These were answered but feebly by the firearms in the peasants' hands, and the Blues pressed on until, just before they reached the foot of the slope, the peasants charged them with fury.
The regular troops and a regiment of gendarmes had been placed in front.

These stood firm, poured heavy volleys into the peasants as they approached, and then received them with levelled bayonets.
In vain the Vendeans strove to break through the hedge of steel.
Cathelineau and his officers on one side, and the French generals on the other, encouraged their men, and for a quarter of an hour a desperate conflict reigned.

Then the peasants fell back, and the Blues resumed their advance.
Three times Cathelineau induced his followers to renew the attack, but each time it was unsuccessful.

The Blues mounted the hill, the cannon were captured, and the Vendeans fell back into the town.
Here the ends of the streets had been barricaded and, in spite of the artillery and the captured guns now turned against their former owners, the assailants tried in vain to force their way into the town.
From every window that commanded the approaches, the men with muskets kept up an incessant fire.

The mass of the peasants lay in shelter behind the barricades, or in the houses, until the enemy's infantry approached to within striking distance; and then, leaping up from these barricades, and fighting with an absolute disregard of their lives, they again and again repulsed the attacks of the enemy.
Berruyer, seeing that in spite of his heavy losses he made no way, called his troops from the assault and, forming them into two columns, moved to the right and left, and attacked the town on both sides.