Hannibal was a logistical genius—he never sent his troops into a void. For the elephants he packed dry grain, barley, and even bark from pine trees, which they could chew on when forage was scarce. He had a convoy of supply wagons that hauled the same stuff from the plains, and he’d also hired local shepherds to bring him fresh hay from the high pastures. Soldiers? He kept them in rotating shifts so they could rest and eat when he found a spring or a patch of edible vegetation. He carried salt, dried meat, and even a small stash of wine—there’s a story that he made a pact with a local tribe, promising to bring them the spoils of Rome in exchange for safe passage and forage. Morale was kept by constant communication. He’d give brief speeches in front of the front line, reminding them of the glory that awaited in Italy. He also sent messengers to announce when a hill was over, when a valley was cleared, or when he was planning a night ambush, so the troops felt they were moving forward. And when the elephants started to falter, he had a contingency: a few were put to rest in caves, and the rest were used sparingly to keep the rest of the army in line. His insistence on keeping the troops together, offering small comforts, and the promise of a triumphant return kept them marching through the Alps.

Hannibal probably carried about 30–35 kilos of grain per elephant each day. An adult African elephant can eat roughly 150–200 kilos of forage a day, but under Alpine stress they’d shrink that to about 70–80 kilos, so the grain supplemented a lot. The supply wagons held about 200 kilos of dried barley and grain per trip, and they’d make two round‑trips each week on the steep paths, giving the elephants a steady, if not plentiful, feed. For the soldiers the rotations were less precise than my theory. He had them march in three‑day shifts, but fatigue, snow, and sickness meant some squads had to rest for a whole day or two while the others pushed on. The commanders would notice when a group was visibly exhausted and pull them back, but the overall timetable was fluid. That’s why historians debate whether the “rotations” were a planned system or an ad‑hoc response to the harsh environment. The key point is that Hannibal’s men didn’t march in a single, tireless line; they were cycled in and out as the conditions demanded, which was as clever as any supply schedule.