Vendee, and
fought two or three battles, in which he generally gained successes
over the peasants; but with this exception, no forward movement was
made, and the majority of the peasants remained undisturbed in
their homes.

Soon, however, from all sides, the flood of invaders poured in. No
fewer than two hundred thousand men were now under the orders of
the French generals, and advanced from different directions, in all
cases carrying out the orders of the Convention, to devastate the
country, burn down the woods, destroy the crops, and slay the
inhabitants. Five armies moved forward simultaneously, that
commanded by Kleber consisting of the veteran battalions of
Mayence.

But everywhere they were met. Charette had marched to the aid of
the Vendeans of the north, and the country was divided into four
districts, commanded by Charette, Bonchamp, Lescure, and la
Rochejaquelein. Each of these strove to defend his own district.

The war now assumed a terrible aspect. Maddened by the atrocities
perpetrated upon them, the peasants no longer gave quarter to those
who fell into their hands and, in their despair, performed
prodigies of valour. They had not now, as at the commencement of
the war the superiority in numbers. Instead of fighting generally
four to one against the Blues, the latter now exceeded them in the
same proportion.

But the peasants had changed their tactics. Instead of rushing
impetuously upon the enemy's lines, and hurling themselves upon his
artillery, they utilized the natural features of their country. As
the Republican columns marched along, believing that there was no
enemy near, they would hear the sound of a horn, and from behind
every hedge, every thicket, every tree, a stream of musketry would
break out. Very soon the column would fall into confusion. The
lanes would be blocked with dead horses and immovable waggons. In
vain would the soldiers try to force their way through the hedges,
and to return the fire of their invisible foes. Then, as suddenly
as the attack commenced, the peasants would leap from their shelter
and, with knife and bayonet, carry havoc among their enemies.

These tactics prevailed over numbers, even when, as in the case of
Kleber's division, the numbers possessed military discipline,
training, and high reputation. For a month, fighting was almost
continuous and, at the end of that time, to the stupefaction of the
Convention, their two hundred thousand troops were driven