The First Battle of Châtillon (5 July 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 ...
Catholic and Royal Army
The Catholic and Royal Armies () is the name given to the royalist armies in western France composed of insurgents during the war in the Vendée and the Chouannerie, who opposed the French Revolution.
Catholic and Royal Army of Vendée
The Ca ...
virtually destroyed the Republican column, only Westermann and a few hundred cavalrymen escaped the disaster. The
Vendée
Vendée () is a department in the Pays de la Loire region in Western France, on the Atlantic coast. In 2019, it had a population of 685,442.French Revolution and rural farmers who resented the new government's anti-Catholic laws and
conscription
Conscription, also known as the draft in the United States and Israel, is the practice in which the compulsory enlistment in a national service, mainly a military service, is enforced by law. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it conti ...
decrees.
Prelude
General Westermann had managed to reach the heart of the
Vendée
Vendée () is a department in the Pays de la Loire region in Western France, on the Atlantic coast. In 2019, it had a population of 685,442.Châtillon. Most of the Royalist army had been pushed back during the Battle of Nantes, and their leading general
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 ...
was severely wounded. Nonetheless, determined to confront the Republican raiders, the leaders of the Vendéen troops,
Charles de Bonchamps
Charles-Melchior Artus de Bonchamps, Marquis de Bonchamps (; 10 May 1760 – 18 October 1793) was a French politician and leader of the Vendéan insurrection of Royalists against the Republic during the French Revolution.
Born at Juvardeil, ...
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. ...
. The Royalist army, would later through several battles and different wars get to be known for their use of white uniforms. Signaling their loyalty to the Bourbon House, and crown. Prior to advancing into Châtillon for battle the next morning, the Royalist army further increased its strength by joining with the Royalist armies of Henri de La Rochejaquelein and
Louis 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 educate ...
.
The battle
At 10 in the morning, the cannon of ''Marie-Jeanne'' gave the signal of the attack. After having approached silently, a first column of Vendéens led by Bonchamps, Lescure and La Rochejaquelein attacked the republicans on the Western plateau of Château-Gaillard. Taken by surprise and frightened by the shouts and the number of their enemies, the republicans fled and ran in disorder down the steep plateau. While pulling back to Châtillon, they fell on the second column of Vendéens, led by Stofflet and Marigny, and soon the battle spread into the town. The general Westerman didn't have time to organize his troops, he took his horse and joined the cavalry, fleeing towards
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 ...
.
Some republican soldiers gave themselves up but the fires they had started pushed the Vendéens' will for vengeance and some were massacred. Some officers, like Marigny who killed a few prisoners with his own hands, even encouraged the massacres. Others like Lescure tried to stop them and approximately 1,000 prisoners were saved.
Consequences
Among the over 6,000 men, 2,000 republican soldiers were killed in combat or massacred, 3,000 others were made prisoners, and the entire artillery was lost. Only Westermann and 500 cavalry men had managed to escape, but they were attacked by Vendéens in their way home to
Parthenay
Parthenay (; Poitevin: ''Partenaes'') is an ancient fortified town and ''commune'' in the Deux-Sèvres department of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in western France. It is sited on a rocky spur that is surrounded on two sides by the Ri ...
, where he only brought back 300 men.
The expedition of Westermann had started well but finished in disaster. Westermann was called to Paris by the
National Convention
The National Convention () was the constituent assembly of the Kingdom of France for one day and the French First Republic for its first three years during the French Revolution, following the two-year National Constituent Assembly and the ...
, who sent him to
Niort
Niort (; Poitevin: ''Niàu''; ; ) is a commune in the Deux-Sèvres department, western France. It is the prefecture of Deux-Sèvres.
The population of Niort is 58,707 (2017) and more than 177,000 people live in the urban area.
Geography
T ...
where he was trialed in front of the war counsel. He was acquitted, only barely escaping the
guillotine
A guillotine ( ) is an apparatus designed for effectively carrying out executions by Decapitation, beheading. The device consists of a tall, upright frame with a weighted and angled blade suspended at the top. The condemned person is secur ...