History of The Peloponnesian War - Book III   

expedition, to be their leader, and for the twenty Athenian ships that
were cruising off Peloponnese under the command of Aristotle, son of
Timocrates, and Hierophon, son of Antimnestus. On their part, the
Ambraciots at Olpae sent a messenger to their own city, to beg them to
come with their whole levy to their assistance, fearing that the
army of Eurylochus might not be able to pass through the
Acarnanians, and that they might themselves be obliged to fight
single-handed, or be unable to retreat, if they wished it, without
danger.
Meanwhile Eurylochus and his Peloponnesians, learning that the
Ambraciots at Olpae had arrived, set out from Proschium with all haste
to join them, and crossing the Achelous advanced through Acarnania,
which they found deserted by its population, who had gone to the
relief of Argos; keeping on their right the city of the Stratians
and its garrison, and on their left the rest of Acarnania.
Traversing the territory of the Stratians, they advanced through
Phytia, next, skirting Medeon, through Limnaea; after which they
left Acarnania behind them and entered a friendly country, that of the
Agraeans. From thence they reached and crossed Mount Thymaus, which
belongs to the Agraeans, and descended into the Argive territory after
nightfall, and passing between the city of Argos and the Acarnanian
posts at Crenae, joined the Ambraciots at Olpae.
Uniting here at daybreak, they sat down at the place called
Metropolis, and encamped. Not long afterwards the Athenians in the
twenty ships came into the Ambracian Gulf to support the Argives, with
Demosthenes and two hundred Messenian heavy infantry, and sixty
Athenian archers. While the fleet off Olpae blockaded the hill from
the sea, the Acarnanians and a few of the Amphilochians, most of
whom were kept back by force by the Ambraciots, had already arrived at
Argos, and were preparing to give battle to the enemy, having chosen
Demosthenes to command the whole of the allied army in concert with
their own generals. Demosthenes led them near to Olpae and encamped, a
great ravine separating the two armies. During five days they remained
inactive; on the sixth both sides formed in order of battle. The
army of the Peloponnesians was the largest and outflanked their
opponents; and Demosthenes fearing that his right might be surrounded,
placed in ambush in a hollow way overgrown with bushes some four
hundred heavy infantry and light troops, who were to rise up at the
moment of the onset behind the projecting left wing of the enemy,
and to take them in the rear. When both sides were ready they joined
battle; Demosthenes being on the right wing with the Messenians and
a few Athenians, while the rest of the line was made up of the
different divisions of the Acarnanians, and of the Amphilochian
carters. The Peloponnesians and Ambraciots were drawn up pell-mell
together, with the exception of the Mantineans, who were massed on the
left, without however reaching to the extremity of the wing, where
Eurylochus and his men confronted the Messenians and Demosthenes.
The Peloponnesians were now well engaged and with their
outflanking wing were upon the point of turning their enemy's right;
when the Acarnanians from the ambuscade set upon them from behind, and
broke them at the first attack, without their staying to resist; while
the panic into which they fell caused the flight of most of their
army, terrified beyond measure at seeing the division of Eurylochus
and their best troops cut to pieces. Most of the work was done by
Demosthenes and his Messenians, who were posted in this part of the
field. Meanwhile the Ambraciots (who are the best soldiers in those
countries) and the troops upon the right wing, defeated the division
opposed to them and pursued it to Argos. Returning from the pursuit,
they found their main body defeated; and hard pressed by the
Acarnanians, with difficulty made good their passage to Olpae,
suffering heavy loss on the way, as they dashed on without
discipline or order, the Mantineans excepted, who kept their ranks
best of any in the army during the retreat.
The battle did not end until the evening. The next day Menedaius,