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Fabius to the Rescue – Again
Quintus Fabius Maximus’ delay tactics stabilized the situation. However, they upset many Romans, who began to call Fabius Cunctator, or “Delayer”. It was intended as an insult, but in light of how things turned out, it became a badge of honor. When Fabius’ six-month-term as dictator expired, his countrymen amassed 87,000 men, the biggest Roman army to date, and marched off to crush Hannibal. He was eager to let them try. At the Battle of Cannae in 216 BC, Hannibal lured the eager Romans into a double envelopment, and destroyed them.
Of the 87,000 Romans who took to the field, only 10,000 escaped. The rest were slaughtered or captured. There were no more snide comments and sneers about old man Fabius’ caution, and Cunctator became an honorific instead of an insult. Fabius was elected consul three more times before his death in 203 BC, and his Fabian strategy became the official one followed by Rome for the remainder of the war in Italy. The overall war was finally won in 201 BC. Fabius did not live to see the victory, but he laid the groundwork that led up to it.