Nicolas Haxo

Partial source

Nicolas Haxo was born with Étival-Clairefontaine (the Vosges) the June 7th 1749. Wire of Benoit HAXO tabellion and clerk of the seigniory of Etival and Marie-madeleine ROSIERES. To died from his/her father the November 20th 1761 it will live in his/her uncle François HAXO with the Saint-Dié-of-Vosges. It follows studies in an establishment of the city and contrary to its entourage it moves towards the military career. It engages the February 21st 1768 with Strasbourg with the regiment of Touraine Infanterie. It is with Verdun that it is demobilized the February 21st 1777, after nine years of service, with the rank of quartermaster sergeant writer. He withdraws himself in Saint Dié where it is named to advise with the baillage.

In 1789, Nicolas Haxo be named ordering battalion of the national guard of SAINT-DIE. The March 7th 1790, at the time of the assembly of the national guards of the Vosges, it is selected as general major. June 1st 1790 it is elected second of the 36 members of the General advice of the department. 1791, the nation needs volunteers. Nicolas Haxo, engages in the first. The August 30th 1791 with Rambervillers, the battalion trained by the volunteers of the districts of Rambervillers, Saint-Dié, Heathers and the Principality of Salm meets to choose a chief. Nicolas HAXO is elected lientenant-colonel ordering the 3° battalion of the Vosges. This unit will take garrison with Obernai of the October 4th 1791 with the March 28th 1792. It will go then to Strasbourg, then in Phalsbourg. Making army of the Rhine bets ordered by Custines, the battalion of the Vosges paricipe to the combat of Pram, Spire, Mainz and Frankfurt.

See also: Head office of Mainz (1793)

During this marketing year 20.000 French soldiers, whose battalion of the Vosges, are encircled in the town of Mainz and will undergo a terrible seat. The garrison under the command of Kléber and Aubert of Bayet tries to get clear; Haxo has an exemplary control there. It is named brigadier general the June 29th. The troop, decimated by the diseases and the bombardments, capitulates the July 24th. It is a capitulation with the honors of the war, under the condition of not taking again the engagements against the armies of the coalition during one year. Not being able more to fight the enemies of outside, this army, which one called the army of Mayençais, was going to know other places to illustrate itself. Carnot will send it in the Vendée to fight the inhabitants risen against the Republic. All Vendée is insurgent and the republican troops, badly ordered, underwent only reverses hitherto. But the arrival of Mayençais is appreciated little by the chiefs in place and these resentments sometimes aurant harmful continuations on military operations. The generals mayençais Kléber, Bouin de Marigny, Haxo will be even relieved following a denunciation with the Comité of Public Hello. They were shown royalism. This decision was withdrawn at the end of November 1793.

One gives to Haxo for mission of reducing and of capturing Cart chief of risen of the Low-Vendée. He carries out a forwarding to take again the island of Noirmoutier, den of Cart. It will be its more beautiful feat of arms. The January 3rd the island is taken but Cart is not there any more. Emissary of the insurrectionists came to find Haxo to negotiate their rendering. The General gives his word: " I order of the French against insurgent French and since I can save the blood of the ones and others, I declare you that I promise the safe life with the Royalists who rendront" Without concern of the word given the representatives of the government Pierre-Louis Prior and Pierre Bourbotte made carry out all the garrison. Haxo protested in vain. The insurrection appeared in bad posture but the decision of the republican general Louis Marie Turreau to create the infernal Colonnes, gave again a new dash with the insurrectionists. Haxo continues the search for Cart without to obey the cruel orders of Turreau. " We are soldiers not torturers! "

The March 20th 1794, with the head of a column of 300 Haxo men has reference mark Cart close to the village of Clouzeaux. At the beginning of the combat, Haxo which is assembled in the bell-tower of the church, is wounded with the right-hand man by a ball having rebounded. The republicans try an exit but the Vendean ones are too numerous. Haxo is insulated as of his, it has to give up its horse. Continued by Vendean riders a new wound with the thigh immobilizes it. Leant with a oak it holds head with its saber until lieutenant the Vendée Arnauld completes it of a rifle shot. One says that Cart to declared " Which damage to have killed if brave man homme".

This narration of the combat of Clouzeaux is one of the many versions of the battle. The historians are agreement, neither on the date (20 or March 21st), nor on the place, some the situents with Venansault. In fact it is near this commune and of course the territory of Clouzeaux.

Haxo died without témois republican. Turreau which had not brought all the required assistance, does not hesitate to declare that Ci committed suicide to escape the enemy. This version will be even regarded as official for a long time. The body of the Haxo General would have been buried in a field near the manor of Gautronniére (Commune of Clouzeaux) and one would have planted on his tomb a genévrier. But this burial disappeared about the years 1890, maintaining thus a little more the legend which surrounds the end of Haxo. The name of Nicolas Haxo is reproduced on the bronze tables of the museum of Versailles with those of other generals died in the Field of Honor.

(According to the booklet published in 1994 by the Friends of the History of Etival-Clairefontaine)

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