Hannibal's Crossing of the Alps

Eli Schuster's View:

Synopsis: (selections from Livy's The War with Hannibal). In 218 BC, Carthaginian commander Hannibal led an army of nearly 90,000 foot soldiers, 12,000 mounted cavalry and a whole bunch of elephants through the Alps because he wanted to conquer Rome in the toughest possible way he could imagine.

What I Learned: Hannibal's crossing of the Alps - elephants and all - took only 15 days.

Memorable Line: "The elephants proved both a blessing and a curse: for though getting them along the narrow and precipitous tracks caused serious delay, they were none the less a protection to the troops, as the natives, never having seen such creatures before, were afraid to come near them."

You Might Like This Book If: You need to take your grumpy great dane to the vet's office and you need some inspiration.

Life Lesson: When the local barbarians keep attacking your army's supply train, and your elephants keep falling off steep mountain cliffs to horrible deaths below, you keep going.