Full Civil War.

8. Sweeping All Before Them.
Initially, the different Vendeen armies, called "Les Blancs" after their white banners, swept all before them in their own regions, as small towns fell like ninepins. The sight of a massof peasants approaching or the sound of the tocsin in the adjoining parishes produced panic amongst the defenders and remaining republican sympathisers.
Chemillé fell, Cholet, a strategic target, fell, Clisson besieged by 20,000 men, fell. And Montaigu, a fortified town that prepared to defend itself by placing cannon on the old walls, fell because the peasants were able to enter the town via a series of forgotten, undefended tunnels linking the town chateau with the countryside.
Then Machecoul, in the marais, where a sinister massacre of Republicans took place. The island of Noirmoutier was taken as well as the port of Pornic. However, Paimboeuf, the deep-water port of Nantes was ignored, a serious strategic error.
Only Les Sables d'Olonne, strongly Republican, the key to the coast and eventually reinforcements, defeated the efforts of the Les Blancs.
There were almost no front line republican troops in the region, as they had been sent to defend the eastern frontier of the country. The remaining defenders (called Les Bleus because of the blue colour of their uniforms), often inexperienced National Guardsmen or garrison troops, were put to flight, though some resisted well enough for a while.
Occasionally, the tactics used were dubious. Advancing on a town, Les Blancs pushed chained republican prisoners to the front, usually dignitaries from the area, to dissuade Les Bleus from opening fire. This threat did not always work!
Angers and Saumur quaked with fear. Had they been occupied, the road to Paris was open. Right up to the gates of Nantes, which lay helpless, marched the Vendéens, but the largest city in the region and a strategic prize beyond price remained untaken. Had it been occupied, emigré groups waiting in England could have poured in men and supplies in support.
But that was not the way of the popular uprising - the peasants had few aspirations beyond chasing the Republicans out and being left to return to their parishes to lead life as they saw fit.
In the south of the Vendée Militaire, at La Guerinière, on 19th March, Les Blancs won a great victory. A relieving column from the Armee de La Rochelle made up of 2200 infantry, 100 cavalry and eight cannon, sent from La
Rochelle towards Nantes under the highly respected General Marcé, was first surrounded in a wooded valley, then massacred by the Vendéen troops who lulled, the enemy by singing their own version of the revolutionary Marseillaise.
Marcé was eventually guillotined for his failure.
In an attempt to trap the Vendéens in a pincer movement, the Republicans sent up to 40000 troops scavenged from units on the eastern front, into the region from the south and north-east. They were not always happy to know they would be fighting in the Vendée Militaire. No doubt wily line officers were only too glad to take the opportunity of unloading their troublemakers and cowards.
With them came units made up of "idealistic volunteers" from the streets of Paris, "sans-culottes" ready to "enforce" the revolutionary word by whatever means. Alongside them too were those whose motives were rape, pillage and profit. They marched with money in their pockets, becoming known as "héros à 500 livres" (500 pound heroes), named after the sum they were promised if they volunteered. Few lived long enough to enjoy this largesse,
They suffered some significant defeats, notably on 11th April at the "Grand Choc de Chemille". A republican column was however able to retake Machecoul and Noirmoutier which was "fined" 100,000 livres, effectively cutting off the Vendée Militaire from the sea.
Les Blancs easily took Bressuire, capturing a large supply of arms and ammunition, also liberating two noblemen and former soldiers held prisoner in the dungeons of the fortified city. These were Lescure and Marigny, both to be outstanding commanders in the Vendéen army.
Then on 5" May Thouars, with its magnificent fortifications and heroic past, fell to the insurgents who managed to scale the walls, opening up the route to Saumur, the republican headquarters in the north and the Loire, as well as the largely undefended route to Paris. Besides arms and ammunition, a treasury of over 500,000 livres made up mainly of gold and silver objects stolen from churches was taken. The victors celebrated.
But instead of pursuing the strategic goals of crushing their enemy and toppling the Revolution, the Vendéen armies turned back, giving up their territorial gains. The key towns they had taken were left ungarrisoned for the Republicans to reoccupy and fortify, despite the urgings of Bonchamps, who saw the stupidity of the move. But the other Generals doubted that their men would follow them beyond the confines of the Vendée Militaire for fear of leaving their homes and families undefended. Besides, most had no grasp of military tactics and only wished to clear their own areas of the oppressor.
Instead it was decided to relieve the pressure on the small Armée du Marais under Charette which was being severely harassed, by attacking in the south-west of the region.
After taking Parthenay the army moved towards the lovely Roman and Renaissance town of Fontenay-le-Comte, the rich administrative and cultural centre of the Departement de la Vendée. Strategically, it was the key to Niort and La Rochelle. Losing such an important place would be a major psychological blow to the Republicans.
But the Vendéen army was melting away again as the soldier peasants returned to their homes, often carrying significant booty, with only 7-8000 continuing the march. Instead of moving directly towards Fontenay, the army spent two days attacking and sacking La Chataigneraie, giving the republican, forces time to organise.
A major choc took place at Pissotte, just outside Fontenay, in which the Vendéen forces were defeated, losing 600 men and most of their artillery, including the mascot cannon Marie-Jeanne. This was followed by eight defeats in ten days round the area for les Blancs, by a republican force under Chalbos.
However the Catholic Army's losses were minimal as many of their soldiers simply fled the battlefield, fading away into the countryside, ready to fight again, whilst the Republicans celebrated.
The Vendéen generals, conscious that to lose battles would lose the support of their troops, immediately announced a major call to arms. 40,000 men responded, swearing to recapture Marie-Jeanne. And in a major battle two weeks later on the same battlefield at Pissotte, the republicans were roundly defeated, losing 3000 prisoners.
On 25th May, decorated with flowers, the old cannon was pulled triumphantly through the streets of Fontenay right into the main church. 240 prisoners, many under sentence of death, were freed. Several hundred Republicans were guillotined whilst those spared, including the military prisoners, had their heads shaved, a mark of shame in an epoch when the hair was worn long. They were then released after swearing fealty to the King and never to fight in the Vendée Militaire again. A simple passport document acted as a laissez-passer out of the area.
The town was pillaged, with public records again attracting particular venom. To regain control of their troops, who were threatening to go too far, the Vendéen generals announced a call to arms outside the town.
Finally after the battle, the Armée du Centre and the Grande Armée formed a joint High Command, but faced with total disarray as to their next move they split up again, and on 28th May evacuated the town, again leaving no garrison. The republican army reoccupied it the next day.

9. "I'm going to change my shirt"
There were still no clear objectives to the campaigning, no overall plan or even command. On only one occasion was the entire Vendéen army united in a single attack. More seriously, conquered territory was being given up again and again, enabling the Republicans to gradually surround the region with strong points that were never to be retaken
In addition, the fighting men still owed their loyalty to their village captains who in turn approved the general. If these men disapproved of a planned military action, neither they nor the fighting men from their parish would take part. And although there was now a small nucleus of regular troops who formed the centre of most attacks (mainly deserters from various republican units), most soldiers would still not stay in the field for more than a few days. After a battle, they would typically announce,
"Je vais changer de chemise." I'm going to change my shirt,
meaning that they were leaving the campaign for a while to return home to tend their fields and look after their families.
Battles were not fought in the accepted military manner, disconcerting the republican generals, giving the Vendéens many of their early successes.
Where they could, they fought a hit-and-run guerrilla war, ambushing and shooting at the enemy from behind hedges and from forests, the sharpshooters decimating the enemy lines. General Turreau of whom more later, reckoned that the Vendéen marksmen killed ten men for every one of their own hit - officers in particular were prime targets.
With their enemy totally disconcerted, the Vendéen troops then charged head-on, with extraordinary courage and reckless for their own lives, shouting and screaming, blowing huge rams' horn trumpets, wielding their sharp blades with deadly effect.
When threatened, these same troops disappeared, racing along the hidden paths and by-ways of the area, down which the republican troops were too terrified to follow, then regrouping elsewhere.
The hardiness and determination of Les Blancs, coupled with their intimate knowledge of the area in which they were fighting, enabled them to move with great speed across country, so often catching the enemy unawares. A large force spotted in one place could simply be gone in an instant, then reappear just as quickly at a different location.
It is worth noting that the Vendéen officers who had been trained in traditional warfare in the royal armies made some attempt themselves to make the peasant soldiers fight differently, and may thus have inadvertently contributed to a number of their defeats. Only Bonchamps gave his troops formal military training.
In open combat, the rebel army proved less effective. It was, for example, impossible to make the various units manoeuvre in the accepted manner.
Before going into open battle the peasant-soldiers received a blessing from their priests, who usually stood with their backs to the enemy's fire. There is no evidence that these brave men actually took up arms, but rather they were present during the battle to encourage the fighting men, to help the wounded and administer the last rites wherever possible.
As the republican artillerymen applied a burning match to the touchhole of their cannon, the Vendéen soldiers threw themselves flat on the ground so that the shots passed harmlessly overhead. Before the guns could be reloaded, the foot soldiers would jump to their feet and charge the enemy line that was already being peppered by the lethal sharpshooters. Their own generals and the best fighters always led from the front.
In open battle the main attack was usually led by the nucleus of regular troops in each rebel army who were invaluable in piercing the enemy lines and protecting the leaders, often very exposed on horseback (one reason why so many were killed). The fighting was intense and at close quarters, with blades and bayonets doing most of the damage.
However, when their attacks were unsuccessful, the Vendéens would tend to falter and if not rallied quickly, would then disperse, particularly when enemy cavalry units appeared behind their positions or if night was falling. Whilst this meant that wasteful loss of life was avoided as the men would reform and fight another day, it also meant that winnable battles were lost for little reason.
After a victory, Bonchamps' troops recited their rosaries whilst the "Moutons Noirs" (Black Sheep, named after their dyed, sheepskin waistcoats) of the Armée du Marais drank, sang and danced.

10. Ephemeral Victories.
Having almost swept the opposition from the region, the Vendéen forces then moved towards strategic Saumur, the republican headquarters. The town was taken easily on 9th June, thanks to their speed of the advance and co-operation from within the town, as either spies or sympathetic citizens opened the main gates, let prisoners out of the jails and spiked the heavy guns. For once the Vendéens had prepared the attack well, even taking care to cut down trees which could be used to block the roads, in case they had to retreat. Caught off guard, with many soldiers carousing in the town taverns, the republican forces fled towards Tours and Angers, spreading fear as they went. 1,500 defenders died, 11,000 prisoners were taken along with 80 artillery pieces and 15,000 rifles - booty indeed.
Faced with potential resistance from the well-fortified town chateau, the Vendéens sent forward an emissary, accompanied by the wives and children of those inside. The surrender was immediate.
Finally the leaders of the different armies came together for a council of war, to try and agree their next move. Some, notably Charette, wanted to move west, to capture Angers and Nantes, which would give a vital access to the sea and reinforcements from the British Navy and the emigré army said to be waiting in England.
Nantes whose fall would have been a crushing blow to the Revolution, was also the key to Brittany where there was already a substantial resistance movement.
Other generals wanted to move towards Tours and Paris to try and topple the Republic, hoping that the Departements they crossed would also give support. But their leaders again doubted whether the bulk of their men would follow their leaders out of the region, leaving their homes and families to the mercy les Blcus.
Recognising the need for a unified High Command, a general-in-chief was at last chosen from amongst the generals - Cathelineau, the former hawker, regarded almost as a saint by his men and one whom they would certainly follow to the death. He was also the only man that all the senior command would trust as they would not trust each other.
Again, this delay cost dear. By the following day the bulk of the fighting men considered they had fought enough and that Saumur itself was the end of their campaign. Within a few hours the strength of the army fell from 30,000 to 10,000 as it advanced, leaving behind barely enough men for La Rochejaquelein to garrison the town.
Even with these reduced forces however the Vendéen army entered Angers without a fight. The terrified garrison fled without resisting to towns up to fifty kilometres away, again reinforcing the message of death and destruction.
But, because of the shortage of troops defending it, the republicans regrouped and easily retook Saumur.
Fatally now the Catholic and Royal army dithered in Angers for a week giving Nantes time to prepare for the onslaught.
They could not have known that it was to be the apogee of the fortunes of the Vendée Militaire.