Thus the whole fruits of the victory of Moncontour were annihilated by the heroic defence of Saint Jean d'Angely.
In the meantime, the Admiral had been moving south.

In order to cross the rivers he had marched westward, and so made a circuit to Montauban, the stronghold of the Huguenots in the south.

Moving westward he joined the Count of Montgomery at Aiguillon, and returned with him to Montauban, where he received many reinforcements; until his army amounted to some twenty-one thousand men, of whom six thousand were cavalry.
At the end of January they marched to Toulouse, a city with an evil fame, as the centre of persecuting bigotry in the south of France.
It was too strong to be attacked; but the country round it was ravaged, and all the country residences of the members of its parliament destroyed.

Then they marched westward to Nismes, sending marauding expeditions into the Catholic districts, and even into Spain, in revenge for the assistance the king had given the Catholics.

De Piles and his party had joined the Admiral at Montauban, and the former commanded the force that penetrated into Spain.
Coligny turned north, marched up the Rhone, surmounting every obstacle of mountain and river; until he reached Burgundy, arriving at Saint Etienne-sur-Loire on the 26th of May.