FIGHTING THE FRENCH REVOLUTION

Sub-titled ' The Great Vendée Rising of 1793', France was facing foreign invasion along its borders and a fierce political war was raging in Paris when a large-scale revolt, centred on the western Department of the Vendée, suddenly erupted, almost bringing the new-born French Republic to its knees. The immediate trigger for this Great War was the attempted imposition of conscription, but the region seethed at the erosion of its traditional values and way of life. The persecution of the Catholic Church and killing of the king symbolised to the Vendéens how dangerous the new Republic had become. In a matter of weeks, tens of thousands had flocked to fight for the 'Catholic and Royal' cause. Crammed with detail and very readable, specifically the Counter Revolution, the 50 plus maps are exceptional, and particularly useful for those interested in battle strategy or wargaming. There are appendices which give brief descriptions of the major players on both sides, and composition of the forces month by month. In all it is the story of the New Republic's ferocious military campaigns against the armies of the Vendée, which fiercely defied them between March and December 1793, tying down hundreds of thousands of troops desperately needed on the frontiers. Napoleon later called it 'The War of the Giants', and it directly led to the implementation of some of the Republic's most extreme laws. 50 maps, 376pp.