http://gty.im/590130640Today's installment concludes Battle of Metaurus,our selection from The Fifteen Decisive Battles of the World: from

The tactics of the Roman legions had not yet acquired that perfection which they received from the military genius of Marius, and which we read of in

At the first watch of the night Hasdrubal led his men silently out of their camp, and moved northward toward the Metaurus, in the hope of placing that

Rome faced war on two fronts, south and north. Carthage now had two armies and almost two Hannibals, in Italy.Continuing Battle of Metaurus,our

It had not been expected either by friend or foe that Hasdrubal would effect his passage of the Alps so early in the year as actually

Even if the campaign were to be marked by no decisive success on either side Rome's ruin seemed certain.Continuing Battle of Metaurus,our

In this emergency the Romans looked among themselves earnestly and anxiously for leaders fit to meet the perils of the coming campaign.Continuing

If Rome was weakened by the continued strife, so was Hannibal also; and it was clear that the unaided resources of his army were unequal to the task