Battles of Philippi
42 BC
Prelude
Following the conscriptions, Marcus Brutus and Cassius Brutus could not live in peace for they had been named in the lists so Octavian and Mark Antony pursued them to Greece. Antony landed with an army of 28 legions in Illyria and left Octavian at Dyrrachium as he was ill, marching to Amphipolis. However, Octavian feared that Antony would lose the battle or claim all the credit for a victory himself so rushed to join the fight. after two weeks, the two forces met at Philippi.
The First Battle of Philippi
The triumvirs Octavian and Mark Antony fought an indecisive battle with Marcus Brutus and Cassius Brutus. Octavian took refuge in the marsh. Cassius' camp was captured by Antony's men, and, Cassius Brutus committed suicide as he wrongly feared that Marcus Brutus was already dead.
The Second Battle of Philippi
Marcus Brutus' army was defeated by Antony and Octavian; the triumvirs smashed through the weak Republican centre and took Brutus' right-wing in it's flank. At the end of the battle, 14,000 legionaries lay down their arms and Brutus himself fled to the heights of Philippi, where he committed suicide the following day.
Context
Suetonius says that "Augustus defeated Brutus and Cassius at Philippi though in ill health at the time" and that "after the second and decisive one he showed no clemency to his beaten enemies".
Mark Antony would use these battles as a way of belittling Octavian as both battles were reliant upon his forces. In addition to claiming responsibility for victory, he also branded Octavian a coward for handing over his direct military control to Marcus Vipsanus Agrippa instead.
Mark Antony would use these battles as a way of belittling Octavian as both battles were reliant upon his forces. In addition to claiming responsibility for victory, he also branded Octavian a coward for handing over his direct military control to Marcus Vipsanus Agrippa instead.