1453 General TALBOT

L’armée royale, forte d’au moins 8.000 hommes, installe un camp retranché à proximité de la cité. Elle se retranche solidement entre la Dordogne et un petit affluent, la Lidoire, à l’aplomb d’un gué, le pas de Rauzan. Un détachement occupe le prieuré de Saint-Florent, au nord de Castillon.

John Talbot attend de pied ferme à Bordeaux l’arrivée des ennemis, mais les Castillonnais le supplient de venir à leur secours et il finit par se laisser convaincre. C’est ainsi qu’avec ses Anglais et ses alliés gascons, au total 5.000 à 10.000 hommes, il remonte la Dordogne jusqu’à Libourne où il passe la nuit du 16 au 17 juillet. Le lendemain, sans attendre l’artillerie qui peine à avancer sur les chemins boueux, cavaliers et piétons se dirigent rapidement vers Castillon. Ils attaquent le prieuré. La petite garnison française se replie tant bien que mal vers le camp retranché, de l’autre côté de la Lidoire.
Là-dessus, les Castillonnais informent Talbot que les Français seraient en train de lever le camp !
Le général décide de les attaquer sans attendre. Las ! L’information était fausse… Quand les Anglais et les Gascons arrivent devant le fossé qui entoure le camp retranché, il sont accueillis par un bombardement nourri de toutes les bouches à feu. Les Anglo-gascons s’entêtent. Les cavaliers mettent pied à terre et combattent au corps à corps, arrivant même à planter un étendard sur la palissade du camp. Mais là-dessus, les Bretons qui campaient de l’autre côté de la Lidoire déboulent et se jettent dans la mêlée aux côtés de leurs alliés français.
C’est la débandade. Des assaillants se noient dans la Dordogne en tentant de fuir. Le vieux Talbot est désarçonné et achevé d’un coup de hâche. Son fils, son porte-étendard et un grand nombre de seigneurs anglo-gascons succombent également. L’affrontement se solde par 9.000 morts, blessés et prisonniers en quelques heures

Provincial independence was dear to the Guiennois; they were loyal in their hearts to Henry VI, and they chafed bitterly against the new taxes and the abrogation of old customs which the French conquest brought about. Within six months of the fall of Bayonne, Gascon nobles and burghers were visiting London in secret, to pledge their faith that the whole province would rise in arms the moment that an English army showed itself on the Gironde. When the appeal was made to him not to wreck this fair chance of resuming the struggle withFrance, York [Richard, Duke of York], as the advocate of a vigorous war policy, could hardly refuse his aid. He consented, and a great effort was made to raise an army for the invasion of Guienne. In July, 1452, the veteran Talbot, who had been created Earl of Shrewsbury some years before, was commissioned to raise 3,000 men for that enterprise.

« The struggle of York and Somerset was suspended for a year and more, while both parties gave their aid for this attempt to rescue the last remnant of the English dominion in France. Talbot landed on October 17 in the Médoc; on the 21st the Bordelais threw open their gates to him. Within a few weeks most of the places around the great city were once more English. Then came winter, and nearly six months of respite before the slow-moving Charles of France launched his armies against Guienne. By this time Talbot had received reinforcements from England under his son Lord Lisle; with their aid he won back Fronsac, which all through the reign of Henry VI had been the frontier fortress ofthe English territory in Guienne. It was only in July, 1453, that the French appeared, in overwhelming force, and laid siege to Castillon on the Dordogne.

« Talbot marched out to its relief, with every man, Gascon and English, that he could collect. On the 17th he fell furiously upon the besiegers, who were stockaded in a great entrenched camp. So well were they covered that the old earl did not see how he could turn his archery, the real strength of his army, to any account. Forming his whole force into a dense column, with the men-at-arms at the head, he marched straight at the trenches. Though torn to pieces by the French artillery, the assailants crossed the ditch, and strove time after time to force their way into the lines. They were repelled, and presently outlying contingents from other parts of the circumvallation came up, and began to take the English in flank and rear. At this moment Talbot was struck down by a cannon ball, which broke his leg. His sons and his body-squires fought fiercely in his defence, but were slain one after another. The French sallied out of their trenches, the English column broke up, and all was lost.  Talbot and Lisle were found dead side by side, and all the flower of their host had perished.

Jean Bureau, général d’Artillerie

Jean de Bueil

John Talbot, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury