VENDÉE WAR. Repousse des Vendéens de Nantes. Nice letter fro - Lot 303

VENDÉE WAR. Repousse des Vendéens de Nantes. Nice letter from NANTES, July 6, 1793, signed LINCOLN, addressed to MM. FOACHE Frères Négociants au HAVRE, on the attack of Nantes by the Vendéens: "Messieurs.... You will already know that on the 29th of last month, our city (Nantes, Loire Atlantique) was attacked from four different directions. The first attack began at 2 a.m. at Pont Rousseau (44) on the road to La Rochelle, and at Faubourg St Jacques on the road to Clisson. It was only a false attack, so we were content to send a small number of people, and confined ourselves to exchanging a few cannon shots. The real attack was on the chemin de Rennes, where the insurgents were reported to have 8,000 men attacking at the same time on the chemin de Vannes, which was not far from the chemin de Rennes. They also had a column of 3,000 men attacking the suburb of St Donatien on the road to Paris. General CANCLAUX, who had been warned, had the day before withdrawn his camp from the Paris road. The day before, he had also withdrawn his camp on the chemin de Vannes. He had bivouacked the troops at the various posts, so that as soon as the insurgents began their attack, they were met by cannon and musketry. By 3 a.m., the whole town was on its feet, and at 4 a.m., several National Guard battalions were marched to their posts for the various attacks. Others guarded various posts that could be exposed, and the veterans patrolled the town, which was defended by some 80 cannon. With 5,000 troops and 6,000 National Guards armed, the insurgents must have lost a lot of people. It is believed that their losses, both killed and wounded, exceeded 2,000 men. Soldiers suffered 300 wounded and around 60 dead. The Nantes National Guard lost around 30 men, and at least 100 were wounded. The fighting lasted from 4 a.m. to 9 p.m. at the gates of Rennes and Vannes. The insurgents had about 20 guns of various calibers, from 4 to 12 rounds. A single 18-gun was firing at the Pont Roux post. We dismantled several pieces. We only took two, but on the 30th it was still holding out. On the way to Paris, General CANCLAUX had them attacked by a few battalions, forcing them to retreat... The women were all at their posts, making lint as they prepared linen for the wounded. General BEYSSER (sic BYSERT), the city's temporary commander, had taken all the usual precautions in the city, which had been declared to be in a state of siege... the insurgents had evacuated... the insurgents appeared again yesterday on the roads to Clisson and La Rochelle, but in small numbers. I can't tell you anything about food prices; in the 4 months we've been in a state of siege, almost nothing has been made, and nothing at all for the last fortnight..."