The commandant thereupon ranged his
soldiers in two equal parts, each with a front of ten men. Between
them, he placed the twelve recruits, to whom he hastily gave arms,
putting himself at their head. This little centre was protected by the
two wings, of twenty-five men each, which manoeuvred on either side of
the road under the orders of Merle and Gerard; their object being to
catch the Chouans on the flank and prevent them from posting
themselves as sharp-shooters among the trees, where they could pick
off the Blues without risk to themselves; for in these wars the
Republican troops never knew where to look for an enemy.
These arrangements, hastily made, gave confidence to the soldiers, and
they advanced in silence upon the Chouans. At the end of a few seconds
each side fired, with the loss of several men. At this moment the two
wings of the Republicans, to whom the Chouans had nothing to oppose,
came upon their flanks, and, with a close, quick volley, sent death
and disorder among the enemy. This manoeuvre very nearly equalized the
numerical strength of the two parties. But the Chouan nature was so
intrepid, their will so firm, that they did not give way; their losses
scarcely staggered them; they simply closed up and attempted to
surround the dark and well-formed little party of the Blues, which
covered so little ground that it looked from a distance like a
queen-bee surrounded by the swarm.
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