THE VIRÉE DE GALERNE (The great journey north)

This is the name of the tragic epic that led the people of the Vendée on the roads of the West. In spite of the mass of stragglers, the Catholic and Royalist Army - reinforced by the Chouans from Brittany and Maine - won a series of victories. Their object was to take the port of Granville, and thus to be in a position to receive help from England. At Laval and Entrammes the royalists swept away Republican defences. But Granville proved impossible to take from the landward side. Without awaiting support from the English navy, the Vendeans attacked the town walls. It was a total failure. The British fleet appeared just as the Vendean army had struck camp. It was time to take the road back - a bloody route, for only 5 per cent of the Vendeans returned to their native parishes. The rest perished; cut down, shot, or worse. Hot on their heels followed the Republican cavalry, with orders to take no prisoners. In spite of this, the Vendeans won victories at Pontorson, Dol and Antrain. They headed south, intending to recross the Loire at Angers. Alas, the town which had rejoiced over the victory of the Catholic and Royalist Army a few months earlier was now strongly defended. Almost within sight of home, the Vendeans were pushed back northwards to Le Mans where, on 12 December 1793, they were defeated. On the 23rd, what remained of the army was massacred at Savenay. Westermann wrote to the Convention: "...there is no Vendée. It has perished, with its women and children, under our sword of freedom. // Following your orders, I have crushed the children under our horses' hooves, and massacred the women - they will bear no more children for those brigands. I have not taken a single prisoner."