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"
The consul Nero, who made the unequalled march which deceived Hannibal
and deceived Hasdrubal, thereby accomplishing an achievement almost
unrivaled in military annals. The first intelligence of his return, to
Hannibal, was the sight of Hasdrubal' s head thrown into his camp. When
Hannibal saw this, he exclaimed, with a sigh, that ' Rome would now be
the mistress of the world.' To this victory of Nero's it might be owing
that his imperial namesake reigned at all. But the infamy of the one
has eclipsed the glory of the other. When the name of Nero is heard,
who thinks of the consul? But such are human things." -BYRON.
A
patrician of one of the families of the great Claudian house and Roman
general. He was lieutenant of Marcellus (216 BC), Praetor in Spain,
consul with his political enemy Livius Salinator, in 207. Reconciled,
the consuls defeated Hasdrubal at Metaurus. Nero had the head of
Hasdrubal thrown in the Hannibal's camp. He was Censor in 204. Tthere
is no record no successes as having been achieved by him either before
or after this great campaign.
Nero
achieved surprise at Metaurus by very fast forced marches. He marched
back from the engagement on the Metaurus to Apulia even more quickly
than he had come: less than six days (Livy XXVII.50 and XXVIII.9). The
distance from Canusium to the site of the battle with Hasdrubal was 250
miles, and the march time 7 days, which equates to 35 miles per day.
Nero took only picked men, about 6,000 infantry and 1,000 cavalry. The
men ate and fulfilled other necessary physical necessities in rank.
According to Livy the populace along the route supplied them with
provisions, which meant no pack animals or wasted foraging time. |
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