CHAPTER X.
THE BISHOP OF AGRA.
On this occasion the meeting of the leaders was kept strictly secret;none were admitted but those who were known to be the chosen chiefs ofthe Vendeans; it consisted of Cathelineau, de Lescure, Larochejaquelin,d'Elbee, Stofflet, and Father Jerome. They had been closeted togetherabout an hour and a half, when Father Jerome left the room, and rode offtowards Thouars, on the best horse which could be found for him; no oneseemed to know where or for what he was going, though much anxiety wasexpressed on the subject. Those who knew him, were well aware that hewas not about to desert the cause in its first reverse. In the meantime,the Generals tried to reassure the men. Cathelineau explained to themthat they had brought on themselves the evils which they now sufferedby their absurd attempt to act without orders; and de Lescure andLarochejaquelin endeavoured to rouse their energies by pointing out tothem the necessity of recovering their favourite cannon.
"Ah! M. Henri," said one of the men from Durbelliere, "how can we gether again when we have lost our guns, and have got no powder?"
"How!" said Henri, "with your sticks and your hands, my friends--as yourneighbours in St. Florent took her, at first, from the blues; we allthink much of the men of St. Florent, because it was they first took'Marie Jeanne;' let us be the men who rescue her from these traitors,and these people will think much of us."
About two o'clock in the day a closed carriage was driven into Montreuilvery fast, by the road from Thouars; the blinds were kept so completelydown, that no one could see who was within it; it was driven up to thedoor of the house in which the council had been held; the doors of thecarriage and of the house were opened, and two persons alighted and raninto the house so quickly that their persons could hardly be recognized,even by those who were looking at them.
"That last is Father Jerome, at any rate," said a townsman.
"Who on earth had he with him?" said another; "he must be some giant,"said a third, "did you see how he stooped going into the door."
"A giant, stupid;" said a fourth, "how could a giant get out of such acarriage as that; besides, where could Father Jerome find giants inthese days."
"Well, I don't know," said the other, "but I am sure he was eight feethigh; didn't you see his back as he ran into the house."
Soon after the mysterious entry into the house, Henri left it, and wentout to the fields beyond the town, where most of the men were stillresting after the long fatigue of the night; much discontentment hadbeen expressed by them, and many had already declared their intentionof returning home. Every measure had been taken to comfort them; theyhad been supplied with provisions and tobacco from the town, and everyeffort had been used to renew their hopes and courage. Cathelineau hadpassed the greater portion of the morning among them, going from onequarter to another, assuring the men that their loss was most trifling,that their future victory was certain--it was nearly in vain; theydeclared that they could do nothing without 'Marie Jeanne.'
Henri now went among them, and as he did so, Jacques Chapeau proceededthrough the town, imploring all the men who were in it, to go out andjoin the rest of the army, as a holy man had been sent direct from Romeby the Pope, to tell the people of La Vendee what it was their duty todo.
Henri did not say quite so much as this, but he told the men that afriend of theirs--a bishop of the Church--one especially appointed bythe King before he died, to provide for the spiritual comfort of hispoor people in the west of France, was now among them, and would soonaddress them. He directed them to stay where they were till this man ofGod should be among them, and he besought them strictly to follow anyadvice which he might give them.
Every one in the town flocked out to the army--men, women and childrenwere soon in the fields, and the report was spread abroad through themall, that the mysterious carriage which had rattled through the streetsof Montreuil, had brought to that favoured town a holy bishop, sentexpressly by their father the Pope to give good advice to his dearchildren in La Vendee.
About four o'clock in the afternoon the stranger walked among them.Father Jerome walked on his right hand, and Cathelineau on his left. M.de Lescure followed immediately behind them. He was a very tallman--nearly seven feet high; and his peculiar costume added inappearance to his real height--he was dressed in the gorgeous robes ofa bishop of the Church of Rome as he would appear at the altar of hiscathedral when about to celebrate high mass; he had his mitre on hishead and his crozier in his hand; and as he walked through the crowd,the men and women everywhere kneeled down and bowed their heads to theearth; the people were delighted to have so holy a man among them--tosee a bishop in La Vendee. The bells were all rung, and every sign ofjoy was shewn; the peasants were already beginning to forget theirdefeat of the previous night.
As he walked through the kneeling crowd, he stood still a moment or two,from time to time, and blessed the people; his voice was full and deep,but very musical; his face was supremely handsome, but devoid of alltraces of passion. As he lifted his hands to heaven, and implored theAlmighty to protect the righteous arms of his poor children in LaVendee, he certainly looked every inch a bishop; the peasantscongregated round him, and kissed his garments--if they could even touchthe shoes on his feet, they thought themselves happy.
It took the little procession two hours to move in this way through thewhole of the army, during which time the bishop's companions did notspeak a word; they merely moved on, with their eyes turned towards theground. At length they reached a temporary altar, standing on a platformraised five steps above the ground, which had been erected under thecare of M. d'Elbe since the arrival of the bishop in Montreuil. Herewere collected M. d'Elbee, Stofflet, Larochejaquelin, Adolphe Denot, andthe other principal leaders of the army, and as the little processiondrew near, they knelt upon the top step of the platform, andCathelineau, de Lescure and Father Jerome knelt with them. The bishopthen blessed them each separately, commencing with Cathelineau; heplaced his crozier on the altar, and putting both his hands on the headof the kneeling General, he said in a loud and solemn voice:
"May the Lord bless you, my son! may he enable you to direct the armsof his faithful people, so as to show forth His glory, and magnify Hisname; may he help your endeavours to restore to a suffering people theirChurch and their King; may His dear Son preserve you in danger, comfortyou in affliction, be near you in the hour of death, and reward you inheaven." He then went round to them all, and blessed them each, thoughin a somewhat shorter form; and, at last, standing on the top step, inthe front of the whole army, so that every one could see him, he uttereda general benediction on the people, and a prayer for their success; andwhile he did so, boys dressed in surplices made their way through thecrowd, swinging censers filled with burning frankincense, and loadingthe air with that peculiar scent, which always fills the mind withdevotional ideas.
As soon as this was over, and the people had risen from their knees,Cathelineau spoke to them, and told them that the Bishop of Agra hadbeen especially appointed by their King to watch over and protect theirspiritual interest; that Monseigneur had heard with great grief of themisfortune which had happened to them the preceding evening, and thathe would now tell them how, with God's assistance, they might hope infuture to avoid such calamities.
The bishop then addressed them, and said:
"My children, I rejoice that Providence has given me the privilege ofseeing so many of you collected here today. You have been broughttogether for a great and holy purpose; the enemies of the Almighty Godare in your country--enemies who can never prevail to the breath of onehair against His omnipotence; but who may, and who will prevail to thedestruction of your families here, and the perdition of your soulshereafter, if you fail in performing the duties which are before you.You are now called, my children--called especially from on high, todeliver your land from these enemies; to go out to the battle, and tofight in God's name, till you have restored the King to his throne, andyour pastors to their churches; and I rejoice to learn that you have soreadily
undertaken the task which is before you. Till yesterday yoursuccess was most wonderful; your career has been glorious. Youunhesitatingly obeyed the leaders who commanded you, and they led youfrom one victory to another: but yesterday you were beatenback--yesterday evening, for the first time, you found your enemy toostrong for you; they did not fall beneath your bullets; they did notfeel your swords! Why was this, my children? Why was it that onyesterday evening the protecting hand of heaven was withdrawn from you?"Here the bishop paused in his address, as though expecting a reply, andthen, after waiting a minute, during which the whole army remained inmost perfect quiet, answered the question himself "Because, my children,you yesterday followed no accustomed leader; you obeyed no order; youwent out to the battle with self-proud hearts, and a vain confidence inyourselves, rather than in the Almighty. It is not by such efforts asthat, that the chosen soldiers of La Vendee can expect to conquer theenemies of France. You were vain in your own conceits; you trusted inyour own strength; you were puffed up with worldly glory: and yourstrength has proved weakness, and your glory has been turned todisgrace. I trust, my children, you will not require another such alesson; I trust you will not again forget your God and your Saviour, asyou did on yesterday evening. Tomorrow morning the General, under whomthe hand of Providence has placed you, the good Cathelineau, shall againlead you against your enemies; and, if you confidently trust in God forthe result, he shall assuredly lead you to victory."
The bishop then again blessed the army, and walked off the field,surrounded by the different leaders of the army, and left the townwithout being again seen by the multitude.
The effect which this singular visit had upon the people was almostmiraculous. Their faith was so perfect, that it never occurred to themto doubt the truth of anything which fell from consecrated lips. Theword of a priest with them was never doubted, but the promises of abishop were assurances direct from heaven: they would consider it grossimpiety to have any doubt of victory, when victory had been promisedthem by so holy a man as he who had just addressed them. After theBishop of Agra had left the town, Larochejaquelin and de Lescure wentthrough the army, talking to the men, and they found them eager to renewthe attack on the camp of Varin. Though Varin was nearly three leaguesfrom them, and though they had been up nearly the whole previous night,they would willingly have returned to the attack that evening, had theybeen allowed to do so.
This was not considered expedient: but it was resolved that the attackon the camp should be renewed as early as possible on the followingmorning, as it was considered that the republicans would not expect soquick a return of an army which had been completely routed; and might,therefore, to a certain extent, be taken by surprise.
"We must run fast, friends," said Chapeau to his allies from Durbelliereand Echanbroignes, "for the first men who reach Varin, will retake'Marie Jeanne;' we will have a share in her, as well as the men of St.Florent."
With sunrise the next morning, the army was again on the move towardsSaumur: it was arranged that Cathelineau, de Lescure, Denot, andLarochejaquelin should lead the men through the trenches and into thecamp; and that d'Elbe should remain on the road, prepared, if necessary,to second the attack, but ready should the first attempt be successful,to fall on the republicans as they retreated from the camp to the town,and, if possible, to follow them within the walls. Stofflet was to leada division of fifteen hundred men past the camp, between the heights ofBournan and the town, so as to intercept the republicans, should theyattempt from that position, to relieve their comrades when retreatingfrom the camp. There was a bridge over the Thoue, close to the town ofSaumur, called the bridge of Fouchard. This bridge was between Bournanand the town, as also between the camp and the town, and the possessionof this bridge would be of great advantage to the royalist army.Stofflet was charged to obtain this advantage, if he did not find thatthe cannons from the town prevented him.
About four o'clock the army was on the move from Montreuil, and by eightthey were again in front of the camp at Varin; the portion of the roadwhich they had passed in such confusion the night but one before, andwhere they had left their cannon and their waggons, was now stripped ofall signs of the encampment, which had been made there, nothing but thedeep ruts, made by the cannon wheels, were to be seen; everything whichthey had brought with them, the trophies of all their victories, thewhite flags which the ladies of La Vende had worked for them; theprovisions, the wine and meat, which the kindness of their landlords hadsent with them, were all gone--were in the hands of the republicans;these reflections served to rouse the anger of the peasants, and madethem determined to get back what they had lost, though they pulled downthe walls of Saumur with their nails.
At a few moments after eight, the attack commenced; the first assaultwas headed by Cathelineau, who rushed into the trenches, accompanied bythe Cure of St. Laud. Father Jerome held a large crucifix in his hands,and as he followed Cathelineau, he lifted it high above his head, toencourage the men who were about to make the assault; hundreds of themwere on the verge of the trench as he did so; others were following themclosely; they were already within fire of the republican batteries, theballs from which were falling among them; but, regardless of the firing,they all fell on their knees, with their faces towards the earth, assoon as they saw the crucifix in the hands of their priest; and there,on the very field of battle, offered up a prayer that they might thatday be victorious.
"They will be cut down like grass, simpletons that they are," saidStofflet; "besides, the first moment is everything; two hundred shouldby this time have been within the camp."
"Let them alone," said M. d'Elbee, "they are quite right as they are;they will not fight the worse for saying their prayers."
As he finished speaking, the men rose again, and rushed against theearth-work.
Their attempt of the preceding evening had had one good effect--it hadtaught the peasants that those who hesitated were in five times moreimminent danger than those who at once got into the trench; and that themen climbing up the embankment, or at the top of it, were not nearly soliable to be struck, as the men at the bottom of the trench, or as thosebeyond it; they therefore eagerly stuck their hands and feet into theearth, and made the best of their way into the encampment.
It had been expected by the republicans that the next attack of theroyalists would probably be made at Bournan, and they had consequentlymoved most of the cuirassiers from Varin to strengthen that importantplace; the men left in the encampment, consisted chiefly of those tribesof republicans who were enrolled into the French army under the name ofMarseillaise--men who were as ferocious in the hour of victory, as theywere prone to fly at the first suspicion of defeat--men who delightedin bloodshed, but who preferred finding their victims ready bound forthe slaughter. It was the abject cowardice of these troops, which gaveso wonderful a career of success to the Vendeans; it was theirdiabolical cruelty which has made the sufferings of the royalists morenotorious even than their bravery.
De Lescure, Larochejaquelin, and Adolphe Denot led their men furtheralong the road to the point at which Henri had been standing when hefirst saw the crowd of royalists coming towards him on the formerevening, and from thence they also got into the encampment. As has beensaid, they had no powder; the men who commenced the assault were armedwith muskets and bayonets, but the greater number of the assailants hadno bayonets at all, and many of them nothing but sticks; still theyforced their way into the centre of the camp; here a very strongopposition was made to them; the republicans were so well armed, thatthe royalists were unable to disperse them when any number of them madea stand together; when they moved from their ground, however, theVendeans uniformly succeeded in driving them before them.
Cathelineau's men also made their way through the camp, and thereCathelineau and Larochejaquelin met each other.
"Well done, my friend; well done," said Henri, seizing the postillionby the hand, "this is a glorious meeting; the blues are beaten; we haveonly now to drive them into the river."
"
Or into the road," said Jacques, who as usual was close to his master,"when once there, M. d'Elbee will not be long in handing them over toprovidence."
"Once more, my children, once more," said the priest, "drive them out,drive them out, vive le roi quand meme!" and as he spoke, he brandishedthe crucifix over his head like a tomahawk; the sacred symbol wascovered with gore, which appeared to have come from the head of someunfortunate republican.
"Ah, my friends!" hallaoed Cathelineau, advancing on before the others,"look--look there; there is our 'Marie Jeanne;' hurry then, hurry;" andthere, immediately before them, was their own sacred trophy; theirfavourite cannon: they wanted no further incentive; the men who hadfollowed Larochejaquelin, and the men of St. Florent who had come withCathelineau, saw it at the same time, and vieing with each other, rushedonwards to gain the prize.
The republicans were amazed at the impetuosity of their enemies, and atlast fled before them; when once these newly-levied troops were turned,their officers found it impossible to recover them; it was then sauvequi peut, and the devil take the hindmost. The passage from the camptowards the town was still open; no attack having been made from thatquarter; and through the wooden gate, which had been erected there, thevaliant Marseillaise rushed out as quick as their legs could carry them;the officers of the Vendeans offered quarter to all who would throw downtheir arms, and many of them did so, but most of them attempted to gainthe town; they knew that if once they could cross the bridge at Fouchardthey would be within the protection afforded by the castle guns--but notone of them reached the bridge.
M. d'Elbee had found that he could not himself take the position whichhad been pointed out to him, as, had he done so, his men would have beencut to pieces by the cannons from the castle, but he effectuallyprevented any one else from doing so; not thirty men from the wholeencampment got into the town of Saumur, and those who did so, made theirway through the river Thoue.
The success of the Vendeans, as far as it went, was most complete; theyrecovered their baggage and their cannons--above all, their favourite'Marie Jeanne;' they took more prisoners than they knew how to keep;they armed themselves again, and again acquired unmeasured confidencein their own invincibility; they wanted immediately to be led out toattack the walls of Saumur, but Cathelineau and de Lescure knew thatthis would be running into useless danger. They had now once more plentyof ammunition; they had artillery, and were in a position to bombard thetown; they would at any rate make a breech in the walls before theyattempted to enter the streets; it was therefore decided that they wouldthat evening remain where they were, and commence the attack on thecitadel itself with daylight on the following morning.
"It grieved me to think," said Jacques Chapeau, as he pulled the hugebaskets down from the carts, from which the republicans had not yet hadtime to move them, "it grieved my very heart to think, M. Henri, thatthis good wine from the cellars of Durbelliere should have gone downrepublican throats; the thoughts of it lay heavy on my heart last night,so that I could not sleep. Thank heaven, I am spared that disgrace."
It was with the utmost difficulty that Cathelineau and de Lescure wereable to get sentries to remain at the necessary positions during thenight; the peasants had gained the battle, and were determined to enjoythemselves that evening; they would be ready they said to fight again,when the sun rose the next morning. The officers themselves had to actas sentinels; and after having been the first during the day to rushinto every danger, and after having led the attack and the pursuit, andhaving then arranged the operations for the morrow, they had to remainon the watch during the night, lest the camp should be sacrificed by anattack from the republican forces, stationed at Bournan, or in thetown--such is the lot of those who take upon themselves the managementof men, without any power to ensure obedience to their orders.
VOLUME II.