74 AUDUBON, THE NATURALIST 



commons, or third estate, included hundreds of its rich 

 and influential citizens, and their demands for a fair 

 hearing and a representation equal to that of the other 

 orders had then passed the stage of open revolt, for they 

 had planted their "liberty tree" and were sworn to de- 

 fend it. In August of 1789 a permanent Committee 

 of Public Safety had been constituted at Nantes, and 

 by the end of that month 1,200 had volunteered for serv- 

 ice in the National Guard. There were many loyalists 

 in the city but they could not crush the ardent spirit 

 of this revolt, and when in September money was needed 

 to equip the revolutionary soldiery, young school chil- 

 dren raised large sums for the popular cause. Jean 

 Audubon immediately cast his lot with the revolution- 

 ists and joined the National Guard, but how much serv- 

 ice he saw in the field cannot now be determined; it is 

 known, however, that he was with these troops in the 

 spring of 1792. 1 



In March, 1793, the loyalists of La Vendee rose to 

 arms, and marching on Nantes under the able leadership 

 of Charette, threatened to put its garrison to the sword 

 if it were not surrendered within six hours. The Na- 

 tional Guard met these invaders outside the walls and 

 left the citizens to shift for themselves. Thus thrown 

 upon their own resources, the Nantais showed that they 

 could help themselves. They requisitioned and used for 

 defense everything at hand; they exhumed the leaden 

 coffins in their grand cathedral and appropriated water- 

 spouts for ammunition, while their church bells were 

 molded into cannon. Though held in check, the Ven- 

 deans laid siege to the city, and but for the resolution 

 of its mayor, Baco, Nantes would probably have fallen 

 — in which event Audubon would have had a different 



J One period of this service bears date of May 31. 



