Saint of Anjou

Jacques Cathelineau

Tough guy.

Wikipedia:

Generalissimo Jacques Cathelineau (1759 – 1793) was a French Vendéan insurrectionist leader during the Revolution. He was known among his followers as the Saint of Anjou.

He was a well known peddler in Anjou. When the Kingdom of France was abolished and the French First Republic was established, the revolutionaries committed atrocities against the civilians of the Vendée during the Reign of Terror. Cathelineau rallied an army of peasants loyal to the monarchy and the Church and waged an uprising against the revolutionaries, capturing several villages and castles, leading more volunteers to follow him.

As the War in the Vendée grew in success, Cathelineau joined forces with other counterrevolutionary leaders and was made generalissimo of the Catholic and Royal Army. He inspired his troops by fighting alongside them on the front lines, which proved to be his downfall. In the summer of 1793, while he and his men were storming the city of Nantes, Cathelineau was shot down by a sniper and died soon afterwards. Without his leadership the royalists were defeated and soon they broke up into different factions. After the Bourbon Restoration, in honour of the heroism and sacrifices of Cathelineau, his family were ennobled.

I read something about the war in the Vendee once. Never heard of this guy before, or I forgot about him, as I will again in a bit.

Via Barnhardt Meme Barrage