Virée de Galerne
Encyclopedia
The Virée de Galerne was a military operation of the War in the Vendée during the French Revolutionary Wars
across Britanny and Normandy
. It takes its name from "gwalarn", a Breton word for the "vent de noroît" (northwest wind).
It concerns the Vendean army's crossing of the River Loire after their defeat in the battle of Cholet
on 17 October 1793 and its march to Granville
in the hope of finding reinforcements there from England. Unable to take Granville on 14 November 1793, it fell back towards Savenay
(23 December 1793) where it was completely decimated by Republican troops under Kléber. The battle of Savenay
marked the end of what would come to be called the first war in the Vendée.
At the end of October 1793, after a campaign planned by general Kléber, the Republican forces of the Army of the West and the Army of Mainz
managed to correctly coordinate their attacks and squeeze the Vendéen forces into a pocket. Encircled, the Catholic and Royal Army of Anjou and Haut-Poitou desperately attempted to resist and risked a decisive pitched battle at Cholet on 17 October 1793, at which they were beaten. They thus had no choice but to fall back on Beaupréau
to the north, the only escape route still open, then to Saint-Florent-le-Vieil
, where they were cornered in a bend of the river Loire.
across Britanny and Normandy
. It takes its name from "gwalarn", a Breton word for the "vent de noroît" (northwest wind).
It concerns the Vendean army's crossing of the River Loire after their defeat in the battle of Cholet
on 17 October 1793 and its march to Granville
in the hope of finding reinforcements there from England. Unable to take Granville on 14 November 1793, it fell back towards Savenay
(23 December 1793) where it was completely decimated by Republican troops under Kléber. The battle of Savenay
marked the end of what would come to be called the first war in the Vendée.
At the end of October 1793, after a campaign planned by general Kléber, the Republican forces of the Army of the West and the Army of Mainz
managed to correctly coordinate their attacks and squeeze the Vendéen forces into a pocket. Encircled, the Catholic and Royal Army of Anjou and Haut-Poitou desperately attempted to resist and risked a decisive pitched battle at Cholet on 17 October 1793, at which they were beaten. They thus had no choice but to fall back on Beaupréau
to the north, the only escape route still open, then to Saint-Florent-le-Vieil
, where they were cornered in a bend of the river Loire.
across Britanny and Normandy
. It takes its name from "gwalarn", a Breton word for the "vent de noroît" (northwest wind).
It concerns the Vendean army's crossing of the River Loire after their defeat in the battle of Cholet
on 17 October 1793 and its march to Granville
in the hope of finding reinforcements there from England. Unable to take Granville on 14 November 1793, it fell back towards Savenay
(23 December 1793) where it was completely decimated by Republican troops under Kléber. The battle of Savenay
marked the end of what would come to be called the first war in the Vendée.
At the end of October 1793, after a campaign planned by general Kléber, the Republican forces of the Army of the West and the Army of Mainz
managed to correctly coordinate their attacks and squeeze the Vendéen forces into a pocket. Encircled, the Catholic and Royal Army of Anjou and Haut-Poitou desperately attempted to resist and risked a decisive pitched battle at Cholet on 17 October 1793, at which they were beaten. They thus had no choice but to fall back on Beaupréau
to the north, the only escape route still open, then to Saint-Florent-le-Vieil
, where they were cornered in a bend of the river Loire.
pour garder l'accès à la Bretagne
et au Maine en cas de défaite. Sans en recevoir l'ordre, guidés uniquement par la panique, les Vendéens s'emparent de toutes les barques disponibles. Pendant les journées du 17 et du 18 octobre, l'armée tout entière traverse le fleuve; seule une femme se noie. Lorsque, pendant la nuit du 19 octobre, l'avant-garde républicaine entre dans Saint-Florent, tous les Vendéens ont disparu.
Cependant, ces derniers ont perdu plusieurs de leurs meilleurs généraux pendant les affrontements à Cholet
. Ainsi, le général Louis de Salgues de Lescure est grièvement blessé par une balle reçue à la tête lors de la bataille de La Tremblaye le 15 octobre. Charles Artus de Bonchamps meurt des suites de ses blessures le soir du 18 octobre après avoir empêché le massacre de à prisonniers républicains à Saint-Florent-le-Vieil
, prisonniers qui ont ensuite été relâchés. Quant au général en chef Maurice Gigost d'Elbée, il est lui aussi grièvement blessé à Cholet
, presque au même moment et au même endroit que Bonchamps. N'étant plus en mesure d'exercer son commandement et désapprouvant la marche au nord de la Loire, il ne suit pas l'armée. Il est conduit par quelques fidèles dans l'armée du Marais, commandée par Charette, et trouve finalement refuge dans l'Île de Noirmoutier
le 3 novembre.
French Revolutionary Wars
The French Revolutionary Wars were a series of major conflicts, from 1792 until 1802, fought between the French Revolutionary government and several European states...
across Britanny and Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
. It takes its name from "gwalarn", a Breton word for the "vent de noroît" (northwest wind).
It concerns the Vendean army's crossing of the River Loire after their defeat in the battle of Cholet
Battle of Cholet
The Battle of Cholet was fought on 17 October 1793 during the French Revolutionary Wars, between French Republican forces under General Léchelle and French Royalist Forces under Louis d'Elbée. The battle was fought in the town of Cholet in the Maine-et-Loire department of France, and resulted in a...
on 17 October 1793 and its march to Granville
Granville, Manche
-Sights:The old town preserves all the history of its military and religious past. The lower town was partly built on land reclaimed from the sea. The upper part of the old town is surrounded by ramparts from the fifteenth century...
in the hope of finding reinforcements there from England. Unable to take Granville on 14 November 1793, it fell back towards Savenay
Savenay
Savenay is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department in western France and the Pays de la Loire region. Located on the Sillon de Bretagne , north of the Loire, its landscape is characterized by the hillside overlooking the marshes of the Loire...
(23 December 1793) where it was completely decimated by Republican troops under Kléber. The battle of Savenay
Battle of Savenay
The Battle of Savenay took place on 23 December 1793, and marks the end of the Virée de Galerne operational phase of the first war in the Vendée, where a Republican force of approximately 18,000 decisively defeated the armée catholique et royale force of 6,000 at Savenay.-Prelude:After a crushing...
marked the end of what would come to be called the first war in the Vendée.
Rout at Cholet
At the end of October 1793, after a campaign planned by general Kléber, the Republican forces of the Army of the West and the Army of Mainz
Army of Mainz
The Army of Mainz was a French Revolutionary Army set up on 9 December 1797 by splitting the Armée d'Allemagne into the Armée de Mayence and the Armée du Rhin...
managed to correctly coordinate their attacks and squeeze the Vendéen forces into a pocket. Encircled, the Catholic and Royal Army of Anjou and Haut-Poitou desperately attempted to resist and risked a decisive pitched battle at Cholet on 17 October 1793, at which they were beaten. They thus had no choice but to fall back on Beaupréau
Beaupréau
Beaupréau is a commune in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France....
to the north, the only escape route still open, then to Saint-Florent-le-Vieil
Saint-Florent-le-Vieil
Saint-Florent-le-Vieil is a commune in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France.-Geography:The Èvre forms the commune's western border, then flows into the Loire, which forms the commune's northern border.-References:*...
, where they were cornered in a bend of the river Loire.
Repression and reprisals
The Virée de Galerne was a military operation of the War in the Vendée during the French Revolutionary WarsFrench Revolutionary Wars
The French Revolutionary Wars were a series of major conflicts, from 1792 until 1802, fought between the French Revolutionary government and several European states...
across Britanny and Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
. It takes its name from "gwalarn", a Breton word for the "vent de noroît" (northwest wind).
It concerns the Vendean army's crossing of the River Loire after their defeat in the battle of Cholet
Battle of Cholet
The Battle of Cholet was fought on 17 October 1793 during the French Revolutionary Wars, between French Republican forces under General Léchelle and French Royalist Forces under Louis d'Elbée. The battle was fought in the town of Cholet in the Maine-et-Loire department of France, and resulted in a...
on 17 October 1793 and its march to Granville
Granville, Manche
-Sights:The old town preserves all the history of its military and religious past. The lower town was partly built on land reclaimed from the sea. The upper part of the old town is surrounded by ramparts from the fifteenth century...
in the hope of finding reinforcements there from England. Unable to take Granville on 14 November 1793, it fell back towards Savenay
Savenay
Savenay is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department in western France and the Pays de la Loire region. Located on the Sillon de Bretagne , north of the Loire, its landscape is characterized by the hillside overlooking the marshes of the Loire...
(23 December 1793) where it was completely decimated by Republican troops under Kléber. The battle of Savenay
Battle of Savenay
The Battle of Savenay took place on 23 December 1793, and marks the end of the Virée de Galerne operational phase of the first war in the Vendée, where a Republican force of approximately 18,000 decisively defeated the armée catholique et royale force of 6,000 at Savenay.-Prelude:After a crushing...
marked the end of what would come to be called the first war in the Vendée.
Rout at Cholet
At the end of October 1793, after a campaign planned by general Kléber, the Republican forces of the Army of the West and the Army of Mainz
Army of Mainz
The Army of Mainz was a French Revolutionary Army set up on 9 December 1797 by splitting the Armée d'Allemagne into the Armée de Mayence and the Armée du Rhin...
managed to correctly coordinate their attacks and squeeze the Vendéen forces into a pocket. Encircled, the Catholic and Royal Army of Anjou and Haut-Poitou desperately attempted to resist and risked a decisive pitched battle at Cholet on 17 October 1793, at which they were beaten. They thus had no choice but to fall back on Beaupréau
Beaupréau
Beaupréau is a commune in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France....
to the north, the only escape route still open, then to Saint-Florent-le-Vieil
Saint-Florent-le-Vieil
Saint-Florent-le-Vieil is a commune in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France.-Geography:The Èvre forms the commune's western border, then flows into the Loire, which forms the commune's northern border.-References:*...
, where they were cornered in a bend of the river Loire.
Repression and reprisals
The Virée de Galerne was a military operation of the War in the Vendée during the French Revolutionary WarsFrench Revolutionary Wars
The French Revolutionary Wars were a series of major conflicts, from 1792 until 1802, fought between the French Revolutionary government and several European states...
across Britanny and Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
. It takes its name from "gwalarn", a Breton word for the "vent de noroît" (northwest wind).
It concerns the Vendean army's crossing of the River Loire after their defeat in the battle of Cholet
Battle of Cholet
The Battle of Cholet was fought on 17 October 1793 during the French Revolutionary Wars, between French Republican forces under General Léchelle and French Royalist Forces under Louis d'Elbée. The battle was fought in the town of Cholet in the Maine-et-Loire department of France, and resulted in a...
on 17 October 1793 and its march to Granville
Granville, Manche
-Sights:The old town preserves all the history of its military and religious past. The lower town was partly built on land reclaimed from the sea. The upper part of the old town is surrounded by ramparts from the fifteenth century...
in the hope of finding reinforcements there from England. Unable to take Granville on 14 November 1793, it fell back towards Savenay
Savenay
Savenay is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department in western France and the Pays de la Loire region. Located on the Sillon de Bretagne , north of the Loire, its landscape is characterized by the hillside overlooking the marshes of the Loire...
(23 December 1793) where it was completely decimated by Republican troops under Kléber. The battle of Savenay
Battle of Savenay
The Battle of Savenay took place on 23 December 1793, and marks the end of the Virée de Galerne operational phase of the first war in the Vendée, where a Republican force of approximately 18,000 decisively defeated the armée catholique et royale force of 6,000 at Savenay.-Prelude:After a crushing...
marked the end of what would come to be called the first war in the Vendée.
Rout at Cholet
At the end of October 1793, after a campaign planned by general Kléber, the Republican forces of the Army of the West and the Army of Mainz
Army of Mainz
The Army of Mainz was a French Revolutionary Army set up on 9 December 1797 by splitting the Armée d'Allemagne into the Armée de Mayence and the Armée du Rhin...
managed to correctly coordinate their attacks and squeeze the Vendéen forces into a pocket. Encircled, the Catholic and Royal Army of Anjou and Haut-Poitou desperately attempted to resist and risked a decisive pitched battle at Cholet on 17 October 1793, at which they were beaten. They thus had no choice but to fall back on Beaupréau
Beaupréau
Beaupréau is a commune in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France....
to the north, the only escape route still open, then to Saint-Florent-le-Vieil
Saint-Florent-le-Vieil
Saint-Florent-le-Vieil is a commune in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France.-Geography:The Èvre forms the commune's western border, then flows into the Loire, which forms the commune's northern border.-References:*...
, where they were cornered in a bend of the river Loire.
La déroute des Vendéens à Cholet
La traversée du fleuve est cependant possible. En effet, pendant la bataille, le général vendéen Antoine-Philippe de La Trémoïlle, prince de Talmont, traverse la Loire avec hommes et occupe VaradesVarades
Varades is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department in western France.-Twinning:Varades has since August 2009 been twinned with the small Welsh town of Knighton....
pour garder l'accès à la Bretagne
Bretagne
Brittany ; is one of the 27 regions of France. It occupies a large peninsula in the northwest of the country, lying between the English Channel to the north and the Bay of Biscay to the south. Its capital is Rennes.-Territory:...
et au Maine en cas de défaite. Sans en recevoir l'ordre, guidés uniquement par la panique, les Vendéens s'emparent de toutes les barques disponibles. Pendant les journées du 17 et du 18 octobre, l'armée tout entière traverse le fleuve; seule une femme se noie. Lorsque, pendant la nuit du 19 octobre, l'avant-garde républicaine entre dans Saint-Florent, tous les Vendéens ont disparu.
Cependant, ces derniers ont perdu plusieurs de leurs meilleurs généraux pendant les affrontements à Cholet
Cholet
Cholet is a commune of western France in the Maine-et-Loire department. It was the capital of military Vendée.-Geography:Cholet stands on an eminence on the right bank of the Moine, which used to be crossed by a bridge from the fifteenth century...
. Ainsi, le général Louis de Salgues de Lescure est grièvement blessé par une balle reçue à la tête lors de la bataille de La Tremblaye le 15 octobre. Charles Artus de Bonchamps meurt des suites de ses blessures le soir du 18 octobre après avoir empêché le massacre de à prisonniers républicains à Saint-Florent-le-Vieil
Saint-Florent-le-Vieil
Saint-Florent-le-Vieil is a commune in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France.-Geography:The Èvre forms the commune's western border, then flows into the Loire, which forms the commune's northern border.-References:*...
, prisonniers qui ont ensuite été relâchés. Quant au général en chef Maurice Gigost d'Elbée, il est lui aussi grièvement blessé à Cholet
Cholet
Cholet is a commune of western France in the Maine-et-Loire department. It was the capital of military Vendée.-Geography:Cholet stands on an eminence on the right bank of the Moine, which used to be crossed by a bridge from the fifteenth century...
, presque au même moment et au même endroit que Bonchamps. N'étant plus en mesure d'exercer son commandement et désapprouvant la marche au nord de la Loire, il ne suit pas l'armée. Il est conduit par quelques fidèles dans l'armée du Marais, commandée par Charette, et trouve finalement refuge dans l'Île de Noirmoutier
Île de Noirmoutier
The island of Noirmoutier is off the Atlantic coast of France in the Vendée department.Parts of the island have been reclaimed from the sea. In 2005 it served as the finish of the Tour de France prologue....
le 3 novembre.