The was fought near a village in
Northern Italy (perhaps near modern day
Castelfranco Emilia ), on
April 14 , 43 BC, between the forces of
Mark Anthony and the legions of the
Roman Republic under the overall command of
Consul Gaius Vibius Pansa Caetronianus , aided by
Aulus Hirtius and the untested
Octavian (the future
Caesar Augustus ). After months of negotiations between the Senate and Antony did little to settle the questions of power and government after Caesar's assassination, this conflict became unavoidable.
Antony had Brutus confined in position around ''Mutina'' (modern
Modena ), just south of the Padus (
Po ) River on the
Via Aemilia . Pansa was sent north from Rome to link with Hirtius and Octavian in order to provide Brutus with aid. Antony, seizing the central position, hope to deal with the enemy in piecemeal fashion, destroying the columns one at a time.
On
April 14 , Antony's legions collided with those of Pansa, in the village of Forum Gallorum. Pansa's troops were routed and the general severely wounded. Jubilant, Antony called off the pursuit of the broken army but was then astonished to see Hirtius crashing into his own exhausted ranks. The victory was turned into a disaster, and Antony pulled back, having lost the initiative and the battle. Another conflict would take place six days later, at
Mutina .
Information taken from Encyclopedia Britannica, Dictionary of the Roman Empire, and Osprey Essential Histories, Caesar's Civil War.
