILIPA ON THE POTOMAC
Battle of Ilipa, 206BC, Rome vs. Carthage. Scipio, 30, commanding the Roman forces vs. Hasdrubal & Mago for Carthage. A critical day in the extended Punic Wars. The stakes could not have been higher. These generational wars had already seen Rome come within a whisker of annihilation. Ilipa would decide who controlled Iberia, a major strategic piece, from whence the N. Africans hoped to launch their next invasion of Italy.
Some claim the Carthaginians outnumbered the Romans, others that it was an even match. Hard to say, yet we do know that veteran infantry formed the core of each army, but that about half of each army was composed of Iberians. The difference being that the Carthaginians had hired mercs, but the Romans had established alliances with some Iberian tribes. Fighting for money vs. fighting for your God, nation & family. A world of difference, yes? Let's call it 55,000 men per side, with infantry, cavalry, & Iberian auxiliaries. None of the Iberians were trained to true army standards, & most lacked critical battle experience. Hasdrubal/Mago had 32 war elephants.
The armies came into proximity, and each side constructed a fortified camp from which to conduct operations. Feeling each other out, the commanders would bring the men out of the camps each morning and form up, ready for battle, but not overeager to make a rash move. Each morning, the Carthaginians would come out and form up first, with the veteran heavy infantry in the center, the cavalry on the wings, and auxiliaries in front. The Romans would form up facing the enemy in a similar formation. Hasdrubal made the fatal mistake of thinking it would be the same on the inevitable day of battle, a battle where all knew that no mercy would be shown.
Then came the morning that Scipio had the men roused & fed in the dark, & sent out in a totally different order of battle. An invincible order, created by a brilliant mind. Imperator! First, the auxiliary skirmishers went forward in unexpected numbers & pushed back their enemy counterparts, while the main army came up immediately behind them & took position much closer to the Carthaginian camp than before—an in-your-face position, with Iberians in the center & the legions anchoring the wings to the center, with cavalry protecting the wings, which were extended to envelop the enemy line. The fighting auxiliaries were brought back and placed in position to support the wings. But Scipio refused the center! Gaze on the battlefield chart, lads, and allow your minds to feast.
Meanwhile, the Carthaginians rushed out of their camp and took position. Unfed! Only it was the wrong position, with them unable to modify it in the immediate presence of the enemy. Their infantry strength in the center was completely negated by the presence of inferior troops standing back maybe 1/4 mile, or one might imagine even 300 yards, but refusing battle. If the infantry advanced, it would be bagged & crushed by auxiliaries in strength to the front, while the legions came in on their flanks. If they tried to move some infantry to support the flanks, Scipio's Iberians would crush them from the front. A no kidding zugzwang. All they could do was stand there and wait for the Romans to move. But Scipio makes them stand there for hours, with their body fuel reserves nearing zero. Then he attacks with the wings, and the Iberians on the other side were no match for the legions. As Scipio foresaw in detail. As the wings were gradually driven in, the Carthaginian center infantry tried to retreat, but fell into disarray and was routed. Survivors fled to the camp and prepared for Roman assault as night came on. But the mercs deserted, and all the Carthaginians could do was make a run for it in the dark. A total failure, as the Romans quickly pursued, caught them, and destroyed the remnants of the army. Commanders escaped on fast horses, probably with personal guard & staff. The rest, kaput.
Are we not seeing something analogous play out in our nation, with the focus on DC? A plan put in motion, for which the enemy has no answer whatsoever. Battle over before it begins. All over but the cryin'. Right now, one might say that the commies are having their wings crushed in, about to flee to their stockade, but knowing there is no escape. Justice will catch up to them out there in the dark, led by Generals Barr, Durham, Huber, et al. Their worst nightmare, and they see it coming. Life is good.