by Rob Harper
Other troops: 2 cos Invalides du Château.
Other Cavalry: Gend (25-50c); Côtes-du-Nord and Ille-et-Vilaine (84c).
Artillery: Probably in excess of 60 guns. Except for the ‘Great Battery’ on the north front the guns were deployed in ones or twos. Most were 4pdrs deployed with their infantry or in fixed positions, although there were some 6, 12 and 18pdrs. Gunners: 4 Cos Paris (Guin: 250a); 2 Cos Seine-et-Oise (Guin: 55a).
Grand Total: 10-11,000 men.
JULY
Army of La Rochelle Coast
Salomon and Rey (possibly as per June). Rossignol (1,500).
1 July - Troops in Niort and Cantonments (including St-Maixent):
GdD Chalbos - 10 Orléans Bns (6,272i); Gren. de la Convention (181i); Vols, NtGds and Gend (6,706i);
Light Troops (2,413i); Cavalry (1,385c); 3 x 8pdrs, 12 x 4pdrs, 1 howitzer.
Of these: 2,000 in the Orléans battalions were untrained and unarmed; 2,609 others unarmed; St-Maixent and Niort Garrisons included in these figures (3,955i); being sent towards Tours (3,000), and being sent to Boulard (1,955).
Troops in garrison included:
Sandoz: Luçon (2,569i, 109c, 74a).
Camp La [?Quatre] Chemins (1,197i, 61a, 3 x 4pdrs, 1 x 8pdr).
Boulard: Les Sables (4,775).
Baudry: Vairé and St-Gilles (2,585).
Châtillon Campaign July
3 July - Westermann’s Légion-du-Nord: 2 Bns Chasseurs (1,130i); 4 Sqds (365c);
1 foot and 1 horse battery (14 guns); 11th Orléans (756i); 14th Orléans (469i);
2 further battalions. Total: 2,700-3,000 men (plus 2,000 conscripts by 5 July).
18 July Vihiers
CinC Labarolière. 1st Div Menou - Brigades: Fabrefond/Dutruy, Barbazan and Gauvilliers (4,000). 18 guns. 2nd Div - 1st Brigade: Santerre: 5 Paris Bns (4,160i); 2nd Brigade: Joly (1,750i: of which 500 line troops); 3rd Brigade: Chabot (2,250i: of which 600 line troops).
Cavalry - 8th and 9th Hussars; 16th and 19th Dragoons; 24th Chasseurs; Vol Mayenne (1,600c).
Artillery Parks (400a) - 1st Div: 3 x 12pdrs, 4 x 8pdrs. 2nd Div: 8 x 8pdrs, 12 x 12pdrs.
Of these troops 1,500 were left in Saumur, and 1,500 left covering Angers.
AUGUST
Army of La Rochelle Coast
CinC Rossignol (took command 31 July, arrested 25-30 August, reinstated 1 September). Santerre acting CinC 25-30 August.
North and Eastern Front:
Troops in Saumur (11 August) - Div Santerre: AvGd (3,276i, 590c); 1st Brigade (1,800-2000i); 2nd Brigade (1914i, 60c); Château Saumur (887).
12 August - Salomon (3,400). 15 August - Rey (1,300).
Southern Front:
GdD Chalbos - HQ Niort (3,500); Boulard: Les Sables Division (3,081i, 310c, 7 x 4pdrs); Baudry (1,269i, 282c 3 x 4pdrs, 1 x 8pdr). Garrisons and Posts: St-Gilles (1,218i, 21c, 3 x 4pdrs); Le Pas Opton (90i, 1c); La Fineuotte[sic](135i); Croix-de-Vie (60i); Les Sables (679i, 36a); Talmont (339i); Avrillé (438i, 24c); Moutiers-Des-Maufaits[sic](162i, 22c); La Chaizé (300i); Les Sables Positional Guns (181a: 3 x 36pdrs, 2 x 24pdrs, 9 x 18pdrs, 6 x 12pdrs, 8 x 8 pdrs, 4 x 6pdrs, 2 x 4pdrs).
14 August - Luçon: Tuncq (5,371i, 414c, 203a, 13 x 4pdrs, 1 x 8pdr).
Army of the Brest Coast CinC: Canclaux.
Paimboeuf (2,000i, Sqd Chasseurs-à-Cheval, several guns); Loire Estuary: 10 gunboats.
11 August - In Nantes (2,739 Volunteers, 1,090 Line, 252 cavalry, 144 gunners): Part of a force of 6-7,000 in the wider area.
25 August - AvGd Blosse: Chasseurs de la Charente; Det. 31st Line; Det. Cote-d’Or; Co. Grenadiers 9th Line; 12 Cos Grenadiers; Dragoons Ille-et-Vilaine; Chasseurs of 34th Regt; 1 gun.
Grouchy: 109th Line; 100 Chasseurs of 15th Regt; Hussards-Américains; D-B: 1/34th Line, 3rd Orne, 4th Orne; D-B: 2/77th Regt, 11th and 12th Paris; 6 x 8pdrs, 6 x 4pdrs, 2 howitzers.
SEPTEMBER
1 September - Army of the La Rochelle Coast (41,000). Tens of thousands of new levies arriving.
Forthcoming dismissals: GdDs: Rey, Salomon and Gauvilliers; GdBs: Nouvion, Cannier, Bonnavita, Mieszkowski, Beffroy and Burac.
The GdDs were to be: Chalbos, Santerre, Muller, Commaire and Garonde; GdBs: Fabrefond, Dutruy, Desclozeaux, Legros, Duval, Dembarrère, Moulin (Snr), Kléber, Haxo, Robert, Canuel, Chambon, Danican and Vimeux.
Battle of Chantonnay (5 September):
CinC Tuncq (absent). Lecomte, Marceau. Included: Chasseurs de l’Oise; 4th Dordogne; 7th Orléans; 10th Orléans; Bn Égalité; Bn I’Union; Bn Le Vengeur; 3rd Charente-Inférieure; 6th Charente-Inférieure; Bn Calvados; 3rd Deux-Sèvres; Bn du Loiret; 2 Sqds Gend; Sqd 11th Hussars; 2 Sqds 14th Chasseurs; 11 x 4pdrs; 1 x 8pdr; Artillerie-Volante (2 light guns). Total (8,000).
Army of the La Rochelle Coast (Mid-September):
CinC Rossignol. AvGd (2,828i, ?guns); 1st Brigade: Joly (2,127i, ?guns); 2nd Brigade: ? (2,247i, 6 guns); 3rd Brigade: Chabot (?i, 8 guns); Cavalry (656c); Saumur château (998i).
Southern Front:
Chalbos (11,000); Les Sables/Luçon area (4,000).
Army of Mayence Aubert-Dubayet (placed under Canclaux’s command):
AvGd: Kléber; 1st Brigade: Vimeux; 2nd Brigade: Beaupuy; Reserve: Haxo. End August: 9,075 fit to fight. 24 guns.
Army of Brest Coast CinC Canclaux:
Nantes area (6,270); Nantes NtGd (3,000); (other garrisons as for August).
Mid-September - Grouchy (2,821): 1,160 from Army of Mayence (600 needed new fusils); 1,200 grenadiers forming AvGd of Army of Brest Coast; 21 Cavalarie-Nantais; 2 x 12pdrs, 2 x 8pds, 3 x 4pdrs, 1 howitzer.
OCTOBER
Army of Mayence - 8 October: including some troops integrated from Army of Brest Coast.
Briefly in command - GdB Kléber. AvGd - GdB Beaupuy: 3rd D-B - Légion-des-Francs (349i, 37c); Chasseurs-de-Cassel (434i); Chass Côtes-d’Or (86i); Chasse Charente (100i); 7th Light (52i). 6th D-B - 1st Bn Grenadiers (563i); 2nd Grenadiers (726i); Bn 2nd Jura & 13th Nièvre (432i); 4th Haut-Rhin (372i); 7th &11th Vosges (337i); Artillery (44a, 4 guns). 1st Division - GdB
Vimeux: 1st Brigade - 82nd Regt (217i); Grenadiers of 37th, 60th, 84th, 88th Regts (149i); 8th Vosges (153i); 9th Jura (426i); 62nd Regt (337i); 6th Calvados (245i); 4th Calvados (244i); 5th Eure (370i).[2nd] Brigade - 2nd Seine-et-Oise (238i); 1st République (143i); 1st Fédérés-Nationaux (205i); 2nd Amis de la République (237i); Chasseurs de Saône-et-Loire (144i); Artillery (45a, 5 guns); Artillery Park (161a, 3 guns); Artillerie-Volante (49a, 4 guns); Chasseurs-à-Cheval (263c).
2nd Division - AdjG Scherb: CdB Saint-Sauveur - 32nd Regt (242i); Det 13th Regt (47i); 2nd Haute-Saône (255i); 9th Haute-Saône (378i); 10th Haute-Saône (183i); Det 4th Haute-Saône(14i); 11th Haute-Saône (230i); 12th Haute-Saône (278i); Artillery (26a), 3 guns.
Reserve - GdB Haxo: CdB Jordy - 2nd Ain (373i); 2/57th Regt (257i); 1st Meurthe (104i); 3rd Vosges (353i); 1/57th Regt (263i); 6 co’s Grenadiers-Réunis (155i); Artillery (82a, 5 guns).
Grand Total: 10,394 and 24 guns (An additional 4,498 were in hospital).
Army of the West (formed 8-14 October) CinC L’Échélle:
1st Division GdD Kléber - Beaupuy: AvGd (3,400); Vimeux: 1st Brig (3,000); Scherb: 2nd Brig (1,600); Haxo: Res (2,000). 2nd Division Chalbos - GdD Muller, GdB Lecomte, Chabot, Legros, Canuel and Westermann (11,000).
Bard: Luçon troops (3,500).
Dutruy: Les Sables (3,500).
NOVEMBER: Campaign North of the Loire
Details poor due to frequent reorganisation.
10 November - Army of Brest Coast: Rennes Garrison (7,863: including 2,081 unusable raw levies).
11 November - Rennes Garrison and Army of the West: Rossignol (24,000 including most of above).
Army of Cherbourg Coast: Sepher (6-8,000).
Army of Brest Coast (part) GdD Tribout (4,400).
Siege of Granville
1st/31st Regt ‘Aunis’ (500i); 6th Somme; 6th and 11th Manche; elements of the 9th Marche, Réunion, 19th Chasseurs, Côtes-d’Or, 6th Calvad
os; 4 Co’s. St-Lô Volunteers; Co. Evreux Chasseurs; Granville NtGd (600i); Levies and Volunteers from Carentan, Coutances, Cherbourg and Valognes; Le Manche Gends (46c); Hussars (25c); 3 Co’s. Paris Gunners and 1 of NtGds; 68 Guns: 2 x 48pdrs, 5 x 36 pdrs, 36 x 24 pdrs, 7 x18pdrs and 6 x 8pdrs, 8 mortars: the rest probably 4pdrs . Total: 5,335 (3,183 of which armed).
Republican Troops at the Battles of Dol-Antrain 20-23 November (estimates only)
Army of the West: CinC Rossignol.
1st Division GdD Kléber - LtAvGd: GdB Marigny (1,600i, 100c); AvGd: GdB Marceau (3,000 including 200c); GdB Westermann (1,500 including 100c); Foot Artillery: 1x8pdr; Horse Artillery: 2x4pdrs, 1x howitzer; Reserve: AdjG Klinger(1,500); 2nd Division GdD Muller - GdB Legros (3,000); GdB ? (3,000).
Army of the Brest Coast - AvGd: GdB Chambertin (1,800); GdB Canuel (3,000); CdB Amey (1,800); GdB Boucret (2,200). Grand Total: approximately 21,000.
27 November - Field Armies of the West, Brest (part) and Cherbourg (part) - 25-30,000 men: Including: Rennes 10,000; Avranches 9-10,000 and Laval 3-4,000.
Selected Garrisons near and south of the Loire:
1 November - Div Les Sables: Dutruy - 60th Line (47i); 110th Line (168i); 1st Bn des Illes (504i); 4th Marine (64i); 5th Marne (954i); 24th Charente (741i); 10th Gironde (358i); Co.Franches (323i); Inhabitants of Les Sables (117i); Gend (65c); Cav Nat (11c). Artillery (140a).
15 November - Nantes (11,169i/a, 852c).
Early November - Saumur (3028i, 577a, 116c); Cholet (3,701i, 261c); Thouars (1,902); Doué (610).
DECEMBER
Le Mans
Army of West contingent - CinC Marceau:
GdD Kléber - Delaage/Decaen (LtAvGd); Canuel (Brigade); Scherb (Brigade); Westermann (Cavalry). GdD Muller - Carpentier (Brigade); Legros (Brigade).
Army of Cherbourg Coast contingent - GdD Tilly:
Vachot - AvGd: 9th Hussars (50c); 19th Chasseurs (200i); Reg’t d’Armagnac (Grenadiers and Fusiliers (100i)); Det.Regt d’Aunis (100i). Vial - 1st Brigade: ½ Bn 6th Line; Bn Dordogne; Gend (200i); Bn 1st Paris. 2nd Brigade (d’Alancourt): Bn d’Aunis; Bn l’Aude; Gend (200i); Bn 2nd Paris.
Appendix 3
Selected details of the Royalist Armies
Most of the information on the development of the armies is covered within this book. Principal sources: P.Doré-Graslin, Bittard-des-Portes, Poirier-de-Beauvais, D’Obenheim, Savary, RSV (various).
March to May
In the coastal region there were at least a dozen who retained an important role throughout 1793, the most significant being Charette, Joly and La Cathelinière.
In the Mauges, Cathelineau, D’Élbée, Bonchamps and Stofflet (the latter around Maulévrier) were the most important leaders by April and in Upper Poitou La Rochejaquelein and Lescure came to the fore by early May. Royrand, Sapinaud-de-la-Verrie and Sapinaud-de-la-Rairie were soon commanding in the Bocage.
In the Mauges the peasants entitled themselves the Armée-Chrétien or Armée Catholique-et-Royale by end March. Other names included Armée d’Anjou and Armée de Poitou (or Haut-Poitou) for their respective areas. In the coastal Vendée names included the Armée du Bas-Poitou (i.e. Lower Poitou to distinguish it from Haut-Poitou) and the Armée de Pays-de-Retz. The Armée-du-Centre formed on 4 April.
Organisation Late May
The Grand Army Catholic and Royal of Anjou and Haut-Poitou
Headquarters: Cholet.
Divisional Generals - Lescure: Bressuire; Cathelineau: Pin-en-Mauges and environs; Bonchamps: Area south of Loire centred on St-Florent; Stofflet: Maulévrier and Vihiers; D’Élbée: Beaupréau and Cholet; La Rochejaquelein: Les Aubiers and Châtillon; Laugrenière: Argenton.
The Catholic and Royal Army of the Centre
CinC Royrand. Headquarters: Les Herbiers.
Principal Divisions - Royrand: Montaigu; Sapinaud-de-la-Verrie: Mortagne. Baudry D’Asson may also have commanded a division in the La Châtaigneraie area.
The Army of the Pays-de-Retz and Bas-Poitou
Comprised a number of semi-independent bands. Principal emerged as (later numbered 1 to 4):
1st Division - Joly: La Mothe-Achard and Les Sables; 2nd Division - Lyrot: Loroux and approaches to Nantes; 3rd Division - Charette: Legé and Machecoul; 4th Division - La Cathelinière: Pays-de-Retz.
Numerous semi-independent bands: La Robrie (St-Philibert); Vrignault (Vieillevigne); Pajot (Bouin); Savin (Palluau); St-Pal (Mareuil area), Couëtus (St-Philbert-de-Grand-Lieu), Guérin (Bourgneuf), Bulkeley (La Roche-sur-Yon area); Guerry-du-Cloudy (near St-Gilles); Du Chaffault (south of La Mothe-Achard); Championnière (Pellerin/Brains area). This is not an exhaustive list and some leaders changed during the war.
By the summer Charette had virtually established himself as overall commander although personally fielded no more than 5,000. Lyrot fought with both the Grand Army and Charette.
Organisation determined after capture of Saumur (9-10 June)
CinC Jacques Cathelineau. Headquarters: Cholet.
The Grand Army of Anjou and Haut-Poitou
Lescure - 1st Division: Bressuire, Châtillon and Thouars; Cathelineau - 2nd Division: Saint-Florent, Beaupréau and Les Mauges; Bonchamps - 3rd Division: Banks of the Loire; Stofflet - 4th Division: Vihiers and Maulévrier; D’Élbée - 5th Division: Cholet and Chemillé; Laugrenière - 6th Division: Thouars to Argenton; La Rochejaquelein: 7th Division - Châtillon; Talmont: Cavalry; Marigny: Artillery.
This Army formed up to 40,000 men. There were other commanders who occasionally fought independently, notably Duhoux, Piron and Cady.
Army of the Centre
CinC Royrand. Headquarters: Les Herbiers.
Principal Divisions – Royrand: 1st Division - Montaigu; Sapinaud-de-la-Verrie: 2nd Division - Mortagne.
This army could field 10,000 troops. There were several smaller forces in their area that drifted between the three main armies.
D’Élbée became commander-in-chief in mid-July, Stofflet was appointed major general. Four were appointed to more senior command: Bonchamps (Anjou), Lescure (Haut-Poitou), Royrand (Centre) and Donnissan (Bas-Poitou and Pays-de-Retz).
Orders of Battle are difficult to establish. As an example, one of the more detailed is as follows:
Battle of Nantes 29-30 June
The Grand Army Catholic and Royal of Anjou and Haut-Poitou
CinC Cathelineau.
Northern Front (14-15,000) - Divisions under Cathelineau and D’Élbée; Talmont (500 cavalry); 14 cannon.
Eastern Front_(7-8,000) - Division Bonchamps: Fleuriot (AvGd) and D’Autichamp.
North or East Front - Division Stofflet and part of the Divisions of Argenton and Bressuire (most, however, remained with La Rochejaquelein and Lescure in Haut-Poitou).
Southern Front
Legé-et-Machecoul (5,000 including 100 cavalry) - CinC Charette. Contingents: Couëtus, Eriau, Leblanc, La Robrie, Goulaine and Vrignault. Cavalry: Prudent de la Robrie. Artillery: Leblanc. Approximately 12 cannon.
Pays-de-Retz (5,000) - CinC La Cathelinière.
Loroux (5,000) - CinC Lyrot. D’Esigny (AvGd). Artillery: A few small cannon.
Campaign north of the Loire: November
CinC: La Rochejaquelein; Second-in-command: Major General Stofflet; Adjudant General: De Hargues; Adjudant-en-Second: Duhoux; Governor General and President of the Council of War: Donnissan; Chief Engineer: D’Obenheim.
Grand Army (25-30,000).
Division Poitou: Des Essarts; Division Banks of Loire: Fleuriot; Division Anjou: Villeneuve de Cazeau.
(D’Élbée’s division: had merged with others).
Army of the Centre (3-4,000 men): Amédée de Béjarry.
Loroux Contingent (1-2,000 men): Lyrot and D’Ésigny.
La Petite-Vendée (Approximately 4,000 men): Talmont leading two corps under Jean Chouan and Besnier-de-Chambray.
Cavalry (1,200): Talmont.
Artillery Marigny: 1 x 12pdr, 4 x 8pdrs, about 40 x 4pdrs, 30 caissons, 2 mobile forges. (Numbers fluctuated).
> Refugees (10-15,000) 2-3,000 were on horseback and over 200 carriages accompanied them.
December 20-21
Grand Army - CinC Fleuriot. Other senior officers: Piron, Forestier, Lyrot, Marigny, Des Essarts, Laugrenière, Duhoux d’Hauterive and Amédée de Béjarry.
Endnotes
Introduction
1. J.Hussenet (ed), Détruisez la Vendée! (CVRH:2007), p.15.
Chapter 1: Fighting the Revolution, a Brief Background to the Vendée Rising
1. C.L.Chassin, La Preparation de la Guerre de la Vendée. Vol.P3. (Paris:1892), p.289 (hereafter the volumes by C.L.Chassin entitled La Preparation de la Guerre de la Vendée are referred to as Vol.P1 to P3).
2. R.Secher, La Véndee-Vengé, (Perrin:2006), p.109.
3. C.L.Chassin, op.cit. Vol.P3, p.271.
4. J.Hussenet, op-cit. pp.583-618, provides detailed statistics for the settlements.
5. Ibid. p.621.
6. H.Coutau-Bégarre and C.Doré-Graslin(eds), Histoire Militiare des Guerres de Vendée, (Paris:2010), pp.97-114.
Chapter 2: ‘Patriots, Robbers and Cowards’: The Republican Armies in the Vendée
1. C.Rousset, Les Volontaires 1791-1794 (Paris:1894), p.3, and J.A.Lynn, The Bayonets of the Republic: Motivation and Tactics in the Army of Revolutionary France 1791-4 (Westview:1996), p.62.
2. C.Rousset, op.cit. p.4.
3. Ibid. p.107.
4. A.Crépin, Révolution et Armée nouvelle en Seine-et-Marne 1791-1797, (CTHS:2008).