two o'clock
He had entrusted the retreat of the army to General Bourbotte , who , in spite of their quarrel at Angers , was serving with him ; and without staying even to ascertain what was the amount of loss he had sustained , or to see whether the enemy would harass the army as it retreated , he had separated from it at Amaillou , and reached the château about ten o'clock in the evening . He had with him a couple of guides , who knew the country well , and accompanied by these , he resolved to attack Clisson that night , to burn the château of M. de Lescure , and , if possible , to carry back with him to Bressuire the next morning the two Vendean chiefs , whom he knew were staying there . Westerman understood enough of the tactics of the Vendeans to know that this was practicable , and he had the quick wit and ready hand to conceive the plan , and put it in practice : he knew that the peasants would not remain in barracks , or even assembled together during the night , if they were near enough to their own homes to reach them ; he knew that they would spend the remainder of their long summer evening in drinking , dancing , and rejoicing , and that they would then sleep as though no enemy were within a hundred miles of them ; he knew that nothing could induce them to take on themselves the duties of sentinels , and that there would , in all probability , be but little to oppose him in attacking Clisson that night . Westerman first had the horses fed , and having then refreshed his men with meat , wine , and brandy , he started at two o'clock . He was distant from Clisson about three leagues , according to the measurement of the country , or a little better than seven miles . There had hardly been any darkness during the night , and as he and his troopers sallied out of the château-yard , the dawn was just breaking in the East . `` Never mind , '' said he to the young cornet who rode by his side ; `` the light will not hurt us , for we will make them hear us before they see us .