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
the field But the Report of these Forces obliged the General to send a considerable Body of Horse and Foot that way and he himself February the 11 th went towards Drummore in order to wait the Enemies Motion It was very observable how much the Men and Horses were now recovered from what they had been two months before Sir John Lanier and Col. La Millinier were sent out with a Party who went as far as Carlingford and returned with an account that there were only 3 Regiments at Dundalk as formerly But the Design of the Irish lay another way for whilst the Duke was upon this Expedition Col. Woolsely had notice that the Irish had a design to fall upon Belturbet to which purpose a considerable Number of them was come to Cavan and more to follow in a day or two Col. Woolsely to prevent them marched from Belturbet with 700 Foot and 300 Horse and Dragoons he began his march in the evening thinking to surprize the Enemy next morning early the distance between being about 8 miles but he met with so many Difficulties in his March and the Enemy had notice of his coming that instead of being at the Place before day as he designed it was half an hour after day-break before he came in sight of it so that instead of surprizing them the first thing our Men saw was a Body of the Enemy drawn up in good order judged to be nigh 4000 this was severe but there was no help for it fight we must for retreating was dangerous Col. Woolsely encourages his Men and tells them the Advantages of being brave and the inevitable Ruin of the whole Party if they proved otherwise they were as ready to go on as he to desire it And then he sends an advance-Party of Inniskillin Dragoons towards the Enemy who were presently charged by a great Party of the Enemies Horse and beat back past the Front of our own Foot who were so enraged at them that some of M. G. Kirk's and Col. Wharton's Men fired and killed 7 or 8 some of the Enemies Horse pursued them so far that many of them were kill'd by our Foot as they endeavour'd to get off By this time the Body of our Party was advanced pretty near the Irish who were posted upon the Top of a rising Ground not far from the Town As our Men advanced up the Hill the Irish fired a whose Volley upon them and then set up the Huzzah but scarce killed a Man for they shot over them our Men however went on till they were got within Pistol-shot of them and then fired by which they galled the Irish so that they immediately run towards the Town We pursued and they retired to a Fort but Col. Woolsely's Men falling to plunder in the Town the Irish sallied out and gave us a very fierce Attack Col. Woolsely having 250 Foot and about 80 Horse for a Reserve the Enemy was beat off again their Horse flying beyond the Town and their Foot taking to the Fort. Our Souldiers got good store of Shoes and all sorts of Provisions and about 4000 pounds in Brass Money a great deal of which the Souldiers threw about the Streets as not thinking it worth the Carriage their Ammunition was blown up and their Provisions destroyed for Col. Woolsely was forced to set the Town on fire to get his own Men out in the time of the Salley The Colonel knew not what might happen and therefore he drew off his Men and marched homewards The Irish they say were commanded by the Duke of Berwick who had his Horse shot under him and in two or three days they were to have 10000 Men at Cavan to fall upon Belturbet and other places The Enemy lost in this Expedition Brigadeer Nugent and as they say O Riley Governour of Cavan with a great many Officers and about 300 Souldiers In this Action we lost about thirty with Maj. Traherne Capt. Armstrong and Capt. Mayo who were killed by pursuing too far a French Reformed Officer and Capt. Blood an Ingineer were wounded We took twelve Officers and about sixty Souldiers Prisoners who were brought soon after to Carickfergus I have spoke with several Irish Officers since and they will not allow their Loss to be so great or ours so little in this Action as we make them yet give us the Advantage to a great degree At the General 's return to Lisburn he received an Account from Col. Woolsely of this Action much to the same effect as I have related it Sir John Lanier's Expedition to Dundalk And on the 15 th of February Sir John Lanier with a Party of 1000 Horse Foot and Dragoons went from Newry towards Dunkalk it was in the Evening when he marched and next Morning early being Sunday he appeared before the Town The Enemy had Fortified it very well so that the Major-General did not think fit to attaque it nor do I believe he had any Orders to do it he drew up his Foot however on the side of an Hill between the left of our old Horse-Camp and the Town a good Musquet-shot from the Bridg his Horse he sent nearer somewhat to the Right at the side of the Lane The Enemy at the Allarm appeared without the Town at first but as we advanced they retreated till they got within their Works from whence they fired incessantly Whilst the main Body was so posted Maj. Gen. Lanier sent a party of Horse and Dragoons beyond the River who burnt the West part of the Town from Mortimer-Castle to Blake's House being a great part of the Suburbs At same time a Party of Col. Leviston's Dragoons attaqu'd Bedloe's Castle and took the Ensign that Commanded it with 30 Prisoners we lost a Lieutenant and three or four Dragoons and had four Horses shot Our Men brought from beyond the Town and about it nigh 1500 Cows and Horses The Ensign that was taken was brought to Lisborn and carried before the Duke into his Garden where he commonly used to walk before Dinner Before the Duke ask'd him any Questions me-thought he gave him a pretty Caution to be sincere in his Answers though the General knew at the same time he being a Prisoner was not obliged to say any thing You says the Duke have a Commission and for that reason if not otherwise you are a Gentleman this obliges you to speak Truth which if you do not I can know it by examining of other Prisoners and then I shall have no good Opinion of you After some publick Questions the Duke took him aside and talk'd with him nigh half an hour but I suppose he could or at least would say little that was material month March The Danes arrive in Ireland The beginning of March came 400 Danes from Whitehaven to Belfast and the Week following all the Foot arrived from Chester with the Prince of Wittemberg their General The Duke went down to see them and was very well pleased for they were lusty Fellows
his handkerchief upon the place his Majesty took little notice of it but rid on for about forty yards further where there was an high Bank on either side but it being open below we returned the very same way again the Enemies Canon firing upon us all the while they did some damage amongst our Horse that were drawing up just before them killing two of the Guards and about nine of Coll. Coys Horses with three Troopers and also some few more out of Coll. Byerleys and other Regiments which made the King give orders for his Horse to draw a little backwards to have the advantage of a rising ground between them and the Canon When the Enemy saw their great Shot disturbed us they set up a most prodigeous shout all over the Camp as if our whole Army had been undone and several Squadrons of their Horse drew down upon a plain towards the River but in such a place as they knew it was impossible for us to come at them the River being very deep and a Bank of nigh ten yards high on our side I have often observed the Irish very fond of shouting and Hallowing before an Engagement and there is a Tradition amongst them that whosoever does not Shout and Huzzah as the rest do in Battle he 's suddainly caught up from the ground into the Air and so into a certain desart vale in the County of Kerry where he eateth Grass and lapeth Water hath some use of reason but not of Speech but shall be caught at length by Hunters and their Hounds and so brought home but this story is a little too light for so grave an Author as Cambden tho' he only relates it as a foolish fancy The King went to change his Coat and get his shoulder dressed and then rid about to see his Army come in which were all this while marching and encamping in two Lines And here I cannot but take notice of a signal peice of Providence in the preservation of the Kings Person for whatever ill effects it might have had for the future it would have been of fatal consequence to the Army at that time if he had fallen since instead of our going to them the Irish would have been ready to have come to us next morning and how we would have received them there 's none can tell I have met with several that will not believe that the King was touched with a Canon Bullet at all and if so that it was impossible it should not kill him but I was present when the thing hapned and therefore can affirm the truth of it I have seen a great many odd accidents in wounds with Canon Bullets and yet the Parties live particularly one of my Lord Drogheda's Men who had all the Flesh of his right Cheek shot from the bone without breaking his Jaw and he 's yet alive and very well Tho it seems at the Court of France they could not believe any such thing when they made Bone-fires for King Williams death But to go one with the Story Our Guns arrive about three a Clock the first of our Field Pieces came up and we lost no time but took two or three of them down towards the River and Planted them on a Furry bank over against the pass the first shot made by one Nelson we kill'd an Officer that lay sick in the House beyond the River and the second or third we dismounted one of those Field Pieces that the Irish had been so brisk withal and then their Horse that were drawn up towards the River made what haste they could into the Camp we continued all that afternoon pelting at them and they at us their Canon did us little more harm but our Gunners planted several Batteries and threw a great many small Bombs into their Camp which obliged them to remove some of their Tents one Bullet as we heard afterwards fell very nigh a Crowd of great Officers that were at the late Kings Tent and kill'd a Horseman that stood Centinel they then removed their Counsel to some other place and were not admitted to crowd there any more A French-Man of ours that afternoon run thro the River before our faces to the Enemy When they saw him coming a great many of them came down to receive him and crowding about him to hear news our Canon threw a Bullet amongst the very thickest of them which kill'd several and as t was said the Fellow himself however the rest made what hast they could back again We had some Deserters also that came from them to us but I heard of no more that left our Army except that one man There was one Deserter that gave the King an account that the Enemy were about 25000 Men and that they had sent away part of their heavy Baggage towards Dublin The King calls a Counsel of War About 8 or 9 a Clock at night the King called a Council of War wherein he declared that he was resolved to pass the River the next day which Duke Schonberg at first opposed but seeing his Majesty positive in it he advised to send part of our Army that night at 12 a Clock to pass the River at or near Slane-bridge some three miles above and so to get between the Enemy and the pass at Duleek which was about four miles behind them but this advice was not taken One thing under consideration was where to get Guides that were trusty and good whilst this matter was in question my Lord George Hambleton was by who immediately brought four or five of his Iniskilling Officers that knew the Fords very well and took upon them to Guide the Army next day and here it was concluded how the Army should March and who should Command at the different Posts which was ordered thus Lieutenant General Douglas was to Command the Right wing of the Foot and Count Schonberg the Horse who were to march early towards the Bridge of Slane and other Fords above to flank the Enemy or get between them and Duleek my Lord Portland and my Lord Overkisk had their Posts here as Mareschals de Camp the left wing of our Horse were to pass between the Enemies Camp and Drogheda whilst in the mean time a Body of Foot forced their way at the Pass at Old Bridge The Enemy held likewise a Council of War wherein Lieutenant General Hambleton advised to send a party of Dragoons to a Ford that was below the Town of Drogheda which we either knew not of or else did not regard and all the rest being eight Regiments with their whole left line towards the Bridge of Slane King James's Answer was that he would send fifty Dragoons up the River which the other seem'd to be Amazed at the place to be defended being of such importance however they resolved to defend the Passes and if it were possible to retreat with their Army towards Dublin in order to which they drew off most of their Canon in the night
Orders that night Towards the close of the Evening the Canons ceased on both sides and Orders were given out that every Souldier should be provided with a good stock of Ammunition and all to be ready at the break of day to March at a minutes warning with every man a green Bough or Sprig in his Hat to distinguish him from the Enemy who wore pieces of paper in their Hats All the Baggage with the Souldiers great â—oats were to be left behind with a small Guard in every Regiment to look after them The word that night was Westminster his Majesty was not idle but about 12 a Clock at night rid with torches quite through his Army and then month July The Battle at the Boyn Tuesday the first of July 1690. The day was very clear as if the Sun it self had a mind to see what would happen about six a Clock Lieutenant General Douglas marched towards the Right with the Foot and Count Schonberg with the Horse which the Enemy perceiving drew out their Horse and Foot towards their Left in order to oppose us Our Right wing draws out the Right wing at first were ordered to pass all at Slane but being better inform'd several Regiments were Commanded to pass at other Fords between our Camp and that place As some of our Horse marched to the River there stood a Regiment of the Enemies Dragoons sent thither over night nigh the Bank on the other side who fired upon us and then thought to have retreated to their main Body but before they could do that they were flanked in a Lane and about seventy of them cut off we met with little more opposition in passing the River but marching forwards we found the Enemy drawn up in two lines we had then twenty four Squardons of Horse and Dragoons with six Battalions of Foot those being too few Lieutenant general Douglas sent for more Foot and in the mean time we drew up in two lines also my Lord Portland advising for the more security to mix our Horse and Foot Squadron with Battalion this is no new way of managing but was first practiced by Caesar at the Battle of Pharsalia against Pompey for he there quite altered the manner of embattleing amongst the Romans covering one of his Flanks with a small River and then placing several Battallions of his best Foot amongst his Squadrons in the other by which he soon routed Pompeys Horse and then falling into the Flanks and Rear of his Enemy obtained the Victory However more Foot coming up our great Officers altered the first Figure and drew all the Horse to the right by which they outflanked the Enemy considerably But as our men were advanceing they met with a great deal of difficulty in the Ground for there were large Corn Fields with great Ditches and those very hard to be got over especially for the Horse who were obliged to advance in order when they were in the face of an Enemy and beyond all those there was such a Bogg as few of our men ever saw before the Horse tho' went to the right of it but the Foot being Commanded to march through found it as great an hardship as Fighting it self yet when the Enemy saw our men take the Bog instead of charging them in it they retreated in hast towards Duleek which Count Schonberg seeing fell in amongst their Foot with his Horse and kill'd a great many The King did not know of this disadvantage of Ground but computed the time when he thought our right wing was got well over and then he ordered his Foot to attack the pass at Old Bridge during all which a great part of the Enemies Horse and Foot were still marching towards Slane where every one expected the main Battle would be and in their march our Canon plaid continually upon them yet tho we kill'd several it did not disorder their Trops The blew Dutch guards post being to the right they were the first that took the River at Old Bridge The Irish had lined the Houses Breastworks and Hedges beyond the River with my Lord Tyrconnels Regiment of Foot Guards and some other Companyes they had posted also seven Regiments of Foot about 150 yards backwards who stood drawn up behind some little hills to shelter them from our Canon which played all this while besides these were 2 Troops of Guards 4 Troops of my Lord Tyrconnels and 4 Troops of Parkers Regiments of Horse posted in the same manner tho if they had posted the French here instead of the Irish it would have been more to their advantage but the reason of this was the Irish Guards would not lose the post of Honour The Dutch Guards take the River The Dutch beat a march till they got to the Rivers side and then the Drums ceasing in they went some eight or ten a breast being presently almost up to the middle in the Stream for they stopt the Current by their sudden motion and this made it deeper than usual the Enemy did not fire till our Men were towards the midst of the River and then a whole peal of Shot came from the Hedges Breast-works Houses and all about yet we could not perceive any fall except one and another stagger'd he that was formost was a Lieutenant of Granadeers who as he got footing on the other side drew up two files of men then stoopt and they fired over him at the next hedge which was not fifteen yards from them at which fire those in the Hedge quitted it which the rest seeing all left their Posts and were followed with a Volley of Shot from our men that were Advancing And are charged by a Squadron of Horse The Irish Foot run scattering into the next Field and before the Dutch could get well over and draw up they were charged very bravely by a Squadron of the Irish Horse who came down in a full carreer but were quickly beat off again One would have thought that Men and Horses had risen out of the Earth for now there appeared a great many Battalions and Squadrons of the Enemy all on a suddain who had stood behind the little Hills We had two French Regiments and Collonel St. John's who passed the River near the same time the Dutch did but about 100 Yards below which lieutenant-Lieutenant-General Hambleton perceiving who commanded at the Pass he Advanced with a party of Foot to the very River and himself with some others went into it giving orders at the same time for my Lord Antrim's Regiment and some more to go and Flank Sir John Hanmer and Count Nassaw's Regiments who were passing about 200 Yards further down but neither would his men stand by him nor could the other be perswaded to come near Hanmer however as Hambleton retreated a Sqadron of their Horse charged our French so bravely that about forty of them broke quite through Monsieur La Callimot's Regiment and wounded himself mortally those must go back the same way or
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-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
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
the Castle which he did and brought an Account of a Body of Rapparees to the number of about Three Thousand that were not far off upon which they sent out a Party of an Hundred Horse and Fifty Dragoons under Major Fittinkhoft designing themselves to follow but he succeeded so well that he routed the Irish and kill'd near Three Hundred of them getting a great many Silver-hilted Swords and some fine Horses amongst the Plunder My Lord Marlborough lands at Cork joyned by Major General Scravemore On the 21 st of September the Earl of Marlborough came into Cork-Road with the English Fleet having on board Brigadeer Trelawney's Lord Marlborough's Phusileers Princess Ann's Regiment Colonel Hastings Colonel Hales Sir David Collier's Colonel Fitz-Patrick's an Hundred of the Duke of Bolton's and Two Hundred of the Earl of Monmouth's under Major Johnston my Lord Torrington's and my Lord Pembroke's Marine Regiments and sending an Express to Major General Scravemore and Major General Tetteau they marched immediately to joyn his Lordship The 22 d the Lord Marlborough with his Fleet entred the Harbour receiving some Shot as they passed from a Fort of Eight Guns but sending some Boats a-shore the Enemy were obliged to quit their Battery and the Guns taken The 23 d in the Morning the Army landed and on the 24 th Five or Six Hundred Seamen and others of the Marine Regiment were imployed to draw the Cannon along and to mount them before the Town which they did with great chearfulness and the Duke of Grafton at the Head of them tho' Two Troops of Dragoons and a Body of Foot appeared without the Town but our Men firing some Field-Pieces upon them they retired That Day the Duke of Wirtemberg sent Dean Davis to my Lord Marlborough and Major General Scravemore to give them an account that he was marching to joyn them with a Detachment of Four Thousand Foot There was then a Report that the Duke of Berwick designed to raise the Siege and therefore Major General Scravemore sent the Dean back to hasten the Duke's March and the next day ordered a Party of Horse to go and cover the Duke's Foot The same Afternoon Major General Tatteau with a Party of a Thousand Men having drawn down some Cannon to the Fair Hill resolved to attack one or both of the New Forts and New Shanon Castle but no sooner were his Men posted in order to that Design but the Enemy set Fire on the Suburbs between him and them and having deserted both the Forts and Castle retired in haste into the City And the Duke of Wyrtemberg On the 26 th the Prince of Wyrtemberg with his Danes and a Detachment of Dutch and French Foot came and encampt on the North side the Town A Battery planted at Cork We now being in possession of Shanon Castle planted our Guns there and played them both into the Fort and Town and Major General Scravemore with his Horse took up his Quarters at Cill Abbey The 27 th the Enemy having deserted their Works at the Cat-Fort without a blow struck we were Masters of it and planted a Battery there playing our Bombs into the City and our Guns upon the Fort from the Friars-Garden and another Battery above the Fort near the Abby There was also a Church in our possession into the Steeple of which Major General Scravemore sent Lieutenant Townsend with a Party laying Boards cross the Beams for them to stand upon who did good Service in galling the Irish within the Fort. Another Battery of Three Thirty Six Pounders was made by Red Abby which playing against the City-Wall made a Breach whereupon they came to a Treaty whereon a Truce was granted till next Morning The 28 th the Enemy not accepting the Conditions that were proposed our Cannon began to play very furiously which made a considerable Breach and when the Enemy began to appear on the Wall near it they were raked off by our small Ordnance from the Cat. Last Night a Captain Lieutenant and Forty Men were posted in the Brick-Yard near Cill Abby to hinder the Enemy from making their Escape that way through the Marsh and accordingly some attempting it about Midnight Captain Swiney and Four more were kill'd and Captain Mackertey taken being wounded and the rest forced to retire to the City again About One a Clock that Afternoon the Danes from the North and Four Regiments of English from the South under Brigadeer Churchil passed the River into the East-Marsh in order to storm the Breach that was made there in the City-Wall They passed the Water up to the Arm-pits the Granadeers under my Lord Colchester led the Van and marched forwards exposed to all the Enemies Fire There went on Volunteers with this Detachment the Duke of Grafton the Lord O Brian Colonel Granvill and a great many more Immediately the Van posted themselves under the Bank of the Marsh which seemed to be a Counterscarp to the City-Wall in which Approach the Duke of Grafton received a mortal Wound on the point of his Shoulder The Salamander also and another Vessel which came up the Morning-Tide lay at the Marsh-end directly before the Wall playing their Cannon at the Breach as likewise throwing Bombs into the City The Garrison surrend'red In the midst of which Puther my Lord Tyrone and Lieutenant Colonel Rycatt came out having beat a Parley before and made Articles for its Surrender which were these I. That the Garrison should be received Prisoners of War and there should be no prejudice done to the Officers Soldiers or Inhabitants II. That the General would use his endeavour to obtain His Majesties Clemency towards them III. That they should deliver up the Old Fort within an Hour and the Two Gates of the City the next Day at Eight in the Morning IV. That all the Protestants that are in Prison shall be forthwith released V. That all the Arms of the Garrison and Inhabitants should be put into a secure place And VI. That an exact Account should be given of the Magazines as well Provision as Ammunition In the Evening the Fort was surrendred and the Protestant Prisoners set at Liberty On the 29 th in the Morning many Seamen and other loose persons entred into the City through the Breach and other places and plundred many Houses especially of Papists But as soon as the Bridge could be mended the Earl of Marlborough Duke of Wyrtemberg and Maj. Gen. Scravemore entred and took much pains to save the City from further Damage In the Afternoon all Papists were ordered by Proclamation on pain of Death to deliver up their Arms and repair to the East Marsh where all that had been in Arms were secured and put under Guards the Officers in the County Court-House The Number of the Prisoners amongst whom were the Earls of Clencarty and Tyrone Colonel Mark Ellicat the Governour Lieutenant Colonel Rycat c. the rest to the number of between Four and Five Thousand
Army I wondred much to see their Horses and Equipage hearing before what Feats had been done by them they were three Regiments in all and most of the Troopers and Dragoons had their Waiting-men mounted upon Garrons those are small Irish Horses but very hardy some of them had Holsters and others their Pistols hung at their Sword-Belts they shewed me the Enemies Scouts upon a hill before us I wisht them to go and beat them off and they answered With all their hearts but they had Orders to go no further than where they saw the Enemies Scouts tho they seem'd to be dissatisfied with it and added They should never thrive so long as they were under Orders Newry burnt And yet if those men had been allowed to go on in their old forward way it 's very probable they might have saved the Town of Newry from being burnt for the Duke of Berwick was then in it and a Troop of the Enemies Horse advanced that afternoon some three miles from the Town towards us but seeing the Iniskilliners they retreated in haste to the Town only leaving some few Scouts to bring a further account of our motion Those in the Town were startled at the news and made ready to march off but seeing no Enemy approach they took time to set it on fire and take all the people with whatsoever was valuable along with them They went away about Sun-set and next morning came to Dundalk where we heard that some of their great Officers exprest themselves very melancholly as if they had but small hopes to withstand the English The General not knowing that the Town of Newry was burnt nor that the Enemy had deserted the Pass gave Orders for 70 men out of each Regiment of Foot in all 1200 with a Party of Horse and Dragoons and four Field-Pieces to be ready to march by three of the Clock in the morning this Party was commanded by Coll. Wharton and was designed to attack the Enemy whom we expected at the end of the Town there being an old Church with several other convenient places from whence they might prevent our marching nor could we well go about without a great deal of trouble and several days march and then we must leave the Enemy on our Rear which was not to be done We march to Newry The Party marched according to Orders and the whole Army followed about Six of the Clock But on our march the Duke had an account by one Mr. Humphreys of Belfast That the Enemy had retreated and Burnt the Town the General then went forwards and found the Flames not quite extinguished and with Coll. Levison's Dragoons and some of the Iniskillin Horse he went at least two miles further but nothing of an Enemy appearing he returned and gave Command for his Army to encamp a mile short of Newry The bad weather had disturb'd us before but now the Rains and Wind were so extreamly violent that it was very difficult for us to pitch our Tents so that every one was forced to shift for himself as well as he could Provisions were also very scarce for there wanted Horses to bring them after us We encampt here next day also from whence the Duke sent a Trumpet to the Irish to let them know That if they burnt any more Towns he would give no Quarter I went abroad into the Countrey where I found all the Houses deserted for several miles Customs of the Native Irish most of them that I observed had Crosses on the Inside above the Doors upon the Thatch some made of Wood and others of Straw or Rushes finely wrought some Houses had more and some less I understood afterwards that it is the custom among the Native Irish to set up a new Cross every Corpus Christi day and so many years as they have lived in such a house as many Crosses you may find I asked a Reason for it but the Custom was all they pretended to Here the Corn also was either lying and rotting on the ground or else was shaken by the violent winds for the People were all gone the Protestants the March before and the Irish now at the retreating of their Army some fled for fear and those that had a mind to stay were forced away by the Army with all their Cattel and whatever else was portable In the Evening the Duke sent a Detachment of 520 Foot with a Party of Horse and Dragoons commanded by my Lord Lisburn towards Dundalk they got there the next morning but found it forsaken by the Enemy and not burnt tho it had been better for us if it had as it fell out afterwards There is an old square Tower in Newry which they call the Castle this was left standing and not above five or six Houses more the Town it self had been a pretty place and well built standing upon a very advantageous Pass the Tide coming up above the Bridge by a Bay that comes from Carlingford In this Castle the Irish had left some salt Beef and Herrings but they were salted so very much after the Irish fashion that the Soldiers for all they were very hard put to it for Victuals yet they could not eat them I believe the greatest reason was a fond conceit they had got amongst them that the meat was poisoned There was also a small Gun left in the Castle and another Twelve-Pounder thrown over the Bridge into the River In this Castle the General left Fifty men of Sir Tho. Gowers Regiment commanded by Captain Pallifer The Army marched to Dundalk and on Saturday the 7 th of September the Army marched to Dundalk in our way thither we found two Redoubts nigh a place called the Four-mile-house for Mareschal de Rose the French General was at Dundalk some time before our Army approached and enquiring whether the River was fordable he found it was in several places then he went on to Newry and finding it a convenient Pass he ordered it to be defended at the same time commanding those Redoubts to be made which if the Enemy had mann'd they might have given us no small diversion for there are vast Mountains on each hand and a Bog between them through which there was only a Causeway with a deep Ditch and a small Stone Bridge about the middle of it at the farther end of the Causeway the Forts were placed a convenient distance one from another from whence the Irish might easily have retired if we had forced the Pass for neither could our Horse follow nor knew our Foot how to tread the Bogs after them This place was formerly very woody and was fortified by O Neale Earl of Tyrone against Sir Charles Blunt Lord Deputy which he found great difficulty in passing but next year he built a Fort some two miles nearer Dundalk called Moyery Castle The Countrey between Newry and Dundalk is one of the wildest places of all Ireland being the haunt some years ago of the famous Tory Redman
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-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
furnish all Ordinary and Extraordinary Guards for the day with what little Detachments are to be made for that day to which end the Brigade must furnish Officers and Soldiers as followeth For the Duke 's own Guard a Captain Lieutenant and Ensign with Colours two Serjeants two Drums and Fifty Men the Main-Guard in Town the like Number and the Artillery-Guard as many The Guard for Lieutenant-General Douglas a Lieutenant Serjeant and Thirty Men For Major-General Kirk an Ensign Serjeant and Twenty Men the Guard for the Treasury a Serjeant and Twelve Men in all for the Ordinary Guards three Captains four Lieutenants four Ensigns nine Serjeants eight Drums and two hundred and twelve Men. Each Brigadeer had a Serjeant and twelve Men out of their own Brigade and the Collonels when they were quartered with their Regiments had a Guard of six Men Count Solmes and Major-General Soravenmore had Guards of their own Dutch These were upon ordinary Duty And then the Reserve-Guard of Captain Lieutenant Ensign and Fifty Men out of each Regiment was always to be ready as well out of other Brigades as that which had the Ordinary Guards for the day the Brigade that had the Guards was always to have a Collonel ready in the Camp as well to see the Detachments made as to go the Grand Round through the four Brigades at night The Lieutenant Collonels and Majors were also ordered always to keep with their respective Regiments that in case Detachments were to be made every one might be ready in his turn to march And the Majors of the respective Brigades were to attend every night at the General 's Quarters for Orders Next day and the day following one hundred Men out of each Regiment were ordered to work in the Trenches as also a Lieutenant and twenty Men out of each Company to fetch Straw and Wood to build Hutts what sick Men were in the Camp were sent to Carlingford and now our Scouts and the Enemies stood usually within a quarter of a mile of each other Some little Skirmishes hapned hut they turn'd to no account on either side The General went frequently abroad to view the Enemy and ordered on Thursday that a Brigadier should go the Rounds at night and see the Guards in the day An Account that the Irish advanced Friday the 20th In the morning we had an Account that the Enemy advanced towards us and that a Party of two thousand Foot and fifteen hundred Horse were gone beyond the Mountains to attack the Pass at Newry and fall upon us in the Rear which had been no ill Project but their Design was only to cut off our Foragers and Straglers About ten a Clock a Party of the Enemies Horse did appear in sight of our Camp and they had several Battalions of Foot drawn up in order near their own but upon the advancing of a Party of our Horse theirs retired to their Main Body which was too strong for us to meddle withal The detached Party of the Enemy that we heard was gone beyond the Mountains went to a place call'd the Blackbank and hearing that my Lord Hewet's Regiment of Horse and Sir Henry Ingleby's Foot were marching to the Camp and were in Newry or hard by it that night though they came not thither till the next as also some French Detachments that the Duke had commanded in lay in Newry besides the usual Garison of Fifty Men they came no further that way but struck off to the left towards Sligo whenas its very probable That if our Enemies had been all men of Resolution they might have sent part of their Army in our Rear and whilst we endeavour'd to oppose those they might with the rest have forced our Camp and destroy'd us but Providence was our best Guard We had sent several men sick to Carlingford by this time I hapned to be there that day and we had News that the Enemy had taken Newry and were upon their march to Carlingford this was not believed by us but however the Irish that remained there thought it true and 't was very observable with what Joy the Little Boys as well as the silly Old Women received the News running together and whispering nor was it possible for them to conceal their inward satisfaction As I went to the Camp that Evening I observed a small Party of Light Horse cross the Rode a litte before me in great haste and when I got about a mile further I understood that they were a Party of the Irish that had killed five French men and two Iniskilliners as they were a foraging towards the Mountains Great Rains This Afternoon came the first of our Ships up to Dundalk from Carlingford with Ammunition and Provisions In the Night the Rains were extreamly violent and both Horse and Foot had orders to forage towards Carlingford for the Forage was destroy'd on the other side The Irish draw out their Army and proffer Battel Saturday the 21st About Nine a Clock in the Morning it being a very clear sunshine-day our Camp was alarmed the Enemy display'd their Standard-Royal and all drew out both Horse and Foot bringing along a very handsome Field-Train A great Body of their Horse drew up to the South-West of the Town about half a mile from our Out-works the Duke went out to observe them and sent for Collonel Beaumont's Regiment into the Trenches beyond the Town and about an hour after for Collonel Earls It was reported that several great Officers were for fighting and desired the Duke to send for the Horse home who were most of them gone a foraging as far as Carlingford but his Answer was Let them alone we will see what they will do He received several fresh Accounts that the Enemy advanced and always bid Let them alone A Body of their Foot came to the side of a Bogg and fired upon a Party of our Horse not far from the Duke but they knew the Horse could not come at them else I suppose they would scarce have come so near Then our Gunners sent from the Works to see if they might fire amongst the Enemy who by this time were within Cannon shot but the Duke would not suffer it except they came within Musquet-shot of our Trenches He observed the Enemies motions and postures and said He saw no sign of their designing to fight only-once they drew their Army into two lines as if they would and then he sent Lieutenant-General Douglass to the Camp to order all the Foot to stand to their Arms and sent to the Horse That upon the firing of three Pieces of Cannon they should return to the Camp but till then to go on with their Foraging Mean time the Duke as if there was no fear of danger for all this for he used to say That it was not in their power to make him fight but when he pleased alighted from his Horse and sate him down upon a little Hill where he seem'd to sleep for some
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
Foot began to march at one a Clock in the morning and their Horse followed in the Rear burning their Camp at the Bridg of Fane and removing to Ardee We had also an account That the Duke of Berwick with a considerable Body of Horse was gone towards Iniskillin to rescue Major General Maccarty upon which a Detatchment of the Iniskillin Horse and Foot Coll. Russels Horse and Eight Grenadeers out of every Regiment mounted on Horse-back were sent on the 8 th to keep a Pass between us and Sligo On the 9 th the General had an Account from one Hempson and Johnston with four more who came from Dublin in an open Boat on the 7 th and landed at Carlingford That King James had given Orders to victual that place for his Winter-Quarters and that the discourse was there of dividing the Army in order to quit the Field because they thought it was impossible for us to attempt any thing that Winter as indeed it was That night a Party of 100 Horse were sent out towards Ardee but coming near an old Castle where the Enemy had posted themselves they fired upon our men which occasioned some of the French Horse to retreat but all the harm that was done was one of the Troopers had his Thigh bruised An Honourable Quarrel About this time there hapned a Quarrel between two French Officers belonging to Duke Sconberg's Regiment of Horse they were afraid to fight nigh our Camp lest the General should have notice of it and so try them by a Court-martial therefore they agreed to ride out towards the Enemies Camp where they fought with Sword and Pistol and being both wounded they told at their return that it was the Enemy had done it Both Forage and Firing grew now very scarce and the Weather was mighty bad so that Mr. Shales had Orders to deliver out two Tuns of Coals to each Regiment About the 8 th or 9 th Sir John Lanier's Colonel Langston's Horse and Colonel Hefford's Dragoons with Colonel Hasting's Foot landed at Carlingford from Scotland We had an account that there were more landed with them and that when they joined us we should march forwards but now it was too late and they did not come to the Camp but were ordered to Armagh Clownish and Places thereabouts The General gave Orders that no Colonel or any one whatever should give Passes for any to go from the Camp and that the Officers should visit the Souldiers Tents night and morning to see what they wanted The Sick order'd on Board On the 13 th it was ordered that all the Sick should be sent on Board and that the Officers took care to see that those who were well should have Hutts made and the Quarter-masters were ordered to fetch Shoes Bread Cheese Brandy and Coals And all the Surgeons in the Army were appointed to meet Dr. Lawrence next day at 10 a Clock to consult I suppose what Methods could be taken to prevent the Flux and Feaver which then were very violent The General Count Solmes Lieut. Gen. Douglas Maj. Gen. Kirk and M. G. Scravenmore or some of them were out every day either to observe the Enemy or view our own Camp And on the 15 th we were told by three or four Deserters that the Enemy had entrenched themselves at Ardee and designed to continue there for some time but the first was a Mistake for it was the Town that they were fortifying whilst they lay there that they might leave a Garison in it when the Army went off to Quarters A Colonel was ordered to go the Rounds every night and a Brigadier once in three nights And we had at this time about 105 Ships at Carlingford besides those at Dundalk Our Horse encamp at Carlingford The 16 th all our Horse except the French the Inniskillin and Col. Levison's Dragoons march'd towards Carlingford for the conveniency of Forage That day Capt. Ralph Gore was buried in Dundalk-Church and the day following Col. Deering as had been several Officers before Sir Edward was very much lamented in the Army by all that knew him He left a good Fortune in England purely to serve the King in this Expedition as did three more of his Brothers one of which viz. Capt. John Deering died since at Taudrogee being a very ingenious young Gentleman On the 17 th a Party of Inniskillin Horse and some of Levison's Dragoons were got so nigh the Enemy that a Party of twenty Horse came behind them thinking to keep a Pass whilst others charged them in the Front Four Irish Men killed but our Men discovering their Error faced about and charged those in the Rear whereof they killed four and took six Prisoners A Priest hanged for a Spy The same day a Priest was hanged who came from the Enemy as a Deserter but proved a Spy he served then in station of a Captain And to be even with us they caught a Spy of ours some days after in Priests habit and hanged him The 20 th Capt. Withers of Maj. Gen. Kirk's Regiment was made adjutant-Adjutant-General of Foot and next day it was again ordered that all our Sick should be sent on board at Dundalk and Carlingford though those Orders were not executed till a fortnight after We remove our Camp beyond the Town However we removed our Camps some beyond the Town and some towards the Artillery leaving the Huts that we had made full of sick Men. I know not the distinct number of the Sick in every Regiment at that time but besides what were dead and gone to Carlingford before as also some in the Town we had 67 that were not able to march about twice twelve score to fresh ground whom we put into those Huts leaving the Surgeon with an Officer and twelve Men purposely to attend them The Chaplain likewise went to see them once a day but always at his going found some dead Those that were alive seemed very sorry when the others were to be buried not that they were dead for they were the hardest-hearted one to another in the World but whilst they had them in their Huts they either served to lay between them and the cold Wind or at least were serviceable to sit or lie upon And since the Enemy were now drawn off the Guards were taken from the Ships and from Mortimer's Castle leaving only a Sergeant and twelve Men at the Gate that leads to Bedloes Castle and because some Companies were so thin that there were scarce twelve healthful Men in them it was therefore ordered that every Company should do Duty according to strength Tuesday the 22 d great part of the Army were marched beyond the Town and encamp'd some towards Bedloe's-Castle and some down towards the Shipping in so much that those that went over were ordered to do Duty as three Brigades and those that staid as one the Chirurgeon of each Regiment was ordered to see the Sick on Board An Officer was sent to take
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
December Major General Mackarty made his Escape from Inniskillin who had remained there a Prisoner ever since the Rout at Newtown-Butler he had been Sick and at that time writ to Major General Kirk to get leave of the Duke to have his Guard removed which he complained of was troublesome in his Sickness this was done but at his Recovery they say a Serjeant and some Men were put upon him again The Town it seems stands upon a Lough and the Water came to the Door of the House where he was confined or very near it He found means to corrupt a Serjeant and so got two small Boats called Cotts to carry him and his best Moveables off in the Night The Serjeant went along with him but returned that Night to deliver a Letter which and Mackarty's Pass being found in the Lining of his Hat he was the next Day shot for it The General was much concerned when he heard of Mackarty's Escape and said he took him to be a Man of Honour but he would not expect that in an Irish-Man any more Col. Hamilton the Governour of Inniskillin was blamed for his Negligence but he came to Lisburn and desired a Tryal which could not be for want of Field-Officers till the 15 th of March at what time he produced Major General Kirk's Letter to him by which he was cleared About Christmas there happened an unlucky Accident at Belfast Cranmer Bowls and Morley three Lieutenants in Major General Kirk's Regiment happened to kill two Masters of Ships and being tryed by a Court-Marshal the thing appeared so ill that they were all three Shot month January On the 8 th and 10 th of January there were several Regiments broke one into another by reason of the fewness of Men in them viz. The Regiments broke were my Lord Drogheda's Col. Zanchy's Sir Henry Inglesby's Lord Roscommon's Col. Hamilton's and the Officers were continued at hâ—lf Pay till there could be Provision made for them in other Regiments The 12 th 16 th and 20 th several Officers went over into England for Recruits And Sir Thomas Newcomb's House in the County of Longford Sir Thomas Newcomb 's house surrendred was surrendred upon very good Terms it being held out by his Lady against a great Party of the Irish for the House is strongly situated and she got about 200 of her Tenants into it who defended the Place till the Irish brought Field-pieces against it tho it was above 20 Miles from any of our Garisons Of the Men that were in it one hundred of them were entertained by Sir John Hanmer in his Regiment and the rest were provided for by the Duke at Lisburn But though our Army had been much afflicted with Sickness and Mortality yet this was little taken notice of by a great many who gave themselves up to all the Wickedness imaginable especially that ridiculous Sin of Swearing A Proclamation against Swearing of which complaint being made to the Duke by several of the Clergy then at Lisburn and frequent Sermons preached against it this occasioned the Duke to set out a Proclamation bearing date January 18. Strictly forbidding Cursing Swearing and Profaneness in Commanders and Souldiers which he said were Sins of much Guilt and little Temptation but that several were so wicked as to invoke God more frequently to damn them than to save them and that notwithstanding the dreadful Judgments of God at that time upon us for those and such like Sins fearing that their Majesties Army was more prejudiced by those Sins than advantaged by the Courage or Conduct of those guilty of them And therefore he commanded all Officers and Souldiers in his Army from thence forward to forbear all vain Cursing Swearing and taking God's holy Name in vain under the Penalties enjoined by the Articles of War and of his utmost Displeasure Commanding also the said Articles to be put in the strictest execution For no doubt the Debaucheries in Armies are the high way to Ruin since those both obey and fight best that are most sober Brigadier Stuart's Stratagem to fall upon the Irish January 22. Brigadier Stuart with a Party of 500 Horse and Foot went from Rostriver and Newry beyond the Mountains towards Dundalk and Carlingford burning most of the Cabbins where the Irish sheltered themselves and took a considerable Prey of Cattle The Irish had some People dwelt amongst us who had agreed upon giving them a Sign when any Party of ours was to march out which was by making Fires in several Places this the Brigadier understood by a Prisoner and so made Fires three or four times which alarum'd the Irish at first but when they found it done several times and no Party appear they neglected the Sign so that when our Party marched indeed they took no notice of it which gave the Brigadier opportunity of marching where he pleased without opposition There came one Mr. King an Attorney from the Enemies Quarters and gave the Duke an account how things stood at Dublin And about this time the Irish had got a trick having always good Intelligence to come in the night and surprize our Men in their Beds as they quartered in the Country in single Houses They stole five or six of my Lord Droghedah's Men nigh Tondragee which obliged the Officers to order all the Men to lie in the Town for the future The 25 th of January the Duke went from Lisburn to Legacory and so to several Places on the Frontiers as Lieut. Gen. Douglas had done before And a great Store was ordered at * Armagh is the Metropolitan of the whole Island where S. Patrick the Irish Apostle ruled in his life-time and they say rested after death tho there is as much Contention about his Grave as Homer's in honour of whom it was of such venerable estimation in that time that not only Bishops and Priests but Princes paid their great Respects Armagh and several others up and down the Country for the most conveniency to the adjoining Garisons month February On Sunday Febr. 2. a Party of my Lord Drogheda's Regiment of 100 Men with 20 Dragoons and about 60 of the Country People marched from Tondragee and Market-hill Their business was to surprize two Companies of Irish Foot who lay nigh the Mountains of Slavegollion and defended a great number of Cattel there The Enemy had some notice of their coming and seem'd to design fighting but considered better of it and ran away 17 of them took to a Bog in which were taken one Lieutenant Murphey and four more one Man being killed only our People brought home about 500 Cattel February the 8 th the General had an account that the Enemy were drawing down some Forces towards Dundalk and that they had laid in great Store of Corn Hay and other Provisions in order to disturb our Frontier-Garisons from thence The Duke sent a Ship or two towards Dundalk who burnt some of the Irish Gabbords The General draws some Forces into
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
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
else pass through the Village and so wheel to the Left to recover their own Men they chose the latter but were so paid off by some of the Dutch and Inniskillin Foot that not above six or eight of them got beyond the Village most of their Horses stragling up and down the Fields Our Foot Advance beyond the River The Dutch and the rest of our Foot advanced all this while and then the Irish Foot quitted a second Hedge that they were perswaded to rally to another Body of Horse came down upon the Dutch who neglected the Hedges and met them in the open Field but keeping so close that it was impossible to break them but as the Irish came on the Dutch begun to fire by Platoons and both flanked and fronted the Horse by which they killed a great many though not without some loss to themselves before this party drew off Are Charged again By this time some of the French and Inniskilliners were got into the Field from whence the Enemy disturb'd us with their Canon the day before and then a fresh Squadron of Horse coming down upon the Dutch those two Regiments stopt them and obliged them to Retreat with considerable loss Much about this time there was nothing to be seen but Smoak and Dust nor any thing to be heard but one continued Fire for nigh half an hour and whilst this Action lasted another party of the Irish Horse Charged Sir John Hanmer as he passed the River nigh a place where the Enemy the day before had a Battery of six Guns but now they were gone as was most of their Artillery It was the Duke of Berwick's Troop of Guards and as they advanced one that had been formerly in Sir J. Hanmer's Regiment came out singly and called one of the Captains by his name who stepping towards him the other fired both his Pistols at him but was taken Prisoner this Troop was beat off again with the loss of only three of Sir John Hanmer's Men. All our Horse went over to the Right and Left except one Squadron of Danes who passed the River whilst our Foot were engaged and Advancing to the Front Hambleton sent out sixty Horse who charged the Danes so home that they came faster back again than they went some of them never looking behind them till they had crossed the River again The want of Horse was so apparent at this place that the very Country People cry'd out Horse Horse which word going towards the Right and they mistaking it for Halt stopt the Right Wing nigh half an hour which time well spent might have done service This and the Irish breaking through the French Regiment hap'ned much about a time The General killed which I am apt to believe was the occasion of Duke Schonberg's going over so unseasonably for in this hurry he was killed near the little Village beyond the River the Irish Troopers as they rid by struck at him with their Swords and some say that our own Men Firing too hastily when the Duke was before them shot him themselves however it was his mortal wound was through his Neck and he had one or two cuts in the Head besides he fell down and did not speak one word and Captain Foubert was shot in the Arm as he was getting him off Doctor Walker going as some say to look after the Duke was shot a little beyond the River and stript immediately for the Scotch-Irish that followed our Camp were got through already and took off most of the Plunder This Action begun at a quarter past Ten and was so hot till past Eleven that a great many old Soldiers said they never saw brisker work but then the Irish retreated to a rising Ground and there drew up again in order both Horse and Foot designing to Charge our Party again that had past the River Whilst this Action at the Pass lasted the Left Wing of our Horse consisting of Danes and Dutch with Collonel Woolsley's Horse and some Dragoons passed the River at a very difficult and unusual place And the Danish Foot with Collonel Cutts's and some others went over a little above them My Lord Sydney and Major-General Kirk went from one place to another as the posture of Affairs required their presence His Majesty passes the River with the Left Wing His Majesty during those Transactions was almost every where before the Action begun He rid between our Army and theirs with only one Dragoon and had ordered every thing in other places as well as possible He passes the River with the Left Wing of His Horse and that with as much difficulty as any body for His Horse was Bogg'd on the other side and He was forced to alight till a Gentleman helpt him to get His Horse out As soon as the Men were got upon the other Bank and put in order His Majesty drew His Sword which yet was troublesome to Him His Arm being stiff with the Wound He received the day before and marched at the Head of them towards the Enemy who were coming on again in good order upon our Foot that had got over the Pass and were Advancing towards them though they were double our Number but when these two Bodies were almost within Musquet shot of one another the Enemy espied the Left Wing of our Horse marching towards them at which they made a suddain Halt faced about and so retreated up the Hill to a little Church and a Village called Dunore about half a mile from the Pass our Men marched in order after them and at this Village the Enemy faced about and Charged our Horse were forced to give Ground though the King was with them His Majesty then went to the Inniskilliners and askt what they would do for Him and Advanced before them their Officer told his Men who it was and what Honour was done them And Charges several times at the Head of his Men. At the Head of those Men the King received the Enemies Fire and then wheeling to the Left that His own Men might have liberty to Advance and fire they all wheeled after Him and retreated above 100 Yards the King then went to the Left to put Himself at the Head of some Dutch that were Advancing and the Inniskilliners being sensible of their mistake came up again doing good service some of Duke Schonberg's French Horse were here also who behaved themselves well and took one or two of King James's Standards Another party Commanded by Lieutenant-General Ginkel Charged in a Lane to the Left but the Irish being two many for them they retreated which a party of Sir Albert Cunningham's Dragoons commanded by his Lieutenant-Collonel and another of Col. Levison's commanded by Captain Brewerton perceiving the Officers ordered their Men to alight and Line an Hedge as also an old House that Flankt the Lane from whence they poured in their Shot upon the Enemy Lieutenant-General Ginkel staid in the Rear of his Men being much vext
planted towards the Left where they could bear upon the Enemies Horse These fired several times and the Enemy soon quitted that Post Our English Foot were so little concern'd that though they knew the Enemy to be in the next Hedges yet whilst the Pioneers were at work they would sit them down and ask one another whether they thought they should have any Bread to day for they began to want their Breakfasts though some few of them went to the next World for it The Danes to the Left stood with all the Care and Circumspection in the World but observing the Posture of some of our Men and hearing what they said they believed we had no mind to fight yet no sooner were the Hedges down and our Front advancing in a narrow Field but the Irish fired a whole Volley upon them from the Neighbouring Hedges which our Men seeing some of them cry'd aloud Ah ye Toads are ye there we 'll be with you presently And being led on by my Lord Drogheda and Colonel Earle they ran along the Field directly towards the Hedges where the Irish were planted which the others seeing immediately quitted and then our Men fired upon them as they retreated to the next Hedges and so beat them from one Hedge to another even to the very end of the Suburbs which then were all burnt and levelled During this Action the Danes advanced in the Left and the Blue Dutch with the English on the Right the Horse coming on in the Centre So that in less than half an hour from the first Volley the Irish were driven under their very Walls nor did we lose a Dozen Men in all this Action When as if the Irish had managed this Advantage of Ground and fortified the Pass as well as Ireton's Fort on the Right of it which was built by Ireton on his first coming before Limerick It stands on a Rising Ground and over-looks the Pass on one side and the Town on the other This we commonly called Cromwel's Fort they might have kept us some Days from approaching the Town at least they might have kill'd us a great many Men But the truth is they had not time for all this They had drawn up however several Companies of Men in the Fort but when they saw us coming on they retreated towards the Town without ever firing a Shot The Cannon play We were not as yet saluted with one Great Gun from the Town because their own Men had been between them and us but as soon as they retreated under the Walls they let fly amain amongst us and kill'd several as they marched in amongst others a French Captain had both his Legs shot off and died presently We drew Four Field-Pieces immediately to Cromwel's Fort playing them upon the Town and the Out-works and before Five a Clock in the Afternoon all our Army was marched in and most of them encampt within Cannon-shot In a Siege the first two things that are to be regarded is the safe encamping our Men and the drawing the Line of Countervallation to prevent the Enemy from Sallying but the latter of these we did not much mind because I suppose we did not much fear any desperate Sallies and the former was in some measure prevented by the situation of our Camp The Danes encampt to the Left where they found an Old Fort built by their Ancestors which they were very proud of and from thence they fired Three or Four Field-Pieces upon the Irish that lay entrenched between them and the Town The Detached Party kept an Advance Post till they were relieved about Nine a Clock and the Lord Drogheda's Regiment was placed next the Town nigh Cromwel's Fort where they were to stop the Enemies Career if they attempted a Sally The Town Summon'd As soon as our Army was posted the King ordered a Trumpet to be sent with a Summons to the Town and as we understood since a great part of the Garrison were for Capitulating but Monsieur Boiseleau the Governour the Duke of Berwick and Colonel Sarsfield opposed it with a great deal of Heat telling them that there were great Divisions and Insurrections in England That the Dauphin was landed there with Fifty Thousand Men and that the Prince of Orange would be obliged soon to draw home his Army into England The Trumpeter was sent back from Monsieur Boiseleau with a Letter directed to Sir Robert Southwell Secretary of State not sending directly to the King because he would avoid I suppose giving him the Title of Majesty The Answer That he was surprised at the Summons and that he thought the best way to gain the Prince of Orange's Good Opinion was by a vigorous defence of that Town which his Master had entrusted him withal That Evening a Party of Dragoons was sent to view the Pass at Annaghbegg Three Miles above Limerick where Six of the Enemies Regiments of Foot Three of Horse and Two of Dragoons were posted on the other side of the River where there stood a large New House with a great many Brick Walls about it and several convenient Hedges were adjoyning to the River They fired from thence upon our Men but did little or no Execution and that Night they marched off to the Town The Cannon play'd on both sides till it grew dark A Party pass the River and next Morning early being Sunday the 10 th the King sent Eight Squadrons of Horse and Dragoons Commanded by Lieutenant General Ginkle and Three Regiments of Foot under Major General Kirk who passed the River without any opposition and immediately His Majesty went thither Himself The Stream was very rapid and dangerous though the River has not been known to be so low these many Years The King at his Return left Major General Kirk with his own Brigadeer Stuart's and my Lord Meath's Regiments who encampt one beyond the Ford and two on this side having a Party of Horse relieved every Twenty Four Hours to support them A Cornet this Morning deserted the Enemy who told the King That a great many in Town were for surrendring but prevented by Sarsfield and Boiseleau That Count Lauzun with the French were encampt nigh Galloway the Irish refusing to receive them into Town because themselves had done so with the Irish some time before at Limerick That my Lord Tyrconnel with most of the Irish Horse and some Foot were encamped on the other side about Six or Eight Miles from Limerick That there were Fourteen Regiments of Foot with Three of Horse and Two of Dragoons then in Town The King sent that Afternoon a small Party of Horse to discover my Lord Tyrconnel but 〈◊〉 was then removed about Ten Miles further off towards Galloway The Town described But it will be convenient that I here give as good a Description of the City and its Situation as I can of a Place that I had not the liberty to go into though I have been sometimes very near it It 's
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
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-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-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
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
came from Derry for it was observable that after some of them came amongst us it was presently spread over the whole Army yet I did not find many of themselves died of it Number of Men that died at Dundalk As to the Number of our Men that died I am sure there were not above sixteen or seventeen Hundred that died in or about Dundalk but our Ships came from Carlingford and Dundalk about the 13 th of November to Belfast and there were shipt at those two places 1970 sick Men and not 1100 of those came a-shore but died at Sea nay so great was the Mortality that several Ships had all the Men in them dead and no Body to look after them whilst they lay in the Bay at Carickfergus As for the Great Hospital at Belfast there were 3762 that died in it from the first of November to the first of May as appears by the Tallies given in by the Men that buried them There were several that had their Limbs so mortified in the Camp and afterwards that some had their Toes and some their whole Feet that fell off as the Surgeons were dressing them so that upon the whole matter we lost nigh one half of the Men that we took over with us The Enemies Numbers As to the Enemies Numbers and the reason why so little Action happened the Accounts that were given by Deserters both as to the Enemies Numbers and Designs were so various and disagreeing that the General himself was at a Loss what to trust to which if well considered will answer many of those rash Objections made to the management of that Campagne I have seen a List of their whole Army since and the most agree that they had at Dundalk 17 Regiments of Horse and Dragoons with as many Foot as made them nigh forty thousand though their Foot were not all very well armed but some had Scithes instead of Pikes yet Lieut. General Hamilton denies that they were ever so many in the Field And as for so little of Action happening in so long a time the reason on the Duke's side as I humbly conjecture might be that he found himself exceedingly out-done in the number of his Horse nor did the small Body that he had come all at one time but stragling by degrees And therefore he was unwilling to venture a few except he had enough to push for all which he had not And our entrenching our selves might make the Enemy think it was to no purpose to alarm us since they believed it impossible to force our Camp which it certainly was not if we had had any other sort of People to deal withal but Irish But it may be they considered that Maxim that the Invader is still to proffer and the Invaded to decline a Battel A List of our own Army The LIST of our own Army was as followeth Horse and Dragoons Lord Devonshire 6 Troops Lord Delamere 6 Troops Lord Hewett 6 Troops Colonel Coy 6 Troops †Colonel Langston 6 Troops Colonel Villers 6 Troops †Sir John Lanier 6 Troops D. Schonberg's French 9 Troops Col. Woolsely's Inniskilliners 12 Troops Mr. Harbord's Troop 1 Troop Capt. Matthew White 1 Troop Provost Martial's Troop 1 Troop †Col. Hefford's Dragoons 9 Troops Col. Levison's Dragoons 6 Troops Sr. A. Cuningham's Dragoons 6 Troops Col. Gwinn's Dragoons 6 Troops These make in all 13 Regiments besides three Independent Troops 3 of which marked thus †did not come to the Camp and 2 more came late so that we could not make above 8 Regiments of Horse and Dragoons when the Irish drew out upon us and 3 of those were Inniskilliners Foot A Battalion of Blew Dutch Carlesoon's White Dutch Major General Kirk Sir John Hanmer Brigadier Stuart Colonel Beaumont Colonel Wharton Lord Meath Lord Kingston Lord Drogheda Sir Henry Bellasis Sir Henry Inglesby Lord Lovelace then Colonel Zanchy's Lord Roscommon Lord Luburne * Colonel Hamilton * Colonel Hastings Colonel Deering Colonel Herbert Sir Tho. Gower Colonel Earle La Millineir Du Cambon La Callimott Inniskillin and Derry Foot * Col. Gustavus Hamilton * Colonel Lloyd * Colonel White Colonel Mitchelburne * Colonel St. Johns Colonel Tiffany Note that the Foot marked thus * were not at Dundalk but in Garison These make in all counting the Blew Battalion for one thirty Regiments of Foot but those were all that we had in Ireland there were some at Derry and Col. Hamilton's Regiment at Carickfergus some at Inniskillin and others at Sligo till the Irish took it from us Fifty Men were left upon a Party at Newry There were also several killed at Carickfergus and some left sick and wounded at Belfast besides the two Hamiltons Lloyd's White 's St. John's and Hastings's never came to the Camp Sir Henry Inglesby's and two Regiments of Horse came not till our Camp was fix'd and then Maj. Gen. Kirk's Sir John Hanmer's and Brigadier Stuart's Regiments had laid long on Ship-board and had been harassed so that they had lost several of their Number Some also were dead or sick and others run away Put all these things together I say and we cannot suppose that the Duke had above 2000 Horse and Dragoons and not many more than 12000 Foot when the Irish proffer'd him Battel I have no warrant from any body for what I am going to say only I think my self obliged to give an account of what I am perswaded is true in answering those Objections which were made by the Army first and then by several of the People of England that had lost their Relations or Friends viz. That the Duke was to blame he did not go on at first without stopping for then we had got Dublin and all the Kingdom would have fallen of course without half that expence of Treasure that England has been at And that we lost more Men by lying at Dundalk than we could have done in a Battel and also a year's time which might have been employed with an Army in the Heart of France These things and several of the like nature have been objected to the Conduct of that Great Man who always thought it better to owe his Victories to good Management than good Fortune since wise Counsels are still within the Power of wise Men but Success is not And what Man in the World would be thought wise and his Actions entertained as the best if only such were so against whom and which no Objection could be made The Memory therefore of such a Man ought not to suffer who all his Life-long had been said to act with the greatest Prudence in the World And for his management in this Affair no doubt he could give very substantial Reasons yet because those are not nor cannot be known to the World I shall only offer some few that I have had from very good Hands and which I know in the main to be true It 's an easy thing for Men to sit at home by a warm Fire-side and find fault with
Affairs of the greatest Moment tho they know no more than the Man in the Moon what such things mean and if we get but into a Coffee-house or over a Bottle in a Tavern we can be greater Statesmen and Generals in opinion than those that are really so and can do that in conceit in two hours which the greatest Men find a difficulty to perform in some years The Duke therefore I humbly conceive had more Reasons for what he did than I can think on or possibly ever heard of But what I have to offer are these as The Reasons why the General went no further than Dundalk 1. Where the Fault lay I know not but I was at Chester when the Duke had been above a week in Ireland and all or most of the Waggon-Horses and some of the Train-Horses were there then nor did they come over till we had been some time at Dundalk The Country as we marched was all destroyed by the Irish so that by that time we got to Newry I was forced to go and dig Potatoes which made the greatest part of a Dinner to better Men than my self and if it was so with us it may easily be supposed that the poor Souldiers had harder times of it This the Duke was very sensible of and sent for Mr. Alloway Commissary to the Train and told him that he must send back his Horses for Bread for the Men And when the other urged it was a thing never known that the Train-Horses were employed to any other Use than what belonged to the Train it self the Duke replied He knew the truth of that but that he had rather break any Rules than his Men should starve and accordingly some of the Horses were sent for Bread as I have observed before 2. For want of Horses and Carriages the Duke was forced to ship the greatest part of his Train and several Necessaries for a Camp at Carickfergus and gave Orders that the Ships should sail with the first fair Wind for Carlingford-Bay but though the Wind was very favourable they did not stir in ten days after nor did there any Ships come to Carlingford till we had been at Dundalk at least a week and then only four came at a time I have heard indeed that he who had the Sailing Orders went some-where with them and the Ships lay still for want of them but how true this is I know not 3. It was said that the General had assurance given him before he left England that an Army should be landed in the West of Ireland at his marching through the North and accordingly we had it several times affirmed that it was so This no doubt would have distracted the Irish and made the Duke's Passage to Dublin much more easy But the General had an account I suppose that this could not be and therefore he must stand or fall by himself Nor would any that knew Duke Schonbergh believe he would ever come abroad with so small an Army and so ill provided And I have heard say that that Army was never designed to conquer Ireland but to defend the North. 4. It was no difficult thing for him to march his Army as far as Dundalk and that safely by reason the Country was full of Mountains and Bogs and the Enemies Horse could not do him much harm though if they had pleased they needed not have let us come past Newry and yet their Horse had then newly come from Derry and were gone to recruit But if he had pass'd that Place it was a plain and open Country and we might easily have been surrounded and our Communication both from the North and also from our Ships cut off for if we past Dundalk we could have no more benefit of our Shipping till we had been Masters of Drogheda or else have gone to Dublin and then we must have gone over the Boyne which thrice our Number and that too in a dry Season in the midst of Summer found some difficulty in passing and all this we must have performed in two or three days or else have starved 5. Suppose that if we had marched on and made an halt at Dundalk we might have gone to Dublin the Irish Army not being got together for I have heard it was debated whether Drogheda should have been surrendred if we advanced thither and it was once carried in the Affirmative But the Duke was not certain of the Enemies Condition nor if he had Would it have been any prudence to have gone on without Provisions without Ships and a great many other things that were absolutely necessary He knew he was safe at Dundalk and therefore he chose to stay there and understand the posture of the Enemy and expect his own Things and Forces rather than run the hazard of gaining that by meer Fortune which if she had frown'd the Damage was certainly irreparable 6. The General was a meer Stranger in the Country and therefore he must look at a great many Things with other Mens Eyes and some of those were dim enough nor had he any Counsel assigned him but had the whole shock of Affairs upon himself which was the occasion that he scarce ever went to Bed till it was very late and then had his Candle with a Book and Pensil by him this would have confounded any other Man and was fit for no Body to undertake but Duke Schonberg or his Master that employed him Before the Duke could be ready therefore to march forwards the Irish Army was come and sat down by us and then it was too late And why he did not fight the Irish Army Nor do I think he was more to blame in refusing Battel when the Irish seem'd to proffer it for though it 's probable that the Irish at our first coming over took our Numbers to be greater than they really were yet by that time we had been a Week at Dundalk they knew our Numbers and our Circumstances as well as we our selves did both by the Intelligence they had in the Country and by several of the French that had a mind to betray us For all things considered we had not above 14000 Horse and Foot and very few of those Horse nor was the Duke to go according to our reputed Numbers but to what we were in Reality The Enemy had nigh four times our Number of Horse and Dragoons with double ouâ— Number of Foot nor could we have drawn out upon them without a manifest disadvantage there being several Bogs and Causeys between us and them that whosoever gave the Attaque all things else considered it was odds against them Besides most of our Souldiers were new Men and had never seen a Sword drawn in Anger nor a Gun fired in Earnest in their Lives and what such Men will do till they be tried there 's none can tell I believe the Men had as good Hearts and were all as ready I am sure to engage as was possible but several of them were ignorant
and well Clothed and Armed Monsieur Callimot with his Regiment was posted upon the Blackwater nigh Charlemont and had kept them in very much on that side during Winter On the 8 th of March he took possession of a little Village within less than two miles of the Castle the Enemy at first pretended to dislodg us but having lost three of their Men they retired Monsieur Callimot's Design upon Charlemont Bridg. On the 12 th at Night Col. Callimot went with a Party of his own and some of Col. St. John's Regiment being in all about 80 Souldiers and 20 Officers with those he designed to cut down the Bridg at Charlemont it being Wood and so to prevent the Irish from making Excursions in the Night as they used to do In order to which he put his Men into three Boats and coming up the River within a mile of Charlemont he landed his Men and though they were discovered at a distance yet he marched up to the Bridg and set Fire to it taking a Redoubt at the Bridg-end as also another near the Gate that leads to Armagh killing about 20 But Day coming on the Colonel thought it convenient to retreat having lost only five or six Men but Major De la Bord was killed as he went off Lieut. Col. Belcassel and a Captain whose Name was Le Rapin wounded This Attempt was very brave for the Castle it self was within Musquet-shot of the Bridg and nearer to those Works that we took About this time were four Prisoners brought to Lisburn that were taken nigh Charlemont they gave an Account that the Garison had been relieved some time before and that the Souldiers and Officers who came in lately did not like Tongue O Regan's Government that Bread and Salt were scarce within and that they believed the Garison could not hold out long if they had not fresh supplys of Victuals All this while the General was daily sending up Provisions to our Stores upon the Frontiers so that our Men were pretty well supplied every where but the Ways were very bad and Carriages scarce so that the Trouble and Charge were both extraordinary His Majesty's Expedition into Ireland ascertain'd We had News before this that his Majesty designed to come in Person for Ireland against the succeeding Campagne and now it was made certain which was great Satisfaction to all both Officers and Souldiers and that upon several Accounts some had been displeased judging they had not fair play in their Preferments others hoped to show themselves worthy the King's Notice by their future Actions and most People expected a considerable Sum of Mony to pay off the Army Then every one knew his Majesty's Industry Courage and Resolution to be so great that he would endeavour to make a quick dispatch and therefore upon some account or other all our Friends were pleased with it and the greatest of our Enemies daunted to hear the News The French Land at Kingsale The 14 th of March about 5000 French Foot landed at Kingsale with two Generals Count Lauzun and the Marquess de Lery K. James sending back Maj. Gen. Mackarty with as many Irish Our Fleet was then attending the Queen of Spain which made this Undertaking very easy to the French The 23 d of March Col. Woolsely sent out a Party beyond Cavan to bring in some Cattel for the use of his Garison they got 1000 Head and were pursued by the Enemy but they brought off their Prey and kill'd about 20 or 30. Clothes Arms Ammunion and Provision arrived daily at Belfast from England month April Killishandra taken April the 6 th Col. Woolsely with a detach'd Party of 700 Men went to Attaque the Castle of Killishandra about seven miles from Belturbat which after he had fix'd his Mines and made some brisk Attaque on it the Men firing in upon the Enemy at their Spike-holes they surrendered to him there being 160 Men in it commanded by one Capt. Darchey We lost about eight Men in this Action and left 100 Men in Garison there Near the time of Col. Woolsely's return the General sent a Battalion of Danes to reinforce him at Belturbet On the 8 th Col. Cutts and Col. Babington's with a Regiment of Danish Horse and some Recruits landed at Whitehouse and marched to Belfast And on the 10 th Col. Tiffin sent out a Party from Bellishannon who brought off a Prey from the Neighbourhood of Sligo and killed about 16 of the Enemy as they pursued them Sir Clousley Shovel's Expedition to the Bay of Dublin Sir Clovesly Shovel came on the 12 to Belfast as Convoy to several Ships that brought over Necessaries for the Army and there having Intelligence of a Frigat at Anchor in the Bay of Dublin and several other small Vessels loaden with Hides Tallow Wools some Plate and several other things designed for France he sailed April the 18 th being Good-Friday to the Mouth of the Bay of Dublin and there leaving the Monk and some more great Ships he took the Monmouth-Yatch and one or two more with several Long-Boats and went to Polebeg where the Frigat lay being one half of the Scotch Fleet that was taken in the Channel the Year before having sixteen Guns and four Patteraroes King James when he heard of it said It was some of his Loyal Subjects of England returning to their Duty and Allegiance but when he saw them draw near the Ship and heard the firing he rid out towards Rings-end whither gathered a vast crowd of People of all sorts and there were several Regiments drawn out of it were possible to kill those Bold Fellows at Sea who durst on such a good Day perform so wicked a Deed as they called it Capt. Bennet that commanded the Frigat run her on Ground and after several firings from some other Ships of theirs as also from that when they saw a Fireship coming in which Sir Clovesly had given a Sign to they all quitted the Frigat being at first about 40 but they lost six or seven in the Action Sir Clovesly was in the Monmouth-Yatch where Capt. Wright was very serviceable both in carrying in the Fleet and in time of Action In going off one of our Hoys ran a-Ground and was dry when the Tide was gone the rest of the Boats were not far off being full of Armed Men and a Frenchman one of K. Jame's Guards coming nigh the Boats to fire his Pistols in a Bravo had his Horse shot under him and was forced to sting off his Jack-Boots and run back in his stockings to save himself some of the Sea-men went on Shoar and took his Saddle and Furniture When the Tide came in they went off with their Prize to the Ships below K. James went back very much dissatisfy'd and 't was reported he should say that all the Protestants in Ireland were of Cromwel 's Breed and deserved to have their Throats Cut but whatever his thoughts might be I suppose his
Charlemont was surrendered Col. Woolsely went with a Party of 1200 Men to a Castle called Bellingargy in which the Enemy had a Garison of above 200 Men. This was seated in a great Water so that our Men must wade up to the middle to come at it Col. Foulks commanded the Foot and marched at the Head of them through the Water The Enemy fired and killed us several Men however they saw we were resolved to have it and so after several Fascins brought to fill up the Ditches and smart firings on both sides they hung out their white Flag and agreed to march away without their Arms. Col. Woolsely going down to encourage the Men was shot in the Scrotum but soon recovered We had 17 Men killed 43 wounded besides two Captains and an Ensign killed Three Gentlemen come from Dublin with an exact Account of the Posture of Affairs there About the middle of May came one Capt. King Mr. Wingfield a Lawyer and Mr. Trench a Clergy-men with five or six more from Dublin in an open Boat and gave the Duke a more exact Account than any he had formerly how all things went with the Irish As to the Civil Affairs the Government was in the hands of Five viz. my Lord Tyrconnel Sir Stephen Rice Lord Chief Baron Lord Chief Justice Nugent Bruno Talbot Chancellor of the Exchequer and Sir William Ellis All Business in Matters Civil was done by them and if a Protestant petitioned the late King it was referred to those and never any answer given except it was indorsed on the Back this solicited by such an One who must be some eminent Papist and then perhaps it was answered These Men ordered all the Protestants Goods to be seized that were fit for Traffick and sent to France The late King pretended to pay them the half value in Brass Mony but that was scarce ever got and often if a Man was known to have Mony he was sent to Goal under pretence of High-Treason Col. Simon Lutteril was Governor of Dublin As to the Churches the late King seemed to incline to continue Protestants in them but what endeavours he made to restore Churches in the Country they were frustrated sometimes under pretence that the King had no Power in those Matters and some say he never design'd they should and therefore his Orders were not to be obeyed or else his Clergy had not so easily disswaded him from performing what he had promised except in the Business about the Church of Limerick wherein he observed that when it was for the purpose of the Papists to have the Protestants turned out of Town then they were very numerous and consequently dangerous but when the contrary answered their Ends as in the Instance of desiring the Church of Limerick then the Protestants were made very few which he took notice of and the Protestants at Limerick keep the Cathedral all this while They gave an account also that our Churches were generally shut up upon any Alarm from Sea or Report from the Army and the Protestants imprisoned As to the Military Affairs they gave an Account that the French about 5000. Men came to Dublin some-time after their landing being well armed and clothed Soon after the possession of the Town and Castle were given to Lauzun whom the French acknowledged to serve and not K. James and they were generally at free Quarter upon the Protestants nor would Monsieur Lauzun set his Guards in Town till he had possession of the Castle That all care was taken to provide Clothes for the Army by obliging the Clothiers to make so many Yards of Cloth a Month the Hatters Hats the Shoemakers Shoes c. And that they had considerable Stores of Corn and other Provisions at Drogheda Trim Navan Dublin Cork Waterford Kilkenny Athlone and Limerick The Method they proposed to deal with K. William's Army was to make good the Pâ—sses upon the Neury Mountains and at Dundalk to spin out the War as by Order from France and dispute their Ground without a general Battel till they came to the Boyne and there to defend the Pass but still without a Battel if they could help it they hoping in a small time to hear some extraordinary thing from a Party for K. James in England and from the French Fleet. Those and several other things they gave an Account of first to the Duke and afterwards to the King Towards the latter end of May we had several small Parties that went abroad one to Finnah and another to Kells bringing off Horses Cattel and some Prisoners And the 6 th of June Count Schonberg came to Belfast At the same time arrived our Train some Arms Ammunition and 200 Carpenters and other Artificers for the Service of the Army month June The King arrives in Ireland And now the general talk and expectation was of the King 's coming over who left Kensington the 4 th of June took Shipping at Highlake the 12 th and on the 14 being Saturday he landed at Carickfergus about four a Clock in the Afternoon His Majesty went through part of the Town and viewed it and notice being given immediately to the General who had prepared Sir William Franklin's House at Belfast for his Majesty's Reception and was there attending his Landing his Grace went in his Coach with all speed to wait on the King Maj. Gen. Kirk and several Officers that were there expecting the King's landing attended the Duke his Majesty was met by them near the White-House and received them all very kindly coming in the Duke's Coach to Belfast he was met also without the Town by a great Concourse of People who at first could do nothing but stare never having seen a King before in that part of the World but after a while some of them beginning to Huzzah the rest all took it as Hounds do a scent and followed the Coach through several Regiments of Foot that were drawn up in Town towards his Majesty's Lodgings and happy were they that could but get a sight of him That Evening his Highness Prince George the Duke of Ormond my Lord of Oxford my Lord Scarborough my Lord Manchester the Honourable Mr. Boyle and a great many Persons of Quality landed only Maj. Gen. Scravenmore staid at Chester till all things were come over who has taken a great deal of pains in our Irish Expedition There came also some Mony a-shore but exceedingly short of what was hoped for Next day the King heard a Sermon preached by Dr. Loyse on Heb. 6. 11. Through Faith they subdued Kingdoms and the same day came several of the Nobility Officers Gentry and Clergy to wait on his Majesty And on Munday Lieut. Gen. Douglass came from Hambleton's Ban where he had been Encamped for nigh a Fortnight and Dr. Walker with a great many more of the Episcopal Clergy presented his Majesty with an Address being introduced by Duke Schonberg and the Duke of Ormond To the King 's most Excellent Majesty
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-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.
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
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
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