the arrangements being now completed, leigh and his band lay down in a thicket near the bank of the river, and slept for some hours. at one o'clock in the morning leigh rose and, with his three followers, started for the village. it was but twenty minutes' walk. not a soul was stirring, not a light visible in any window.
they found that three or four boats were lying by the bank. leigh chose the smallest of these and, loosening the head rope from the post to which it was fastened, took his place in her with the others. accustomed as he was to rowing, from his childhood, he soon reached the opposite bank. here he fastened the boat up, and struck across country until he reached the road. then he sent one of his followers westward.
"you will follow the road," he said, "until within a mile of tours; then you will conceal yourself, and watch who passes along. if you see a large body of troops coming, you will at once strike across country and make your way down to the village above that at which we crossed. you heard the instructions that i gave to pierre. if you find him and the others there with the boat, you will report what you have seen. he will send another messenger on with the news to cathelineau, and you will remain with him until i arrive.
"if he is not there, you will follow the bank of the river down to the other village. you will give a shout as you pass the spot where we halted. if no answer comes, you will probably find pierre and the boat somewhere below. you will not miss him, for i have ordered him to post two of your comrades on the bank, so that you cannot pass them unseen. as in the first case, you will remain with him until i arrive, and your message will be carried to the general by another of his party.
"in case you do not find him at all, you will know that i have returned before you, and have taken him and the others on with me. in that case, you must make a faggot sufficiently large to support you in the water, and swim across. the river is low, and it will not be many yards out of your depth."
"i could swim that without the faggot, sir."
"yes; but it is better to have it. i don't suppose that you have ever swum in your clothes, and you would find it heavy work; therefore you had better rely upon the faggot to keep you up and, with its aid, you will have no difficulty in crossing."
the morning now was breaking, for in june the nights are short and, after waiting for an hour, leigh and his two companions--all of whom had divested themselves of their weapons and belts, which they had left in pierre's charge--started for saumur. in the presence of so large a number of troops, with scarcely any training and discipline, and with the excitement that would have been caused by the defeat of leigonyer, and the prospect of an attack by the vendeans, leigh felt confident that three country lads ran no risk of being questioned. however, he took the precaution of learning the name of the village he passed through, six miles from the town; so that if any one should happen to ask where they came from, and what they were doing, he could give the name of a village, and say that they had merely come in from curiosity, hearing that there was likely to be a battle. assuredly many country people would be coming for the same purpose.
they entered the town at six o'clock. it was already astir. the citizens, with anxious faces, were talking together in little groups. soldiers were loitering about in the streets, totally regardless of the bugles and drums that were sounding in the marketplace, and at various points outside the town. the civil functionaries, in their scarves of office, hurried fussily about, but for once they were unheeded. but a week before, a denunciation by any of these men would have been sufficient to ensure the arrest and imprisonment, and probably the death, of anyone against whom they had a grudge. now they were in greater danger than those who had dreaded and hated them.
at present there was no talk of politics among the groups of townspeople. men who were the chief upholders of the regime of confiscation and murder, and others who in their heart loathed and hated it, were discussing the probabilities of an attack by the vendeans, and what would happen were that attack to be successful. would the town be given over to sack? would there be a massacre and slaughter, such as chalbos and other commanders of the blues had inflicted in the vendean villages through which they had passed? the vendeans in arms were called, by the blues, "the brigands." would they behave like brigands, or would they conduct themselves as royal and catholic soldiers, as they called themselves?
as the hours passed, the streets became more crowded. numbers of the country people came in to learn the news. spies from doue had already brought in word that orders had been issued, by cathelineau, that the army should march at eight o'clock for saumur; and all doubt that it was their intention either to attack the town, or to accept battle in the plain before it, was at an end. the assembly was sounded in all quarters of the town and, presently, parties of the mounted gendarmes rode through the streets, and drove the soldiers to their rendezvous.
presently leigh saw general menou, and some other officers of rank, enter a large house.
"who lives there?" he asked a woman who was standing near him.
"general duhoux. he is in command, you know, but he has not recovered from a wound he got at chemille, and is unable to ride."
leigh had no doubt that a council of war was about to be held and, bidding his companions wait for him at the end of the street, he sauntered across the road, and sat down on the pavement by the side of the entrance. leaning against the wall, he took from his pocket a hunk of the peasants' black bread and, cutting it up with his knife, proceeded to munch it unconcernedly. an officer and two or three troopers were standing by their horses' heads, in the road opposite the door, evidently awaiting orders.
in half an hour general menou himself came out, and said to the officer:
"sir, you will ride at once to thouars, by way of loudun, and deliver this despatch to general salomon. it is most urgent. when you hand it to him, you can say that i begged you to impress upon him the necessity for losing not a moment of time. it is all important that he should arrive here tonight, for tomorrow morning we may be attacked. take your troopers with you."
the officer and his men mounted at once, and rode off at full speed. leigh remained quiet until menou and the other officers rode out from the courtyard and proceeded down the street, followed by their escort. then he got up, stretched himself, and walked slowly to the spot where his two comrades were awaiting him.
"i have learned what i wanted to know," he said. "do you both make your way back to the spot where pierre will be awaiting us, and tell him that i am going to swim the river, a mile above the town. he is to wait where he is until lucien comes back from tours--which will not be till twelve o'clock tonight, for his orders are to remain within sight of the town till six in the afternoon. if by that hour the troops there have not set out, they will not arrive until after we have captured saumur.
"saunter along quietly. there is no hurry."
after they had set out he, too, strolled out of the town, kept along the road for another half mile, and then struck off across the fields towards the river. arrived there, he took off his heavy country shoes, tied them round his waist, and waded out into the river. he had but some thirty yards to swim. as soon as he reached the opposite bank, he poured the water out of his shoes, put them on again, and set out at a run. he had to make a detour, so as to get beyond the eminences on which the republican troops were posted and, after running for a couple of miles, came down on the road.
a short distance farther he arrived at a village. a peasant, with a horse and cart, was standing in front of a cabaret.
"do you want to earn two crowns?" he asked the man.
the latter nodded.
"two crowns are not easily earned," he said. "i was just starting for montreuil but, if it pays me better to go in another direction, i must put that journey off until tomorrow."
"i want you to carry me to doue," he said, "at the best speed of which your horse is capable."
the countryman looked at him doubtfully. his clothes were not yet dry. leigh saw that the man was not sure of his power to fulfil his promise. he therefore produced two crowns, and held them up.
"by saint matthew," he said, "it is the first silver i have seen for months. i will take you."
leigh jumped up beside the peasant. the latter at once whipped up his horse, and started at a brisk trot.
"you know that the catholic army is there?" he asked.
"yes, i know. i belong to it myself. i have been with it from the first."
"i would have taken you for nothing, if you had said so before," the man said. "we are all heart and soul with them, here; and if, as they say, they will come along here to attack saumur, every man in the village will go with them. how is it that you are here?"
"i am an officer," leigh said, "and have been, in disguise, into saumur to see what is going on there; and am now taking the news back to cathelineau."
conversation was difficult, for the jolting of the cart was terrible, and leigh found it next to impossible to talk. he was well content when the belfries of doue came into sight. on arriving at the town, they drew up at the house where cathelineau and the generals had their quarters. as he got down, he offered the peasant the two crowns.
"no, sir," the man said, "i will not take a sou for my service. we in this part have had no chance of doing anything, and i should be ashamed, indeed, to take money from those who have been fighting for the good cause.
"as you say they will advance tomorrow, i will wait here. it may be that my cart will be useful and, whether or no, i shall stay if it is only to get a sight of cathelineau, whose name we all reverence."
"i will tell him of your goodwill. you had best remain here for a few minutes."
he was about to enter, when two armed peasants, who were guarding the door, stopped him.
"no one can enter. the general is in council."
"do you not know me? i am captain stansfield."
the men drew back at once. it was not strange that they did not recognize him. he generally wore a sort of uniform, with a red sash round his waist, which was the distinguishing badge of the officers; but had always adopted a peasant dress, on setting out on an expedition. there was no one to announce him, and he entered a room where the leaders were sitting round a table.
they looked up in surprise. he was grimed with the dust, which had risen in clouds as he drove along, and his clothes bore signs of their immersion.
"back again, monsieur?" cathelineau exclaimed, "and with news, no doubt."
"very important news, sir. i have been in saumur, and have learned that an officer has started for thouars, by way of loudun, with orders to general salomon to march instantly into saumur, and that he is to arrive there tonight. i left the town five minutes after the messenger. three-quarters of an hour later i struck the road, two miles this side of saumur; and have been brought here in a cart, by a peasant. it is now four o'clock, and i do not think that the officer would arrive at thouars before half past three."
"that is important news, indeed," cathelineau said.
"well, gentlemen, what do you think had best be done?"
"it seems to me that nothing could be better," monsieur de lescure said. "the enemy's column cannot start until five o'clock, at the earliest. it will be dark before they can arrive at saumur. i know the road well. it runs in several places through woods and, where this is not the case, there are high hedges.
"nothing could be more suitable for an ambuscade. i propose that half of our force should march, at once, and take post on the other side of montreuil. it will be nearly sunset before salomon can arrive at that town and, if we engage him at dusk, he will lose half the benefit of the discipline of the regiment of gendarmes who will, no doubt, accompany him."
"i quite approve of that plan, monsieur," cathelineau said.
"are you all of the same opinion, gentlemen?"
there was a general expression of assent.
"will you, general bonchamp, with monsieur de lescure, take command of that force? i myself will proceed, with the rest of our army, until past the point where the road from montreuil falls into that from this town. in that way, if general bonchamp fails to arrest salomon's march, we can fall upon him; and on the other hand, if the firing should be heard at saumur, and menou leads out a force to assist salomon, we can oppose him.
"general dommaigne, your cavalry would be useless in the attack on salomon, while it might be of great value if menou comes out.
"you have rendered us another good service, monsieur stansfield. if salomon had thrown another four thousand men into saumur, including his regiment of gendarmes, it would have been a serious business to take the place; whereas with the troops menou has, half of whom are leigonyer's fugitives, i do not anticipate any great difficulty."
"i shall be glad, general, if you would speak a word to the good fellow who brought me here. i had bargained with him for two crowns but, when he found that i was one of your officers, he refused to receive anything; and moreover, he said that he would remain here with his cart, until tomorrow, as perhaps he might be useful in carrying stores. he expressed the greatest desire to see you."
"certainly i will speak to him," cathelineau said, as he sent out to give orders for the church bells to ring, and the horns to blow.
the man was standing by his cart, a short distance off, in the hope of catching sight of cathelineau. the general at once walked up to him.
"this is general cathelineau," leigh said.
the countryman took off his hat, and dropped on his knees.
"get up, my good fellow," cathelineau said; "i am but a vendean peasant, like yourself. i thank you for the good service that you have rendered, by bringing monsieur stansfield so quickly to us. the time it has saved may make all the difference to us and, in the future, you will have the satisfaction of knowing that you have played an important part in the capture of saumur."
in five minutes the quiet street was crowded with men. the peasants had encamped in the fields round the town and, at the summons, caught up their arms and ran in hastily, feeling sure that the occasion was important, as they had been told that they were not to march until next morning.
the divisions commanded by monsieur de lescure and general bonchamp speedily gathered round the distinguishing flags of those officers. other leaders joined them with their followers, until some ten thousand men were gathered outside the town.
leigh had changed his clothes and mounted his horse, monsieur de lescure having invited him to ride with him. as they were about to start, one of andre's messengers arrived, with the news that an officer and three troopers had arrived at the town; and that, ten minutes later, the trumpets were sounding the assembly.
"it is well that we got your news first," monsieur de lescure said to leigh, "for otherwise we could hardly have got our forces together, and been ready for a start, until it was too late to intercept salomon."
the route of the column was by a byroad, between doue and montreuil. it was seven o'clock before they approached the town. then, striking off the road, they marched through the fields until a mile and a half to the east of it, when they halted in a thick wood. they were now divided into three columns, of equal strength. that under monsieur de lescure occupied the wood on one side of the road, that under monsieur bonchamp the other side. the third column were posted in rear of the wood, and were to thickly line the hedges that bordered it.
it was just dusk when the force from thouars came along. it consisted of three thousand six hundred men, with four pieces of cannon. it was allowed to pass nearly through the wood, when a heavy fire was opened upon it on both flanks.
the regiment of gendarmes which led the column showed great coolness and, animated by their example, the whole force remained steady. darkness came on, but it was not until eleven o'clock that there was any change in the situation. owing to the darkness in the forest, neither side was able to distinguish its foes. the men fired only at the flashes of the muskets.
lescure then sent round four or five hundred men, who suddenly fell upon the baggage train of the enemy. the guard were completely taken by surprise. many of the carters cut the ropes and traces, and galloped off, delighted to escape from a service into which they had, for the most part, been dragged against their will.
the alarm thus begun spread rapidly. the young troops who, encouraged by the example of the gendarmes, had so far stood their ground, at once lost heart. the darkness of the night, their ignorance as to the strength of the force that had attacked the rear, and the fear that all retreat would be cut off, would have shaken older soldiers than these and, in spite of the efforts of their officers, the wildest confusion soon reigned.
the vendeans pressed their attack more hotly, and general salomon, seeing that unless a retreat was made while there was yet time, a terrible disaster might take place, ordered the gendarmes to fall back in good order. the movement was effected without great loss. in the darkness it was impossible for lescure and the other leaders to get their men together, and to press hard upon their retreating foes; and they were well satisfied at having carried out the object of their expedition, and prevented the force from thouars from entering saumur.
word was sent to cathelineau that salomon had fallen back, and the peasants then lay down till morning.
andre, with his little band, had joined the force when fighting began. they had, as soon as salomon started from thouars, followed his movements at a distance, from time to time sending off a messenger to doue giving an account of the progress of the enemy. as soon as the firing broke out in the wood, andre, with the twelve who still remained with him, joined the combatants and, finding that leigh was with monsieur de lescure, was not long in discovering him.
"you have done very well, andre," he said. "i don't think anything will come of this fighting. it is getting dark already, and i have no fear, now, that the blues will break through. neither party will be able to see the other, in this wood, and certainly you could do no good with your pistols. practically, few are engaged on either side. the blues have made one effort and, finding that we have a very strong force in their front, have given up the attempt to push forward. i don't believe that the new levies have courage enough to keep steady through a whole night's uncertainty.
"you had best draw off some distance and rest, till you hear, by the firing, that some change has taken place. if you hear that the blues are retreating, follow them at a distance. it is important for the generals to know what course they are taking. they may halt in montreuil, they may return to thouars, they may retire to niort or parthenay.
"if they remain in montreuil, let us know at once, because in that case we shall have to stay here, in case they should attempt to push on again. if they go farther, we need have no more concern about them. still, it would be of great importance to our generals to know whether they return to thouars, or retire farther south."
"very well, captain; i will see that you are kept informed."
"you had better instruct your first messengers to come straight here. cathelineau and the rest of the forces started, directly we did, and will halt at the junction of the roads, and are likely to remain there all day tomorrow. therefore, if your messengers find the wood deserted, they have simply to follow the road, and they will either overtake us, or find us with cathelineau."
"how long must we follow the blues?"
"there is no occasion to go any great distance. i do not suppose that we shall pursue them. they could certainly defend themselves at montreuil, and we should not risk suffering heavy loss, and having the men dispirited by failure, when all are needed for the work at saumur. if you follow them far enough to determine whether they are retiring on thouars, or are marching towards niort, that is all that is necessary; and you will be able to rejoin us in plenty of time to see the fight at saumur."
as leigh thought would be probable, monsieur de lescure restrained the peasants from following in pursuit, when the blues retreated. the latter had left two of their guns behind them, and a number of carts, laden with ammunition and provisions for the march, fell into the peasants' hands--the latter providing them with breakfast before they started, early next morning, rejoining cathelineau's force two hours later. these had been apprised, some hours before, by one of the mounted gentlemen who had accompanied the column, of the success that had attended the operation; and they were received with great joy by their comrades, on their arrival.
cathelineau, with general bonchamp and a small escort of cavalry, had ridden towards saumur to examine the positions occupied by the enemy, and to discuss the plan of attack. they now felt confident of success; unless, indeed, biron should come up in the course of the day with the paris brigade at tours, together with its guns. the description that leigh had given, of the confusion and want of discipline in the garrison, showed that it could not be relied upon for hard fighting; and as it was certain that the failure of salomon to get through to its assistance would be known, in saumur, early in the day, it could not but add to the dismay produced by the advance against the town.
this was indeed the case. as artillery had not been employed on either side, the sound of the conflict did not reach the town. however, as the officer who had taken the order to thouars returned at seven o'clock; saying that salomon was preparing to march, and would assuredly arrive some time in the evening, the anxiety increased hour by hour and, by midnight, the conviction that he must have been attacked by the enemy, and had failed to get through, became a certainty, and spread dismay through the town.
at five in the morning a mounted messenger brought a despatch from salomon, saying that he had fought for four hours near montreuil, against a large force of the enemy; and that, another column of these having fallen on his rear, he found it necessary to retire, as a panic was spreading among the national guard, and a serious disaster would have happened, had he continued his attempts to push on. in the evening generals coustard and berthier, who had been sent by biron to act under menou's orders, arrived in the town; and santerre, the brewer of paris, who had been the leader of the mob there and was now a general, arrived next morning.
cathelineau's army was astir early. the leaders had been gladdened by the arrival, at five o'clock, of a messenger from pierre, saying that one of his messengers had come in from tours, and that, up to seven o'clock in the evening, no troops had left that city. it was, therefore, certain that the garrison of saumur could receive no assistance from that quarter.
breakfast was eaten, and the army then formed up in its divisions. mass was celebrated, and it then set out for saumur.
in that town all was confusion and dismay. the newly arrived generals were strangers alike to the town, its defences, and the troops they were to command. in front of the works defending saumur ran the river dives, which fell into the loire, a mile or so below the town. it was crossed by a bridge; but so great was the confusion that, in spite of the representations of the civil authorities, no steps were taken either to cut or guard it.
it was not until three o'clock in the afternoon that the vendeans approached the town, and general menou sent two battalions of the line, one of volunteers, and eighty horse, under the orders of general berthier, to take possession of a chateau in front of the position. two hundred and fifty men were posted in a convent near it. santerre commanded the force which was to defend the intrenchments at nantilly, and coustard the troops who occupied the heights of bourlan.
at four o'clock the skirmishers on both sides were hotly engaged. the vendeans advanced in three columns--the central one against the post occupied by berthier, the left against nantilly, and the right threatened to turn the position at beaulieu.
berthier allowed the force advancing against him to approach within a short distance of the chateau, and then poured a storm of grape into it, from a battery that he had established. lescure, who was in command, was badly wounded. the head of the column fell into confusion, and berthier at once attacked them, with his two regiments of the line, and for a time pressed the column back. his little body of cavalry, whom he had ordered to charge, fell back as soon as the vendeans opened fire upon them; and the latter then attacked the line battalions, with such fury that berthier was obliged to call up his regiment of volunteers. cathelineau sent reinforcements to his troops, and these pressed on so hotly that berthier, who had had a horse shot under him, was obliged to fall back; and the exulting vendeans rushed forward and carried the faubourg of fenet.
dommaigne, with his cavalry, charged the cuirassiers and the german legion. there was a sharp fight. dommaigne was killed, and the colonel of the german legion desperately wounded; but a body of the vendean infantry, coming up, took the cuirassiers in flank with their fire, and they fell back into saumur.
general menou had been in the thick of the fight, and had three horses killed under him. he sent another battalion to reinforce berthier but, as soon as they came within shot of the vendeans, they broke and fled.
the two line battalions, reinforced by four companies of gendarmes, kept up a heavy fire. the artillery until now had zealously supported them, but their ammunition was failing. menou and berthier placed themselves at the head of the cavalry, and called upon them to charge; but instead of doing so, they raised their favourite cry of "treason!" and galloped back to the town.
the line regiments and gendarmes, pressed more and more hotly, and finding themselves without support, withdrew in good order into saumur. the vendeans had now possession of all the works in the centre of the defenders' line. coustard, seeing that the centre was lost, and that the vendeans were moving towards a bridge across the dives, by which alone they could enter the town, ordered two battalions with two pieces of cannon to hold it. he was not only disobeyed but, with shouts of "treason!" they rushed upon him and, with difficulty, he escaped with his life.
the vendeans seized the bridge, and established a battery for its defence. coustard saw that it must be recaptured, as the town was now open to the enemy; and ordered a detachment of cuirassiers, commanded by colonel weissen, to carry the bridge. the two battalions of infantry now promised to follow.
although he saw that to charge the battery with a handful of cavalry was to ride to almost certain death, weissen gallantly led his men forward. the infantry followed for a short distance but, being taken in flank by a volley from a party of vendeans, they broke and fled. the cavalry were almost annihilated, and weissen was desperately wounded, two or three of his men alone riding back.
the main force of coustard's division, in the redoubts at bourlan, had not been attacked; and retired to angers during the night. the rout of the rest of the defenders was now complete, and the town open.
la rochejaquelein, by whose side leigh and a small party of gentlemen rode, had made a succession of desperate charges into the midst of the fugitives; and he now said to leigh and three other gentlemen:
"come along, we will see what they are doing in the town."
then, dashing forward at full speed, they passed through the gate, entered the main street, and found that it contained a battalion of infantry, retreating. so cowed were these that they opened their ranks and allowed the five horsemen to dash through them. then they made a tour of the place, and returned to inform the vendeans, who were just entering, that all resistance had ceased. as on two previous occasions, the flying republicans owed their safety to the piety of the peasants who, instead of pursuing at once, rushed into the churches; where the cures, who had accompanied them, returned thanks for the victory that had been gained, and thus lost the half hour of daylight that would have been invaluable.
cathelineau, after a consultation with lescure and bonchamp, decided that it would be useless to attempt a pursuit in the dark. berthier's battalion was, too, unbroken. the generals, finding that there was no pursuit, might have rallied a considerable number of the others; when the peasants, coming up in the dark, could in turn have been repulsed with heavy loss. saumur had been taken, with all its stores of cannon, ammunition, and provisions; and it was considered that, under the circumstances, it was best to be contented with the signal success they had gained.
berthier and menou indeed, although both severely wounded, had covered the retreat with the line regiments and gendarmes; and carried off with them seven cannon, which they came across as they passed through the town; and would have given the peasants a warm reception, had they followed them. the rest of the army were hopelessly scattered, and continued their flight all night; some towards tours, others to angers, their reports causing the wildest dismay in both towns.
had charette, who had always acted independently in lower vendee, been persuaded at this moment to join hands with cathelineau, there can be little question that they might have marched to paris without encountering any serious resistance, and that their arrival there would have changed the whole course of events. unfortunately, however, he was himself sorely pressed, by several columns of the enemy, and was with difficulty holding his own. the great opportunity was therefore lost, never to return.
the castle of saumur was still in the hands of the blues. five hundred of the national guards of the town, and about the same number of men of different regiments, threw themselves into it before the vendeans entered, carrying with them what provisions they could lay hands upon. the wives of the national guards soon surrounded the chateau, crying to their friends to surrender; and asserting that, if they did not do so, the vendeans would give the town over to pillage and fire. for a time the commandant resisted their entreaties but, feeling that his position was desperate, and that there was no hope of relief, he surrendered.
in the morning the garrison marched out. the officers were allowed to retain their sidearms, and the men to return to their homes. eighty cannon fell into the hands of the victors, many thousands of muskets, a large quantity of ammunition, and very many prisoners.
here, as at other places, the peasants behaved with great moderation. the agents of the convention, who had tyrannized the town so long, were thrown into prison, as were their chief supporters; but private property was untouched. on the following day there was a council, at which lescure, seriously wounded as he was, was present. it was agreed that it was indispensable that one man should be appointed commander-in-chief. many difficulties had arisen from independent action, by generals and leaders of bands more or less numerous, and it was necessary that all should act under the orders of a recognized head.
when this was agreed to, the question had to be decided as to who should be appointed to this responsible post. the claims of lescure, la rochejaquelein, d'elbee, bonchamp, cathelineau, and stofflet were almost even. each had a large band of followers. all had been unwearied in their devotion to the cause.
it is probable that lescure would have been chosen. he was the largest landed proprietor, and was of the highest rank--with the exception of rochejaquelein, who had, although the idol of the army, scarcely experience and ballast enough to take so responsible a position. lescure himself, however, proposed that cathelineau should be chosen. his influence was great, his talents unquestionable, and the simple honesty of his character, his modesty and untiring zeal in the cause, alike recommended him. lescure felt that if he himself, bonchamp, or d'elbee were chosen, jealousies might arise and the cause suffer.
his choice was felt by all to be a good one, and cathelineau was unanimously appointed to the post of commander-in-chief. no finer tribute was ever paid, to the virtues and talent of a simple peasant, than such a choice, made by men so greatly his superior in rank and station.
