HISTORICAL MEMOIRS 
 
 LA VENDUE. 
 
 BY MADAME DE SAPINAUD. 
 
 
 TRANSLATED FROM THE FRENCH. 
 
 LONDON: 
 FOR C. KNIGHT, 7, PALL-MALL, EAST, 
 
 MDCCCXXIV. 
 
.532. 
 
 LONDON 
 
 PRINTED BY W. CLOWES, 
 
 Northumberland- court. 
 
ADVERTISEMENT. 
 
 The Memoirs, of which a translation is now offered 
 to the Public, have recently appeared in a Collection 
 of Memoirs on the French Revolution, now publishing" 
 in Paris. The principal events of the Vendean War 
 are here slightly sketched ; — but the Narrative contains 
 the most minute particulars of the sufferings of the in- 
 habitants of that devoted district, forming a picture of 
 the horrors of civil war, perhaps unequalled by any 
 similar delineations of ferocity and suffering. These 
 Memoirs are distinguished by a tone of great simpli- 
 city and impartiality, which is the best evidence of 
 their truth. The translator trusts they will be re- 
 ceived as an appropriate companion to the interest- 
 ing Memoirs of the Marchioness de Bonchamps. 
 
 London, March 22, 1824, 
 
HISTORICAL MEMOIRS 
 
 LA VENDEE 
 
 lT is for you, my dear children, that I 
 have written this history of the misfor- 
 tunes and the glory of La Vendee. If 
 t)ur triumphs have been great, our dis- 
 asters have been equally so ; and Provi- 
 dence, which crowned our efforts with 
 glory while we remained faithful to our 
 God, abandoned us as soon as we re- 
 nounced that fidelity. Often, in writing 
 these Memoirs, have I bedewed with my 
 tears the page on which I retraced so many 
 misfortunes. Surrounded as I was by ene- 
 
 B 
 
mies who persecuted me with sanguinary 
 hatred ; clothed in the garb of misery ; 
 and, to complete my wretchedness, sepa- 
 rated from my children, — the only conso- 
 lation I had left was to write for them an 
 account of the heroic deeds and great dis- 
 asters I witnessed. You will perhaps find 
 in the course of my details that I some- 
 times depart from the exact order of his- 
 torical precision ; but how can it be other- 
 wise ? Ever since the fatal day when the 
 Patriots entered Mortagne and set fire to 
 my house, I wandered from cottage to cot- 
 tage, uncertain where to lay my head ; I 
 know not even whether Providence will 
 ever grant me the happiness of seeing you 
 again and folding you in my arms. In that 
 case this shall be the will of your unfortu- 
 nate mother. May my children, when they 
 read how their uncle Sapinaud, and their 
 relatives Baudery and Verteuil died, learn 
 
to walk in their steps, and to hold, like 
 them, but one object in view, that of faith- 
 fully serving their God and their King ! 
 May they, above all, preserve those senti- 
 ments of religion with which I have always 
 endeavoured to impress them ; and by such 
 means they will procure a life of happiness 
 in this world, and a never-fading glory in 
 the world to come. 
 
 The war of La Vendee commenced on 
 the 12th March, 1793. The peasants re- 
 volted in the district of La Bretiere ; they 
 afterwards dispersed among the neighbour- 
 ing parishes, and came in a body to M. Sa- 
 pinaud de Bois-Huguet, better known by 
 the name of La Verrie. " We have chosen 
 you," said they, u for our general, and you 
 shall march at our head." Sapinaud en- 
 
 b 2 
 
deavoured to convince them of the misfor- 
 tunes they would bring upon themselves 
 and upon La Vendee. " My friends/' said 
 he, " this is ridiculous ; you are rushing 
 on your own destruction. What can we 
 do ? A single department against eighty- 
 two ! We should be overpowered at once. 
 It is not for myself that I speak : life has 
 been to me a burden since I have witnessed 
 all the horrors which the barbarians have 
 heaped on our unfortunate ^country ; and I 
 would rather perish at your head in the 
 cause of my God and my king, than sub- 
 mit to be dragged to a prison, as is the 
 common lot of such as I am. Take my 
 advice ; return to your homes, and do not 
 throw away your lives to no purpose !" 
 The brave peasantry, however, far from 
 yielding to his remonstrances, insisted 
 that they could never pay obedience to a 
 government which had deprived them of 
 
their priests, and imprisoned their king. 
 "We have been deceived," said they; 
 " why do they send us constitutional 
 priests? Those are not the men who at- 
 tended our fathers on their death-beds, 
 and we will not have them to bless our 
 children !" My brother-in-law knew not 
 which course to take ; he hesitated to ex- 
 pose those brave fellows, as well as himself, 
 to an apparently certain death ; but finding 
 that they obstinately persisted, he at length 
 yielded to their entreaties, placed himself 
 at their head, and departed that very day 
 for Les Herbiers. They were joined by the 
 peasantry of La Gaubretiere. On their 
 way through La Verrie they went to the 
 house of Sapinaud de la Verrie, and obliged 
 him to march under the command of his 
 uncle ; and that very evening, this undisci- 
 plined troop, whose only weapons of defence 
 
6 
 
 were a few fowling-pieces, scythes, and 
 sticks, arrived before Les Herbiers. 
 
 The inhabitants had been apprized of 
 their approach, and had collected together 
 all the Patriots they could muster. Two 
 companies of Blues had been sent to their 
 assistance with four or five pieces of can- 
 _non. Sapinaud de la Verrie, who saw his 
 uncle advancing at the head of a band of 
 men so ill supplied for an attack, felt that 
 he had sacrificed his life, and prepared him- 
 self for the fatal blow which should deprive 
 him of it. The balls whizzed in his ears, 
 and completely deafened him ; yet, in less 
 than a couple of hours, the Vendeans drove 
 away the Blues, and became masters of the 
 town. Not one of our men was killed ; and 
 only two were wounded. The number of 
 killed on the Patriots 5 side was consider- 
 
able, and they left behind them a great 
 quantity of muskets which were distributed 
 among our peasantry. 
 
 After this successful expedition, it was 
 learnt that six or seven parishes had united 
 to attack Chollet. The division which Sa- 
 pinaud commanded desired to be directed 
 on that town, and my brother-in-law readily 
 acceded to their proposal. They arrived be- 
 neath the walls at two o'clock. Five hun- 
 dred dragoons, and the national guard of 
 the neighbouring districts, were assembled 
 in the town for its defence. The comman- 
 dant advised them to remain within the 
 walls ; but as soon as the dragoons per- 
 ceived the Vendeans, they issued from the 
 gates of Chollet, imagining that a few mus- 
 ket-shots would soon disperse a handful of 
 men without arms or experience ; and ad- 
 vancing as far as the wood of Gralot, they 
 
8 
 
 formed for action. The Vendeans, ignorant 
 of the danger to which they exposed them- 
 selves, fired as they advanced ; the muskets 
 being ranged in front, and the scythes be- 
 hind. The first volley they fired upon the 
 Patriots was so well directed that the com- 
 mandant of the national guard and the colo- 
 nel of dragoons fell dead on the field. Our 
 men, encouraged by this first advantage, 
 rushed immediately on the foremost column 
 of the enemy. The national guards took 
 the alarm and fled, the Blues were thrown 
 into confusion, and the Vendeans entered 
 Chollet almost without striking a single 
 blow. The enemy was pursued for more 
 than a league beyond the tow r n. This vie 
 tory was the more glorious as our men 
 were not so numerous as the Patriots, who 
 were, besides, well armed and assisted by 
 troops of the line, while our peasantry, on 
 the contrary, went on singing their can- 
 
9 
 
 tides, and with few exceptions, wearing 
 their rosaries. There was not the slightest 
 reaction, and Sapinaud contented himself 
 with throwing the most determined of the 
 Patriots into prison. Yet the Vendeans 
 had terrible injuries to avenge upon the 
 inhabitants of Chollet, who, at the last bal- 
 lotting for the militia, had attacked the 
 young men of the neighbouring parishes 
 who had come without arms, and had killed 
 some of them ; this must necessarily have ir- 
 ritated the neighbouring population against 
 them. 
 
 On his return, Sapinaud established his 
 head-quarters at Chantonnay. The na- 
 tional guards were terrified ; the troops of 
 the line fled in every direction. My 
 brother-in-law wrote to inform me of his 
 success, and he came himself, a few days 
 afterwards, to pay me a visit at Mortagne, 
 
10 
 
 He was far, however, from deluding him- 
 self with hope ; he assured me that the 
 catastrophe was at hand, and that he and 
 many others would perish. I endeavoured 
 in vain to remove this melancholy presen- 
 timent.— " Do not imagine, sister," he 
 replied, " that I tremble at the prospect 
 of death ; I offered the sacrifice of my life 
 the day on which I took up arms. My 
 course is taken ; there is an end of it. I 
 will retard as long as I can the fatal mo- 
 ment, but I am sure it will not be long 
 before I pay the forfeit of my life. All 1 
 regret is that I cannot be useful, before I 
 die, to the brave fellows who have followed 
 me." 
 
 In vain did his Aides-de-camp, Rangot 
 and Bejarry, endeavour to divert his 
 thoughts ; he was struck with the idea of 
 his approaching death. He bade me adieu, 
 
11 
 
 desiring me to comfort myself, and re- 
 commending to me his Vendeans. — " De- 
 pend upon it, sister," said he, as he em- 
 braced me, "I shall always be .found at 
 the head of my men, and you shall never 
 hear of my having retreated before the 
 enemy." — As soon as he had got on horse- 
 back, there was a general shout of " Vive 
 le Roi ! " and I returned to my fire-side, 
 musing on what he had said. 
 
 The very day on which my brother-in- 
 law left me, the Blues advanced beyond 
 Chatillon ; a courier brought the news of 
 this movement to Sapinaud at midnight. 
 He immediately ordered the tocsin to be 
 sounded, and, after making the necessary 
 preparations, he faced the enemy. The 
 Blues, who had expected to surprise him, 
 on being informed of his arrival did not 
 dare to stay to meet him, but retreated „ 
 
12 
 
 Sapinaud then left at Chatillon a certain 
 number of troops to defend the place in 
 case of an attack ; and having learnt that 
 a division of the enemy was marching 
 on Chantonnay, he hastened to the assist- 
 ance of that town. 
 
 Half a league from Chantonnay the 
 Vendean army fell in with the Patriots, 
 headed by a squadron of Gendarmerie. 
 Sapinaud instantly ordered his peasants to 
 halt. " My friends," said he, "let us con- 
 quer or die for our God and our King ; fol- 
 low me ! " After this short harangue, he 
 rushed upon the enemy ; a cannon ball 
 carried off a part of his hat ; never had 
 the Vendeans fought with so much courage : 
 all the Gendarmes were either killed or 
 wounded ; and the Blues left nearly three 
 thousand men on the field of battle. The 
 Vendeans returned triumphant. The 
 
13 
 
 officers and the soldiers united in singing 
 their canticles ; this was the period of our 
 glory. 
 
 M. d'Elbee and M. Bonchamps had 
 made wonderful progress in the direction 
 of Beaupreau : they had beat the Re- 
 publicans at Saint-Florent. The repub- 
 lican general, Gauvillier, having left Cha- 
 lonne uncovered, and with no other de- 
 fence than three thousand National Guards, 
 Bonchamps hastened to that town, and sent 
 the following summons to the mayor : 
 
 " Inhabitants of Chalonne, 
 
 " The Generals of the Roman 
 Catholic Army, consisting of five thousand 
 men, send to you M. Rousseau and M. Le- 
 brun, to require you to surrender in the 
 name of God, of religion, and of the Cha- 
 lonnese prisoners. If you are prepared to 
 
14 
 
 resist, you may reckon on the destruction 
 of your town ! But if, on the contrary, 
 you surrender, you will receive a full par- 
 don ; you will bring us your arms, and you 
 will give us four persons of distinction as 
 hostages. We come to you in the name of 
 humanity." 
 
 The mayor, whose name was Vial, ex- 
 pressed his determination to die rather 
 than Surrender ; but as 'soon as the Ven- 
 dean Army was put in motion, all these 
 brave Patriots were eager to capitulate. 
 The army enterred Chalonne in triumph, 
 and was received with the loudest acclama- 
 tions by the populace. The papers of 
 the administration were burnt, and all the 
 arms and ammunition which the town con- 
 tained were seized. Part of these was 
 distributed among the peasantry, and the 
 rest was forwarded to Mortagne, where a 
 
 
15 
 
 depot had been established. This town, 
 which was situated on an eminence, and 
 contained three squares within its boun- 
 daries, together with a convent and some 
 old ramparts which commanded the whole 
 of the surrounding country, seemed des- 
 tined to be the bulwark of La Vendee. 
 M. de Royrand and M. de Bonchamps 
 were constantly sending thither the am- 
 munition and other things taken from the 
 enemy ; my house was occupied by the 
 Staffs in the days of our triumphs, and the 
 enthusiasm excited by victory w r as un- 
 mingled with fear. Our joy was at its 
 highest pitchj^ven when M. de Piron, on 
 his return from the army of Prussia, tri- 
 umphed over Santerre in the battle of 
 Coron, a period at which fortune seemed 
 to declare herself against us. I have seen 
 women go down on their knees before the 
 pieces of cannon taken from the enemy, 
 
16 
 
 and sent by Piron to Mortagne, and em- 
 brace them with cries of " Vive le Roi !" 
 I cannot refrain from tears when I think 
 of the misfortunes which were then await- 
 ing us ! 
 
 The Chateau was at that time filled with 
 bombs, new cannon, shot, and cassoons, 
 together with a great quantity of muskets. 
 The cellars too contained barrels of powder, 
 and workmen of all kinds were busily em- 
 ployed night and day ; so that we seemed 
 to be in a fortress. M. Donissan and I 
 gave dinners every day to the superior 
 officers ; I also received the Royalists of all 
 ranks : my house was constantly occupied, 
 and it was afterwards the first to be burnt 
 Such was the situation of Mortagne from 
 the month of May to October. 
 
 After the battle of Chantonnay, Sa- 
 
17 
 
 pinaud had sent us three hundred pri- 
 soners, among whom was the leader of 
 the Vengeurs, who carried fire and sword 
 everywhere. They arrived at Mortagne 
 about eight o'clock in the evening, and I 
 went down to see them as they passed 
 before my door. There were four or five 
 priests among them whose appearance was 
 quite frightful ; shame was painted on their 
 countenances, and as they walked along 
 their eyes were continually wandering, 
 for they did not dare to fix them on any 
 one. I spoke to the leader of the Vengeurs, 
 who was richly attired, and whose name 
 was Monet ; one of his companions in mis- 
 fortune was a young man of Mortagne, 
 whom I was very much surprised to see 
 among the prisoners. His father and 
 mother eagerly came to solicit his pardon, 
 and I was very sorry that I had not the 
 
 c 
 
18 
 
 power to grant it. I sent an express to 
 Sapinaud, and in the meantime they were 
 all marched off to prison. The follow- 
 ing day Monet sent me the following 
 letter : — 
 
 " Madam, 
 
 " My brother-in-law, M. Gamier, 
 owed his deliverance to you, and the kind- 
 ness you displayed on that occasion en- 
 courages me to address you, and to beg 
 you to have pity on my condition. I am 
 an only son, and my parents, who love me 
 better than themselves, would willingly 
 give their lives and fortune to redeem me. 
 Require of them a considerable sum for the 
 use of the poor, and they will immediately 
 forward it to you. You are a mother, and 
 if your children should ever experience the 
 same misfortunes that I do, the Almighty 
 
19 
 
 will direct them to some kind-hearted 
 persons who will be to them what you 
 are to me. 
 
 " Your servant, 
 
 " Monet. " 
 
 I sent this letter to M. de Cumont, Who 
 commanded in the absence of M. de la 
 Verrie, and wrote to him also myself in 
 favour of the unfortunate young man. Not- 
 withstanding all his faults, I was desi- 
 rous that he should be pardoned. The 
 sight of misfortune turns vengeance into 
 pity. M. de Cumont, however, replied 
 that the most dreadful death would be too 
 mild a punishment for such a man. Alas ! 
 thought I, he would think otherwise if he 
 had a mother's heart. I knew not how to 
 announce this sad news to the young 
 colonel, but I at length determined on send- 
 ing him the following letter : — 
 
 c 2 
 
20 
 
 *Sir, 
 
 " It gives me great pain that I am 
 unable to follow the dictates of my heart, 
 which would lead me to restore you to 
 your affectionate parents. Yes, Sir, their 
 misfortune and your own remind me that 
 I am a mother, and incline me to serve you. 
 I am exceedingly desirous, since I am not 
 permitted to preserve your body, to en- 
 deavour at least to save your soul. As- 
 suming then all the feelings of her to whom 
 you owe your birth, I will venture to call 
 your attention to your past conduct, not 
 for the purpose of "adding to your grief, 
 but in order to excite a feeling of repent- 
 ance. Represent to yourself the unfortu- 
 nate mothers whom you have deprived of 
 their husbands ; think of the fate of those 
 unhappy widows, who know not where to 
 lay their heads, and who are rendered still 
 more inconsolable bv the sight of their 
 
21 
 
 poor little orphans ; there are many such 
 in this town who demand your life as a 
 sacrifice to appease the ashes of their hus- 
 bands and their children. M. Niveleau, 
 a young man of this town, is in the same 
 situation with yourself. His father, mother, 
 and sisters earnestly solicit the freedom of 
 their son and their brother ; but their 
 prayers and their tears will be of no avail ; 
 his death is determined on. Throw your- 
 self, young man, into the arms of God, 
 who alone receives us like a father when 
 we are abandoned by every one else. Be 
 thankful to him that you were not de- 
 prived of your life in battle. He has shed 
 his blood for you ; shed yours for him ! — 
 Why should you not make him this sacri- 
 fice ? It will be dear and precious to him, 
 and you will certainly be rewarded for it. 
 In a few little moments you will stand 
 before his presence ; I offer up my prayers 
 
22 
 
 to him for your pardon, and you, Sir, do 
 not forget me in his abode. I take leave 
 of you with tears in my eyes and a heart 
 full of grief." 
 
 The gaoler's wife informed me that the 
 young man shed a torrent of tears on read- 
 ing my letter. " I must die," said he, " send 
 me a priest." That very evening he con- 
 fessed, and the next morning he examined 
 himself, and confessed again. The priest 
 informed him, as well as his comrades, 
 that they would not live out the day. M. 
 Monet, instead of abandoning himself to 
 despair, seemed to gain fresh courage. 
 His trust in God took place of fear, and 
 he proceeded to his execution some time 
 after with the greatest composure. The 
 Royalist who was commissioned to convey 
 him thither, returned from the spot over- 
 whelmed with grief. — " How you are 
 
23 
 
 altered P said L— <f It is the effect of the 
 pain which I have experienced," he re- 
 plied ; " I have still before my eyes the 
 death of Colonel Monet. The execution 
 has made an impression on me which can 
 never be effaced. These are the last words 
 he addressed to his companions in mis- 
 fortune : — ' My friends, there is not a 
 single crime that we have not committed ; 
 and the death which we are about to suffer 
 is too mild to expiate them, and it would 
 be useless to us, if it were not accompanied 
 by a sincere repentance. Let us earnestly 
 entreat forgiveness of our Lord, through 
 the intercession of his mother, and let us 
 raise our hearts to him ; let us join in re- 
 peating a Pater noster and an Ave Maria. 9 
 He then said his prayers with an affecting 
 emotion, and having finished them he threw 
 himself on his knees, kissed the ground, 
 then rose and said to us ; — < My friends 
 
24 
 
 do your duty.' He fell dead on the spot. 
 " This is the first time," added the officer, 
 " that I have been present on such an oc- 
 casion, and it shall be the last." 
 
 On the 5th May, 1793, the plan for 
 taking Thouars was formed. Quetineau, 
 who commanded the Republicans, after 
 having lost the battle, shut himself up in 
 the town with three or four thousand men. 
 The walls, though old, were high enough to 
 protect it from a coup de main. There was 
 a moment's hesitation in the Vendean army 
 on its arrival before the fortress. The 
 enemy kept up a brisk fire from the top of 
 the ramparts, which terrified our peasants, 
 accustomed as they were to meet their foes 
 face to face. Sapinaud was on the spot 
 with Jhis division. Henry, who commanded 
 that day, advanced to the foot of the wall 
 amidst a shower of musket-balls. A pea- 
 
25 
 
 sant, named Texin, followed him. " Carle," 
 said Henry, " let me climb up on your 
 shoulders." " With all my heart." " Give 
 me your gun." " Here it is." Henry 
 jumped up and seized a pinnacle of the 
 battlement. At that instant a musket-ball 
 struck him, and slightly grazed his cheek. 
 The soldiers, at sight of the danger which 
 their general ran, rushed forward with tu- 
 multuous cries ; the place was carried, and 
 General Quetineau surrendered with four 
 thousand men. The Bishop of Agra was 
 taken bearing arms, in the dress of a com- 
 mon soldier ; he made himself known to 
 M. de la Rochejaquelein, and told him that 
 he had only taken up arms in the firm hope 
 of passing over to the Vendeans. There 
 was a considerable booty ; besides a great 
 quantity of assignats, they found some 
 pieces of cannon, balls, and magazines of 
 military clothing. The Bishop of Agra 
 
26 
 
 arrived that very evening at Mortagne ; he 
 there received the visits of all the neigh- 
 bouring clergy, and ordained several young 
 men who were prepared for priest's orders. 
 
 In order to give a degree of regularity to 
 their operations, the generals formed the 
 plan of establishing a superior council of 
 administration, which should reside at 
 Chatillon. It was composed of the Bishop 
 of Agra, President ; M. de Bernier, priest 
 of Saint Laud; M. Desessarts, Sen., M. 
 de la Rochefoucauld, M. Jagault, and seve- 
 ral others whose names do not now occur 
 
 tome*. 
 
 * The council was thus composed : the Bishop of 
 Agra, President ; Michel Desessarts, Sen., Vice-pre- 
 sident ; Bernier, Priest of St. Laud ; Bodi, a lawyer ; 
 Michelin, Boutiller, de La Rochefoucauld, Lamaignan, 
 Paillou, Lenoir de Pas-de-Loup, Philibert, Duplessis, 
 Gendron, Coudraya, Brin, Bourasseau, Lyrot, de la 
 Roberie, Carriere. Jagault was Secretary in chief, 
 and Barre de Saint Florent, Secretary of Despatc 
 (Note of the Editor J 
 
27 
 
 It was also proposed to appoint a general 
 in chief. M. Sapinaud and M. de Royrand 
 came and slept in my house at Mortagne ; 
 the other superior officers took a different 
 route in order to proceed to Chatillon. The 
 result of this assembly was the appoint- 
 ment of Cathelineau to the office of general 
 in chief. He was a man of uncommon 
 bravery, and, under the rough exterior of a 
 peasant, possessed the heart of a hero and 
 the piety of a saint. 
 
 In the beginning of June, the army 
 marched towards Fontenay ; Sapinaud was 
 to attack it with M. de Royrand, on the 
 side next St. Hermine, and Charette and 
 d'Elbee on the other sides. Chalbot, the 
 republican general, had shut ^himself up in 
 this town with a considerable number of 
 troops. The attack was not well combined, 
 and we experienced a considerable loss. 
 
28 
 
 M. d'Elbee received a wound in the thigh ; 
 four hundred Royalists remained stretched 
 on the field of battle ; and, to complete 
 our misfortune, Marie-Jeanne fell into the 
 hands of the enemy, who pursued us closely. 
 Eighty peasants fell gloriously on this occa- 
 sion; M. de Lescure had placed them in a 
 valley, with orders to maintain their posi- 
 tion to the last extremity, and they had 
 executed this command with admirable per- 
 tinacity. After the defeat, the general sent 
 one of his aides-de-camp to them with 
 orders to retreat ; but the Vendean peasan- 
 try, proud of having maintained their posi- 
 tion, could not believe that the army was 
 defeated ; their first impulse was a refusal 
 to obey : however, after some hesitation, 
 they commenced their march. They had 
 scarcely gone a hundred yards, when they 
 perceived a detachment of the Blues who 
 were guarding the arms taken from the 
 
29 
 
 Brigands*. They immediately poured down 
 upon them, put them to flight, and seizing 
 the cannon, fired a tremendous volley upon 
 the enemy. Marie-Jeanne^ was there; 
 they embraced it with tears in their eyes. 
 
 Our generals, far from being disheartened 
 by this reverse, prepared for a fresh attack. 
 The necessary provisions were made, and, 
 
 * Mad. de Sapinaud on several occasions gives this 
 name to the partisans of her cause. — She of course 
 does not use it as a term of opprobrium.— {Translator.) 
 
 * Marie-Jeanne was one of twelve pieces of can- 
 non which the Cardinal de Richelieu had placed at his 
 chateau. It was covered with ornaments and inscrip- 
 tions in honour of Louis XIV. and of the Cardinal. 
 The Patriots finding this cannon at Richelieu, took 
 possession of it, and made use of it against the Bri- 
 gands. At the battle of Chollet, the insurgents took 
 it from the Republicans. The peasantry held this piece 
 of artillery in such veneration, that they looked upon 
 it as a sure sign of victory. They had adorned it with 
 ribbons, and embraced it with the greatest veneration. 
 (Note of the Editor.) 
 
30 
 
 after a few days' rest, the army marched 
 again towards Fontenay. 
 
 At a short distance from this town there 
 is a plain of nearly a league in extent. 
 The Republicans had taken their position 
 there, and confidently awaited the Vendean 
 army, elated with the victory they had just 
 obtained. The command of the right wing 
 was intrusted to Bonchamps ; Henry com- 
 manded the centre with M. Domagne ; and 
 Lescure was at the head of the left wing. 
 The first discharge was murderous ; a great 
 number of soldiers were killed on both 
 sides. The Vendeans wanted cartridges ; 
 a peasant begged some of his captain; 
 " there are plenty there," replied the offi- 
 cer, pointing to the enemy. Our men, terri- 
 fied at the enemy's cavalry, had already be- 
 gun to fly, when Lescure advanced thirty 
 yards in front of the ranks, and shouted 
 
31 
 
 fl Vive le Roi !" A shower of balls whizzed 
 on each side of him without touching him. 
 " You see, my boys," said he, turning to 
 his soldiers, " you see the Blues cannot 
 take aim." The peasants immediately 
 rushed forward ; those who had no other 
 arms than iron-headed sticks, flew to take 
 possession of the pieces of cannon. The 
 Patriots, disconcerted by this impetuous 
 attack, sought' their safety in the walls of 
 Fontenay; the Vendeans pursued them 
 thither, and vanquished and victors hur- 
 ried pele-mele into the town. Forty pieces 
 of cannon, and an immense quantity of 
 powder and ammunition fell into our hands. 
 The number of prisoners was nearly three 
 thousand, not including eighteen hundred 
 Republicans killed and wounded, and it 
 added not a little to the glory of the day 
 that the Vendeans recovered Marie-Je- 
 anne. 
 
32 
 
 The army immediately marched for Sau- 
 mur, which was defended by eleven thou- 
 sand men. The position of this town on 
 the Loire rendered it an important point for 
 the Republicans, as from thence they could 
 very quickly pass into La Vendee ; it also 
 facilitated their communications with Brit- 
 tany, and the province of Maine. Santerre 
 commanded the Republican army. After a 
 strong defence, the Vendeans entered the 
 town, and the fort capitulated ; Domagne 
 and the young Beaudry d'Asson fell on that 
 occasion. Five thousand of the enemy were 
 either killed, wounded, or taken prisoners. 
 M. de Piron gained immortal glory ; heat- 
 tacked Santerre at Coron, and completely 
 beat him. He owed his victory to an inha- 
 bitant of La Salle de Vihiers, the church- 
 warden of his parish, who, though he could 
 neither write nor read, knew better than 
 anybody all the hills, rivers, and winding 
 
33 
 
 passes for five or six leagues round. The 
 enemy's position enabled this man to es- 
 timate his force, and discover his plans. 
 M. de Piron, under his direction, arrived 
 at Coron, without being perceived ; his 
 little troop surprised and attacked the 
 numerous army of Santerre, and completely 
 routed it : the most important of the spoils 
 were sent to Mortagne. 
 
 In the meantime M. de Royrand pro- 
 ; ceeded with my brother-in-law in the direc- 
 tion of Lucjon, in order to facilitate the 
 intended expedition upon Nantes ; but this 
 enterprise was unsuccessful ; in the midst 
 of the attack, some soldiers of the regiment 
 of Provence, whom Sapinaud had received 
 into his ranks, went over to the Blues and 
 decided the victory in their favour. Our 
 peasants, alarmed at this partial desertion, 
 
34 
 
 tied in disorder ; and my brother-in^aw, in 
 the irritation of the moment, rushed three 
 times upon the enemy's fire, with the in- 
 tention of meeting a glorious death, but 
 the approaching obscurity of night pre- 
 served him. As he left the field of action 
 he was encountered by two of the repub- 
 lican cavalry, who taking him for one of 
 their own men, accosted him with " Com- 
 rade, where are the Brigands ?" Without 
 making any reply, Sapinaud blew out the 
 brains of one, and obliged the other to 
 give up his horse. The army, which had 
 passed over towards Nantes, also expe- 
 rienced a check ; after several unsuccessful 
 attacks, in which a great number of men 
 were lost, Charette was forced to retire. 
 
 Westermann, after having assembled a 
 numerous army at Niort, advanced in the 
 
35 
 
 direction of Chatillon, carrying fire and 
 sword wherever he went*. In vain did 
 Lescure and La Rochejaquelein endeavour 
 to defend the heights of the Moulin aux 
 Chevres ; the enemy entered Chatillon, 
 and Lescure, compelled to fall back on 
 Chollet, and alarmed at the progress of 
 Westermann, summoned Bonchamps and 
 d'Elbee to his assistance. We attacked 
 the enemy during the night ; Providence 
 favoured us, and gave us the victory. We 
 took several pieces of cannon, and a great 
 number of prisoners. 
 
 After this victory, the Superior Council 
 
 * " The Committee," says Barrere, in his Report, 
 "has prepared measures which tend to exterminate 
 this rebel race of Vendeans, to destroy their haunts, 
 to burn their forests, and to cut down their corn. As 
 the surgeon employs his knife on mortified wounds, 
 so the sword must be employed as the same remedy at 
 Mortagne, Chollet, and Cheinille, Destroy La Vendee, 
 and you save the country. — (Note of the Editor.) 
 
 D 2 
 
36 
 
 entered Chatillon, and it was again as- 
 sembled to elect a General-in-Chief in 
 room of Cathelineau, who had died in con- 
 sequence of the wounds he had received. 
 D'Elbee was appointed to succeed him. 
 
 The unfortunate Westermann was de- 
 prived of his appointment. The general 
 who succeeded him received the most 
 severe and rigorous orders. After rally- 
 ing his troops at the bridge of Ce, he en- 
 tered La Vendee and proceeded to Mar- 
 tigne-Briant, where he defeated our troops. 
 On that occasion Bonchamps received a 
 gun-shot wound which rendered it neces- 
 sary to remove him to Jallais *. 
 
 * It is said that this general, not being- able to find 
 any one to dress bis wound, sent for a patriot sur- 
 geon who was among the prisoners. The soldiers 
 endeavoured in vain to persuade him not to trust him- 
 self to the care of this Republican. Bonchamps, who 
 was as generous as he was brave, did not partake in 
 
37 
 
 D'Elbee proceeded in the direction of 
 Lu^on, with the intention of avenging the 
 affront which the Vendeans had sustained. 
 Nine thousand Republicans, under the com- 
 mand of Tuncq, were shut up in that town. 
 D'Elbee attacked it at the head of twenty 
 thousand men ; Sapinaud assembled his 
 forces, and joined them to the army ; but 
 in consequence of secret communications 
 between the enemy and the prisoners 
 who had been enrolled in our ranks, 
 we lost the battle. Sapinaud, who com- 
 manded the advanced-guard, perished at 
 the bridge of Charron. He was betrayed 
 by a deserter, and surrounded by a nu- 
 merous body of men. Twice he rushed 
 forward to attack, and twice he was 
 
 the suspicions of these peasants ; he ordered the sur- 
 geon to dress his wound, and it was principally to his 
 care that he was indebted for his speedy recovery.— 
 (Note of the Editor.) 
 
38 
 
 repulsed and wounded ; at length he fell 
 exhausted, was taken prisoner and cut 
 to pieces. — " I die content, since I die for 
 my king !" were the last words he uttered. 
 Four peasants of La Verrie, of which he 
 was proprietor, were killed in attempting 
 to rescue his body from the hands of the 
 murderers. This happened on the 15th of 
 August, 1793 ; and to complete my misfor- 
 tunes, I received on the sam^e day the news 
 of the arrival of the formidable army of 
 Mayence* 
 
 Our generals immediately assembled at 
 La Tremblaie, and held a council of war 
 for the purpose of devising the best means 
 of resisting the attack of the Republicans. 
 D'Elbee reserved to himself the chief com- 
 mand of the army ; Royrand continued to 
 command the centre division ; Charette was 
 opposed to the army of Mayence ; and 
 
39 
 
 Bonchamps remained at the head of his 
 division of Anjou. All these arrange- 
 ments were of no avail against the enemy, 
 who in a short time took possession of 
 Machecoul, Villeneuve, and Lege, and 
 pushed his advanced-posts as far as Mon- 
 taigu. The roads were covered with wag- 
 gons, and people were seen flying in every 
 direction. 
 
 We were threatened in the direction of 
 Tiffauges by the army of Beysser, and in 
 that of Torfou by Kleber ; the former had 
 entered Montaigu, and the army of May- 
 ence was advancing on Clisson. Our 
 troops were concentrated for the purpose 
 of first attacking Beysser. This was in 
 the month of September, 1793. We had 
 a numerous army and some artillery, but 
 the number of our men rather embarrassed 
 our operations. The battle would have 
 
40 
 
 been lost had it not been for M. Charette. 
 The peasants were already flying in 
 disorder, when Charette drew his sword, 
 and holding up his hat on the point of it, 
 called out to his soldiers, — " My friends, 
 since you abandon me, I shall go forward 
 myself to conquer or die ; whoever loves 
 me let him follow !" He put spurs to his 
 horse ; his peasants followed him, shout- 
 ing, " It is ours, comrades, the day is ours !" 
 All the fugitives, on hearing the noise of the 
 musketry and cries of victory, immediately 
 returned, and combined so well in making 
 the attack that the enemy's ranks were 
 thrown into confusion. We entered Mon- 
 taigu that very day, and found there a hun- 
 dred thousand francs of Assignats, ammu- 
 nition of every kind, and a considerable 
 quantity of clothing which served for our 
 own troops. We lost the brave Dupin in 
 this affair, and Joly was wounded. 
 
41 
 
 In the meantime, the army of Mayence, 
 after taking possession of Clisson, threat- 
 ened Mortagne. M. de Royrand arrived 
 about two o'clock, and came to me;— 
 *' Despatch a courier," said he, " to the 
 generals to inform them that the Blues 
 will be at Les Herbiers in less than two 
 hours time ; I have knocked up my horse, 
 and cannot go myself.'" — Sapinaud de la 
 Verrie, who had succeeded to his uncle's 
 post, was present, along with M. de Che- 
 vigne, a Vendean officer of great merit and 
 courage. My cousin immediately departed 
 to rally his troops. I wrote to the generals 
 to desire them to send immediate succour 
 to prevent the Blues from coming out of 
 Les Herbiers, but, either from the courier 
 having mistaken the road, or from some 
 other cause, they did not set out to come 
 to us before the evening. The enemy 
 during that time had taken possession of 
 
42 
 
 the mountain of Les Alouettes, towards 
 Tiffauges ; they also took a position in 
 the direction of Chatillon, and blockaded 
 Mortagne on three sides. The generals, 
 on their arrival, perceiving that it was 
 impossible to defend the town, directed all 
 the artillery and ammunition to be cleared 
 out of it, and came to the determination 
 of falling back towards Chollet, in order 
 to be able to pass the Loire, in case of 
 accident. 
 
 My troubles increased on the 15th Octo- 
 ber. I had sent an express in the morning 
 to La Blanchardiere, to apprize my children 
 of the misfortunes with which we were 
 threatened, and to advise them to seek 
 their safety by flight; at the same time, I 
 ordered a horse to be saddled to go and 
 meet them, and in waiting the return of 
 the express, I threw myself on my bed to 
 
43 
 
 take a little repose. I had scarcely laid 
 myself down, when they came to inform 
 me that the Blues were entering on every 
 side, and that nothing but immediate flight 
 could save us. One of my maid-servants 
 came into th$ room at the same time and 
 confirmed the sad news ; the only thing to 
 be done was to fly to the nearest wood for 
 shelter. We had scarce entered it, when 
 the roar of the cannon was heard in every 
 direction, and from our station in the woods 
 we could distinguish horsemen gallopping 
 about and calling out to slaughter and burn 
 every thing that came within reach. This 
 tumult lasted till three o'clock. We saw 
 two women running off at a distance. 
 Perrine, who had accompanied me, went 
 to meet them, and asked them whence they 
 came ; — " Oh, Heavens !" said they, cc we 
 have just been robbed by the Blues ; they 
 took away all the money we had, and com- 
 
44 
 
 manded us to return to Mortagne, adding 
 that they were going to scour the woods 
 and kill every one they found in them !" 
 On hearing this, Perrine was anxious to 
 quit the retreat we had chosen ; but for 
 my part, I preferred remaining till the 
 evening ; I dreaded falling in with those 
 barbarians. At length, after sunset, we left 
 the wood. Flames were seen in every direc- 
 tion ; I expected to see the wood of Huguet 
 on fire ; but what was my astonishment ? 
 the ruffians had not even entered it : yet I 
 did not dare to go through it, for fear of 
 finding some of those wretches asleep in 
 it. We proceeded to a hamlet not far off. 
 I cannot express the terror with which I 
 was seized on finding the doors of the 
 houses open, and clothes and linen scattered 
 about the street ; it immediately struck mo 
 that the inhabitants must have been killed. 
 We immediately left the village and hid 
 
45 
 
 ourselves behind a very thick hedge. 
 Perrine went to get me some water at a 
 neighbouring fountain, for I was almost 
 dying of thirst. She had scarcely left me, 
 when I heard the sound of horses ap- 
 proaching. I was very much terrified lest 
 any misfortune should befall her ; but the 
 Blues merely asked the way to Les Herbiers , 
 and passed on without doing her any in- 
 jury. Finding ourselves in greater security 
 than before, and being very much pressed 
 by hunger, we determined on going to 
 La Blanchardiere, for I was anxious to see 
 my daughter. We therefore commenced 
 our journey, keeping as much as possible 
 out of the way of the roads and the farm- 
 houses ; but we could not altogether avoid 
 the latter. The first we came to presented 
 a terrifying spectacle ; the doors were wide 
 open and the house was half burnt down ; 
 the cattle and the sheep were lowing and 
 
46 
 
 bleating out of doors, and the poor animals 
 seemed to be calling for assistance. After 
 passing this farm, we met a man and a 
 woman with their little daughter, scarcely 
 three years old. They told us they came 
 from Le Mays, and that the Blues had 
 ravaged the country in every direction* 
 This man had been present at the battle 
 of Chollet, and gave me some information 
 respecting the taking of that town by the 
 Patriots. He told me that M. d'Elbee 
 had taken his position on the heights of 
 St. Christophe-du-Bois, in the design of 
 entering Chollet. At the commencement 
 of the action, the battle had been favour- 
 able to the Vendeans ; Bonchamps had 
 penetrated the centre of the Republican 
 army, and the ferocious Carrier, minister 
 of the Convention, had just escaped being 
 killed, when a charge of cavalry threw the 
 Royal army into disorder* The generals 
 
47 
 
 endeavoured in vain to arrest the flight of 
 their men, and Bonchamps, at the head 
 of a hundred horsemen, rushed into the 
 midst of one of the enemy's squadrons, 
 unwilling to survive the misfortunes of 
 his country. He received a mortal wound, 
 and would doubtless have remained in the 
 power of the enemy, if M. de Piron had 
 not come up at the head of five or six 
 hundred Vendeans and rescued him from 
 their fury. He added that the army was 
 moving in the direction of Beaupreau, and 
 that he was flying with his wife, because 
 he did not know what might be the result 
 of the battle. I left these good people, 
 because they travelled too slowly to satisfy 
 me, and my anxiety to see my daughter 
 urged me forward. I had very nearly 
 arrived at the end of my journey, when 
 I heard a cry of — " Back, back ! There 
 are seven Blues hid among the furze!" — 
 
48 
 
 and at the same time I saw about twenty 
 men and as many women seeking among 
 the furze through which I was about to 
 pass. One of the women recognised me, 
 and told me that my daughter had gone 
 away with her husband the day before. I 
 was extremely mortified at this informa- 
 tion, so much so that I fainted away ; 
 upon which the good people carried me to 
 La Mouriere, and put me to bed. About 
 six o'clock a young girl arrived from Mor- 
 tagne ; she told us that there were more 
 than a thousand mem there ; that a great 
 number of Royalists had been put to death, 
 and that no quarter was given to those who 
 had arms in their possession ; that her 
 brother-in-law had been killed, as well as 
 her sister, and that it was with great dif- 
 ficulty that she had contrived to escape 
 herself. She added, that the Blues were 
 going to send out patroles about the neigh- 
 
49 
 
 bouring country to set fire to every dis- 
 trict. 
 
 This news alarmed the inmates of the 
 farm, and it was resolved that we should 
 sleep out of doors. They carried out a 
 blanket for me into a meadow some dis- 
 tance off, from whence we could have a 
 view of the house, in case the Republicans 
 should come and set fire to it, while a 
 large oak and a very thick hedge served to 
 shelter and screen us from observation. I 
 slept for nearly an hour, and found myself 
 almost frozen with the cold when I awoke. 
 I entreated the peasants to take me back 
 to the farm-house, assuring them that as 
 the Blues were in such small numbers at 
 Mortagne, they would not dare to come so 
 far. The good people yielded to my re- 
 quest, and made a good fire which quite 
 revived me. At day-break I bade them 
 
 E 
 
50 
 
 adieu ; and after thanking them for the 
 generous hospitality they had shown to- 
 wards me, I set off on my journey to St. 
 Laurent. As I passed by La Ronde, I 
 inquired after my daughter, and was as- 
 sured by a Vendean, who was coming from 
 Beaupreau, that she had crossed the Loire 
 with her husband and children. This 
 peasant was of the environs of Mortagne, 
 and had been engaged in every battle since 
 the commencement of the war. " Having 
 a little cart of my own," said he, " I took 
 my wife and my children, and departed 
 with them for Beaupreau before the battle 
 of Chollet. We had scarcely arrived there, 
 when we saw the Brigands come flying 
 through the place, and crying, ' Sauve 
 quipeutP We soon decided what course to 
 take, and proceeded towards St. Florent, 
 in order to cross the Loire before the ar- 
 rival of the enemy. A courier had already 
 
51 
 
 engaged all the boats. I was told that 
 M. de Bonchamps was mortally wounded ; 
 and, indeed, I saw him carried by on a 
 litter. Before he died, he set at liberty 
 the remainder of the prisoners, to the 
 number of nearly five thousand, and those 
 wretches were no sooner free than they 
 joined our enemies, and turned against us 
 the arms which we were obliged to leave 
 at St. Florent. The crowd was so great, 
 that I had a great deal of trouble in getting 
 my wife and children across. When we 
 had got on the other side of the river, we 
 could find no place of shelter, and were 
 forced to sleep among the furze. The 
 Blues, who were close at our heels, did 
 not allow us long to remain at rest ; they 
 pursued us as far as Grandville, where we 
 lost a great number of men ; many of our 
 superior officers perished on that occasion ; 
 the brave M. de Royrand was wounded, 
 
 e 2 
 
52 
 
 and died eight days after; M. de Vaugi- 
 raud was beside him when he died. His 
 last words were these, — * I die content, for 
 I have not survived our disasters; I ask 
 pardon of God for my sins, and I hope 
 every thing from his great mercy.' He 
 had been in the service all his life, 
 and wore the cross of St. Louis. M. de 
 Verteuil was also killed after the passage 
 of the Loire, as well as M. de Beaurepaire ; 
 the latter had been severely wounded at 
 the battle of Chollet. Madame de Mingre 
 was in a carriage with the Demoiselles 
 de la Tremblaie ; the carriage was over- 
 turned, Madame de Mingre broke one of 
 her legs, and the poor young ladies who 
 were with her were obliged to continue 
 their journey on foot. A great number of 
 ladies of La Vendee, whose names I do not 
 know, also perished at that fatal passage. 
 Some were trodden under foot by the horses, 
 
53 
 
 some died of hunger, others of misery and 
 grief ; you cannot form an idea of the hor- 
 rid spectacle which presented itself; the 
 wounded and dying were seen extended here 
 and there, stretching out their arms and 
 lifting their eyes towards us, without our 
 being able to render them any assistance. 
 
 " On reaching the other side of the 
 river, we found our situation still more de- 
 plorable ; the defeat of the Brigands was 
 complete ; they were all flying in different 
 directions in the greatest confusion. I 
 joined the division commanded by M. 
 Henri, and my wife accompanied me to 
 Ancenis, where we determined on returning 
 to Mortagne. I chose a circuitous track, 
 and by means of a large tri-coloured cock- 
 ade, which I stuck in my hat, I succeeded 
 in crossing the Loire, and have now almost 
 reached my home." 
 
54 
 
 I was greatly afflicted at the account of 
 so many disasters. A multitude of melan- 
 choly ideas presented themselves to my 
 imagination, and I suffered the greatest 
 anxiety from my uncertainty with regard 
 to the fate of my children . What could 
 have become of them after the passage of 
 the Loire ? All the reports which were in 
 circulation on the misfortunes of those 
 who had followed the army to Grandville, 
 were calculated to" afflict a mother's heart. 
 I should at least have partaken their fate 
 if I could have accompanied them, and I 
 should have had the happiness of dying 
 with them. I immediately set out for St. 
 Laurent. 
 
 Just as I was leaving La Ronde, I met 
 the village-priest, a man who was highly 
 respected throughout the surrounding coun- 
 try for his great virtues, and with whom I 
 
55 
 
 had been long acquainted. He was sur- 
 rounded by several peasants ; I judged 
 from his terrified expression, that some- 
 thing extraordinary had befallen him, or 
 that he had received some bad news. I 
 went up to him, and asked him what was the 
 matter. He replied that eight of the Blues 
 had seized him at a short distance from his 
 house, and one of them accosted him with, 
 " Who are you ?" The poor priest was so 
 terrified that he could scarcely answer, and 
 one of the ruffians seized him by the collar, 
 and demanded his pocket-book, which he 
 surrendered. They then said to him, " Are 
 you a priest ?" "Yes, I am." "You are 
 the priest of La Ronde ?" " Yes, Gentle- 
 men." " There is no such thing now ; we 
 are all citizens ; come, we must kill him !" 
 Upon this, the worthy priest fell on his 
 knees and recommended his soul to God. 
 Heaven inspired one of the soldiers with 
 
56 
 
 compassion ; he addressed his comrades 
 and said, " Come, we have done enough; 
 we must not kill him. He has not deceived 
 us ; he is no traitor. Get up, and go about 
 your business." The old man rose, but his 
 terror fixed him to the spot. Fortunately 
 for him, the patriots perceived that their 
 detachment was already at some distance, 
 and hastened to join it, and some peasants 
 coming up assisted him to return to his 
 house. Notwithstanding the alarm I felt 
 at what he had told me, I continued my 
 journey towards St. Laurent ; on arriving 
 there, I immediately went to the house of a 
 female relative, who informed me that 
 several ladies had arrived there from Beau- 
 preau. While I was preparing to go to 
 them for the purpose of inquiring after 
 my daughter, my cousin, who was at the 
 window, perceived a young woman at a dis- 
 tance whom she look for Madame de Cha- 
 
57 
 
 vagne, and exclaimed, " There is your 
 daughter." 1 threw myself upon her neck 
 and embraced her ; I knew not how to ex- 
 press my joy. I hastened out with her, and 
 we approached the object of our trans- 
 ports. Alas ! it was not she. I said to 
 her, " Ah ! Mademoiselle, you were taken 
 for my daughter I" These words drew 
 tears to her eyes, and she said to me, 
 " Madam, I am not so fortunate as to have 
 a mother; I have just lost her at Saint 
 Florent. We were on the banks of the 
 Loire ; the crowd was so great that my 
 mother was hurried into the boat without 
 her unfortunate daughter. I stretched out 
 my arms to her and looked after her with 
 tears in my eyes, when all of a sudden the 
 boat upset, and all the passengers fell into 
 the river. When my mother was taken 
 out, she was found to be dead ; I spent the 
 
58 
 
 night by her side, not knowing where I 
 was, nor what I ought to do ! ^and in the 
 morning some peasants assisted me in 
 carrying her body to a neighbouring farm, 
 where the last honours were paid to her 
 remains." I endeavoured to console this 
 unfortunate young woman, and left her in 
 the care of the Demoiselles de La Roche- 
 foucauld, who were about to pass through 
 her canton. 
 
 After staying some days at St. Laurent, 
 without receiving any information respect- 
 ing my daughter, my extreme anxiety with 
 regard to her fate, made me determined to 
 return to Mortagne. I was in hopes of 
 being able to find some one there who would 
 run the risk of crossing the Loire and bear- 
 ing a letter to my son-in-law ; I was assured 
 also that no harm would befall me, and 
 
59 
 
 therefore I decided on going. My cousin 
 and I parted, and shed as many tears as if 
 we were never to meet again. 
 
 I did not meet with any Blues along the 
 road, but I was terribly alarmed when I 
 arrived at Mortagne. The streets were 
 full of Patriots and soldiers of the enemy's 
 troops; several of them asked me, with an 
 oath, who I was ? I heard a woman say to 
 them, " she is a worthy lady." The very 
 day of my arrival, in order to escape in- 
 sults, I put on a disguise, and sent to the 
 members of the municipality to beg them 
 to come and see me, telling them at the 
 same time that I had a favour to ask of 
 them. Things were strangely altered, for, 
 only a fortnight before, these very gentle- 
 men came to receive my commands and to 
 ask favours of me. My physician, who 
 was one of the chief men of the commune, 
 
60 
 
 came on my invitation ; I begged him to 
 give me a certificate and a passport for a 
 man, whom I wished to send to Beaupreau ; 
 but this he refused. On the same day the 
 cattle were removed from the Bois-Huguet. 
 I immediately wrote to M. Lacour, whose 
 life Sapinaud had saved, and whom I had 
 maintained during the period of our pros- 
 perity ; I wrote to him, I say, to ask the 
 cause of this removal, and at the same time 
 to beg him to inform me, whether there was 
 any risk in my situation ; but he did not 
 even deign to send me an answer. The 
 doctor assured me, however, that I had 
 nothing to fear, as I was under the pro- 
 tection of the municipality. I did not think 
 proper to trust these fine promises, and the 
 after-events proved that I acted wisely, for 
 all the women of quality who gave credit 
 to the promises of these gentlemen perish- 
 ed the victims of their credulity. The 
 
61 
 
 commandant of Mortagne, a few days after 
 my arrival, sent for Madame de la Soriniere 
 and her three daughters, and the ruffians 
 who were commissioned to bring them 
 before him, first robbed them of the little 
 they had remaining, and then insulted them. 
 On their arrival at Mortagne, they were 
 taken before the commandant, who was 
 surrounded by a set of fellows as inhuman 
 as himself. The poor ladies were half 
 dead from the cruel treatment they had 
 experienced. The eldest of the young 
 ladies spoke to these tigers, and begged 
 them to give a seat to her mother, who was 
 very much fatigued. " She shall have 
 some straw to rest upon," said one of the 
 Patriots. This cruel answer opened the 
 eyes of the unfortunate women to the hor- 
 rors of their situation. " My children," 
 said the mother, " we are led to our 
 slaughter." — In fact, they were conducted 
 
62 
 
 the next day, to Angers, where they perish- 
 ed on the scaffold. Just as they were as- 
 cending the fatal cart, a citizen proposed 
 to the youngest, who was very pretty, to 
 marry her, but she received the proposal 
 with indignation, and replied to him 
 haughtily; " would you have me marry 
 one of the accomplices of my mother's mur- 
 der ; — I prefer the scaffold to such igno- 
 miny, and I thank Heaven for delivering 
 me from a world which is inhabited only by 
 monsters." On pronouncing these words 
 she threw herself into her mother's arms, 
 and after having affectionately embraced 
 her, without shedding a single tear, they 
 both rushed into eternity. Her sisters met 
 their fate with equal courage. 
 
 At the same period they brought to 
 Mortagne, the Demoiselles de la Besse and 
 de Lapiniere, together with a young lady 
 
63 
 
 who was residing with them. Three of 
 these unfortunate ladies were killed on the 
 road by the wretches , and the fourth, 
 Mademoiselle de la Guittiere, arrived alone 
 and was sent to Angers, where the Revolu- 
 tionary Tribunal condemned her to death. 
 
 Madame de Vaugiraud, and Madame de 
 Concise, were also conducted to Doue, 
 where they died of want and ill treatment. 
 Madame de Concise was thrown from the 
 top of a staircase, and survived her fall 
 only eight days. 
 
 Instead of following the example of 
 these ladies, and running the risk of re- 
 maining at home, I left Mortagne at day- 
 break, accompanied by Perrine. As there 
 were no guards except at the door of the 
 commandant, I found no difficulty in getting 
 out of the town. I went first to La Verrie, 
 
64 
 
 and entered the house of my unfortunate 
 brother-in-law. As soon as I rested my- 
 self a little, for I was very much fatigued, 
 I sent for a peasant of the name of Simon, 
 whom I knew, and who was greatly in- 
 debted to my family, and I begged him to 
 conceal me in his house. " Alas, Madam," 
 replied he, " I would lodge you with great 
 pleasure if I had not so many children, but 
 I fear they would not be sufficiently secret ; 
 however, I know two good old women who 
 have got an upper and a lower room, and I 
 will go and speak to them." He returned 
 in high spirits to inform me that the old 
 women would be able to conceal me won- 
 derfully well, and that there would be no 
 danger of my being discovered ; he went 
 himself to prepare a bed for me in the 
 room which I was to occupy. I was scarce- 
 ly installed in my new lodging, than they 
 came to inform me that the citizens of 
 
65 
 
 Mortagne were coming for the purpose of 
 searching the town. At the same time I 
 heard the trampling of horses, and the 
 song of 
 
 Ah, 9a ira, 9a ira, 9a ira, 
 Les aristocrates a la lanterne, 
 
 sung by the riders. I recommended my- 
 self to God, and as the good women of the 
 house burnt nothing but resin, (which 
 yields but a pale light,) I hastened down 
 stairs. In a short time the Patriots came 
 and knocked at the door, which was opened 
 by one of the old women. " Does Godro 
 live here ?" said they, entering the house. 
 " No," she replied, " he lives in the other 
 street" " Come," said they, " and shew 
 us the way." I trembled like an aspen- 
 leaf. The good woman immediately went 
 out with them to point out Godro's house, 
 and there the matter ended. However, as 
 the Patriots renewed their searches every 
 
66 
 
 day, and as I ran the risk of being dis- 
 covered by the citizens of Mortagne, I 
 thought it most prudent to seek another 
 place of shelter. 
 
 At this period, Charette and Cathelineau 
 (Pierre, the brother of the general in chief,) 
 were endeavouring to create a fresh insur- 
 rection. They had communicated with all 
 the neighbouring parishes, and Cathelineau 
 had even advanced as far as la Gaubre- 
 tiere. Simon brought me this information, 
 and asked whether I did not think it would 
 be best for me to join them. M. de la 
 Bordeliere offered to accompany me, and 
 was to meet me at midnight. I consented 
 with joy to the proposal, and in the mean 
 time threw myself on my bed, where I slept 
 till night. One of the old women called 
 me at ten o'clock ; I arose, and remained 
 till three in the morning in anxious ex- 
 
67 
 
 pectation. My patience was at length ex- 
 hausted, and I sent one of the old women 
 to Simon to ascertain the cause of the delay. 
 She brought back word that Madame de 
 la Bordeliere would not allow her husband 
 to depart. — Singular destiny ! — That very 
 day her husband was informed against by 
 two peasants whom he had engaged to 
 accompany him ; his house was surrounded 
 by a score of Blues ; he was conducted to 
 Mortagne, and thence to Chollet where he 
 was shot. 
 
 Simon came to me towards the evening 
 to tell me that after this event it would be 
 dangerous for me to remain at La Verrie ; 
 that M. Cathelineau had gone away in the 
 course of the day, and that the Republi- 
 cans would shortly make a more rigorous 
 search than ever, I was therefore obliged 
 to make up my mind to depart that very 
 
 f ^ 
 
68 
 
 evening. The rain poured in torrents, and 
 as we did not wish to take the high roads 
 we were compelled to stop at La Gaubre- 
 tiere. On the following day I recommenced 
 my journey about six o'clock in the even- 
 ing ; there was a high wind, and the moon 
 which rose about nine o'clock, gave but a 
 feeble light ; I was alarmed at the slightest 
 noise, and fancied that a troop of Blues 
 was coming to seize me. It was very 
 late when I arrived at Les Landes,— where 
 I was fortunate enough to enter a house 
 inhabited by some very worthy peasants. 
 They had three children ; the wife was a 
 native of Angers, and made me pass for 
 one of her relations ; they gave me the 
 name of Fortin, and instructed me how 
 to answer in the event of my being ques- 
 tioned, as to who 1 was and whence I came. 
 Alas ! I was far from wishing to go out : 
 my legs were so swollen that I could not 
 
69 
 
 walk up stairs to my room, or rather to 
 my prison ; for such it really was. I did 
 not dare to go down stairs, but spent 
 whole days in the depth of winter in this 
 room, which was dreadfully cold. As the 
 parish of Les Landes is within the district 
 of Montaigu, I had less to fear from the 
 citizens of Mortagne. The Blues came 
 into the village, it is true, and often even 
 to the very house where I lodged ; but the 
 children were always on the watch, and 
 ran to tell me when they perceived them. 
 On those occasions I went up into a little 
 spare garret, where I was almost frozen 
 with cold ; for we were now in the month 
 of December. 
 
 In the meantime, a few days before the 
 commencement of the new year, (1794,) 
 M. Charette advanced as far as Quatre- 
 Chemins, at the head of twelve thousand 
 
70 
 
 men. He even came within a short dis- 
 tance of Mortagne, but there he was de- 
 serted by more than half of his peasants ; 
 the remai nder were either k illed or wou nded , 
 and he himself escaped with great diffi- 
 culty. After this signal disaster, he or- 
 dered a novennary, or nine days' prayers, 
 and a general fast to appease the wrath of 
 God, and to obtain from his mercy success 
 in the next encounter. At the same time 
 he despatched couriers in the direction of 
 Nantes to demand succour, and a large 
 portion of the troops which were sent 
 passed through Les Landes about nine 
 o'clock at night. In spite of the state of 
 the weather, which was truly dreadful, the 
 good villagers took the lead to point out 
 to them the most favourable roads. When 
 the Patriots arrived, they hastened to in- 
 form Charette of the circumstance, giving 
 him at the same time an account of the 
 
71 
 
 position and number of the enemy ; and he 
 managed matters so well, that even after 
 his first defeat, he was the victor at Les 
 Quatre-Chemins ; so much so, that the 
 Republicans used to call that spot their 
 burial-place. At this juncture, Stofflet and 
 La Rochejaquelein recrossed the Loire and 
 formed an army at Maulevrier, which 
 served to reinforce Charette. The enemy 
 was thus obliged to divide his forces, and 
 Cathelineau attacked him in the direction 
 of Chemille ; at the same time Sapinaud 
 de la Verrie recrossed the river with Jour- 
 dan, and returned to his Canton, for the 
 purpose of collecting troops. As soon as 
 I heard of his arrival, I sent Madame 
 Guerin, at whose house I lodged, to en- 
 quire after my daughter. He sent me 
 word that my daughter and my son-in-law 
 were both in good health, but that my 
 grand-daughter had died of the small-pox. 
 
72 
 
 This information was far from satisfying 
 me. Alas ! thought I, why have they not 
 tried to recross the Loire ? Their fate 
 should have been mine. But it was my 
 unhappy lot to be left alone in the world, 
 to be a solitary witness of the greatest 
 horrors. 
 
 On the 27th December, a young girl of 
 the name of Corbete, was seized by the 
 Blues, She was very pretty, and formed 
 rather to inspire tenderness than fury ; the 
 wretches endeavoured to seduce her. They 
 proposed to conduct her to their com- 
 mandant, promising her all sorts of riches ; 
 but finding that she was deaf to their 
 promises, they fancied that sufferings 
 would render her more tractable, and com- 
 menced their work of barbarity by tearing 
 out her nails one after the other. The 
 poor girl uttered the most piercing shrieks, 
 
73 
 
 which were only answered by an exclama- 
 tion of — "Well then, you little wretch, 
 why don't you yield, and then we would 
 give over torturing you." — " Do whatever 
 you please," she replied, " my body is in 
 your power, but my soul is in the hands of 
 God, who will make me amends for all the 
 torments you inflict upon me." They cut off 
 both her breasts, and the unfortunate girl 
 fainted away with loss of blood ; they then 
 committed the most shocking outrages on 
 her person. " Wretches," exclaimed a pea- 
 sant, who had been attracted by her cries to 
 the spot, "are you not yet satisfied with your 
 barbarity towards this poor victim ?" One 
 of the Blues immediately drew his sabre, 
 and after pursuing him a long time, over- 
 took and killed him. This horrible ca- 
 tastrophe took place at Tiffauges (a league 
 from Les Landes.) To complete my misery 
 
74 
 
 I received information that the Brigands , 
 who were on the other side of the Loire, 
 had been defeated ; that the Blues had 
 massacred an astonishing number of people, 
 and that all the prisoners had been taken 
 to Nantes, where they would doubtless be 
 put to death. Judge of the grief I felt at 
 this information ; I fancied I already saw 
 my beloved daughter in the hands of those 
 butchers. Gracious heavens! what tor- 
 ture I endured ! I could not remain any 
 longer at Les Landes, and determined on 
 returning to Saint-Laurent, in the hope of 
 being able to hear some account of my 
 poor daughter. I therefore sent for the 
 peasant who had brought me here, and 
 begged him to conduct me toLaGaubretiere, 
 where I proposed to stay at the house of 
 a carpenter on whose integrity I could rely. 
 I resolved on commencing my journey the* 
 
15 
 
 next day, on which, as it happened to be 
 twelfth-day, I thought it likely that the 
 Blues would not come out of Mortagne. 
 
 In the evening I announced to my hosts 
 my intention of quitting them the follow- 
 ing day. The good people endeavoured 
 to detain me, but in vain ; my resolution 
 was taken, for I felt the utmost anxiety to 
 learn the fate of my children. I quitted 
 Les Landes at mid-day, and I could not 
 help shedding tears on parting with my 
 worthy protectors. 
 
 The wife of my conductor was in waiting 
 for me among some furze ; the poor woman 
 was murdered a few days after. Thirty of 
 the Brigands crossed the Loire, and a part 
 of them even went to sleep at Les Landes, 
 where they were well received. The Pa- 
 triots of Montaigu, as soon as they heard 
 
76 
 
 of this movement, went there also. They 
 killed the priest and his sister, together 
 with a great number of women, and it was 
 then that this poor creature was murdered 
 in her garden with four children, one of 
 whom was at the breast. She was found 
 dead; the youngest of her children was 
 still lying at her breast ; the others were 
 stretched by her side. Her husband in the 
 most distressing affliction brought me this 
 sad news ; he added that the peasants of 
 his village were going to take up arms and 
 follow M. de Sapinaud, and he said he was 
 determined to die or to avenge the death 
 of his wife. 
 
 On arriving at La Gaubretiere, I sent for 
 the wife of my carpenter, who immediately 
 came to me, and told me that Madame de 
 Boissy was concealed in her house, and 
 that she entreated me to go to her for a little 
 
77 
 
 time. I followed her without hesitation, 
 and found Madame de Boissy, with her 
 two daughters. We embraced, with tears 
 in our eyes ; my grief was increased at see- 
 ing her in company with her daughters. 
 " Ah ! madam," I exclaimed, u how much 
 you are favoured by heaven ! You are with 
 your children ; and I perhaps at this mo- 
 ment am deprived of mine !" — She en- 
 deavoured to console me, and told me that 
 her husband had left La Borderie with M. 
 and Madame d'Elbee and M. d'Hauterive; 
 and that those gentlemen had taken refuge 
 in the island of Noirmoutiers, which made 
 her very uneasy, as she had been informed 
 that the Patriots were on the point of 
 taking possession of it. This news was 
 far from diminishing my sorrow ; we took 
 leave of each other, with tears in our eyes. 
 The carpenter's son then led me to a farm 
 to which his mother had directed him, 
 
78 
 
 and where she expected I should be well 
 received. 
 
 Before I entered the house I discharged 
 my guide and paid him ; a practice which I 
 always observed. I found an old woman 
 sitting by the corner of the fire. I saluted 
 her, and begged her to give me a lodging 
 for a single night, adding that I intended 
 to depart early next morning for St. Lau- 
 rent, where I had a relation who was a nun 
 of La Sagesse. She replied dryly that she 
 could not give me a bed ; I then said to her, 
 " I do not ask you for a bed, but merely 
 for shelter." " You had better go further 
 on," was her only reply, I felt the tears 
 starting into my eyes ; but resigning myself 
 to my fate, I repeated & pater noster and an 
 ave Maria, and threw myself with confi- 
 dence into the arms of Providence. " My 
 good woman," said I, " would you have the 
 
79 
 
 kindness to give me a guide to another 
 farm." The maid-servant, who was pre- 
 sent, immediately offered to accompany 
 me ; she helped me over a little stream, 
 into which I might otherwise have fallen, 
 for it was a very dark night, and led me 
 within a short distance of a farm-house, 
 the inhabitants of which were of a very 
 different kind from those whom I had just 
 left. The master of the house and his 
 wife were seated near a large fire, sur- 
 rounded by five children and two of their 
 cousins. As soon as they perceived me, the 
 man, who occupied the best place, rose and 
 saluted me with great politeness ; I asked 
 him to give me a lodging. " With great 
 pleasure," he replied. I eagerly returned 
 him thanks ; I was so much affected, I 
 scarce knew how to express my gratitude. 
 As soon as the two cousins had taken leave 
 of them, the good woman threw her arms 
 
80 
 
 about rny neck and exclaimed, " Ah ! Mad. 
 de Sapinaud, is it you I have the honour to 
 receive into my house !" Her children sur- 
 rounded and caressed me ; they all assured 
 me that they thought I was dead ; that they 
 had been told I was massacred when the 
 Blues first entered Mortagne. " Alas ! my 
 good friends/' I replied, " Heaven has 
 hitherto saved me from the fury of my 
 enemies, but, from the bitterness with 
 which they pursue me, I expect sooner or 
 later to fall into their hands. " They gave 
 me a good supper and a bed. I begged 
 them to allow one of their children to con- 
 duct me next morning to St. Laurent, 
 where I was desirous to arrive by day- 
 break ; the two eldest immediately offered 
 their services. How thankful was I at that 
 moment to God for not allowing me to be 
 received at the last farm-house ! I slept 
 very little ; about two o'clock in the morn* 
 
81 
 
 ing I arose, and called the eldest son of my 
 host ; " Come, John," said I, " let us de- 
 part." What was my astonishment when 
 he told me that it had been snowing the 
 whole of the night ; that in many places it 
 was more than a foot deep, and that we 
 should find great difficulty in reaching St. 
 Laurent ! I told him that I was determined 
 on going, that I hoped he would give me 
 his arm, and that by his assistance I should 
 be better enabled to avoid the dangerous 
 places : he immediately called his brother, 
 and we set out on our journey. It was 
 terribly cold ; the snow froze as it fell, 
 which rendered it firmer. We were obliged 
 to cross the high road from Les Herbiers 
 to Mortagne, through which the citizens 
 were almost continually passing day and 
 night. One of my guides always walked 
 about a hundred yards before us, to be on 
 the look out, and in case of perceiving any 
 
 G 
 
82 
 
 danger, he was to return and inform us. 
 My heart beat as I crossed the high road. 
 As soon as we had got to some distance 
 from it, I was obliged to sit down ; my 
 strength failed me, and I was covered with 
 perspiration, though it was so cold that the 
 snow was frozen on my clothes. My con- 
 ductors were equally insensible of the cold ; 
 they sometimes carried me. We never 
 went by the paths for fear our foot-steps 
 should discover us, but kept along the 
 hedges and ditches, and my legs were quite 
 torn with the thorns. At length we lost 
 our way ; the eldest of my companions ran 
 on before us and perceived a house where 
 he was known ; on their positive assurance 
 that I had nothing to fear, I desired them 
 to knock that we might warm ourselves a 
 little. I was so tired that I could not walk 
 a step. I desired the inmates of the farm- 
 house not to discover me, and to call me 
 
83 
 
 by the name of La Fortin, which I had borne 
 ever since my departure from La Verrie ; 
 the good people got up and made a good 
 fire. After I had rested a few minutes 
 I paid my guides and departed for St. 
 Laurent. 
 
 When I had nearly arrived at that place, 
 I met a miller, and asked him whether there 
 were many citizens in the town ; he replied 
 that several inhabitants of Mortagne had 
 passed the night there, but that he thought 
 they would go away again. On arriving at 
 St. Laurent I went to an old governess, 
 who had formerly had the care of my 
 daughter. On entering the house I found 
 a man and woman there who were stran- 
 gers to me ; I threw my arms round her 
 neck and addressed her as my mother. She 
 recognised me immediately, notwithstand- 
 ing my disguise ; I was half dead with cold, 
 
 g 2 
 
84 
 
 and my stockings and petticoats were wet 
 through. She gave me some soup, which 
 I had great need of after my fatiguing 
 journey. I told her that I had something 
 to communicate from her brother ; the 
 people who were with us then left the room, 
 and her husband was out at work. When 
 we were alone I begged her to find me a 
 room where I could conceal myself, and she 
 at length procured me an apartment at the 
 house of Madame Gilbert, an honest pea- 
 sant, whose husband had crossed the Loire. 
 The day after my arrival I learned that M. 
 d'Elbee, M. de Boissy and M. d'Hauterive 
 had been shot in the island of Noirmou- 
 tiers. When they were seized, M. de 
 Boissy entreated one of his servants who 
 had accompanied him to save himself by 
 flight ; but the generous Vendean disdained 
 to do so. " Do you think," said he to his 
 master, " that I do not know how to die 
 
85 
 
 for my God? — I will never abandon you." 
 The Blues proposed to those three gentle- 
 men, that if they would recognise the Re- 
 public, no harm should be done to them. 
 " You are brave fellows," said the republi- 
 can-general ; " but," said he, turning to 
 M. d'Elbee, " if our lives were in your 
 hands as yours are in ours, what would you 
 do to us ?" " Just what you are going to 
 do to me," was the reply. On receiving 
 this answer he directed them to be placed 
 together, and ordered his soldiers to shoot 
 them, which was immediately done. 
 
 I learned at the same time that M. de 
 Chevigne, who had lost his wife and chil- 
 dren in crossing the Loire, had returned 
 and rejoined Charette, who had entrusted 
 him with the command of one of his divi- 
 sions, but that on the very day of his arri- 
 val, he had been killed by a gun-shot. 
 
86 
 
 Madame Gilbert informed me also that 
 the Blues were coming to St. Laurent, and 
 that they would carry fire and sword every 
 where, and would kill all those who had 
 taken up their abode in that place ; they 
 were very much irritated, for the Brigands 
 had attacked them at Chollet, and had 
 killed a great number of their men. 
 M. de la Rochejaquelein was present at 
 this attack, as was also Stofflet M. Henri, 
 like a spirited young fellow, pursued two 
 dragoons, who were flying ; he killed one 
 of them, and his sword was raised to kill 
 the other, when the dragoon begged for 
 mercy ; he had scarcely granted it, than 
 the ruffian, who had a brace of pistols at 
 his saddle-bow, fired one at M. Henri. 
 Stofflet and several other soldiers came up 
 at the instant and cut down the dragoon, 
 but the brave La Rochejaquelein was no 
 more ; they took care to carry his body 
 
87 
 
 out of sight, and to circulate a report that 
 he was only wounded ; and his own soldiers 
 did not know of his death until Sapinaud 
 and Charette concluded the treaty of peace 
 with the Republicans. I received this in- 
 formation towards evening, and, as may 
 be imagined, I spent but a restless night. 
 The next day passed over quietly enough; 
 but about seven o'clock they brought us 
 word that the Blues were coming into the 
 town, and that they had put the carpenters 
 into requisition to repair the bridge ; my 
 hostess made me get into a cock-loft, where 
 I drew the ladder after me, and shut down 
 the trap-door, w T hich, being situated be- 
 tween two beams, was scarcely visible. 
 The Blues, however, merely passed through 
 the place, and proceeded to Maulevrier, the 
 mayor of which town had sent for them to 
 arrest two Brigands of Stofflet's army. I 
 do not know whether fear produces sleep, 
 
88 
 
 but that very night I slept till nine in the 
 morning. We remained two days without 
 any thing occuring, but we received very 
 bad news ; the Blues had shot twenty-five 
 men of Maulevrier, who were informed 
 against by the Patriots of the place. The 
 wicked mayor, whose name I refrain from 
 mentioning, because he has children still 
 living, and I think blame should be con- 
 fined to the individual—- this wicked mayor 
 accompanied the Blues to the houses where 
 the Brigands were concealed, ordered them 
 to be taken one by one, and conducted to 
 a neighbouring field, where they were shot. 
 The brave Vendeans died without uttering 
 a single murmur ; I even believe that the 
 greater part of them were very glad to be 
 led to their execution. 
 
 The account of this butchery greatly 
 affected me ; I could get no sleep the whole 
 
89 
 
 of the night. Next day we received infor- 
 mation that the Blues were to sleep at 
 St. Laurent that night, and would set fire 
 to the town the next morning. The inha- 
 bitants were all busily employed in getting 
 their furniture out of doors, and I was 
 compelled to seek another retreat. I went 
 to the house of two old women, one of 
 whom had been in my service, and begged 
 them to take me in ; they were busy pack- 
 ing up, and told me that they could not 
 conceal me, but that there was an old 
 woman of La Barbiniere lodging in a little 
 coach-house without a chimney, at the back 
 of their house, and that the Blues would 
 certainly not set fire to it ; I begged one 
 of the old women to show me the way to 
 it. It was an old ruinous place, which 
 had formerly served as a stable for a single 
 horse ; the old woman who inhabited it 
 had cleared awav a few bricks in one of 
 
90 
 
 the corners to make a passage for the 
 smoke, and there was a little narrow bed 
 in one corner, so short that my feet pro- 
 jected beyond it. However I was very 
 happy that the poor woman agreed to re- 
 ceive me, and I remained with her six 
 days without meeting with any annoyance, 
 though we were in daily expectation of the 
 incendiary patriots, whose progress was in 
 the meantime somewhat checked by the 
 sudden re-appearance of M. Domagne at 
 Cerises. This Vendean officer even ad- 
 vanced sometimes as far as La Chapelle, 
 a small parish not far from St. Laurent. 
 He had crossed the Loire at St. Florent, 
 and had proceeded in the direction of 
 Nantes. Having been fortunate enough 
 to save his money amidst the disasters of 
 the times, when he arrived within a short 
 distance of Nantes, he met with a peasant 
 who was driving a pair of oxen which had 
 
91 
 
 been entrusted to his charge ; he accosted 
 him, and begged him to sell him the cattle 
 and to change clothes with him, adding 
 that he would pay him whatever he chose 
 to ask. After some hesitation the man 
 consented, and was very well satisfied with 
 his bargain ; (I had this story from M. Do- 
 magne's own mouth). Under this disguise, 
 M. Domagne drove the cattle to their place 
 of destination, and applied for a passport 
 to return home, which was immediately 
 granted. He said he was from Clisson, 
 and, as soon as he had arrived at that 
 place, he joined M. Cathelineau (Pierre), 
 and afterwards returned, at very great risk, 
 to Cerises, where he mustered his forces 
 and took La Chatenaye before the Blues 
 were aware of his arrival. He pillaged 
 the store-houses which the republicans had 
 established there, and distributed a part 
 of the booty to his soldiers. Two days 
 
92 
 
 after, however, the Blues having received 
 reinforcements, came to St. Laurent, en- 
 tered all the houses and committed dreadful 
 outrages. I heard them pass repeatedly 
 before the house where I was concealed, 
 and on those occasions I threw myself on 
 my knees in terror, and fancied I saw them 
 standing over me with their drawn swords 
 ready to kill me, as they did Madame de la 
 Touche, a few days before, at la Gaubretiere. 
 That unfortunate lady on hearing them 
 enter her house, hastened down stairs with 
 a bottle of wine, hoping to appease them 
 by her politeness, but the first Blue who 
 entered killed her ; her head rolled into the 
 basin of a fountain in the court-yard be- 
 fore her house. The approach of night 
 delivered us from these murderers. I called 
 Perrine ; she told us they would return the 
 next day. ft Let us depart," said I, " be- 
 fore their return ; let us go and spend the 
 
93 
 
 day at Etourneau ;" this was a mill, which 
 belonged to my children. The waters were 
 swollen, and it was impossible to pass the 
 bridge ; the servant, who had now become 
 the master, was absent when we arrived, 
 and there was nobody at the place except 
 the maid-servant and a little girl of nine 
 years old ; the former master of the mill, 
 with his wife and eight children, had 
 crossed the Loire. The servant had only 
 returned eight days ago ; he did not know 
 what had become of them. He had been 
 told that his master, Beaulieu, had been 
 murdered at Le Mans in the arms of his 
 wife and his two daughters, that his wife 
 had been carried to prison, where she died 
 of grief and misery the following day ; but 
 he could not believe this melancholy news. 
 He appeared sorry at having quitted M. 
 Henri, and seemed disposed to go and 
 join him again. 
 
94 
 
 At day-break, I left the mill, and went 
 and hid myself among the furze. This 
 was the longest day of my life. About 
 two o'clock, I thought it was all over with 
 me ; the field in which I had taken refuge 
 inclined in a sloping direction, and was 
 separated by a heap of stones from the 
 high road to La Barbiniere. All of a 
 sudden, I heard the sound of stones roll- 
 ing, and a dreadful noise, like that of a 
 mob of people coming down opposite to 
 the place where I was concealed ; I thought 
 I had been betrayed, and that the Repub- 
 licans were coming to take me. I got into 
 a hedge and covered myself with some 
 furze, which I had cut down to sit upon ; 
 I was half dead with fear ; the noise still 
 approached me, and I was in the act of 
 saying my prayers, when I heard the low- 
 ing of a cow by my side. I immediately 
 got up and took a large sprig of furze in 
 
95 
 
 my hand for the purpose of driving her 
 away if she should come towards me, but 
 the animal passed close by me without 
 taking any notice. These poor animals 
 wandered at random like their masters, 
 and like them too they returned to their 
 stalls in the evening, for after sun-set there 
 was no longer any reason to fear the Blues. 
 I therefore got out of my hiding place and 
 returned to St. Laurent, where I arrived at 
 eight o'clock at night. The two succeeding 
 days passed over without any accident, and 
 I remained in bed until the evening. If 
 the Blues had come, Perrine would have 
 told them that I was her sister who had 
 been long ill ; besides it was so dark in my 
 little room, there was so much smoke, 
 though they only had a fire in the morning, 
 and my linen was so black, that I looked 
 like a gipsy. There was a good woman in 
 the neighbourhood, of the name of Jala- 
 
96 
 
 bert, a nun, who often came to see me and 
 showed me great attention. I endeavoured 
 to acknowledge her kindness as well as I 
 could. One day at the latter end of Janu- 
 ary, about four o'clock in the afternoon, I 
 heard a cry of " the Blues are coming!" 
 I was with Perrine, who said, " I will go 
 out to see whether there are many of them." 
 " O Heavens !" said I, "stay where you are, 
 there will always be enough of them to kill 
 us ;" but I attempted in vain to detain her; 
 she ran out and left me. I immediately 
 went to Madame Jalabert, who was also 
 out; in the state in which I was, it was 
 impossible to recognise me ; I was com- 
 pletely in rags ; I wore an old woollen cap, 
 which had turned quite yellow ; I had put 
 a crust of bread on one side of my mouth 
 between the gums and the cheek ; I had 
 blackened my eyebrows, and an old piece of 
 linen, which I had tied under my chin, con- 
 
97 
 
 cealed the half of my countenance ; besides 
 all this* the tears, which had flowed almost 
 incessantly for four months, had completely 
 changed my appearance, so that it was im- 
 possible to know me. As I was leaving the 
 house, I was terrified almost to death at 
 meeting four Blues who were coming in. 
 u Stay, where you are, good woman," said 
 they, " you seem very ill." I left them, 
 however, without making any reply ; I 
 found the door of my little room closed, 
 and I was obliged to take refuge with my 
 neighbour, whose house, which was very 
 large, was full of lodgers ; a great number 
 of Blues came into it. I sat down on a 
 stone near the door, and saw sixteen sol- 
 diers enter in succession, and lay down 
 their arms in the house, saying at the same 
 time that they must have some fire, for that 
 they were very cold and very hungry. Each 
 carried a bit of meat on his halbert and 
 
 H 
 
98 
 
 they called for water to wash it; I rose 
 and offered to be their cook. They told me 
 to draw some water and wash their meat, 
 adding, that no one should make their soup 
 but themselves, for that they would not 
 trust the " rascally brigand-women." I 
 was afraid from this beginning that all 
 would go wrong with us ; but as life had 
 now become a burden to me, I thought only 
 of preparing myself for death. I had been 
 assured in the morning, that my daughter 
 and her husband had died in the hospital, 
 and this information rendered me so in- 
 different as to what might have become of 
 us, that I stood calmly looking at those 
 wretches, whose appearance terrified every 
 one else around me. 
 
 At the approach of night they command- 
 ed that no one should stir out of the house, 
 and threatened to shoot every one they saw 
 
99 
 
 out of doors. As the lower room was full 
 of soldiers, I proposed to some women who 
 Were there to accompany me up stairs* 
 where the Republicans were not so nu- 
 merous. The mistress of the house was 
 delighted at my proposition, for her cup- 
 boards were full of linen, and she was 
 afraid they might break them open to get 
 at their contents. The commandant was 
 seated near the fire, with his head inclined 
 downwards, so that I could not see his 
 face; he did not utter a single word* 
 There were also three Germans, and a 
 young man who seemed to be an officer, 
 for the rest obeyed him. As we were near 
 the door, and it was very cold, he said to 
 us, " Citizens, come near the fire." My 
 companions could not speak for terror. I 
 replied that we were not cold. " You are 
 terribly frightened/' returned he, c * are 
 you not?"— " The sight of you," said I, 
 
 h 2 
 
100 
 
 and the torments you have inflicted on every 
 one since you have become masters of La 
 Vendue, are not calculated to inspire us 
 with confidence." " To-morrow," he re- 
 plied, " you shall all be shot ; at the same 
 time those who choose to go to Mortagne 
 or Chollet may have passports ; those that 
 remain will be shot." " Citizens," said I, 
 " I do not fear death ; you, perhaps, have 
 been the cause of the death of all I held 
 dearest in the world." Upon these words 
 Mademoiselle Benore touched me with her 
 elbow, and made signs for me to hold my 
 tongue. " I do not fear death," I repeated, 
 " I only fear the tortures which you delight 
 in inflicting." "The women," he replied, 
 " are all the cause of our misfortunes ; if it 
 had not been for them, the Republic would 
 have been already established, and we 
 should have been sitting quietly at our fire- 
 sides. Every one of you shall die." " If 
 
101 
 
 it had not been for the women," said I, 
 " you would have had fifteen of your men 
 shot in this parish ; but they went down on 
 their knees before the Brigands and en 
 treated them to spare the men's lives." 
 " Ah! how do you know that, citizen?" 
 said he. " Because I was present myself," 
 I replied, " and went down on my knees 
 with the rest of them ; I told them that 
 they ought not to shoot the prisoners they 
 had just taken. < Who will preserve 
 them?' said they. * Myself,' I replied, 
 ' and all the women in the town.' In fact 
 they were left in our keeping. You see, 
 citizen, the women have not always injured 
 you ; if it had not been for them, you would 
 never have entered La Vendee ; they have 
 done service to you, and great wrong to us, 
 for they have given up to you their country 
 and their children." " You have plenty to 
 say for yourself," said he. " Certainly," 
 
102 
 
 I replied, " it is all I have left to do." 
 " Come near the fire," said he. I rose and 
 Stretched out my hand, desiring him to feel 
 whether I was cold. " No," he replied, 
 V but that is from fear." I was as hot as 
 fire. 
 
 At the same time he desired me to make 
 a bed for the Commandant. My compa- 
 nions did not dare to open their lips; I 
 asked him whether he would choose to 
 sleep in a small room adjoining, where 
 there was a good bed. He went to examine 
 whether it would do, and desired me to put 
 clean sheets on the bed, which I promised 
 to do immediately. The mistress of the 
 house, who was present, and did not wish 
 to open her cupboards in the presence of 
 the Germans, said she had got no sheets. 
 Without expressing the least surprise, I 
 said to her. " Give me the key of your cup- 
 
103 
 
 boards." She gave me such a look, that 
 if my heart had not been almost bursting 
 with grief, I could not have refrained from 
 laughing ; she had a good deal of trouble 
 to find the key, but at length she gave it 
 me. I said to Mademoiselle Benore, " take 
 a candle, and let us go and make the bed 
 for the Commandant, he looks very tired ; 
 though it is very hard to be obliged to 
 serve these butchers." "Ah! my dear 
 Fortin," she replied, <f I am so terrified, 
 that I can stir neither leg nor foot." 
 " Come, come," said I, " cheer up, my 
 good friend ; to-morrow they will put an 
 end to our miseries." After we had made 
 the bed, we returned, and told them, that 
 if their Commandant wished to take repose, 
 his room was ready. He rose, and two of 
 the Germans walked before him ; one of 
 them carried a light, the other the Com- 
 mandant's weapons, and the man who had 
 
104 
 
 conversed with me offered him his arm. 
 On their return they began to drink, and 
 every now and then they turned round and 
 swore at us. I expected that when the 
 effects of the liquor began to operate, the 
 wretches would murder us. I never felt so 
 courageous in my life, and I told my com- 
 panions so; I had a good knife in my 
 pocket ; I was determined to make use of 
 it if they should offer to insult me. In 
 about a quarter of an hour, the officer asked 
 me whether we would spend the night 
 where we were, or go down stairs. I got 
 up immediately. " You give us permission 
 then, citizen?" said I.— " Yes, yes," he 
 replied ; " go along, but do not attempt to 
 escape. There are guards in every direc- 
 tion. Do you know," added he, " whether 
 the Brigands are at Maulevrier ?"-*-*< I 
 know nothing about it, citizen," I an- 
 swered. — " How far is Maulevrier from 
 
105 
 
 here ?" — u Three-quarters of a league, citi- 
 zen." — " What! so near?" said he. He 
 then spoke by signs to the Germans, who, 
 I think, did not understand him. I sus- 
 pected him to be a monk, who had been at 
 Mortagne, and who was called father Du- 
 mont. I was very glad to get down stairs ; 
 we had not eaten a morsel since noon, and 
 yet none of us felt any inclination to eat. 
 The mistress of the house, whose name was 
 Bodrie, was so dreadfully afraid of their 
 breaking open the cupboards, that she made 
 herself quite ill. On going below, we found 
 twelve Republicans stretched on mattresses ; 
 three of the beds had been taken away, 
 and carried into the garden along with the 
 tables. Some were playing at trente-un, 
 the others were asleep ; one of these 
 wretches had a fever, and was continually 
 uttering the most lamentable cries; the 
 remainder were lying round the fire, and 
 
106 
 
 talking of Charette, while my companions 
 and I were seated on the ground by the 
 window. I was on a little stone step under 
 the window, and an old kettle full of ashes 
 served me for a cushion. I listened to the 
 conversation of the Blues. One of them 
 said to his comrades, " We are going to 
 burn and kill every thing that comes in our 
 way, and then Charette will come at our 
 heels, and kill us in our turn." " Yes," 
 said another, " provided they don't send us 
 to that cursed place they called the Quatre- 
 chemins! By all the devils in hell, we 
 should never get out of it alive !" I heard 
 no more, for I fell asleep, and did not wake 
 till day-break. My companions reproached 
 me with having slept, when my death was 
 so near at hand. " Alas ! my dear friends," 
 said I, " if you felt the excruciating pain 
 that I do, you would look forward to death 
 as to the conclusion of your torments. I 
 
107 
 
 am to blame, I confess, in not employing 
 these last moments in appeasing the anger 
 of God, by repenting, as far as possible, 
 of my sins." While I was occupied in 
 making these lamentations, the good nun, 
 who had taken so much care of me, came 
 in, and asked me how I had passed the 
 night. She told us that she had not been 
 able to close her eyes, and that she had 
 overheard the most terrifying conversation ; 
 that one of the Blues had boasted of having 
 killed his father, because he was an aristo- 
 crat ; and that another had in his posses- 
 sion the tongue of a child, whose mother 
 he had murdered. 
 
 The Commandant entered at this junc- 
 ture, and made a terrible uproar. " What," 
 said he " not a locksmith or a farrier to 
 be found in a town like this ; they have all 
 hid themselves. If the Brigands had 
 
108 
 
 wanted them they would have come fast 
 enough." He then turned to us and desired 
 us to run and find him a farrier ; he pro- 
 mised that no harm should be done to him, 
 and said we might bring him along with 
 us. The nun, who was very courageous, 
 offered to go and look for one. " Tell 
 him," said the Commandant, " that I want 
 him to open the door of the chapel where 
 I intend to put all the grain I can find ; we 
 shall set fire to the place at two o'clock, so 
 take all you can out of your houses." — 
 " What will be the use of that, Comman- 
 dant?" said the nun, " since you intend to 
 shoot us all." " Oh, but we will not shoot 
 those who go to Mortagne or Chollet." 
 " Yes, but we cannot depart to-day, citi- 
 zen." " We will give you three days ; 
 after which time we will return, and shoot 
 all those that we find remaining here." 
 The farrier arrived during this conyersa* 
 
109 
 
 tion. The Commandant ordered him to 
 open the door of the chapel ; and he di- 
 rected all the grain and flour that could be 
 found to be carried thither. Madame Ja- 
 labert had a bushel of flour ; the Blues 
 were preparing to carry it away, when she 
 ran to the Commandant, and begged him to 
 let her keep it. " In three days you will 
 be shot, and you will have no need of 
 any thing," was the barbarian's reply. — 
 " But during those three days, citizen, you 
 would not have us die for hunger ?" He 
 turned his back upon her ; she returned to- 
 wards the Blues, who, having seen her 
 speaking to their Commandant, thought she 
 had obtained permission to keep her bushel 
 of flour, and left it behind them. 
 
 We went into the garden, by order of the 
 Commandant. It was almost mid-day ; we 
 heard the drums beat ; we were told that 
 
110 
 
 all who were informed against were con- 
 fined in the church. As I was of that num- 
 ber, I expected that if any of the inhabi- 
 tants of Mortagne should happen to pass 
 through the town, I should infallibly be dis- 
 covered. Two Republicans arrived ; a weaver 
 of the name of Bremon brought them to 
 assist him in removing his son who was 
 sick ; they placed him on a mattress in the 
 middle of the garden. While I was in the 
 act of stooping to arrange the pillows, I 
 was astonished to hear myself called by my 
 own name. " Madame Sapinaud," said the 
 sick man, " how much I am indebted to 
 you." " Wretched man," said I, " do not 
 address me thus ; my name is Fortin." 
 " Very well," said he ; "Fortin, be it so ; 
 I am a priest. You see, therefore, I have 
 no less reason to fear than yourself; do not 
 abandon me, I beseech you ; stay beside 
 me." I sat down as he desired ; Bremon's 
 
Ill 
 
 wife and daughter came up at the same 
 moment, and told us that they were begin- 
 ning to set the houses on fire. We heard 
 the sound of musket-shots, and a thick 
 smoke began to rise from the houses ; I 
 even thought that the fire of musketry came 
 nearer. I fell on my knees, at the same time 
 holding my head as high as I could, that 
 the Blues might not miss me ; I expected 
 to die, and I had made the sacrifice of my 
 life. One of the wretches came towards 
 me, and I thought that all the rest were 
 following him. The flames of the neigh- 
 bouring houses, and the noise of the fall- 
 ing bricks and beams, made so frightful a 
 clatter, that I could neither hear nor see 
 any thing. The wretch came up to me, and 
 snatched off my cap, I thought he was 
 going to cut off my head ; but the girl Bre- 
 mon was there ; she was young and pretty, 
 and as soon as he perceived her, he left me 
 
112 
 
 and ran towards her. " Who is that man 
 lying there ?" said he. " He is my brother, 
 who is unwell," she replied. He took him 
 by the arm ; " Come," said he, " I am going 
 to cure you." I thought he would have 
 killed him. " What are you going to do?" 
 I exclaimed ; " do you not see he is dying?" 
 He then let go of him, and turning to the 
 young Bremon, " Come here," said he, " let 
 me kiss you." The poor girl defended herself 
 as well as she could, and luckily her mother 
 was at hand. I said to her, " Protect your 
 daughter, while I run for assistance." In 
 my hurry, I leaped over several hedges. I 
 heard voices ; " Oh, heavens, if it should 
 be the Blues !" I looked over a hedge, and 
 saw something like women's caps ; I came 
 up to them, quite out of breath, and found 
 nearly fifty women assembled. Madame 
 Richeteau asked me whether the Blues 
 were gone away ; I told her that one of 
 
113 
 
 them had seized the girl Bremon, and that 
 her mother had great difficulty in defending 
 her. As I pronounced these words, the 
 young girl came up, with her hair dishe- 
 velled, her handkerchief and cap torn off, 
 and calling out with all her strength, " Go, 
 for Heaven's sake, go, and assist my mo- 
 ther! he will kill her." The cowardly wo- 
 men looked at each other and said, " Will 
 you come?" "Will you come?" — but no- 
 body went. In the mean time the woman 
 defended herself with great spirit. " You 
 ruffian !" said she, " your comrades are all 
 gone; if the Brigands get hold of you, 
 they will kill you." At length she returned 
 to her daughter ; but she had been dread- 
 fully ill used, so much so, that she died a 
 few days after. Her daughter threw her 
 arms round her neck, and exclaimed, " Ah ! 
 my dear mother, I ran away and left you ; 
 he has treated you very ill." 
 
 i 
 
114 
 
 I returned, in company with several other 
 women, to the poor priest ; he was half 
 dead with grief at what he had witnessed. 
 Some females, bolder than the rest, went 
 to ascertain whether the Blues had really 
 gone ; others ran to their houses, to see 
 whether they were quite burned down, and 
 to endeavour to extinguish the fire. Ma- 
 dame Richeteau and Madame La Chene 
 assisted me in carrying the priest into 
 Bremon's house, a part of which had not 
 suffered at all from the fire. " Alas !" said 
 he, u they have not killed us to-day, but 
 they told us that they would return in three 
 days ; they had better have killed us all at 
 once, than have left us three days in ex- 
 pectation of our fate." I was of his opi- 
 nion. As it was late, I returned to Bodrie's 
 house, which had suffered little from the 
 fire, in consequence of the commandant 
 having slept there, and there were three or 
 
115 
 
 four rooms still remaining. I found the 
 good woman in a very ill-humour. On the 
 first night she had not the command of her 
 own house ; for as it had been less in- 
 jured by the fire than almost any in the 
 town, the people assembled there in 
 crowds. I took Perrine with me, and she 
 assisted me to remove a blanket and a mat- 
 tress, on which we spent the night ; but 
 I did not sleep so well as I had done the 
 night before, with a kettle full of ashes for 
 my pillow. 
 
 At day-break Madame Bodrie prepared 
 to take leave of all who were in her house, 
 and began with myself. She stated as a 
 reason that if I should be discovered I 
 should be the cause of her death. I did 
 not well know what reply to make or what 
 course to pursue. Gaillard, the nun, who 
 had a right to exercise some authority in 
 
 i 2 
 
116 
 
 the house, as her two nieces had hired the 
 half of it, said to me, " Remain, I have a 
 right to one room at least." I did as I was 
 desired, and our hostess was so dreadfully 
 terrified that she fell ill and died a short 
 time after. Gaillard's brother, on hearing 
 of the arrival of the Blues, ran and hid 
 himself among the furze bushes, along 
 with a friend of his named Flandry, who 
 was blind. The Patriots discovered them 
 and took them to the church, where they 
 were shot. We persuaded the nun that 
 her brother had gone to join the army of 
 the Vendeans. 
 
 On entering the town the incendiaries 
 killed a farmer who had been driving a 
 waggon for them. His wife hearing a gun 
 shot went out to see what had happened, 
 and was horror-struck at finding her hus- 
 band stretched dead on the ground, with 
 
117 
 
 the blood gushing in torrents from a wound, 
 which he had received on his head. She 
 fainted away, and the oxen continued to pro- 
 ceed without a driver. Luckily the mayor 
 came up and led them to the farm-house ; 
 though he was a citizen, he could not re- 
 frain from shedding tears : he even assisted 
 in removing the farmer's wife. The unfor- 
 tunate woman died a few days afterwards, 
 and one of her sons, who was with the 
 waggon, was also killed. On hearing of 
 the death of his mother, he threw away his 
 whip and attempted to escape, but one of 
 the wretches fired after him and killed him 
 on the spot. All these catastrophes took 
 place at a short distance from the garden, 
 where we had taken refuge ! Every one 
 was in tears. The cattle returned and con- 
 tinued lowing at their masters' doors. Oh ! 
 how different was this from those tranquil 
 and happy evenings, when I used to see the 
 
118 
 
 herds coming down to the sound of flutes 
 and drums towards their stalls ! As soon as 
 the angelus sounded, the women used to 
 leave their distaffs and fondly bring out 
 their little children to meet their returning 
 husbands. The little creatures ran delight- 
 ed into their fathers' arms, and they went 
 all together to the Temple of their Saviour 
 to place themselves under the protection of 
 the Virgin. Such happy recollections in- 
 crease my pains, from the loss of hope, 
 which alone can animate the heart. Oh ! 
 Heavens ! never shall I forget that dreadful 
 day. 
 
 Two days passed amidst these inexpres- 
 sible torments, and the third day was anxi- 
 ously expected. The Blues had promised 
 to return in the evening ; a woman from 
 La Verrie arrived, and told us that the in- 
 cendiaries had done nothing but rob and 
 
119 
 
 murder, and that it was their intention to 
 carry fire and sword every where. I feared 
 they would kill my grandson, who was con- 
 cealed in that town ; and to increase my 
 misery, I did not dare to inquire after him 
 for fear of discovering myself. "Alas!" 
 thought I, " of what use will it be to ask 
 after his fate ; if I find that he is dead it 
 will only increase my misery ; it will be 
 better for me to pray the Lord to preserve 
 him ; besides, if he is dead, I shall doubt- 
 less share the same fate in a few days." 
 On leaving La Verrie the incendiaries did 
 not come to St. Laurent, but went to La 
 Gaubretiere, where they did not remain 
 long, for they were afraid of Charette, who 
 was not far off. They murdered nearly 
 three hundred women in the wood of Beau- 
 repaire, and were very near killing Mad. 
 de Boissy, with her two grand-daughters. 
 This lady had hid herself among the furze ; 
 
120 
 
 a citizen discovering them, went up to them 
 and said, " The column is about to pass, if 
 they see you they will kill you ; lie down 
 on the ground and do not stir ; I will go 
 and tell them that I have seen nothing in 
 this direction/' Some of them were hu- 
 mane, particularly among the Germans, 
 w r ho would not kill the women, though 
 they gave no quarter to the men. On 
 leaving La Gaubretiere, they intended to 
 have gone to Chambreteau for the purpose 
 of setting it on fire, but an extraordinary 
 courier arrived at two o'clock with strict 
 orders for the suspension of the massacres. 
 We were soon informed of this happy news, 
 which afforded us a ray of hope. Alas ! our 
 happiness was of short duration! The 
 citizens of Mortagne came almost daily to 
 St. Laurent, on their way to Maulevrier, 
 so that I was terribly frightened. They 
 generally arrived about eleven o'clock, and 
 
121 
 
 then all, who, like me, had been informed 
 against, were obliged to conceal themselves. 
 I generally took refuge in an old ruinous 
 house, almost filled with dung. I used to 
 get up on part of an old floor, and remain 
 there until they had gone through the town. 
 One day two Blues passed in front of the 
 place, and one of them said to his comrade 
 " Come, let us see whether there is any 
 thing inside here." I thought it was all 
 over with me ; but the other replied, " non- 
 sense, what do you want to do in the dung ? 
 come along." These words saved my life. 
 I heard the noise of their steps for a long 
 time ; for they walked round the building, 
 and I fancied a short time after that I could 
 distinguish the sound of a woman's voice. 
 When I left my hiding-place I was always 
 careful to seize some favourable moment 
 when I could slip by without being per- 
 
122 
 
 ceived. Oh ! how long those days appeared 
 to me ! 
 
 A fortnight had elapsed since the burn- 
 ing of St. Laurent, when we received in- 
 formation of the arrival of the Brigands ; 
 their plan was to attack Mortagne. This 
 news was far from being agreeable to me, 
 for I fancied, as soon as the Blues were in- 
 formed of it, they would finish burning the 
 few houses which remained. The Brigands 
 did not arrive, but advanced as far as Mau- 
 levrier, where the Blues, who did not think 
 they were so close at hand, no sooner per- 
 ceived them than they fell back towards 
 Mortagne, passed through St. Laurent, and 
 returned the next day with two thousand 
 men. 
 
 As soon as they appeared, every one fled 
 
123 
 
 from this town. We were informed of 
 their arrival by a mason of the name of 
 Jencheleau, who ran into the house where 
 I was, and exclaimed, " The Blues are 
 coming! I have no time to go further ; you 
 must let me hide myself here." He imme- 
 diately lowered the top of the bed, which 
 was on springs, and by means of a little 
 ladder, which he had brought with him, he 
 raised a trap-door, which was concealed 
 between two beams, and ascended ; I fol- 
 lowed him : we drew up the ladder and the 
 top of the bed, and awaited the result of 
 the arrival of this Republican division. 
 The enemy on entering the town fired a 
 volley of musketry, and the balls fell in 
 showers on the roof under which I was 
 concealed. I said to Jencheleau, " If there 
 should be any holes in the roof of the house 
 the balls are as likely to kill us here as 
 out of doors." He could scarcely answer 
 
124 
 
 me ; I thought he was going to faint, and 
 I endeavoured to revive him. " Come," 
 said I, " Jencheleau, let us devote to God 
 the few moments which remain to us ; the 
 Blues will no doubt set fire to the house, 
 when they have killed the few Vendeans 
 who remain in this town, but if we die by 
 force, remember that our Saviour died for 
 us of his own free will ; he will recompense 
 us in heaven for all that we suffer on earth ; 
 and do you think we shall not be a hun- 
 dred times happier then, than we are now, 
 placed as we are between life and death f J 
 
 We heard so great a noise from the 
 horses' feet that we concluded the Patriots 
 were very numerous, and that they would 
 destroy every thing ; but in the mean time, 
 a citizen of Maulevrier came and advised 
 them to put themselves on their guard, 
 for that Stofflet and Marigny had rallied 
 
125 
 
 their forces, and were advancing towards 
 Chollet. This information obliged them 
 to return speedily to Mortagne, in order 
 to oppose the Brigands. They imme- 
 diately beat to arms. I advised Jencheleau 
 to take courage, and told him that our 
 enemies would probably soon depart. I 
 looked through a small aperture, and saw 
 them cross the bridge. I then persuaded 
 him to get up, and assured him there 
 was nothing more to fear. The peasant 
 got up and looked out himself, but just 
 as he had placed his eye at the aper- 
 ture, the discharge of a musket so ter- 
 rified him that he fell flat on the ground. 
 At the same time I could distinguish at a 
 distance the sound of groans like those of 
 a man who had been shot, and an excla- 
 mation of, " Oh ! for God's sake, despatch 
 me ! I am undone !" — These cries made 
 me shudder, and I remained nearly a 
 quarter of an hour without daring to stir, 
 
126 
 
 At length the noise entirely ceased, and on 
 looking out, I saw a woman in the street, 
 which completely removed our fears ; the 
 Blues had really departed, and we were 
 again saved. Jencheleau's wife then came 
 to call her husband. 
 
 Nothing else occurred during the three 
 following days, but on the fourth, about 
 two o'clock we heard a cry of " The Blues 
 are coming!" There was no time for 
 escaping, for they arrived the very instant 
 their presence was announced. I climbed 
 however into my cock-loft, while a number 
 of women assembled in the room below ; 
 and thus we awaited our fate. I had 
 scarcely got up into the loft, than I heard 
 a musket-shot. " My God !" said I, " one 
 of my companions has certainly been killed !" 
 
 At the same time there was a general 
 cry of "To arms ! to arms ! the Brigands 
 
127 
 
 are coming !" — I looked through my 
 little aperture and saw the Blues hur- 
 rying towards the bridge ; I thought 
 the Brigands had really arrived, and 
 hastened down from my hiding place. 
 The nun was below stairs ; I asked her 
 what had taken place, "Oh! my dear 
 Fortin," said she, " while you were in the 
 loft, four of those wretches entered the 
 room below, and said to us, 6 Brigand wo- 
 men, why have you not left the town ? come 
 forward, you must be shot !' I then ad- 
 dressed myself to one of them who did not 
 look quite so bad as his comrades. ' What, 
 Citizen,' said I, ' will you kill me V — 
 upon which another of the fellows ex- 
 claimed, < these Brigand women must all 
 be shot ! Why did you not go to Mortagne 
 or Chollet V — My dear Fortin, I never was 
 so terrified in my life. They had even 
 dragged us out of the house to our execu- 
 
128 
 
 tion, when the sudden discharge of a mus- 
 ket saved our lives. A Brigand had con- 
 cealed himself behind a wall, but fearing 
 to be surprised by the Blues, he attempted 
 to climb to the top of it, and threw his gun 
 over first in order to accomplish his purpose 
 the more easily. The gun in its fall went 
 off and put the incendiaries to flight. This 
 single fact is a sufficient proof of the bra- 
 very of the Republicans/' 
 
 On their arrival at Mortagne, they did 
 not fail to report that the Brigands had 
 surrounded St. Laurent, and for three days 
 the inhabitants of that town were in the 
 greatest alarm, expecting every moment to 
 see us arrive. 
 
 As soon as they had recovered from the 
 first impulse of terror, they ventured to 
 return. It was about three o'clock on Ash- 
 
129 
 
 Wednesday, when we heard the sound of 
 the bells which were attached to the dogs 
 they sent forward ; for the Blues generally 
 took about a dozen dogs with them when 
 they went to any distance from Mortagne. 
 These animals were employed for the pur- 
 pose of hunting out those who were con- 
 cealed. We hastened out of doors, and we 
 had scarcely reached the middle of the 
 street when we perceived our enemies gal- 
 lopping at full speed, and shouting, "Vive 
 la Republique !" I saw a young girl named 
 Catherine at a door ; I said to her, " Every 
 body is flying, and yet you remain V — " I 
 have a sister, " she replied, " who is lying 
 ill, and I will not abandon her." — " Well 
 then !" said I, " I will remain with you." 
 I went up a half-burnt staircase into a 
 small room which had escaped the fire ; her 
 sister was in bed, and had a fever. She 
 
130 
 
 said to me, " Are you come to die with us?" , 
 — "Yes, my dear child," I replied. Our' 
 enemies soon made their appearance, cry- 
 ing, " Where have these Brigand women 
 got to f 9 They searched in every direction, 
 pillaged every thing they could find, and 
 broke and burned all that they could not 
 carry away. However they did not set fire 
 to the houses. Whenever they passed 
 before the place where I had taken shelter 
 I thought they would have come up and 
 killed us. At length about nine o'clock at 
 night they went back to Mortagne, at least 
 we heard nothing more of them after that 
 hour. As soon as they were gone, I said 
 to Catharine, " Let us depart ; they will no 
 doubt return to-morrow, and though we 
 have, escaped their fury to-day, who knows 
 whether we shall have the same good for- 
 tune then ?" She acceded to my proposition 
 
131 
 
 and after having made a little packet of 
 the things she thought she might have the 
 most occasion for, we departed. 
 
 We had scarcely walked a quarter of a 
 league when we heard an exclamation of 
 " Surrender, Brigand, or you are a dead 
 man !" We stopped and listened, but 
 hearing no further noise, we recommenced 
 our journey and arrived at La Chapelle. 
 Madame de la Vicendiere, who was re- 
 lated to my children, and whose son after- 
 wards distinguished himself among the 
 Royalists, had come there for a few days ; 
 she had contrived to keep out of the way 
 for three weeks, but the Blues at length 
 forced her to fly, set fire to the farm in 
 which she was concealed, and killed the 
 farmer. 
 
 The son of my hostess, who served under 
 
 k 2 
 
132 
 
 Stofflet, had just obtained leave of absence ; 
 he informed us that his general had beaten 
 the Blues at La Tour, on Shrove Tuesday, 
 and that he and his men had refreshed 
 themselves with the victuals, which had 
 been prepared by the Republicans. He 
 told us also that Stofflet had carried off the 
 barrels of wine and brandy, which he had 
 taken, and established in the forest of 
 Vezin a hospital for the wounded. Wo- 
 men were employed to wash their linen, 
 and make lint for their wounds, and 
 priests were appointed to attend to their 
 spiritual welfare. A vigilant guard and 
 two pieces of cannon were stationed at the 
 door of the hospital. Mills had been 
 erected, by order of the general, to grind 
 the corn, and huts had been built for the 
 workmen. As active in repose as he was 
 courageous in battle, Stofflet provided for 
 every thing. His soldiers always beheld 
 
133 
 
 him in the midst of danger ; but he was 
 inexorable towards those who were de- 
 ficient in valour, or who had recourse to 
 plunder after victory. The young man left 
 his mother when his term of absence had 
 expired, and she seemed to take leave of 
 him with indifference, but as soon as he 
 was out of sight, she gave way to her tears. 
 " He is the only one I care for in this 
 world," said she ; " if he should die, I will 
 not long survive him." 
 
 The three royalist chiefs had effected their 
 junction, and the Blues believed that the 
 royalist army amounted to twenty thousand 
 men s whereasitdidnotexceed two thousand. 
 The enemy, notwithstanding, came to Mor- 
 tagne to escort some patriot refugees. They 
 constructed fortifications there, and in- 
 tended to construct some at Chollet also ; 
 but Stofflet and Marigny interrupted these 
 
134 
 
 labours, and driving the Blues from the 
 town, entered it in triumph. The Repub- 
 licans revenged themselves by setting fire 
 to all the mills in the neighbourhood, and 
 if it had not been for those which Stofflet 
 erected in the forest of Vezin, the Royalists 
 must have died of hunger. Sapinaud and 
 Marigny, who had at first experienced a 
 check, returned to the siege of Mortagne. 
 Every thing was in readiness for the at- 
 tack, and success appeared certain, when 
 the enemy, under favour of the night, 
 evacuated the town, and the Royalists en- 
 tered in the beginning of March. 
 
 At this period the Blues killed the young 
 Mademoiselle de Marmande, in one of their 
 visits to St. Laurent, and sacrificed Made- 
 moiselle de Bodrie in the flames of her own 
 apartment. My two maid-servants, who 
 had long been separated from me, came to 
 
135 
 
 meet me at La Chapelle, and informed me 
 that the incendiaries were advancing. I 
 left my benevolent hostess with regret, and 
 proceeded towards Treizevent. Charette 
 came up to oppose the ravages of the in- 
 cendiaries ; but while he protected the 
 country, he took from the peasants what 
 little subsistence they enjoyed. Hence his 
 soldiers were termed the Black Sheep. 
 Whether through friends or foes the cot- 
 tagers were equally the victims of war, 
 and their misfortunes were equalled only 
 by their courage and fidelity. Charette, 
 who took an interest in my safety, sent to 
 advise me to retire to Chateau-Mur. On 
 my way there I passed by Moulins ; never 
 was place better named than this, for the 
 least breath of wind must have sufficed to 
 turn a mill upon it. 
 
 On arriving at Chateau-Mur, I had time 
 
136 
 
 to breathe a little after my long and painful 
 fatigues. I had already been three weeks" 
 there, when M. de Marigny, pale and ex- 
 hausted, unexpectedly entered the room 
 where I was. I thought he had met with 
 some misfortune, and I felt very great anx- 
 iety. " Ah! Madam," said he, embracing 
 me, " I thought you had been no longer 
 alive, and the report of your death has 
 caused me many a tear. I have behaved 
 very ill towards you, and I have come to 
 ask your pardon. (M. de Marigny, in op- 
 position to my directions, had persisted in 
 putting his horses into my stables at Mor- 
 tagne, which were entirely occupied by 
 those of the other royalist officers ; but I 
 had quite forgotten the circumstance.) 
 Why," continued he, " did we not follow 
 your advice ; we should not then have 
 crossed the Loire. Why, after having 
 crossed it, did we not return to La Vendee, 
 
137 
 
 when we were triumphant at Laval ? I should 
 not then have been as I now am, on the 
 eve of my death. I have been through life 
 the victim of my vivacity, and I have com- 
 mitted many faults ; but that which I have 
 just been guilty of, will be fatal to me. 
 We had assembled at Jallais, where we 
 formed a determination to undertake no- 
 thing without the concurrence of the three 
 armies ; we had even sworn, under pain of 
 death, in case of disobedience, to submit to 
 Charette in whatever he should recommend 
 to us for the destruction of the incendiaries. 
 A day was appointed for the attack, and 
 the line of march was marked out for us. 
 The place of rendezvous was fixed, and we 
 were all to assemble there at the same 
 hour, and to surround and attack the in- 
 cendiaries at the same moment. After my 
 departure, I fell in with a small village on 
 the road where they sold excellent wine, 
 
138 
 
 and we were tempted to drink a great deal 
 too much of it. I had some farms near 
 Ceriseau, which had escaped the general 
 conflagration ; my officers, who were from 
 the neighbourhood, and who had their pro- 
 perty near the village, advised me to go 
 there, which they said would be better 
 than joining the other divisions, and 
 marching towards Coron, where not a 
 single house, not even the poorest cottage, 
 had escaped the fire. Being under the in- 
 fluence of wine, I allowed myself to be 
 guided by their counsel, and was unfaithful 
 to my oath. Stofflet and Charette have 
 judged my conduct worthy of death ; if it 
 had not been for me, they say, the incen- 
 diaries could not have escaped. It was 
 decided that I should be tried by a council 
 of war, and I have been condemned to be 
 shot. That Stofflet is a mere brute, he is 
 a vulgar fellow ; Charette appeared less 
 
139 
 
 vindictive, but Sapinaud was the only one 
 who pitied me." " Stofflet may be a man 
 of low birth," I replied, " but you must al- 
 low that he is able to command. Write to 
 Charette ; as for Sapinaud, you have no- 
 thing to fear from him." He bade me 
 adieu in the greatest sorrow, and I felt for 
 his situation. The next day, Charette sent 
 two couriers to Chateau-Mur to discover 
 what had become of M. de Marigny ; they 
 asked me whether I had not seen him ; I 
 replied in the negative, and told them that 
 I did not know where he was. 
 
 A few days after, the advanced guard of 
 the Brigands arrived at Chateau-Mur; they 
 were taken for the Blues, and there was a 
 general alarm, when all of a sudden the 
 people called out " It is the Brigands!" and 
 the women all burst out a-laughing. The 
 army soon followed the corps which had 
 
140 
 
 advanced before it. M. Fleuriot and M. 
 Charette came to see me ; I availed myself 
 of the attachment which Charette had 
 always shown towards me, to obtain M. de 
 Marigny's pardon ; he promised it, but 
 he soon forgot his promise. M. de Ma- 
 rigny was obliged to keep beyond his reach 
 and retired to the abode of his fathers ; his 
 grief accompanied him there, and he fell 
 seriously ill. The inhabitants of Cerisais, 
 who adored him, continually went to in- 
 quire after him. At length his strength 
 and courage triumphed over his disorder ; 
 his convalescence excited a pleasure equalled 
 only by the grief which had been produced 
 by his illness ; and he w r as just beginning to 
 enjoy it, when Stofflet had him arrested by 
 the Chasseurs, He was inexorable. Alas ! 
 how could he resolve on depriving the King 
 of so devoted a subject, and his country of 
 one of her most valiant defenders ? 
 
141 
 
 Charette, who was formerly so humble 
 and so modest, was now scarcely recog- 
 nizable ; his hat was ornamented with 
 feathers, his cravat edged with lace, his 
 violet-coloured suit was embroidered with 
 green silk and silver, and a number of 
 young and handsome women formed his 
 train. During the first war he had pre- 
 sented a model of every virtue, and parti- 
 cularly that of an exemplary piety. It was 
 not uncommon for people to say on the re- 
 turn of Monday, " This is the day of Cha- 
 rette's triumph ;" for on that day, after 
 having ordered several masses to be said, 
 he had obtained a complete victory at Les 
 Quatre-Chemins. 
 
 This general's rear was not so brilliant as 
 his advance-guard. The former was ac- 
 companied by a number of women from the 
 marshes, who had been fortunate 'enough 
 
142 
 
 to escape the fury of the flames and the 
 sword. They were for the most part bare- 
 footed, and both themselves and their little 
 children were covered with rags ; their 
 husbands had been killed and their cot- 
 tages burned ; and they had no prospect of 
 hope for the future, nor any other refuge 
 than an army which was every moment in 
 danger of becoming a prey to the enemy. 
 I pitied them greatly ; perhaps, thought I, 
 this is the fate of my poor daughter ; if, 
 indeed, she is still alive. The repose which 
 I had enjoyed at Chateau-Mur was not of 
 long duration ; the Blues returned there on 
 Whit-sunday. I quitted it along with a 
 great number of the inhabitants before 
 their arrival. The unfortunate mothers 
 took with them their dearest treasures, 
 their children, who followed them with 
 difficulty, and cried aloud ; others carried 
 their children in their arms, and the poor 
 
143 
 
 little infants, too young to know their fate 
 and the affliction of their mothers, returned 
 their tender caresses with a smile. My 
 maid-servants and myself, who travelled in 
 the disguise of countrywomen, shared with 
 these unfortunate creatures the brown bread 
 and butter, which we carried in our wallets. 
 The relation which I have given of the dis- 
 astrous scenes of St. Laurent, and those I 
 have just described, which were continually 
 recurring in La Vendee, — added to the grief 
 occasioned by the death of beloved objects, 
 or by the absence of relatives, who had 
 been forced to quit their homes, and the 
 misery caused by the disappointment of the 
 dearest hopes, — dreadful as such recitals 
 are, will afford but a feeble idea of our 
 misfortunes. I learned that there was now 
 a greater degree of tranquillity at St. Lau- 
 rent, where my affections still attracted me, 
 and I was at length enabled to retire to La 
 
144 
 
 Barbiniere. But who can describe the sor- 
 row I felt on entering those now empty 
 apartments, where I had so often embraced 
 my daughter and her little children ! 
 
 In several battles Charette obtained vic- 
 tories, which seemed almost miraculous. 
 At one moment his power would seem to be 
 annihilated, and the next he would appear 
 again with greater boldness than ever ; his 
 name had become the terror of an enemy 
 six times more numerous than himself; 
 after having harassed and fatigued his foes, 
 he forced them to retire, and withdrew him- 
 self into the forest of Galins. His first 
 care was to provide for the maintenance of 
 his troops. At his word there arose a mul- 
 titude of mills, which were formed of 
 barrels, in the bottom of which were placed 
 large and solid stones, which had been pre- 
 viously hollowed out; while a sort of pestle, 
 
145 
 
 turned by the labour of a man, reduced the 
 corn to powder. By this means however 
 it was impossible to grind more than two 
 bushels a day. The women vied with the 
 men in these occupations, and used wooden 
 mallets to bruise the corn ; this was their 
 principal employment during the day ; and 
 in the evening, after putting their children 
 to bed, they sat up by the light of their 
 resin-candles, and repaired the clothing of 
 the soldiers. If any alarm arose they aban- 
 doned every thing for their children, and 
 taking them in their arms, they held them 
 pressed to their bosoms until quiet was 
 restored. 
 
 These women had built little huts for 
 themselves and their families, as well as 
 small sheds for their cows, which they fre- 
 quently removed from place to place, to 
 avoid the asps, which came about them. In 
 
146 
 
 spite of their vigilance, the smell of the 
 milk, which the women heated in order to 
 obtain cream, continually attracted these 
 reptiles, which are so common in La Ven- 
 dee. A mantua-maker, who came to see 
 me at La Barbiniere, had spent three 
 months in this forest, and she assured me 
 that she had often seen as many as six of 
 them round one of the vessels into which 
 the milk had been poured ; but she had 
 never heard of any one having been bitten 
 by them. 
 
 About the end of June, the Blues 
 marched against Sapinaud, whose head- 
 quarters were at Beaurepaire ; Charette, 
 who had been informed of their intention, 
 came to his assistance and joined his troops 
 to those of Sapinaud. The enemy, though 
 much superior in force, was completely 
 beaten. The rout was so complete, that 
 
147 
 
 the fugitives came in the direction of 
 St Laurent and La Barbiniere, instead 
 of proceeding towards Montaigu. I saw 
 several soldiers, who had been dragged 
 from their homes against their inclination, 
 and who were discontented with being em- 
 ployed in the service of a set of monstrous 
 tyrants, who were much more occupied with 
 their own fortunes than with the happiness 
 of France, 
 
 At this period I fell ill, yet notwithstand- 
 ing my anxiety and sorrow, it was not long 
 before I returned to a state of convales- 
 cence. M. de Bejary, who had just arrived 
 from Ancenis, then paid me a visit; he in- 
 formed me that he had been seriously 
 wounded at the battle of L'e Mans ; he told 
 me he had been thrown into a waggon 
 along with several wounded men, who were 
 being conveyed to La Fleche, but all of 
 
 l 2 
 
148 
 
 them except himself had died of pain and 
 fatigue, a few leagues from Sable. M. de 
 Bejary entreated the driver, who seemed to 
 have compassion on their misfortunes, to 
 allow him to get out of the waggon, and 
 as there were no witnesses at hand, the 
 man permitted him to do so. He then 
 dragged himself into a field near Sable, 
 where exhausted with fatigue and loss of 
 blood, he perceived a countrywoman, who 
 was driving a flock of sheep, and being too 
 weak to go towards her, he stretched out 
 his hands in sign of supplication for assist- 
 ance ; but she immediately fled. He was 
 afraid that she had been alarmed at his ap- 
 pearance, which he knew must have been 
 more like that of a corpse than of a living 
 man, but what was his surprise when he 
 saw her return with two peasants, who 
 lifted him gently from the place where he 
 was lying, and carried him in their arms to 
 
149 
 
 a farm-house. They cleared out a pig-sty 
 for him, and after having placed some straw 
 and blankets in it, they laid him upon them 
 as gently as they could. The women regu- 
 larly dressed his wounds. When the Blues 
 came near the farm, the peasants drove 
 their pigs into the sty and placed a heap 
 of straw before the door. These assiduous 
 and benevolent cares hastened his cure, and 
 he was soon in a condition to depart. He 
 then purchased of his hosts a peasant's 
 dress, and took leave of them after paying 
 them handsomely with assignats, which he 
 had been fortunate enough to preserve 
 about his person. He arrived in his rustic 
 costume at Ancenis, whence he proceeded 
 safe and sound to join the army of the 
 centre. 
 
 He told me that my daughter and M. de 
 Veau de Chavagne, her husband, were con- 
 
150 
 
 cealed in a farm near Ancenis. This 
 pleasing, but unfounded information re- 
 stored my health sooner than the best of 
 doctors could have done. A number of the 
 Blues received orders at this period to 
 march to the frontiers, and our country was 
 now relieved of a part of its burden. 
 
 Stofflet and Bernier held their head- 
 quarters at Nevi, at the Chateau de La 
 Maurosiere ; they kept a good table, and 
 received visits from all the surrounding 
 neighbourhood. The ladies came to them 
 in their finest dresses, the finest at least, 
 which they were able to preserve from the 
 ravages of w r ar. 
 
 Charette, what could be his motive I 
 know not, after having agreed with Stofflet 
 to employ four hundred thousand francs in 
 assignats, opposed for a time their circula- 
 
151 
 
 tion. This was one of the principal causes 
 of the discord which soon arose among 
 them. 
 
 Sapinaud desired that the men of Mor- 
 tagne, St. Christophe, and St. Hilaire 
 should march under his command ; his 
 uncle, the Chevalier Sapinaud de la Verrie, 
 had had these parishes under him, before 
 the appointment of a general-in-chief ; and 
 for that reason they ought, he said, to be sub- 
 jected to him ; however, I made Sapinaud 
 consent to desist from this claim, and to 
 imitate the example of his uncle, who pre- 
 ferred the love of the Vendeans to the au- 
 thority which he exercised over them. The 
 enemy, whose strength had become greatly 
 diminished by part of his troops being sent 
 to the frontiers, had the art to make Cha- 
 rette and Sapinaud consent to a treaty of 
 peace. This treaty was signed at La Jau- 
 
152 
 
 naye. Charette did not acquaint Stofflet 
 with this measure, though Sapinaud had 
 entreated him to do so, and Stofflet irri- 
 tated at this proceeding, marched against 
 Sapinaud, who was then absent from Sour- 
 dis, his paternal residence. He carried 
 away his horses and every thing else that 
 he could take from the house ; and Delau- 
 nay, at the same period, deserted Charette's 
 party. 
 
 Stofflet, now pressed on all sides by the 
 Republican troops, at length concluded a 
 treaty of peace with them also. The 
 enemy's generals showed him a great deal 
 of attention ; they even formed hunting- 
 parties with him. The conditions of their 
 treaty with Charette and Sapinaud were on 
 the contrary, very badly observed, and the 
 Royalists would have been obliged to re- 
 sume their arms even if the descent of 
 Quiberon had not taken place. 
 
153 
 
 Madame de Sapinaud mentions nothing 
 in these memoirs that has not been in- 
 scribed in the annals of her glorious mis- 
 fortunes, a work which establishes the title 
 of Madame La Marquise de la Rochejaque- 
 lein and M. de Bonchamps to the gratitude 
 of La Vendee. She bewails that insidi- 
 ous peace by which the commissaries of the 
 convention abused the ardent desire which 
 the Vendeans felt to restore the happiness 
 of their country, for which alone they de- 
 sired to conquer or die. Like faithful and 
 devoted Frenchmen, they wished to contri- 
 bute to the return of their king and the 
 peace of his subjects ; they armed them- 
 selves only against the factious and the re- 
 gicides. 
 
 The peace was of short duration ; it 
 lasted but a few days, and Charette and 
 
154 
 
 Stofflet recommenced their career of arms ; 
 but their valour was of no avail against 
 the treachery and superior number of their 
 enemy. After defending themselves to the 
 last moment, they were obliged to yield to 
 force ; they were surprised and surrounded 
 by the enemy, Stofflet in Anjou, and Cha- 
 rette in Brittany. The latter was taken in 
 a wood near La Chabaussi^re. Wounded 
 in the head, and exhausted with fatigue, 
 he was leaning on two young peasants for 
 support ; but he was deprived of this last 
 prop of fidelity by two musket-shots, which 
 laid the generous soldiers at his feet, and 
 he became the prisoner of Travot. 
 
 Stofflet and he had been engaged in more 
 than a hundred and fifty battles, and had 
 often triumphed over those who had con- 
 quered all except La Vendee. They both 
 lived with equal glory and died with equal 
 
153 
 
 resignation, Stofflet at Angiers, the 23d of 
 Feb., 1796, and Charette at Nantes, six 
 weeks after. 
 
 The recollection of their God and of 
 their king, consoled them up to their latest 
 moments, and their lips were pronouncing 
 their very names, when they fell under the 
 hands of their murderers. Charette's coat 
 was sold for six hundred francs ; and the ter- 
 ror he had excited was still so great that the 
 revolutionists required his body to be dis- 
 interred that they might be satisfied that 
 he was no more. These warriors, who were 
 so dreaded by the enemies of the throne, 
 inspired, notwithstanding, the tenderest 
 and most generous friendship. The young 
 German, whom Stofflet had chosen for his 
 aid-de-camp, would willingly have sacri- 
 ficed his life to save him, but not being 
 
156 
 
 able to gratify his wish, he felt pleasure in 
 sharing his fate. 
 
 There was a soldier of the same nation 
 who never abandoned Charette to the last. 
 Seeing him on the point of being taken, 
 he put on the hat and coat of his general, 
 and exposed himself to the fire of the Re- 
 publicans, in the intention of dying for 
 him, and thus procuring him time for 
 escape; but they passed by him without 
 doing him any injury, as soon as they dis- 
 covered that he was not Charette. Disap- 
 pointed at the failure of his stratagem, he 
 rushed forward to die with honour on the 
 field of battle. 
 
 Let us compare Buonaparte, seeking par- 
 don from his conquerors and going to hide 
 his shame in a foreign land, with Stofflet 
 
157 
 
 and Charette, who were equally calm, when 
 bound in chains, as in the days of their 
 triumph ; who both preferred misfortune 
 and death in their own country, to peace 
 and riches, which were offered them in 
 England ; and who both preserved an un- 
 conquered spirit to the last moment of 
 their existence : — let us compare that fo- 
 reigner with these two Frenchmen, and let 
 us see whether he loved his country better 
 than they did, or was better entitled to its 
 love. 
 
 THE END. 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES 
 
 OF SOME OF THE 
 
 VENDEAN GENERALS*. 
 
 BONCHAMPS. 
 
 The name of Bonchamps is universally known ; 
 his exploits have immortalized his memory. It 
 will, perhaps, be interesting to learn what were his 
 manners and his habits in those days when he was 
 far from expecting the celebrity which he after- 
 wards obtained, or even desiring it. Naturally 
 humble and modest, he did not waste his time in 
 idle hopes. He entered the service in his six- 
 teenth year, possessed of but an imperfect educa- 
 tion, — and was solely indebted for what he after- 
 wards became, to the happy qualities with which 
 
 * These notices (with the exception of that of MM. 
 Sapinaud,) were written by the son of Madame de 
 Sapinaud de Bois-Huguet, whose name is so dear to 
 the Vendeans, and who translated the psalms into French 
 verse. — (Note of the Editor.) 
 
 M 
 
162 
 
 Heaven had endowed him. His manners were 
 noble and agreeable ; he was of middling stature, 
 but well made ; his features were expressive, his 
 complexion dark, his hair thick and curly ; his 
 lips, which were rather thick, gave an expression 
 of simplicity to his countenance ; his teeth were 
 of a brilliant whiteness, and his eyes sparkled with 
 intelligence. His language, though somewhat la- 
 boured, gave a just conception of his ideas. When 
 he spoke of his campaign in India, made under M. 
 de Suffren, in the second batallion of Aquitaine com- 
 manded by M. de Damas, his comrades pressed 
 around him to listen to his story ; and there was 
 not a dry eye to be seen when he described the 
 disorder under which he laboured on board the 
 ship, and from which he recovered only by a sort 
 of miracle. Like Madame de Maintenon, he was 
 destined to return from the gates of death to fill 
 the world with his name. Nobody was ever more 
 beloved or more respected ; not even the officers 
 of his regiment. He was sensible to the charms 
 of friendship, and was no less attached to all that 
 tends to the luxury and enjoyment of life. His 
 exterior was brilliant, his expenses considerable ; 
 an income of thirty thousand livres would scarce 
 have sufficed to meet them, and he did not possess 
 half that revenue. Every distinguished officer 
 that arrived in our garrisons was entertained by 
 
163 
 
 him. He was fond of study, and had a taste for 
 the fine arts. He never went to bed at night with- 
 out having first read for several hours by the light 
 of a lamp, which was placed in the middle of the 
 apartment so as to illuminate the whole. In the 
 morning his servant called him very early, and 
 placed by his bed-side a pair of red slippers, silk 
 pantaloons, and an elegant dressing-gown. As soon 
 as he arose, he placed himself before a glass, and 
 sang some of his favourite airs, accompanying 
 himself at the same time on the harp. He culti- 
 vated, in succession, the studies of drawing, music, 
 literature, and mathematics. He followed the 
 fashion in his dress, at least so far as his military 
 costume would allow him to do so. A portion of 
 his afternoon was devoted to the practice of all 
 kinds of military evolutions, which he executed on 
 a table with metal soldiers, both horse and foot* 
 His evening was divided between society and play. 
 He was often a considerable loser, yet his wit and 
 gaiety suffered no diminution. His conversation 
 was always the same ; it was instructive and varied, 
 though sometimes degenerating into punning, of 
 which he was rather fond. He was desirous of 
 advancing in the military profession, yet this de- 
 sire was kept within proper bounds ; and his hu- 
 manity, which was so strikingly displayed at the 
 time of his death, rendered him beloved both by 
 
 M 2 
 
 
164 
 
 the officers and soldiers. Two of our men were 
 turned out of the regiment while we were in gar- 
 rison at Me'zieres, and were condemned to fight a 
 duel before their departure. M. de Bonchamps 
 opposed the sentence; " is it not enough," said 
 he, " to dishonour them, without obliging them to 
 kill each other ?" The officers yielded to this 
 advice. As for Bonchamps, he never fought a 
 duel in his life ; he detested them, and the gentle- 
 ness and amenity of his manners kept him out of 
 the way of them. The MM. Soyer informed me 
 of the admirable answer he gave Stofflet on being 
 challenged by him; " No, Sir, I will not accept 
 your challenge ; God and the king can alone dis- 
 pose of my life, and your cause would suffer too 
 great a loss if it were deprived of yours." He 
 was naturally too kind-hearted to be insensible to 
 the charms of female beauty, and he had con- 
 ceived for the daughter of a gentleman of Brittany, 
 an attachment which absence had only served to 
 increase; he solicited her hand in marriage, but 
 her father opposed his desires. This disappoint- 
 ment affected him deeply, and he used to tell me 
 that he could never be happy again. We shared 
 the same apartments, and the same table; our 
 pleasures and our sorrows were in common. For 
 the space of five years, few days have passed with- 
 out his having spoken to me of his charming 
 
165 
 
 Brittanese. He was often seized with fits of 
 melancholy which lasted whole hours, and we 
 then took great care not to disturb his silence. 
 When his serenity returned, he felt grateful for 
 this attention. I was also his travelling compa- 
 nion. The first thing he did when we stopped at 
 any town, was to look out for a tavern where he 
 could play at chess. He has left me alone, young 
 as I was, and ignorant of Paris, for a whole day, 
 while he was playing game after game, at the Cafe 
 Valois. Yet he was my Mentor, and was greatly 
 attached to me, and I felt sincerely grateful for 
 his attentions. What most astonished me was, 
 that fond as he was of application, even in abstract 
 studies, he took no care of his fortune and his af- 
 fairs, but left us, who were so much younger than 
 himself, to discharge his accounts at the inns, the 
 billiard-rooms, and the shops ; that sensible as he 
 was to female beauty, the prettiest woman was in- 
 different to him, unless she had also some talent to 
 recommend her ; and that with all his taste for 
 grandeur, and his desire of advancement, he dis- 
 dained intrigue and adulation. I accompanied 
 him to Paris when he went to solicit the hand of 
 Mademoiselle de Scepeaux in marriage. The first 
 evening of our arrival, having gone to one of the 
 theatres, we saw there a young female whose grace 
 and beauty attracted the attention of every one. 
 
166 
 
 Bonchamps recognised her, and the tears started 
 into his eyes. I guessed that this was the young 
 lady whom he had so deeply loved ; and I was not 
 mistaken. When the play was over he had an 
 affecting interview with her, in the course of which 
 he learned that she was married to a captain in the 
 navy. Happily Mademoiselle de Scepeaux yielded 
 to his solicitations, and put a period to his sorrows ; 
 ambition also contributed to remove them, but the 
 revolution prevented the accomplishment of his 
 hopes. He wished to rise only by honourable de- 
 grees, and he only looked for happiness in retire- 
 ment and in the bosom of his family. For this 
 reason he did not accompany our regiment into 
 emigration. The reign of terror occasioned him 
 to abandon Paris ; he returned to his paternal cha- 
 teau, situated in the neighbourhood of St. Florent, 
 on a small hill between two rivers. He wished to 
 have spent his days there in solitude ; but Heaven 
 had destined him to be the object of the admiration 
 of mankind, and the model of every virtue. But 
 for the war of La Vendee, Bonchamps would have 
 remained unknown, and might have furnished an 
 illustration of those beautiful lines of Gray : — 
 
 Full many a gem of purest ray serene 
 The dark unfathomed caves of ocean bear - y 
 
 Full many a flower is born to blush unseen, 
 And waste its sweetness on the desert air. 
 
167 
 
 D'ELBEE. 
 
 M. d'ElbeVs father was a superior officer in 
 the service of Saxony. On his death his son 
 was placed in a regiment of French cavalry, but 
 dissatisfied at not being able to rise higher than 
 the rank of . lieutenant, he quitted the service. 
 Like M. de Bonchamps he amused himself with 
 making war on a small scale with regiments and 
 squadrons cast in metal, and like him too, he was 
 brave, honourable, and a devoted friend. Both of 
 them, when they wished to marry, sought merit 
 and beauty in preference to riches. M. d'Elb£e, 
 when on the point of being united with a young 
 lady of Nantes, who was very handsome and very 
 rich, preferred the hand of Mile. d'Hauterive, 
 who, though her fortune was but small, possessed 
 a sensible and generous soul, and whose devotion 
 to her husband cannot be surpassed. I have 
 traced the points of resemblance between the two 
 heroes of La Vendee, but there were also qualities 
 which distinguished them from each other. While 
 Bonchamps's appearance was pleasing and pre- 
 possessing, that of d'Elbee was sombre and severe. 
 His dark, yellow complexion, and his bright eyes 
 deeply seated in his head, added to his expression 
 of gravity. He was thin, and of middle stature; 
 his language was sententious and slow. As soon 
 
168 
 
 as he was possessed with a sentiment, he carried 
 it to a pitch of enthusiasm. He had smiled on 
 the commencement of the Revolution ; the spirit 
 of Voltaire and the style of Rousseau had seduced 
 him ; but he was shocked with the first revolu- 
 tionary scenes. The misfortunes of the Royal 
 Family attached him for ever to their cause ; he 
 lived and died for them. M. d'Elbee and his 
 friend M. de Boissy begged to be allowed to die 
 together, and Madame d'Elbee entreated that she 
 might not be permitted to survive her husband, 
 and her wish was granted. They were united in 
 the closest bonds of affection during life, and did 
 not wish to be separated even in death. They 
 had at that time an infant son in the cradle. This 
 child outlived the misfortunes of La Vendee. 
 His amiable character and his education gave rise 
 to the greatest hopes, and his conduct in the 
 guard of honour which he entered, proved that he 
 was the worthy inheritor of his father's glory, as 
 he was of his misfortunes. Being of so corpulent 
 a habit of body as to find difficulty in sitting on 
 horseback, he fell in a charge made on the enemy, 
 and was killed. 
 
169 
 
 CHARETTE. 
 
 Charette, the relation of whose exploits is the 
 best praise that can be given him, was for a long 
 time in so delicate a state of health, that he feared 
 he would be obliged to quit the navy in which he 
 held the rank of lieutenant, He possessed an 
 insatiate taste for pleasure, and seemed to be in 
 every respect disqualified for a profession so 
 fraught with perils and fatigue as that of arms. 
 But the first shot that was fired in La Vendee 
 operated upon him like the arms presented to the 
 disguised Achilles. He became on a sudden dis- 
 tinguished for his valour and piety ; he even 
 carried this last virtue so far as to make his sol- 
 diers fast on the eve of battle. He told his beads 
 with them, and cherished in their hearts the 
 united enthusiasm of honour and religion, This 
 zeal, had it been well directed, would have ob- 
 tained great advantages ; it would have prevented 
 Charette from separating from the other armies ; 
 it would have rendered his party invincible. But 
 unfortunately, this fervour was of short duration ; 
 the sight of some pretty women who owed their 
 exaltation to his courage, soon damped his ardour ; 
 but the weaknesses of the hero have disappeared 
 before his glory, and have been eclipsed by it. 
 The love of his country was always his predomi- 
 
170 
 
 nant passion. A few days before he was taken 
 prisoner, an officer with whom I am acquainted, 
 said to him, " Why did you not accept the advan- 
 tageous proposals of the Directory ?" — " Honour/' 
 he replied, " compelled me to decline them ; 
 while Charette lives he will pursue his course 
 (tant que Charette palpitera, la charrette rou* 
 leva)" When he had fallen into the enemy's 
 hands, he said to the cousin of my brother's wife, 
 who had obtained leave to see him in prison ; — 
 " my friend, the Directory will take care not to 
 disgrace themselves ; besides, my death would 
 irritate the people against them." Even if the 
 Council, which condemned him, had been favour- 
 able to him, he could not have failed to die in a 
 few days, for his wounds had mortified. 
 
 SOYER. 
 
 The MM. Soyer, born of a family of merchants 
 residing at Chemille, soon raised themselves to the 
 highest rank in society, by their devotion to the 
 king, and the nobleness of their conduct. I have 
 already paid a just tribute of praise to the 
 courage of M. Frangois Soyer. His elder brother 
 equally distinguished himself in Stofflet's army by 
 his bravery, his intelligence, and his conciliating 
 
171 
 
 spirit. He was sent to Nantes by M. Cathelineau, 
 the general-in-chief of the Vendean armies, to 
 dispose the minds of the people in favour of the 
 Royalists. In this attempt he completely suc- 
 ceeded, and the town would certainly have been 
 taken, had it not been for a merchant, who, by a 
 profuse distribution of money, gained over the 
 people and a part of the national guard. If 
 Nantes had fallen, Brittany and the western pro- 
 vinces must have followed, and much blood would 
 have been spared. Few Royalists can boast of 
 more honourable deeds of arms than M. Soyer ; 
 when he was surrounded at Chatillon by four 
 hussars, he killed all the four, and rejoined his 
 division. His body is covered with scars ; the 
 only part of him that remains is his heart, which 
 is devoted entirely to his God and his king. The 
 heroes of this army equalled in courage all that is 
 related as most remarkable among the Romans. 
 M. Soyer has told me that one of their horsemen, 
 on being informed that the enemy had pitched a 
 camp by the side of the great road leading from 
 Chemille to the Pont-de-C6, immediately resolved 
 on killing the commander. Regardless of the 
 danger of the enterprise, he passed with his face 
 on his horse's neck through the midst of se- 
 veral platoons of the enemy, which were march- 
 ing to join their division ; he was exposed to 
 
172 
 
 several shots, but escaped them all, arrived at the 
 spot, cleared the trenches, penetrated to the very 
 tent of the commander, dismounted, entered, shot 
 him dead with a pistol, mounted his horse, gal- 
 loped off, and was on the point of leaping the last 
 entrenchment of the camp, when he received a 
 mortal wound, and fell shouting " Vive le Roi !" 
 M. Soyer was himself witness of a remarkable 
 example of devotion to the royal cause in the 
 person of his youngest brother. This young man, 
 who was at the college of Angers, employed the 
 money which was allowed him for his amusement, 
 in purchasing gun- powder. As the scholars went 
 regularly twice a-week out of the town to walk, 
 he took advantage of these opportunities to for- 
 ward his powder to some prudent Royalists, who 
 were acquainted with his secret. This new mode 
 of serving the king was the more praiseworthy, 
 as the young scholar was perfectly aware of the 
 risk he ran. M. Soyer was appointed major- 
 general of Stofflet's army, and the latter might 
 have restored France to his king, if he had lis- 
 tened to Soyer's advice, which was never to sepa- 
 rate himself from Charette. The union of these 
 two chiefs would have produced astonishing 
 effects. After Stofflet's death, M. Soyer might 
 have obtained the appointment of commander-in- 
 chief; but he was as modest as he was brave, and 
 
173 
 
 preferred appointing to that office M. Charles 
 d'Autichamp, whose name must be held in 
 honour by every Frenchman. At the conclusion 
 of the war, and on the 18th Fructidor, his house 
 was continually an asylum for the emigrants. He 
 is now a field-marshal, and has espoused Mile, de 
 Grignon. It was but just that beauty and glory 
 should be the recompense of honour and courage. 
 
 SAPINAUD. 
 
 M. Sapinaud de la Ramie was born at the 
 Chateau de Sourdy, in Bas-Poitou, on the 3d 
 December, 176O. In 1778 he was appointed 
 gentleman cadet in the regiment of Foix, and he 
 retired in 1779 vvith the rank of first lieutenant. 
 Five of his brothers, four of whom had served as 
 officers for several years, emigrated with their 
 corps. On the 10th March, 1793, he joined his 
 uncle the Chevalier Sapinaud de la Verrie, and 
 attacked the garrisons of TirTauges and Les Her- 
 biers. He then joined his division to that of the 
 chiefs of Anjou, and along with them took pos- 
 session of le "Boisgroleau and Chollet. He after- 
 wards took the command of the town of Mortagne, 
 where he maintained very important correspon- 
 dence with all the Corps d'Arm£e, and saved the 
 
174 
 
 artillery on the arrival of the troops of Mayence. 
 In the campaign of Outre-Loire he commanded 
 as chief of division ; and after the fatal retreat of 
 the Mans, he procured a little boat at Ancenis, 
 where he re-crossed the Loire with Henri de la 
 Rochejaquelein, Stofflet, Vaugiraud, and La Ville- 
 Beauge. Shortly after their arrival on the other 
 side of the river, they were informed by their host 
 that the house in which they had taken shelter was 
 surrounded by Republicans ; yet they continued 
 to sleep soundly, so great was the fatigue they 
 had undergone. 
 
 Sapinaud was welcomed by the Vendeans as 
 their deliverer ; he re-organized the army of the 
 centre at the beginning of the year 1794, and de- 
 feated a corps of three hundred Republicans at 
 La Gaubretiere. Having at length succeeded in 
 collecting eighteen hundred men, he sent two 
 Royalists to convey the information to Charette, 
 but they both fell victims to their zeal. A third 
 offered to fulfil the commission. Sapinaud pointed 
 out to him the danger attending its execution. 
 " General,'' replied the brave peasant, u fear no- 
 thing ; Heaven will protect us." And so indeed 
 it happened, for he carried his message in safety 
 to Charette, who joined Sapinaud at ChaufFe. The 
 generals had scarcely time to exchange saluta- 
 tions, when they learnt that two hundred men 
 
175 
 
 were marching against the town. They hastened 
 to meet them, attacked and dispersed them ; 
 another column which attempted to surprise them 
 in the evening, shared the same fate. The river, 
 which had overflowed its banks, added to their 
 disasters ; for those who escaped the sword, be- 
 came the victims of the waves. The two generals 
 then proceeded towards Lege, which they carried 
 after several sanguinary battles. Two pieces of can- 
 non, two cassoons, and a large quantity of clothing 
 were the reward of this victory. At the taking of 
 this town, M. Joly, a chief of Division in Cha- 
 rette's army, on learning that his son had received 
 a mortal wound, threw himself from his horse and 
 flew to his relief. A soldier came up at the same 
 moment, and informing him that one of his sons 
 who served among the Blues, had been taken pri- 
 soner, asked him what should be done with the 
 young man; " Shoot him !" he replied, his eyes 
 still fixed upon his dying son, whom he pressed 
 tenderly to his bosom and bathed with his tears. 
 Sapinaud and Charette were not so fortunate at 
 the bridge of James as at Lege; one had his 
 horse wounded, and the other had his killed under 
 him. They withdrew to La Grotte, near Vicille 
 Vigne, and there separated. In the beginning of 
 March, 1794, Sapinaud joined a division of Stof- 
 flet's army to his own, and attempted to take pos- 
 session of Mortagne, but not succeeding in the 
 
176 
 
 first instance, he made a second attack upon it in 
 company with Marigny, which was also unsuccess- 
 ful. Preparations were already made for a third 
 attack, when the enemy, taking advantage of the 
 obscurity of the night, evacuated the place. The 
 three Royalist chiefs formed a junction, about the 
 end of April, to drive back the incendiary columns 
 commanded by Cordelier. They proposed to 
 Charette to appoint him general-in-chief ; he re- 
 plied that he would prefer seeing M. Fleuriot, his 
 uncle, in that situation ; this reply displeased Stof- 
 flet, and nothing more was said on the subject. 
 
 The Royalist troops, after pursuing the Incen- 
 diaries as far as Saint Florent, fell back upon 
 Jallais ; they there determined on making a fresh 
 attack, and it was agreed that every officer who 
 should quit the army before the Incendiaries were 
 exterminated, should be held and punished as a 
 traitor. 
 
 Sapinaud had scarcely commenced his march 
 at the head of eight hundred men, to carry this 
 plan into execution, than he received orders to 
 return to Jallais, where a council of war was as- 
 sembled, which condemned Marigny to death, for 
 having violated his promise. This officer, dissatis- 
 fied with the want of attention paid by Charette 
 and Stofflet to his division, had withdrawn it into 
 the Commune of Cerisais. 
 
 His friend Sapinaud refused to sign this cruel 
 
177 
 
 decree. The mildness of his disposition made him 
 endeavour to conciliate the minds of others. It 
 was he who informed Stofflet of the conferences of 
 La Jaunaye ; he even persuaded him to proceed 
 thither to concert measures with Charette. That 
 general, unfortunately, had left the place ; he had 
 gone to curb the spirit of discontent which had 
 manifested itself among the officers of his troops 
 in consequence of the peace. Sapinaud signed 
 the treaty at La Jaunaye in Feb. 1795, and en- 
 tered Nantes as general of the army of the centre, 
 in company with Charette. 
 
 Whilst Sapinaud was maintaining with glory the 
 cause of the throne and the altar, five of his bro- 
 thers and two of his cousins, of the same name 
 with himself, were defending the same cause under 
 the banners of the French princes and their allies. 
 Henri Sapinaud, who had volunteered his services 
 in the regiment of La Chatre, had already pe- 
 rished in the glorious sortie from Menain. That 
 officer, after having pierced the battalions of the 
 enemy with the column under his command, and 
 adorned the hats of his soldiers with the tufts of 
 the vanquished Grenadiers, led them to the station 
 which had been allotted to them by the general. 
 Their comrades coming up to the same spot in the 
 twilight cf the morning, took them for French 
 
 N 
 
178 
 
 Grenadiers and killed them. The greater part of 
 them were Vendeans : that valiant blood was al- 
 ways shed, wherever there were any laurels to 
 gather. Two other brothers of the general, Ed- 
 ward and Prosper de Sapinaud, Chevaliers de St. 
 Louis, were at this period sent into La Vendue by 
 the Prince de Conde, to compliment their brother ; 
 and the Chevalier Sapinaud de Bois-Huguet, who 
 had been appointed by the Duke of York, Lieu- 
 tenant in the British Hulans, for having killed a 
 Republican colonel in a battle near Nimegue, 
 during the campaign of Holland, quitted that ad- 
 vantageous post to return to La Vendee, which 
 was then almost in a hopeless condition. M. Sa- 
 pinaud de Bois-Huguet was also appointed officer 
 in Lowenstein's corps. The events of Quiberon 
 had then produced a recommencement of hostili- 
 ties. Charette had given the signal for war at Les 
 Essarts, and Sapinaud at Mortagne. The latter 
 gave notice the day before to the Republican 
 general, that he would attack him in his camp at 
 La Croix-de-Mission, as he had before announced 
 to him, and M. de Bejarry and himself proceeded 
 thither in different directions. They put the 
 enemy to flight, after killing three hundred men 
 and taking a great number prisoners. It has been 
 erroneously supposed that they surprised and cut 
 
179 
 
 to pieces the Republicans at Mortagne ; this is 
 quite a mistake. I have stated the facts as they 
 occurred, and the distinguished loyalty of M. de 
 Sapinaud's character is the best proof that can 
 be given of them. He co-operated with all the 
 chiefs, directed his army wherever he could assist 
 them to conquer, and even gave up a portion of 
 his estate ; he was the intimate friend of Charette. 
 That general, previously to his death, sent to him 
 by a common friend the last proofs of his esteem. 
 At the taking of Mortagne, a superior officer 
 possessed of the most agreeable and engaging qua- 
 lities, fell into the hands of Sapinaud. His face 
 and figure were of the most handsome description, 
 and a congenial taste for music and drawing, a 
 corresponding mildness of character, and an equa- 
 lity of age, quickly united the conqueror and the 
 captive in the bonds of a sincere affection. This 
 interesting man soon learned to partake in the sen- 
 timents of the Vendeans. The verses which he 
 addressed to Sapinaud in the autumn of 1795* 
 during the absence of that genera], who had gone 
 to join Charette, afford a convincing proof of his 
 change of opinion. They were as follow : 
 
 Au general dont Pabsence 
 Nous rend doublement malheureux, 
 J'ose adresser ces couplets ; trop heureux 
 
 S'ilsnous procuraient sa presence! 
 
 N 2 
 
180 
 
 Au sein de la neige et des glace s 
 
 Pr^cipitez vos bataillons ; 
 Bravez les bruyantes menaces 
 
 De la bise et des aquilons ; 
 Ne craignez point que la victoire 
 
 S'enfuie a Faspect des hivers ; 
 Tous les temps sont boris pour la gloire, 
 
 Et les lauriers sout toujours verts. 
 Guerriers, la mort est-elle a craindre, 
 
 Quand Ton combat pour ses foyers ? 
 Le Gueriier se pourrait-il plaindre, 
 
 Lorsq'uil tombe sur ses lauriers ? 
 Mourir, c'estrendre a la nature 
 
 Uu bien qu'elle nous a prete" ; 
 Et, quand on meurt sur son armure, 
 
 C'est naltre a I'lmmortalite* I 
 
 This unfortunate young man was not allowed to 
 meet the glorious death which he describes ; ano- 
 ther officer, one of his fellow-prisoners, jealous of 
 the interest which he excited, accused him of 
 having formed a plot with the Republican soldiers 
 to deliver them and put the Royalists to death. 
 M. de Fleuriot gave credit to the infamous calum- 
 ny, and the interesting captive was shot in the 
 woods of the Chateau de Beaurepaire. Sapinaud, 
 on his return, was dreadfully afflicted at this ini- 
 quitous decision, which deprived the king of a sub- 
 ject who would have served him with zeal, and 
 his own heart of a grateful friend whom he hoped 
 to restore to happiness. 
 
181 
 
 The disasters of Quiberon enabled the enemy 
 to employ all their forces against the Vendeans, 
 who, deceived in the peace which had been made 
 with the commissioners sent to Jaunaye, and in the 
 hopes they had formed of the Quiberon expedition, 
 and enfeebled by the divisions of their chiefs, felt 
 themselves abandoned by fortune ; but their glory 
 remained faithful to them, and still blazed over 
 the last moments of Stofflet and Charette. Gene- 
 ral Sapinaud was obliged to yield to the storm, and 
 to await a more favourable period. 
 
 A few months before the 18th Fructidor, he 
 married Mademoiselle Marie-Louise Charette, 
 grand-daughter of the general of that name, and 
 daughter of M. Charette, that general's cousin. 
 Incapable of serving any other power than that 
 for which he had sworn to live and die, he main- 
 tained the peasantry in those sentiments which 
 have procured them everlasting honour ; and during 
 the three months which preceded the return of the 
 Bourbons in 1814, he went from cottage to cot- 
 tage both by day and night, preparing them to en- 
 ter with fresh vigour, on the career of honour. 
 It was agreed that they should receive the sacra- 
 ment on Easter-Sunday, meet at the appointed 
 place on the Monday, and on the Tuesday display 
 their banners to the cries of '* Vive le Roi !" 
 Thus nourished by celestial food, and supported 
 
182 
 
 by the God of armies, what enemy could resist 
 them ? Scarcely were their swords unsheathed, 
 when they suddenly received information that 
 Monsieur, the king's brother, the harbinger of hap- 
 pier days, was approaching in the name of that 
 monarch to present the olive-branch, the emblem 
 of peace. M. de Sapinaud was charged to bear 
 to the foot of the throne the tribute of devotion of 
 his brave followers. If there be any pleasure un- 
 alloyed on earth, it is that which he experienced 
 on this occasion ; for a faithful subject must always 
 feel an inexpressible joy in the notice of his 
 prince. 
 
 He assisted the Marquis of La Rochejaquelein 
 during the interregnum, and would have followed 
 him to Les Marais, but for the desertion which 
 that project occasioned in his army. Left with a 
 handful of men, he was obliged to seek reinforce- 
 ments at Bazouge, a parish of La Rairie, and was 
 on his way to join the Marquis of La Rochejaque- 
 lein, when he received the account of his death. 
 The Vendeans, and indeed every Frenchman 
 whose heart is sensible to glory, deplored the fate 
 of that young hero, thus cut off by the sword of 
 battle in the very flower of his age. General Sa- 
 pinaud was appointed general-in-chief; and, in 
 that high rank, he not only established additional 
 claims to the esteem of his countrymen, but, by 
 
183 
 
 the peace to which he acquiesced, succeeded in 
 preserving to the king the precious blood of his 
 faithful subjects. His reply to General De Sag6, 
 who proposed to him to form a junction with the 
 army of the Loire against the allied powers, proves 
 that he felt the importance and dignity of the office 
 with which his country had intrusted him. 
 
 M General, why do you not rather think of 
 joining us ; that would be the only means of ob- 
 taining the mercy of the king whom we serve, and 
 will continue to serve till death ? The spotless 
 banner is the only standard round which the Ven- 
 deans can rally." 
 
 The King has appointed him lieutenant-general, 
 Cordon-Rouge, Inspector of the National Guards 
 of La Vendee, and Chevalier of the legion of 
 honour. On the return of the king of France, 
 Ferdinand, King of Spain, sent him the cross of 
 the order of Charles III. Just as he was beginning 
 to enjoy the glory and reward of his services, the 
 assassination of the prince who bore so near a re- 
 semblance to the good Henry, plunged him into 
 a profound affliction, which nothing but the birth 
 of the duke of Bourdeaux could have relieved. 
 
18-1 
 
 SAPINAUD DE BOIS-HUGUET. 
 
 The Chevalier Sapinaud de Bois-Huguet, known 
 by the name of La Verrie, had served live and 
 twenty years in the gardes-du-corps. He had 
 remained in La Vendee to be useful to his ne- 
 phews, MM. Sapinaud de Bois-Huguet, officers in 
 active service, who emigrated with their regiments. 
 In the beginning of March 1793, he attacked the 
 garrisons of TifTauges and Les Herbiers, and car- 
 ried away three pieces of cannon. On his return 
 to La Verrie he saved M. de Beaulieu, the father 
 of twelve children, and a zealous partisan of the 
 revolution, from the fury of the peasantry. Heaven 
 rewarded him for this generous action, and gave 
 him the victory at the battle of Les Guerinieres, on 
 which occasion the peasants displayed equal in- 
 telligence and courage. Learning that the Re- 
 publicans were advancing to attack them, to the 
 number of two thousand, they suddenly quitted 
 their chiefs, and disregarding their orders to return, 
 proceeded by a very narrow road, to surprise the 
 enemy, who were hastening to reach the bridge of 
 Gravereau, but who being seized with a sudden 
 panic, were completely routed, and lost a thousand 
 men in their retreat. 
 
 M. de Sapinaud, after this glorious action, es- 
 tablished his head -quarters at the Chateau d'Oie, 
 
185 
 
 called, some years before, L'Abergement, and 
 which MM. Sapinaud, who were formerly the pro- 
 prietors of it, had sold. Here, in the birth-place 
 of his fathers, just as he was beginning to repose 
 after the fatigues of war, General Marce took pos- 
 session of Chantonnay. He immediately marched 
 against him and drove him back. That general 
 returned on the 19th March, with fifteen hundred 
 men, and gave battle to the Royalists in the valley 
 of Le Laye. The latter repulsed them, and pene- 
 trated their columns. The enemy's artillery, 
 however, stood their ground, and M. de Sapinaud 
 seeing that the Vendeans were alarmed at the re- 
 peated discharges, animated them with this brief 
 and heroic address : — " My friends, fear nothing ; 
 look at me, and follow me !" Attentively watching 
 the moment when the match was applied to the 
 guns, he fell flat on the ground while the balls 
 passed over him, then rose, rushed forward, and 
 followed by the peasants, who imitated his example, 
 took possession of the batteries. M. de Royrand, 
 whose age and services, rather than his capacity, 
 had obtained his appointment as general-in-chief, 
 complimented M. de Sapinaud on his boldness in 
 confronting death. " You are mistaken, my 
 friend," said he ; "I fear death as much as any 
 one, but I should be sorry not to meet danger as 
 bravely as others. " This battle, known under the 
 

 186 
 
 name of St. Vincent, spread the greatest terror 
 among the Republicans, and made the Royalists 
 masters of an immense extent of territory. 
 
 M. de Sapinaud having occasion to return to 
 La Verrie on some private business, was obliged 
 to raise troops there immediately, and to advance 
 towards Chatillon, from which place the enemy 
 fled at his approach. He pursued his march as 
 far as La Chataigneraye, from whence he for- 
 warded two pieces of cannon and two barrels of 
 powder, to Mortagne. He also went there in per- 
 son, and was received in triumph. The house of 
 his sister-in-law, Madame Sapinaud de Bois-Hu- 
 guet, was not empty for a moment during the six 
 hours he spent there. M. de Royrand and he 
 marched with the other chiefs against Fontenay ; 
 about the end of May, they brought up their divi- 
 sions in the direction of St. Hermine, while the 
 other generals commenced the attack on two oppo- 
 site points ; Fontenay was soon the reward of their 
 valour. The booty was considerable, but it was 
 Unequally divided, which excited the complaints 
 of M. de Royrand. 
 
 A short time afterwards, M. Sapinaud de la 
 Verrie took a number of prisoners in a battle near 
 Chantonnay, and among them was Colonel Mon- 
 net. This was the last ray of happiness which fate 
 shed on his career. The unsuccessful attack of 
 
187 
 
 Luc on, at the end of June, overwhelmed him with 
 grief. He was himself the last to quit the field of 
 battle, yet nothing could arrest the flight of the 
 Ro}'al army, occasioned by the deserters whom 
 M. de Royrand had imprudently received into his 
 division, returning to their flag. In the mean time 
 the army of the centre being desirous to stop the 
 progress of General Tuncq, M. de Sapinaud was 
 chosen to command the advance-guard. 
 
 As he was approaching the bridge of Charron 
 to take possession of that important station, he was 
 betrayed by a protestant deserter, who communi- 
 cated the counter-sign to the enemy, and he found 
 himself surrounded on every side. Twice he 
 rushed forward to the attack, and twice he was 
 driven back and mortally wounded. Four pea- 
 sants, one of whom was named Guiton, of the 
 village of La Verrie, of which Sapinaud was the 
 proprietor, forfeited their lives in attempting to 
 rescue his body from the murderers. A price 
 had been set upon his head, so much were his in- 
 fluence and valour dreaded by the enemy. Thus 
 perished on the field of honour, the Chevalier Sa- 
 pinaud de Bois-Huguet, in his fifty-fifth year. 
 The Royal army, in the official bulletin of the 
 superior council, deplores his death in the follow- 
 ing words : 
 
 " We owe a well-merited tribute of praise and 
 
188 
 
 regret to M. Sapinaud de la Verrie *, who, being 
 wounded in the first attack of the bridge of Char- 
 ron, fell into the hands of the enemy, and expe- 
 rienced the most cruel tortures from them." 
 
 ACCOUNT OF 
 
 THE PASSAGE OF THE LOIREf. 
 
 In the Autumn of 1793, the Royalists of La 
 Vendee passed the Loire, crossed the Maine 
 and Brittanny, and after obtaining several victories 
 over the troops which were opposed to them, they 
 laid siege to the little port of Grandville, in 
 Normandy. This plan had been concerted with 
 the English, who had promised to send a squa- 
 dron, and to supply the Royalists with troops and 
 artillery. The winds, however, were constantly 
 unfavourable to the success of this enterprise, and 
 
 * M. de la Verrie was nearly five feet six inches high, 
 and was well made. His countenance was as noble and 
 animated as his figure was well proportioned. His fore- 
 head was small and rather projecting, his eyes were black 
 and very brilliant, his nose and mouth well-turned, and 
 his whole face had an agreeable expression. He had a 
 good deal of hair, but age and misfortune had whitened it. 
 
 t We have been furnished with these observations by 
 a writer well known and esteemed by the friends of 
 religion and of the king. — (Note of the Editor.) 
 
189 
 
 the resistance of Grandville was still more so. 
 The object was to have taken possession of this port, 
 and thus to have procured a free communication 
 with the islands of Jersey and Guernsey. It 
 would not have been difficult to have fortified this 
 little place ; and by this means to have secured a 
 channel for the frequent supply of troops and 
 ammunition. Young Forestier, in the course of 
 the attack on this town, had climbed to the very 
 ramparts ; his brave soldiers hastened to follow 
 him, when a deserter from the Republican troops, 
 who had been received into their ranks, cried out, 
 " Back ! Back ! — we are betrayed !" A Vendean 
 officer blew out his brains on the spot ; but terror 
 had already spread among the besiegers, and 
 nothing would check their retreat, which was 
 accelerated too by the desire of returning to their 
 native soil. It was succeeded by sad disasters. 
 The English, whose progress had been impeded by 
 contrary winds, did nor come up to the coast until 
 the royal army was already at a great distance 
 from it. 
 
 On the 2d of October, a squadron, under the 
 command of Admiral Macbride, came in sight of 
 Cape La Hogue, passed before Cherbourg, and 
 went along the coast to Grandville. This squa- 
 dron, which was composed of several ships of war, 
 floating batteries, and transports, had about seven 
 
190 
 
 thousand English troops on board, besides a corps 
 of French emigrants, which were to be joined by 
 others already assembled at Jersey and Guernsey. 
 The Earl of Moira headed the enterprise, but not 
 perceiving on the coast the signals which had been 
 agreed upon, he anchored at Jersey, and remained 
 there some time. He there received intelligence 
 of the disasters of the Royalists, and thus this 
 expedition, for which the English government had 
 entered into considerable expenses, was com- 
 pletely useless ; for, there was no longer the least 
 hope of any co-operation on the part of the 
 Royalists in that quarter. 
 
 It is the more necessary to state these facts 
 here, as they have not been mentioned in the 
 histories and memoirs relating to the Revolu- 
 tion. Writers of the Republican party, and even 
 some of those attached to the Royal cause, have 
 reproached the British government with having on 
 this occasion deceived the Royalists of La Vendee. 
 These details, I trust, will justify the English 
 ministry in this particular at least. The account 
 which I have here given is extracted from the 
 English gazettes, and official reports. 
 
191 
 
 ACCOUNT OF SEVERAL VICTIMS OF THE RE- 
 VOLUTIONARY TRIBUNAL OF LAVAL, AFTER 
 THE PASSAGE OF THE VENDEANS. 
 
 A woman of La Vendue, who had been forced by 
 sickness to remain at Laval with her three daugh- 
 ters, was discovered and condemned to death by 
 those infamous judges, to whom the name of men 
 cannot be given without disgracing mankind. 
 Some there were who had courage to raise their 
 voices in the cause of humanity, but they were no 
 more heard than the cries of a child lost in a 
 forest during a storm. 
 
 The youngest of the victims who was but six- 
 teen years of age, and who was singularly beau- 
 tiful, was overpowered with terror at sight of the 
 preparations for her execution ; but her mother's 
 voice soon restored her self-possession. Like the 
 mother of the Machabaei she begged to be put to 
 death last ; and, after supporting the courage of her 
 children, her soul was wafted to Heaven to share 
 their glory, and to increase it by her presence. 
 
 Another Vendean woman was conducted in a 
 state of pregnancy to prison, where she was deli- 
 vered of a male child. A person who was beside 
 her, hearing her weep during the pains of childbirth, 
 asked her how she would have sufficient fortitude 
 
192 
 
 to bear up during her execution. " I now yield 
 to the sufferings and complaints of nature," she 
 replied, " but on the scaffold God will be with 
 me." 
 
 She suckled her child during six weeks ; and, 
 at the expiration of that period her sentence was 
 communicated to her. She received the intelli- 
 gence with resignation. She requested permission 
 to carry her child in her arms to the spot where 
 her hair was to be cut off previous to her execu- 
 tion. This solicitation was acceded to. The 
 maternal tenderness and the confidence in Heaven 
 which were depicted in her countenance, power- 
 fully affected all who beheld her. On reaching 
 the fatal spot she gave her infant a last kiss, and 
 placed it in the arms of the woman who had had 
 charge of her in the jail. " Take this poor little 
 orphan," said she, " I confide it to your care. I 
 can only offer you my watch in return for your 
 goodness ; but Heaven, I trust, will hear my 
 prayers, and discharge the debt of gratitude I owe 
 you." She then calmly ascended the scaffold. 
 The executioner wished to take off her shawl, lest 
 it might impede him in the horrible operation 
 which he was about to perform. " No," said 
 she, " I would rather not be uncovered ; I care 
 not how much I suffer." Her infant, deprived of 
 
. 193 
 
 her care, withered like a tender bud when excluded 
 from the fostering rays of the sun. It was restored 
 to her, not in this world, where happiness is merely 
 an empty name, but in those realms of bliss, 
 where joy reigns everlastingly, and where sorrow 
 never enters. 
 
 The people of Laval had sensibly increased 
 the Royalist army during the passage of the 
 Loire. They shared with the Royalists their pro- 
 visions, fyc, and took part in their engagements. 
 Thus the people of Laval are never mentioned in 
 the faithful land, without receiving a tribute of 
 praise. 
 
 God has rewarded them by protecting in their 
 country a convent of Trappists. These holy men, 
 who are engaged night and day in offering up 
 prayers to move the mercy of Heaven in behalf of 
 the sinful, perform mass twice every week for the 
 soldiers who perished at the battle of Laval, in 
 1793. I saw two of these saints on earth: one 
 was brother Marie-Joseph, formerly Baron de 
 Geramb, a general in the Austrian service, and 
 chamberlain to the Emperor Francis ; the other 
 was brother Joseph, formerly known by the name 
 of M. de Champlois, grand-vicar of the diocese 
 of Nice. I never met with any ecclesiastics more 
 distinguished for information and talent, amiable 
 conduct, and humility. 
 
 o 
 
194 
 
 I picture to myself the image of these two pious 
 men, when I seek to form an idea of the perfect 
 beings who have passed from earth to heaven. 
 
 THE END. 
 
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