Battle of Philips

|- | Conflict || Civil war enters the Second Triumvirate and the Republicans |- | Date || September-October, 42 av. J. - C. |- | Place || Philips (Eastern Macedonia) |- | Resulting || Victoire of the triumvirs Marc Antoine and Octave |- |colspan=2| |}

The Bataille of Philips (September-October 42 av. J. - C.) sees, during two confrontation successive, the triumvirs Octave and Antoine to overcome the Republicans Brutus and Cassius in the plain in the west of Philips. This defeat rings the knell of the hopes of the Sénat to preserve the republican mode.

The civil war enters the Second Triumvirate and the Republicans

After the coup d'etat of Octave which is made elect consul by the Comices on August 19th 43 av. J. - C., and the conclusion of the Second triumvirate the front on November 27th, 43 J. - C. with Lépide and Marc Antoine, the hopes of the Sénat to maintain the République rest on the assassins of César, Brutus and Cassius, which are flee in the East in 44 av. J. - C. In autumn 43, Cassius which took the head of the legions of Syria and Egypt, and overcome the césarien Dolabella with Laodicée, makes its junction with Brutus with Smyrna. Both then decide the all-out war against the triumvirs.

Movements of the armies before the battle

Brutus and Cassius crosses the straits with an imposing army of 19 legions accompanied by an important cavalry.
Antoine and Octave crosses the Adriatique then the Greece with 28 their 43 legions. They detach from it an army of 8 legions which they send under the command of L. Decidius Saxa and of C. Norbanus Flaccus with the meeting of the Republicans. This army crosses all the Macedonia to go to prohibit the access of two processions in Thrace: Decidius occupies that of Korpiles and Norbanus that of Sapéens.
Brutus and Cassius is prevented presence of Norbanus to the processions of Sapéens by prince thrace Rhaskuporis, their ally. They circumvent the obstacle thanks to a stratagem: they send their fleet, carried out by Tillius Cimber, with a legion, to circumvent the course Serrheion and to skirt the coast to make believe that they do not need the terrestrial road. Indeed, Norbanus, impressed by the show of force, orders in Decidius to make retirement, which releases the procession of Korpiles for the Republicans.

the 8 legions of Norbanus and Decidius occupy in concert the procession of Sapéens, in the area of Abdère. Prince thrace Rhaskuporis shows the Republicans then how to circumvent the position by North, at the four days price of walk in difficult mountain lanes of Symbolon. Brutus and Cassius arrive thus in the plain of Philips. Prevented by Rhaskos which them position was again turned, Decidius and Norbanus fold up themselves by the road of the coast on Amphipolis.
Brutus and Cassius establishes each one their camp in the plain in the West of Philips, the first on the slopes in the North-West of the city, the second on a small hill in South-west.

Involved forces

In the republican camp, according to Appien (Bellum Civil, IV, 88 Brutus has 8 legions and 6 000 riders; Cassius of 11 legions and 6 000 riders also. Brutus had 4 thus; 000 riders of Gaulle and Lusitanie, 3 000 of Thrace and It and 2 000 Parthes and Thessaliens. The cavalry of Cassius on its side breaks up into 2 000 Spaniards and Gaulois, 4 000 assembled archers Arab, Mèdes and Parthes. Allied Galates and Asian princes bring reinforcements of infantry and especially 8 to them; 000 additional riders, of which 3 000 come from prince thrace Rhaskuporis. The total of the republican forces is established with approximately 80 000 men: certain legions were under-manpower.
In the camp of the triumvirs, 28 of the 43 legions which they have in all are committed in this countryside, but 8 were detached from it, so that Octave and Antoine have about it only 20 Philips front. Contrary to the republican legions, they are to the maximum of their manpower. Rhaskos, prince thrace brother of Rhaskuporis had contributed to height of 5 000 riders also with the triumvirs.

The first battle of Philips (first week of front October 42 J. - C.)

Antoine tries to turn over the protection which the marsh offers to the Republicans while benefitting from the cover that it offers to its troops: it makes discreetly build a roadway which circumvents by the South the positions of Cassius, and after 10 days of this work sends some troops to establish fear in the South-east of those (fig. 2.1).
Cassius surprises the operation and counteracts while making build a dam in the marsh perpendicular to that of Antoine, thus cutting it its outpost. (fig. 2.2)
Antoine then launches a general frontal attack on the positions of Cassius: it seizes its camp which its soldiers start to plunder (fig. 2.3).
Simultaneously, the legions of Brutus attack in North in direction of the camp of Octave, hustle its legions, and seize in their turn the enemy camp which they put at bag. Octave itself miraculeusement does not owe its safety - it is what it reports in its memories - which with a premonitory dream which had made it leave the camp (fig. 2.4).
Driven out its fortifications, Cassius prefers to take refuge on the very close acropolis of Philips to profit there from an overall picture of the battle field. But dust masks to him the attack of Brutus against Octave, and leaves him see only the rout of its own troops. Considering the situation lost, and in spite of perhaps of the messengers announcing the victory of Brutus to him, he asks his Affranchi Pindarus to kill it (fig. 2.5).
the battle finishes when each army is withdrawn on its original positions by carrying the spoils made in the opposing side. The losses are heavy on the two sides: Cassius and Brutus would have lost 8 000 men and Octave and Antoine 16 000 (according to Messala Corvinus, one of the commander de Brutus, quoted by Plutarque, Brutus , 45). These figures high (and doubtful as all figures of losses of the ancient battles) testify to the violence of the combat of this first undecided battle.
Brutus makes secretly bury Cassius with Thasos to try to limit the effects of this news on the republican army.

The second battle of Philips (front October 23rd, 42 J. - C.)

The very same day of the first battle of Philips takes place at sea a naval engagement Ionienne: the republican fleet of Murcus and Ahenobarbus destroys the reinforcements of 2 legions that Domitius Calvinus was to bring to Octave. This constrained reverse triumvirs to keep the initiative and to force the Republicans with the combat, because their logistic situation remains very bad. Brutus on its side occupies the old positions of Cassius and again wishes to temporize to weaken its adversaries.
Antoine again tries to circumvent by the Southern side the Republicans, but by engaging there the essence of its forces (fig. 3.1). It makes occupy by 4 legions the secondary hill between the camp of Cassius and the marsh, that Brutus omitted to re-occupy. Then starting from this position, it sends 10 legions to establish another camp 5 stages more in the East along the marsh, and 2 other legions to build again a third camp, 4 stages in the East of the second.
Brutus reacts by building a series of fear to face these new deployments (fig. 3.2). The frontline thus completely changes direction to become West-east and either North-South. It extends dangerously in the direction from Philips and threat to cut Brutus of its line of communications with the sea. The triumvirs make on their side the bet occupy a delicate position, along the marsh, which does not leave them or little possibility of retirement if they are overcome.
the second battle of Philips is finally committed on October 23rd towards 15:00, three weeks after the first, when Brutus yields to its officers who has a presentiment of it of launching the combat. According to Appien, they are the soldiers of Octave who make this time the decision and seize the doors of the fortifications of Brutus. The defeat turns quickly to the rout, the Republicans fleeing towards the sea and the mountain.
Brutus makes retirement towards the heights (fig. 2.3), from where he thinks of being able to continue the combat and to take again his camp invested by Octave. But it must be resigned, abandoned by its men: it chooses to commit suicide in its turn rather than to be made prisoner. Antoine makes burn his corpse on one to rough-hew and send his ashes to his mother, Servilia Caepionis. According to Suétone, on the contrary, Octave slices the head to him to make it throw to the feet of the statue of César to Rome. Among the runaways, the Latin poet Horace is not the last, him which had attached its intended for that of Brutus.
the remaining republican troops capitulate and put at the orders triumvirs. There are no estimates on the losses undergone by the two camps in this second battle.

Consequences of the victory of the triumvirs

Octave and Antoine lays off part of their troops on the battle field, and bases a Roman colony on the site of the Greek city of Philips, the colonia Iulia Victrix Philippensis , dedicated to the victory which they have just gained. They probably raise a monument on the battle field, which one did not find the trace. But it is remarkable to note that at the place where it Via Egnatia passed the ground lifting of Cassius, a monumental arc which marks, according to interpretations is built, either the Pomerium of the colony, or the necropoles, and in particular that of the soldiers fallen into the battle.
the triumvirs proceed to a division of the Roman world: Antoine receives the East to be pacified and the Narbonnaise, Lépide the Africa, and Octave the Occident with load for him to eliminate Sextus Pompée. The Roman Republic died well, but the form of the mode which will replace it remainder to be determined: more than ten years of civil wars Philips separate from Actium, the birth certificate of the Roman Empire.

Sources

Beautiful Appien, . civ. (IV, 105-138), gives a very detailed account of the battle;
Dion Cassius, Roman History (XLVII, 35-49);
( Brutus , 38-53; Antoine , 22).

See too

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