The arrangements being now completed, Leigh and his band lay down
in a thicket near the bank of the river, and slept for some hours.
At one o'clock in the morning Leigh rose and, with his three
followers, started for the village. It was but twenty minutes'
walk. Not a soul was stirring, not a light visible in any window.
They found that three or four boats were lying by the bank. Leigh
chose the smallest of these and, loosening the head rope from the
post to which it was fastened, took his place in her with the
others. Accustomed as he was to rowing, from his childhood, he soon
reached the opposite bank. Here he fastened the boat up, and struck
across country until he reached the road. Then he sent one of his
followers westward.
"You will follow the road," he said, "until within a mile of Tours;
then you will conceal yourself, and watch who passes along. If you
see a large body of troops coming, you will at once strike across
country and make your way down to the village above that at which
we crossed. You heard the instructions that I gave to Pierre. If
you find him and the others there with the boat, you will report
what you have seen. He will send another messenger on with the news
to Cathelineau, and you will remain with him until I arrive.
"If he is not there, you will follow the bank of the river down to
the other village. You will give a shout as you pass the spot where
we halted. If no answer comes, you will probably find Pierre and
the boat somewhere below. You will not miss him, for I have ordered
him to post two of your comrades on the bank, so that you cannot
pass them unseen. As in the first case, you will remain with him
until I arrive, and your message will be carried to the general by
another of his party.
"In case you do not find him at all, you will know that I have
returned before you, and have taken him and the others on with me.
In that case, you must make a faggot sufficiently large to support
you in the water, and swim across. The river is low, and it will
not be many yards out of your depth."
"I could swim that without the faggot, sir."
"Yes; but it is better to have it. I don't suppose that you have
ever swum in your clothes, and you would find it heavy work;
therefore you had better rely upon the faggot to keep you up and,
with its aid, you will have no difficulty in crossing."
The morning now was breaking, for in June the nights are short and,
after waiting for an hour, Leigh and his two companions--all of
whom had divested themselves of their weapons and belts, which they
had left in Pierre's charge--started for Saumur. In the presence of
so large a number of troops, with scarcely any training and
discipline, and with the excitement that would have been caused by
the defeat of Leigonyer, and the prospect of an attack by the
Vendeans, Leigh felt confident that three country lads ran no risk
of being questioned. However, he took the precaution of learning
the name of the village he passed through, six miles from the town;
so that if any one should happen to ask where they came from, and
what they were doing, he could give the name of a village, and say
that they had merely come in from curiosity, hearing that there was
likely to be a battle. Assuredly many country people would be
coming for the same purpose.
They entered the town at six o'clock. It was already astir. The
citizens, with anxious faces, were talking together in little
groups. Soldiers were loitering about in the streets, totally
regardless of the bugles and drums that were sounding in the
marketplace, and at various points outside the town. The civil
functionaries, in their scarves of office, hurried fussily about,
but for once they were unheeded. But a week before, a denunciation
by any of these men would have been sufficient to ensure the arrest
and imprisonment, and probably the death, of anyone against whom
they had a grudge. Now they were in greater danger than those who
had dreaded and hated them.
At present there was no talk of politics among the groups of
townspeople. Men who were the chief upholders of the regime of
confiscation and murder, and others who in their heart loathed and
hated it, were discussing the probabilities of an attack by the
Vendeans, and what would happen were that attack to be successful.
Would the town be given over to sack? Would there be a massacre and
slaughter, such as Chalbos and other commanders of the Blues had
inflicted in the Vendean villages through which they had passed?
The Vendeans in arms were called, by the Blues, "the brigands."
Would they behave like brigands, or would they conduct themselves
as Royal and Catholic soldiers, as they called themselves?
As the hours passed, the streets became more crowded. Numbers of
the country people came in to learn the news. Spies from Doue had
already brought in word that orders had been issued, by
Cathelineau, that the army should march at eight o'clock for
Saumur; and all doubt that it was their intention either to attack
the town, or to accept battle in the plain before it, was at an
end. The assembly was sounded in all quarters of the town and,
presently, parties of the mounted gendarmes rode through the
streets, and drove the soldiers to their rendezvous.
Presently Leigh saw General Menou, and some other officers of rank,
enter a large house.
"Who lives there?" he asked a woman who was standing near him.
"General Duhoux. He is in command, you know, but he has not
recovered from a wound he got at Chemille, and is unable to ride."
Leigh had no doubt that a council of war was about to be held and,
bidding his companions wait for him at the end of the street, he
sauntered across the road, and sat down on the pavement by the side
of the entrance. Leaning against the wall, he took from his pocket
a hunk of the peasants' black bread and, cutting it up with his
knife, proceeded to munch it unconcernedly. An officer and two or
three troopers were standing by their horses' heads, in the road
opposite the door, evidently awaiting orders.
In half an hour General Menou himself came out, and said to the
officer:
"Sir, you will ride at once to Thouars, by way of Loudun, and
deliver this despatch to General Salomon. It is most urgent. When
you hand it to him, you can say that I begged you to impress upon
him the necessity for losing not a moment of time. It is all
important that he should arrive here tonight, for tomorrow morning
we may be attacked. Take your troopers with you."
The officer and his men mounted at once, and rode off at full
speed. Leigh remained quiet until Menou and the other officers rode
out from the courtyard and proceeded down the street, followed by
their escort. Then he got up, stretched himself, and walked slowly
to the spot where his two comrades were awaiting him.
"I have learned what I wanted to know," he said. "Do you both make
your way back to the spot where Pierre will be awaiting us, and
tell him that I am going to swim the river, a mile above the town.
He is to wait where he is until Lucien comes back from Tours--which
will not be till twelve o'clock tonight, for his orders are to
remain within sight of the town till six in the afternoon. If by
that hour the troops there have not set out, they will not arrive
until after we have captured Saumur.
"Saunter along quietly. There is no hurry."
After they had set out he, too, strolled out of the town, kept
along the road for another half mile, and then struck off across
the fields towards the river. Arrived there, he took off his heavy
country shoes, tied them round his waist, and waded out into the
river. He had but some thirty yards to swim. As soon as he reached
the opposite bank, he poured the water out of his shoes, put them
on again, and set out at a run. He had to make a detour, so as to
get beyond the eminences on which the Republican troops were posted
and, after running for a couple of miles, came down on the road.
A short distance farther he arrived at a village. A peasant, with a
horse and cart, was standing in front of a cabaret.
"Do you want to earn two crowns?" he asked the man.
The latter nodded.
"Two crowns are not easily earned," he said. "I was just starting
for Montreuil but, if it pays me better to go in another direction,
I must put that journey off until tomorrow."
"I want you to carry me to Doue," he said, "at the best speed of
which your horse is capable."
The countryman looked at him doubtfully. His clothes were not yet
dry. Leigh saw that the man was not sure of his power to fulfil his
promise. He therefore produced two crowns, and held them up.
"By Saint Matthew," he said, "it is the first silver I have seen
for months. I will take you."
Leigh jumped up beside the peasant. The latter at once whipped up
his horse, and started at a brisk trot.
"You know that the Catholic Army is there?" he asked.
"Yes, I know. I belong to it myself. I have been with it from the
first."
"I would have taken you for nothing, if you had said so before,"
the man said. "We are all heart and soul with them, here; and if,
as they say, they will come along here to attack Saumur, every man
in the village will go with them. How is it that you are here?"
"I am an officer," Leigh said, "and have been, in disguise, into
Saumur to see what is going on there; and am now taking the news
back to Cathelineau."
Conversation was difficult, for the jolting of the cart was
terrible, and Leigh found it next to impossible to talk. He was
well content when the belfries of Doue came into sight. On arriving
at the town, they drew up at the house where Cathelineau and the
generals had their quarters. As he got down, he offered the peasant
the two crowns.
"No, sir," the man said, "I will not take a sou for my service. We
in this part have had no chance of doing anything, and I should be
ashamed, indeed, to take money from those who have been fighting
for the good cause.
"As you say they will advance tomorrow, I will wait here. It may be
that my cart will be useful and, whether or no, I shall stay if it
is only to get a sight of Cathelineau, whose name we all
reverence."
"I will tell him of your goodwill. You had best remain here for a
few minutes."
He was about to enter, when two armed peasants, who were guarding
the door, stopped him.
"No one can enter. The general is in council."
"Do you not know me? I am Captain Stansfield."
The men drew back at once. It was not strange that they did not
recognize him. He generally wore a sort of uniform, with a red sash
round his waist, which was the distinguishing badge of the
officers; but had always adopted a peasant dress, on setting out on
an expedition. There was no one to announce him, and he entered a
room where the leaders were sitting round a table.
They looked up in surprise. He was grimed with the dust, which had
risen in clouds as he drove along, and his clothes bore signs of
their immersion.
"Back again, monsieur?" Cathelineau exclaimed, "and with news, no
doubt."
"Very important news, sir. I have been in Saumur, and have learned
that an officer has started for Thouars, by way of Loudun, with
orders to General Salomon to march instantly into Saumur, and that
he is to arrive there tonight. I left the town five minutes after
the messenger. Three-quarters of an hour later I struck the road,
two miles this side of Saumur; and have been brought here in a
cart, by a peasant. It is now four o'clock, and I do not think that
the officer would arrive at Thouars before half past three."
"That is important news, indeed," Cathelineau said.
"Well, gentlemen, what do you think had best be done?"
"It seems to me that nothing could be better," Monsieur de Lescure
said. "The enemy's column cannot start until five o'clock, at the
earliest. It will be dark before they can arrive at Saumur. I know
the road well. It runs in several places through woods and, where
this is not the case, there are high hedges.
"Nothing could be more suitable for an ambuscade. I propose that
half of our force should march, at once, and take post on the other
side of Montreuil. It will be nearly sunset before Salomon can
arrive at that town and, if we engage him at dusk, he will lose
half the benefit of the discipline of the regiment of gendarmes who
will, no doubt, accompany him."
"I quite approve of that plan, monsieur," Cathelineau said.
"Are you all of the same opinion, gentlemen?"
There was a general expression of assent.
"Will you, General Bonchamp, with Monsieur de Lescure, take command
of that force? I myself will proceed, with the rest of our army,
until past the point where the road from Montreuil falls into that
from this town. In that way, if General Bonchamp fails to arrest
Salomon's march, we can fall upon him; and on the other hand, if
the firing should be heard at Saumur, and Menou leads out a force
to assist Salomon, we can oppose him.
"General Dommaigne, your cavalry would be useless in the attack on
Salomon, while it might be of great value if Menou comes out.
"You have rendered us another good service, Monsieur Stansfield. If
Salomon had thrown another four thousand men into Saumur, including
his regiment of gendarmes, it would have been a serious business to
take the place; whereas with the troops Menou has, half of whom are
Leigonyer's fugitives, I do not anticipate any great difficulty."
"I shall be glad, general, if you would speak a word to the good
fellow who brought me here. I had bargained with him for two crowns
but, when he found that I was one of your officers, he refused to
receive anything; and moreover, he said that he would remain here
with his cart, until tomorrow, as perhaps he might be useful in
carrying stores. He expressed the greatest desire to see you."
"Certainly I will speak to him," Cathelineau said, as he sent out
to give orders for the church bells to ring, and the horns to blow.
The man was standing by his cart, a short distance off, in the hope
of catching sight of Cathelineau. The general at once walked up to
him.
"This is General Cathelineau," Leigh said.
The countryman took off his hat, and dropped on his knees.
"Get up, my good fellow," Cathelineau said; "I am but a Vendean
peasant, like yourself. I thank you for the good service that you
have rendered, by bringing Monsieur Stansfield so quickly to us.
The time it has saved may make all the difference to us and, in the
future, you will have the satisfaction of knowing that you have
played an important part in the capture of Saumur."
In five minutes the quiet street was crowded with men. The peasants
had encamped in the fields round the town and, at the summons,
caught up their arms and ran in hastily, feeling sure that the
occasion was important, as they had been told that they were not to
march until next morning.
The divisions commanded by Monsieur de Lescure and General Bonchamp
speedily gathered round the distinguishing flags of those officers.
Other leaders joined them with their followers, until some ten
thousand men were gathered outside the town.
Leigh had changed his clothes and mounted his horse, Monsieur de
Lescure having invited him to ride with him. As they were about to
start, one of Andre's messengers arrived, with the news that an
officer and three troopers had arrived at the town; and that, ten
minutes later, the trumpets were sounding the assembly.
"It is well that we got your news first," Monsieur de Lescure said
to Leigh, "for otherwise we could hardly have got our forces
together, and been ready for a start, until it was too late to
intercept Salomon."
The route of the column was by a byroad, between Doue and
Montreuil. It was seven o'clock before they approached the town.
Then, striking off the road, they marched through the fields until
a mile and a half to the east of it, when they halted in a thick
wood. They were now divided into three columns, of equal strength.
That under Monsieur de Lescure occupied the wood on one side of the
road, that under Monsieur Bonchamp the other side. The third column
were posted in rear of the wood, and were to thickly line the
hedges that bordered it.
It was just dusk when the force from Thouars came along. It
consisted of three thousand six hundred men, with four pieces of
cannon. It was allowed to pass nearly through the wood, when a
heavy fire was opened upon it on both flanks.
The regiment of gendarmes which led the column showed great
coolness and, animated by their example, the whole force remained
steady. Darkness came on, but it was not until eleven o'clock that
there was any change in the situation. Owing to the darkness in the
forest, neither side was able to distinguish its foes. The men
fired only at the flashes of the muskets.
Lescure then sent round four or five hundred men, who suddenly fell
upon the baggage train of the enemy. The guard were completely
taken by surprise. Many of the carters cut the ropes and traces,
and galloped off, delighted to escape from a service into which
they had, for the most part, been dragged against their will.
The alarm thus begun spread rapidly. The young troops who,
encouraged by the example of the gendarmes, had so far stood their
ground, at once lost heart. The darkness of the night, their
ignorance as to the strength of the force that had attacked the
rear, and the fear that all retreat would be cut off, would have
shaken older soldiers than these and, in spite of the efforts of
their officers, the wildest confusion soon reigned.
The Vendeans pressed their attack more hotly, and General Salomon,
seeing that unless a retreat was made while there was yet time, a
terrible disaster might take place, ordered the gendarmes to fall
back in good order. The movement was effected without great loss.
In the darkness it was impossible for Lescure and the other leaders
to get their men together, and to press hard upon their retreating
foes; and they were well satisfied at having carried out the object
of their expedition, and prevented the force from Thouars from
entering Saumur.
Word was sent to Cathelineau that Salomon had fallen back, and the
peasants then lay down till morning.
Andre, with his little band, had joined the force when fighting
began. They had, as soon as Salomon started from Thouars, followed
his movements at a distance, from time to time sending off a
messenger to Doue giving an account of the progress of the enemy.
As soon as the firing broke out in the wood, Andre, with the twelve
who still remained with him, joined the combatants and, finding
that Leigh was with Monsieur de Lescure, was not long in
discovering him.
"You have done very well, Andre," he said. "I don't think anything
will come of this fighting. It is getting dark already, and I have
no fear, now, that the Blues will break through. Neither party will
be able to see the other, in this wood, and certainly you could do
no good with your pistols. Practically, few are engaged on either
side. The Blues have made one effort and, finding that we have a
very strong force in their front, have given up the attempt to push
forward. I don't believe that the new levies have courage enough to
keep steady through a whole night's uncertainty.
"You had best draw off some distance and rest, till you hear, by
the firing, that some change has taken place. If you hear that the
Blues are retreating, follow them at a distance. It is important
for the generals to know what course they are taking. They may halt
in Montreuil, they may return to Thouars, they may retire to Niort
or Parthenay.
"If they remain in Montreuil, let us know at once, because in that
case we shall have to stay here, in case they should attempt to
push on again. If they go farther, we need have no more concern
about them. Still, it would be of great importance to our generals
to know whether they return to Thouars, or retire farther south."
"Very well, captain; I will see that you are kept informed."
"You had better instruct your first messengers to come straight
here. Cathelineau and the rest of the forces started, directly we
did, and will halt at the junction of the roads, and are likely to
remain there all day tomorrow. Therefore, if your messengers find
the wood deserted, they have simply to follow the road, and they
will either overtake us, or find us with Cathelineau."
"How long must we follow the Blues?"
"There is no occasion to go any great distance. I do not suppose
that we shall pursue them. They could certainly defend themselves
at Montreuil, and we should not risk suffering heavy loss, and
having the men dispirited by failure, when all are needed for the
work at Saumur. If you follow them far enough to determine whether
they are retiring on Thouars, or are marching towards Niort, that
is all that is necessary; and you will be able to rejoin us in
plenty of time to see the fight at Saumur."
As Leigh thought would be probable, Monsieur de Lescure restrained
the peasants from following in pursuit, when the Blues retreated.
The latter had left two of their guns behind them, and a number of
carts, laden with ammunition and provisions for the march, fell
into the peasants' hands--the latter providing them with breakfast
before they started, early next morning, rejoining Cathelineau's
force two hours later. These had been apprised, some hours before,
by one of the mounted gentlemen who had accompanied the column, of
the success that had attended the operation; and they were received
with great joy by their comrades, on their arrival.
Cathelineau, with General Bonchamp and a small escort of cavalry,
had ridden towards Saumur to examine the positions occupied by the
enemy, and to discuss the plan of attack. They now felt confident
of success; unless, indeed, Biron should come up in the course of
the day with the Paris brigade at Tours, together with its guns.
The description that Leigh had given, of the confusion and want of
discipline in the garrison, showed that it could not be relied upon
for hard fighting; and as it was certain that the failure of
Salomon to get through to its assistance would be known, in Saumur,
early in the day, it could not but add to the dismay produced by
the advance against the town.
This was indeed the case. As artillery had not been employed on
either side, the sound of the conflict did not reach the town.
However, as the officer who had taken the order to Thouars returned
at seven o'clock; saying that Salomon was preparing to march, and
would assuredly arrive some time in the evening, the anxiety
increased hour by hour and, by midnight, the conviction that he
must have been attacked by the enemy, and had failed to get
through, became a certainty, and spread dismay through the town.
At five in the morning a mounted messenger brought a despatch from
Salomon, saying that he had fought for four hours near Montreuil,
against a large force of the enemy; and that, another column of
these having fallen on his rear, he found it necessary to retire,
as a panic was spreading among the National Guard, and a serious
disaster would have happened, had he continued his attempts to push
on. In the evening Generals Coustard and Berthier, who had been
sent by Biron to act under Menou's orders, arrived in the town; and
Santerre, the brewer of Paris, who had been the leader of the mob
there and was now a general, arrived next morning.
Cathelineau's army was astir early. The leaders had been gladdened
by the arrival, at five o'clock, of a messenger from Pierre, saying
that one of his messengers had come in from Tours, and that, up to
seven o'clock in the evening, no troops had left that city. It was,
therefore, certain that the garrison of Saumur could receive no
assistance from that quarter.
Breakfast was eaten, and the army then formed up in its divisions.
Mass was celebrated, and it then set out for Saumur.
In that town all was confusion and dismay. The newly arrived
generals were strangers alike to the town, its defences, and the
troops they were to command. In front of the works defending Saumur
ran the river Dives, which fell into the Loire, a mile or so below
the town. It was crossed by a bridge; but so great was the
confusion that, in spite of the representations of the civil
authorities, no steps were taken either to cut or guard it.
It was not until three o'clock in the afternoon that the Vendeans
approached the town, and General Menou sent two battalions of the
line, one of volunteers, and eighty horse, under the orders of
General Berthier, to take possession of a chateau in front of the
position. Two hundred and fifty men were posted in a convent near
it. Santerre commanded the force which was to defend the
intrenchments at Nantilly, and Coustard the troops who occupied the
heights of Bourlan.
At four o'clock the skirmishers on both sides were hotly engaged.
The Vendeans advanced in three columns--the central one against the
post occupied by Berthier, the left against Nantilly, and the right
threatened to turn the position at Beaulieu.
Berthier allowed the force advancing against him to approach within
a short distance of the chateau, and then poured a storm of grape
into it, from a battery that he had established. Lescure, who was
in command, was badly wounded. The head of the column fell into
confusion, and Berthier at once attacked them, with his two
regiments of the line, and for a time pressed the column back. His
little body of cavalry, whom he had ordered to charge, fell back as
soon as the Vendeans opened fire upon them; and the latter then
attacked the line battalions, with such fury that Berthier was
obliged to call up his regiment of volunteers. Cathelineau sent
reinforcements to his troops, and these pressed on so hotly that
Berthier, who had had a horse shot under him, was obliged to fall
back; and the exulting Vendeans rushed forward and carried the
faubourg of Fenet.
Dommaigne, with his cavalry, charged the cuirassiers and the German
Legion. There was a sharp fight. Dommaigne was killed, and the
colonel of the German Legion desperately wounded; but a body of the
Vendean infantry, coming up, took the cuirassiers in flank with
their fire, and they fell back into Saumur.
General Menou had been in the thick of the fight, and had three
horses killed under him. He sent another battalion to reinforce
Berthier but, as soon as they came within shot of the Vendeans,
they broke and fled.
The two line battalions, reinforced by four companies of gendarmes,
kept up a heavy fire. The artillery until now had zealously
supported them, but their ammunition was failing. Menou and
Berthier placed themselves at the head of the cavalry, and called
upon them to charge; but instead of doing so, they raised their
favourite cry of "Treason!" and galloped back to the town.
The line regiments and gendarmes, pressed more and more hotly, and
finding themselves without support, withdrew in good order into
Saumur. The Vendeans had now possession of all the works in the
centre of the defenders' line. Coustard, seeing that the centre was
lost, and that the Vendeans were moving towards a bridge across the
Dives, by which alone they could enter the town, ordered two
battalions with two pieces of cannon to hold it. He was not only
disobeyed but, with shouts of "Treason!" they rushed upon him and,
with difficulty, he escaped with his life.
The Vendeans seized the bridge, and established a battery for its
defence. Coustard saw that it must be recaptured, as the town was
now open to the enemy; and ordered a detachment of cuirassiers,
commanded by Colonel Weissen, to carry the bridge. The two
battalions of infantry now promised to follow.
Although he saw that to charge the battery with a handful of
cavalry was to ride to almost certain death, Weissen gallantly led
his men forward. The infantry followed for a short distance but,
being taken in flank by a volley from a party of Vendeans, they
broke and fled. The cavalry were almost annihilated, and Weissen
was desperately wounded, two or three of his men alone riding back.
The main force of Coustard's division, in the redoubts at Bourlan,
had not been attacked; and retired to Angers during the night. The
rout of the rest of the defenders was now complete, and the town
open.
La Rochejaquelein, by whose side Leigh and a small party of
gentlemen rode, had made a succession of desperate charges into the
midst of the fugitives; and he now said to Leigh and three other
gentlemen:
"Come along, we will see what they are doing in the town."
Then, dashing forward at full speed, they passed through the gate,
entered the main street, and found that it contained a battalion of
infantry, retreating. So cowed were these that they opened their
ranks and allowed the five horsemen to dash through them. Then they
made a tour of the place, and returned to inform the Vendeans, who
were just entering, that all resistance had ceased. As on two
previous occasions, the flying Republicans owed their safety to the
piety of the peasants who, instead of pursuing at once, rushed into
the churches; where the cures, who had accompanied them, returned
thanks for the victory that had been gained, and thus lost the half
hour of daylight that would have been invaluable.
Cathelineau, after a consultation with Lescure and Bonchamp,
decided that it would be useless to attempt a pursuit in the dark.
Berthier's battalion was, too, unbroken. The generals, finding that
there was no pursuit, might have rallied a considerable number of
the others; when the peasants, coming up in the dark, could in turn
have been repulsed with heavy loss. Saumur had been taken, with all
its stores of cannon, ammunition, and provisions; and it was
considered that, under the circumstances, it was best to be
contented with the signal success they had gained.
Berthier and Menou indeed, although both severely wounded, had
covered the retreat with the line regiments and gendarmes; and
carried off with them seven cannon, which they came across as they
passed through the town; and would have given the peasants a warm
reception, had they followed them. The rest of the army were
hopelessly scattered, and continued their flight all night; some
towards Tours, others to Angers, their reports causing the wildest
dismay in both towns.
Had Charette, who had always acted independently in lower Vendee,
been persuaded at this moment to join hands with Cathelineau, there
can be little question that they might have marched to Paris
without encountering any serious resistance, and that their arrival
there would have changed the whole course of events. Unfortunately,
however, he was himself sorely pressed, by several columns of the
enemy, and was with difficulty holding his own. The great
opportunity was therefore lost, never to return.
The castle of Saumur was still in the hands of the Blues. Five
hundred of the National Guards of the town, and about the same
number of men of different regiments, threw themselves into it
before the Vendeans entered, carrying with them what provisions
they could lay hands upon. The wives of the National Guards soon
surrounded the chateau, crying to their friends to surrender; and
asserting that, if they did not do so, the Vendeans would give the
town over to pillage and fire. For a time the commandant resisted
their entreaties but, feeling that his position was desperate, and
that there was no hope of relief, he surrendered.
In the morning the garrison marched out. The officers were allowed
to retain their sidearms, and the men to return to their homes.
Eighty cannon fell into the hands of the victors, many thousands of
muskets, a large quantity of ammunition, and very many prisoners.
Here, as at other places, the peasants behaved with great
moderation. The agents of the Convention, who had tyrannized the
town so long, were thrown into prison, as were their chief
supporters; but private property was untouched. On the following
day there was a council, at which Lescure, seriously wounded as he
was, was present. It was agreed that it was indispensable that one
man should be appointed commander-in-chief. Many difficulties had
arisen from independent action, by generals and leaders of bands
more or less numerous, and it was necessary that all should act
under the orders of a recognized head.
When this was agreed to, the question had to be decided as to who
should be appointed to this responsible post. The claims of
Lescure, la Rochejaquelein, d'Elbee, Bonchamp, Cathelineau, and
Stofflet were almost even. Each had a large band of followers. All
had been unwearied in their devotion to the cause.
It is probable that Lescure would have been chosen. He was the
largest landed proprietor, and was of the highest rank--with the
exception of Rochejaquelein, who had, although the idol of the army,
scarcely experience and ballast enough to take so responsible a
position. Lescure himself, however, proposed that Cathelineau should
be chosen. His influence was great, his talents unquestionable, and the
simple honesty of his character, his modesty and untiring zeal in the
cause, alike recommended him. Lescure felt that if he himself, Bonchamp,
or d'Elbee were chosen, jealousies might arise and the cause suffer.
His choice was felt by all to be a good one, and Cathelineau was
unanimously appointed to the post of commander-in-chief. No finer
tribute was ever paid, to the virtues and talent of a simple
peasant, than such a choice, made by men so greatly his superior in
rank and station.