[La Vende by Anthony Trollope]@TWC D-Link bookLa Vende CHAPTER VI 2/28
As it was, the lieutenant in command gave up, half an hour after his usual dinner time. These things all occurred within a week of the revolt at St.Florent. Beauprieu and Chatillon were carried on the Wednesday.
Coron was victorious on the Thursday; and on the Friday following, a strong detachment of soldiers marched out of Cholet, of their own accord, without attempting to collect their portion of the levy, and crossed the river Loire, at the Pont de Ce, thus retreating from La Vendee. These triumphs inspired the insurgents with high hopes of future victories; they gave them the prestige of success, made them confident in the hour of battle, and taught them by degrees to bear, undaunted, the fire of their enemies.
The officers of the Republic were most injudicious in allowing their enemies to gather head as they did; had they brought a really formidable force of men, in one body, into the province of Anjou, immediately upon the revolt of St.Florent, they might doubtless have driven the Vendeans, who were then unarmed and undisciplined, back to their farms; but they affected to despise them, they neglected to take vigorous measures, till the whole country was in arms; and they then found that all the available force which they were enabled to collect, was insufficient to quell the spirit, or daunt the patriotism of the revolted provinces. Towards the end of April, the first attempt was made by the Vendean chiefs to collect a body of men under arms, and to put them into motion, for the purpose of performing service at a distance from their own homes; and though considerable difficulty was felt in inducing them to follow the standards, their first attempts were successful.
In the early part of May, they altogether succeeded in driving the soldiers out of Thouars.
A few days later, they did the same at Fontenay, though here they met with a violent opposition, and much blood was shed.
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