of the true use of their Arms for when they came afterwards to fire at a Mark singly they gave too great proof to any Man of sense of their Unskilfulness This is no Reflection upon the Officers for it 's scarce possible to make new-raised Men good Souldiers till they have seen some Action and yet several Officers might have taken more care than they did If it be objected that the Enemies Men were far worse in this respect than ours I answer Not for a great many of them had been Souldiers for at least four Years before and if we had gone out into the Plain and had our Foot charged by their Horse at the rate we were afterwards at the Boyne I know not what might have followed Besides we had an Enemy in our Bosom at that time undiscovered I mean the French and if those at the beginning of an Engagement should have fired in the Rear or Flank of our Army upon our own Men and then run over to the Enemy as was designed this might quickly have bred an appreâ—hension of Treachery in the whole that a Consternation and from this such a Confusion that our whole Army might easily have been disordered for those that understand Armies know that a small thing in appearance may do a great deal of Mischief at such a time And some are of Opinion that the Irish did not design to fight that Day but only drew out to see who would come over to them because they were made believe that all the French and a great many English would for the Duke who was a great Judg often said when he saw the Enemy appear That they did not look as if they would fight except once but that they designed something else But God be thanked the English were stedfast and true to a Man and they were disappointed of their Foreigners too Upon the whole Matter I doubt not but it will appear to any Man that pleases to consider it that the Duke did better in not hazarding that in a moment which may be was not to be redeemed again in many Ages since not only the Safety of these Kingdoms did in a great measure depend upon it but a great part of the Protestant Interest in Europe had a Concern in it And where the Fates of Kingdoms and the Lives and Interests of Thousands are at Stake Men are still to act on solid Reasons and Principles the Turns of a Battel being so many and are often occasioned by such unexpected Accidents which also proceed from such minute Causes that a wise and great Captain such as Duke Schonberg was will expose to Chance only as much as the very Nature of War requires And as to what happened at Dundalk by the Mens dying afterwards this was not the General 's Fault for he could not march back till the Enemy was gone his Men then being so very weak had all been cut off nor could he foresee what Weather it would be whilst he staid nor how the English Constitutions would bear it And as to his Care that they should want nothing let any but consider the Orders through the Camp and he will find it was scarce in the power of any Man to do more But I am affraid it will be thought impertinent to indeavour the defence of so great a Man's Actions and to do it no better Former Misfortunes at Dundalk I only add therefore that this Town of Dundalk has by turns been unfortunate to the People of the three Nations It was in Time past a Town very strongly walled which Edward Bruce Brother to the King of Scots who had Proclaimed himself King of Ireland burnt but he was near this place afterward slain with 8200 of his Men. Afterwards the Irish under Shan O Neal laid siege to it but were repulsed with very great loss Then in the Year 1641 my Lord Moore and Sir Henry Tichburn beat three thousand Irish out of Dundalk and killed a great many of them having only 750 Foot and 200 Horse And the Misfortune of the English last Year was not inferiour to any of these But to return to Matter of Fact 1700 of the Irish fall upon Newry The Enemy had left eight Regiments at Ardee when they Decamped out of which Regiments so soon as we were gone to Quarters they detached 1600 Men and those with 100 Voluntiers were to force the Pass at Newry and then go along the Line to destroy our Frontier Garisons which at that time had been no difficult Task to have performed they march'd all Night Saturday the 23 of November and came on Sunday Morning by break of Day or before to the other side of the Bridg at Newry this Party was commanded by Major General Boisleau having with him a Brigadeer three Colonels and other Officers proportionable there was then in the Garrison most of what were left of Colonel Inglesby's Regiment which were not many above sixty and not forty of those able to present a Musquet the Enemy sent a Party of a 100 Men to pass the River a little above the Bridg and come in at the North-east-end of the Town whilst the main Body marched over the Bridg beyond which we had two Centinels placed at 100 paces distance from each other the first challenged thrice and then his Piece missed fire and he was killed the next challenged and fired upon them which alarmed the Garison As they advanced near the middle of the Town in a strait place near the Castle a Sergant and twelve Men being upon the Guard drew out and fired then retreated to the old Walls charged and fired again by this time all the Officers and Souldiers that were able to crawl were got into the Market-place with some few Townsmen the Enemy came in both ways and fired doing us some damage the poor fellows that were not able to come out fired their Pieces out at the Windows of some small Houses that were left standing others that could not do better got their backs to the old Walls and so were able to present their Musquets And are repulsed by an handful After some firing on both sides the Enemy believing us to be a great many more than we really were begun to shrink which occasioned our Men to Huzzah and then the Rogues run away many of them for haste wading through the River up to their Necks the Tide being high at that time they were followed down to the Bridg by a Captain and a very small party of Men and though they were both threatned and intreated by their Officers to rally again yet all would not do They had a Lieutenant-Colonel killed and left six Men dead on the place but afterwards we were informed they carried off twelve Horses loaden with dead and wounded Men we took only one or two Prisoners and if we had had a party of Horse or Dragoons to pursue them not many had gone home to tell the News those that were kill'd had not
The humble Addess of the Clergy of the Church of Ireland now in Vlster An Address presented to his Majesty GReat Sir We your Majesty's Loyal Subjects out of the deepest sense of the Blessing of this Day with most joyful Hear to congratulate your Majesty's safe Landing in this Kingdom And as we must always praise God for the Wonders he hath already wrought by your Majesty's Hands so we cannot but admire and applaud Your remarkable Zeal for the Protestant Religion and the Peace of these Kingdoms We owe all imaginable Thanks to God and Acknowledgment to your Majesty for the Calm and Safety we have enjoyed by the Success of your Arms under the happy and wise Management of his Grace the Duke of Schonberg And we do not doubt but God will hear the Prayers of his Church and crown your Majesty's Arms with such Success and Victory that those happy beginnings of our Joy may terminate in a full Establishment of our Religion and our Peace and with lasting Honours to your Majesty May Heaven bless and preserve your Majesty in such glorious Vndertakings give strength and prosperity to such generous Designs that all your Enemies may flee before You that your Subjects may rejoice in Your easy Victory and that all the World may admire and honour You. Give us leave great Sir after the most humble and grateful manner to offer our selves to your Majesty and to give all assurance of a steady Loyalty and Duty to your Majesty of our Resolution to promote and advance your Service and Interest to the utmost of our Power And that we will always with the most hearty importunity pray That Heaven may protect your Royal Person from all Dangers that we may long enjoy the Blessings of your Government and Victories and that after a long and peaceful Reign here God may change your Lawrels into a Crown of Glory The King staid at Belfast till Thursday where on the 19 th he sent out a Proclamation encouraging all People of what perswasion soever to live at Home peaceably commanding the Officers and Souldiers upon no Pretext whatever to Rob or Plunder them That day the King dined at Lisburn with the General and then went to Hillsburough where he sent out an Order on the 20 th forbidding the pressing of Horses from the Countrey People And seeing that things did not go on so fast as he desired he exprest some Dissatisfaction saying that he did not come there to let Grass grow under his Feet The Army takes the Field And he made his Words good for the whole Army now received Orders to march into the Field on the 21 th several English Regiments met and encamped at Loughbritland some being already at Newry with Maj. Gen. Kirk and Lieut. Gen. Douglass between Hambleton's Ban and Tandrogee with 22 Regiments of Foot and eight or nine of Horse and Dragoons The Enemy had formed a Camp sometime before this at Ardee whither K. James came about the 18 th with 5000 French Foot leaving Col. Latterel with about 6000 of the Militia in Dublin who when the late King was gone shut up all the Protestants in Prison so that all the Churches and publick Places were full of them The Enemy at Dundalk About the 19 th or 20 th the Enemies Army came and Encamped beyond the River at Dundalk all along where our last Camp had been the Year before A Party of ours falls into an Ambush On Sunday Morning the 22 d a Party of Col. Levisons Dragoons commanded by Capt. Crow and a party of Foot under Capt. Farlow in all about 200 went from Newry towards Dundalk to discover the Enemy and to see if the Ways were mended according to the Duke's Order We had sent out several small Parties before and the Enemy had notice of it which occasioned them to lay an Ambuscade of about 400 Men at a place half-way where they had cast up some Works the Year before In that next the Pass they had placed part of their Foot and had the rest with the Horse some distance off the Morning was very foggy and favoured their Design so that after greatest part of our Foot were got over the Pass and the Dragoons advanced about 200 Yards beyond it then the Irish fired from the Fort and at the same time another party charged our Dragoons who being some of them Recruits retreated past our own Foot but most of them advanced again and the Engagement was pretty sharp yet our Party not knowing but the Enemy might have more Men in covert retreated over the Pass and there drew up but the Irish did not think fit to advance upon them Capt. Farlow and another Gentleman were taken Prisoners and we had about 22 kill'd but the Enemy lost more as we understood by some Deserters that came off next Day The King comes to the Camp that Afternoon His Majesty Prince George the General the Duke of Ormond and all the great Men came to the Camp at Loughbritland The King had given Orders before His coming that we should remove our Camp from the South side of the Town to the North west that His Majesty might take a View of the Regiments as they marched the Weather was then very dry and windy which made the Dust in our marching troublesome I was of opinion with several others that this might be uneasie to a King and therefore believed that His Majesty would sit on Horseback at a distance in some convenient place to see the Men march by Him but He was no sooner come than He was in amongst the throng of them and observed every Regiment very critically This pleased the Soldiers mightily and every one was ready to give what Demonstrations it was possible both of their Courage and Duty The King and the Prince had their moving Houses set up Those Houses were made of Wood but so convenient that they could be set up in an hours time and never after lay out of the Camp during Their stay in Ireland His Majesty lost no time but sent Major General Scravemoor who now was come over that Evening with 500 Horse and a good Detachment of Foot commanded by Lieutenant Collonel Caulfield to discover the Ways and observe the Enemy they marched over part of the Barony of Phuse and almost to Dundalk returning the 23 d in the Evening That Morning His Majesty with a Party of Horse went four Miles beyond Newry and return'd towards the Evening to the Camp at Loughbritland At His coming back some brought Him a Paper to Sign about some Wine and other things for His Majesty 's own use but He was dissatisfied that all things for the Soldiers were not so ready as he desired and with some heat protested That He would drink Water rather than His Men should want A little after His Majesty received a Letter by an Aid du Camp from Major General Kirk Acquainting the King That the Party he sent out that Morning went
Carlow where he met with some Accounts from England upon which he exprest himself doubtful whether to go over or return to the Army However he went on as far as Chappel Izard and there he was employed for about Three days in hearing Petitions some of which related to the violation of Protections and the Outrages committed by Lieutenant General Douglas's Party As also others about Abuses and Inconveniences from the late Commission and several Complaints were made against Col. Trelawney's Regiment then in Dublin Here the King gave Orders that Count Sehomberg's Horse Col. Mathews's Dragoons Col. Hasting's and Col. Trelawney's Foot with one Troop of Guards should be shipt for England A second Declaration and on the first of August published a Second Declaration not only confirming and strengthning the former but also adding That if any Foreigners in Arms against Him would submit they should have Passes to go into their own Countries or whither they pleased And another Proclamation came out dated July 31. Commanding all the Papists to deliver up their Arms and those who did not were to be look'd upon as Rebels and Traytors and abandoned to the discretion of the Soldiers A Proclamation for a Fast And at the same time was likewise published a Proclamation for a General Fast to be kept constantly every Friday during the War in all parts of the Kingdom under his Majesty's Obedience for asking God's Pardon for our Sins and imploring a Blessing upon Their Majesties Forces by Sea and Land At this time also Mr. Poyne Mr. Reves and Mr. Rothford Lords Commissioners of the Great Seal began to act and received Instructions from the King how to proceed And now the King received a further account from England that my Lord Torrington and several more were secured and that several wicked Designs were discovered and prevented That the Loss at Sea was not so great as was at first reported and that the French had only burnt a small Village in the West of England and gone off again month August so that the danger of this being partly over His Majesty resolved to The King returns to the Army return to the Army he lessened his Baggage and Retinue giving his spare Horses to the Train and then on the 2 d of August went back towards his Army which he found then at Goulden Bridge on which day a Soldier was hang'd for mutining Here the King stay'd a day or two and had Accounts from several Deserters of the Preparations the Enemy was making for their own defence and safety On the 6 th the King with his Army march'd to Sallywood having the day before sent a Party of Horse towards Limerick And on the 7 th his Majesty march'd to Carigallis within five miles of Limerick Upon our approach thither the Enemy burnt and levell'd all the Suburbs as also set fire to all the Houses in the Country between us and the Town A Party sent toward Limerick On the the 8 th of August early in the Morning my Lord Portland and Brigadeer Stuart were sent towards Limerick with about Eleven hundred Horse and Foot who advanced within Cannon shot of the Town but met with little opposition from the Enemy and before they returned his Majesty went out with about Three hundred Horse being accompanied with Prince George the Heer Overkirk Major General Ginkle and several other great Officers When these went nigh the Town a Party of the Enemies Horse advanced toward them But Captain Selby of my Lord of Oxford's Regiment having the Advance Guard drew towards them with a design to charge them which they perceiving thought fit to draw homewards their Cannon firing from the Town several times Then in the Evening Lieutenant General Douglass with his Party join'd the Kings Army The 9 th of August in the morning early the King sends three Squadrons of Horse and Dragoons with a Detachment of One Thousand Foot commanded by Sir Henry Bellasis as Brigadeer my Lord Drogheda and Colonel Earle as an Advance Guard to make the first approach The whole Army make their Approach and all the Army both Horse and Foot followed in order About six a Clock our Advance Party discovered some of the Enemy upon the top of an Hill three Miles on this side the Town our Men drew up and then marched slowly forwards and as we proceeded the Enemy disappear'd by degrees till they were all gone off the Hill We drew forwards and about half a mile further we cou'd see a great part of the Town from a rising ground but could not discover the ways to it nor who were between us and it because of a great many thick Inclosures and Lanes in one of which the Enemy appeared again Our Men halted a little till the Pioneers had cut â—…wn the Hedges to the right and left which done they advanced and the Enemy drew back This took some time a doing and therefore the Front of our Army both of Horse and Foot came up The King was here at first riding from one place to another to order Matters as his Custom always was We cut the Hedges in a great many places and went forwards and the Enemy they drew homewards till they came to a narrow Pass between two Bogs within half a Mile of the Town The Neck of Land between these Bogs is not above 150 Yards over and this full of Hedges with a large Orchard a Stone Wall and also the Ruines of a great House upon the Lane-side which the Irish had burnt the Day before But there were Three Lanes that led this way towards the Town the middlemost being the broadest the Irish Horse stood in it on the Pass beyond this old House and whilst our Pioneers were at work the Front of our Horse went up so close that there were several little Firings but not much damage done on either side To the Right and Left of the Irish Horse the Hedges were all lined with Musqueteers of whom our Foot were got now within less than two hundred Yards The Pioneers laboured at the Hedges all this while and the Army made their Approaches in excellent Order The Detached Party of Foot was upon the Advance towards the Centre the Horse a little to the Right of them followed by the Earl of Drogheda's Regiment and Lieutenant General Douglas at the Head of them my Lord Drogheda himself being upon the Advance Guard The Danes were towards the Left led on by the Prince of Wirtemberg and Major General Kirk The Blue Dutch and several English Regiments were upon the Right All those were lined with Horse and these supported again with more Foot So that all Men that understood it said it was a most curious sight for though the Hedges were very thick and troublesome yet it was so ordered that the Front kept all on a Line except the advance Party who went always some distance before Whilst things were going on thus the King ordered Two Field-Pieces to be
Siege and that was in not Fortifying the Pass and Cromwell's Fort without as also in not drawing a large Trench from the River towards the East and then runing it round that part of the Town on which they might have raised several Forts and Breast-works from whence they might have retarded our Approaches but indeed they had not time for all this though they had done something of that kind towards the West where they keept Men Encampt all the while we lay before the Town and they had made also some Forts towards the East but they could not put Courage in their Men to defend them especially when Walls were so near to fly to Objections against the Siege at Limerick What Objections they make against us were these that we ought to have divided our Army and sent a part beyond the River as also to have broke down the two Bridges one between the two Towns and the other on the County of Clare side by which means we had prevented the Irish Communication between the two Towns and also from without the greatest hazard that we could run being to Attack a Town that had one side open to bring in what Men and things they pleas'd All these and a great many more inconveniencies were seen into at that Instant but the dividing the Army was impracticable because that when one Part had been over the River they must have marched several Miles to the Right and then down again before they could come nigh the other side of the Town by reason of a vast Bog that runs from the Town a great way cross the Country and then it was no easie thing to bring Provision to those and besides if the Rains had fallen as it often threatned us that part of the Army which had gone over must have run the hazard either of starving or fighting their whole Army or both for the Shanon rises all on a sudden and the least swelling in the World would have made it impassible for the Army since it was with great difficulty that single Regiments could get over as it was and it never has been seen so low in many years Nor had we Men enough to make what Works were convenient to secure both Parts of the Army from Sallies or Assaults from without if we had been divided We know Caesar at the Siege of Alexia shut in Eighty thousand Guals made a Line of Countervallation of Eleven Miles Circumference and one of Circumvallation that was Fourteen Fortifying both these with Sharp Stakes and vast Holes in the Ground slightly covered over by which he both reduced that great Army within to his Mercy and kept off a much greater that design'd to Raise the Siege But his Army were Men of Fatigue and Labour as well as Courage and his Numbers six times as great as ours And though we were Commanded by a Prince of as great Courage and Resolution as ever Caesar was and he had Men that were as willing yet several of them were beginning to be sick and were not able to endure the Fatigue except both our Time had been longer and the Season better and though Kings are Gods in Wisdom as well as Power yet there is one in Heaven that limits them Lieutenant General Douglass Decamps September the 7 th Lieutenant General Douglas with his own Regiment Brigadeer Stuart's Sir Henry Ballasyse's Lord George Hambilton's a Derry Regiment the Third Troop of Guards Colonel Russel's Horse and Guinn's Dragoons marched from Tipperary towards the North to Winter-Quarters and the rest lay encamped September the 8 th my Lord Lisburne with a Party of Foot being about Four Hundred and Monsieur La Forest with a Party of Five hundred Horse were sent to Killmallock a Place between Cork and Limerick where the Enemy had a Garrison of about two hundred Men who when they saw our Party and Four Field-Pieces which they brought along they yeilded upon the first Summons and had Conditions to march out with their Arms and Baggage From the 8 th to the 13 th nothing of Moment hapned except the General 's sending out several Parties unto all the little Towns and Castles thereabouts having Engineers along to see what could be done in order to their Defence on which account Dr. Davis Dean of Ross was very serviceable who understood the Countrey thereabouts very well And Major General Kirk with the rest of the English This took up time till the 13 th when Major General Kirk with Seven Foot Regiments viz. Kirk Hanmer Meath Cutts Lisburne Earle and Drogheda's and Sir John Lanier with his own Lord of Oxford's Langston's Byerley's Horse Levison's Dragoons and part of Cunningham's marched towards Bi r Which way we heard that Sarsfield was making being then with a Body of about Five Thousand Horse Foot and Dragoons at a place called Banohar-Bridge not Eight Miles from Bir. The same Day Major General Scravemore and Major General Tatteau with Twelve hundred Horse and Dragoons as also Two Regiments of Danish Foot went towards Mallow in order to go to Cork where we had a Report that my Lord Marlborough designed to land There were some Deserters also that came from the Enemy that gave us an Account that my Lord Tyrconnel Count Lauzun Monsieur Boiseleau with all the French Forces were gone from Galloway towards France for hearing of my Lord Marlborough's Fleet coming abroad they made more haste than they designed and so left several of their Men sick at Galloway They brought an excellent Field-Train in the Spring out of France which they took along with them when they returned The rest of the Army remove to Cashel September the 14 th the rest of the Army removed to Cashel and from thence were dispersed to Quarters part of the Danes and Dutch went towards Waterford some to Clonmell and others staid at Cashel The French went towards the County of Carlow And so the Army was dispersed Count Solmes commanded the Army from His Majesties Departure till the Camp broke up and then he went to Dublin in order to go for England On the Day following a Captain of Colonel Levison's Dragoons with his Troop routed a Body of Irish Rabble that were got together and a Party of Horse were sent after a Company of Rapparees that had kill'd some of our Men as they were a forraging Lieutenant General Ginkle was now Commander in Chief of the Army and went towards his Head Quarters at Killkenny Sarsfield besieges Bar. At Major General Kirk's coming to Roscreagh he understood that Sarsfield â—nd his Party had besieged the Castle at Bi r in which was only a Company of Colonel Tiffin's Regiment The Enemy had brought several Pieces of Cannon one of which was an Eighteen Pounder with which they did the Castle some damage but however the besieged defended it stoutly and killed them several Men. Relieved by Major General Kirk Tuesday the 16 th Major General Kirk and his Foot marched from Roscreagh
the Forage or at least make it unserviceable to the Enemy But to return to our own Camp Coll. Coy sent abroad with a Party Monday the 9 th in the Afternoon Coll. Coy went out with a Party of 200 Horse to scour the Country but met with none of the Enemy for they were in a doubtful Condition what measures to take The 10 th Little hapned of moment only the General rid out to observe the Countrey the Popish Chappel in Town was made a Store-house and amongst other Papers of like nature I found one that sometime before had been given to the Priest To pray for the Shoule of Brian Rhode The 11 th There came a Gentleman from the Enemy who told the Duke that their Numbers were not so great as was reported and the Trumpet returned that was sent formerly to the Duke of Berwick for they kept him on purpose for some days that he might not give an Account of their Condition till their Army was got together Thursday the 12 it was given out in Orders That Forage should be fetched from beyond the Town towards the Enemy and that if any Soldier would thresh Corn and bring it to the Commissary he should be paid for it the full value The Majors were ordered to see the Arms of their respective Regiments kept clean and the Soldiers to leave off firing in the Camp because that some unskilful Fellows had done mischief to our own men That none of the Soldiers should Rob or Plunder the Country-people and that there should be a Reserve-Guard appointed in every Regiment consisting of a Captain Lieutenant Ensign and fifty men to be always ready to draw out upon all Occasions Bread brought to the Camp Friday the 13. Two Hundred and Four Load of Bread came to the Camp and four Ships came to Carlingford A Report was in the Camp that our Horse who went a foraging in the morning were engaged with the Enemy which occasioned the General to ride out and all the Collonels that were in Town were ordered to the Camp but the Business was only thus A Party of the Enemies Horse appeared at a distance whilst a Party of ours and some of Collonel Levisons Dragoons were tying up their Forage upon their Horses our Men seeing the Enemy appear threw down their Forage drew up and march'd to meet them as our Men advanc'd they drew back till they were out of sight when our Men had got up their Forage again the Enemy appeared a second time and so a third till a greater Party of Horse went out After this the Duke always ordered a Party of One Hundred Horse to cover the Foragers whilst they were at work The Duke goes to Carlingford but few Ships as yet arrived Next day the Duke went to Carlingford longing to see the Fleet but only four Ships were come and those the night before the Weather then was very tempestuous and orders were given out how the men should receive their Bread this was very good News to them for it had been very scarce ever since we left Belfast but to say truth the Bread we had then and during our stay at Dundalk was full as good in its kind as any we have had since In the Evening we had News The Irish come and encamp at the Bridge of Slane that the Irish Army was come as far as Ardee and part of them to the Bridge of Slane within three Miles of us where they encamped and where their whole Army staid afterwards for some time This Evening it was given out in Orders That none that went a foraging should pass the Horse Out-guards and that the Horse might cut Wood for their Stables and also the Foot for their conveniency so that this was the first publick appearance of our staying here News of the Danes coming Then the Report of the Danes coming was first spread abroad and that we deferred meeting the Enemy upon that account about this time also landed Collonel Viller's Regiment of Horse having suffered much in a Storm and lost one hundred and four Horses In two or three days most of the Wood about Town as also most of the Fruit-Trees in my Lord Bedloe's Orchard were cut down And Sunday the 15th It was ordered that a Collonel should go the Rounds every night and the Officer of the Guard to give him the Word Our Entrenchments begun The Right Wing was to furnish Monsieur Cambon quarter-master-Quarter-master-General with two hundred Men to work at the Trenches at the West-end of the Town next the Enemy where we planted several Field-Pieces and it was not easie for the Enemy to break in upon us that way the Majors were ordered a pound of Powder for each Man and to take care it should be delivered as there was occasion Monday the 16th Six Hundred Men were ordered to work at the Trenches which the Duke saw then convenient to draw round his Camp since he had an Enemy that was too strong for him very near and therefore he must put it out of their power to force him to fight for Wo be to that Army which by an Enemy is made to fight against its will And this is the Advantage of an Entrenched Camp that none can compel you to give Battel but when you please This Method has been practised very much of late especially by the French and yet it is no new thing it being very much in use amongst the Romans yet before the vanquished Pirrhus King of the Epirots they never used any Entrenchments but lay in the open Fields but having found that Princes Army entrenched they liked it so well that ever afterwards they practised it themselves A Battalion mounts to the Trenches But not to digress too far a Battalion was ordered to march next night into the Trenches at the West-end of the Town which was Major-General Kirks no Officers nor Soldiers were to stir out of the Camp all the Collonels were to send for their Detachments that were abroad except that at Newry The Captain that commanded at Bedloes Town that was an House of my Lord Bedloe's about half a mile to the North-West of Dundalk where we had a Guard if the Enemy appeared was to march to the Camp through Dundalk and that a Party of one hundred Foot lye by the Horse-Guard that Night This day or the next came Collonel Tiffins and the rest of the Iniskillin Foot and encamped towards the North-West of the Town but within the Trenches on very safe Ground as did also their Horse What Brigadees of Foot we had Our Brigadeers of Foot were Sir Henry Bellassis Sir John Hanver Brigadeer Stuart and Mounsieur La Millinere we had only one Brigadeer of Horse who was Collonel Villers The General 's Orders for the ordinary Guards Then the General gave the following Orders to be observed and Detachments to be made out of all the four Brigades of Foot as followeth viz. One Brigade was to
time though I believe his thoughts were at work how to repulse the Enemy if they should attack him Lieutenant-General Douglass came to the Camp and all the Soldiers with the greatest joy in the World stood to their Arms several that had not stirr'd out of their Tents for a Week before now got up their Musquets and all were glad to think that they had an opportunity of beating their Enemy for they never supposed the contrary and so to march forwards from that sad place which they begun already to be very weary of But refused by the Duke We stood looking upon one another for some time and most people desired that they might march through the Town and have a fair Tryal for it but the Duke had no such thoughts and therefore he did not so much as send for his Horse home besides he knew that the Enemy could not easily force our Camp without a great deal of hazard to themselves and that he believed they would scarce be brought to And therefore about two a Clock when the Enemy begun to draw off the General sent orders for the Soldiers to return to their Tents My Lord Lisburne and Collonel Woolsley made some proffers to beat the Enemy back or with one thousand men to beat up their Guards that night but this was not so easy a Task as they made it and the Duke refused it considering if they did it the Honour was theirs but if they miscarried the disadvantage was his As the Enemy retired a Party of Collonel Levison's Dragoons killed about four or five of them and some of the Iniskillin-men stript themselves and pursued the Enemy killing two or three more tho some of themselves fell in the attempt but the Action of that day was very inconsiderable for neither could they come at us nor we go to them without such disadvantages as are to be well considered of in such cases And that the General acted this day as well as before and after according to the Rules of Art and Prudence and that too for the best may partly appear towards the latter end of the Campaign I had almost forgot to tell you that the Late King was at the head of his Army that day having come to the Camp some days before The Officers commanded to exercise their men The Orders were that Night That none should forage nor stir out of the Camp next day and that the Brigades that did not mount the Guards should be exercised at firing at a Mark when it was Fair weather as 't was very seldom for the Duke knew most of his men had never been in service and therefore he would have them taught as much as could be Part of the Irish Army remove Next day being Sunday we had news that the Enemy was removed towards Drogheda and had burnt their Camp this was partly true for they removed some of their Army and formed a Camp hard by Ardee to the East nigh the side of a Bog My Lord Hewett's Horse and Sir Henry Inglesby's Foot came this day to the Camp the latter being relieved at Carigfergus by Collonel Gustavus Hambleton from Chester and two French Granadeers were apprehended as they were going to the Enemy A Plot discover'd But next Morning there was a further discovery made And first Four Soldiers and a Drummer then Sixteen more apprehended several Letters were found about some of those as one to Monsieur d'Avaux and as they say one to the Late King those it seems were writ by one Du Plessey who served as a private Soldier in M. Cambon's Regiment and had for some time kept a Correspondence with the Enemy Enquiry being made into the thing about Two hundred men all Papists in Callimot's Cumbon's and La. Millineir's French Regiments were secured disarmed and sent with a Guard on Shipboard and so for England but what became of them afterwards I know not Monday morning the Enemy came and burnt all the Forage that was left between our Camp and theirs the General would not send out a party for fear of an Ambuscade and the Soldiers seemed to be pleased with it because they said they could not get leave to fight them The Weather for two or three days proved pretty fair and the Soldiers were exercised with firing at Marks but it was observable that a great many of the new men who had Match-Locks had so little skill in placing of their Matches true that scarce one of them in four could fire their Pieces off and those that did thought they had done a feat if the Gun fired never minding what they shot at Tuesday Two Granadeers of Coll. Beaumont's Regiment were Hanged for deserting and there was a Council of War designed between Major-General Kirk and Sir Henry Inglesby about the business of Derry the latter saying That Derry might easily have been relieved much sooner with a great deal more to that purpose but it came to nothing and was no more talk'd of On the 25th the Army was Mustered and several Regiments were grown pretty thin by reason of the distempers then beginning to seize our Men. Six Frenchmen Hanged On the 26th Six of the principal Conspirators amongst the French were Hanged upon a pair of Gallows built for that purpose near the High-way as we went from the Camp to the Town They all died Papists and confessed their design to take over as many to King James as they could and that this was their intentions when they first Listed themselves and that if we had engaged the Enemy the Saturday before they were to have put our Army into Confusion by firing in the Rear and so deserting They prayed for Ring William and Queen Mary and ask'd Their Pardons for their Treachery Du Plessey the chief of them had been formerly a Captain of Horse in France from whence they say he fled for a Murder but hearing what Regiments were to be raised in England he came thither under the notion of a poor Refugee and for what Service he proposed to do the Late King he both expected his Pardon from the King of France and the Command of a Regiment in Ireland He served as a Private Centinal the better to carry on his design He was certainly one that knew his business and amongst other things was a good Engineer and the more to blind the World he went often in the Trenches at Carigfergus and being wounded he would needs stay and encourage the Pioneers so difficult it is to find the bottom of mens hearts except by Chance or rather Providence The French before were very insolent which made them hated at all hands but this Treachery of their Countrey-men made them so odious that the Soldiers wanted only some body to begin and then they were ready to punish all for the faults of some Collonel Woolsley some time before this had sent a Spy to Dublin who had brought him a particular Account of all Affairs there amongst other things
care of them and was to call on Mr. Shales for Provisions Every Officer was to see that none were sent on Board but what were really Sick and this was recommended to the Colonels as well as to the Brigadiers This Afternoon there came a Drummer from the Enemy about the Exchange of Prisoners Dutch Prisoners released by King James And three Dutch-men were taken as they were stragling in the Country who being brought to King James and ask'd Who they belonged to when he understood their Captain was the same that had the Care of him formerly at Rochester he dismissed them with his Service to their Captain giving each of them some Mony because he said their Captain had been formerly civil to him The 23 d several sick Men having been sent on Board and not Ships enough for the rest Mr. Shales was ordered to bring more from Carlingford and most of the Regiments went to encamp beyond the Town I suppose the General was of Opinion the Ground whereon we lay was infected or else he would not have removed us out of our Huts into our Tents again especially in such boisterous Weather A Trumpeter comes about the exchange of Prisoners The 24 th there was a Trumpeter sent also about the Exchange of Prisoners And it was ordered that the Officers should give an Account of their effective Men how many Sick and where as also of their spare Arms and deliver them in to the Artillery taking a Receipt for them but what Arms were broke or lost the Captains were to be accountable for and it was but reasonable nor did the Officers take that due care in this particular that was convenient for if any Souldier is careless of his Arms the Officer ought to punish him by which the King will be both better served and freed from that unnecessary Charge of supplying his Army anew every Year but what with the Rain and our own carelesness together our Arms were often in that condition that should the Enemy have attaqued us on a sudden we had scarce one Musquet in ten that was serviceable The 25 th 26 th 27 th all the rest of the Army removed through the Town and encamp'd on fresh Ground the Weather still continued very bad and great Numbers both of Officers and Souldiers died The General then gave Orders that no No Firings for the Dead Firings should be for the Dead because it encouraged the Enemy who knew but too well our Condition and yet could do us but little harm Most People now began to murmur against the General as if he had been the Cause of all their Misfortunes but it is commonly a Fate incident to great Men to be extreamly magnified upon Success and upon any notable Disaster to be as much reproach'd and sometimes neither justly for he himself shared in the trouble of this Affair but could not in reason be made the cause of it On the 27 th about 12 a Clock at Night 200 of Col. Levison's Dragoons a Party of Inniskilliners and some French Horse were sent towards the Enemies Camp who went almost as far as Ardee and brought back some Cattle and Horses took only a Serjeant Prisoner and had a Lieutenant killed Next Morning there was a Party of 80 Granadiers mounted and sent abroad commanded by Lieut. Laton but these returned with the above-said Party and frequent Trumpets were sent to and fro about the Exchange of Prisoners This Evening about nine a Clock died Sir Thomas Gower of a Feaver as did also Col. Wharton next Morning and were both buried on the 30 th in one Vault where a in Fortnight before Sir Edward Deering was laid the Regiments being joined and fired three times by particular Order These two Gentlemen were very much bemoaned by the whole Army Col. Wharton was a brisk bold Man and had a Regiment that would have followed him any where for they loved him and this made him ready to push on upon all Occasions Sir Tho Gower though he was but just in a manner entring upon the World yet I believe few or none of his Age could out-do him he was of a quick and ready Wit as well as a solid Judgment and made it his Business to know Men and Things to this was joined a very good Education together with a most sweet and affable Temper being withal a Man of a comely and handsom Person as was also Col. Wharton that it made him truly bemoaned by all that knew him A day or two after died C. Hungerford a very hopeful young Gentleman and of a considerable Fortune with several other Officers and great numbers of Souldiers as I have said And many unthinking Mens Passions led them to censure the General as the occasion of all this They would say that if he had gone on at first he might certainly have got Dublin and what he did was only to protract the War and that he cared not how many died so he was well himself but at best that he was so old that he was not fit for Action for if he had but rid out he would forget in two or three hours that he had been abroad that Day But all those were most false and ignorant Suggestions as his Majesty was very sensible of at that time and it appeared to all considering People to be so afterwards For besides prime Ministers are not to level their Proceedings to the Capacities of all who pretend Vigilancy and Care of the State and no Man living in publick Imployments can manage so as to have the good word of all People neither indeed is it convenient or rational to endeavour or expect it On the last of October all the Quarter-masters had Orders to go on Board with each ten Men and see the Ships cleared to make room for the Sick they were all to have Tickets from their Colonels and the Brigadeers were ordered to visit them on Board but if any were well enough to go to Carlingford or the County of Down they were to be taken care of the Colonels or lieutenant-Lieutenant-Colonels were to go with the Brigadier on Board and every Adjutant was to give a List next Morning of their Sick to the adjutant-Adjutant-General which was a very large one month November The Enemy Decamp Friday the First of November greatest part of the Enemies Army Decamped and marched to Quarters and it was ordered that Night that two Granadeers out of each English Regiment and three out of every French should be on Horse-back at the White-House early next Morning to go out as a Party to observe the Enemy the reason of this I suppose was because the small number of Horse and Dragoons that were left in our Camp were almost harrassed to Death with continual Duty the rest being nigh Carlingford at Grâ—ss as has been said All the Sick that were in any condition to March were ordered to be at the Artillery by seven a Clock in the Morning their Officers were to give
the Army was marching through Ardee a French Soldier hap'ned to be very sick with drinking Water and despairing to live pluckt out his Beads and fell to his Prayers which one of the Danes seeing shot the French Man dead and took away his Musquet without any further Ceremony There were none of the Irish to be seen but a few poor starved Creatures who had scraped up some of the Husks of Oats nigh a Mill to eat instead of better Food It 's a wonder to see how some of those Creatures live I my self have seen them scratching like Hens amongst the Cindars for Victuals which put me in mind of a story that I have read in the Annals of Ireland where it is said that in the year 1317. the Ulster Irish roved up and down the Kingdom in a Body whilst the Scots Army was down towards Limerick and those people were so hunger-starved at last that in Church-yards they took the Bodies out of their Graves and in their Skulls boild the Flesh and fed thereupon and women did eat their own Children for hunger so that of ten thousand there remained at last only three hundred the reason of this plague the Superstition of those Times attributed to their eating of flesh in Lent for which this Curse came upon them The Irish Army beyond the Boyne By this time his Majesty understood that all the Irish Army was marched over the Boyn the night before except flying parties so that on Monday morning the last of June very early our whole Army began to move in three Lines towards the Boyn which was but eight short miles off Ours advance The Enemy being near our advance Guards of Horse commanded by Sir John Lanier made their approaches very regularly and by that time they had got within two miles of Drogheda his Majesty was in the front of them Some of our Dragoons went into an old House where they found about 200 Scythes stretch'd out upon Beams which the Irish either had forgot or had not time to carry over they brought one of them to the King who smiled and said it was a desperate weapon His Majesty views their Army A little way further there was an Hill to the East of the Enemies Camp and North from the Town upon this His Majesty went from whence he could see the Town and all the Enemies Camp which lay to the West of the Town all along the River side in two Lines here his Majesty had a great deal of discourse with the Prince Duke Schonberg Duke of Ormond Count Solmes Major General Scravemore my Lord Sidney and other great Officers who were all curious in making their Observations upon the Enemy Major General Scravemore called them une petet Armee for we could not reckon above five or six and forty Regiments that lay Encamped his Majesty Answered that they might have a great many men in Town that there was also an Hill to the Southwest beyond which they might have men Encamped and that possibly they did not shew all their Numbers however he said he was resolved to see very soon what they were Such a great Prince knowing that to be warm in undertaking a great Design and cool in justifying it when it comes to a push is seldom attended with Success or Reputation his Majesty therefore went boldly on and obtain'd both By this time our Horse were advancing a pace and the Enemy we could discern were all in a hurry to get up their Horses which were many of them at Grass and to set all things in order his Majesty sent out several parties of Horse some towards the Town of Drogheda and some towards the pass at Old Bridge and then rid softly along westward viewing the Enemies Camp as he passed he made a little stop towards some old Houses and every one commended mightily the order of our Horse marching in here it was that the Enemy fired their first Guns from a Batterey of six Canons that they had a good way below but they did no hurt two of our Troopers went to the very Ford and took away an Horse as also a Barrel of Ale that the Irish had been taken over At Old Bridge His Majesty rid on to the pass at Old Bridge and stood upon the side of the Bank within Musquet shot of the Ford there to make his observations on the Enemies Camp and posture there stood a small a party of the Enemies Horse in a little Island within the River and on the other bank there were several Hedges and little Irish Houses almost Close to the River there was one House likewise of Stone that had a Court and some little works about it this the Irish had filled with Souldiers and all the Hedges and little Houses we saw were lined and filled with Musquiteers there were also several Brest works cast up to the right just at the Ford. However this was the place thro' which his Majesty resolved to force his way and therefore he and his great Officers spent some time in contriving the methods of passing and the places where to plant our Batteries After some time his Majesty rid about 200 yards further up the River nigh the West of all the Enemies Camp and whilst his Army was marching in he alighted and sate him down upon a rising ground where he refreshed himself whilst his Majesty sate there we observed five Gentlemen of the Irish Army ride softly along the other side and make their Remarks upon our Men as they marched in those I heard afterwards were the Duke of Berwick my Lord Tyrconel Sarcefield Parker and some say Lauzun Captain Pownel of Collonel Levisons Regiment was sent with a party of Horse and Dragoons towards the Bridge of Slane and whilst his Majesty sate on the Grass being about an hour there came some of the Irish with long Guns and shot at our Dragoons who went down to the River to Drink and some of ours went down to return the favour then a party of about forty Horse advanced very slowly and stood upon a plowed field over against us for near half an hour and so retired to their Camp this small party as I have heard from their own Officers since brought two Field Pieces amongst them droping them by an Hedge on the plowd Land undiscover'd they did not offer to fire them till his Majesty was mounted and then he and the rest riding softly the same way back their Gunner fires a Piece which kill'd us two Horses and a Man about 100 yards above where the King was but immediately comes a second which had almost been a fatal one for it Graized upon the Bank of the River and in the rising slanted upon the Kings right shoulder took out a piece of his Coat and tore the Skin and Flesh and afterward broke the head of a Gentlemans Pistol The King wounded Mr. Coningsby now one of the Lords Justices of Ireland seeing his Majesty struck rid up and put
commanded by Major Morgison and Captain Carlile towards Lanesbrough Pass but they returned the next day without doing any thing that was Remarkable the Enemy having a Fort well mann'd towards the Bridge and four Companies of Foot in the Town That day one Captain Mackgill a Voluntier was kill'd at our Battery with a Canon-shot from the Castle Our Train at Athlone was only two twelve Pounders ten lesser Guns and two small Field Mortars which when planted against the Castle did it little or no damage This was a misfortune that Lieutenant-General Douglas found Athlone stronger than he expected for it 's said he had what Guns and Men he desired to reduce it withal The firing continued however on both sides and on Tuesday one Mr. Nelson our best Gunner was killed with a small Shot On Wednesday we had news that Sarcefield with 15000 Men was coming to raise the Siege which made the General send all his sick and wounded Men towards Mullingar Next Morning early the Besieged hung out a Bloody Flag which occasion'd smart firing and in the Evening the General called all the Colonels to a Council of War where he told them the necessity of Removing from the Town for we had very little Bread all the while and there was some reason to believe the Irish Army would cut off our Communication from Dublin So that we had Orders to be ready to march at twelve a Clock that Night we begun at the time appointed to send away our Baggage and at break of Day or a little after we marcht off the Enemy not so much as firing one Gun at us Reasons why it was not taken I know that whilst we lay here there were some that profferr'd to pass the River at a Ford a little above the Bridge and so beat the Irish out of their Works but this was sooner said than done for the Ford is naturally very deep and dangerous besides the Irish had fortified the other side with Breast-works two Batteries and a considerable Fort And then if we had forced our way over and could not have taken the Castle in a small time we must have been obliged to fight the greatest part of the Irish Army which was then drawing down upon us Nay if we had been Masters of the Town and Castle the Irish might so have ordered it as to have cut off our Communication from Dublin and so starved us for we were already glad of a very small Allowance of Bread Colonel Grace the Governor had been very active on the Irish side in the last Wars but was now very old and this was the third time that he had burnt that Town the Enemy had in it three Regiments of Foot nine Troops of Dragoons and two of Horse and more lay encamped not far off During our stay here which was from Thursday the 17th to Friday the 25th the Country People of all Perswasions begun to think us troublesome This must be said for Lieutenant-General Douglas that both whilst he staid here and all along on his march he constantly gave out very strict Orders against Plundering or Stragling from the Army But it were better that good Rules were not made than when they are so they should not be observed and the breakers escape punishment For some Peoples taking liberty to break Rules encourage others to lose their Reverence to them Example always goes further than Precept and most Men see better than they understand so that whatever Rules are made in an Army by a General they are to be observed by every one else with what justice can one be punished for the breach of those Orders which others make no Conscience in obeying What Men lost there We lost in this Expedition not above thirty Men before the Town and the Enemy very few but in our march too and again what with sickness hard marching the Rapperees surprising as they straggled and several other disadvantages we fell short of our Number three or four hundred though before we got to the Kings Army we killed and took Prisoners a great many thousands but more of these had four Feet than two All the poor Protestants thereabouts were now in a worse condition than before for they had enjoyed the benefit of the Irish Protections till our coming thither and then shewing themselves Friends to us put them under a necessity of retreating with us which a great many did leaving all their Harvest at that time ready to cut down c. and yet were hardly used by our own Men. On our first Days march backwards the General received an Express from the King some say it was to draw off and joyn the Army and that he had positive Orders before not to pass the Shannon at all And at the same time we had an Account of a Conspiracy in England against the Queen and that some French were Landed there having burnt some Towns on the Coast And it was reported also that the late King was Landed in that Kingdom We marched back that Day to Ballimore where we staid four Days on one of which there hap'ned the greatest Thunder and Lightning that has been heard of in those parts And about this time several of the Irish that had taken Protections when they could not have the benefit of them began to turn Rapperees stripping and sometimes killing our Men that they found straggling Lieutenant General Douglas marches to joyn the Kings Army On the 30 of July Colonel Babington's Regiment marched from Ballimore towards Dublin and the same day Leiutenant-General Douglas marched with all the rest of his party to Stony-Cross which is out of all publick Rodes from Dublin and so were most of our future marches till we joyn'd the Kings Army which was one reason why we had little or no Bread for almost four days together and after that but a very slender allowance From this place we marched to Balliboy and as we went a long the General ordered one of his own men to be Shot immediately for Morodeing as they called it The General had given out orders that none should stir out of their Ranks on pain of Death however this poor Fellow and four more were not so observant of their duty as they ought to be which the General espying caused them to be seized immediately and throw Dice for their lives month August We had an Account at Ballyboy that the Enemy was at Banoher Bridge with a very strong party to disturb our march which made us next day strike to the left to Roscreaugh instead of going to Bur as we designed for that way was full of Woods and narrow Passes where the Enemy had great Advantage of us We stayed at Roscreaugh the second of August and on the third in the Morning came twelve Troopers from the Kings Army who lay then at Goulden Bridge to hasten our march for the King exprest himself to be in trouble lest the Enemy should be too many for us in that place
Garison of 80 Foot and Dragoons Upon some complaints from the North of Ireland on the 15 th the King sends out his Proclamation Commanding all to pay Tythes as formerly These troublesome Times have fallen heavy upon the Clergy of Ireland who lived very plentifully before and yet it will be a great while ere they be so poor as their Predecessors For they say in times past they had no other Rents or Revenues but three Milch Kine a-piece which the Parishioners exchang'd for others new when they went dry as Adam Brenensis a German tells the Story from themselves as they returned that way on a time from Italy Tho I suppose the People were then as ignorant as the Clergy poor but now the Case is altered and they want neither Encouragement nor Respect Sunday the 17. Monsieur Cambon our Quarter-master General was very diligent in order to have the Trenches opened that night and all things being prepared Seven Battalions consisting of English Danes Dutch and French Foot commanded by the Prince of Wyrtenberg Lieutenant General Major General Kirk Major General Tettau and Sir Henry Bellasis Brigadeer The King I suppose by this mixture thinking to raise an Emulation in his Soldiers or further that they might instruct one another several Regiments having never been in Trenches before they were commonly Seven Battalions on at a time and relieved at Twelve a Clock at night but this method was altered for a reason to be given afterwards This night we advanced our Trenches and attackt the Irish at the two old Chimneys the Granadeers threw in their Granades and then endeavoured to get over this occasioned a general firing from our Trenches and also from the Town the King himself was at Cromwells Fort to see what happen'd as he was constantly every night The Irish in the Fort made no great resistance but after once firing they cry'd out Murder and Quarter but made the best of their way toward the Town those that stay'd in the Fort were knock'd on the head The firing from the Walls and Trenches continu'd for at least two Hours longer by which time we had secured this Fort from the Enemies retaking it A Battery planted Next day being Monday the 18. we planted a Battery below the Fort to the right of our Trenches and dismounted some of the Enemies Cannon All that day the Guns plaid briskly on both sides and at night the Trenches were relieved by Lieutenant General Douglas my Lord Sidney and Count Nassau as Major Generals and Brigadeer Stuart We made our Approaches toward the Fort without the Wall and Lieut. Gen. Douglas's and Brigadeer Stuart's Regiments were posted towards the right It was dark when they went on and they did not perceive the Enemy to be so near them as they really were for there was at that time scarce Twenty yards distance between them they were ordered to lye down upon their Arms which they did and a great part both of the Officers and Soldiers fell asleep The Enemy perceived this and attack'd them which put them presently into a Confusion and several of them gave ground but presently recovered themselves and fired but they did not know at what The Danes to the left took our own Men for the Enemy sallying and so fired upon them they believed the Danes to be the Irish and so return'd the Complement The Irish fired upon both and they at one another This Confusion lasted nigh two hours in which time several were killed nor did the King or any body else know what to make of it At last our Men found their mistake and the Irish were beat in crying quarter and murder as they used to do After this his Majesty ordered the Trenches to be relieved in the day and our Men marched always in and out in the very Face of their Cannon The story of the Irish Deliverer About this time we had an Account of one Balderock Rho O Donnel of the ancient Family of Tyrconnel this Man was born and educated in Spain But there being a Prophecy amongst the Irish that he should free his Country from the English doing great matters in his own Person and more by his Conduct he was sent for on purpose and came to Limerick It 's incredible how fast the vulgar Irish flocked to him at his first coming so that he had got in a small time Seven or Eight thousand Rapparees and such like People together and begun to make a Figure but after a while the Business cool'd and they were weary of one another and he is only now a Colonel in Limerick They had another Prophecy also That we should come to the Field above Cromwell's Fort where stands an old Church where on a Stone hard by we should pitch our utmost Colours and afterwards be undone with a thousand such like Fopperies not worth the naming Tuesday the 19th our Battery plaid upon the Walls and also the Guns from Cromwell's Fort upon the Houses in Town And the Enemy were not idle for their Shot flew very thick His Majesty had a narrow escape insomuch that the King riding softly up towards Cromwell's Fort directly as His Horse was entring a Gap a Gentleman staid His Majesty to speak to him and in the very moment there struck a Twenty four pounder in the very place which would have struck His Majesty and Horse too all to pieces if His usual good Angel had not defended Him it struck the Dust all about Him however tho' He took little notice of it but alighting came and laid Him down on the Fort amongst all the Dust That Night we planted Four Twenty four pounders at the Angle of our Trenches near the South-east corner of the Wall where we made the Breach afterwards A Fort taken from the Irish Wednesday the 20th Colonel Cuts's Granadeers commanded by Captain Foxon and my Lord Meath's by Captain Needham were placed conveniently in the Trenches for an Attack and at Two a Clock in the Afternoon the Signal being given by firing Three Pieces of Cannon they leapt over the Trenches and ran straight to the Fort which the Enemy had to the Right of us at St. John's Gate The Enemy fired from the Fort and from the Walls our Men did the like from the Trenches and the Great Guns went to work on both Sides The Granadeers threw in their Granades and Captain Foxon made an Attempt to climb up but was thrown down again but entred at the second Trial and his Men with him So did my Lord Meath's Men with Captain Needham and in a small time we were Masters of the Fort. There were about Fifty kill'd in it and Twelve with the Captain taken Prisoners and some made their Escapes to the Town The Firing continued however on both Sides for above an Hour and all possible diligence was used to bring down Faggots wherewith to make up that side of the Fort that was open to the Town Before the Attack a Party of our Horse
were drawn up in a Lane to the Right of the Trenches to prevent the Enemy from sallying upon which the Enemies Cannon plaid so that after the Fort was ours they drew back beyond an Hill for their Security They sally About an Hour after some Friend in Town gave notice that the Enemy were going to sally which they did immediately both Horse and Foot from St. John's Gate Their Horse came up very nigh the Fort tho' our Men fired from thence and the Trenches as fast as they cou'd Then the small and great Shot on both sides began afresh again Major Wood of Colonel Byerley's Regiment commanded an Advance Party of Twenty four French and Twenty seven English Horse At the Noise he advanced with this Party and leaping a Ditch he engaged immediately a Squadron of the Irish Horse and broke them Then came in Lieutenant Colonel Windham and Captain Lucy as also some Dutch and Danish Horse These charged the Irish that sallied and beat them back following them almost to the very Gate But we being exposed to all the Enemies Shot from the Walls lost several in coming off amongst the rest Captain Lucy a Gentleman much lamented by all that knew him The King saw all this Action as indeed he did most things that hapned going often into the Trenches and never without danger expressing Himself to be in pain for Major Wood when he saw him and his Party in such danger losing the greatest part of them Captain Needham after all was over and he leading his Men off was shot by a Chance-Bullet and died immediately We lost at the taking of the Fort and at the Sally afterwards 58 Foot kill'd and 140 wounded Horsemen 21 kill'd 52 wounded 64 Horses kill'd 57 wounded besides the Danes These Men sold their Lives dear and you may easily believe the Enemy gain'd nothing by this Afternoons Work for the next Morning two Drummers made their Escape out of Town who told us the Enemy had lost above 300 Men and in two Hours after came a Cornet and four Trumpeters from the Enemies Camp That Afternoon Captain Bourn was kill'd as he was marching down to relieve the Trenches and Major Morgison was wounded with a Cannon-bullet as he lay in Bed of which he died in two days A new Battery The 22d we raised a Battery of Eight Guns most Twenty four pounders nigh the Fort that we took the day before from whence we beat down Two Towers that stood upon the Wall out of which the Enemy fired upon our Trenches That night we threw good store of Bombs and Carcasses into Town which disturb'd the Enemy very much most of them having never seen such things before The 23d there was a Drum sent and a Truce towards the Evening for the Burying the Dead kill'd on both sides at the taking the Fort. When our People came to look amongst the Dead they found a French Officer wounded and his Horse lying upon him and yet the Gentleman was alive and as I heard he recover'd tho' he lay from Wednesday till Saturday in the Evening I cannot omit a pleasant Adventure that fell out at the taking the Fort between a Chaplain in the Army and a Trooper This Chaplain hapned to go down after the Fort was taken and seeing a Trooper mortally wounded in all appearance he fancy'd himself obliged to give him his best Advice The other was very thankful for it and whilst they were about the matter comes the Sally Our Horse came thundring down at which the Clergyman making haste to get out of their way he stumbled and fell down The wounded Trooper seeing him fall judg'd he had been kill'd and stept to him immediately to strip him and in a trice had got his Coat off on one side The other call'd to him to hold and ask'd him what he meant Sir says the other I beg your pardon for I believed you were kill'd and therefore I thought my self obliged to take care of your Clothes as well as you did of my Soul This Afternoon were Eighty four Prisoners brought to the Camp from a Castle some twelve or fourteen Miles off called Nignagh Round These kept out the Castle for Twenty four hours against Major General Ginkell and his Party of about 1500 Horse and Dragoons they kill'd us Fourteen Men Nignagh Castle taken but seeing two Cannon come and the Soldiers very busie in bringing Faggots for a Battery they submitted to Mercy Their Commander was one Captain O Bryan This Afternoon also one of Colonel Levison's Dragoons was hanged for deserting In the Evening our Bombs and red-hot Balls began to fly which set part of the Town on fire which burnt all that night destroying a great quantity of Hay with several Houses I remember we were all as well pleased to see the Town flaming as could be which made me reflect upon our Profession of Soldiery not to be overcharg'd with Good-nature Another Battery The 24th we fired pretty smartly but our Guns only struck the top of the Wall off and therefore we raised a new Battery within sixty Yards of the Wall and that Night drew the Angle of our Trenches within twenty Yards of the Counterscarp Thirty Voluntiers out of a Regiment working very diligently and had Two shillings apiece for their pains several Wooll-sacks being carried down to secure our Men from Shot as they were at work Monday morning we began to fire from our new Battery and the Breach in the Wall began to be considerable which the Enemy seeing brought abundance of Woolsacks to damp the force of our Cannon This was like Josephus's defending his Towns in Gallilee who filled large Sacks full of Chaff and hung them over the Walls to defend them from the Battering Rams of the Romans for Cannons were not then invented The Breach appears The King sent his Gunners some Drink down to the Batteries which made them ply their Work very heartily and for all the Wool-sacks the Wall began to fly again and early that Morning were two Cannon planted about 300 Yards to the right of our Trenches in order to beat down the Bridge But we were too late a beginning this Work the Irish seeing what we intended were very much afraid of the Bridge and and therefore they planted two Guns without the Town in the King's Island which plaid upon our Battery and also flankt their own Counterscarp You must know that two or three days before this it had rain'd so violently for nigh twenty four hours together that the Soldiers were almost up to the Knees in the Trenches This look'd very ill and therefore we were obliged to hasten our Work lest the Rains should force us to desist That Night therefore a Council of War was held whether we shou'd make an Attack upon the Counterscarp next day and it was deferred till Wednesday because as yet the Breach was not wide enough Monsieur Cambon was for deferring it for two or three days longer which
or about the City of Dublin after the 25 th of December next And now His Majesty designing for Holland and having thoughts of making my Lord Sidney one of the Secretaries of State sent for him over who on Monday the 15 th of December Embarqued with a Fair Wind for Chester leaving every one sorry for his departure in that by his Affable and Courteous Demeanor and his Diligence in His Majesties Service he had gain'd the Hearts of all People And on the 24 th Sir Charles Porter one of the Lords Justices came from England who on the 29 th was sworn Lord Chancellor receiving the Purse and Great Seal from the late Commissioners Part of the Army march to Lanesborough We had now a part of our Army on their March towards Lanesborough-Pass Commanded by Major General Kirk and Sir John Laneir the Foot were my Lord Lisburn's Regiment my Lord George Hambleton's part of Col. Brewer's some of Major General Kirk's and several others A Party of the Militia also were ordered from Dublin and those in the Country were to be up on all hands At the same time Lieutenant General Douglas was to march towards Sligo and fall upon the Irish on that side On Wednesday the 31 st of December part of our Army under Colonel Brewer went towards Lanesborough The Enemy appeared on the Bog on this side the Town being as they say nigh Three Thousand and had cut several Trenches cross the Causeys that go through the Bog towards the Town these they disputed for some time but losing some of their Men they retired into Town and from thence to beyond the Shanon defacing the Fort on this side and breaking the Bridge behind them You 'll say they were not very closely pursued that had time to do all this However our Men took possession of the Town and Fort as they had left it and if we had had the Boats we might have gone over the Enemy quitting the other side for at least Three Days but then we were too small a Party and before the rest of our Men came up Three Regiments of the Irish were posted on the other side the River and then little hapned of moment only some small Firings and sometimes they made Truces Colonel Clifford and the other Irish Officers drinking Healths over to our Men and those on our side returning the Complement When this Party marched to Lanesborough there was a Detachment of 300 Men out of L. Drogheda's Sir Jo. Hanmer's and Col. Hambleton's Regiments ordered from Bi r to joyn them and so to cross the Country from Bi r to Mullingar But in their March they were set upon by about Fifteen Hundred of the Irish Army and Rapparees Our Party had but Thirty Dragoons with them and the Enemy brought several Squadrons of Horse and though we were attack'd for at least Five Hours together and that at several places of great disadvantage yet they fought their way through and went that Night to Mountmelick having lost only Six Men and Captain Jeffreys of Sir John Hanmer's Regiment but the Irish got all our Baggage This Party was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Bristow and Major Caulfield Rapparees in the Bog of Allen The Rapparees by this time were got to the end of the Bog of Allen about Twelve Miles from Dublin this Bog is the largest in Ireland for it reaches through a great part of the Country from hence as far as Athlone and is at least Forty Miles in length having several Islands full of Woods in the midst of it These robb'd and plundered the Country all about for they had an Island on this end of the Bog which they fortified coming out in the Night and doing all the Mischief they could This being so nigh Dublin it made a great noise so that Colonel Fouks with his own Regiment part of Colonel Cutts's and some of the Militia marched out towards them and coming near them in the Night at a place called Tougher Greggs at the entrance of the Bog of Allen he stay'd there till it was light and then advanced upon the Causey having Three Field-Pieces along with him Defeated by Col. Fouks The Irish at first seem'd to defend the Place but as we went forwards they quitted their Posts leaving our Men to fill up the Trenches they had made cross the Causey being Twelve in number Colonel Fouks marched his Horse over and so went to the Island of Allen where he found Lieutenant Colonel Piper who had passed thither on the other side at the same rate The Irish betook themselves to the Woods and we only got some little things they had left It 's thought they had a Thousand Foot thereabouts besides some Horse though most of them that made this Disturbance at this place were only Two Hundred Boys with an old Tory their Commander Who were admitted to administer the Oath and why And now the Lords Justices and Council issue out Two more Proclamations one forbidding all Persons whatsoever except the Lord Mayor Recorder and Sheriffs of Dublin to administer the Oath or give Certificates to the Papists Because some took upon them for Money to certifie they had sworn when they did not or else gave them the Oath without the word Allegiance as did Sir Humphrey Jervace who was imprisoned and fined Three Hundred Marks for it afterwards The other Proclamation required all that had bought any of the Train-Horses or Utensils to bring them in by such a Day For the Carters and Waggoners were very careless and either sold the Horses or suffered them to be stole Maj. Gen. Tetteau marches from Cork with a part of the Army About the time that Lieutenant General Douglas and Major General Kirk marched from the North and South Major General Tetteau marched also in the West towards the County of Kerry and if they all had pusht forwards at one time it had been a great advantage to our Affairs next Campaign All things seem'd to favour the Attempt especially the Weather better never being seen for the Season Major General Tetteau marched from Cork December 28. and on the 29 th was joyned by Brigadeer Churchill Sir David Collier Colonel Coy and a part of Colonel Matthews's Dragoons and the day following they marched through the Country which the Irish had for the most part burnt after they had carried away whatever they could month January On New Years-Day our Men attackt a Fort at a place called Scronclard which was intended to hinder their passage that way We took it in Two Hours though it 's said the Enemy imploy'd 500 Men for Two Months to build it This show'd their Diligence though not their Courage these Two Vertues are sometimes divided between us and them but not always both on either side Near Brewster's Field we discovered some of the Enemies Scouts whereupon Seventy of Eppingar's Dragoons and Colonel Coy's Horse having the Advance-Guard came near a Party of the Enemy of One Hundred
approach but nothing extraordinary hapned and yet if those of the Enemy that were in Carigfergus Bellfast Bangor and the Adjacent Garisons had attackt the Duke that night it might have bred him no small disturbance Garison of Carigfergus burn their Suburbs Next day being Wednesday the Fourteenth the Duke continued still encamped and the Garison of Carigfergus apprehending a Siege burnt their Suburbs The day following the Duke sent a Party of about Two Hundred and Fifty men commanded by Sir Charles Fielding to see what posture the Enemy was in about Belfast the Enemy was retired toward Lisburne and Sir Charles with his Party returned to the Camp and then the Duke sent Collonel Wharton's Regiment to take possession of the Place Friday the 16th Lieutenant-Collonel Caulfield of the Earl of Drogheda's Regiment was sent with a Party of Three Hundred Men towards Antrim who came there the next day and found the Town deserted by the Enemy The General marches to Belfast On Saturday the General marched with his Army to Belfast from whence he sent out Parties who took several of the Irish that were robbing and spoiling the Countrey And then to Carigfergus And Tuesday following being the 20th five Regiments of Foot were sent towards Carigfergus encamping before the Town and next day seven more went who almost surrounded it after which some Cannon and a Mortar were planted and also small Entrenchments begun The Town desired a Parley and sent out Lieutenant Gibbons with Propositions in Writing He presented them very submissively and the Duke went into a Tent to read them but when he found they desired time to send to the late King for Succours or leave to surrender he sent the Paper out and ordered the Lieutenant to be gone and then their Cannon plaid directly at the Tent where he left the Duke doing some Damage thereabouts but the Duke was gone abroad Our Cannon were as ready as theirs for we begun to play upon my Lord Denegall's House in the Town on which the Enemy had planted two Guns which disturbed our Camp Before next Morning our Men drew their Trenches several Paces nearer the Wall which occasioned very warm firing on both sides all Night We lost some men and had two Officers wounded and a Drummer that made his escape over the Wall gave the Duke an Account that there were about thirty killed in Town that Night Batteries planted Thursday The 22d was employed in running the Trenches nearer the Mortars and Cannon still playing upon the Town and upon the Half-Moon that was to the Right of the Castle This Day came a Fleet of about Fifty Sale into the Lough which brought over four Regiments of Foot and one of Horse The day and night were spent in smart firing four Regiments of Foot mounting the Trenches Friday the 23d the Besieged desired another Parly and would have marched out with Bag and Baggage Drums beating and Colours flying c. But the Duke would allow no other Terms but to make them Prisoners of War During this Parly the Duke visited all the Trenches and observed the Walls of the Castle and a poor Dutch-man was shot from the Walls making his Returns to Reproaches against the Prince of Orange our King saying That their King was a Tinker King he had nothing but Brass-Money he was not nimble enough at getting off when the Parly was over and so lost his Life for his Jests sake After this the Duke gave orders for the Ingineers and Gunners to go on as vigorously as possible Before we had only two Batteries one on the Wind-Mill-Hill with Mortars before the Castle Westward the other of four Guns against the North-gate The Duke then ordered a very large Mortar to be placed close under the Walls upon a New Battery near the Lord Denegall's House with two Small Guns which did great Execution This Night was spent in continual firing of great and small Shot and next Morning the Town was all over smothered with Dust and Smoak occasioned by the Bombs Coll. Richards wounded Collonel Richards was carried to Bellfast being wounded in the Trenches the Night before and there was one Mr. Spring made his escape out of Town who told the Duke That all the Soldiers lay continually on the Walls so that the Bombs only plagued the Protestants in Town as also that Mackarty Moor and Owen Mackarty were the only two that hindered the Town to be surrendred and that they resolved if we stormed the Town to retire all to the Castle in order to which they had laid in great store of Corn Beef Salt and other Provisions proportionable He gave also an account that they were straitned for Ammunition having only at first 30 or 32 Barrels of Powder with other things suitable This Afternoon several of them were observed to be very busy on the top of the Castle it was believed at first they were planting Guns there but we understood afterwards that they were pulling off the Lead to make Bullets Breaches increased Sunday the 25th The Siege continued and the Breaches were made wider particularly one a little to the East of the North-gate and yet the Irish were very industrious in making up at Night what we beat down in the day Next morning our Guns plaid furiously and the Breach notwithstanding all their cunning was increased which the Irish seeing and fearing that our Men would enter they found out this Stratagem viz. They got a great number of Cattel and drove them all as near the top of the Breach as they could force them to go keeping themselves close behind them and this served in some measure to secure the Breach for several of the Cattel were killed by our shot and as they fell the Irish threw Earth Stones and Wood upon them but this they thought would not hold long and so they desired another Parly which the Duke would not hear of but ordered the Mortars and Cannon to play without ceasing and the Men of War had orders to play their Guns from the Sea upon the Castle which so terrified the Irish that at Six a Clock next morning they put out their white Flag again and sent their Proposals to the Duke which at length he agreed to having more business before him and the Season of the Year beginning to alter Garison surrendred He gave them leave therefore to march out with their Arms and some Baggage and they were to be conducted with a Guard to the next Irish Garison which then was Newry Collonel Wharton at the Parley lay before the Breach with his Regiment and was ready to enter when the Duke sent to command his Men to forbear firing which with some difficulty they agreed to for they had a great mind to enter by force When firing ceased on both Sides several of our Officers went into Town and were treated by the Irish with Wine and other things in the Castle and the Articles were scarce agreed to till
them a Weeks Pay and there was a Party appointed to conduct them to Newry The Inniskilliners Decamp Saturday he 2 d the Duke ordered the Inniskilliners both Horse and Foot to march towards Home since News was brought to the Camp that Sligo and James-Town were taken by the Irish For Sarsfield with a considerable Body coming that way those at James-Town not thinking it tenable quitted it and marched to Sligo losing some of their own Party and killing some of the Irish who prest upon them in their Retreat Sligo taken by the Irish Sarsfield with his Army next Day came before Sligo which made Colonel Russel retreat to Ballishannon and he advised the Foot also to quit the Town There was a French Captain with the Detached Party of Granadeers that went from our Camp and Colonel Lloyd with some Inniskilliners these staid in the Town and from thence retreated to the two Forts at the end of it Lloyd into one and the French-man with his Granadeers into the other Colonel Lloyd went away that Night and lost several of his Men in his Retreat But the French Captain had carried in Provisions and found three Barrels of powder in the Fort. The Nights were dark and he fearing the Enemy might make their Approaches to the Fort undiscovered he got a great many Fir-Deals and dipping the Ends of them in Tarr they made such a Light when set on Fire and hung over the Wall that he discovered the Enemy coming with an Engine they called Sow but having killed the Ingineer and two or three more the rest retired and he burnt the Engine When Day appeared the Enemy were forced to quit a small Field-piece they had planted in the Street our Men plyed them so with Shot from the Fort and then making a Sally several of them were killed But their Provisions being gone and there being little or no Water in the Fort our Men surrendred it one the 3 d Day upon Honourable Terms viz. to march out with their Arms and Baggage At their coming over the Bridg Col. Sarsfield stood with a Purse of Guineas and proffered to every one that would serve King James to give him Horse and Arms with Five Guineas Advance but they all made answer that they would never fight for the Papishes as they called them except one who next Day after he had got Horse and Arms and Gold brought all off with him So steadfast were the poor Men in what they had undertaken that tho they had indured a great deal of Hardship yet would dye rather than be Faithless There were several also that were taken Prisoners as they stragled from the Camp or upon flying Parties and tho they indured all the Miseries of a severe Restraint yet they could by no means be wrought upon to take up Arms against the Interest they had come thither to venture their Lives for Nay even those that were a dying in the Camp were wont to express no other Sorrow than Plague on these Papishes that we must dye here and not have leave to go and fight them The French Captain's Name as I remember was Monsieur de St. Sauvem he died afterwards at Lisburn of a Feaverr The Castle of Sligo is one of the most Ancient in Ireland it was formerly the Seat of the O Connors who would not for a great while yield to King Henry the Second calling themselves the Ancient Kings of Ireland But to return from this Digression On Saturday in the Evening it was ordered that a Colonel and a Brigadeer should go the Rounds and stay in the Camp all Night to see the Guards all right to enquire what Officers lay out of the Camp and to acquaint the General with it and because they found there was abundance of sick Men that neither could march nor was there Room for them in the Ships therefore Waggons were ordered to be ready at the Bridg-End next Morning to carry them all to Carlingford and Newry The Colonels Lieutenant-Colonels and Majors of each Regiment were ordered to be there and see their sick Men taken care of and to give them Money there was also an Officer out of each Regiment appointed with a Guard to attend them A great many Sick Next Morning the poor Men were brought down from all places towards the Bridg-End and several of them died by the way the rest were put upon Waggons which was the most Lamentable Sight in the World for all the Rodes from Dundalk to Newry and Carlingford were next day full of nothing but dead Men who ever as the Waggons joulted some of them died and were thrown off as fast The General very seldom used to be from the Church but that day he was for some hours at the Bridg-end to see all the care taken for the Men that could be and was very much displeased that all the Field-Officers were not so careful as he had given Command they should The Ships were then filling with Sick and as many dying on that side they were ordered to goe into Deep-water and sail with the first fair Wind for Belfast The Weather all this while was very dismal and yet we were obliged to stay till both the Ships were got into Deep-water and the sick gone by Land lest when we were gone the Enemy should spoil our Ships and kill our Men. Monday the 4 th of November it was ordered that all who had any sick Men on Board should send an Ensign with ten Men to take care of them and if the Men wanted any thing they were to send to Mr. Shales for it The Tents that were by the Water-side were to be taken on Board to keep the sick Men warm and every Regiment was to have the same number again that they brought thither The Fifth it was confirmed that the Enemy were gone to Quarters and the Sixth we had Orders to march Next day Stuart Herbert Gower Zanchy formerly my L. Lovelace's towards Newry Hanmer Deering Drogheda Beaumont Wharton Bellasis before the Duke of Norfolk's and Roscommon were to march towards Armagh Maj. Gen. Kirk and the Dutch were to go by Newry and so down to Antrim The Souldiers were ordered six days Bread and a Fortnights Subsistence I remember next Morning as we were marching off word was brought to us that the Enemy was approaching and God knows we were in a very weak Condition to resist them those that were best being scarce able to carry their Arms however they were very hearty and began to unbuckle their Tents at the News and said If they came they should pay for our lying in the Cold so long but it proved only a small Party who took two or three of our Men Prisoners as they were stragling Thursday the 7 th of November the Regiments above-named marched the Hills as we went along being all covered with Snow for what was Rain in the Valley was Snow on the Mountains several that were not able to march up were forced to be
left and so died and all of us had but indifferent Lodgings that Night amongst the Ruins of the old Houses at Newry So little did the poor Men value dying that some of them being in a Stable over-night the next day two were dead and the rest intreating me to get a Fire which I did coming about two hours after they had pull'd in the two dead Men to make Seats of The ninth Day the rest of our Army marched from Dundalk the Duke giving Orders first to burn some Arms and Provisions that could not be got off because the Waggons were imployed to carry the Men and some few sick Men were left that could not be removed those were at the Mercy of the Enemy who did not use them ill but buried several that were dead At their first coming to Dundalk they removed the Corps of our three dead Colonels out of my Lord Bedlow's Vault and buried them nigh the Church-door but did not abuse them as was reported Some Men killed As the Rear of our Army was marching off from Dundalk a small Party of the Enemy's Horse came as far as Moyery-Castle two Miles from the Town where they killed the Adjutant of my Lord Kingston's Regiment with two or three Souldiers that were behind the rest but a Party of our Horse advancing the Enemy retreated towards Dundalk which they had possession of within an hour after we had left it And that nothing might be wanting for the good of the Souldiers the General before he left the Camp viz. on the 23 d of October set forth an Order how all Subaltern Officers and Souldiers were to be subsisted and cleared according to which all Colonels and superiour Officers were to take care that their Men were paid as they would answer the contrary at their Perils A Remarkable Story Sometime after our coming to Quarters I was told a very remarkable Story relating to the manner of our decamping at Dundalk It was by one Mr. Hambleton of Tollymoore a Justice of Peace in his Country and a sober rational Man which was to this effect Himself and two other Gentlemen with their Servants coming from Dublin into the North at least a Year before our Landing As they came towards Dundalk about nine a Clock at Night they espied several little twinkling Lights in the Air with two larger than the rest They staid some time in the Town and designing for Newry that Night Mr. Hambleton went a little before his Company and saw the same Lights again as nigh as he could guess about the Ground where we afterwards Encamp'd On the side of the Hill as he was to go towards the Mountains he turned about and look'd at them and at the same time he heard the most dismal and heavy Groans in the World This startled him something and presently his Company came up who all saw the Lights and heard the Noise which continued till they got almost to Newry but the Lights they saw no more after they turned their Backs off the Plains of Dundalk They have a great many Stories of this kind in Ireland And the Inniskilling-Men tell you of several such things before their Battels but I have only the Reader 's Pardon to ask for the trouble of this How our Army was quarter'd The Army at our decamping was dispersed all over the North to Winter-Quarters which were but very indifferent and what with coming to warm Fire-sides with some and others having little or no shelter to secure them and very little Provisions the Country being all wasted and destroyed nor was it possible to send Provisions every where till Storehouses were fixed And then most of the Men being very weak before they left the Camp and marching in the Cold and Wett to come to those Places we had more that died when they came to Quarters than died in the Camp I have a Copy of the Order by me which directed how and where all Regiments were to be disposed but it 's needless to insert it only our Frontier Garisons were Green-Castle and Rostriver where quartered Beaumont and Stuart Newry where was Sir Henry Inglesby Taudrogee Sir Henry Bellasis and some of Levison's Dragoons Legacory had some of the French and at Armagh were Drogheda and Deering at Clownish Monohan and those places were Hastings and some of the Iniskilliners The General had his Head-Quarters at Lisburn and the Hospital was ordered to be at Belfast which is a very large Town and the greatest for Trade in the North of Ireland it stands at the head of the Bay of Carickfergus and the Inhabitants have lately built a very famous Stone-Bridg but the Wars coming on it is not as yet quite finished I doubt not but most People will be curious to know how many died this Campaign and in Quarters and what could be the occasion of such Mortality as likewise how many the Enemies Numbers were when they lay so nigh us and wonder why two Armies should lie so near together for our Front and theirs were for above a Fortnight not two miles asunder and yet so little of Action happen The Reasons of our Mens dying As to the first whatever the World may think yet I can attribute those Distempers amongst us to nothing else but the Badness of the Weather the moistness of the Place the unacquaintedness of the English to hardships and indeed their lazy Carelessness for I remember a Regiment of Dutch that Encamp'd at the end of the Town were so well hutted that not above eleven of them died the whole Campaign but it 's the same thing with the English whenever you take them first out of their own Country as it was here and let Men be in other things never so happy if they have Courage and know the use of their Arms yet when they come upon Duty if they have not Bodies inured to hardships they lie under a great disadvantage But in truth we could scarce have been more infortunate either in a Place or in the Weather than whilst we were there for it would often rain all Day upon us when there was not one drop in the Enemies Camp this they used to call a Judgment but it was because we lay in a Hollow at the Bottoms of the Mountains and they upon a high sound Ground the Enemy did not at first die so fast as we did because they were born in the Country and were used to bad lying and feeding but before they decamped they were nigh as ill as we and abundance died after they got to Quarters Chirurgions ill provided One thing I cannot omit and that is that our Surgeons were very ill provided with Druggs having in their Chests only some little things for Wounds but little or nothing that might be useful against the Flux and the Feaver which were the two raging Distempers amongst us and yet I cannot but think that the Feaver was partly brought to our Camp by some of those People that
at their retreating and was in some danger by our own Dragoons for the Enemy being close upon him they could not well distinguish however the Dragoons did here a piece of good service in stopping the Enemy who came up very boldly and our Horse Rallying both here and to the Right after near half an hours dispute the Enemy were again beat from this place and a great many of them killed Lieutenant-General Hambleton finding his Foot not to answer his expectation he put himself at the Head of the Horse and Lieutenant-General Hambleton taken Prisoner when they were defeated he was here taken prisoner having received a wound on the Head When he was brought to the King His Majesty asked him Whether the Irish would fight any more Yes said he an 't please Your Majesty upon my Honour I believe they will for they have a good Body of Horse still The King lookt a little aside at him when he named his Honour and repeated it once or twice Your Honour Intimating as He always says a great deal in few words that what the other affirmed upon his Honour was not to be believed since he had forfeited that before in his siding with my Lord Tyrconnel and this was all the Rebuke the King gave him for his breach of Trust There were several other prisoners taken here also but not many of note How things went to the right of our Army Now you must know that whilst all this hap'ned here our Men on the Right were making their way as well as they could over Hedges and Bogs towards Duleek and as they Advanced the Enemy drew off till they heard what had hap'ned at the Pass and then they made greater haste yet they could not retreat so fast but several of them were killed especially of their Foot amongst whom a party of our Horse fell in but they presently scatter'd amongst the Corn and Hedges till they got beyond a great Ditch where our Horse could not follow Collonel Levison with a party of his Dragoons got between some of the Enemies Horse and Duleek and killed several yet if they had not minded retreating more than fighting he might have come off a loser When most of them were over the Pass they drew up and fired their great Guns upon us and we ours upon them though we could not easily come at them with our small Shot for there are several Boggy Fields with Ditches at Duleek and in the midst of these a deep strait Rivulet very soft in the bottom and high Banks on each side there is only one place to get over and there not above six can go a breast Their confusion however was so great that they left a great many Arms and a considerable quantity of Ammunition in that Village of Duleek and indeed all the Country over but our Men were so foolish as to blow up the Powder wherever they met with it and few or none of the Men escaped that came in their Hands for they shot them like Hares amongst the Corn and in the Hedges as they found them in their march Reasons why so few killed By that time therefore a Body of our Horse was got over the Pass that was sufficient to Attack the Enemy they were gone at least a mile before their Horse and Artillery in the Rear and their Foot marching in great haste and confusion we went after them for at least three miles but did not offer to Attack them any more because of the Ground Then night coming on the King with some of the Horse return'd to the Foot that were Encamping at Duleek but the greatest part of them remained at their Arms all night where they left off the pursuit The Number of the dead On the Irish side were killed my Lord Dungan my Lord Carlingford Sir Neal O Neal with a great many more Officers they lost at the Pass at Dunore Duleek and all the Fields adjoyning between 1000 and 1500 men one thing was observable that most of their Horse-men that charged so desperately were drunk with Brandy each man that morning having received half a Pint to his share but it seems the Foot had not so large a proportion or at least they did not deserve it so well On our side were killed nigh four hundred The Dutch Granadeers told me before we got to the Church at Dunore that they had lost seventeen and the rest proportionably the French also lost several but all this was nothing in respect of Duke Schonberg who was more considerable than all that were lost on both sides whom his very Enemies always called a Brave Man and a Great General I have heard several reasons given for the Dukes passing the River at that juncture but doubtless his chief design was to encourage the French whom he had always loved and to rectifie some mistakes that he might see at a distance However 't was this I'm certain of that we never knew the value of him till we really lost him which often falls out in such cases and since it was in our Quarrel that he lost his life we cannot too much Honour his Memory which will make a considerable Figure in History whilst the World lasts He was certainly a Man of the best Education in the World and knew Men and Things beyond most of his time being Courteous and Civil to every Body and yet had somthing always that lookt so Great in him that he commanded respect from men of all Qualities and Stations Nor did we know any fault that he had except we might be jealous he sometimes was too obliging to the French As to his person he was of a middle stature well proportion'd fair complexion'd a very sound hardy man of his age and sate an Horse the best of any man he loved constantly to be â—…at in his Clothes and in his Conversation he was always pleasant he was fourscore and two when he died and yet when he came to be unbowelled his Heart Intrails and Brain were as fresh and as sound as if he had been but twenty so that it 's probable he might have lived several Years if Providence had not ordered it otherways Monsieur Callimot an honest worthy Gentleman died soon after him of his Wounds having follow'd that great Man in all his Fortunes Some who pretend to more skill than possibly they are really Masters of will needs affirm that there were two oversights committed at this time one in not pursuing the Enemy closser after they were once broke which had been less hazardous considering all things then what followed afterwards my Lord of Oxford and my Lord Portland were for sending three thousand Horse with each a Musqueteer behind him to fall upon them in the Rear as they retreated which might have done great matters for the Enemy were in such a Consternation that they marched all that night in great fear and confusion expecting us at their Heels every minute But those that have seen the
goes to Athlone Lieut. Gen. Douglas and his party Encamped that Night nigh Chappel-Issard and next day at Manouth Friday we Encampt at Glencurry about five miles further and we had not got this length till we begun to plunder though the General gave strict Orders to the contrary Saturday the 12th we marched to Clenard Bridge here we staid all Sunday and Lieutenant-General Douglas took an account of every Man in his party that he might have Bread provided accordingly the Soldiers went abroad and took several things from the Irish who had staid upon the Kings Declaration and frequent complaints came already to the General but Plundering went on still especially amongst the Northern Men who are very dextrous at that sport Sunday morning Captain Aughmouty of Colonel Woolsley's Regiment went with a party of Horse towards the County of Longford And Munday the 14th they met the Army at Mullingar whither we marched and several of the Irish came in for Protections though when they had them they were of little force to secure their Goods or themselves Two Spies taken The party that was sent out brought in a great prey of Cattle from the Enemies Quarters and took two Spies with Letters from Athlone one was to Advise one Tute to Defend an Island nigh Mullingar in which he had store of Horses and several things of value Another Letter was from an Officer at Athlone to his Father in the Country telling him that my Lord Tyrconnel the Duke of Berwick and several more great Officers were come to Limerick with a good Body of Horse and that all their Army would be there in two or three days so that they would make either a Hog or a Dog on 't as he exprest it That the Dauphin was landed in England with a great Army that the French had beat the English and Dutch Fleets that Duke Schonberg was dead and it was said the Prince of Orange was so too that their King was gone for France but it was no great matter he said where he was for they were better without him Then he advised his Father not to take a Protection because those that did were lookt upon as Enemies And after his Letter was sealed he had writ on the out-side Just now we have an Account by a Gentleman that 's come to us from Dublin that Orange is certainly dead so that all will be well again Such were their Hopes and Expectations at that time But though they believed most of those things yet they did not certainly know what to make on 't for they had no good opinion of the late King as may appear by a great many instances for Sarcefield sometime afterward speaking of the Action at the Boyn swore if we would change Kings they would fight it over again and beat us For certainly the Courage and Countenance of the Chief Commander in Armies is a material Point in the success of the Action and especially in Kings for he that has a Genius to the War has Advantages above other Men that makes his Gentry Nobility and Officers strive to imitate his Example by which he is better served and commonly more fortunate The 15th we remained Encamped at Mullingar and about 500 Creights came from the County of Longford with their Wives Children Cattle and every thing that they could bring away their business was to procure the Generals Protection which was granted them and they moved homewards as the Army marched forwards but were most of them plundered afterwards There had been a Friery at Mullingar during the late Kings Reign but the Friday before we got thither the Fathers thought fit to go a Pilgrimage into Conaught This Evening a party of Col. Russel's Horse went towards Athlone and came within three miles of the place but did no feats worth the mentioning next day we marcht to Ballimoor where stands a strong House at the side of a Lough which the Enemy has since fortified Athlone Besieged And Thursday July 17th we came before Athlone and encamped within a quarter of a mile of the Town the Enemy playing their great Guns upon us as we marched but did us little dammage The General sent a Drum to Summons the Town but old Colonel Grace the Governor fired a Pistol at him and sent word those were the Terms he was for The Town it self stands on a narrow Neck of Land between two Bogs one on either side the Shannon and you cannot come to it much less pass the River any where up or down within six or eight miles except at the Town through the midst of which the River Shannon runs and is both very broad and deep being by much the greatest in these three Kingdoms Ptolomy calls this River Senus Giraldus Flumen Senense but the Irish call it Shannon that is the Ancient River It arises out of Theru Hills in the County of Letrim and running through an excellent Country and several Towns particularly Limerick and Athlone it falls into the Sea beyond Knock-Patrick a Mountain upon which St. Patrick conjured all the Venomous Creatures in Ireland and threw them into the Sea insomuch that nothing of that kind has appeared or will live in that Kingdom ever since if you 'll believe what the Irish do however this River is Navigable for above twenty Leagues That part of Athlone standing on the South-side the Shannon is called the English Town and that on the other the Irish Town where stands a very strong Castle Athlone is the head Town in the County of Roscommon and was formerly the Barony of the O Kelly's There is a very good Stone-Bridge between the two Towns which was Built by Sir Henry Sidney in Queen Elizabeth's time and because this is commonly accounted the Center of Ireland that Queen once designed to make it the Residence of the Lords Justices The English Town not being so easie to defend the Irish Burnt it the day before our coming and broke down the Bridge They had several very convenient opportunities to disturb us in our march to the Town because of the Bogs Woods and Passes that lay very advantageous for that purpose but they retired over the River to defend the other side about 200 Yards above the Town they had raised some Breast-works on the River side nigh the end of the Bridge they had cast up several Redoubts and other Works and had planted two Batteries of two Guns a piece besides what were in the Castle Friday we spent in contriving our Batteries and our Works and on Saturday we planted two Field-Pieces which did the Enemies Guns some damage then one hundred and fifty Men out of each Regiment were ordered to make and carry Fascines and in two days more we had a Battery of six Guns finished nigh the Bridge-end which plaid upon the Castle and made a small Breach to wards the top On Sunday the 20th the General sent a Detachment of Horse commanded by lieutenant-Lieutenant-Colonel Barry and 150 Granadeers mounted
That day we marched beyond the Devils Bit and all along as we passed we could see the Rapparees looking upon us from the Mountains but we had now so many Cattle Horses and Attenders on our marches as made us look as big nigh hand as the other part of the Army and the Souldiers used to say that the Cattle and Sheep themselves could tell by their different tones to whom they belonged From this place all down to Cashel and so towards Clonmel and Waterford one way and towards Tipperary and Limerick another is one of the finest Countries I ever saw if it had Inhabitants accordingly Great part of it is called the Goulden vale On the 4 Colonel Woolsleys Horse Colonel Tiffins and St. Johns Foot marched back from hence towards Mullingar to secure the Country they came so far lest the Enemy should attack us and now we being secure they marched back another way We marched on the 5. to Holy-Cross nigh Thurles which of old enjoyed several peculiar Priviledges and Freedomes granted in Honour of a piece of Christs Cross there found as the Story goes This place by K. Henry 8. gave the Title of Barons to the Buttlers The General I believe had heard that several people had enjoy'd great priviledges at this place in the days of old and therefore he gave his Souldiers liberty this afternoon to take what they pleased for their sustenance but the true reason was because we had no Bread The 6. we marched to a Village called Dundrum a little to the North of Cashel one of the most Ancient Cities in Ireland famous of old for the Preaching of St. Patrick where afterwards was built a very considerable Cathedral it was made an Archepiscopal dignity by Eugenius the third Bishop of Rome and had under it in times past many Bishopricks and Suffragons As you go up to this Church there is a Stone upon which Antiently all the Kings of Munster used to be Crowned I suppose it was after the same manner with the Ulster Kings which was by throwing an old shooâ— over their heads and sometimes by killing a white Cow c. There are several Monuments of good Antiquity in this Church In the year 1318. The Archb. of Cashel was both Lord Justice and Lord Chancellor and it was remarkable in the late Wars for my Lord Inchiqueens killing all the Priests that were got into it and pretended with a Body of the Irish to defend the place which naturally is pretty strong and it s called at this day the Rock because it stands on the top of one On the 7. We marched to Cullen and on the 8. to Carriganliss whither the Kings Army was gone from Goulden-Bridge It s therefore convenient that I should give the best Account I can of their march from Dublin thither month July The Kings march towards Limerick On the 9. of July His Majesty with his Army Encamped at Cromlin within two miles of Dublin westwards where he settled the method of granting Protections according to his Declaration And gave a Commission to the Bishop of Meath my Lord Longford Dr. Gorge Captain Fitz Gerald Mr. Coughland Dr. Davis and Captain Corker to save all forfeited goods and to see that those and the Corn upon the Estates of all Absentees were safely kept or disposed on for the Kings use The Bishop of Meath whether out of dislike to the proceedings of the rest or averseness to business soon forbore his Attendance at their meetings the rest went on in their Business but in such a method as was neither to the Kings advantage nor satisfaction and not much to their own Credits The 10. in the morning his Majesty set forth a Proclamation to put a stop to the passing of Brass mony only at the valuations following viz. Every large half Crown and new stampt Crown at a penny the small half Crown at three farthings the large Copper Shilling at an half penny the small Shillings and six pences at farthings c. And the same day the Army Encampt between the Ness and Racoole Little hapned remarkable except the Kings great care to keep the Souldiers from Plundring the Country and every night it was given out in orders that on pain of death no man should go beyond the line in the Camp or take violently to the lest value from either Protestant or Papist The 11. the Army marched to Kill Kullen Bridge the King this morning passing by the Ness saw a Souldier Robbing a poor Woman which inraged his Majesty so much that he beat him with his Cane and gave orders that he and several others guilty of the like disobedience should be Executed the Monday following some people were so wicked as put a bad construction on this Action of the Kings but it had so good an effect upon that part of the Army that the Country was secured from any violence done by the Souldiers during that whole march two of the other Sufferers were Iniskillin Dragoons On Sunday the Army rested and on Munday they marched to Tommalin several of the Country people and some Gentlemen that were Papists coming in to whom the King ordered Protections We heard all long on our march of the Confusion the Enemy was in and had Accounts daily of their resorts to Limerick and other strong places whilst we were here several came to us from Killkenny who gave his Majesty an Account of the State of that Garrison that part of the Enemies Horse and Foot were there still but with thoughts of quitting the Town upon our approach and at their going off they made the Inhabitants give them a sum of mony to save the Town from plundring From Tommalin we marched to Castle-Dermot where stood in old time two or three Religious Houses the Ruins of which as yet remain one of these was of the Fryars Minors Sackt and Plundred by the Scots under Bruce in the year 1316. In which year the Irish were here also overthrown by Edward Bottilar or Buttler Lord Justice of Ireland Here the King received some Packets from England giving him a further Account of his Fleet and Sea affairs which was easily understood not to be very grateful and as is supposed was the occasion of our slow marches Several Protestants every day came to the Camp all expressing their great Joy and Satisfaction for his Majesties Presence and their Deliverance We had also an Account here of some that took Protections and yet in the night made their escape to the Enemy having only got those Protections thereby to procure a better opportunity of going off with what they had upon which parties were lent out on all hands to clear the Mountains and Woods near the Army which kept the rest at home from hence Colonel Eppingar went with a party of 1000 Horse and Dragoons to secure Wexeford which some time before was deserted by the Irish Garrison this Town was first taken by Fitz Stephen in the Reign of King Hen. 2.
therefore for Circumference one of the largest in that Kingdom except Dublin and the Houses are generally built very strong within the Walls being made most of them Castle-ways with Battlements It stands upon the River Shanon and though it be nigh Sixty Miles from the Sea yet Ships of Burden can come up to the Bridge for the River below the Town looks like an Arm of the Sea One part stands on Munster side and is called the Irish Town being compassed about with a very strong Stone Wall and without this a Counterscarp with Pallisado's and also several Forts and Bastions and on the in-side the Wall they had cast up a vast Ditch with an huge Bank of Earth and Stones having only a place left to go in and out The River about a quarter of a Mile above the Town splits it self in two and between the Branches lies a most pleasant spot of Ground called the King's Island being about Two Miles Circumference on the lower end of which stands the greater part of Limerick where there is a Castle and a Cathedral Church This also is invested with a Stone-Wall and is called the English Town between which and the Irish Town there is a very large Stone-Bridge and beyond the English Town upon the further Branch of the River there is another Bridge that leads into the County of Clare near which stands a considerable Fort of Stone and the Irish cast up several more of Earth and made great Fortifications in the King's Island at which they were busie all the while we continued there Here the Irish kept continually a strong Guard having also during our stay Two or Three Regiments entrenched opposite to the Danes on Munster side towards the West of the Irish Town This Place was first won from the Irish by Reimond the Gross an Englishman and Son of William Fitz Gerald but afterwards burnt by Duvenald an Irish Petty King of Thoumond and then in process of time Philip Bruce was infeoffed of it and it became an English like Town being fortified with a Castle and wall'd by King John In the late times Cromwel was called over into England before his Army reached that Place and Ireton managed the Seige who died here afterwards He laid a great many Months before it and did not take it at last Colonel Fennel and others of the Irish in some respect betray'd the Town to him for against the Governour 's Consent they drew up Articles and sending them to Ireton's Camp on the 27 th of October 1651. they received Two Hundred Men at St. John's Gate and more into another Fort called Price's Mill next day getting possession of the Town Ireton hang'd several of those that were still for defending of it But to come again to our business The Irish erect Forts The Irish began also to make Two small Forts between us and the Irish Town one nigh the South Gate about the middle of the Suburbs where stood Two Chimneys and it had that Name the other towards the East nigh that part of the Wal where we afterwards made a Breach They had a Citadel towards the West whereon they had several Guns which plagued us till we kill'd that Gunner and then we were more at ease from that Quarter There was a Spur at the South Gate whereon the greatest of their Guns were planted and at another small Gate with a Sally-port called St. John's Gate towards the East they had also a Battery of Three Guns which from its Colour we called the Black Battery This was just under the place where we made our Breach Our Camp was ordered thus The King's Camp was to the Right in the Second Line next him the Horse Guards and Blue Dutch then some English and Dutch Regiments then the French and Danes and behind all were the Horse though after some time we rather encamped conveniently than regularly Whether it was that His Majesty was made believe the Town would surrender upon Summons or what else was in it I know not but when we sate down before Limerick we had only a Field-Train though we had been a Month in our March from Dublin thither and whether it be usual to go before a Town without sufficient Materials to force it I am no Competent Judge However there were Six Twenty Four Pounders Two Eighteen Pounders a great quantity of Ammunition much Provisions our Tin Boats and abundance of other things all at this time upon the Road from Dublin under the Care of Two Troops of Colonel Viller's Horse Notice of our Guns coming up by a Deserter The Day after we got to Limerick a Frenchman as was reported a Gunner of ours run away from us into Town and gave the Enemy an account where our Train lay as also of those Guns and other things that were coming up the manner of our encamping and where the King's Tents stood with all the Particulars that were material for them to know They had always a plaguy spight at our Guns and therefore on Monday Morning early they play'd theirs most furiously towards the place where our Train lay I hapned to be not far from the place that time and in less than a quarter of an hour I reckon'd Nineteen or Twenty great Shot that fell in a manner all in a Line This place grew presently so hot that we were obliged to remove our Train beyond an Hill further off They fired also all this day and the next at the places where the King's Tents stood killing some Men as also Two of the Prince of Denmark's fine Horses His Majesty was advised to remove to some more convenient and secure Ground which he did Monday the 11 th in the Morning we planted six Twelve Pounders at Cromwell's Fort which dismounted one of the Enemies best Guns upon the Spur and did further damage to the Houses in the Town The same Morning came one Manus O Brian a substantial Country Gentleman to the Camp and gave notice that Sarsfield in the Night had pass'd the River with a Body of Horse and design'd something extraordinary Sarsfield passes the River For when Sarsfield heard what the Frenchman had told he was pretty sure that if those Guns Boats and other Materials came up to us the Town would not be able to hold out and therefore he resolves to run a hazard and destroy them in their March if it were possible if he succeeded then he broke our Measures but if not he then design'd for France if he did but survive the Attempt In order to which he takes all the best Horse and Dragoons that were in Town and that very Night marches over the Shannon at a Place called Killalow a Bishops See on the Shannon Twelve Miles above our Camp The Messenger that brought the News was not much taken notice of at first most People looking upon it as a Dream A great Officer however called him aside and after some indifferent Questions askt him about a Prey of Cattel in
such a Place which the Gentleman complain'd of afterwards saying he was sorry to see General Officers mind Cattel more than the King's Honour But after he met with some Acquaintance he was brought to the King who to prevent the worst gave Orders that a Party of Five hundred Horse should be made ready and march to meet the Guns but whether His Majesties Orders were not delivered to the Officer in Chief that was to Command the Party or where the fault lay I am no competent Judge but it was certainly One or Two of the Clock in the Morning before the Party marched which they did then very softly till about an hour after they saw a great Light in the Air and heard a strange rumbling Noise which some conjectur'd to be the Train blown up as it really was For on Sunday night our Guns lay at Cashell and on Munday they marched beyond Cullen to a little old Ruinous Castle called Ballenedy not Seven Miles from our Camp and directly in the Rear of it where they Encamped on a small Piece of plain green Ground there being several Earthen Fences on one side and the old Castle on the other If they had feared the least danger it had been easie to draw the Guns and every thing else within the Ruins of that old Castle and then it had been difficult for an Army much more a Party to have touched them Nay it was easie to place them and the Carriages in such a Figure upon the very Spot where they stood that it had been certain Death to have come nigh them but thinking themselves at home so nigh the Camp and not fearing an Enemy in such a Place especially since they had no notice sent them of it they turn'd most of their Horses out to Grass as being wearied with marching before and the Guard they left was but a very slender one the rest most of them going to sleep but some of them awoke in the next World The Guns surprised for Sarsfield all that day lurked amongst the Mountains and having notice where and how our Men lay he had those that guided him through By-ways to the very Spot where he fell in amongst them before they were aware and cut several of them to Pieces with a great many of the Waggoners and some Country People that were coming to the Camp with Provisions The Officer Commanding in Chief when he saw how it was Commanded to sound to Horse but those that endeavoured to fetch them up were killed as they went out or else saw it was too late to return The Officers and others made what resistance they could but were at last obliged every Man to shift for himself which many of them did though they lost all their Horses and some of them Goods of a considerable value there was one Lieutenant Bell and some few more of the Troopers killed with Waggoners and Country People to the Number in all of about Sixty Then the Irish got up what Horses they could meet withal belonging either to the Troops or Train some broke the Boats and others drew all the Carriages and Waggons with the Bread Ammunition and as many of the Guns as they could get in so short a time into one heap the Guns they filled with Powder and put their Mouths in the Ground that they might certainly split what they could pick up in a hurry they took away and then laying a Train to the rest which being fired at their going off blew all up with an Astonishing noise the Guns that were filled with Powder flying up from the Carriages into the Air and yet two of them received on damage though two more were split and made unserviceable every thing likewise that would burn was reduced to Ashes before any could prevent it The Irish took no Prisoners only a Lieutenant of Colonel Earl's being sick in a House hard by was stript and brought to Sarsfield who us'd him very civilly telling him if he had not succeeded in that Enterprise he had then gone to France Our Party of Horse that was sent from the Camp came after the business was over in sight of the Enemies Rear but wheeling towards the Left to endeavour to intercept their Passage over the Shanon they unhappily went another way since if our Party had been Fortunate they had a fair Opportunity first to save the Guns and then to Revenge their loss and if either had been done the Town had surrendred without much more Battering Sir Albert Cunningham's Dragoons were abroad also who met with some of the Irish kill'd a Major one Captain James Fitz-Gerrald and about Fifteen more but the Main Body marched off secure Colonel Villers went also with another Party of Horse towards Bryans Bridge but the Enemy did not return that way This News was very unwelcome to every body in the Camp the very private Men shewing a greater concern at the loss then one could expect from such kind of People the loss of the Guns was not so great as that of the Horses and Ammunition but to make the best of a bad Market the Duke of Wyrtemberg and several Great Officers sent their own Horses and every Foot Regiment furnished so many Garrons to bring up the Guns and broken Carriages as also to bring up two great Guns and a Mortar that were coming from Waterford The Seige gâ—ts on We went on with the Siege however and planted several more Guns and Fireings continued briskly on both sides all the Army both Horse and Foot being ordered to make such a number of Fascheenes a day and bring them to the Heads of their respective Regiments to which end we cut down most of the Hedges and Orchards about Castle Connel taken On Tuesday the 12. Brigadeer Stuart with a Detachment of his own and my Lord Meath's Men went towards Castle Connel with Four Field-Pieces the Besieged submitted and were brought Prisoners to the Camp being 126 in number commanded by one Captain Baluwell This is a strong place upon the River Shannon Four Miles above Limerick built by Richard the Red Earl of Ulster Queen Elizabeth gave the Title of Baron Castle Connel to William Bourk for killing James Fitz Morice who was a Rebel in those Days Here we kept a Garison till the Siege was raised and then it was blown up During these Transactions several Parties of Horse were sent abroad and Wednesday the 13. Lieutenant Colonel Caulfield was sent to Cullen with a detacht Party of 300 Foot mounted upon Garrons there to remain as a Guard to those who passed to and from the Camp as also to scour the Country the Rapperees upon the miscarriage of the Guns and being partly plundered contrary to the Kings Orders beginning to disturb us Next day there came an Express from Youghal giving an Account That they had killed some of the Irish thereabouts that robbed and plundered the Country This Place was surrendred to us about 10 days before and had now a
were secured in other places The County of Cork was formerly a Kingdom and is the most fertile Country in Ireland This Kingdom was granted in the Time of Henry the Second to Sir Robert Fitz Stephen and Sir Miles de Cogan in these Words Know ye that I have granted the whole Kingdom of Cork excepting the City and Cantred of the Oustmans to hold for them and their Heirs of Me and John My Son by the Service of Sixty Knights At Cork was born one Briork a Famous Saint in the Days of Old The same Afternoon a Party of about Five hundred Horse were sent under Brigadeer Villars to infest Kingsale he sent a Trumpeter at his Approach to summon the Town but the Governor threatned to hang him up for bringing such a Message and then set fire to the Town and retreated to the Old Fort which our Horse seeing rid in and quenched the Fire killing seven or eight of the Irish that they found in Town On the 30th a Party of our Foot marched to Five-mile-House towards Kingsale and the Magistrates of Cork reassuming their Places proclaim'd King William and Queen Mary and put the Place into some order month October The Army marches to Kingsale On the First of October the Earl of Marlborough marched out of Cork to Five-mile Bridge and the next day came near the Town then in the possession of our own Men Towards the Evening the Lord Marlborough posted his Men towards the New Fort and Major General Tetteau with 800 Men the next morning early passed the River in Boats stormed the Old Fort in which he succeeded very well Several Barrels of Powder at the same time accidentally taking fire blew up nigh Forty of the Enemy the rest flying into an old Castle in the midst of the Fort were a great many of them kill'd before they got thither and all that made resistance as we scaled the Walls were cut in pieces The Old Fort taken So that of 450 Men in this Fort about 200 were blown up and kill'd and the rest submitting to Mercy were made Prisoners Some endeavoured to escape to the New Fort by Water but were most of them kill'd from the Shore The Governor and several Officers that would have prevented our Men from coming over were killed upon the Ramparts The New one besieged My Lord Marlborough having gained this Fort resolves to make as quick work as he could with the New one for the Weather was now very bad and Provisions were growing scarce and withal his Men began to fall sick which made him judge it was the best way to attack the Place briskly in which he was like to lose fewer Men than if by lying long before it he should have it surrendred He sends a Summons however to the Governor to surrender who return'd him answer That it would be time enough to talk of that a Month hence Batteries raised Whereupon the Cannon being planted we began to batter the Fort in two Places the Danes on the Left and the English on the Right On the Fifth of October the Trenches were opened and on the Ninth we were got nigh the Counterscarp On the Twelfth in the Morning Six Pieces of Cannon were mounted at the Danes Attack and Two Mortars at the English which fired all day and the Mortars continued all night On the Thirteenth Two Guns of Twenty four pound Ball were planted on the English Battery and on the Fourteenth Three more for the Danes on their side had made a pretty large Breach We then sprung a Mine with very good success and were preparing to spring another and being Masters of the Counterscarp on the Fifteenth the Cannon plaid all the Morning and every thing was ready to lay our Galleries over the Ditch But at one a Clock the Enemy beat a Parly and desired a Treaty about the Surrendry of the Fort The Fort surrendred which being done the Articles were agreed to and signed by which the middle Bastion was to be delivered up next Morning and the Garrison being about 1200 Men to march out the day after with their Arms and Baggage and be conducted to Limerick We had kill'd and wounded in our several Attacks about 200 but a great many more were sick and dead by reason of bad Weather In this Fort we received a very considerable Magazine and great plenty of all sorts of Provisions sufficient to have supported a thousand Men for a Year there were 1000 Barrels of Wheat 1000 Barrels of Beef Forty Tuns of Clarret a great quantity of Sack Brandy and strong Beer My Lord Marleborough did a considerable piece of Service in reducing those Places which will be of great advantage to the next Campagn In October 1601. Don John d' Aquila landed at Kingsale from Spain with an Army to assist the Irish against Queen Elizabeth calling himself Master General and Captain of the Catholick King in the War of God for holding and keeping the Faith in Ireland But by the Courage and Industry of Sir Charles Blunt Baron Mountjoy then Lord Deputy the Irish were defeated and the Spaniards forced to go home upon dishonourable Terms But to return again to Dublin and the Affairs of that part of the Kingdom On the 18th of October the Blue Dutch Guards set sail for England and a day or two afterwards landed Colonel Mathews's Dragoons and Count Schonberg's Horse from thence And now after the taking of Cork and Kingsale part of the Irish Army that was in Kerry made several Incursions and burnt all the Towns and Villages of the Counties of Cork and Limerick that had hitherto escap'd My Lord Duke of Berwick dined in Charlevil-house one of the Second-rate Houses of these Kingdoms built by the late Earl of Orrery and after Dinner order'd it to be fir'd and staid to see it in Ashes And those of the Irish Army that lay between Limerick and Athlone burnt Balliboy wherein were Six Companies of my Lord Drogheda's Regiment The thing was thus Lieut. Col. Bristow was at the Breaking-up of the Camp at Birr ordered to Kilkormack Castle a considerable Pass and within Two Miles of Balliboy but he liking Balliboy better as a Place of more Forrage and Shelter for the Men quitted the other and took most of his Men into that open Village which the Irish having notice of came in the night and lay in the Hedges nigh the Town Our Men had heard of the designed Attempt the day before and desired Colonel Bristow to deliver out Ammunition but he apprehending no danger took no care to prepare for such a Mischief However our Men sate up all that night and sent out a Lieutenant with Twenty Men mounted to learn Tidings of the Enemy who returned without discovering any for they were all this while close in the Hedges After Revallia the Officers and Soldiers thinking all safe went to their Lodgings all but the ordinary Guard They had not been dispersed half an hour till the
there was a Ship with Arms Ammunition and some Provisions on Board with about Sixty Officers designed for Limerick but cast away in that River and all the Men lost The Rapparees all this while were very busie about Cashall and Clonmel and did a great deal of mischief this occasioned some of our Army to joyn part of the Militia who went towards Cullen and burnt the Corn bringing away a good Booty without any opposition The Fifteenth of November Colonel Byerly's Horse marched from Dublin to Mount Naelick a Village towards the Frontiers and on the 19 th the Lords Justices Publish a Proclamation Declaring That if any of their Majesties Protestants Subjects had their Houses or Haggards burnt or were Robb'd or Plundred by the Rapparees such Losses should be repaid by the Popish Inhabitants of that County And in regard the Popish Priests had great Influence over their Votaries it was ordered That if any Rapparees exceeding the Number of Ten were seen in a Body no Popish Priest should have liberty to reside in such a County And it was further declared That the Government would not give Protection to any Person that had a Son in the Enemies Quarters unless such Son return to Their Majesties Obedience before the Tenth of December next following And in regard at this time the Government was apprehensive of some danger nigh Dublin it self they Publish a Proclamation the 22 d. That all Papists who have not been noted House-keepers in the City of Dublin for Three Months last past were within Forty eight Hours to depart at least Ten Miles from the City or else to be proceeded against as Spies and that not above Five Papists should meet together upon any Pretext whatever A Plot discovered About the 24 th there was great talk of a Design discovered to the Lords Justices of sending a Supply of Meal Salt Tobacco Brandy and several other things from Dublin to the Enemies Quarters Those who were carrying these things were pursued and overtaken in the County of Kildare upon a By Road they all made their escapes however but one of them being a Woman dropt a Petticoat in which was found a Letter and also another in a Rowl of Tobacco which gave grounds to believe that a Correspondence was kept between the Papists in Dublin and the Enemy beyond the Shanon and therefore on Sunday Night the 30 th of November a general search was made through the City and most of the Papists secured This Piece of Service the Militia performed very dextrously without noise or suspicion till the thing was done A List of the Privy-Council The last Packquets from England brought a List of the Privy Council appointed by His Majesty for the Kingdom of Ireland as also of several of the Judges The Council were The Lord Primate the Lord Chancellor Lord Treasurer Archbishop of Dublin Duke of Ormond Earl of Meath Earl of Drogheda Earl of Longford Earl of Renelah Earl of Granard Viscount Lisburn Bishop of Meath Robert Fitz-Gerrald Esq the Vice Treasurer Chancellor of the Exchequer Chief Justice of the King's Bench Chief Justice of the Common Pleas the Chief Baron of the Exchequer Master of the Rolls Secretary of State Master of Ordance Sir Henry Fane Sir Charles Merideth William Hill of Hillsborongh Esquire On Monday the First of December several of the said Persons attended the Lords Justices at the Council Chamber and there took the usual Oaths of Privy Councellors The Judges named for the Respective Courts in Dublin were Sir Richard Reynoll Lord Chief Justice of the King's Bench Sir Richard Stephens one of the Justices of the same Court Mr. Justice Lindon being formerly sworn there In the Common Pleas Mr. Justice Jetfordson Mr. Justice Cox being formerly sworn there In the Exchequer Jo Healy Esq Lord Chief Baron and Sir Standish Hartstone one of the Barons of the Court Mr. Baron Ecklin being formerly sworn there This day we had News of the Enemies passing the Shanon at several Places and Orders were sent to our Frontiers to be in readiness and Colonel Gustavus Hambleton sent a Party from Birr towards Portumna who met with a Party of the Enemy which they routed killing some and brought off two Officers with Eleven Prisoners being Dragoons and Foot month December December the 2 d. A Proclamation was issued out by the Lords Justices and Council forbidding all Their Majesties Subjects of Ireland to use any Trade with France or to hold any Correspondence or Communication with the French King or his Subjects This was the first that was Signed by the Council and these were present viz. Fran. Dublin Drogheda Longford Granard Lisburn Robert Fitz-Gerald Anth. Meath Charles Merideth We had at that time an Account from Cork that on the 22 d. of November last there were 60 of our Horse and Foot who met with near Five hundred of the Rapparees in the Barony of West Carberry near Castlehaven our Men at that disadvantage Retreated towards Castlehaven the Enemy followed in the Rear and fired at a distance several times our Party facing about killed Nine and afterwards being Attackt again they killed one Brown an Ensign of the Enemies Castletown Besieged The Enemy next day Besieged Castletown an House near Castlehaven they were Commanded by O Donavan O Driscoll and one Barry As they approached the House our Men killed Twelve of them this put them into an humour of Retreating though one Captain Mackronine with his Sword drawn endeavoured to hinder them but he and some more of the Party being kill'd the rest got away as well as they could Several of them had Bundles of Straw fastned upon their Breasts instead of Armour but this was not Proof for about Thirty of them were killed upon the Spot amongst whom were young Colonel O Driscol Captain Tiege O Donavan besides several that went off Wounded we lost only two Men. Rapparees defeated At this time Colonel Byerley being at Mountmelick with part of his own Regiment and some of Colonel Earl's Foot he was frequently Allarumed as well by Parties of the Irish Army as by Considerable Numbers of the Rapparees who had a design to burn the Town as they had done several others thereabouts but the Colonel was very watchful and kept good Intelligence a main Matter in this Assair He was told of a Party that designed to burn the Town and he took care to have all his Men both Horse and Foot in readiness to welcome them but they heard of his Posture and durst not venture however on the Third of December he had notice of a Body of Rapparees that were not far from the Town and designed him a mischief he sends out Lieutenant Dent with Twenty Horse and ordered each Horseman to take a Musqueteer behind him when the Horse came almost within sight of the Rapparees they dropt their Foot who marched closely behind the Hedges unperceived by the Enemy When the Enemy espied so small a Party of Horse they Advanced
from the side of the Bog towards them the Horse seem'd to Retreat a little till the Rapparees were Advanced within Musquet-shot of our Foot who firing amongst them kill'd feveral and then Lieutentant Dent fell in with his Horse as also the Foot Charged them a second time that after some resistance they kill'd Thirty nine and took Four whom they hanged without any further Ceremony The rest escaped to the Bogs and in a moment all disappeared which may seem strange to those that have not seen it but something of this kind I have seen my self and those of this Party assured me that after the Action was over some of them looking about amongst the Dead found one Dun a Serjeant of the Enemies who was lying like an Otter all under Water in a running Brook except the top of his Nose and his Mouth they brought him out and although he proffer'd Forty Shillings in English Money to save his Life a great Ransom as he believed yet he was one of the Four that was hanged How the Rapparees conceal themselves and their Arms. When the Rapparees have no mind to show themselves upon the Bogs they commonly sink down between two or three little Hills grown over with long Grass so that you may as soon find a Hair as one of them they conceal their Arms thus they take off the Lock and put it in their Pocket or hide it in some dry Place they stop the Mussle close with a Cork and the Tutch-hole with a small Quil and then throw the Piece it self into a running Water or a Pond you may see an hundred of them without Arms who look like the poorest humblest Slaves in the World and you may search till you are weary before you find one Gun but yet when they have a mind to do mischief they can all be ready in an Hours warning for every one knows where to go and fetch his own Arms though you do not Boats fitted up to be sent to the Shanon About this time the Lords Justices Ordered Four Long Boats like Men of Wars Pinnaces to be fitted up with Pattereros and little small Guns the Sides to be fortified with Boards and other Materials and those to be filled with a hundred Choice Men commanded by Captain Hoord who had been Provost Martial but turned out for some Irregular things and was resolved to do some desperate Service to be readmitted These Boats were to be drawn upon Carriages to the Shanon and there put in the Design was very plausible and might have done Service if pursued for there are several Islands in the Shanon wherein the Irish have very considerable Riches and besides Hoord and his Men designed to make Incursions into the Enemies Country and to burn and destroy all before them if a small Party appear'd then they would fight them but if a great Body then they could retreat to their Fleet and go away to another Place And further one design of those Boats was to carry over a part of our Army at least their Necessaries that shortly designed an Expedition beyond the Shanon but the Boats were stopt beyond Mullingar and ordered to go no further A Spy seized Nigh this time one Kirowen an Irish Officer came from Athlone to Mullingar he pretended to be a Deserter and told a fair Story but next day a Protestant that made his escape gave an Account that he was a Spy and had some bad Designs upon which being examined and searched he had on a Pair of Breeches made of the Petticoat of a Gentlewoman whom he had murdered and upon strict examination of his Boy and others it appear'd that he was sent on purpose to burn the Garrison so was the Saturday following hanged for his pains There was also a Discourse as if the Papists had a design to burn Dublin when the Irish Army was to approach which they expected every day this was discovered by a Letter from Lieutenant Colonel Woogan's Lady to him in Limerick the Letter was intercepted and gave an Account that the Protected Papists were ready to join with the Irish Army in doing us what mischief they could upon which most of them were secured as I have said but however those of them that would take the Oath of Allegiance to K. W. and Q. M. were released but the refusers kept in Prison yet were Ordered by a Proclamation from the Lords Justices and Council December the Eight to obey the former Orders in removing from Dublin and all Their Majesties Garrisons on the Frontiers And several of the Papists who had Sons in the Enemies Quarters having made Application to the Lords Justices for further time to bring them in pursuant to a Proclamation November the 19 th they set out another December the 8 th allowing them time till the Tenth of January but for all this I heard of very few that came over Another Proclamation was Dated the same day Ordering all the Laws in that Kingdom for the Restraining the Exportation of Wooll to be put in Execution except to England and Wales only and this with Licence after the usual manner We had an Account from Clonmel that Captain Archer with a Militia Troop met with a Party of the Irish kill'd Twenty five and took a Booty of Three hunder'd Cows with several other things And Colonel Woolsley sent word that what Provisions and Ammunition were sent to the North were safely arrived his Men having kill'd Eight of the Irish the day before and hang'd Three Spies And about the middle of December we had News from Limerick by a Deserter that all things were very scarce the Soldiers wanting both Meat and Cloaths But Leiutenant Kelly who was taken Prisoner at Birr and now released says the Irish are not in so very bad a Condition because they have got nigh Ten thousand Horse load of Corn out of the County of Kerry this Winter which possible we might as well have had as they if we had been as diligent Nigh this time one Mack Finin one of the Prisoners that escaped from Cork as they say a great many did by sinister means marched with a Party of about 400 of the Army and Rapparees towards Iniskeen in the County of Cork and finding it guarded they went to Castletown where there was a Lieutenant and Thirty Dragoons they defended the Place bravely for some time killing Ten of the Enemy but their Ammunition being spent and having Five of their Men kill'd they were forced to surrender upon Quarter but the Lieutenant was afterwards murdered though a Party coming from Iniskeen from Major Culliford set upon the Irish kill'd Twelve and took Five Prisoners The Lords Justices and Council now fearing that in those Houses where there dwelt Papists if any publick Trade was kept as to the selling of Ale Wine Coffee c. they might be Plotting and Contriving Mischief therefore they Publish a Proclamation December the 12 th That no Papist shall keep a Publick House in
and Sixty These were mounted upon small Horses and retreated as did also their main Body burning the Country Our Men then went towards Ross wherein the Enemy had a Garrison of Six Hundred Men commanded by Colonel Mackartey We did not think fit to attack the Town but went towards a Fort near it which we attacked with Fifty Danes and Fifty of the Kingsale Militia We carried the Fort in which were Seventy Seven Men of whom Fourteen swam towards a Rock Five were taken and the rest kill'd Captain Baenburg and Captain Caroll the Commanders were both wounded the former with a Granade and the other shot through the Leg. Goes to Tralee From thence we marched towards Tralee which the Enemy deserted having therein Twenty One Troops of Dragoons and Seven of Horse Commanded by Colonel Sheldon The Enemy were much alarm'd on this side and if they had been pressed home on the other it had been much for our Interest But I heard of nothing further remarkable at Lanesborough except of one Captain Edgworth's defending a Pass with One Hundred Men against a much greater Body of the Irish and after our Men had laid there in the Cold for nigh a Fortnight they were ordered back being much harassed with Cold and Hunger The Boats were never brought to the River and Lieutenant General Douglas went as far as James-Town and then retired again into the North without doing anything remarkable This indeed is to be said for both sides That suppose our Men had passed the River at Lanesborough they must have gone Three Miles forwards before they could have seen any thing but Bogs and Woods The Irish no doubt knew of their coming and would have let them advance some Miles at least and then resolved with all the Force in their Power to attack them nor could Lieut. Gen. Douglas joyn them on a sudden so that seeing our Men were inferiour to theirs in number it was not the safest to go into the midst of their Troops and yet any that will but consider the Circumstances of the preceeding Story and put things together will find that it has been partly our own faults that Ireland has not been reduced already A short Description of the former State of Ireland The Soil of this Country is in all respects as good if not better than that of England And as to the People though this Country was in the Infancy of Christianity called Sanctorum Patria yet in process of Time the Irish did very much degenerate and did in a manner turn perfect Barbarians till at length they were partly civilized by the English Conquest of that Country and yet as the Nature of Man is apter to decline than improve instead of Reforming the Irish a great many of the English did dwindle into meer Irish both in Customs and Habit and are the very People that we are subduing at this juncture not One in Ten of them being of ancient Irish Extraction Most part of the North of Ireland is at present inhabited by People from Scotland The Reason of this may be because of the Vicinity of those Two Nations at that place they not being Three Hours Sail asunder or else it is because in the Ninth Year of King James the First the North of Ireland being then in Rebellion that King invented a New Title of Honour both in England and Scotland for all such the Number not exceeding as I remember Two Hundred in each Nation as would maintain Thirty Soldiers a piece for Three Years at the rate of 8 d. per diem in the Service of Ireland and yet they were to be Gentlemen and worth 1000 l. per annum those he called Barronets and made this Title Hereditary adding to each Man Phternal Cont the Arms of Ulster which is in a Canton or an Escatcheon which they please in a Field Argent a Sinister Hand Cooped at the Wrist Gules But this however was more taken notice of by the Scots than the English at least a great many of them went over themselves in Person into Ulster and after the Rebellion had Lands assigned to them and their Followers whose Posterity enjoy them still As for the other Provinces in Ireland viz. Lemster Munster and Conaught they were generally inhabited with English and Irish intermixt though the Irish were in a manner Slaves to the English and every Landlord was as absolute as a Prince amongst his own Tenants but in all other respects they had the English Laws and Customs and lived more plentifully than they did in any place of England Some may justly wonder to hear of all those multitudes of Cattle which have been at several times taken from the Irish but as they went off from any place they still drove along all the Englishment Stocks and certainly the Country affords abundance because it has never been throughly inhabited for those places that might be improved and tilled are for want of People stoct with Sheep or Cattel which was the Reason that in Queen Elizabeth's Days we read of one surly Boy in the North of Ireland who had a Stock of Fifty Thousand Cattel to his own share Of the Present State of the Irish Army But in short my humble Opinion of the Affairs of that Kingdom at present is First as to the Irish they are naturally a fawning flattering People they 'll down upon their Knees to you at every turn but they are rude false and of no Courage as D. Aquila complain'd when he came out of Spain with an Army to their assistance in Queen Elizabeth's Reign Give them but Encouragement and then there 's no People so insolent So that as Slaves there 's no way to deal with them but to whip them into good Manners and yet many of the Vulgar Irish have been abused in what they had who thinking our Soldiers in the fault they cut their Throats whereever they can get the upper hand As to their Army their Condition is not in some Respect much worse than it was before For 1. Their Men have seen more Service and understand the use of their Arms better being made good Fire-men at Limerick and Athlone 2 dly They are now in a much narrower compass which is easilier defended and they may in a small time draw their whole Army to any corner when as we are dispersed up and down and cannot so easily be got together upon any sudden occasion They have also most of the Passes upon the Shanon in their possession which could not easily be taken from any but Irishmen 3 dly They are very watchful and diligent having always good Intelligence which is the Life of any Action and yet it 's plain there is no such way to destroy the Irish as to imploy some to ruine the rest which they will certainly do their own Fathers for Money But then after all this they have a vast Crowed of People and will not nor cannot have convenient Subsistence for one half of them in a small