The Fifteen Decisive Battles of the World: from Marathon to WaterlooCreasy, Edward Shepherd, Sir
History
The Fifteen Decisive Battles of the World: from Marathon to Waterloo
Creasy, Edward Shepherd, Sir
Battles
The Roman historian, who termed that struggle the most memorable of all
wars that ever were carried on, [Livy, Lib. xxi. sec. 1.] wrote-in no
spirit of exaggeration. For it is not in ancient but in modern history,
that parallels for its incidents and its heroes are to be found. The
similitude between the contest which Rome maintained against Hannibal,
and that which England was for many years engaged in against Napoleon,
has not passed unobserved by recent historians. "Twice," says Arnold,
[Vol. iii, p. 62. See also Alison--PASSIM.] "has there been witnessed
the struggle of the highest individual genius against the resources and
institutions of a great nation; and in both cases the nation has been
victorious. For seventeen years Hannibal strove against Rome; for
sixteen years Napoleon Bonaparte strove against England; the efforts of
the first ended in Zama, those of the second in Waterloo." One point,
however, of the similitude between the two wars has scarcely been
adequately dwelt on. That is, the remarkable parallel between the Roman
general who finally defeated the great Carthaginian, and the English
general who gave the last deadly overthrow to the French emperor. Scipio
and Wellington both held for many years commands of high importance,
but distant from the main theatres of warfare. The same country was the
scene of the principal military career of each. It was in Spain that
Scipio, like Wellington, successively encountered and overthrew nearly
all the subordinate generals of the enemy, before being opposed to
the chief champion and conqueror himself. Both Scipio and Wellington
restored their countrymen's confidence in arms, when shaken by a series
of reverses. And each of them closed a long and perilous war by a
complete and overwhelming defeat of the chosen leader and the chosen
veterans of the foe.
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