ht bank of the Loire, and on the
night of June 28, their fire-signals summoned Charette for the morrow.
Charette did not fail. But he was beyond the river, unable to make his
way across, and he resented the arrangement which was to give the
pillage of the wealthy city to the pious soldiers of Anjou and Poitou,
whilst he looked on from a distance.

During the long deliberations at Saumur, and the slow march down the
river, Nantes had thrown up earthworks, and had fortified the hearts
of its inhabitants. The attack failed. Cathelineau penetrated to the
market place, and they still show the window from which a cobbler shot
down the hero of Anjou. The Vendeans retreated to their stronghold,
and their cause was without a future. D'Elbee was chosen to succeed,
on the death of Cathelineau. He admitted the superior claims of
Bonchamps, but he disliked his policy of carrying the war to the
north. The others preferred d'Elbee because they had less to fear from
his ascendancy and strength of will. They were not only divided by
jealousy, but by enmity. Charette kept away from the decisive field,
and rejoiced when the grand army passed the Loire, and left their
whole country to him. Charette and Stofflet caused Marigny, the
commander of the artillery, to be executed. Lescure once exclaimed
that, if he had not been helpless from a wound, he would have cut down
the Prince de Talmond. Stofflet sent a challenge to Bonchamps; and
both Stofflet and Charette were ultimately betrayed by their comrades.
Success depended on the fidelity of d'Elbee, Bonchamps, and Lescure to
each other, through all divergences of character and policy. For two
months they continued to hold the Republic at bay. They never reached
Poitiers, and they were heavily defeated at Lucon; but they made
themselves a frontier line of towns, to the south-west, by taking
Thouars, Parthenay, Fontenay, and Niort. There was a road from north
to south by Beaupreau, Chatillon, and Bressuire; and another from east
to west, through Doue, Vihiers, Coron, Mortagne. All these are names
of famous battles. At Cholet, which is in the middle of La Vendee,
where the two roads cross, the first success and the final rout took
place.

The advantage which the Vendeans possessed was that there was no good
army to oppose them, and there were no good officers. It was the early
policy of Robespierre to repress military talent, which may be
dangerous in a republic, and to employ noisy patriots. H