The Battle of Chemillé, also referred to as the Clash of Chemillé, occurred on April 11, 1793, during the

War in the Vendée The War in the Vendée () was a counter-revolutionary insurrection that took place in the Vendée region of French First Republic, France from 1793 to 1796, during the French Revolution. The Vendée is a coastal region, located immediately so ...

(1793–1796). The Vendéens emerged triumphant, repelling the Republicans' assault on the town of

Chemillé Chemillé () is a former commune in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France. In January 2013 it became part of the new commune Chemillé-Melay, which became part of Chemillé-en-Anjou in December 2015.representatives on mission Representative may refer to: Politics *Representative democracy, type of democracy in which elected officials represent a group of people *House of Representatives, legislative body in various countries or sub-national entities *Legislator, someon ...

, and

Richard Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic language">Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'st ...

, ordered General Jean-François Berruyer, the commander of the Republican forces in

Angers Angers (, , ;) is a city in western France, about southwest of Paris. It is the Prefectures of France, prefecture of the Maine-et-Loire department and was the capital of the province of Duchy of Anjou, Anjou until the French Revolution. The i ...

, to launch an offensive against the insurgent territories. Despite his initial reluctance, due to his belief that the troops under his command were not yet numerous enough, Berruyer complied. On April 10, the troops from

commenced their journey, divided into three corps. The initial contingent, under the command of and comprising 4,000 soldiers, was tasked with following the

Loire The Loire ( , , ; ; ; ; ) is the longest river in France and the 171st longest in the world. With a length of , it drains , more than a fifth of France's land, while its average discharge is only half that of the Rhône. It rises in the so ...

. The second contingent, which was directly commanded by Berruyer and Duhoux de Hauterive, also consisted of 4,000 men and set off from

Saint-Lambert-du-Lattay Saint-Lambert-du-Lattay () is a former commune in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France. On 31 December 2015, it was merged into the new commune Val-du-Layon.Chemillé Chemillé () is a former commune in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France. In January 2013 it became part of the new commune Chemillé-Melay, which became part of Chemillé-en-Anjou in December 2015. The third corps, under the command of and comprising between 5,000 and 8,000 men, was tasked with capturing Coron and Vezins. Additionally, Quétineau's 3,000-strong force stationed at

Bressuire Bressuire (; ; Poitevin: ''Beurseure'') is a commune in the French department of Deux-Sèvres, region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. The town is situated on an eminence overlooking the Dolo, a tributary of the Argenton. Notable buildings Bressuire ha ...

was ordered to advance on Les Aubiers, to threaten the Vendéens on their right flank. Berruyer divided his corps into two columns. The first, commanded by himself and seconded by

Menou Menou () is a commune in the Nièvre department in central France. Demographics On 1 January 2019, the estimated population was 185. See also *Communes of the Nièvre department A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. ...

and Mangin, was to attack Chemillé directly from the north. The second, commanded by Duhoux, passed through

La Jumellière La Jumellière () is a former Communes of France, commune in the Maine-et-Loire Departments of France, department in western France. On 15 December 2015, Chanzeaux, La Chapelle-Rousselin, Chemillé-Melay, Cossé-d'Anjou, La Jumellière, Neuvy-en- ...

, where they routed a post of 600 to 700 Vendéens. On the way, the Republican soldiers burned a village and massacred several inhabitants at Pont-Barré.

The battle

On April 11 at noon, troops under the command of Berruyer arrived in front of

Maurice d'Elbée Maurice-Joseph-Louis Gigost d'Elbée (; 21 March 1752 – 6 January 1794) was a French people, French Royalist military leader. Initially enthusiastic about the Revolution, he became disenchanted with the Civil Constitution of the Clergy and ret ...

and

Jacques Cathelineau Generalissimo Jacques Cathelineau (; 5 January 1759 – 14 July 1793) was a French Vendéan insurrectionist leader during the Revolution. He was known among his followers as the Saint of Anjou. He was a well known peddler in Anjou. When the ...

, had established their position along the main road and behind the Hyrome River. The insurgents had fortified the small town. All the bridges crossing the river had been destroyed, and a trench and a redoubt, armed with cannons, had been constructed to cut off the main road from

. Additionally, the had been crenelated: it was surrounded by an earthen embankment, and loopholes had been cut into the walls. Berruyer designated Menou as the commanding officer for the right flank, while he assumed the role of the commanding officer for the left flank. Subsequently, the Republicans initiated an offensive maneuver and crossed the river. In the center, the

gendarmes A gendarmerie () is a paramilitary or military force with law enforcement duties among the civilian population. The term ''gendarme'' () is derived from the medieval French expression ', which translates to "men-at-arms" (). In France and som ...

of the 35th Division initially succeeded in capturing an artillery battery. However, the assault was eventually repelled, and the demoralized volunteers were compelled to retreat across the Hyrome. However, Duhoux's forces arrived as reinforcements to support Menou. A new assault was launched, and this time the Republicans were successful in pushing back the Vendéen lines, capturing the fortifications, and taking position in the Saint-Pierre Church square. Five cannons were seized, one of which was spiked and thrown into the river. As night fell, the town became the scene of confused hand-to-hand combat. The prisoners of war, who had been bound together and placed in the front line as human shields, exploited the prevailing chaos to flee towards the lines held by the Republicans. However, in the absence of sufficient light, volunteers misinterpreted this movement as an enemy attack and fled. In the Saint-Pierre square, combatants entrenched in the church persisted in their resistance, and one insurgent detonated a munitions cache, further intensifying the Patriots' panic. D'Elbée, observing the disorder in the Republican ranks, initiated a counterattack. Ultimately, General Berruyer ordered a retreat and withdrew to

Saint-Lambert-du-Lattay Saint-Lambert-du-Lattay () is a former commune in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France. On 31 December 2015, it was merged into the new commune Val-du-Layon. By the evening of April 11, Chemillé remained under the control of the Vendéens. The battle, which lasted approximately ten hours, concluded with the Vendéens maintaining their hold on the town.

Casualties

Following the cessation of hostilities, General Berruyer and Representative posited that the insurgents had sustained approximately 600 casualties. On April 13, Representative

, acting on behalf of the commissioners of the Convention, presented a report on the battle in the departments of

Maine-et-Loire Maine-et-Loire () is a department in the Loire Valley in the Pays de la Loire region in Western France. It is named after the two rivers, Maine and the Loire. It borders Mayenne and Sarthe to the north, Loire-Atlantique to the west, Indr ...

and

Sarthe Sarthe () is a department of the French region of Pays de la Loire, and the province of Maine, situated in the '' Grand-Ouest'' of the country. It is named after the river Sarthe, which flows from east of Le Mans to just north of Angers. It ha ...

. The report indicated that 15 Republican soldiers had been killed, while the insurgents had lost between 500 and 600 men. Additionally, 133 Patriots were freed, and six cannons were captured. Refractory priest Jacques Cantiteau claimed to have seen in "official papers" that 1,500 Republicans had been neutralized at Chemillé, but this figure is likely an exaggeration. In

1840 Events January–March * January 3 – One of the predecessor papers of the ''Herald Sun'' of Melbourne, Australia, ''The Port Phillip Herald'', is founded. * January 10 – Uniform Penny Post is introduced in the United Kingdom. * Janu ...

, military historian Patu-Deschautschamps provided a revised tally, noting 15 Republicans killed, including two officers, and 60 wounded. He reported that the Vendéens suffered losses estimated between 200 and 300 men. Patu-Deschautschamps also confirmed the liberation of 133 prisoners and the capture of five cannons by the Republicans. Moreover, approximately 400 members of the Republican Party were captured. A 2007 study by Manuel Jobar revealed that insurgents from Chemillé experienced significant losses, with approximately 10% of the 602 recorded insurgents being killed during the battle. Among the casualties of the battle were the Republican Adjutant-General Mangin and the Vendéen leader . General Charles Duhoux de Hauterive was wounded in the leg.

D'Elbée's ''Pater'' ''Noster''

Following the conclusion of hostilities, combatants from Vendée assembled in front of Chemillé's church, demanding the execution of the Republican prisoners detained there. General d'Elbée arrived on the scene amidst the assembled crowd, attempting to pacify the situation. At his behest, the men assumed a kneeling posture and eventually asked them to recite the ''

Pater Noster The Lord's Prayer, also known by its incipit Our Father (, ), is a central Christian prayer attributed to Jesus. It contains petitions to God focused on God’s holiness, will, and kingdom, as well as human needs, with variations across manusc ...

'', which they did. However, when they reached the words "forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us", d'Elbée interrupted them, stating, "Stop! Do not lie to God! You dare ask Him to forgive you as you forgive others while you are ready to take revenge on your enemies!" These words provoked no protest, and the prisoners were thus spared. This episode became known as "''Le Pater d'Elbée''" (d'Elbée's ''Pater'' ''Noster''").

Aftermath

In his April 12 report, General Berruyer expressed discontent with the conduct of the volunteers, accusing them of cowardice. Furthermore, he expressed concern about the inadequate provisions and equipment available to the volunteers, stating, "I must reiterate that I cannot rely on the volunteers' capabilities. The majority of them are equipped with substandard hunting rifles, lacking even the basic addition of a bayonet. Additionally, only a small fraction possess a fundamental understanding of weaponry. If I were to have at my disposal four battalions comparable to the 35th Gendarmerie Division, I would be confident in achieving success. However, I will continue to emphasize the critical necessity of putting an end to the disturbances currently plaguing this country." The Vendéens' triumph at Chemillé proved to be ephemeral. On the same day, Bonchamps was vanquished by Gauvilliers at Le Mesnil-en-Vallée, while Stofflet was at Coron by . Facing threats on their flanks and rapidly depleting ammunition supplies, D'Elbée and Cathelineau were compelled to initiate a strategic withdrawal. By the evening of April 12, all Angevin forces had regrouped at

Beaupréau Beaupréau () is a former Communes of France, commune in the Maine-et-Loire Departments of France, department in western France. On 15 December 2015, Andrezé, Beaupréau, La Chapelle-du-Genêt, Gesté, Jallais, La Jubaudière, Le Pin-en-Mauges, ...

. According to Bonchamps' counsel, the Vendéen leaders resolved to withdraw to

Tiffauges Tiffauges () is a commune in the Vendée department in the Pays de la Loire region in western France. History Gilles de Rais owned the local fortress. It is the location of a battle between the French Republican troops and the royalists du ...

. On April 13, Berruyer's forces occupied Chemillé. Subsequently, on April 17,

Cholet Cholet (, probably from Latin ''cauletum'', "cabbage") is a commune of western France, in the Maine-et-Loire department. With 54,307 inhabitants (2019), it is the second most populous commune of Maine-et-Loire, after the prefecture, Angers. ...

was recaptured by the Republicans. However, Berruyer erred in failing to pursue the Anjou army. Preoccupied with the condition of his troops, he was unaware that the insurgents were in an even more disadvantageous position.

Notes

References

Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * {{Cite book , last=Walter , first=Gérard , title=La Guerre de Vendée , date=1953 , publisher=Plon , language=fr Battles of the War in the Vendée History of Maine-et-Loire 1793 events of the French Revolution