[3] He fought in the War in the Vendée, taking command of the Army of the Coasts of Brest from Lazare Hoche on 10 September 1795.

[4] In January 1797, his division covered the western side of Lake Garda during the fourth Austrian attempt to raise the Siege of Mantua.

Summoned to the east by Bonaparte, some of his troops marched and others crossed the lake by boat to fight at the Battle of Rivoli on 14 January.

Arriving in the afternoon, Rey's soldiers helped eliminate Franz Joseph, Marquis de Lusignan's isolated Austrian column south of the main battlefield.

The following day, he assisted Barthélemy Joubert in mopping up the shattered Austrian army, capturing large numbers of prisoners.