Agrippa's naval advantage against Antony's army

The opposing coalitions did not possess the same strengths. Antony is presented as the effective commander of his own alliance fleet, with Cleopatra's sixty-ship reserve potentially important if it could enter the battle. Octavian, meanwhile, is described as a skilled political organiser who relied on Marcus Agrippa for naval command. Before the engagement, Quintus Dellius defected and disclosed Antony's battle plan, an intelligence advantage preserved only indirectly because Dellius's own history has not survived. This division of responsibility and information helps explain why the campaign was steered toward the domain in which Octavian's side held the better advantage.