Janavel returned from Dauphine, after having remained there a short
time, and collected the Vaudois who had also taken refuge in that
province. He made, another attack, in hopes of taking some prisoners,
whom he might exchange for his wife and daughters, but being
unsuccessful, he proceeded to join Captain Jayer, who had put himself
at the head of those who had escaped the massacres. They very soon after
took the town of St. Second, by assault, and put the Irish garrison of
800 men to the sword, as a punishment for the barbarity with which they
had acted on the 24th of April. The Piemontese by their own avowal,
lost from 500 to 600 men, in this action; but the Vaudois had only seven
killed and six wounded. The houses and churches were burnt, and some
booty retaken; but the women, children, and old people, were not
insulted.
After some other successes, in which great numbers of the enemy fell,
and many severe combats, Janavel found himself posted at An-grogna, with
300 men, while the rest of his troops were engaged in an expedition
to the Val Pragela; the enemy here attacked him 3000 strong, but he
defended himself, in a good position, from morning till two o'clock in
the afternoon, when they retired, losing 500 men in the retreat. Jayer
now coming up, the pursuit was pressed farther, most unfortunately, for
Janavel received a severe wound, and Jayer, misled by treachery, was
surrounded, and lost his life, together with 150 brave men, one only
escaped, who returned with the melancholy news in the night.
Notwithstanding the consternation which this disaster occasioned, the
Vaudois, under the command of Jacques Jayer and Laurens, now amounting
only to 550 men, courageously marched from La Vachere to meet the enemy,
who attacked them with 6000 men; but were repulsed, with the loss of
more than 200, and of the Vaudois only two were killed, one of whom was
Captain Bertin.
The beginning of July was marked by the arrival of the moderator, J.
Leger, who had made a long journey, with the hope of interesting the
French and other Protestants for his countrymen. Colonel Andrion, of
Geneva, also joined them with one of his captains, and a soldier; he had
served already with honour in France and Sweden, and now came to assist
the cause of the unfortunate Vaudois.
Having pointed out some negligence in their manner of encamping, and
sent out picquets, this officer received intelligence of an intended
attack, which must have destroyed the little force of the Vaudois, had
it been made unexpectedly: after a most severe combat of ten hours, when
Les Barricades was the only post they could make good against the
enemy, they at last obtained a victory; in great measure by rolling down
fragments of rock, when their ammunition was expended.
The enemy lost nearly 400 in killed and wounded; and to add to the
pleasure occasioned by this success, Mons. Descombier, a French officer,
who had served with great distinction, arrived on the 17th July, with
some other French Protestants. He was immediately elected commander
in chief, and a corps formed of from sixty to eighty French gentlemen,
under the command of M. Feautier.
These circumstances filled the Vaudois with the most lively hope, and an
attack upon La Tour was resolved on; on the 19th they marched there by
day-light, and would certainly have got possession of the town, if
Mons. Descombier had not been dissuaded from the assault, by the French
soldiers he had sent to reconnoitre. On their report of the strength
of the place, he sounded a retreat; but captains Belin and Peyronel
resolved to proceed, and, making a vigorous attack, pierced the
wall, and entered the town, when the citadel immediately offered to
capitulate. At this moment troops poured in from Luzerne, upon their
rear, when captain Janavel (now for the first time in the field since
his wound) sounded a retreat, and brought off the party with the loss of
only one man.
Besides the engagements above mentioned, there were many others, in
which the Vaudois obtained advantages; indeed they universally behaved
with such heroism, that M. Descombier declared they fought like lions.*
* Bresse here gives the names of those who most
distinguished themselves.
A very short time after the attack on La Tour, the court of Turin
published a truce, which was not broken till the peace. We shall pursue
the negociations after a few remarks, which appear necessary at this
point of our history.