Key Facts
- Date
- 3 January 1794
- Prisoners executed
- 1,200–1,500
- Vendean occupation began
- 12 October 1793
- Notable prisoner executed
- Maurice d'Elbée, former Vendean generalissimo
- Causeway link to mainland
- Gois causeway
Strategic Narrative Overview
Republican forces landed on Noirmoutier on the morning of 3 January 1794, swiftly overcoming resistance at Pointe de la Fosse and the village of Barbâtre and securing the island's entire southern portion. That afternoon they advanced on the town of Noirmoutier, where the Vendeans surrendered under a promise that their lives would be spared. General Haxo accepted the capitulation, but the battle followed closely on the Republican victory at Savenay, which had already shattered Vendean forces in the Galerne campaign.
01 / The Origins
General Charette's Vendean royalist forces seized the island of Noirmoutier in the Bay of Bourgneuf on 12 October 1793, alarming the Committee of Public Safety, which feared British intervention on behalf of the royalists. Charette attempted to contact Britain via schooner in December 1793 but received no reply, leaving the island strategically isolated. The Republican government resolved to retake it as part of its broader effort to crush the Vendean insurrection.
03 / The Outcome
Despite General Haxo's promise of clemency, the representatives on mission — Prieur de la Marne, Turreau, and Bourbotte — ordered the execution of 1,200 to 1,500 prisoners over the following days, including Maurice d'Elbée. With Noirmoutier retaken and the Vendean armies destroyed at Savenay, Republican commanders believed the insurrection was nearly finished. In mid-January 1794, Turreau launched his notorious infernal columns to eliminate the remaining insurgent bands.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
General Haxo, Prieur de la Marne, Turreau, Bourbotte.
Side B
1 belligerent
General Charette, Maurice d'Elbée.
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.