102 A N N U A L R E G I S T E R, 1794. 



they hardly made any use of Ihem, 

 though taught by fatal experience 

 Avhat destructive engines they were 

 inhandsthatwcre dexterous in their 

 management. This, indeed, ren- 

 dered tliem very alert at the com- 

 mencement of an action, to de- 

 prive the enemy of his rannon. 

 Their manner of doing tliis was 

 singular: — Ten or twelve stou!- 

 bodied and resolute men were se- 

 lected for the taking of each gun. 

 Armed only uith cutlasses, for the 

 greater expedition, they ran cir- 

 cuitously with the utmost speed 

 towards the piece they were to 

 ^<:ize. The moment they saw the 

 match applied to the tonch-hole. 

 they flung themselves on their 

 f;ices, and when the report v/js 

 heard, they arose and proceeded in 

 the same manner, till tliey liad 

 reached their intended object ; 

 whicn rarely escaped being spiked, 

 if not taken. 



As, from the want of cayaliy, 

 they found themselves unable to 

 improve their victories to the full 

 extent, they used their eiicleavoiirs 

 to procure a sufficient number of 

 horses for this ; but herein tiiey 

 never succeeded. Those which 

 tiiey collected from their own stock 

 were taken from the plough, or 

 other heavy and slow work, and 

 ot course were almost useless for 

 the held. The only proper horses 

 tliey could find, weie what they 

 took from th.e enemy; and of those 

 they never possessed more than 

 about five hundred, — so .careful 

 were the rtpublicans when de- 

 feated to save their cavalry ; well 

 knowing the dreadful consequence 

 of tlieir horses falling into the 

 haiids of tlie royalists. The insur- 

 gents owed in fact net only their 



arms and implements of war, but 

 even their very clothing, in short 

 all they had, to the booty they be- 

 came masters of by their amazing 

 successes. They took near 300,000 

 stahd of arms from the republican 

 troops and magazines; and had no' 

 other powder, and generally no 

 other provisions, than juch a^ ihey 

 had the good fortune to seize in 

 battle, or in the republican stores. 

 A singularity in the military dress 

 of the Vendeans, was, the relation 

 it expressed to the cause for which 

 they professed to have taken up 

 arms. Over their uniform they 

 wore 3 garment of white cloth, 

 breasted with a large black cross, 

 and fringed at bottom with relics 

 of saints, or the smaller bones of 

 fellow royalists slain by r^^pnl;!!- 

 cans. Round theirnecks hung their 

 beads. Thus accoutred, they ap- 

 peared like soldiers of the ancient 

 crusades; and this strange admix- 

 ture of war and religion carried a 

 look of fierceness and ei'.thusiasm 

 wliich perfectly corresponded with 

 then' real cliaracler. It was chiefly 

 whtn going to battle that they dis- 

 played this in all its terrors. With 

 a slow pace, a downcast eye, their 

 muskets slung over tl-.eir shoulders, 

 their heads uncovered, and their 

 beads in their hands, they leisnrely 

 advanced towards the enemy, re- 

 citing together psalms ajid j:r'ayers. 

 This pious ceremony ended, they 

 joined in a tremendous shout, co- 

 vered their heads, grasped their 

 maskets, and rushed on the enemy 

 \yith loud vociferation, of " Long 

 live the King, and down with the 

 republicans! ' Those who were wit- 

 nesses of their first charge, concur 

 in representing it as the most ter- 

 rific scene they ever beheld. No 



words' 



