Battle+of+Cannae

=**Battle of Cannae**= In 216 B.C., The Battle of Cannae took place. It was spring and Hannibal brought out his army to challenge Rome again. He took over a village called Cannae. Cannae was a supply village for Rome. Rome wanted to take it back so they got ready to fight.

The two armies met in a field near Cannae (pic 1). The Romans had a huge force of 80,000 infantry and 6,000 cavalry. Hannibal only had 40,000 infantry and 10,000 cavalry. So Hannibal came up with a plan.

Hannibal's cavalry yelled and charged at the Roman cavalry. The Roman cavalry was destroyed leaving the Roman infantry to fight alone (pic 2).

Hannibal's Carthaginian infantry backed up slowly to form a sort of U shape, then Hannibal's Libyan infantry closed in on the sides of the Roman infantry, and Hannibal's cavalry attacked the Romans from the rear (pic 3).

It was a terrible battle. Hannibal and his army destroyed the Romans (pic 4).

By the end of the day 50,000 Roman soldiers were killed (pic 5).

Any surviving Romans quickly retreated (pic 6).