September 2, 31 BC · Epirus (western Greece, Gulf of Ambracia) Theater
September 2, 31 BC
The final battle between Antony and Octavian was decided before it was fought. Antony had wintered his army of 100,000 infantry and 500 ships at Actium on the Gulf of Ambracia, but disease and desertion had gutted his forces throughout the summer of 31 BC as Agrippa systematically seized the ports and supply routes of the Adriatic and Mediterranean. By September Antony's army was too weakened to retreat overland and his naval crews too diminished to fight an offensive naval engagement. The battle was essentially a breakout attempt: Antony loaded his treasure ships and tried to run through Agrippa's blockade with the best of his remaining fleet. Cleopatra's squadron of 60 ships successfully broke through when a gap opened — either because she followed a prearranged plan or because she fled, depending on which source you believe. Antony then abandoned his flagship and chased after her. His remaining fleet, leaderless, surrendered within hours. His army on land surrendered a week later.
Commanders