On the Monday following the meeting at Durbelliere,
Larochejaquelin, Denot, the Cure of St. Laud, Foret
and Cathelineau joined M. de Lescure at Clisson, and
on the day afterwards, the soldiers of the Republic,
when attempting to collect the conscripts at a small
town near Clisson, were resisted and treated as they
had been at St. Florent. There was not quite
so much of a battle, for the officer in command knew
what was likely to occur, and not having received
any reinforcement of troops, thought it advisable
to give in early in the day, and capitulate with the
honours of war. He was allowed to march his men
out of the town, each man having stipulated that he
would not again serve in any detachment sent into
La Vendee for the collection of conscripts; but they
were not allowed to take their arms with them, muskets,
bayonets, and gunpowder being too valuable to the
insurgents to be disregarded. So the soldiers
marched unarmed to Nantes, and from thence returned,
before two months were over, in spite of the promises
they had given, and requited the mercy of the Vendeans
with the most horrid cruelties.
The people were equally triumphant in many other towns.
In Beauprieu, Coron, Chatillon, and other places,
the collection of conscripts was opposed successfully,
and generally speaking, without much bloodshed.
In Coron, the military fired on the people, and killed
three or four of them, but were ultimately driven
out, In Beauprieu, they gave up their arms at once,
and marched out of the place. In Chatillon, they
attempted to defend the barracks, but they found,
when too late, that they had not a single day’s
provisions; and as the townspeople also knew this,
they were at no pains to besiege the stronghold of
the soldiers. They knew that twenty-four hours
would starve them out. As it was, the lieutenant
in command gave up, half an hour after his usual dinner
time.
These things all occurred within a week of the revolt
at St. Florent. Beauprieu and Chatillon were
carried on the Wednesday. Coron was victorious
on the Thursday; and on the Friday following, a strong
detachment of soldiers marched out of Cholet, of their
own accord, without attempting to collect their portion
of the levy, and crossed the river Loire, at the Pont
de Ce, thus retreating from La Vendee.
These triumphs inspired the insurgents with high hopes
of future victories; they gave them the prestige of
success, made them confident in the hour of battle,
and taught them by degrees to bear, undaunted, the
fire of their enemies. The officers of the Republic
were most injudicious in allowing their enemies to
gather head as they did; had they brought a really
formidable force of men, in one body, into the province
of Anjou, immediately upon the revolt of St. Florent,
they might doubtless have driven the Vendeans, who
were then unarmed and undisciplined, back to their
farms; but they affected to despise them, they neglected
to take vigorous measures, till the whole country was
in arms; and they then found that all the available
force which they were enabled to collect, was insufficient
to quell the spirit, or daunt the patriotism of the
revolted provinces.
