After passing Angers on 23 June 1793 without difficulty, the combined Catholic and Royal Army led the storming of Nantes on 29 June. Cathelineau appeared before the city of Nantes at the head of 40,000 men, while Charette assisted him with 10,000 insurgents from Retz and Bas-Poitou. Cathelineau had entered the town in spite of the resistance of General Jean-Baptiste Canclaux and attacked the gate of Rennes. While penetrating Place Viarme, he was fatally wounded by a sniper from a window. With their leader incapacitated, the Vendéan army was defeated and soon divided into factions. He was transported to Saint-Florent-le-Vieil, where he died of his wounds on 14 July 1793. His body lies in the Cathelineau Chapel in Saint-Florent..
