Prairial Ever since Thermidor, moderates in the Convention have been trying to suppress the Jacobin movement responsible for the worst of the Terror. This has proved difficult with the shortage of food supplies brought on by the harshest of winter conditions in living memory. Demonstrations are common place, and no-one was surprised when the tocsin rang out in the Saint Antoine district of Paris on Prairial 1 (20th May). The bread ration had been cut to 60 grammes per day of black bread and this was composed partly of sawdust, beans and chestnuts! The Sans culottes motivated by their desperate situation took to the streets and soon thousands were marching on the convention. One Deputy to the Convention, Ferand, was killed as the crowd knocked down the gates to the Assembly. With his head held aloft on a pike they entered the chamber and forced the president, Baissy d'Anglas, to withdraw. The moderate deputies stood aside, and the 'Montagnards' took their chance, or so they thought, to grasp power. With their apparent success the insurgents drifted away to their homes that evening only to find that by morning, the arrival of troops allowed the moderates to return and arrest the ringleaders of the revolt. News of this quickly circulated and once again the Sans culottes took to the streets. This time they found their way barred by regular troops. Playing for time the Deputies agreed to meet a few petitioners, and the rebels allowed the opportunity to seize power pass them by. By the next morning, the 3rd day of unrest, General Menon at the head of thousands of troops had entered Paris. Supported by Kilmaine, Brune and Murat, he had the Saint Antoine district surrounded. Although barricades were erected, with the leaders under arrest, there was no clear plan for the rebels and so they capitulated. 10,000 Sans culottes were arrested and 36 of the ringleaders sentenced to death. Although shaken by the strength of the riots, the arrest of so many Jacobins has left the moderates in the Convention in a stronger position than ever before. La Mort du petit Capet For three years the son of Louis XVI, known as young Louis Capet, has been a prisoner in the Temple. News has leaked out that suffering from the appalling conditions of his confinement he has been taken ill, and died before Doctors have had the chance to take any action. Whilst not 'officially admitted' it would appear to be true, as the Comte de Provence, ensconced in Verona, has published a pamphlet announcing the death of King Louis XVII. With the unrest in Paris, news has been difficult to obtain but Émigré nobles, lead by the Comté d'Artois seem to be plotting a Royalist attack on Brittany. Certainly rumours abound that Charette has again taken up arms in the Vendee and that General Hoche is rushing troops to the area. Back to Table of Contents -- First Empire #24 Back to First Empire List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1995 by First Empire. This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com