The man in grey

The man in grey - Being episodes of the Chovan [i.e. Chouan] conspiracies in Normandy during the First Empire.

It has been a difficult task to piece together the fragmentary documents which alone throw a lightdim and flickering at the bestupon that mysterious personality known to the historians of the Napoleonic era as the Man in Grey. So very little is known about him. Age, appearance, domestic circumstances, everything pertaining to him has remained a matter of conjectureeven his name! In the reports sent by the all-powerful Minister to the Emperor he is invariably spoken of as "The Man in Grey." Once only does Fouch refer to him as "Fernand." Strange and mysterious creature! Nevertheless, he played an important partthe most important, perhapsin bringing to justice some of those reckless criminals who, under the cloak of Royalist convictions and religious and political aims, spent their time in pillage, murder and arson. Strange and mysterious creatures, too, these men so aptly named Chouansthat is, "chats-huants"; screech-owlssince they were a terror by night and disappeared within their burrows by day. A world of romance lies buried within the ruins of the chteaux which gave them shelterTournebut, Bouvesse, Donnai, Pllan. A world of mystery encompasses the names of their leaders and, above all, those of the womenladies of high degree and humble peasants alikeoften heroic, more often misguided, who supplied the intrigue, the persistence, the fanatical hatred which kept the fire of rebellion smouldering and spluttering even while it could not burst into actual flame. D'Ach, Cadoudal, Frott, Armand le Chevallier, Marquise de Combray, Mme. Aquet de Frollesthe romance attaching to these names pales beside that which clings to the weird anonymity of their henchmen"Dare-Death," "Hare-Lip," "Fear-Nought," "Silver-Leg," and so on. Theirs were the hands that struck whilst their leaders plannedthey were the screech-owls who for more than twenty years terrorised the western provinces of France and, in the name of God and their King, committed every crime that could besmirch the Cause which they professed to uphold. ......Buy Now (To Read More)

Product details

Ebook Number: 68172
Author: Orczy, Emmuska Orczy
Release Date: May 25, 2022
Format: eBook
Language: English
Publisher: A. L. Burt Company
Publication Date: 1918
Publisher Country: United States