Monarchist Profile: Charles Sapinaud de la Rairie

Among the ranks of royalist counterrevolutionaries in the world, few hold such esteem as the monarchist rebels of the Vendée uprising. Those who lost their lives are martyrs, both for their faith and in a political sense for their sacrifice in the face of the oppression and terrorism of the French Revolution. Their leaders are among the greatest heroes France has ever produced; which is quite a statement by itself. One of the lesser known leaders in that great cause was Charles Sapinaud de la Rairie. He may not be as famous as the likes of Charette, Rochejaquelein or Stofflet but he was no less committed to the same great cause of ‘God and King’. He was born Charles Henri Félicité Sapinaud de la Rairie on December 30, 1760 in Sourdis castle at La Gaubretière he enlisted as a cadet in the Foix Regiment (later the 83rd Infantry) in 1778. His was peacetime service, doing his duty admirably but lacking any opportunity to prove himself. In 1789, after obtaining a commission as a lieutenant, he resigned from the army and returned home. He was respected enough to be drafted into the political arena, promptly being elected mayor of La Gaubretière.

Sapinaud was greatly disturbed by the outbreak of the Revolution and particularly the increasingly radical and anti-clerical course it was taking. When the Vendée counterrevolution broke out in March of 1793 he willing joined the royalist ranks. Although he did not have such extensive military experience as some, he had more than others and the counterrevolutionaries were desperate for leadership. It is often forgotten (probably intentionally) that the uprising in the Vendée was a spontaneous act of popular rebellion against the Revolution, it was not something organized by aristocrats. It was the common people who rose up and then demanded that their local nobles and people with military experience take leadership. Initially, Sapinaud served under his uncle, Charles Sapinaud de La Verrie who was part of the “Catholic and Royal Army of the Center” under General Charles de Royrand in the eastern Vendée. When his uncle was killed on July 25, 1793 at the battle of Chantonnay Sapinaud succeeded to command his division. A couple months later Sapinaud led his men in the Virée de Galerne campaign through Brittany and Normandy. Overall, the campaign was a disaster for the royalists and the counterrevolutionary army was routed at the battle of Le mans on December 13, 1793 in the course of which Sapinaud was separated from his men and lost. However, he made it back to the Vendée and, like most, was as determined as ever to try again.

Battle of Le Mans

General Royrand had died of complications after being wounded in battle the previous month and Sapinaud took his place as commander of the Army of the Center which he led into battle against the “infernal columns” into 1794. These were particularly vicious republican troops who waged a campaign of absolute terrorism on the royalist population, committing unspeakable acts of cruelty, humiliation, perversion and sacrilege. Needless to say, the royalists fought these beasts with all the strength they could muster. Yet, the “Grand Catholic and Royal Army” was hampered by a lack of unified command. The republicans benefited from being able to fight them separately but this problem was rectified in April of 1794 when Sapinaud joined with other royalist commanders François de Charette, Jean-Nicolas Stofflet and Gaspard de Bernard de Marigny to join forces against their common enemy. However, there were still problems as Charette and Stofflet often quarreled with Marigny. Marigny was, shall we say, one of the more “zealous” counterrevolutionaries who was not averse to being as brutal toward the republicans as they were to the royalists. He was also proud and resented being treated as a subordinate by Charette and Stofflet. Finally a court martial was held and Marigny was condemned to death though Sapinaud was not among those voting for his execution. He went rogue and fought on his own for a while before being arrested by Stofflet’s troops and shot on July 10, 1794. Most of his men who did not give up after that blow joined with Sapinaud’s command.

All of this is added to the brutal truth that the war was not going well for the royalists, for numerous reasons. They were isolated, outnumbered, lacking weapons, lacking in training and discipline and everything else one would expect from an army of peasant soldiers who would often have to leave the army and go home to look after their farms. Finally on February 17, 1795 Charette and Sapinaud sign the Treaty of La Jaunaye with the republicans, putting into effect a cessation of hostilities by which terms the property of the counterrevolutionaries and their freedom of worship was guaranteed. Although far from ideal, the fact that the republicans agreed to the terms that they did shows how successful the counterrevolutionaries had been. Nonetheless, not everyone would agree as many, understandably, refused to come to terms with the republic under any circumstances (particularly after the “infernal columns” had butchered tens of thousands of people). Scattered fighting broke out anew a few months later and Sapinaud was quick to rejoin the fight on October 3, 1795.

However, this was a greatly reduced force all around. In quick order such famous royalist leaders as Stofflet and Charrete were captured and executed by the republicans. Sapinaud continued to resist but was down to only a handful of men and realizing that to continue would result only in the needless deaths of the small band with him he finally agreed to terms of peace at Nantes in late January, 1796. In the aftermath, he tried to carry on with his life and find some measure of domestic happiness, marrying Marie-Louise Charrete the following year. However, the unrest in the Vendée was still far from over. The royalists were simply never going to accept the republican and anti-clerical regime holding power in Paris. On October 15, 1799 fighting breaks out again and Sapinaud returns to command his old army. However, the royalists were thrown into confusion over the Coup of 18 Brumaire by which the Directory was overthrown by Napoleon Bonaparte, replacing it with the Consulate. The counterrevolutionaries became divided between those who wanted to continue the uprising as before until the old Kingdom of France is restored and those who see an opportunity for an easier success by coming to terms with the new Consul.

Napoleon, not wishing to waste resources diverting men to suppressing royalists in France, lays out peace terms. They cannot have the king back of course, but he was willing to respect their rights, their freedom of religion and exempt them from conscription so that they will not be forced to fight for a cause they do not believe in. Sapinaud decided that it would be wiser to come to terms with Napoleon and he accepts the proposal, signing on to the agreement on January 18, 1800. He watches as a spectator while Napoleon launched his grand campaign of conquest across the continent only to ultimately be defeated by the combined forces of the great powers. To his great joy, after Napoleon was defeated in 1814, the Bourbon monarchy was restored. In appreciation for his service with the counterrevolutionary army, King Louis XVIII commissions Sapinaud a lieutenant general in the revived royal army. When Napoleon returned from exile and restored himself (briefly) to power as Emperor, Sapinaud again took to the field in rebellion in favor of the King in 1815.

Napoleon was forced to divert troops from his most critical campaign in order to put down the latest uprising in the Vendée. Sapinaud briefly became even more significant in the royalist hierarchy following the death of the heroic Rochejaquelein. Sapinaud temporarily took his place A few days later he turned over command to Charles d’Autichamp. The uprising during the Hundred Days is not often remembered and it did end in defeat at the battle of Rocheservière, after which Sapinaud again made his peace with the authorities. However, it was still extremely significant in the final defeat of the First Empire and the restoration of the Bourbon monarchy. At the most critical point in his career Napoleon had to divert troops to deal with the counterrevolutionaries and had he not done so, if those forces had been present at Waterloo, it is possible that they might have tipped the balance in Napoleon’s favor. Wellington might have been crushed earlier in the day after which Napoleon could have turned and caught the Prussians between himself and Marshal Grouchy. It is speculative of course, but that last uprising in the Vendée just might have made the difference in the final defeat of Napoleon. In any event, overall, Sapinaud lived happily ever after. When the Bourbon monarchy was restored he was again rewarded for his loyalty and service by being made a duke and Pair de France. He died in his hometown of La Gaubretière on August 12, 1829.

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Monarchist Profile: Louis Marie de Lescure

Louis-Marie de Salgues Marquis de Lescure was born on October 13, 1766 at Versailles into a noble family hailing from the Albigenses region of southern France. The struggling aristocracy often seems to produce the best loyalists and as he grew older Lescure made a good match, marrying in 1791 a cousin of another future famous royalist leader Henri de la Rochejaquelein. He attended the military academy from the age of 16 and early on was known for being very quiet, shy, brilliant and extremely religious but of the more austere type rather than the 'show-off' religious which was all too common at the time. He worked his way up to command a cavalry company just prior to the outbreak of the French Revolution.

At first, Lescure thought perhaps some good might come from the revolt, recognizing that many people were suffering. However, after the Royal Family came under attack his sacred loyalty to his Most Christian King demanded he resist. Fearing arrest he left the country for a short time as an emigre but soon returned. He defended the Tuileries from the republican mob and later sheltered many friends and family members from the horrors of the Terror. When the revolutionaries tried to conscript loyal peasants into their republican army they rose up in opposition and looked to their nobility to lead them, including the Marquis Lescure. Joining with de la Rochejaquelein he was from the outset one of the top commanders of the royalist army.

He was arrested by the republicans who knew he would be one of the first to oppose them but his fellow royalists liberated him and he led his faithful troops into battle at Thouars, took Fontenay-le-comte and Saumur where he was wounded, always leading from the front and showing great courage. At Torfu, the last counterrevolutionary success on the left bank of the Loire, he rallied his troops saying, "Are there four hundred men brave men who will come and die with me?" to which his dispirited soldiers renewed their energy and shouted as one, "Yes, monsieur l'Marquis!" Repulsed at Nantes, the Vendee royalist rebels went on to other victories at Tiffauges and Cholet before moving to the area of Chatillon.

During this time the Catholic and Royal Army was opposed by the revolutionary General Francois Joseph Westermann, one of the most successful and utterly ruthless commanders on the republican side. As both sides battled for Chatillon, the place changing hands numerous times, Marquis de Lescure was badly wounded and after enduring terrible suffering died on November 4, 1793. His beloved wife left very touching accounts of her attentive care of her husband throughout these trials and her heartbreak at his loss. He was buried in an unmarked grave so the republicans could not violate it and Lescure was hailed by his soldiers as the "Saint of Poitou". For his character, skill, devotion, courage and steadfast loyalty to his God and his King Louis Marie de Lescure deserves a place of honor in the pantheon of great heroes for faith and monarchy in the Kingdom of France.

Monarchist Profile: Comte de la Rochejaquelein

Easily my favorite of the great French royalists, Henri du Vergier Comte de la Rochejaquelein was a dashing young monarchist, the youngest general of the Catholic and Royal Grand Army, and his youth, noble background and great zeal and audacity made him something of a celebrity of the counterrevolution. Of the entire effort probably the two most well known leaders of the uprising in the Vendee were the common coachman Cathelineau and the young nobleman Comte de la Rochejaquelein. He was born on August 30, 1772 in the Chateau de la Durbelliere, Saint-Aubin-de-Baubigne, near Chatillon. Like many young men of his background he was destined for a military career early in life.

Rochejaquelein was an officer in the Constitutional Guard of King Louis XVI and first saw action on August 10, 1792 when he tried to defend the Tuileries Palace from revolutionary mobs. After returning to his home he avoided being drafted into the republican army by refusing to apply for the levé e en masse; a revolutionary innovation that gave the world the concept of the ‘nation in arms’. In April of 1793 he joined with his cousin, the Marquis Louis-Marie Lescure at his estates in Poitou to join the counterrevolutionary forces.

In no time at all the cousins were fighting republican revolutionaries alongside Maurice d’Elbee and the Marquis de Bonchamps. Rochejaquelein showed great skill and bravery and was a very inspiration figure. His handsome youth and great courage made him a natural leader that his troops would follow anywhere. He once gave an order which has become one of the most famous phrases of the counterrevolutionary forces, "Mes amis, si j'avance, suivez-moi! Si je recule, tuez-moi! Si je meurs, vengez-moi!" - "Friends, if I advance, follow me! If I retreat, kill me! If I die, avenge me!"

With only a few thousand peasants under his command Rochejaquelein won his first great victory on April 13 and on May 3 fought in the victory at Bressuire, then at the battle of Fontenay-le-Comte on May 25 and the battle of Saumur on June 9. Showing great leadership again, he inspired the Vendee army to fight on when they were on the threshold of giving up and going home to tend their crops. He rallied the troops and led them to victory at the battle of Chantonnay in September. However, the odds were long and Rochejaquelein was not invincible and he was defeated at the battle of Cholet on October 17 after which he was forced to retreat across the Loire river.

Nonetheless, in spite of this setback, after the death of d’Elbee he was chosen to be generalissimo of the royalist forces on October 20. The Comte de La Rochejaquelein would seem to some to be an unusual choice for such a high command since he was always a "front-line" soldier. However, he proved his strategic abilities quickly. He attacked toward Granville and captured Avranches on November 12. Granville, however, eluded him and he was forced to re-cross the Loire and retreat to Angers. Pursued and harassed by superior forces under Marceau and Kleber until being caught and defeated piece by piece from December 12-23 where the final blow came at Savenay. However, Rochejaquelein managed to escape and continued to lead a guerilla war against the republican forces until he was killed by revolutionaries on January 29, 1794. After his death his brother Louis carried on the fight until his own death in 1815.

Few other royalist leaders so fit the perfect image of the inspiring, romantic royalist at the Comte de la Rochejaquelein who will be forever remembered for his heroic leadership, his loyalty unto death to cross and crown and for his stirring command, “if I advance, follow me! If I retreat, kill me! If I die, avenge me!”

Monarchist Profile: Jean-Nicolas Stofflet

Another hero of the counterrevolution in France, but also one whose career reveals some of the weaknesses of the movement, was Jean-Nicolas Stofflet. He was born in 1751 to the family of a simple miller and first entered the service of the King of France as a private in the Swiss Guard. Later he worked as a simple gamekeeper for the Comte de Colbert-Maulevrier. He was another of those simple, common men of great loyalty and spiritual strength who were the backbone of the counterrevolution.

When the uprising broke out in the Vendee Stofflet was quick to join and with his prior military experience quickly proved his worth serving under d'Elbee at Fontenay-le-Comte, Cholet and Saumur and emerged as a natural leader in the battles of Beaupreau, Laval and Antrain. His success in the field won him promotion to the rank of major general in the Catholic-Royalist Grand Army. Eventually, he became the deputy commander of the royalist forces and in 1794, with the death of Henri de la Rochjaquelein he became commander-in-chief of the Catholic and Royal Army.

However, the counterrevolutionary forces frequently suffered from a lack of unified command and this became a problem with growing disagreements between Stofflet at another famous general; Francois de Charette. After suffering a string of defeats at the hands of the revolutionary republican forces Stofflet was forced to surrender and signed the La Jaunaie treaty with the National Convention on May 2, 1795. However, as republican crimes continued Stofflet could not remain on the sidelines and by the end of the year he had taken up arms again as marechal-de-camp for the Count of Provence. Unfortunately, his forces were defeated and Stofflet was taken prisoner. A republican military show trial quickly sentenced him to death and he was executed by firing squad at Angers on February 23, 1796. His career had been at times glorious and at times troubled but he fought bravely on the side of right and fell bravely for his deeply held beliefs.

Monarchist Profile: Louis d'Elbee

Louis d'Elbee was born in Dresden, Germany in 1752. In 1777 he moved to France, became a naturalised Frenchman and joined the French royal army, rising to the rank of lieutenant before 1793 when he married and retired to an estate in Anjou. He was soon back in action though, as a soldier of fortune in the army of the Prince-Elector of Saxony. As such, he missed the outbreak of the French Revolution but returned when a law was passed ordering all emigrants back to the homeland. He was as known for his royalist loyalty as he was for his military skill and when the people of Beaupréau rose up as part of the counterrevolution that erupted in the Vendee and Brittany they chose d'Elbee to lead them. The French Revolution is often portrayed as a popular uprising by the common people against corrupt aristocrats and yet the army d'Elbee and his troops joined was led by a peddler (Jacques Cathelineau) and a gamekeeper (Jean-Nicolas Stofflet).

Louis d'Elbee showed his skill and valor for the start in the great struggle for religion and monarchy. Soon, he was the top subordinate to Jacques Cathelineau, commander of the 'Catholic and Royal Army'. When Cathelineau was shot down in Nantes it was Louis d'Elbee who was chosen to succeed him as generalissimo of the counterrevolutionary forces. Once in charge d'Elbee led his gallant forces to victory at Coron and Beaulieu but was then defeated at Lucon. However, though it was a terrible defeat, d'Elbee displayed cool leadership and was able to withdraw his troops in good order, avoiding a route and the total destruction of his army. Sadly, the Catholic and Royal Army was hopelessly outmatched by the revolutionaries who used the most cruel and vicious methods to stamp out resistance. On October 17, 1793 d'Elbee and his forces were defeated at the battle of Cholet.

It was the end for d'Elbee but he went down like a lion, being badly wounded in combat before being overrun and taken prisoner. He was given a show trial three months later for daring to oppose the revolution and was put to death at Noirmoutier on January 6, 1794 still so badly suffering from his wounds that he had to face the republican firing squad sitting in a chair. Louis d'Elbee had not finally been victorious, but he displayed great moral courage in opposing the satanic Jacobins in the first place, showed great skill in winning a number of victories against the revolutionary forces and he went down in noble defeat for a righteous cause and earned the right to be included among the pantheon of great monarchist heroes of the French counterrevolution.

Monarchist Profile: Charles Merchior-Arthus Bonchamps

Charles Merchior-Arthus Bonchamps was born on May 10, 1760 in Anjou at the Chateau of the Crucifix. Once grown, Bonchamps journeyed to India in the regiment of Bailli de Suffren. He first saw battle fighting with the French forces in the American War for Independence and was promoted to captain in the grenadiers after his return. A staunch royalist, he resigned his position and retired when he did not like the direction the country seemed to be taking. After having been retired for some time before the revolution broke out, Bonchamps feared for his King and country and so requested to be reinstated. He was in the area when the Paris mob stormed the Tuilieres and helped to hide other notable royalists like La Rochejaquelein and Charles d'Autichamp from the revolutionaries.

In September he returned to Anjou and was denounced by the Jacobins. He was forced to stand trial at the tribunal at Maine-et-Loire but was acquited. The following year, in March of 1793, a group of peasants who were rising against the republicans requested that Bonchamps come and serve as their leader. He gladly accepted and joined the counter-revolutionary forces. Due to his courage and intellect, Bonchamps quickly began to assert himself as a great tactician in the Catholic & Royal Army. The people of the Vendee chose him as their leader and he was able to secure a great deal of supplies and weapons that would be essential for the counterrevolution.

Bonchamps was a hero in many battles and led his troops to many great victories. He participated in the capture of Bressuire, Thouars and Fontenay-le-Comte where he was wounded but managed to recover. However, the struggle was coming apart due to a lack of a unified command and at the cause seemed to lack direction. Many of the soldiers would often leave after a victorious battle to look after their families and farms. Disaster came on October 17, 1793 at the battle of Cholet. The heroes of the Vendee were defeated and Bonchamps was mortally wounded.

He was taken away and lingered for another day. His loyal soldiers wanted to kill the 5,000 republican prisoners they had taken whom they blamed for the death of their champion but Bonchamps refused to allow such a thing and pardoned them. There, on his death bed, Bonchamps stated that he was glad to have served his God, his King and his Country. The death of Bonchamps has been called the greatest victory for the republican forces. Bonchamps was arguably the best tactical leader in the Vendeean army and defeating him gave the blue army a huge morale boost. Bonchamps was and is a hero for the forces of the Christian monarchy, and was even admired by many of the revolutionaries. His success and natural class made him admired by both friends and enemies alike.

Monarchist Profile: Jacques Cathelineau

Jacques Cathelineau, known as the Saint of Anjou, was one of the leaders of the great royalist counterrevolution in the Vendee region of France. The revolutionaries like to speak of themselves as the champions of the "common man" against elitist tyranny and yet it was the common people who suffered most from their bloodlust and it was often common people who were prominent in fighting against the horrors of the revolution. Jacques Cathelineau was one of them. He was born in what is now Maine-et-Loire and he was a well known peddler or what we might call a travelling salesman in Anjou. He was known for being very physically strong, very handsome and popular but also extremely pious.

When the revolution broke out and the First Republic was established Cathelineau rallied a small, ragged army of peasants and waged a guerilla war against the revolutionaries. As time went on his strength grew and soon his forces were capturing villages and castles in some of the most fierce fighting. His troops fought out of loyalty to the monarchy and the Church and also out of righteous anger caused by the horrid, absolutely grissly atrocities committed by the republicans against the innocent people of the Vendee; including women, children, the elderly and even animals. They left nothing alive. Actions such as these, over time, prompted some of Cathelineau's men into reprisals but former salesman himself always behaved with the utmost gallantry.

As Cathelineau's successes grew he joined forces with other counterrevolutionary leaders and was ultimately made their commander as generalissimo of the Catholic and Royal Grand Army. However, Cathelineau put himself in great danger by the very bravery that so inspired his troops. In the summer of 1793 while he and his men were storming the city of Nantes the heroic general was shot down by a republican sniper. Without his leadership the royalists were defeated and soon they broke up into different factions. After the Bourbon restoration, in honor of the heroism and sacrifices of the "Saint of Anjou" the Cathelineau family was given noble rank. One of his grandsons served as an officer in the French Imperial Army during the Franco-German War of 1870.

Monarchist Profile: Francois de Charette

The French Revolution is rightly considered one of the pivotal events in world history and for monarchists there can be few events so especially horrific. However, as bad as revolutionary leaders like Marat and Robspierre were there were royalist counterrevolutionaries who were as noble and inspirational as their enemies were destructive. One of these heroes was Francois Charette de la Contrie a leader of the royalist uprising in the Vendee. An aristocrat who had served in the French navy during the American War for Independence he also defended Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette from the mob at the Tuileries. Following the outbreak of the French Revolution and the birth of the First Republic the people of the Vendee rose up in opposition to the revolutionary regime in 1793 and appealed to Charette for leadership. He was aware of the gravity of the situation and the odds against them but was persuaded and joined the mostly peasant army of Jacques Cathelineau, styled the "Grand Catholic and Royal Army" to fight the republican forces.

After the break-up of the initial campaign Charette led his forces in a guerilla campaign in the lower Vendee with numerous victories but was finally suppressed by a lack of munitions and was taken prisoner. However, he was soon back on the battlefield again in an aristocratic uprising launched with British support. He was given the rank of lieutenant general by the Comte d'Artois but refused to make common cause with the Orleanists because of their earlier collaboration with the revolutionaries. He finally met his final defeat at Quiberon where he was taken prisoner. Charette was then moved to Nantes where he was executed by firing squad in 1796. His bright but short career was over, yet he left a lasting legacy of principled loyalty to his God, his King and France and a family name and tradition that would live on long after him. A hundred years later another Charette followed in his footsteps fighting in the Papal Zouaves defending Pope Pius IX from the Italian nationalists.