Battle of Juvigné – Wikipedia

The Battle of Juvigné Opposed Chouans and Republicans during the Chouannerie wars.

In the month of April 1796 , while Boisguy fought in the country of Avranches, Joseph de Puisaye went to the Vitré division and settled in the Hurlières, in Châtillon-en-Vendelais. Puisaye gave the order to Alexis du Bouays de Couësbouc, Toussaint du Breil de Pontbriand, Henri du Boishamon and Chabert to join him, establish their cantonments in the surroundings and stay there for a few days. Once Puisaye had gathered the entire Vitré division, he declared his intention to want to install his headquarters in Juvigné. Pontbriand, however, represented reservations, because the whole population was not a royalist in this town, moreover, since the submission of the Vendée, republican reinforcements were likely to come from Mayenne. Puisaye did not change his plan, however and he ordered Pontbriand to post in Saint-Pierre-des-Landes and Chabert to go to Saint-Hilaire-du-Maine. For its part Pontbriand sent Louis Hubert to watch Ernée.

Two days after the meeting, Hubert returned to Pontbriand, telling him that a troupe of Republicans were behind him. Pontbriand sent to seek Couësbouc and ordered the troop to fall back instead which served as a gathering in the event of a alert. However, he collided with the opposition of Couësbouc, who despite the protests of his officers, did not want to withdraw before having seen the enemy. Couësbouc approached and pulled a gunshot which killed a republican, then retreated. Luckily for the Chouans, the Republicans believed that they were near an ambush and stopped. The Chouans took advantage of it and withdrew outside the town. A little further the whole Division of Vitré rushed to the meeting place and gathered. As the Chouans reorganized, Pontbriand learned that the division Brutal , commanded by Gustave Hay de Bonteville was near. Pontbriand therefore sent them a letter asking him to take the Republicans in reverse. For their part, all the chouans of the Pays de Veréré got along behind fairly low ditches located in front of Juvigné. The Chabert brothers commanded the center; Pontbriand, the right flank and Boishamon, the left side.

Captain Pierre Carré, says Piquet , took the head of a group of 30 men and was responsible for attracting the Republicans into the ambush. Meanwhile, Coster de Saint-Victor, the lieutenant of Couësbouc crossed the line, ordering the order to pull only at staunch. Piquet succeeds in attracting Blue And fell back, pursued very closely by the Republican skirmishers. However, these, attacked, discovered the ambush and managed to join the column.

Warrant Officer Jean-Daniel œhlert then walked on the positions of the Chouans in order to remove them from vivid strength. According to Pontbriand, œhlert commanded a mobile column of 900 men, plus the territorial guards of Ernée and an artillery detachment on foot. He also ordered to dreaded tirailleurs in Chouans, because in the event of a republican victory, these troops of runners caused the Chouans’ damage to the Chouans that could not do online soldiers.

However, the discharge of the Chouans was here particularly deadly. On the right flank, Ponbriand led a load to the bayonet that put the Blue on the run. Shortly after, the chouans charged on all sides and broke the line of the republicans who recung. Gustave Hay de Bonteville, however, arrived too late to cut their retirement.

During retirement, œhlert discovered an excellent position with a windmill and rallied his troops hoping to stop the pursuit of the chouans. But the republican soldiers were completely demoralized and flee from the start of the attack, they were chased into the suburbs of Ernée.

Arrived in front of the city of Ernée, the chouans hesitated to attack it. Bonteville had joined the troop and most of the officers opted for the attack. It was at this moment that Puisaye arrived with his staff from the Croixille, where he was at the start of the fight. The officers reported to him the events of the fight and Puisaye congratulated all the officers of their actions but gave the order not to attack Ernée.

Puisaye then addressed the soldiers and delivered a speech at the end of which all the Chouans shouted “Long live the king!”. These cries were so strong that the Republicans heard them from the city. They doubted to be able to repel an attack and deliberate to evacuate the city.

Puisaye then commanded him to Lieutenant-Colonel Louis Hubert and gave him the cross of Saint-Louis to the applause of his comrades. The chouans then withdrew, abandoning Ernée.

• Christian Le Boutellier, The revolution in the country of Fougères , Archaeological and historical society of the district of Fougères, 1989
• Toussaint du Breil de Pontbriand, Mémes you colonel the pontbriend , 1897