One of the rebels faid he fhould not die fo eafy a death, and inftantly ftruck him on the head with a carpenter’s adz [sic], which made him ftagger a few yards; but he was foon brought back, when one of them ftabbed him in the fide with a fpear, another in the neck, and a third fhoved them afide and fhot him. William, the father, who was then brought forth, folicited to be fhot; and having complied with his request, they put him on his knees. The executioner miffed fire at him three times; on which father Roche, the general, who attended the execution, defired him to try whether his firelock would go off in the air. He accordingly tried, and it fucceeded. Father Roche then gave him a protection, and ordered him to be difcharged; having imputed his efcape to divine Providence. Murphy and Maddock were near neighbours, and fuppofed to be the intimate friends of the Neal family, who had no fufpicion that they had harboured fuch fanguinary hatred againft them, on account of their being of the proteftant perfuafion.* William Neal had another fon burnt at the barn of Scullabogue.

Charles Davis, a glazier of Ennifcorthy, and of the proteftant religion, fought againft the rebels in defence of that town; but was afterwards made a prifoner, and conveyed to Vinegar-hill by a party of rebels, who informed him, that, as he was an orangeman, he would be put to death. On his arrival in the camp, he faw about forty bodies lying dead, quite naked, and very much mangled with pikes; among which he perceived the body of Mr. Henry Katton, portrieve of the town of Ennifcorthy.

The rebels defired him, infultingly, to lay his hand on his deceafed friends, whom they called hereticks; and told him, that all the hereticks in the kingdom fhould fhare the fame fate. They then put him on his knees, in the midft of the dead bodies, and fhot him through the body and the arm, and gave him feveral pike wounds; after which they buried him, covering his body lightly with fods. He lay in that fituation from feven o’clock in the evening till five next morning, when he found a dog, who had fcraped away the fods, licking his wounds. A party of rebels, who were near the grave, perceiving the motion of his

* Thefe facts were verified by oath, on the trials of Murphy and Maddock, held at Rofs, the thirteenth and twenty-fourth of Auguft, 1798, by order of lieutenant-general Hulfe; alfo, by affidavit, fworn before D. Colclough, efquire, by William Neal, twentyfourth July, 1798

body, exclaimed, “The dead is coming to life; and that Davis fhould have a prieft, as he could not obtain falvation without one.” Father Sutton, of Ennifcorthy,‡ who was in the camp, adminiftered the rites of his church to him, and told him he was forry to fee him in that fituation; but as there was no profpect of his recovery, he was glad that he was to die under his hands. He was then delivered to his wife, who conveyed him to his own houfe; where, with the aid of medical affiftance, he recovered. Thefe facts have been verified by affidavit, and are univerfally known. Charles Davis, who is now living, fhewed me his wounds.

John Mooney, fervant to doctor Hill, and a proteftant, was taken prifouer, and conducted to the wind-mill prifon, on the top of Vinegar-hill, the thirty-firft day of May; and found there fixteen proteftant prifoners, with fome of whom he had been long acquainted. They were defired to prepare for death; and foon after a ruffian entered the prifon with a drawn hanger, and began to torture the prifoners by way of amufement; but the rebel centinel ftopped him, and faid, that as they were to die foon, it was cruel to torment them. In a few minutes one of the prifoners was dragged out of the mill door, and fhot; and foon after the remainder were executed in the fame manner. Among them there was a well-dreffed refpectable looking man, and his fon, a boy about thirteen years old. The father feemed to bear his approaching diffolution with great fortitude, fuppofing that they would not injure his fon, on account of his tender age; but what agonizing pangs muft he have felt, when his child was butchered in his prefence! and he, when led out to execution, was obliged to ftep over his bleeding corpfe, which fell acrofs the door.

Mooney, the laft perfon taken out, was placed by the fixteen dead bodies; and the executioner, whofe name was Byrne, defired him to turn his back to him, (which the viftims were often compelled to do;) but Mooney refufed to do fo, having faid, that he was not afraid to face a bullet. The executioner, who was very ragged, advanced, with his mufket prefented, within twelve paces of him, when Mooney defired him to ftop; and taking off his coat, waiftcoat and hat, which were

‡ This prieft might have faved any perfon he chofe, as he was daily attending the camp.

new, threw them to him, defired him to take them for his trouble; and requefted he would approach nearer to him, and do his bufinefs properly. The executioner, ftruck with his fortitude, faid it was an undoubted proof of his innocence; and declared he would have nothing to do with him. On this, one Murtagh Brien, alias Kane, a fanguinary monfter, and the common executioner, rofe from his knees, (for the rebels commonly knelt and prayed before or during the execution,) and infifted on putting Mooney to death, and prefented a blunderbufs for that purpofe; but Byrne interfered, and fwore he would blow out the brains of any perfon who would attempt to injure him; and he immediately difmiffed him.

Papifts of the meaneft fituation, even beggars, have been known to fave proteftants when they chofe.

Mooney was feized by a party of rebels two or three days after, and they were on the point of putting him to death, for having, as they faid, often enquired for and opened the letters of father Sutton at Ennifcorthy, before the infurrection took place, in order to obtain information relative to the rebellion; but that prieft, who happened to come up when the charge was made, acquitted him of it.

The rebels made a conftant practice of violating women who fell into their hands. In confequence of which, a rebel general, Patrick Sutton, iffued the following proclamation:

PROCLAMATION.

“Whereas information has been received that many outrages are committing through the country on the wives and daughters of feveral people: This is therefore to defire and command all officers to ufe every exertion to apprehend and bring into Vinegar-hill camp each and every perfon who fhall be found guilty of fuch offences, that they may be dealt with accordingly.

Given under my hand at Vinegar-hill camp, this 17th day of June, 1798, the firft year of liberty.

PATRICK SUTTON, commander in chief.”

Patrick Conners was peculiarly the object of popifh vengeance, for the following reafons: Having married a proteftant wife, he was conftantly urged by his popifh neighbours and his parifh prieft, to make her change

her religion; but he refufed to interfere about her mode of worfhip. At laft, he was fo much difgufted and fhocked at their bitter and unremitting reproaches, that he became a convert to the proteftant faith. In confequence of this, he was denounced by his parifh prieft, who laid his flock under a prohibition not to deal with him. This interdict reduced him to poverty, from having obtained a good livelihood as a fhopkeeper in the town of Ennifcorthy.

On the thirtieth of May, 1798, he, his wife and daughter, were taken to the camp of Vinegar-hill, where the rebel troops were drawn up at parade in the form of a half moon. Conners, John Plunket, and James Rigley, two more proteftants, were led out in front of them to be executed. James D’Arcy, a corn-factor, in good circumftances, who volunteered in this bloody bufinefs, ftept forward from the line, with a horfe piftol, and fhot them one after another, charging the piftol with great deliberation, and faying between each murder, “I will now do your bufinefs.” His daughter, Mary Conners, was offered ten guineas if fhe would not profecute; but fhe declared, that fhe would not fell the blood of her father.

The poor old widow of Conners was holding him by the arm when they fhot him; and, on falling, he pulled her to the ground. On rifing, fhe exclaimed, “You had now better put me to death!” and the brutal favage was on the point of doing fo, but other rebels, more humane, prevented him.

Thefe facts were proved at Wexford, on the trial of D’Arcy, the fixteenth of November, 1798, when he was convicted and hanged.
D’Arcy bore a very good charafter previous to this atrocious act.

It appears that many Roman catholicks, who had led irreproachable lives, and were efteemed for their moral conduct prior to the rebellion, imbrued their hands in human blood, without any horror or remorfe during the courfe of it, as their feelings had been blunted by fanaticifm.

Edward St. Leger, a proteftant, was taken prifoner and conductled to the old mill on Vinegar-hill, by a party of rebels, on the firft day of June, 1798, but was releafed foon after at the interceffion of one Fenlon. As he was leaving the prifon, he faw a man fitting on the ground, with no other clothes than a piece of a ragged blanket thrown over him. He prefented a moft ghaftly appearance, as his eyes were out, his

head and body were much fwollen, and his cheeks were covered with ulcers. On St. Leger’s exclaiming, “What a miferable object!” he attempted to fpeak, but uttered fome inarticulate founds, which he could not underftand; for which reafon, he believed, that his tongue had been cut out. An armed rebel who was near, and feemed to be guarding him, told St. Leger, that he was under punifhment, and fpoke fomething of flow death; meaning, as he verily believed, that the unfortunate wretch was condemned to fuffer a flow death.*

Unwilling to difguft the reader, I will give him a circumftantial account of but a few of the various cruelties practifed on the victims who were immolated on Vinegar-hill by thefe ferocious fanaticks; had they been perpetrated by the dregs of the people, fome allowance might have been made for the force of religious bigotry on the minds of the vulgar herd; but we have to lament, that many perfons whofe birth, education, or opulence, raifed them far above that defcription, were prefent at, or were confenting to, the perpetration of thefe atrocities; for we find that they were conftantly in the rebel camps where they daily took place, and that they could have prevented them is unquestionable; for no inftance that I could difcover ever occurred, that the perfonal interference or the written protection of a rebel officer, or one of their priefts, did not fave the life of a perfon deftined for deftruction.

Mr. William Barker, a brewer and a merchant of Ennifcorthy, was a general in the camp: Mr. Patrick Sutton, formerly a merchant, and well educated, held that rank; and his two fons, one of whom was educated for the bar, were officers there: One Kelly, an opulent farmer near that town, a rebel officer, who has been hanged: The bloody Luke Byrne, a maltfter, and his two fons, in opulent circumftances: Meffrs. Codd || and Walsh, fhopkeepers, and reputed rich: Marineth, a farmer, was wealthy: Andrew Farrell was in good circumftances, and yet he was active in promoting the maffacres: Jeremiah Fitzhenry, married to John Colclough’s fifter, was of the ancient family of the Fitzhenrys, in the county of Wexford: John Colclough, of a family highly refpectable, who often reprefented the county, was well educated and in good circumftances,

* See Appendix, No. XIX. 6. || Francis Codd, another perfon of the fame name, was very loyal.

difgraced himfelf by yielding to the influence of fanaticifm. He was the only papift that I could learn of his family. Meffrs. Garret and William Byrne were rebel chieftains, and attended the camps.

The reverend Mr. Pentland and Mr. Trocke were put to death on Vinegar-hill, on Tuefday the twenty-ninth of May, with about thirty proteftants more.

Luke Byrne, an opulent farmer and brewer of Ennifcorthy, though advanced in years, was remarkably cruel and fanguinary; and his two fons, Morgan and Mogue, were little lefs fo. His brother frequently acted the part of executioner on Vinegar-hill.

William Carroll, a tanner, of the proteftant perfuafion, who had always lived on terms of the warmeft friendfhip with Luke Byrne, accofted him in the ftreet of Ennifcorthy, when he was at the head of a party of rebels; but Byrne drew his fword, proftrated him with a blow of it, and ordered the pikemen, whom he commanded, to difpatch him; and they inftantly perforated his body with pikes. This honeft and induftrious man left a widow and eight children.

It is furprifing how wanton the rebels were in committing cruelties. On Thurfday the thirty-firft of May, John Doyle faw a wounded man lying in the ftreet s at Ennifcorthy, and approaching him, faid, in a ftrain of irony, mingled with cruelty, “What a pity it is you are not more alive!” and then ftabbed him feveral times with a pike, and turned over his body. Doyle was convicted of that crime before a court-martial, on the twentieth of July, 1799.

Thomas Clooney, a farmer, was worth feveral thoufand pounds. His fon was aid-de-camp to the rebel general at Rofs, and was fhot there.

Fenlon, a fchoolmafter, a young man of pleafing manners, and a genteel appearance, a captain in the rebel army, was hanged in Wexford.

Furlong, a rich farmer, was a rebel captain, Robert, John and Denis Carthy, very opulent farmers, and well educated, were deeply concerned in the rebellion. Their nephew Denis was ftained with the blood of the reverend Mr. Turner, murdered on Whitfunday. William Lacy, a fhop-keeper at Ennifcorthy, and brother to father Michael Lacy, (who ufed to fay mafs there,) was commiffary general in the camp on Vinegar-hill.

William Devereux of Taghmon, was in opulent circumftances. Meffrs. John and Edward Hay, actively concerned in the rebellion, were of an ancient popifh family, and were extremely well educated.

A barbarous murder committed by the former, with all the coolnefs of deliberation, proves how far fanaticifm can extinguifh all religious and moral principle. A proteftant boy, known by the name of Grey Thomas, who lived at Newcaftle, near the houfe of Mr. John Hay, was murdered by him on Vinegar-hill.*

Mr. Hay was thoroughly convinced that every true proteftant was sincerely attached to the conftitutlon in church and ftate, and would oppofe the views of the united Irifhmen, who were defirous of feparating Ireland from England; of forming in it a republick under the aufpices of France, and of totally extinguifhing the proteftant religion, which they regarded as a peftilent herefy.
Thomas Smythfon, verified upon oath, on the trial of Edward Roche, a rebel general, at Wexford, the circumftances attending the death of Grey Thomas; and that he heard John Hay declare, in the rebel camp, “That they never could have luck while there were proteftants among them.”

On the fame trial, which began the feventeenth of December, 1798, Thomas Hatchell proved, that Mr. John Hay propofed on Vinegar-hill the maffacre of all proteftants; and both thefe witneffes proved that Edward Roche oppofed his fanguinary propofal.
There were commonly twenty priefts in the camp,‡ and they never interfered for the prefervation of proteftant lives, except in behalf of a perfon who happened to be the peculiar object of their regard, or in whofe fafety they were deeply interefted. On the contrary, it appears that numbers of them daily faid mais at the head of the rebel lines, and exhorted the rebels to extirpate hereticks or orangemen, which appellations they gave to proteftants.|| Some perfons have endeavoured to palliate the atrocities committed by the rebels, by faying, “That their fanguinary rage was not directed againft proteftants as fuch, but merely againft a political fect of them called orangemen.” This plea could be urged with much lefs colour in the county of Wexford than elfewhere; becaufe there were no orangemen there; nor was there even an attempt to inftitute an

* See Appendix, No. XIX. 7.    ‡ The reader will find this verified by different affidavits in the Appendix.
|| See the affidavits of Richard Sterne, Richard Grandy, William Fleming, and Andrew Skeppard, in Appendixes, No. XIX. and XX,

Orange lodge in it till the North Cork came into it, and they did not arrive there till the twenty-fixth of April.

A few days after, a ferjeant Jeffars attempted to make a few orangemen, among the loweft mechanicks at Ennifcorthy; but as foon as captain Snowe discovered it, he checked and prevented him. The truth is, that the appellation of orangemen was adopted to difguife the fanguinary and intolerant principles of popery, againft every other fect of chriftians,* and which has on moft occafions characterized it; but this thin difguife was feen through; for on many occafions, not only the infuriate favages, but even their priefts denounced them as proteftants, and the carnage of them was indifcriminate. Not only thofe of fuperior rank, whofe elevated fituation might have excited their envy, and whofe wealth might have tempted their rapacity, fell a prey to their fanatical fury; but the inhabitants of the humble abodes of induftry were equally obnoxious to it; though they had never heard the word orangemen ’till they were denounced as fuch by their affaffins.

I could not afcertain the number of proteftants who were maffacred in the rebel camp on Vinegar-hill and its vicinity; but I have been affured that they exceeded five hundred. Among thefe there were men of landed property, magiftrates, clergymen, merchants, farmers, labourers and mechanicks. I have obtained the names of as many as I could of the proteftants, who were murdered in the county of Wexford, at large, but I could not procure the whole. It will be found with the parifhes or townlands to which they belonged in Appendix, No. XIX. 9.

The doctrine of exclufive falvation in the Romifh church, from which this fanguinary fpirit flows, is inculcated in the koran of Mahomet. Ockley, in his hiftory of the Saracens,† tells us, that the Turks fay, agreeable to this doctrine, that every perfon who is not of their religion, is an enemy to God; and that when they are fighting againft fuch, they are fighting in the caufe of God.

The favage delight which the rebels took in the effufion of human blood on Vinegar-hill, refembles the conduct of Mahomet, when he conquered, and took .poffeffion of Conftantinople, in the year 1452, as

* See James Beaghan’s confeffion, Appendix, No. XIX. 8. † Vol. I. pages 198, 228.

related by Knowles, in the following words of his celebrated hiftory of the Turks:

“That he, as a proud conqueror, with great triumph, entered the city of Conftantinople, then defolated, and void of -all chriftian inhabitants; and there, after the manner of the Turkifh kings, made a fumptuous and royal fcaft, unto his baftiaws and great captains; when, after he had furcharged himfelf with excefs of meat and drink, he caufed divers of the chief chriftian captives, both men and women, (of whom many were of the late emperor’s line and race) to be in his prefence put to death, as he with his Turks fat banqueting, deeming his feaft much more ftately, by fuch effufion of chriftian blood; which manner of exceeding cruelty, he daily ufed, until fuch time as he had deftroyed all the Grecian nobility, that were in his power, with the chief of the late Conftantinopolitan citizens.”

The Celts, who covered a great part of the European continent, immolated human victims to the Deity; and the Irifh, who are of that race, follow the fame practice, and both on the fcore of religion; but the former did fo as Pagans, the latter as Roman catholicks. The Auto da Fes, which continued till within a few years in Spain and Portugal, were alfo regarded as offerings to the Deity.

The fufferings of Mr. George Horneck and his family, a very refpectable farmer, of Girrane, in the county of Wexford, merit a circumftantial relation. From confiderable opulence, he was reduced to very great indigence by the rebellion. He had three fons, remarkably handfome, and efteemed for their good deportment. One of the name of George, had been bred in the univerfity of Dublin, and was enrolled in Mr. Ogle’s corps; another, called Robert, was bound to an apothecary, in Ennifcorthy. They fhewed great valour in defence of that town, but were overtaken and feized in their retreat towards Wexford, by a party of rebels commanded by Robert Carthy, of Ballyhogue,* who put George to a cruel death. They conducted Robert to the camp at Vinegar-hill, as a prifoner. The rebels then fent to his father, who, with other proteftants, was keeping garrifon at the houfe of the reverend John Richards, of Grange,† a clergyman of the eftablifhed religion, to inform him, that, if he

* A family diftinguifhed for their rebellious principles.   † See plate III. 2.

would furrender his arms, they would fave the life of his fon, who would be permitted to ferve in their army. But the father refufed to comply; having given as a reafon, that he had taken an oath of allegiance, and fwore not to furrender them to any perfon, but to the government. At the fame time he implored them to be merciful to his fon. Next day the rebels ftripped him naked, and fhot him in their camp. As he betrayed fome fymptoms of life, after he fell, they knocked him in the head, with the butt-end of a firelock; and yet this unfortunate young man recovered about midnight, and though quite naked, and covered with blood, and ghaftly wounds, he crept to the foot of Vinegar-hill, waded over the river Slaney; and, though much exhaufted, he walked to his father’s houfe, which was feven miles off; on approaching it, he was buoyed up with the fond hope of finding an afylum there from the rebel blood-hounds; but, alas! how fevere was his difappointment, on finding it deferted by his family, who had fled for protection to Rofs, whither he endeavoured to follow them; but was intercepted by a party of rebels, who murdered him, and threw his body into a gravel pit.

Mr. Charles Cooper, fon-in-law of George Horneck, who, as a yeoman, had affifted in the defence of Ennifcorthy, was feized with three other loyal fugitives, at Caftle-bridge, and maffacred. As many victims, whom the rebels apparently put to death, had afterwards recovered, and made their efcape, they tied together with a rope the bodies of thefe four men. Philip Horneck, the brother of George, fell into the hands of the rebels at Alderftown, the houfe of Mr. John Glafcott, whence they conveyed him to their camp at Carrickbyrne, where they murdered him, and then quartered and burned his body. In his laft moments they infultingly afked him, whether he remembered the white-boys, on the ninth of June, 1775; That banditti infefted that year, not only the county of Wexford, but many other parts of Leinfter and Munfter.

On the night of the above day, a party of them attacked, and attempted to enter the houfe of George Horneck; when he and his brother Philip bravely defended it, repulfed the banditti, and killed one of them. That event excited the moft implacable vengeance in the breafts of thofe ferocious fanaticks, againft this loyal but unfortunate family.*

* Thefe facts relative to the Horneck family are fubftantiated by affidavit, fworn by George Horneck, before Standifh Lowcay, a magiftrate, the third of October, 1798.

John Coffey, an old, fickly man, was taken in a chaife, near Vinegarhill, and led as a prifoner to the rebel camp. On being afked, whether he was a Roman catholick? he anfwered in the affirmative; but he was alfo required to prove himfelf fuch by croffing himfelf, and faying fome popifh prayers, which very fortunately for him he could do, though a proteftant: for they would have put him to death if he had failed.

Two or three days before the rebellion broke out, father Roche, the prieft, who became afterwards a general, waited on the reverend Mr. Richards, of Grange, his neighbour, gave him fome arms which he faid had been furrendered to him; and at the fame time affured him, that nothing was to be feared, as the people were loyal and peaceable. When the infurrection took place, fixteen proteftant families fled to the houfe of Grange,* and kept garrifon there. Father Roche, in two or three days after his pacifick affurances to Mr. Richards, went to his houfe, with two men more, and promifed him, that neither his perfon or property fhould be injured, provided he delivered to him the Horneck family, and the proteftant tenants of captain Blacker; but if he refufed, that his houfe would be immediately attacked by five thoufand men, with two pieces of cannon; but Mr. Richards rejected his infamous propofal with laudable fortitude, and in about ten minutes after, he and his little garrifon, on fixteen cars fet out for Rofs,† where they arrived with fafety; though they had a narrow efcape from a body of rebels pofted on a neighbouring hill.‡

I fhall refer the reader to Appendix, No. XIX. lo, for the fufferings of George Piper, and his family, and his affaffination on Vinegar-hill, and the abominable conduct of father Redmond, of the parifh of Ferns, who not only refufed him a protection, when in the hands of the affaffins, or to refcue him from them, which he might eafily have done-; but, according to his wife’s affidavit, he was inftrumental in fending him there.

It often happened that one proteftant was compelled to kill another: Thus George Walker, parifh clerk of Ballycanew church, was compelled to fhoot John Cobourne, a butcher, of the proteftant religion, and of

* Plate III. 2.  †Plate III. 5.  ‡Verified by Horneck’ s affidavit before quoted.

the fame parifh, on Vinegar-hill.* It is furprifing how active and unremitting the popifh priefts are, in reprefenting the proteftant religion as an abominable herefy, which, they fay, never fails to bring the divine anger on its profeffors.

Samuel Hendrick was married to a popifh wife by the reverend Mr. Handcock, reftor of the parifh of Kilcormuck, in which the nuptials were celebrated. On the twenty-ninth of May, having been taken prifoner by a party of affaffins who were fent from Vinegar-hill in queft of proteftants, he prevailed on them to conduct him to the reverend father Patrick Quigley, parifh prieft of Clone, hoping that he would fave his life by giving him a protection; but he informed him, that his marriage was null and void; that it only ferved the purpofe of gratifying a brutal paffion; and he refufed to grant him a protection, until he was married by a prieft. To preferve his life then, he was under the neceffity of being married a fecond time by father Quigley, and of paying him one guinea for celebrating the marriage rites.†

The reader will fee fome fhocking inftances of rebel atrocity in the affidavit of Robert Whitrey, in Appendix, No. XIX. 11.
I fhall refer him alfo, for fpecimens of cruelty practifed on Vinegarhill, to extracts from the trials of Thomas Clooney, William Fenlon, Andrew Farrel, Nicholas Walfh, and James Beaghan, in the fame Appendix, and No. 13, 14, 15, 16, and 17.

I fhall now proceed to give an account of two attacks which were made by the garrifon of Vinegar-hill, on Borris, the feat of Mr. Kavenagh,| in the county of Carlow.

Mr. Kavenagh,|| of Borris, having been diftinguifhed for his loyalty, and his activity as a magiftrate, was peculiarly the object of rebel vengeance; and as his beautiful feat was but fourteen miles from Vinegarhill, but ten miles from Lackan, and not far diftant from the Roar,§ a

* This was verified by the affidavit of Cobourne’s widow, in No. 390 of the archives of the houfe of commons, and quoted in Appendix, No. XIX. 9.
† Verified by affidavit fworn the zjth day of March, 1799, before A. Jacob.
‡ Plate II. 6, 7.
|| A gentleman lineally defcended from the kings of Ireland, and firft coufin to the earl of Ormond.
§ Plate VII. 3.

populous and rebellious difstrict in the county of Kilkenny, his fituation was ferions and alarming.

The fyftem of free quarters had been enforced with confiderable ftrictnefs in the county of Kilkenny, in the month of May; and, by the orders of general Sir Charles Afgill, it was foon to be extended to the county of Carlow, unlefs the deluded inhabitants precluded the neceffity of it, by a fpeedy furrender of their arms, of which they w^ere well known to poffefe iarge quantities. The general’s orders, and the exertions of the gentlemen of that county, had made the furrender of pikes rather general; but it was checked by an order from the directory in Dublin, which was printed and circulated by their captains and ferjeants. It exhorted them, by no means to give up their arms, as an infurrection was immediately to take place.

It providentially happened, that Mr. Kavenagh’s corps of yeomanry, though not on permanent duty, was affembled early in the morning of the twenty.fifth of May, for the purpofe of arrefting all the difaffected blackfmiths in their diftrict; and as their exertions in that fervice was attended with confiderable fuccefs, it occafioned a general fpirit of commotion in the neighbourhood; which induced captain Kavenagh to keep his corps together, as he had every reafon to think that his poft would be attacked that night; and which the rebellious inhabitants were induced to undertake from the following motives: The orders of their directory for a general infurrection: The great quantity of pikes and pike-handles furrendered to the captain, and known to be in their poffeffion: The plunder of his houfe, and the hopes with which the leaders infpired their deluded followers, that they would not meet with refiftance.

The houfe of Borris was attacked on the night of the twenty-fifth of May, by a party of about five thoufand rebels, who were received with very great fpirit by the Borris corps, who repulfed them; but not until they had broke open the lowier windows of the houfe, which were but flightly barred, and refcued the blackfmiths who were confined in it. It was believed that not lefs than fifty rebels were killed and wounded on that occafion.

The exertions of the yeomanry corps of the neighbourhood, for three f)T four days, completely cleared the country of the moft active rebels,

and their leaders, who joined their affociates in the county of Wexford, where they carried every thing before them.

The poft of Borris having been reinforced with thirty of the 9th dragoons, and twenty-four of the Donegal militia, and as captain Kavenagh’s corps confided of thirty-five mounted, and twenty-two difmounted cavalry, the garrifon remained unmolefted till the twelfth of June, though not far diftant from fome of the ftrong rebel camps.

On the day before, Sir Charles Afgill, by concerted movements of the troops in his diftrict, furrounded the rebel camp formed in that difaffected diftri£t, the Roar, oppofite to Rofs, after having fhot many of the affaffins who compofed it.

The events of that day, and the fubmiffion of the adjoining diftrict, had lulled the garrifon of Borris into a fecurity, which was near proving fatal to them; for about one o’clock on the next day, they received an account, that great multitudes of rebels were pouring down from the different paffes through the mountains, which feparated that poft from, their camps in the county of Wexford.

At that time the fmall garrifon was weakened by the abfence of every officer but one, as they were engaged with feveral of their men in different duties in the adjacent country. The rapid movements of the enemy allowed no time for calling them in; for in lefs than two hours after the notice of their approach, they filled the town of Borris, and fet fire to all the houfes in it belonging to Mr. Kavenagh and his yeomen; they, however, met with a gallant refiftance at the manfion-houfe of Borris, though its garrifon was reduced to twenty of the Donegal, and feventeen of the yeomanry, including their ferjeants, who commanded them. The rebels had a howitzer, which they brought to bear upon the houfe, but were unable to batter it. They were commanded by father Kearns, a prieft, and a noted rebel leader, who was afterwards hanged at Edenderry. Seven rebels were found dead on the fpot; but it has been fince learned, that they carried off many of their killed and wounded on cars, and that they threw many of the former into the burning houfes; only one of the garrifon, a Donegal foldier, was killed, and two were wounded,

One of the rebels who was wounded, and could not retreat, proved to be a tenant of Mr. Kavenagh, who lived clofe to his houfe, and to whom

he had been fingularly kind. On being afked why he embarked in this treafonable enterprife, he confeffed, that he was tempted to do fo, by a promife of obtaining a portion of his eftate.*

Several perfons who were engaged in this attack, affigned the following reafons for it: That it was partly undertaken at the inftigation of the rebels of the neighbourhood, who breathed revenge in confequence of having been driven from their homes, and had fled to the Wexford camps: They had earneft hopes alfo of feizing a large quantity of ammunition; for they had heard, that it was a depot, in confequence of fome artillery chefts which had been left there by a regiment who had marched through it; and it was their intention on feizing it, and the arms of the garrifon, to have proceeded accrofs the rivers Barrow and Nore, at Ennifteague, and to have affifted in the projected renewal of an attack on Rofs, by advancing againft it from the Kilkenny fide, on Rofsbercon; a march in which they had little reafon to doubt of being joined by the whole country through which they paffed. From that day, the operations of the rebels were confined to the county of Wexford,

About the fixteenth of June, a detachment of the garrifon of Rofs, proceeded by a circuitous march to Graignemanagh, in the county of Kilkenny, a moft rebellious diftrict, and blew up the bridge there.

The day after the rebels got poffeffion of Ennifcorthy, they formed a camp on the mountain of Forth, commonly called the Three Rock mountain, with a view of attacking Wexford, which is within three miles of it,

I have already delineated the proceffion of a body of rebels from Ennifcorthy to that mountain, headed by father John Murphy, with a large crucifix in his arms.|

But previous to my entering on a defcription of the events which took place at Wexford, I think it right to give the reader a fhort hiftorical and geographical account of that town.

Wexford|| is a fea-port, borough, market, and corporate town, and rather populous for its fize. It is the chief in the county of the fame name, and the third largeft; in the province of Leinfter. It is governed

* See the affidavit of John Semple on this affair, in Appendix, No. XIX, 18.   † See Richard Sterne’s affidavit, in Appendix, No. XIX. 2.       ‡Plate III. 6. and Plate VI.

Plan of the Town of Wexford with inset box styled “Reference to the Houses deftroyed by the Rebels in June 1798. [Folding map facing p.381.]

by a mayor, recorder, and bailiffs. It is the fhire and affizes town, and gives the title of earl, as does Waterford alfo, to the noble family of Talbot, who are earls of Shrewsbury in England. It returned two members to parliament. It is feated on a bay in the Irifh channel, at the mouth of the river Slaney. The harbour, though capacious, is fhallow. It is formed by two necks of land, with an entrance half a mile broad, and was formerly defended by two forts, one at the extremity of each ifthmus, called fort Marget, and fort Rofslare; but as its entrance is obftructed by fand banks, fhips drawing more than ten feet water feldom enter it. Ships of greater magnitude load and unload three miles from the town, near the fouth fide of the haven, where there is fufEcient depth of water, but no flhelter from the fouth winds. Wexford was originally fortified by the Danes, and improved and enlarged by the firft English fettlers in the twelfth century, who took it from the Eafterlings, after a fiege of four days, on the fourth of May, 1170. It was befieged by Cromwell, the firft of October, 1649, and having been betrayed by captain James Stafford, commandant of the caftle, it was taken by ftorm, and Sir Edward Butler, the governor, and two thoufand foldiers, were put to the fword.

Large veftiges of the town-walls are ftill vifible, and the four gates which led to it remained, until lately, almoft perfect. The town is irregularly built, and the ftreets are narrow. There is a large and elegant new church in it. Four religious houfes were erected there at a very early period. Firft, a priory of regular canons, fuppofed to have been founded by the Danes, and is called the priory of St. Peter, and faint Paul of Selfker. Its prior fat in parliament, as a baron. The church ftill remains, with a large fteeple in the centre.

Second, the priory of St. John and St. Bridget, for knights hofpitallers, founded in the twelfth century, by William Marfhall, earl of Pembroke. There remains yet part of the old church, without the walls, which has been fince converted into a Roman catholick chapel.

Third, the grey friars had a convent there, in the thirteenth century, buih in the reign of Henry III.

Fourth, St. Mary Magdalen, a leper hofpital, erected in the year 1408, the tenth of Henry IV.

The trade of Wexford is not very extenfive. It confiils chiefly in barley and malt, of w hich it exports large quantities; and in beer, beeft hides, tallow and butter. In 1763 it contained one thoufand three hundred houfes, of which fix hundred and fifty were ftated. In 1788, it had one thoufand four hundred and twelve. But its chief boaft and ornament is a magnificent wooden bridge, over the river Slaney, which was built by Mr. Samuel Cox, an American, who erected thofe of Derry, Waterford, Portumna, and Rofs. It is one thoufand five hundred and fifty-four feet long, and thirty-four broad, ftanding on feventy-five piers of piles, of fix uprights each, with a portcullis, or draw-bridge, for veffels to pafs through. It was begun June the twelfth, 1794, and was finifhed in February 1795; and ftands in twenty feet water. This magnificent bridge was built by a fubfcription of £14,000.

The general rifing of the rebels, the defeat of the North Cork detachment at Oulart, and the taking of Ennifcorthy, had fpread fo great an alarm, that two hundred of the Donegal regiment, commanded by lieutenant-colonel Maxwell, arrived at Wexford, on the twenty-feventh day of May, to ftrengthen the garrifon there, confifting of the remainder of the North Cork, which did not amount to three hundred effective men: the Healthfield and Ennifcorthy cavalry, captain Ogle’s infantry, the Ennifcorthy infantry, and the Wexford infantry, commanded by doctor Jacob, and the Scarawalfh infantry, the Wexford and Taghmon cavalry. As an additional reinforcement to the garrifon, a detachment of the Meath regiment and four officers, under the command of captain Adams, and one corporal and feventeen gunners of the royal artillery, with two howitzers, commanded by lieutenant Birch, marched from Duncannon-fort for Wexford, on Tuefday the twenty-ninth day of May.

The firft night they arrived at Taghmon,* where they expected to be reinforced by eighty of the thirteenth regiment, under major Scott, and four companies of the Meath regiment, commanded by the earl of Bective. Though thefe troops did not arrive in time to join them, the Meath detachment fet out on their march, near two hours before day, having been encouraged to do fo by the country people, who gave them

* See Plate III. 6.

the moft folemn affurances that they would not be molefled on their march; though in doing fo, they had no other defign, but to expofe them to a numerous body of rebels who lay in ambufh for them.

When they arrived within four miles of Wexford, having feen ten or twelve men on an eminence near the road, they prepared for action; but after fome time, not perceiving an enemy, they renewed their march. Having arrived near the mountain of Forth,† three miles from Wexford, where the rebel camp was formed, they were furrounded on all fides by a great number of rebels, who raifed a white flag, and foon after began a very fevere fire, accompanied by the moft dreadful yells.

The militia, panick ftruck by the numbers of the enemy, and the darknefs of the night, betook themfelves to flight; in confequence of which, eighty-nine of the privates, and three officers, including captain Adams, who commanded, were cut to pieces; and of the artillery, four gunners were killed; a corporal and eleven men were taken prifoners, and the howitzers and ammunition fell into the hands of the rebels. As foon as they had taken the artillery men, they were proceeding to put them to death; but a rebel having afked them of what religion they were, a gunner of the name of Dungannon, anfwered, that they were Roman catholicks, which faved their fives; though in fact, fix of them were proteftants. Dungannon being a papift, knew the object of the question.‡

Lieutenant Birch, of the Royal Irifh artillery, who commanded a detachment of that corps, gave an account of that difaftrous affair, in the following letter to major Stewart of his own regiment

“Sir, Duncannon-fort. 23d of July, 1798.

“Some time fince I related to lieutenant-general Stratton the circumftances which produced the lofs of the howitzers, under my command, in the moft collected manner I could. “On Tuefday the twenty-ninth of May, I left this, with two howitzers, one corporal and feventeen gunners, fixty-fix privates of the Meath regiment, and four officers, under the command of captain Adams. At Taghmon we underftood we were to be reinforced by eighty of the thirteenth regiment, under major Scott, and four companies of the Meath, under lord Bective, from Waterford. Major-general Fawcett joined us,

† Plate III. 6, 7.  ‡ See Andrew Sheppard’s affidavit in Appendix, No. XX. i.

This victory, and the acquifition of fo large a quantity of arms and ammunition, infpired the rebels with boldnefs, and induced great numbers to flock to their ftandard; but nothing contributed fo much to this, as the fanaticifm which the priefts kindled in the ignorant multitude, by affuring them in their fermons and exhortations which they conftantly preached in their camps, that it was the will of God to root out herefy; and to give their holy religion an afcendancy, was manifeft, by his enabling them, who were unprovided with arms, and ignorant of the ufe of them, to overthrow the foldiers of an heretical government, who were well-armed and difciplined; and they frequently took musketballs out of their pockets, and affured them that they had been hit by them in battle; but that the balls of hereticks could make no impreffion

on them, nor upon any true Roman catholick, who was fortified by faith. At the fame time, they affured the mifguided multitude, that they could difcomfit and difperfe the heretick troops, by throwng chaff or fand at them.* The gunners, whom the rebels took prifoners, were compelled to ferve in their army.

Major-general Fawcett marched from Duncannon-fort† to Taghmon,‡ with eighty of the thirteenth regiment, and a party of the Meath, to fupport the detachment under captain Adams; but on hearing of their defeat, he returned. As foon as lieutenant-colonel Maxwell was informed of that event, he marched out with two hundred of the Donegal regiment, and about one hundred and fifty yeomen cavalry, to fupport the thirteenth regiment, who were expected that morning at Wexford. When he arrived at the foot of the Forth|| mountain, near the place where the detachment of the Meath regiment was cut to pieces, he was attacked by a numerous body of rebels, who maintained a heavy fire on his party, from behind rocks, hedges and houfes, which lay at the foot of the mountain; and they difcharged fome fhots at them from the howitzers, which they had taken that morning. For the purpofe of embarraffing our troops, they drove a number of horfes along the road, amongft them, which, in fome meafure, produced the defired effect; and the confufion was very much encreafed by the precipitate retreat of the cavalry, who, pent up in a narrow road, where they could not form or render any poffible fervice, and at the fame time, expofed to the enemy’s fire, found it neceffary, for their fafety, to fly to Wexford. On this a great body of the rebels rufhed down from the mountain, with a view of cutting off the retreat of the remainder of the troops, and which they would have effected, but that the Donegal regiment repulfed them by a heavy and well-directed fire. At laft, colonel Maxwell perceiving that he would rifk much, and that no poffible advantage could be derived from maintaining his poft againft fo great a fuperiority of numbers, ordered a retreat. In this action, lieutenant-colonel Watfon, formerly of the fixty-fifth regiment, who had retired to Wexford, and who volunteered on this occafion, loft his life, and fome privates of the Donegal were killed and wounded.

* Appendix, No. XX. See the affidavits of Fleming, Sheppard, Grundy, and Sterne. †Plate III. 9.  ‡ Ibid. 6.  || Ibid. 6, 7.

On Monday the twenty-eighth day of May, the military, and loyal inhabitants of Wexford, began to put it in a ftate of defence, by forming barriers at the different avenues leading to it, through which no perfon was allowed to go, without a pafs obtained from the chief magiftrate of the town, or one of the officers on guard. The barriers confided of walls rudely made of large ftones, with an interval in the centre, which was filled up with large blocks of timber, occafionally removed, to let the cavalry, patroles and videttes, pafs and repafs. On Tuefday the twenty-ninth of May, a detachment of the Donegal regiment, and fome yeomen corps, marched in. On Wednefday the thirtieth of May, about four o’clock in the morning, the drums beat to arms, on receiving intelligence, that a detachment of the Meath regiment had been cut off; at which the people, being much alarmed, ran about the town in great confufion, and numbers of them went on board veffels in the river, failed out of gun-fhot, and remained at anchor, waiting the event of an attack, which they expected would be made on the town. The confternation was much increafed by the following circumftances: At a very early hour they beheld the remote end of the wooden bridge in a ftate of conflagration, and the flames advanced fo rapidly, that it would have been foon confumed, if the inhabitants of Wexford had not extinguifhed them. It was fet on fire by a body of rebels, whofe defign in deftroying it was, to prevent the garrifon from receiving a reinforcement of troops, and to cut off their retreat, when they fhould be attacked by the rebel army encamped on the mountain of Forth.

Lieutenant-colonel Maxwell, after he returned, held a council of war, when it was refolved to evacuate the town, as not tenable, for the following reafons: The rebels encamped on the Three Rock mountain, not!efs in number than ten thoufand, and emboldened by their recent victories, and the large quantity of arms and ammunition which they had acquired, meditated an immediate attack on Wexford, and had even put themfelves in motion for that purpofe; and it was well known, that its rebellious inhabitants, who had been fometime organized, and were well fupplied with arms and ammunition, would have fired on the garrifon from the windows, while they were defending themfelves from the rebels outfide; of which they had fome convincing proofs.

Two perfons were difcovered with arms and ammunition in a houfe near one of the barriers, where a cannon was planted, ready to fire on the gunners. A perfon who was fent out of town to reconnoitre, the evening before it was evacuated, was fired at from a houfe in John-ftreet, as he was returning. The garrifon were fo much afraid, that the difloyal inhabitants, following the example of thofe at Ennifcorthy, would fet fire to the town, while they were engaged in its defence, that the mayor would not permit the bakers to heat their ovens, in confequence of which the troops were in the utmoft diftrefs for want of bread: Provifions were apparently fo fcarce, that the king’s troops were almoft ftarved; and yet as foon as the rebels entered the town, long tables, well ferved with food, were laid for them in the ftreets.

Many of the foldiers, who compofed the garrifon, were difpirited by the repeated advantages obtained by the rebels, particularly over the Meath regiment, and by the retreat of the Donegal regiment that morning from the mountain of Forth. Some of them were mutinous, and refiifed to do duty. The confternation began to grow general through the garrifon.

Some gentlemen of confequence went to the gaol to liberate Mr. Bagenal Harvey; but he, perceiving that the rebels, whofe caufe he had efpoufed, were on the point of gaining the town, refufed to accept their offer.

On the evacuation of the town by our troops, and before Bagenal Harvey had quitted the gaol, or had taken an open and decided part in fupporting the rebellion, he confulted Gladwin the gaoler, whom he confidered a man of integrity, what line of conduct he would advife him to purfue; and he propofed, that they fhould both fteal privately out of town, and go to Duncannon fort; and at the fame time he affured him, that if he would furrender himfelf to the general officer who commanded there, and make a complete and unequivocal renunciation of his errors, it would remove every ftain and fufpicion which his former conduct had brought upon his charafter; but unfortunately for him, Mrs. Dixon entering the gaol at that moment, he related to her what Gladwin had faid; on which fhe declared, “That as he had begun the bufinefs with them, he muft go through with it;” which induced him, wavering at that moment, to preponderate on the fide of rebellion.

As this gentleman made a confpicuous figure in the rebellion, in confequence of which his life and property were forfeited to the laws of his country, I fhall fay fomething of his charafter and fituation in life.

He was of a very refpectable proteftant family in the county of Wexford, and inherited an eftate of above £2,000 a year from his father, which he had increased confiderably by his œconomy. He received the rudiments of his education in Trinity College, Dublin, and was afterwards called to the Irifh bar, which he attended during his father’s life. His figure was fmall, and his countenance, though ugly and rather mean, was expreffive. He was univerfally allowed to be a man of humanity, and of the ftricteft honour and integrity. His firft coufin was married to general Keugh, another rebel chieftain, whofe friendfhip he warmly cultivated, and to whofe houfe he reforted whenever he went to Wexford. His political opinions, like thofe of his friend, were founded on principles of metaphyfical abftraction, which often end in the deftruction of thofe who cherifh them, in the fubverfion of all focial order, the degradation of greatnefs, and the plunder of wealth. He naturally had a difcontent and a gloominefs of mind, which made him prone to find fault with the forms of our excellent conftitution, which he wifhed to reform. Conftantly affociating with men who openly profeffed fimilar principles, but who, different from him, were actuated by the malignant hope of rifing to wealth and confideration, from obfcurity and poverty, during a feafon of general confufion; from a moderate reformift, he gradually became an inveterate anarchift and a rebel.

In confequence of information given by Anthony Perry, of Inch, to the magiftrates at Gorey, on the twenty-third of May, Mr. Harvey was taken and committed to the gaol of Wexford, on the Saturday night following, at eleven o’clock; and in confequence of charges made by the fame perfon, Mr. James Boyd arrefted at day-break, on Whitfunday, Edward Fitzgerald, of Newpark,* eight miles from Wexford, and lodged him in the county gaol.

When Mr. Boyd firft appeared, Fitzgerald laid his hand on his breaft, and made the moft folemn affurance of unfeigned loyalty; yet a great quantity of pikes were found in his parlour, ready mounted, and fit for fervice. Edward Hay flept in the fame bed-chamber with him.

* Plate III. 4.

After his arreft, he affected many delays, in hopes of being refcued by the rebels, who had rifen, and were approaching his houfe in great numbers; but Mr. Boyd compelled him by menaces to fet out for Wexford.

On the fame day Mr. Boyd arrefted and committed Mr. John Colclough, of Ballyteigue,* in the barony of Forth, eleven miles from Wexford. They were all bailed the day before the evacuation of that town; but it was at the fame time agreed, that one of them fhould remain in prifon, as a hoftage for the reft, and that fell to the lot of Mr. Harvey.

But to return to the evacuation of Wexford, which took place the thirtieth of May. The neceffity of that meafure was fully proved by the following circumftance: That all the popifh inhabitants of Wexford, with but few exceptions, difplayed their rebellious principles in the moft fanguine manner, as foon as the king’s troops left it, and produced great quantities of arms, which they would have turned againft them, if the town had been attacked.

Such was the zeal of the rebels, that fome of them endeavoured to feduce the foldiers of the Donegal regiment, during the fhort time they were in Wexford;† and one of them in the fuburb through which they retreated, brought to his door two loaded mufkets, to fire at the column when they were at fome diftance; but a Donegal foldier, whom he did not perceive, happened to be near, and fhot him.

The evacuation of the town, which for prudential reafons was not announced till the troops began their march, threw its loyal inhabitants into the utmoft confternation. Thofe who forefaw that the event muft have taken place, embarked a day or two before, in fuch veffels as they could procure; but thofe who had no intimation of it till the retreat began, got on board, precipitately, any veffels, even without decks, which happened to be near the fhore. Some proteftants, of active and approved loyalty, dreading the immediate vengeance, of the rebels, waded up to their middle, to fmall boats, in which they were to be carried to fhips or floops; and the boatmen, in many inftances, exafted three or four guineas, for conveying them but one or two hundred yards. Thofe whom

† Matthew Murphy, and others, were tried by a court-martial the 31ft of March, 1800, for having tried to feduce the Donegal regiment at Wexford.

infirmity or the want of money precluded from the hope of efcaping by fea, abandoned themfelves to defpair, dreading the fate of the Ennifcorthy loyalifts.

Part of the garrifon marched out of the barrier rather irregularly, and with precipitation, about an hour before the main body, confifting of the following troops: The Scarawalfh infantry, commanded by captain Cornock; the Ennifcorthy, by captain Pounden; and fome loyalifts in coloured clothes. Part of the North Cork who were at the barrier, perceiving them, exclaimed, “What! the yeomanry and loyalifts, who fought with us at Ennifcorthy, are retreating; and fome of the yeomen of this town have united with the rebels: We won’t ftay here to be facrificed on that they fuddenly joined them. Captain Snowe, of the North Cork, endeavoured to make them return; but finding that he could not influence them, thought it his duty to head them, not only to prevent them from committing outrages, but for their own prefervation, to keep them in a ftate of fubordination.

This party amounted to about two hundred, including the foldiers of the North Cork. The main body of the garrifon, confifting of the Donegal militia, part of the North Cork, and many corps of yeoman infantry and cavalry, followed in about an hour after, under the command of lieutenant-colonel Maxwell.

When the firft party had advanced about four miles, they were informed that a large body of rebels lay in wait for them, at a fmall village called Mayglafs,* in the barony of Forth, about two miles further on. They, therefore, by the advice of captain Cornock, took a circuitous road towards the fea, and avoided them, which was very fortunate, as they might have been overpowered by the fuperiority of their numbers.

Difappointed of their object, the greater part of the rebels difperfed; however, about five hundred of them, who remained in a ftrong pofition at Mayglafs, attempted to oppofe colonel Maxwell’s party, who routed and killed a good many of them.

About feven miles from Wexford, captain Snowe overtook Mr. John Colclough and his wife in a phaeton; and as he, from refiding in that country, and from being a rebel chieftain, had great influence there, the captain refolved to detain him as a hoftage, to prevent any attack

* Plate III. 8.

from being made on his detachment in their retreat. During their march, large bodies of rebels frequently appeared behind the hedges, ready to oppofe them; and whenever that happened, captain Snowe obliged Mr. Colclough to ftand up in his phaeton, as a token of amity; at other times, Mr, Colclough waved his hat in the air; on which the rebels difperfed, which evinced the great refpect they bore him.

He had been liberated the day before at Wexford, and faid, he was going to his houfe at Ballyteigue, in the barony of Forth; though in fact, he was proceeding to join the rebels; yet, with fingular diffimulation, he, ftanding in his phaeton, drank the king’s health, and faid.

Captain Snowe, remember that I am a loyal fubject I was committed on a charge grounded on the malicious information of a villain.”

Next day Mrs. Colclough triumphantly entered Wexford, which was in poffeffion of the rebels, in her phaeton, adorned with green emblems.

They compelled Mr. Colclough to accompany them to the river Scar,* where the tide being full, which made it impaffable, they were under the neceffity of making a detour of at leaft ten miles.†

About fix miles from Duncannon fort, when it was extremely dark, they were attacked and fired on in the rear, by a body of rebel horfe, commanded by John Murphy, of Loughnageer, who afterwards headed the Rofsgarland corps of rebels, and was concerned in burning the barn at Scullabogue. The foldiers, after firing a few random fhots, were panick ftruck, and fled to Taylor’s-town bridge; on which having thronged in great numbers, they were very much expofed to a heavy fire from the rebels, who were pofted in an adjacent furze brake on a hill.

Many perfons were killed on the bridge, and among them two women, one a foldier’s wife, the other a beautiful young girl, extremely well dreffed, who was the daughter of an Ennifcorthy loyalift, and had retreated with them from that town.

About fifty of the North Cork, and the yeomanry, were taken prifoners, and a good many were killed. James Neale, one of the band of mufick, his wife, and another woman, who became their prifoners, were perforated with pikes in a moft barbarous manner. After having ftripped them of the principal part of their clothes, their bodies were conveyed to a newly-ploughed field, and covered lightly with fods

* Plate III. 8. 9.  † They retreated by Bridgetown, Baldwinftown, and Dunarmuck, Plate III. 9.

Neale’s wife, in whom life was not quite extinguifhed, recovered in the night, and removed the fods; and finding her hufband’s bloody fhirt and waiftcoat, fhe covered herfelf with then, and crept to Tintern, from whence fhe was fent on a car to Duncannon-fort, and from thence to Waterford, where fhe was completely cured in the hofpital. Her legs, thighs and arms had many pike wounds; and her head was fwollen and ulcerated with them.‡

As captain Snowe’s party, attacked in a ftrange country, and during a dark night, were panick-ftruck and difperfed, he was left quite alone, and arrived at Duncannon-fort about feven in the morning, after having experienced various dangers and diftreffes, and overcome with fatigue and hunger. Lieutenant-colonel Maxwell’s party retreated by Mayglafs, Bridgetown, Baldinftown, and Dunarmuck, and the pafs of the river Scar, at Barry’s-town; where, having been obstructed by the tide, they halted fome time to refrefh the troops; and thence to Duncannon-fort, by Foulkes’s mill. Thus the retreat of the garrifon of Wexford was in a great meafure performed, during a dark night, in a country whofe inhabitants were hoftile, and in a ftate of infurrection; yet in the courfe of their march of eighteen hours, they had not received any nourifhment.

Before I proceed to give the reader a defcription of the entry of the rebels into the town of Wexford, of which they got poffeffion the thirtieth of May, and of the events which occurred there, I fhall endeavour to give him an idea of their different ftrong pofts and encampments, an.d of the objects which they were defirous of attaining; and in this, their plans appear to have been fyftematick, and guided by policy and forefight.

Confident of fuccefs, from their recent victories, and the numerous hordes affembled on the mountain of Forth and Vinegar-hill; and as multitudes were hourly flocking to their ftandard, they divided their army into three divifions.*

‡ She was far gone with child; yet fhe was delivered at the ufual time, and the child is living.
* The zeal and policy, with which the rebellion in the county of Wexford was conducted, arofe from a plan, which lord Edward Fitzgerald had formed, of landing there a few troops from France, with a number of good officers, and a large quantity of arms and aminuuition, in a few remarkably falt-failing frigates. —Report of the Secret Committee, Appendix, XVI. p.136.

One under the command of Bagenal Harvey, and father Philip Roche, of Poulpearfy, in the parifh of Killan, was to form a camp on Carrick-byrne-hill,* for the purpofe of attacking the town of New Rofs. Another, under father Kearns, captain Doyle, and captain Redmond, nephew of father Redmond, parifh prieft of Ferns, marched to Vinegar-hill, from whence they were to proceed to take Newtown-barry.† The third, commanded by Anthony Perry of Inch, father Michael Murphy of Ballycanoe, and father John Murphy of Boolavogue, was deftined to attack Gorey; and having taken it, to march to Dublin.

By taking Newtown-barry, they would completely command the river Slaney, having previoufly gained Ennifcorthy and Wexford, fituated on it; befides the advantage of poffeffing the harbour of the latter.

Newtown-barry is in a defile furrounded with very high and fleep mountains; and, being on the principal road which leads to the counties of Carlow and Kildare, it would open a communication, and afford a perfect co-operation with the rebels in thofe counties, and enable them to prevent the arrival of reinforcements, or the conveyance of ammunition to the king’s troops from that quarter. The acquifition of Old Rofs,‡ would give them the command of a very fine navigable river, and open a communication with the county of Kilkenny rebels; befides, it is now well known, that moft of the difaffected inhabitants of

Munfter would have rifen in mafs, as foon as that town had fallen into their hands.

The towns of Gorey,|| Arklow,§ and Wicklow, were fo thinly garrifoned, that the leaders of the third column were confident of proceeding to Dublin, without any material impediment. They knew alfo that immenfe numbers would flock to their ftandard in their progrefs; and that the rebels in the metropolis, with whom they held a conftant communication) bold, numerous, well-armed, and organized, would rife on their approach.

Government having received intelligence of the intended attack on Newtown-barry, colonel L’Eftrange was fent to defend it on the thirtieth of May, with a detachment of the King’s-county militia, a few dragoons, and two battalion guns; the whole, including two corps of yeomen, one infantry, the other cavalry, amounting to about three hundred and fixty. As the inhabitants had been in conftant expectation for fome days of an attack from the rebels encamped on Vinegar-hill, all the avenues to the town had been occupied by patroles, both day and

* Plate III. 5.  † Plate II. 5.  ‡ Plate VII. 5.  || Plate II. 4.  § Ibid, 1.

night, to prevent a furprife. On the evening of the thirty-firft of May, they were fuddenly alarmed by the arrival of a young woman in the town, with the utmoft precipitation, and crying out, “Here they are! here they are!” She had been a prifoner to the rebels on Vinegar-hill, where fhe was fo unfortunate as to fee her two brothers put to death, with extreme torture. In the frenzy of grief, fhe, at the rifk of her life, feized and mounted a horfe, and was fo lucky as to make her efcape, though clofely purfued.

Next day, the firft of June, colonel L’Eftrange went out with a party of dragoons to reconnoitre, in the direction of Vinegar-hill. When he advanced about three miles, he perceived the rebels advancing in great force, and fo concealed by a thick wood, and large hedge-rows, that he fuddenly found himfelf in the midft of them. After exchanging a few fhots, he returned to the town, and made the beft difpofition he could for its defence. Soon after the enemy began to advance in two large columns, one at each fide of the river, and under cover of very thick woods, which are on high hills that furround the town. As they approached, they communicated with each other, by loud fhouts and yells, which ferved as fignals to announce the moment of attack.

About three o’clock, the rebels fired fome round and fome cannifter fhot into the town, which obliged the out-pofts to retreat into it. As colonel L’Eftrange perceived a defign in the rebel column at the oppofite fide of the river to get on his rear, and to furround him; and as his fmall force would be infufficient to guard the different avenues leading to the town, after confulting with his officers, he refolved to abandon it, and to take poffeffion of a rifing ground, which commanded it; and by doing fo, he ftrengthened his force by its concentration.

The rebels, imagining that the king’s troops, intimidated by their numbers, had fled, rufhed into the town, and proceeded to plunder and burn it.. The yeomen, enraged at feeing their families and their property in fuch imminent danger, applied to captain Kerr, who commanded the yeomen cavalry, to lead them on; faying, that they would conquer or die. He afked permiffion to do fo, and obtained it.

Affifted by lieutenant-colonel Weftenra, and major Marley, they immediately advanced into the town, which was full of rebels, who were plundering and burning it; and who would have completely demolifhed

it, but that a few loyal fubjects, by keeping up a conftant fire from their houfes, retarded and checked their deftructive progrefs. While the rebels were thus engaged, our troops attacked them with a heavy fire of grapefhot and mufketry, which routed them fo completely, that they fled in every direction; on which the cavalry charged, and killed great numbers of them; having purfued them about three miles on the Ennifcorthy road. Another large body of them, who took a different direction, re-affembled on a hill over the town, but were charged and routed by the cavalry, who cut down great numbers of them in the fields adjacent to it. On that occafion the yeomen acted with fingular valour. The number killed was about four hundred, and among them two priefts, who were dreffed in their veftments. This defeat was peculiarly mortifying to the rebels, from the great numbers which they had in the action; for father Roche, the general, who commanded there, owned afterwards, when a prifoner at Wexford, that moft of the men encamped at Vinegar-hill were engaged in the attack on Newtown-barry.

Father Redmond, parifh-prieft of Ferns, led his parifhioners to that action, in which numbers of them were killed. He was tried for it, but acquitted, becaufe people were afraid to profecute; of which colonel St. Leger, prefident of the court martial, affured me; and fome perfons, who faw him at their head, informed me of it.

An immenfe body of rebels marched from the camp on the mountain of Forth, near Wexford, on the thirtieth of May, to alfift thofe who were in the vicinity of Gorey,* in attacking it. They encamped the firft night at Oulart,† with an intent the next day to take poft in two divifions, one on Ballymore|| mountain; the other, on Ballymenane-hill;‡ and after having formed a junction, to have attacked that town. Captain White, of the Ballaghkeene cavalry, who commanded the garrifon of Gorey, having heard of their approach, marched out on the morning of the firft day of June, with twenty-five of the Antrim, twenty-five of the North Cork, twenty difmounted yeomen of the Gorey corps, and detachments of the Ballaghkeene, Gorey, and Camolin cavalry, and attacked the Ballymenane divifion, about three miles from Gorey, on the Ballycanoe road.§ After fuftaining the fire of the infantry for about a quarter of

* See Plate II. 4.  † Ibid. Ill, a.  ‡ Ibid. ,11. 6, 7.  || Ibid. II. 5.  § Ibid, IT. 6.

an hour, they were broken and fled; on which the cavalry charged and killed about two hundred of them.

It was very fortunate, that the action took place before a junction could be formed. As foon as it began, Fitzgerald, Perry, and Roche, rebel generals, who commanded the Ballymenane divifion, rode off to call up the other; but the deroute took place before it could arrive. On being difperfed, they joined the other party on Ballymore-hills, meditating an attack on Gorey.

On Whitfunday, a horfe patrole from Gorey took three rebels in arms in the adjacent country, and hanged them in the town. They owned in their laft moments, that they were incited by their prieft to enter into the rebellion.

Intelligence having been communicated to government, that the fame body of rebels, with a large reinforcement from Vinegar-hill, meditated another attack on Gorey, to oppofe them, general Loftus was ordered to proceed from Dublin to Rathdrum, in the county of Wicklow, the twenty-ninth of May, with two hundred of the Dunbarton fencible infantry, and fifty of the 5th dragoon guards, which detachment was commanded by lieutenant-colonel Scott, who, on the following day, cleared the woods of Donane and the Devil’s-glynn, of the banditti which had attacked Newtown-mount-kennedy the preceding day.

General Loftus, after having made fuch arrangements as the nature of the circumftances would admit, for the defence of Wicklow and Rathdrum, proceeded to Arklow, agreeably to fubfequent orders received from general Lake.

On the fecond of June, he was informed by letter from general Lake, that general Euftace and colonel Walpole would join him with fome troops for the purpofe of co-operating with him.

On the evening of the fecond of June, general Loftus, having been informed that colonel Walpole was actually arrived it Carnew,* fent an exprefs to him with orders to join him next morning at Gorey.

I think it right to inform the reader, that lieutenant-colonel Walpole was fent from Dublin with orders to join general Loftus with what troops he could procure from general Dundas at Naas, Kilcullen, and Baltinglafs; and that he marched vinlth eight hundred men obtained from
him,

* Plate II. 4.

with two fix-pounders and a howitzer, by Baltinglafs and Tinahely,* to Carnew. He was not vefted with any command, and received no other orders but to march the troops to Gorey, and to leave them under the command of general Loftus.

When colonel Scott’s detachment, confifting of two hundred fencible infantry, fifty dragoons, one hundred men drawn from the Antrim regiment, and two curricle guns, were moving from Arklow on the morning of the third of June, general Loftus received a letter from colonel Walpole, dating, that he thought Carnew a much better place to attack the rebels, pofted on Ballymore-hill, from, than Gorey;‡ that he had reconnoitred them twice, and had got the beft information of their defigns; that his force was able to beat the whole rebel army; and that therefore he would not move his troops from Carnew, but that he would himfelf meet general Loftus at Wicklow.

The general having confulted with colonel Scott and captain Ormfby, it was agreed, that he muft have meant Arklow. Colonel Scott therefore moved forward with his detachment towards Gorey; general Loftus having fent an exprefs to colonel Walpole to meet him at that town, leaving Arklow in charge of the yeomen.

General Loftus received a fecond letter from colonel Walpole, excufing himfelf for not coming, and faying, that he had received the beft information concerning the rebels, and had reconnoitred them himfelf; however, on the evening of the third of June, colonel Walpole arrived at Gorey, with part of his troops; for, notwithftanding the peremptory orders he had received to bring the whole of them, he left two companies of infantry at Carnew.

Colonel Walpole, though not vefted with any command, being too eager for fame, and defirous of enjoying the principal merit of any action that might be achieved, was rather forward and decided in giving his opinion; and though the officers who were his fuperior, not only in rank and authority, but in knowledge and experience, did not implicitly yield to it, they paid fome deference to him, on account of his confidential fituation in the caftle of Dublin, and the opportunity it afforded him of acquiring the beft information. He faid, he had obtained orders to

* Plate II. I.   ‡ Ibid. 4.

collect the troops which he had under his command, and to proceed to the county of Wexford, to co-operate with him, and general Euftace, who, he faid, was in the front of Gorey, towards Wexford; but unfortunately for general Loftus, it happened that general Johnfon, finding himfelf in an alarming and critical fituation at Rofs, detained general Euftace there, for the purpofe of availing himfelf of his affiftance.

At their firft interview, colonel Walpole faid, that he fuppofed general Loftus would attack the rebels next morning; and that he hoped he would afterwards march, or permit him to march, to Ennifcorthy; and after having taken that town, to proceed to Wexford.

In confequence of this extraordinary converfation, general Loftus took colonel Scott and captain Ormfby of the Wexford regiment afide, and lamented to them, that fuch a man as colonel Walpole was fent to act with him, as he was known to poffefs the confidence of the lord lieutenant, but shewed a downright unwillingnefs to obey general Loftus’s orders. It was then fettled, that colonel Walpole fhould not be permitted to march to Ennifcorthy, until they had received fome information from general Euftace; but that, as colonel Walpole feemed fo decided on attacking the rebels on Ballymore-hill, from his knowledge of their pofition, he agreed, that they fhould do fo in conjunction next morryng, provided it appeared feafible on reconnoitring them.

General Loftus then made the following arrangements for that purpofe: At nine o’clock on the morning of the fourth of June, lieutenant-colonel Walpole was to march with the main body of the troops, two fix-pounders and a howitzer, towards Ballymore, by Clough,* where he was to be joined by one hundred men whom he had left at Carnew, The garrifon of that town were to take poft at Camolin,† fhree miles from Gorey, and to wait for further orders.

Lord Ancram was directed to march from Newtownbarry, fifteen miles diftant from Gorey, with two hundred and fifty of the King’s county militia, and his own detachment of dragoons, and to take poft at Scarawalfh-bridge, twelve miles from Gorey, thereto obferve the motions of the enemy on Vinegar-hill; and if he received no ojders before the afternoon, he was to meet colonel Walpole at Ferns. ||

* Plate II. 5.  † Ibid.   || Ibid. 6, 7.

Lieutenant-colonel Scott, with two hundred of the Dunbarton fencibles and fifty of the 5th dragoons, under the command of general Loftus, moved towards Ballymore, by Ballycanew,* to the left of colonel Walpole, in a fouthern direction. Thefe two roads diverge foon after you leave Gorey; and at the diftance of about five miles from that town, there is a communication between them by a crofs road running from eaft to weft, and not far from Ballymore, where the two detachments were to have united and to have reconnoitred the rebels.

Captain McManus, with one hundred of the Antrim militia regiment, was pofted between Gorey and Ballycanew, near a crofs road which led to Clogh, to be ready to protect Gorey, or to fupport colonel Scott or colonel Walpole, as the occafion might require. Colonel Walpole was protedled on the left by the general himfelf, with colonel Scott and his party, a little more than a mile and a half diftant from him. On his right, within a mile and a half, he had upwards of one hundred light infantry ordered from Carnew, who were to wait his further orders. -General Loftus gave him twelve yeomen gentlem^, as guides, and todk “ten himfelf for the fame purpofe.

General Loftus defired him to proceed with the utmoft caution, and to let him know how he went on. The two roads, on which general Loftus and colonel Walpole were to proceed, towards Ballymore, were nearly parallel, and there was a crofs road between them at Clogh, which afforded an eafy communication.

At a road to the right, leading to Camolin, fome rebels appeared at a diftance, on which fome of the officers, under the command of colonel Walpole, fuggefted to him the propriety of forming, or of marching with advanced guards, and flankers; which advice he rejected, and replied, that he was commanding officer. On advancing to the crofs roads near Clogh, fome more rebels appeared; and captain Duncan, of the artillery, having advanced about two hundred yards before the party, to have a good look out, returned, and informed colonel Walpole, that he had feen a man on horfeback with a gun. At the fame time there was an appearance of rebels in front, and to the right of the road leading to Ballymore-hill.

* Plate II. 6.

Had he any degree of prudence or military fkill, he would have inftantly deployed, and formed, which he might eafily have done, as the adjacent fields were flat and fpacious; and having done fo, he fhould have communicated his fituation to general Loftus; and having been afked to do fo, by fome of his officers, he replied, by faying, that it fhould be colonel Walpole’s, and not general Loftus’s action.

On being repeatedly preffed to fend an exprefs to general Loftus, he expreffed his fears that the rebels would efcape from him. Actuated with the vain glory of arrogating exclufively to himfelf the merit of defeating the rebels, he quitted this very advantageous pofition, and advanced to Tubberneering, a little beyond Clogh, where the road was deep and narrow, and the clay banks on each fide, with deep trenches, and bufhes on the top were very high. The adjacent fields which were fmall, with high and thick quick-fet hedges, had potatoes, corn, and uncut grafs in them, all which afforded ample means of concealment for the rebels, who were advancing towaxds Gorey; and on feeing at a diftance the king’s troops marching, formed an ambufcade at Tubberneering, to which place colonel Walpole advanced, in a moft irregular manner. The rebels, taking advantage of his difadvantageous fituation, fuddenly rofe from the adjacent hedges in which they were concealed, and directed a tremendous fire on the king’s troops, who were put in the ut. moft confufion, as great numbers of them fell, without a poffibility of forming for their defence.

Colonel Walpole, dreffed in a full uniform, and mounted on a tall grey horfe, formed a confpicuous object for the rebels, and fell in the firft onfet. The column was now actually furrounded, in a place, which from the height and number of its inclofures, was favourable for the irregular and defultory warfare of favages; at the fame time that it baffled the efforts of valour and difcipline.

An attempt was made by a detachment of the 4th dragoon-guards to turn the enemy’s right flank, but the clofenefs of the country made this impracticable.

Colonel Sir Watkin Williams Wynne, at the fame time, advanced with the Ancient Britifh fencible cavalry, which he commanded, to the front of the infantry, and retook a gun which had fallen into the hands of the rebels; but the gunners having been killed or forced to fly, and

the artillery horfes having gone off with the limber, he was obliged to abandon it to the enemy.

After having fuftained the attack for about three quarters of an hour, with confiderable difadvantage on the part of the king’s troops, and having loft their commander, and three pieces of artillery, which were immediately turned againft them, they began to retreat in great confufion,as might be expected from raw and inexperienced troops.

The rebels having preffed hard on them, a general difmay imlantly took place, which would probably have been fatal to the whole of the column, had not lieutenant-colonel Cope, of the Antrim militia, been pofted at a fmall diftance, with a detachment of his own regiment, and rallied and formed them on the road, to impede the progrefs of the enemy. To this fmall band of brave men, under the command of that cool and gallant officer, the fafety of thofe who efcaped on that day is in a great meafure to be imputed.

The column retreated in the utmoft diforder to Gorey, colonel Cope difputing every inch of ground, and covering their retreat. When they arrived there, moft of the windows were occupied by the rebels, who kept up a heavy fire, and killed many of them; however, they effected their paffage through the town.

Colonel Cope found great difficulty in leading his men through it; for whenever the rebels fired at them from the windows, they imprudently rufhed into the houfes whence the fhots were fired, and obtained revenge by bayoneting the affailants.

Of his corps, amounting to one hundred and thirty, he loft between thirty and forty; and his horfe was wounded in fuch a manner as to be rendered ufelefs.

Captain Stark of the Londonderry militia, captain Duncan of the artillery, and captain Armftrong of the King’s county militia were carried into Gorey very badly wounded; but were obliged to retreat to Wicklow, on having their wounds dreffed, as the rebels were advancing into the town.

As colonel Walpole had made no communication of his fituation to general Loftus, he remained totally ignorant of it, till he heard a fmart firing on his right new Clogh; on which he fent an exprefs to

captain McManus, who had been conducted by Mr. Hunter Gowan, to go over by the crofs road to fupport colonel Walpole; but the iffue of this unfortunate affair was decided fo quickly, that the main body of our troops having been routed before his arrival, the captain and his detachment were furrounded and taken prifoner, after many of them had been killed.

General Loftus, who was near the village of Ballycanew,* when he heard the firing, pufhed forward with his detachment to Tubberneering; but on his arrival there, had the mortification of. feeing colonel Walpole and many of his foldiers lying dead and naked.

Sir Watkin William Wynne, having feen captain McManus, with a company of the Antrim, advancing to fupport colonel Walpole, fent captain Wynne, with a troop of his regiment, to cover them; but the furprife was fo fudden, that his efforts proved ineffectual.

Captain Wynne, on his arrival at the town, after the retreating column had paffed through it, found that the enemy, who were purfuing them, had attained the entrance of it, and had actually brought one of the guns which they had taken, to bear on the main ftreet. Thus captain Wynne, cut off from his corps, determined inftantly on forcing his paffage by the town, and on cutting his way through the rebels who furrounded the gun; and he gallantly effected it, but with the lofs of five yeomen killed, and a few men and horfes wounded.

Several bodies of people having been difcovered on the hills at the Arklow fide of Gorey, it was apprehended that frefh parties of rebels were affembling to oppofe the retreat of the column towards Arklow. Sir W. W. Wynne therefore preffed forward with the cavalry to difperfe them, but he foon difcovered that they were the proteftant inhabitants of the town and its vicinity, who, in defpair, had abandoned their houfes and their property, well knowing that they would have fallen a prey to the cruel and fanguinary fpirit of the rebels.

Above one thousand and feventy of them fled on the fourth of June to Arklow, and next day to Wicklow, carrying their wives and children on above three hundred cars, with which they formed booths or tents on the ftrand near that town, where, they, remained near a month, without any means of fubfiftence but what they received from charitable contributions.

* See plate II. 6.

Sir Watkin having got the rear of his command clear of the town, ufed every effort to induce the troops to halt and form; but the panick was fo great, that all his efforts were fruitlefs, and they rufhed on precipitately, and in diforder, even to Arklow. In thefe circumftances, a council of war was held, and it was determined (probably judicioufly) but certainly much contrary to the feelings and inclinations of the yeomanry, to retreat to Wicklow, as their houfes and families were expofed to deftruction by this meafure, which however was effected in the courfe of the following night. The town of Arklow fuffered much lefs than might have been expected during an interval of thirty-fix hours, between the evacuation of it by the retreating army, and the arrival of major-general Needham there, on Wednefday the fixth of June. The main body of the rebels had not approached it; and but a few petty depredations were committed by fome home infurgents, who, after having plundered fome houfes, went off to their affociates at Gorey.

The fecurity of Arklow is to be imputed to the wife precaution of the officers commanding the army which retreated to Wicklow; who carried with them, as hoftages, a great number of its principal difaffected inhabitants, and whofe lives would have anfwered for any wanton act of mifchief or barbarity committed by the others.

The defeat of colonel Walpole left general Loftus with but two hundred and fifty men, in a moft alarming fituation, and it required not only addrefs, but the moll: prompt and vigorous exertion to extricate himfelf; for, it has been since difcovered, that the rebel army at Vinegar-hill had formed a junction with that which was pofted on Ballymore, making in the whole above twenty thoufand men, for the purpofe of taking Gorey; and this plan was connected with their main object of attacking the metropolis, which they endeavoured to accomplifh five days after.

The general advanced within three quarters of a mile of Gorey, which he found to be in poffeffion of the rebels. He had then no other refource to fave his fmall detachment, but to force his way through that town, or to form a’junction with’ lord Ancram. Large bodies of rebels were feen in motion on the adjacent hills, juft over their heads; and who often fired on them, not only with the guns which they had taken, but with their fmall arms. In this critical ftate, any, even the fmalleft delay, would have been attended with the lofs of the detachment. He

made his men advance rapidly without returning the enemy’s fire, and confidered himfelf as very fortunate in having the affiftance of fo able and judicious an officer as colonel Scott. He, general Loftus, and captain Corry, having examined the pofition of the rebels, found that their numbers were immenfe; that the hedge-rows, leading to Gorey, were lined with them; and that all the adjacent hills were occupied by confiderable numbers, who fired on them with the two fix-pounders and the howitzer taken from colonel Walpole.

The general, therefore, prudently refolved to join lord Ancram, at Carnew,§ which could not be effected but by marching round the enemy’s right, and by croffing Slievebuoy* mountain. Lieutenant-colonel Scott moved off on the Camolin† road, while the general remained with the fifty dragoons, to watch the motions of the enemy; and captain Corry, who commanded them, endeavoured to engage the attention of the enemy, and to make them believe that he was moving towards Gorey, by the crofs road leading to the Ballycanew road; and had not captain Corry made this feint, lieutenant-colonel Scott could not have marched unmolefted to form a jundlion with lord Ancram, which was effected near Slievebuoy mountain, and by perfevering in not waiting to return the enemy’s fire. Carnew was occupied early next morning.

The difficulty of conveying the guns and the tumbrils over that mountain was very great, and could not have been effected, as there was no road for a four-wheej carriage, but for the advice of Mr. Brownrigg of Barndown, who had a perfect knowledge of the country. Thus this fmall body fairly marched round twenty thoufand rebels; and by the good countenance which they kept, and by preferving their fire, though conftantly fired at, they efcaped without any injury. At midnight general Loftus reached Carnew, where he learned that the light infantry ordered to Camolin to act with colonel Walpole, had, upon his defeat, retreated to Newtownbarry, and that general Euftace was detained at Rofs to fupport general Johnfon. Thus he had only the additional fupport of lord Ancram’s party; viz. two hundred and fifty men of the King’s county regiment, and eighty Mid Lothian dragoons; but upon lord Ancram’s report, that a detachment of the Meath and Donegal regiments had arrived at Newtownbarry,

§ Plate II, 4.   * See Plate I. 5.

the day before, efcorting ammunition from general Johnfon, he ordered that detachment to join him; by which he was enabled to fend detachments for the defence of Arklow and Hacketftown; and the important poft of Newtownbarry was well defended.

Had the rebel army taken advantage of their victory, and proceeded to Arklow and Wicklow, thofe towns muft have fallen into their hands, and they would probably have marched to, and attacked the metropolis; but, incited by the hope of plundering Gorey and its vicinity, they continued for five days to commit every excefs and enormity, that the love of rapine and favage cruelty could infpire. The proteftant church, which was the firft object of their fanatical rage, they completely difmantled. They pillaged and deftroyed the houfes of all the proteftants, and murdered many of their inmates, who could not make their efcape. They alfo plundered and demolifhed the town of Carnew; having harboured infatiable revenge againft its inhabitants, for the victory which they obtained over them on the twenty-feventh of May.*

A drummer of the name of Hunter, of the Antrim regiment, of the age of twelve years, fell into the hands of the rebels, in the unfortunate affair in which colonel Walpole loft his life. He carried his drum with him, and when he was conducted to the town of Gorey ,with fome other prifoners, they defired him to beat it, having intended to make him ferve them as a drummer; when he, actuated by a fpirit of enthufiaftick loyalty, exclaimed, “That the king’s drum fhould never be beaten for rebels;” and at the fame infant, he leaped on the drum, and broke through both its heads. The inhuman villains, whofe relentlefs hearts were not fufceptible of thofe refined fentiments, which would have excited a generous admiration of fo heroick an act even in an enemy, inftantly perforated his body with pikes.

In this action, a prieft attacked captain Duncan of the Royal Irifh artillery, and wounded him with a piftol ball, as he was mounting his horfe; but his temerity was foon punifhed, for the captain drew a piftol from his holfter and laid him proftrate.

The following aneedote of the Royal Irifh artillery, whofe valour has been confpicuous on all occafions, deferves to be recorded: During the ronfufion and difmay which took place among the troopr, when they were furprifed in the road at Tubberneering, the gunners of the artillery, with

* They plundered and burned Ramfort and Clonaltin, the two elegant feats of the Meffrs. Ram.

the moft deliberate coolnefs levelled one of the hedges of the road, dragged the cannon into the adjacent field, and fired many fhots at a numerous body of rebels, who were pofted on a high rock, from whence, with their mufketry, they had killed many of our foldiers. They drove the rebels frorn that advantageous pofition, after having killed a great number of them, which contributed materially to prevent the complete deftruction of the army.

I fhall refer the reader to the affidavits of Andrew Shcppard, George Taylor and Blakely Ormfby, Appendix, No. XX. 1, 2, 3, for an account of the brutal treatment which they gave their proteftant prifoners in the town of Gorey. They murdered many perfons of that perfuafion in the adjacent country. The following occurrence happened there: A proteftant tenant of Mr. Stephen Ram, of the name of Poole, who bears an uncommon good character, fled from his houfe near Gorey when the rebels got poffeffion of it; fome of his popifh acquaintances perfuaded him to return, as perfons of his . religious faith were not molefted; but on doing fo, he found that they meant only to lead him into danger, by putting, him in the power of the Romanifts. He was advifed to repair to the rebel camp at Gorey, and to procure a pafs there; but he could not obtain it. He was then advifed to go to father Francis Kavenagh, a prieft, who had fupreme power at Gorey, and had a guard of pikemen at his door, to prevent more than one perfon at a time from entering it. On addreffing him for a protection, he faid, “After ferving the devil all your life, you come to me for a protection,” meaning that he had been all his life of the proteftant perfuafion. However, he gave him a protection; but in this he acted with diffimulation, as it was not meant to protect him; for he was arrefted and imprifoned, and narrowly efcaped with his life. This prieft was the oldeft, the beft beneficed, and reputed one of the moft refpectable priefts in the diocefe. By his apparent candour and liberality he had infinuated himfelf into the efteem and good opinion of the nobility and proteftant gentry of the country, whofe houfes he reforted to conftantly, and was well received there; and yet his conduct was fo exceptionable, that general Needham* would have had him tried by a court-martial, and he probably would have fhared the fate of his coadjutor, father Redmond who was hanged; but that fome refpectable perfons, in confideration

* I heard this from the general and many perfons prefent.

of his age, and led by their partiality for him, perfuaded the general to difcharge him. This old hypocrite was very active in the rebel camps.
Being unwilling to break the thread of my narration of the events which took place at Wexford, during three weeks that the rebels were in poffeffion of it, before I enter upon that fubjeft, I will finifh the relation of many other tranfactions which happened during that period.

I mentioned before that an immenfe body of rebels had encamped on Carrickbyrne-hill,* for the purpofe of taking poffeffion of Rofs, which is fix miles diftant from it.