by Rob Harper
North of Mortagne, Bard’s advance guard, under Marceau, came under attack as D’Élbée’s tirailleurs swooped down from concealed positions. Marceau pulled back towards La Haie as Bard raced to his aid. Both were nearly enveloped by weight of numbers and part of Bard’s column broke and retired on La Haie where they were rallied.
Towards 2pm Beaupuy also received orders to march on Cholet, and when south of La Haie he reached a junction but had no idea which road to take. Hearing gunfire towards La Renardière he sent the battalion of the Chasseurs-de-Cassel in that direction to support the Luçon column, while he headed with the rest of his advance guard for St-Christophe-de-Bois. He also asked Vimeux to send him six battalions to act as support. Reaching the edge of the high ground he spotted the Vendéens holding Le Grand-Chambord and, although there in strength, he felt they were badly deployed, being scattered over a wide area and with a couple of hundred cavalry moving about quite a bit but not attacking.
The Battle of La Tremblaye.
The Légion-des-Francs deployed facing Le Grand-Chambord, in positions out of sight of rebel artillery (probably in the valley of the La Planche), with the 1st Grenadiers-Réunis to their right, both being supported by artillery and having a combined strength of 900 men.61 Under a hail of artillery fire, and attacked from two sides, the Vendéens were eventually forced to pull back on La Tremblaye.
Beaupuy, with Vimeux’s supporting battalions, moved into the valley between St-Christophe-du-Bois and Le Petit-Chambord. Occupying the crest in strength he sent two battalions under Dubreton to occupy St-Christophe-du-Bois and protect his left flank. A detachment of the Chasseurs Côte d’Or, on his left, had been under pressure and needed support.62
On the right, the Chasseurs-de-Cassel had successfully extracted Marceau and Bard, but were also under pressure from the Vendéens, even after Marceau deployed two guns on the great road to blunt their attack.
Towards 5pm D’Élbée noticed that the Vendéen right wing was falling back. He ordered Forestier, with part of the reserve, to attempt to outflank the republicans by passing around St-Christophe-du-Bois. From his position on the heights, Beaupuy could see the white flags of this reserve moving in a long column from the Château of La Tremblaye towards St-Christophe-du-Bois.
In spite of grapeshot from two captured guns, Forestier managed to reach, and then move beyond, St-Christophe-du-Bois. But his troops were forced to disperse when Dubreton’s grenadiers, dug in on the Mortagne road, opened fire at close range.63
While the Vendéen left still held, their right now stretched backwards, anchored on the Château of La Tremblaye. Lescure, on horseback, was on this line trying to ascertain the enemy movements as the light began to fail. Some republican troops had managed to move under cover close to his position and, opening fire, a musket ball struck Lescure in his left temple, exiting through the back of his head near his ear. Dangerously wounded, he fell to the ground, unconscious and soaked in blood. Renou managed to staunch the blood, and his servant Bontemps, seeing that he was still breathing, placed him on a horse, riding pillion and propped up by two soldiers, and they slowly set off northwards.64
Beauvais wrote, ‘Lescure, rash as always and too far from his men, received a mortal wound.’65 Madame de la Rochejaquelein, however, remarked that the leaders were always forced to act like ‘enfants-perdu’ (a forlorn hope).66
News quickly spread that Lescure had been killed, discouraging troops who were barely hanging on. The Vendéens clinging to St-Christophe-du-Bois were now forced out by Dubreton, and Marceau finally managed to push D’Élbée’s men off the heights. With nightfall the Vendéen columns retreated on Cholet.
The Vendéens had not been routed and the exhausted republicans only cautiously pursued. A strong counter-attack, under Bonchamps and La Rochejaquelein, pushed the republicans back to La Tremblaye, after which the Vendéens returned to Cholet.67 Beauvais noted that their numbers were much stronger now than at the start following Bonchamps’ arrival.
According to Kléber the battle lasted five hours and the republicans lost 500 killed to 1,500 Vendéens casualties. He also claimed that they captured seven cannon, including three 8pdrs.68 It was noted, perhaps with a hint of sarcasm, that L’Échélle only appeared at the end of the battle.
After the battle the rebels took the precaution of deploying a strong guard and barricading the Cholet Bridge with wagons.69
Kléber, fearing a counter-attack, deployed the troops south of Cholet on 16 October. All that day the tocsin rang, urgently calling all available men to gather in Beaupréau. It was to this town that the Vendéen army now withdrew, considering Cholet too difficult to defend.
Cholet 17 October
Everything was chaotic in Beaupréau and the Vendéens’ morale was low. At a council of war the generals held widely differing views: D’Élbée agreed with La Rochejaquelein that they should attack but first wanted to await the arrival of 5,000 men under Lyrot, not due to arrive until the evening of 17 October; Royrand was all for marching to link up with Charette; while Stofflet advised dispersing the troops to harass republican communications, and by doing so force their withdrawal.70
Bonchamps convinced them to carry out the following plan: 3,000 men would secure crossings over the Loire, at St-Florent-la-Vieil and Ancenis, and escort the bulk of the artillery north of the river via Ancenis in case of defeat. The bulk of the army would meanwhile march south to launch an all-out assault on the republicans, hoping to catch them off guard and achieve a crushing victory.
Approximately 35,000 men, therefore, marched south to attack the republicans, but they were probably unaware that Chalbos’ troops were about to unite with those under L’Échelle.71
Kléber’s division cautiously marched into the abandoned town of Cholet during the 16 October.
On the following morning Kléber’s troops, along with a further contingent under Marceau, were camped in a semi-circle on a ridge north of Cholet. Beaupuy’s advance guard was further north still. Chalbos’ troops arrived during the night and camped south of Cholet, bringing the total forces in the area to nearly 23,000 men.72 Haxo, acting in reserve, was near La Treille watching the roads to his north-west; Saint-Suzanne and Jordy formed the left and were deployed along the edge of the St-Léger Wood; Marceau covered the centre near Bégrolles Farm; Bois-Grolleau and the Saumur road were covered by Vimeux and Scherb. Cannon were deployed on approach roads. Marigny and the Light Advance Guard were deployed as far as the town of Le May to the north, with Beaupuy and the advance guard to his rear on the La Papinière Heath. They were not expecting to be attacked.
Numerous small enclosed fields marked the approach to Cholet from the north and there was a large area of woodland to the north-west, which meant that neither artillery nor cavalry would be easy to use in the forthcoming battle.
The La Papinière Heath
Beaupuy was resting in his tent when around 1pm scouts reported vast numbers of rebels approaching. An experienced and able commander, Beaupuy immediately deployed his troops and sent a rider to Cholet calling for reinforcements. Blosse and his united companies of grenadiers were deployed in advance towards the left, Targes on his right towards the farm of La Jominière, and Dubreton in reserve supported by a battery of light artillery. It is likely that many of Beaupuy’s troops spread out across the heath as the Vendéens approached. In Cholet, Kléber called the men to arms and raced to join Jordy and Sainte-Suzanne at what he considered to be the weakest part of their line.
Around 1pm Stofflet and Marigny’s men (Marigny commanding Lescure’s troops) approached along the Le May road, leading the march of the entire Vendéen army which was advancing in one huge column. After passing the farm of La Préverie they were momentarily stalled by fire from Verges’ Grenadiers.73 The Vendéens now began to deploy vast numbers of tirailleurs. Spreading to left and right the majority of Stofflet and Marigny’s men moved in a south-easterly direction, sheltered from the republicans by the brow of the low hills north-east of Cholet. They
passed the crossroads that led to La Jominière and, while continuing their south-easterly course, launched a furious attack on Blosse’s right flank, throwing his grenadiers back in disorder.74 Beaupuy recalled how a multitude of peasants inundated the heathland.75
The Battle of Cholet.
Stofflet’s men now skirmished with Targes’ battalions around La Jominière, throwing them back as they continued to head south-east.76
Meanwhile Bonchamps and D’Élbée slowly appeared on the heath, planning to march directly on Cholet. Bonchamps made some attempt to deploy his men in regular order, probably in rudimentary massed columns shielded by large numbers of skirmishers.
With the Vendéens continually massing to his front, Beaupuy threw forward his light artillery, which fired rapidly into the rebel ranks. Although effective, the cannon fire set light to the dry heathland and with the wind blowing towards the republicans they were blinded by the smoke and forced to pull back.77 The smoke was so dense that men reported only being able to see those immediately adjacent, and while this confused fight developed, the third Vendéen column, under La Rochejaquelein and Royrand, appeared at Millé-Pieds and in the adjacent woods, aiming to threaten the republican left.78
Unable to use his artillery Beaupuy ordered two battalions forward from his reserve, refusing his left and advancing his right. Intended to unsettle the royalists, and buy him time, this manoeuvre failed immediately because his men were unnerved by the enemy numbers. Although his flanks initially held, his men were being jostled back on La Touche. Beaupuy tried to charge with some chasseurs-à-cheval, but they refused to follow him. In the ensuing confusion he was nearly captured, being rescued by a Hérault battalion sent by Marceau.
Seeing his troops retreat, Beaupuy gave orders to pull back on the Cholet road and redeploy closer to the town. Although he had earlier appealed for reinforcements Kléber had declined to send any as he did not want to commit troops without being sure of the direction of the main Vendéen attack. Experience had shown him that this was usually from the Vendéen right, and this had yet to appear. By now Beaupuy and Marceau were probably deployed just north of Cholet, at the point where the ground dropped away behind in a long downward slope to the town square.79
The Vendéen Onslaught on Cholet
The republicans gained valuable time because the Vendéens only split into smaller columns as they appeared in succession on the battlefield.
With Beaupuy’s situation clearly precarious, Kléber asked Chalbos to send some men forward to strengthen their centre. General Muller was dispatched with 4,000 men and began his march through the town heading for the Rambourg Suburb.
Stofflet’s men had appeared on the Saumur road and towards Bois-Grolleau. His sudden and impetuous attack on the flank of Scherb and Vimeux unbalanced the republicans who, outnumbered by perhaps four-to-one, suddenly broke in a disorderly retreat on Cholet. Stofflet then advanced on La Casse and La Gaudière.80 Vimeux and Scherb had been deployed in advance of Bois-Grolleau, with their artillery park sheltered in a field next to the ruins of the château. Six cannon in this park were captured.
La Rochejaquelein dislodged republican skirmishers in the St-Leger Wood and, moving around the heights of La Bordage-Farinaud and the Bosse-Noire Lake, he forced both Sainte-Suzanne and Jordy to pull back.81 Kléber, who was still on this flank, and under extreme pressure, rallied a battalion but was forced back on the La Treplonnière and La Tuilerie roads.
It was around this time that Muller’s reinforcements arrived, but seeing the battle raging at La Treplonnière they panicked, fled, and spread alarm in the streets of Cholet.82 They continued their flight over the Moine Bridge and along the Mortagne road. Representative Carrier fled with Muller’s men, although he would later claim he had been trying to rally them.
In the centre, Bonchamps and D’Élbée threw forward their troops with artillery support. The farms of La Touche, La Jominière and La Dabardière fell to them, and Marceau’s battalions were forced back on Bégrolles Farm and the outskirts of Pineau, l’Oisillonnette and Montruonde.83
La Rochejaquelein progressed even further, the front of his column fighting its way into the Rambourg Suburb.
The Republican Counter-Attack
Around 4pm, with dusk approaching, most of Kléber’s division was disorganised in the streets of Cholet.84 If Kléber had lost his nerve the battle would have ended in disaster. Vimeux and Scherb had their backs to the Moine and Stofflet was skirmishing around the eastern edge of the town.
Supported by Beaupuy, Marceau, Vimeux, Travot and Targes, Kléber managed to stabilize the line from La Maillochère, through Bégrolles, to the Saumur road.85 Abandoning any hope of further reinforcements from Chalbos, he ordered Haxo’s reserve forward. They had remained concealed in low ground near the Château of La Treille and now fixed bayonets and descended into the valley of the La Rivière Sauvageau, unnoticed by the Vendéens. Marching up the slopes of La Maillochère, and led by a battalion of the 109th Line with their band playing the Marseillaise, they suddenly appeared on La Rochejaquelein’s exposed flank.86
La Rochejaquelein’s column stretched back to the St-Leger Wood, with the bulk of his less courageous troops towards the rear.
With his best troops engaged in street fighting far in advance, it was the troops to the rear that took the full force of Haxo’s assault. Thinking a second republican army had appeared, they immediately broke and fled, some to the north and others eastwards into the column under D’Élbée and Bonchamps. The panic was infectious and many rebels began to break away to retreat northwards, including Stofflet’s troops to the south-east.
La Rochejaquelein’s front line troops had no option but to pull back, although some now linked up with the elite troops under Bonchamps and D’Élbée who largely held in spite of the commotion to their rear. Again a critical point had arisen.
It was now towards 6pm and D’Élbée and Bonchamps, seeing La Rochejaquelein’s column crumbling and night drawing near, began moving their troops forward led by the Swiss and German Companies. Through this attack they hoped to deflect attention from the crumbling flank. Vendéen cavalry, perhaps a few hundred in number, may have made a feint, which caused Marceau to pull back his infantry. Other Vendéens, seeing this move, swept forward.
Kléber and Damas had rushed to the centre and placed five battalions in echelon in case they had to cover a retreat.87 Marceau, having deployed his infantry in line, suddenly withdrew them to unmask some cannon deployed in a holloway near Bégrolles Farm. Firing grapeshot at close range whole files of rebels fell, including both Bonchamps and D’Élbée who were both hit multiple times. The 400 or so men that these royalist leaders had rallied for the attack had been decimated, yet they still managed to cover the withdrawal of their wounded leaders under La Rochejaquelein’s direction. Kléber now advanced the battalions he had deployed to cover a retreat, and although fighting continued until around 8pm a republican victory had been secured.
It was already dark when Bonchamps and D’Élbée were carried from the field and Beaupuy was sent in pursuit. He mercilessly hunted down fugitives until General Lyrot’s reinforcement of 5,000 men intervened and covered the rout of the royalist army.
Kléber soon called off the pursuit as his troops were exhausted.
The Results
The Battle of Cholet was one of the most fiercely contested of this war. Kléber wrote that the Vendéens ‘fought like tigers and our soldiers like lions’.88 The losses are not recorded but were probably evenly balanced, with those killed being in the hundreds rather than thousands. The republicans claimed to have captured twelve cannon.
Kléber had lost fourteen senior officers over the previous few days, but the loss of D’Élbée and Bonchamps, coming so soon after that of Lescure, left the Grand Army devoid of nearly all of their most senior generals. It would be down to Stofflet and La Rochejaquelein to pick up the pieces. For their conduct at Cholet, Marceau and Blosse were promoted to the rank of general of brigade, and K
léber to general of division. Marceau was attached to L’Échélle’s staff.
Securing of the Loire Crossings: Ancenis and Varades 17 October
Before the Battle of Cholet, Bonchamps ordered D’Autichamp to secure key Loire crossings with 3,000 troops, in particular those at Varades and Ancenis. Ancenis would provide the necessary access for their artillery train and thirty-six guns and numerous caissons were sent in that direction.89
At 4am on 17 October 400 men crossed the Loire at St-Florent-le-Vieil to seize Varades, moving silently from island to island. They took the 4th Seine-et-Marne, who formed its garrison, by complete surprise and forced them to evacuate westwards. Some hours later these same republicans, reinforced by a few hundred men, failed in an attempt to retake the town and pulled back to Nantes.
Ancenis was also easily captured, as were other fords along the river between Champtoceaux and Ingrandes.90
That the Vendéen army survived the flight from Cholet, with their backs to the River Loire, is remarkable. The speed and skill with which they secured key crossings, gathered small craft, and then ferried both the demoralised army and thousands of refugees across the river, would later draw the admiration of Napoleon.
Bonchamps died at Varades, having barely survived the crossing of the Loire. D’Élbée, covered in wounds, was smuggled under escort to the relative safety of Charette’s territory. Lescure’s mortal wound rendered him barely conscious.
The Vendéens were faced with the dilemma over what to do with 4-5,000 republican prisoners being held in St-Florent. As Bonchamps lay dying he became aware that the army was contemplating their execution and as a last dying act demanded that they be spared and set free. This remarkable act of mercy, by a general held in such high esteem, ensured their survival.