Guillaume the Sharecropper says Rochambeau

Family and Acts of Civil statue

He is the son of a plowman/farm Rene the Sharecropper (born the October 29th 1731 with It Vault-with-Riboul the, married the February 13rd 1759 with the Ribay, dead the December 21st 1794 with It Vault-with-Riboul the) and of Renee Jeanne Baroche (born the September 19th 1735 with the Ribay, dead the March 22nd 1780 with It Vault-with-Riboul the).

Career

When burst the revolutionary upheaval, Guillaume the Sharecropper was going to be ordered priest, it was thus some little well-read man. Rochambeau fought sometimes with advantage against the republican troops sent against him.

Petition of Evron

It was one from the five to six authors of the petition which they presented to the directory of the district of Evron in favor of the free exercise of the worship and against the decree for the distance of the priests, for their maintenance.

Lifting of the troops chouannes

It accepted hospitality at Miss the Plant with Evron, and on the councils of the latter who was a burning royalist, it traversed as from year III the communes of It Vault-with-Riboul the, Marcillé-the-City, Champéon, Horps, Poulay, Montreuil, Saint-Wolf-of-Gast the, Charchigné, Ribay, Ham, Hardanges, Champgenéteux, enlisting partisans everywhere. Champgenéteux had to provide a rather strong quota, because the family the Sharecropper had parents in this commune at the village of the Hedge to the Longe.

Among lieutenants de Rochambeau appear:

Leroux says the Pleasant one, plowman with the Horps;
Marine Etienne Gaudon, known as Duchemin, plowman;
Marine Aufray, known as the Forest, Tisserand or plowman with Chantrigné;
Michel Garnier, known as the Crown, owner with Mayenne (Mayenne), and his/her Aufray brother says Jolibois;
Saline François, known as Steel Heart, plowman with Hardanges;
Brown the, known as one Not-Lost, metal worker or arms manufacturer with Charchigné;
the Child, known as the Fleur, of Charchigné;
Jean Cibois, known as Deslauriers;
Paul-François de Gaulejac, known as Renault the Invincible one;
Thomas Cosseron, known as Lavandol;
Lemarié, known as Oboe,…

Chouans of Mayenne bore evocative names of war: the War , Goes up to the attack , Saute the Step , Bataille ,…

Muddles with François Thiroux de Médavy

Division chouan of It Vault-with-Riboul the, of little importance, was with horse, so to speak, on the road of Alençon to Mayenne, and included/understood, in the east of that of Ambrières, since Horps and Ribay to the Unpleasant-the-Juhel surroundings of and Averton, a certain number of communes. It was hardly composed of Manceaux, and it was placed in the spring of the higher command of Scépeaux; but its situation to intercept the communication between Alençon and Mayenne. She obeyed the young person the Sharecropper, known as Rochambeau or the abbot, because he was clerk tonsure at the time of the Revolution (among the officers who ordered under him, Duchemin named Marin Gandon, Aufray say the Forest, Garnier says the Crown, Salain says steel Cœur, Lebrun, the child says the Fleur). He was of a slow and undecided nature.

In 1795, Mr. of Montregard-of-St-Claude-of-Médavy, surroundings of Sées (Flowering ash), presented to division It Vault-with Riboul, with parchments giving him the title of general-in-chief of all armed catholic and royal ones with the West, titrates which placed Cart, Stofflet, Puissaye, of Scépeaux, of Rubbed and their subordinates at a long distance below him. The claim De Médavy, supported on this rather singular reason which his wife had of the grounds with Holy-Gem the Robert, in the territory of division, it shocked, but as ultimately it preserved the real command, it was let strip of his command. This applicant without any right named as chief of the canton a republican defector, Mézeray.

At the time of a visit of Claude-Augustin de Tercier (° 1752 - † 1823), commander of Scépeaux, Rochambeau were restored in his capacities. Here how Tercier reports these facts:

" Since I had taken the command of my division, I had not still gone to visit the canton of Mayenne, which formed of it part, and whose chief, called Rochambeau, had often asked me to come to pass the review. It had eight hundred men, and acted always separately, because, placed at the end of my command, its too great distance did not enable me to call it with my gatherings, and that its presence was necessary in its country. It was restricted to return account to me, and to ask me instructions.

I benefitted from one moment of rest to return to me at his place. I left in my absence the command of my division with Mr. Pierreville. I left with my two adjudants and a simple escort four riders. I arrived at the night at the borough of Bais, from which the Blue ones came to leave. Fifteen minutes earlier, we fell between their hands. We were to sleep with one mile further. The following day, we recovered on the way, and, over the evening, I arrived at the village of Champgenéteux; I asked for the captain of the parish; it arrived and led us to a smallholding, where the chiefs and officers had habit to go to take the order. I found Mr. De Peyssac there, known as the Invincible one, second in command of the country.

After me to have informed of the situation of its canton, and of what could relate to the military service, Mr. De Peyssac says to me that its canton did not make to any more part of the army of Mr. the Viscount of Scépeaux, that Rochambeau had given its resignation. Then showing me Mr. De Médavy, he added me:

-- It is Sir, who is now our general.

Astonished, surprised by such a language, I fixedly looked at this new officer, who, with an air of ease and satisfied with itself, says to me:

-- Yes, Sir, it is me which am it.

Filled even more astonishment, I requested these Sirs to say myself by which orders had taken place also sudden changes, and which I had sorrow to conceive. Then, this alleged general, who for three months only had left the republican army, where he was only simple captain, says to me that he had been named by the officers of the canton, and that Mr. de Peyssac was now head of division, and that Mr. Rochambeau had given his resignation. He added me that having already raised a company of with dimensions of Pre-in-Pail, on the road of Alençon, he intended to form in this country an army of eight thousand men in infantry, cavalry and artillery; then it unrolled me an extremely ridiculous plan. I answered him that all that was extremely beautiful on the paper, but which I would never suffer such an innovation. Mr. De Peyssac wanted to support the intentions of general alleged sound; I then asked him under the terms of which order it had been allowed of similar changes, with the contempt of all military laws. Since when, I added, Sirs, of the subordinates chiefs believe myself authorized in withdrawn from the command of their generals, to create themselves and to replace their place? Where would be, Sirs, our armies, if each one were constituted thus in généralat? There would be no more whereas confusion and anarchy; but, me, which am your chief, I will not suffer such an infringement, destructive of all the principles of military discipline. Mr. the Viscount of Scépeaux is only recognized by the king as general-in-chief of our departments. You were to initially to subject your plan him; and it was by my body which were to be to him made your requests. Here is the military hierarchy. You speak about a new organization; to which you subjected it? Who approved it? Which hold you your capacities? I recognize in our armies only that which is in practice.

-- Not Sirs, I repeat it to you; I will not suffer from similar abuses, and I will promptly inform the general of disorder which reigns here. Of which right Mr. de Peyssac it took the command of Mr. Rochambeau?

-- It has, say to me, given its resignation.

-- Eh well, Sirs, you were to inform me, so that I gave an account of it to the general, who only has the right to name with higher employment; I hear that all is given on the old foot, and I order with Mr. de Peyssac to make assemble tomorrow the officers.

Then turning me towards the republican officer, whom I suspected being the author of all this upheaval:

-- What, I say to him, Sir, hardly entered our rows, and already you claim at the station of independent general! it is a outraged and not very modest ambition…

It appeared embarrassed, disconcerted… I broke our maintenance, and asked that one was useful to us with supper, to then go to rest me.

I went the following day, after the mass, with the farm which I had indicated for the place of the appointment. Before going there, I discussed some time with the priest the canton and several officers, with whom I made feel all the odious one and the danger of the intrigue, in which one had engaged them. They were appropriate that they had been easily deceived. I arrived at the farm, where I found Rochambeau. Addressing to me then to him:

-- Mr Rochambeau, I say to him, I was extremely surprised that you had given your resignation to others that with me; I was to receive it to make it pass to the general and take his orders. Consequently, will know, Sirs, whom one cannot create oneself.

Rochambeau says to me that these Sirs had asked it to him for the good of the service, and that this reason had made it yield to the proposal that one had made him.

-- Eh well! me, I say to you that the good of the service and the country requires that you take again your command, and I order it to you.

the republican captain had believed to have to exempt itself to be at the assembly. I firmly prescribed in Rochambeau to make respect his authority, and to intimate to the captain the order to turn over to his company, and not to suffer more in the future from similar disorders.

All the officers appeared extremely content with the resolution that I had just expressed. They were excused near me of their error. They was almost all of young people, little with the fact of the service, and who had acted by the influence of the chiefs. Rochambeau thanked me while crying; he says to me that he would have died of sorrow of a nuisance which he had not deserved, and promised to me that he would behave in the future with as much firmness than he fought; it was indisputably the most tempted to form new intrigues. I rode a horse, and says to him, while leaving, that I would return days soon to ensure me by myself of the re-establishment of the order in this country. It left me the tears with the eyes, so much it was satisfied. "

Baroche-under-Lucé

At the end 1794, their gatherings had actually acquired a certain importance. They had disarmed all the boroughs of the country and even two small towns of the district of Unpleasant-the-Juhel Mayenne, and Ambrières; but a fastener directed against the quartering of Baroche-under-Lucé (Orne), which contained about fifty men, by an about equal number of chouans of the division of the Sharecropper, failed completely. The quartering, disseminated in three separated stations, was defended courageously on all the points. The principal attack against the presbytery, where were contained the command and the officers, by the Sharecropper himself, was conducted mollement, and the attackers dispersed randomly, without folding up itself on the other detachments. There were some deaths of both dimensioned. Billiards received three wounds, which it empécha not to charge on its shoulders the corpse with a comrade who had just been killed beside him, to conceal it with the enemy; " but a new fire forced me to give up it, for the first and last time in all the actions where I was ". He was always the first with the danger.

Ribay

The night of 4 to the 5, Rochambeau and its band invade the borough of Ribay, where a quartering is cut off under the orders from the Antelle Captain, cut down the tree of freedom, burn papers of the town hall, disarm the gendarmes and remove them…

Capture

After the pacification of 1796, the insurrectionists had remained hidden in the country. But, the 19 meadow Year VI (June 7th 1798), following treason, on the authorities of these friends, the unfortunate one left its retirement, came has an appointment is saying to meet the alleged ones emigrated. There, six gendarmes disguised as emigrants tightened a ambush to him and stopped it in the farm of Plissonnière, close to the village of Launay with Leroux, said Pleasant the , farmer with the Horps, one of its aide-de-camps the official report of its arrest exists with the files of Mayenne: official reports of the gendarmerie of the district of Lassay, year VI - Year VIII .

Execution

Rochambeau and Leroux, known as Pleasant the , were led to Laval, and from there directed on Tours. They appeared there before the council of war on Thermidor 5 An VI (July 23rd 1798). They were shown to preserve weapons. After a seven hours meeting, the military commission chaired by the Vimeux general, ordering 22e military division, condemned the two defendants to the capital punishment, Rochambeau in the majority of six votes, Leroux unanimously. The sentence was confirmed by the draft board on Thermidor 7 An VI (July 25th 1798). He were shot with Tours on Thermidor 8 An VI (July 26th 1798).

There exists with the files of the Sarthe (War and armed in the department with the Sarthe under the Revolution/Lutte against the royal armies with the West/L 196. - Bundle, 258 parts paper. /28 meadow: sending by the general Vimeux of the statement of arrest of Sharecropper, known as Rochambeau, called the Invincible one and the Pleasant one.

Succession

Michel Garnier, known as intrepid the Crown succeeded Rochambeau with the head of the troops.

Quatrevingt-Treize

Its exploits were used for Victor Hugo for his novel Quatrevingt-Treize:

Will know initially that monseigneur the marquis, before being locked up in this tower where you hold it blocked, distributed the war between six chiefs, its lieutenants; it gave to Delière the country between the road of Brest and the road of Entrée; with Treton country between Roë and Laval; with Jacquet, known as Taillefer , the edge of the High-Maine; with Gaullier, known as Large-Pierre , Castle-Gontier; with Lecomte, Craon; Ferns, with Mister Dubois-Guy, and all the Mayenne with Mister de Rochambeau; so that nothing is finished for you by the catch of this fortress, and that, at the time same as monseigneur the marquis would die, the Vendée of God and of the King will not die.

Sources

Edmond Leblanc, Studies on the Revolution in the Low-Maine ;
Ferdinand Gaugain, History of the Revolution in the Mayenne ;
Leon Dubreuil, History of the insurrections of the West ;
Pierre of Gorce, religious History of the French revolution , 1912;
Leguicheux-Gallienne, the church of the Mans during the Revolution - memories on religious persecution at the end of… , 1869;
Elie Baker, the war of the Vendée will not take place ;
Marcel R. Reinhard, the Department of the the Sarthe under the Directorial Mode ;
Jean Morvan, the Chouans of the Mayenne, 1792 - 1796 ;
Jacques Duchemin of Cépeaux, Letters on the origin of the Chouannerie and on the Chouans of the Low-Maine ;
Leon of Sicotière, Louis de Frotté and the insurrections Normans - 1793 - 1832 ;
Xavier Of Boisrouvray, Memories of a Chouan - 1792 - 1802, Claude-Augustin Tercier ;
Michel Mill, Memories of Michelot Mill on the Chouannerie Norman ;
Company of modern history, Publications Is fructidor , Paris, 1863;
Gerard Walter, Repertory of the history of the French revolution - work published of 1800 with 1940 ;
Jacques Duchemin of Cépeaux, Memories of the Chouannerie , Laval, H. Godbert, 1855;
Alexandre Billard of Calves, Memories of Calf Billiards (Alexandre), former Vendean chief, or Biography of the outstanding characters of the chouannery and the Vendée , 1832;
War and army in the department of the the Sarthe under the Revolution /L 196. - Bundle, 258 parts paper;
Re-examined historical and archaeological of Maine , Monnoyer Printing works, 1888
Victor Hugo, Quatrevingt-Treize .

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