13 Vendémiaire
In March 1793, armed insurrection erupted in the Vendée region of western France. This uprising stemmed from the Revolution's strongly anti-Catholic stance that alienated many Roman Catholics. A rebel army titled Armée catholique et royale formed under leaders such as François de Charette de la Contrie and Maurice d'Elbée. These rebels became known as Chouans, a name derived from early Royalist leader Jean Cottereau's nickname Jean Chouan. The Armée catholique et royale quickly secured British support and achieved promising victories against Revolutionary armies. The Revolutionary Committee of Public Safety ordered General Jean-Baptiste Carrier to pacify the region. Over several months, Carrier ruthlessly suppressed the rebellion with forces dubbed the infernal columns by the local population. On the 22nd of December 1793, the Chouan rebellion subsided following a major defeat at the Battle of Savenay.
Following the 9th Thermidor, those Chouans willing to lay down arms received amnesty from the reformed National Convention. The Chouans responded by attacking the Republican-held town of Guémené-sur-Scorff on the 28th of January 1795. The Convention immediately ordered General Louis Lazare Hoche to proceed to the Vendée and force the Chouans to agree to a cessation of hostilities. Hoche quickly defeated the Chouan army and on the 17th of February François de Charette de la Contrie signed a very generous peace settlement. A small contingent of Royalists under the command of General Jean-Nicolas Stofflet and the fanatical Etienne-Alexandre Bernier refused to accept the peace settlement. They were supported by the British in the form of 4,000 émigrés placed under the command of émigré Générals Joseph de Puisaye and Hermilly. Hearing of this, de Charette de la Contrie broke the peace agreement and reopened hostilities. By early July, Hermilly had been forced out of Auray and was besieged in the Fortress of Penthièvre. Despite these failures, the Comte d'Artois landed at Île d'Yeu with 1,000 émigrés and 2,000 British troops. Bolstered by this force, the Royalist troops began marching on Paris in early October 1795.
The Convention declared its intention to remain in their meeting rooms until the crisis was resolved. It called for the formation of three battalions of Patriots to be raised from the Jacobin military staff dismissed after 9 Thermidor. Général Jean-François, baron de Menou was given command of the defence of the capital. He was severely outnumbered with only 5,000 troops on hand to resist the Royalist army of 25,000 men. On 12 Vendémiaire (the 4th of October 1795), the National Guard arrived in Le Peletier in an attempt to put down the unrest. The Military Committee of the Sections of the Capital under the command of Jean-Thomas-Élisabeth Richer de Sérizy announced that the decrees of the convention were no longer recognised. Général Louis Michel Auguste Thévenet took command of the National Guard in the Le Peletier section. Menou divided his force into three columns and planned an advance into Le Peletier on the evening of 12 Vendémiaire. When the advance was set to begin, Despierres reported that he was unwell and unable to proceed, and Verdière refused to advance. Menou timidly advanced towards the Royalist force, inviting the rebels to discuss terms of their dispersal. He withdrew after receiving the insurgents' promise to disarm.
Young General Napoleon Bonaparte arrived at the Convention around this time to find out what was happening. He was quickly ordered to join Barras' forces mustering for the defence of the Republic. Bonaparte accepted, but only on the condition that he was granted complete freedom of movement. At 1 am on 13 Vendémiaire (the 5th of October), Bonaparte overrode Barras, who was content to let him do as he wished. Bonaparte ordered Joachim Murat, a sous-lieutenant in the 12ème Régiment de Chasseurs à Cheval, to ride to the plain of Sablons and to return with the 40 cannon which Menou had indicated were located there. Murat's squadron retrieved the cannons before the Royalists arrived and Bonaparte organised their arrangement, placing them in commanding areas with effective fields of fire. The Republican forces were outnumbered approximately 6 to 1, but they held their perimeter all the same. At 5 am, a probing attack by the Royalist forces was repulsed. Five hours later, the major Royalist assault by 7,000 men began. The Republican forces held their perimeter, the cannons firing grapeshot into the massed Royalist forces.
Scottish philosopher and historian Thomas Carlyle later famously recorded that, on this occasion, Bonaparte gave his opponent a Whiff of Grapeshot. He stated that the thing we specifically call French Revolution is blown into space by it. That phrase marks the ending of the French Revolution according to Carlyle's interpretation. The phrase is often ascribed to Bonaparte himself, but the words are probably Carlyle's. At the close of the battle, around three hundred Royalists lay dead on the streets of Paris. The effect of the grapeshot and the volleys from the Patriot forces caused the Royalist attack to waver. Bonaparte commanded throughout the two-hour engagement, and survived unscathed despite having his horse shot from under him. The Patriot battalions supporting the artillery also cut down the advancing Royalist ranks. A counterattack led by Murat's squadron of chasseurs closed out the fighting.
After the defeat of the Royalist insurrection, the threat to the convention was extinguished. On the 19th of October all the officers in the army had to prove for the Committee of Public Safety where they were on the days around 13 Vendémiaire. On Sunday the 25th of October the National Convention declared itself dissolved and voted for a general amnesty for deeds exclusively connected with the Revolution. Not long after the Directoire and Council of Five Hundred was installed; the Committee of Public Safety disappeared. Napoleon was appointed as General in Chief of the Army of the Interior. Bonaparte became a national hero, and was quickly promoted to Général de Division. Within five months, he was given command of the French army conducting operations in Italy. The defeated Royalists, in an effort to portray the Republican defense as a massacre, nicknamed Bonaparte Général Vendémiaire. He later claimed this title would be his first title of glory.
Abel Gance portrayed 13 Vendémiaire in act iii of his silent production Napoléon. The first episode of the 2002 miniseries Napoléon portrays the battle of 13 Vendémiaire. The events are also depicted in the 2023 film Napoleon. These cinematic works bring historical details to life through visual storytelling. Directors use the battle to illustrate pivotal moments in revolutionary history. The imagery of cannons firing grapeshot into massed crowds appears across multiple productions. Historical accuracy varies between these interpretations but all acknowledge the strategic importance of the engagement. Modern audiences encounter this moment through screen adaptations that emphasize its significance for Napoleon's rise to power.
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Common questions
What happened during the 13 Vendémiaire battle between French Revolutionary troops and Royalists?
On the 5th of October 1795, Republican forces under Napoleon Bonaparte defeated a Royalist army of 25,000 men with only 5,000 troops. The engagement ended after two hours when cannons fired grapeshot into massed Royalist ranks, leaving around three hundred dead on the streets of Paris.
Who commanded the Republican forces at the 13 Vendémiaire battle in 1795?
Napoleon Bonaparte commanded the Republican forces during the 13 Vendémiaire battle on the 5th of October 1795. He ordered Joachim Murat to retrieve 40 cannons from the plain of Sablons and arranged them for effective fields of fire against the advancing Royalists.
When did the 13 Vendémiaire battle take place according to the script text?
The 13 Vendémiaire battle occurred on the 5th of October 1795, which corresponds to the date 13 Vendémiaire in the revolutionary calendar. The fighting began at 5 am with a major Royalist assault that was repulsed by Republican artillery.
Why is the 13 Vendémiaire battle significant to Napoleon's career?
Following the victory at the 13 Vendémiaire battle, Napoleon became a national hero and was quickly promoted to Général de Division. Within five months he received command of the French army conducting operations in Italy after being appointed General in Chief of the Army of the Interior.
How many Royalists died during the 13 Vendémiaire engagement in Paris?
Around three hundred Royalists lay dead on the streets of Paris following the close of the 13 Vendémiaire battle. The grapeshot and volleys from Patriot forces caused the Royalist attack to waver before Murat's squadron closed out the fighting.