121:. Those released included the former mayor from the days before the revolution, Louis-Jules Boessel-Dubuisson. Boessel-Dubuisson now interceded on behalf of his Republican "patriot" fellow townsfolk, and procured their release. Various other republican prisoners were released in return for a promise that they would not take up arms again against the Royalists. These had their heads shaved so that if they failed to keep their promise they would be easy to identify. Meanwhile, a few acts of pillage by insurgents were identified and two men were shot.
105:. The local authorities gave the order to destroy the bridge connecting the little hamlet of Ville Chérel with Pontorson which could have impeded the progress of the counter-revolutionaries, but this order was not implemented. The republicans then assembled an ad hoc peasant army of 5,000 or 6,000 from the surrounding area to defend Avranches, but without any weapons this force simply melted away when they saw the knights on horse-back at the head of the "cavalier"
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was informed that there were still a number of counter revolutionary rebels hiding in and around the town. He ordered that the town and surrounding villages be combed by troops: this led to the discovery and capture of about 800 identified as rebel royalists. Most of these were injured or sick.
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where, it was rumoured, they might be able to join up with a force from
England. They left behind in Avranches their wounded and sick, to be cared for in the church, as well as some women and children who had been accompanying their army, all under the protection of a "rear guard" under the command
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arrived during the afternoon and successfully overran some suburbs before setting about the walls of the main town. However, they had no siege equipment and there was no sign of any supporting
English army arriving. At some stage there were cries of "treason" from within their ranks which led to
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Most of the
Republican city administrators simply fled. Some, however, along with some soldiers, were captured and imprisoned. At the same time, some of the suspected anti-Republicans who had been languishing in the town jail before the arrival of the Vendée army were now liberated by the Vendée
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Learning that the Vendéens had left between 55 and 60 of their people, injured or ill, in the town hospital, one of the first concerns of the council was to order that these be shot. The victims were led from the hospital to a field nearby where they were killed by a firing squad. The council
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fueled the town council's concerns, accusing the townsfolk of cowardice or treason: "In a few more days, dear comrade citizens, I hope to be able to announce the annihilation of the new Vendée by the
Channel and to incinerate, if necessary, the infamous Avranchinais(es)"
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Nous nous sommes occupĂ©s, sans perdre de temps, des moyens de dĂ©couvrir et de livrer au glaive de la loi ces ĂŞtres lâches et perfides qui, sans avoir le courage de se joindre Ă la horde fanatique, ont partagĂ© ses forfaits en lui indiquant des patriotes Ă piller et Ă
416:«Aussitôt que nous avons été informés que l'armée scélérate avait évacué la ville, nous nous sommes empressés d'y rentrer et de reprendre nos fonctions. Un de nos premiers soins a été de faire fusiller 55 à 60 de ces coquins, qui étaient à l'hôpital.
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became a decisive defeat for the royalist counter-revolutionaries, and without any obvious plan for this eventuality they returned inland in some disarray, heading initially for
Avranches and then moving back towards
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They were now taken to the
Plateau de Changeons on the edge of town where they were grouped together and en circled by three musketeer battalions which fired into the group until there were none left alive.
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Retribution continued for several days, with people suspected of having joined the Vendéens imprisoned or killed. A number of bodies were later recovered of people who had drowned in the
243:"Encore quelques jours, citoyens collègues, et j'espère vous annoncer l'anéantissement de la nouvelle Vendée de la Manche et brûler, s'il est nécessaire, l'infâme Avranches1"
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the
Massacre of Avranches generated passionate and contrasting interpretations from commentators, throughout and beyond the nineteenth century.
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civil war decree that any town taken by the Vendée without a fight should be consigned to flames. The "Représentant"
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entered
Avranches. The town's republican administration was quickly restored, but they were desperate to avoid the
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was able to capture
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Report of the republican administrators of
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and the republican forces confronted one another nearby in what would come to be known as the
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The next day, 14 November, reinforced by a small number of sympathisers, the
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ordering that the town should be burned down. Their concern was based on a
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Représentant en mission (government agent accompanying the republican forces)
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on 18 November, by now pursued by a republican force of 6,000 men from the
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of approximately 800 counter-revolutionary prisoners by Republican troops.
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that broke out in the west of France between 1793 and 1796, during the
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Descriptive and Historical Sketches of Avranches and its vicinity
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Yves Gras, La Guerre de Vendée, éditions Economica, 1994, p. 102
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that had originated in the Vendée, and like many aspect of the
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Although Avranches itself is some distance to the north of the
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approaching along the road from the west. The army from the
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sent a suitably worded report of the affair to the powerful
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took place on 21 November 1793 in the context of the savage
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while trying to escape. Others were simply shot by the
320:. V. Tribbouillard (printer), Avranches. pp. 81–91.
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On 21 November 1793, while the counter revolutionary
482:Massacres committed by the French First Republic
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146:Jacques-Nicolas de Fleuriot de La Freulière
166:panic and a disorderly withdrawal. The
77:, their numbers swollen by volunteers in
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93:. On 13 November, approaching from
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472:1793 events of the French Revolution
161:was not far from Avranches, and the
133:of two of their generals, the aging
16:1793 executions in Avranches, France
487:Massacres of the War in the Vendée
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370:La chouannerie dans l'Avranchin
181:Army of the Coasts of Cherbourg
89:in order to attack the port of
75:Vendée counter-revolutionaries
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128:resumed their march towards
289:"Massacre d'Avranches 1793"
238:Jean-Baptiste Le Carpentier
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251:Committee of Public Safety
199:Jacques LĂ©onard Laplanche
196:government representative
293:Historiquement guerrier
270:"Carpentier Commission"
218:Catholic and Royal Army
183:, under the command of
33:killing by firing squad
497:1793 murders in France
367:FĂ©lix Jourdan (1907).
258:Représentant Laplanche
343:Les Guerres de Vendée
314:James Hairby (1841).
48:counter-revolutionary
31:. It involved the
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345:. pp. 295–298.
234:National Convention
448:48.6850°N 1.3556°W
387:on 5 February 2016
168:siege of Granville
135:Charles de Royrand
101:, they marched on
25:"Vendée" civil war
21:Avranches massacre
492:History of Manche
477:Massacres in 1793
380:978-2-91487-427-4
224:, troops sent by
55:War in the Vendée
29:French Revolution
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256:The same day,
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389:. Retrieved
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67:sweep north
466:Categories
436:48°41′06″N
391:5 February
299:3 February
276:References
253:in Paris.
61:Background
439:1°21′20″W
173:Pontorson
159:Granville
130:Granville
117:general,
103:Avranches
99:Pontorson
91:Granville
37:Avranches
212:Massacre
194:and the
87:Normandy
79:Brittany
179:-based
73:of the
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111:Vendée
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107:force
83:Maine
51:force
393:2016
375:ISBN
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177:Caen
144:and
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95:Dol
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