Gaspard De Bernard De Marigny on:
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Gaspard Augustin René Bernard de Marigny (2 November 1754 in
"He was a handsome man, of high stature and great physical strength ; he was gay, spiritual, loyal and brave. I had never seen someone more obliging : he was always ready to please others ; to such an extent that I remember that since he had some knowledge in the veterinary art, all the peasants of the canton came to him when they had sick beasts. He was full of life, and when he became excited, he would be immoderately enthusiastic."
He was a
Luçon
Luçon () is a commune in the Vendée department, Pays de la Loire region, western France. Its inhabitants are known as Luçonnais.
Luçon Cathedral is the seat of the Diocese of Luçon (comprising the Vendée), where Cardinal Richelieu once se ...
– 10 July 1794 in Combrand) was a French officer and Vendéen general.
Life
Bernard de Marigny was a cousin and friend ofLouis Marie de Lescure
Louis Marie de Salgues, marquis de Lescure (13 October 1766 – 4 November 1793) was a French soldier and opponent of the French Revolution, the cousin of Henri de la Rochejaquelein.
Biography
Early life
He was born in Versailles and educated a ...
, whose wife Victoire de Donnissan de La Rochejaquelein
Marie Louise Victoire de Donnissan de La Rochejaquelein née ''marquise de Lescure'' (25 October 1772 - 15 February 1857), was a French memoirist. She is known for her memoirs, depicting her misfortunes and her part in the Vendée wars.
Life
She ...
wrote the following about him :
"He was a handsome man, of high stature and great physical strength ; he was gay, spiritual, loyal and brave. I had never seen someone more obliging : he was always ready to please others ; to such an extent that I remember that since he had some knowledge in the veterinary art, all the peasants of the canton came to him when they had sick beasts. He was full of life, and when he became excited, he would be immoderately enthusiastic."
He was a Lieutenant
A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations.
The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...
in the French Navy
The French Navy (french: Marine nationale, lit=National Navy), informally , is the maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the five military service branches of France. It is among the largest and most powerful naval forces in t ...
. In 1792, he tried to defend the Tuileries with the king's constitutional guard
The Constitutional Guard (French: ''Garde Constitutionnelle'') was a French royal guard formation which lasted a few months in 1792 as part of the Maison du Roi, being superseded by the National Guard. It existed in the period of the constitution ...
.
When the war in the Vendée broke out, he was freed by the insurgents at Bressuire
Bressuire (; la, Berceorium; Poitevin dialect, Poitevin: ''Beurseure'') is a Communes of France, commune in the Departments of France, French department of Deux-Sèvres, region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. The town is situated on an eminence overlooki ...
, and joined them as commander of their artillery. He distinguished himself at the Battle of Thouars
The Battle of Thouars (5 May 1793) was a battle between Royalist and Republican French forces during the War in the Vendée. The Royalists or Vendeans led by Louis Marie de Lescure, Charles de Bonchamps and Henri de La Rochejaquelein seized t ...
, the Battle of Saumur and during the Virée de Galerne
The Virée de Galerne was a military operation of the War in the Vendée during the French Revolutionary Wars across Brittany and Normandy. It takes its name from French ''virée'' (turn) and Breton ''gwalarn'' (northwest wind).
It concerns th ...
.
He was responsible for the massacre of hundreds of prisoners in the First Battle of Châtillon
The First Battle of Châtillon (5 July 1793) during the War in the Vendée saw the Vendean Royalists defeat a French Revolutionary Army, French Republican raiding force led by François-Joseph Westermann. The rebel Catholic and Royal Army virtu ...
. He was later proven guilty of other similar exactions against republican prisoners, including some he killed with his own hands. Victoire de Donnissan de La Rochejaquelein commented: "War denatures character. Mr. de Marigny, one of the gentlest and best men I had known, had become bloodthirsty".
In April 1794, he signed an alliance with Charette, Stofflet and Sapinaud. But he didn't get along with Stofflet, who tried to give him a secondary role, so he left. A war counsel was created which condemned Marigny to death on 25 April 1794 by 22 votes, including those of Charette and Stofflet, against 10.
Marigny hence fought alone against the republican troops, but he fell ill and sought refuge in the château de la Girardière, near Combrand. He was arrested by Stofflet's men and executed by firing squad on the spot. The rest of his army deserted or joined Sapinaud who had refused to vote for his execution.
Sources
* Émile Gabory, ''Les Guerres de Vendée'', Robert Laffont, édition de 2009, p. 1436-1437. * ''Mémoires de Mme la marquise de La Rochejaquelein'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Bernard De Marigny, Gaspard De 1754 births 1794 deaths People from Luçon French Royalist military leaders killed in the French Revolutionary Wars Royalist military leaders of the War in the Vendée French counter-revolutionaries