Quintus Fabius Maximus

Quintus Fabius Maximus Verrucosus Cunctator (c. 280 BC – 203 BC) was a Roman politician and general, who was born and died in Rome. He was a Roman Consul five times (233 BC, 228 BC, 215 BC, 214 BC and 209 BC) and was twice appointed Dictator, in 221 and again in 217 BC. He reached the office of Roman Censor in 230 BC. His agnomen Cunctator (cognate to the English noun cunctation) means "delayer" in Latin, and refers to his strategy in deploying troops against the Carthaginians during the Second Punic War. He is widely regarded as the father of guerrilla warfare due to his, at the time, novel strategy of targeting enemy supply lines in light of being largely outnumbered. His cognomen Verrucosus means "warty", a reference to a wart above his upper lip. His popular image gave rise to the adjective "Fabian."

Quintus Fabius Maximus in The Guns of the South
Quintus Fabius Maximus was a Roman general known as Cunctator, or delayer. Judah Benjamin compared George McClellan to Fabius because McClellan had become famous for his delays in attacking during the Second American Revolution. The difference was that Fabius' delays helped his own side, whereas McClellan's delays only helped the enemy. The mention of Fabius reminded Robert E. Lee of another wise Roman custom, that of having a man stand beside the hero of the day during a triumphal parade, and whispering to his ear "Remember, you are mortal."