Mahan III.

This is coolbert:

Mahan - - conclusion.

Scipio [Africanus] and Wellington [Arthur Wellesley].

Quoting to a degree with entirety from the preface to: "The Influence of Sea Power Upon History: 1660-1783 [1890]"

"'Twice,' says Arnold in his History of Rome, 'Has there been
witnessed the struggle of the highest individual genius against the
resources and institutions of a great nation, and in both cases the
nation was victorious. For seventeen years Hannibal strove against
Rome, for sixteen years Napoleon strove against England; the efforts
of the first ended in Zama, those of the second in Waterloo.'"

"Sir Edward Creasy, quoting this, adds: 'One point, however, of the
similitude between the two wars has scarcely been adequately dwelt on;
that is, the remarkable parallel between the Roman general who finally
defeated the great Carthaginian, and the English general who gave the
last deadly overthrow to the French emperor. Scipio and Wellington
both held for many years commands of high importance, but distant
fromthe main theatres of warfare. The same country was the scene of
 theprincipal military career of each. It was in Spain that Scipio, like
Wellington, successively encountered and overthrew nearly all the
subordinate generals of the enemy before being opposed to the chief
champion and conqueror himself. Both Scipio and Wellington restored
their countrymen's confidence in arms when shaken by a series of
reverses, and each of them closed a long and perilous war by a
complete and overwhelming defeat of the chosen leader and the chosen
veterans of the foe.'"

"Neither of these Englishmen mentions the yet more striking
coincidence, that in both cases the mastery of the sea rested with the
victor. The Roman control of the water forced Hannibal to that long,
perilous march through Gaul in which more than half his veteran troops
wasted away; it enabled the elder Scipio, while sending his army from
the Rhone on to Spain, to intercept Hannibal's communications, to
return in person and face the invader at the Trebia. Throughout the
war the legions passed by water, unmolested and unwearied, between
Spain, which was Hannibal's base, and Italy, while the issue of the
decisive battle of the Metaurus, hinging as it did upon the interior
position of the Roman armies with reference to the forces of Hasdrubal
and Hannibal, was ultimately due to the fact that the younger brother
could not bring his succoring reinforcements by sea, but only by the
land route through Gaul. Hence at the critical moment the two
Carthaginian armies were separated by the length of Italy, and one was
destroyed by the combined action of the Roman generals."

Those main points to reiterate are: [Scipio and Wellington both]

* "held for many years commands of high importance"
* "distant from the main theatres of warfare"

* "The same country was the scene of the principal military career"

* "[both] encountered and overthrew nearly all the subordinate generals of the enemy"

* "in both cases the mastery of the sea rested with the victor"

* "[both] closed a long and perilous war by a complete and overwhelming defeat [of the enemy]"

Control the sea and utilize SEA POWER and you have a marked advantage over your enemy. As it was for Scipio, so it was for Wellington over two thousand years later!!

With Arnold and Creasy you have mere "recitation of facts"? With Mahan the facts and the insight from the master of the facts and the insight!

coolbert.