In March 1793, as word of the conscription requirements filtered into the countryside, many Vendéans refused to satisfy the decree of the "levee en masse" issued on 23 February 1793. Within weeks the rebel forces had formed a substantial, if ill-equipped, army, the "Royal and Catholic Army", supported by two thousand irregular cavalry and a few captured artillery pieces. Most of the insurgents operated on a much smaller scale, using guerrilla tactics, supported by the unparalleled local knowledge and the good-will of the people.