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The battle of Stratus in 429 was a Spartan
defeat that ended a brief campaign designed to drive the Athenians out of
Acarnania, the area to the north-west of the entrance to the Gulf of Corinth
(Great Peloponnesian War) The Spartans were persuaded to launch this expedition
by their allies in the north-west of Greece - the Ambraciots and the Chaonians.
The plan was for a combined land and naval operation. A Spartan and allied army
would invade Acarnania from the Gulf of Ambracia to the north, while their
fleet would cruise off the coast in an attempt to prevent the Acarnanians from
uniting against the invaders. The allied army took shape at Leucas, a island
just outside the gulf of Ambracia, before moving to the territory of
Amphilochian Argos at the eastern end of the gulf. The army consisted of 1,000
Peloponnesians, contingents of Greek troops from Ambracia, Leucas and
Anactorium, and local non-Greek troops from the Chaonian, Paravaean and
Orestian tribes. The combined army was commanded by the Spartan admiral Cnemus.
Cnemus decided to march south and attack Stratus, the largest town in
Acarnania, hoping that a victory there would end resistance across the entire
region. His army moved south from Argos, sacked the village of Limnaea, and
then moved towards Stratus in three divisions. The Greek troops were on the
flanks, with the Ambraciots and Peloponnesians on the left and the Leucadians
and Anactorians on the right, while the native troops made up the central
division. Cnemus's plan was for all three divisions to camp close together near
to the city, but the Chaonians in the central division decided to try and
capture Stratus in a surprise attack. While the two Greek divisions were
preparing to camp the Chaonians and the rest of the central division continued
on towards the town. The defenders of Stratus realised that they had a chance
to defeat part of the invading army, and set a trap. Parties of troops were
placed in hiding outside the town. When the Chaonians reached Stratus they were
attacked from the town and ambushed from the flanks. The Chaonians broke and
fled, taking the rest of the central division with them. The two Greek
divisions were only aware that a battle had been fought and lost when the
retreating troops from the central division reached their camps. Cnemus ordered
the two Greek divisions to move together to form a single line, while the
defeated central division took shelter behind the new line. The more lightly
equipped Acarnanias refused to come to close quarters with the hoplites, and
instead pelted them with sling stones from a safe distance. On the night after
the battle Cnemus was forced to retreat back to the Anapus River, nine miles
from Stratus. He was able to arrange an armistice to collect the bodies of the
dead, and then retreated back north to safety. At about the same time as
Cnemus's invasion was coming to grief at Stratus part of his fleet was also
suffering a defeat, this time at Chalcis, close to the mouth of the Gulf of
Corinth.
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