Massacres of the South (1551-1815): Celebrated CrimesDumas, Alexandre
History
Massacres of the South (1551-1815): Celebrated Crimes
Dumas, Alexandre
Crime
Beyond the village of Conans, General Gilly met an orderly sent to him
by Colonel Saint-Laurent to inform him that he, the colonel, had
occupied Pont Saint-Esprit, and that the Duc d’Angouleme, finding
himself thus caught between two fires, had just sent General d’Aultanne,
chief of staff in the royal army, to him, to enter into negotiations for
a surrender. Upon this, General Gilly quickened his advance, and on
reaching Pont-Saint-Esprit found General d’Aultanne and Colonel
Saint-Laurent conferring together at the Hotel de la Poste.
As Colonel Saint-Laurent had received his instructions directly from the
commander-in-chief, several points relating to the capitulation had
already been agreed upon; of these General Gilly slightly altered some,
and approved of the others, and the same day the following convention
was signed:
“Convention concluded between General Gilly and Baron de Damas
“S.A.R. Mgr. le Duc d’Angouleme, Commander-in-Chief of the royal army in
the South, and Baron de Gilly, General of Division and
Commander-in-Chief of the first corps of the Imperial Army, being most
anxiously desirous to prevent any further effusion of French blood, have
given plenary powers to arrange the terms of a convention to S.A.R. M.
le Baron de Damas, Field-Marshal and Under-Chief of Staff, and General
de Gilly and Adjutant Lefevre, Chevalier of the Legion of Honour, and
Chief of the Staff of the first Army Corps; who, having shown each other
their respective credentials, have agreed on the following terms:—
“Art. 1. The royal army is to be disbanded; and the National Guards
which are enrolled in it, under whatever name they may have been levied,
will return to their homes, after laying down their arms. Safe conducts
will be provided, and the general of division commanding-in-chief
guarantees that they shall never be molested for anything they may have
said or done in connection with the events preceding the present
convention.
“The officers will retain their swords; the troops of the line who form
part of this army will repair to such garrisons as may be assigned to
them.
“Art. 2. The general officers, superior staff officers and others of all
branches of the service, and the chiefs and subordinates of the
administrative departments, of whose names a list will be furnished to
the general-in-chief, will retire to their homes and there await the
orders of His Majesty the Emperor.
“Art. 3. Officers of every rank who wish to resign their commissions are
competent to do so. They will receive passports for their homes.
“Art. 4. The funds of the army and the lists of the paymaster-general
will be handed over at once to commissioners appointed for that purpose
by the commander-in-chief.
“Art. 5. The above articles apply to the corps commanded by Mgr. le Duc
d’Angouleme in person, and also to those who act separately but under
his orders, and as forming part of the royal army of the South.
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