Punic Wars: Hannibal Triumphs at the Trebia

December 18, 218 BC - Carthaginian forces under Hannibal crush the Romans at the Battle of the Trebia. Crossing the Alps into northern Italy after a successful campaign in Iberia, Hannibal moved to engage the army of Tiberius Sempronius Longus. Moving close to Sempronius' position near the Trebia River, Hannibal dispatched 2,000 men under the cover of darkness and led by his brother Mago to assume a concealed position on the Roman flank. The next morning, Hannibal sent his cavalry forward to harass the Roman camp. Sempronius responded by attacking with his entire army. In the resulting fight, the Carthaginian cavalry succeeded in defeating its Roman counterparts on the flanks and attacked Sempronius' infantry. With the Roman line crumbling, Mago attacked from the rear, routing the enemy and driving them from the field.