Key Facts
- Start event
- Vendean retreat after Battle of Cholet, 17 Oct 1793
- End event
- Battle of Savenay, 23 December 1793
- Duration
- ~2 months (October–December 1793)
- Failed objective
- Capture of Granville to receive English reinforcements
- Decisive Republican commander
- General Kléber
Strategic Narrative Overview
The Vendean army marched through Brittany and Normandy in a desperate bid to take the port of Granville on 14 November 1793, but the assault failed. Unable to secure English reinforcements, the army fell back, losing cohesion and strength as Republican forces pursued them. The march, named for its northwestern direction — galerne meaning northwest wind in Breton — steadily wore down the royalist forces.
01 / The Origins
Following their defeat at the Battle of Cholet on 17 October 1793, the Vendean royalist army was forced to cross the Loire River northward. Seeking to sustain their uprising against the French Republic, the Vendeans hoped to reach Granville on the Normandy coast, where they anticipated receiving reinforcements and support from England and émigré forces loyal to the Bourbon monarchy.
03 / The Outcome
Republican troops under General Kléber cornered the remnants of the Vendean army at Savenay on 23 December 1793 and destroyed it. This battle marked the definitive end of the First War in the Vendée, effectively breaking organized large-scale Vendean military resistance, though smaller guerrilla conflicts persisted in the region in subsequent years.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Side B
1 belligerent
Jean-Baptiste Kléber.
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.