ordered in this manner there happened several Skirmishes both between the Enemy at Newry and that part of the Protestant Army at Loghbricklan in some part of which a very worthy Gentleman one Captain Poe was slain with about Nine more as they went a Forraging by an Ambuscade as also several Skirmishes between the Lord Blany's Party and the Enemy at Charlimount and other flying Parties who were Pillaging the Countrey So that scarcely a Day passed without killing and taking some This being about the beginning of March things arrived to a very great pitch and the Irish grew more insolent than formerly Insomuch that many People fled from their Concerns leaving all or most of their Substance behind to the disposal of the Enemy and grew almost impatient for Relief out of England expecting every fair Wind would bring over an Army which would settle that Kingdom And indeed a very small Number of Men with Arms and Ammunition might have effected it when the Prince of Orange the now King his Proclamation came over requiring the Irish to surrender themselves and their Arms by the 10th of April Which Proclamation was sent by the Lord Blany to the Garrison of Charlimount And the said Lord Blany had his Majesty Proclaimed at Armagh with all the Solemnity imaginable which was likewise done at Hillsburrough and several other Places in the North. When the Earl of Tyrconnel had advice That our Present King William was proclaimed in Armagh and several other places he by this time had put his Army into some better Condition than before and ordered some Horse and Dragoons commanded by Collonel Dominick Sheldon with a considerable Body of Foot commanded by Collonel Richard Hamilton who was sent out of England with Conditions for the Irish to march towards the North And having stopt all Correspondence from the Protestants from Newry downwards that Army marched within some few Miles of Loghbricklan before any particular Account came to the Lord Mount Alexander or the Council at Hillsburrough Whereupon it was thought fit to withdraw what Forces were quartered at Loghbricklan and thereabouts nearer Drumore and Hillsburrough and to burn and destroy all the Countrey they marched through to make the same uneasie for the Earl of Tyrconnel's Horse in regard there was not much Forrage in that Countrey However Collonel Hamilton and Sheldon finding the Garrison of Loghbricklan deserted immediately moved forward and having some Troops in the Forlorn marched within some few Miles of Drumore Sir Arthur Rawdon then commanding at Drumore sent out some Scouts to observe the Motion of the Enemy and to discover their Number The Scouts informed him that there could not be above Three or Four Troops of Horse and that they approached near the Town Whereupon Sir Arthur Rawdon drew out about Five Hundred Men or thereabouts to prevent the Enemies coming farther into that Countrey and upon View of the Body of Horse the rest of the Army lying obscurely under a great Hill resolved to Charge them but before there was any Close Engagement the great Army which lay secure behind the Hill moved forward and were much too strong for Sir Arthur's Party Whereupon the Protestants fled and made their way through Hillsburrough the Enemy killing several having the pursuit of them for about Five or Six Miles and getting great Plunder of Rich Portmantions and other things left on the way but finding themselves near Hillsburrough and not knowing but the Body of the Protestant Army were in a Reserve thereabouts thought it convenient to make a Halt until they had brought up the rest of the Army But to give Sir Arthur Rawdon his due he behaved himself with as much Courage as any Man could do in this Engagement and had there been but reasonable Odds he and Major Baker now one of the Governours of Londonderry had defeated the Enemy But the loss of the Protestants was not much considering the advantage of the pursuit the Enemy might have made losing about 100. Upon the News of this most of the People about Hillsburrough fled but some kept the Castle being a place of a reasonable good Strength and having about a Thousand Pound in Money and an incredible Store of Oatmeal and other Provision were resolved to defend the Place but in a very little time surrendred it and all the Money c. to the Enemy Col. Hamilton and Sheldon giving Protections to all People who desired them on his March which was their Policy for thereupon many remained in their own Houses After the Break of Drumore Sir Arthur Rawdon brought what Horse and Foot he could with him to Colerain and thereupon what Forces were in Lisnegarvy Belfast Antrim and other places thereabouts made their way to that Garrison thinking to secure that Pass and prevent the Enemy going over the Ban Water having cut down the Bridge at Porteglanone about Ten Miles from Colerain and ordered all the Boats on Lough Neagh and the River to be burnt which was esteemed the only way to retard the Enemies March into the County of Londonderry and Donegall having no way to pass but by a tedious march by Charlimount But the great oversight of not sinking or burning these Boats proved very fatal as you shall hear hereafter The Garrison at Hillburrough being surrendred and all the Protestant Forces making their way to Colerain there was nothing left to oppose the Irish Army in all that Country where they got very great Plunder especially in Lisnegarvy Belfast and Antrim besides to the value of 3 or 4000 l. belonging to the Lord Massereen in Money and Plate hid about his House and discovered by his own Servant for a Reward of 10 Guinies and besides this they got all the Furniture of his House as it stood to a very great value And in this plentiful Country the Enemy thought fit for some time to refresh themselves which indeed they did Now I must return to Armagh Monaghar and Glasslogh to give account of the Forces there under the Command of the Lord Blany and the other Forces of the Counties of Cavan and Fermanaugh commanded by Capt. Francis Hamilton now Sir Francis Hamilton who for the good of his Country and Religion deserted the late King James's Army and brought off about 16 or 20 of the best Men in his Troop and forced his way escaping several imminent dangers The Irish of the North-West having advice that the Army had conquered all before them in the North-East Country very violently prest the taking in of strong Houses and Castles wherefore the Protestants thought good to make a fair Escape to Iniskilling where many of them now are to the number of about 10000 of good Men under the command of Gustavus Hamilton some time Cornet to the Lord Galmoy and many of the Protestants got into the Castle of Monaghan but the Irish were so numerous about that place and so very earnest in getting it that the Protestants were forced to desert it and make to Glasslogh But
LONDONDERRY the New fortified Spur Prnited for Iohn Amery at the Sign of the Peacock in Fleet street A True and Impartial ACCOUNT Of the most Material PASSAGES in IRELAND Since December 1688. WITH A PARTICULAR RELATION OF THE Forces of Londonderry BEING Taken from the Notes of a Gentleman who was Eye-Witness to most of the Actions mention'd therein during his Residing there and now being in England is desired to Publish the same for the further satisfaction of this Nation To which is added a Description and Map of LONDONDERRRY as he took it upon the Place Licens'd July 22. 1689. J. Fraser LONDON Printed for John Amery at the Peacock against St. Dunstan's Church in Fleetstreet 1689. A True and Impartial ACCOUNT OF The most Remarkable Passages in IRELAND c. IN December last the Protestants of Ireland had very great expectation of an Army suddenly to be sent over into that Kingdom for their Relief and were privately arming themselves and securing what Ammunition they could to prepare to join with the English Forces assoon as they should land and to make the People more earnest to put themselves in a posture of defence in case the Earl of Tyrconnel the then Lord Deputy should offer any violence to them there was by way of Letter a Relation given from some Persons of Note in the North to two or three Lords in Dublin and to several Persons of Quality throughout the Kingdom that the Irish were generally to rise on the 9th of December with intent to massacre and totally destory the whole Body of English and all of the Protestant Religion in that Kingdom These Letters did so run about the Nation that in few days all the Protestants were upon their defence and every private man making his House a Garrison by keeping great and strong Guards in the Night-time insomuch that if their nearest Relations had come to visit after night they were answered out of Casements Spike-holes or Windows with Blunder busses on Guns at their breasts to know their business And particularly on the 9th of December as is mention'd before it was credibly reported that there was not a Protestant in the whole Kingdom but was on his Guard that whole Night in his own respective Dwelling or joined with some Neighbours in some sort of strength The Earl Tyrconnel finding the whole Kingdom in this great Consternation sent to some of the Gentlemen in Dublin who had received this Advice and assured them with Oaths and Execrations That there was no such thing intended against the Protestants but being doubtful that the English of that Nation had but very small regard to his Oaths did call a grand Council in order to propose some way to appease the people The result of which was That a Proclamation should be immediately issued out commanding all people to repair to their respective Dwellings assuring them that no injury was intended against them making it penal for any man afterward to desert his own House or associate himself with any riotous people in any Garrison-Town or strong Houses But notwithstanding all these fair Promises and Threats the people were so universally alarmed by these Circular Letters whether true or false that they daily joined themselves in greater Numbers and many of them went into England Scotland and the Isle of Man for safety carrying with them what they conveniently could The Earl of Tyrconnel observing the humour of the people and how apprehensive they were of the Irish Cruelty and likewise being informed of the vast number of people daily leaving Dublin and many considerable Merchants and House-keepers lying at Rings-End for a Wind to carry them off sent the Earl of Roscommon and the Lord Mountjoy to Rings-End to discourse to the people and endeavour to prevail with them to return to their own Dwellings and follow their Employments but what they said either at Rings-End or elsewhere made no greater impression on the minds of the people than the former Proclamations he had issued out which occasioned his Excellency to redouble his Oaths and burn some Hats and Wigs that being his accustomed way of appeasing his rage and passion during all this time the people having advice of the great Success of his present Majesty against the late King James's Forces were encouraged to appear more bare-fac'd and they appeared in greater Bodies than formerly in Munster Connaght and Vlster and the Protestants of Leinster daily made their Escapes into the North leaving all their Substance to the disposal of the insatiable ravenous Irish who would impudently in the day-time drive Horses and Cows with thousands of Sheep from the Owners thereof before their faces who dared not to ask them what they did and the Protestants of the Counties of Dublin East-Meath West-Meath Longford Lowth and the upper part of the County of Cavan being the greatest Sufferers repaired with this great loss quietly to the North esteeming it the Mercy of God that they escaped with their lives The very great Success of his present Majesty and the Late King 's abdicating his Kingdom so much encouraged the Protestants that then they began to appear in great Bodies of Horse and Foot and take possession of Towns and Forts and declare their design And now being Londonderry and Iniskilling were the first that shut their Gates against the Irish it 's necessary that I give an account of them before I proceed to speak of other places of the same Country The News of his present Majesty's design in landing an Army in England did so alarm the Earl of Tyrconnel that he very speedily put what Forces was then in Arms into such Garrisons as he thought fit but it seems upon some Orders from the Late King James two Regiments of Foot and one of Dragoons were to be forthwith sent into England whereupon his Excellency gave Directions for the Regiment of Foot quartered in Londonderry belonging to the Lord Mountjoy to march up to Dublin in order for their embarquing for England which was accordingly marcht to Dublin and a new Regiment belonging to the Earl of Antrim newly raised was ordered to march into Londonderry to secure that Garrison the same being left to the Government of the Townsmen and Inhabitants of that place but whether it was that these new Levies looked so dreadfully starved or the Townsmen had an inclination to keep Popery out they shut the Gates of the Town on the appearance of this new Regiment and utterly denied them entrance but some of the Officers being desirous to go into the Town the Inhabitants allowed them that priviledge and upon some debate the Inhabitants declared they would secure the Garrison for the King and their own Preservation and sent the Gentlemen out with this Answer to the Earl of Antrim This coming by an Express to his Excellency and considering how indiscreetly he had commanded the whole Regiment to march out of the Garrison before others were ordered to possess that place he burned another Wigg and
threatned to have their Throats cut by the Papists in the said Goal who was exceedingly troubled at it but dared not to send any Forces into that Countrey lest they would be served with the same sauce as Sir Gerrard Irwin was So that he did only send some Troops of Horse and Dragoons to Navan and Kells in order to prevent Captain Sanderson's Motion to Dublin with his Horse being by this time alarm'd on the other side of his Head by the Lord Mount Alexander my Lord Blany Sir Arthur Rawdon and several other Persons of Quality being all up in Arms in the Counties of Downe Antrim c. and having the Standing Army but in a very bad Condition at that time the best whereof being sent for England on the Prince's Landing and few or no New Men raised seemed to be so apprehensive of the Scotch Army marching to Dublin that he had Scouts for Fifty or Threescore Miles together to observe the Motion of the Rebels in the North as he termed them And it is most certain that if some Troops had marcht up towards Dublin the Earl of Tyrconnel would certainly either have fled or surrendred the Castle not having above Ten Companies of Foot and some few Horse in Dublin and these being all new rais'd raw Men. But the Gentlemen of the North although they were in an indifferent Condition and had a great Desire to effect this yet were unwilling to appear any otherwise than in their own Defence until Commissions should come out of England The Earl of Tyrconnel considering how numerous the Scotch in the North were and how weak and insignificant the Standing Army was and how useless the Rabble of the Irish would be to him very cunningly engag'd the Lord Mountjoy to send Letters to his Friends in the North to be very careful of Affairs assuring them that no Forces should be sent into the North or any New Levies made or Soldiers quartered upon private Houses and that all things would be very well to their own satisfaction for that he was going into France to receive Orders from King James to make Tyrconnel lay down the Sword. This so much pleased the People that all things began to grow pretty still and quiet again in which time the Earl of Tyrconnel was raising Men and sending Arms privately into the Countrey to such as he had given Commission and in a very short time notwithstanding his Promises to the Lord Mountjoy had Raised and Armed several Regiments of Dragoons and Foot and secured the Town of Newry being a great Pass and very disadvantageous to the Protestants in the Norths The Irish having secured this Pass of Newry the Earl of Tyrconnel thought himself very safe and then daily sent down Arms to all that Countrey and secured the Towns of Drogheda and Dundalke by leaving great Parties both of Horse and Foot in them So that the Protestants had no manner of Correspondence that way and likewise had taken care that all other By-Passes cunningly should be secured which was the only mischief the Protestants met with for by this means the Earl of Tyrconnel could march down his Army against them when he pleased and at his own leisure and they never have the least Account of their Motion which has proved too true as you shall hear hereafter The Irish having got this Considerable Strength as I have mentioned before then it was their Business and indeed the positive Commands from the Respective Parish-Priests and under the Danger of a Curse too That they should endeavour to secure and seize all strong Castles or Gentlemens Houses of any Strength as soon as possible they could which indeed they effected with much Integrity either by cunningly stealing into them by Nights or setting Fire to their Gates While the Earl of Tyrconnel was fortifying the Newry and re-enforcing several other Garrisons there were several Odd Companies of Foot and Troops of Dragoons quartered about the Countrey who indeed were willing to be gone from amongst the Scotch Army and amongst the rest I cannot pass by giving you an Account of the Troop of Dragoons quartered in Armagh it seems Lieutenant Aspoll commanding in Chief in that Town perceiving how vastly numerous the Protestants were in that Countrey and how vigorously they armed themselves was apprehensive of some Danger therefore gave private Orders to all the Men to be ready against a certain Hour and march out of the Garrison with all the Privacy imaginable But this was not so secretly managed but it took Wind in the Town and the very morning the Dragoons were to march away the Townsmen surprized the Officers in their Chambers and secured all the Horses and Arms they could find and there being about Ten of the Dragoons on the Guard that Night posted themselves in the Session-House and endeavoured to secure that Place but the Townsmen were so forward and resolute that they came up to the Doors of the House fireing on both sides very smartly But at last the Dragoons surrendered after a Serjeant was shot in the Arm and they with the rest of the Troop all sent Prisoners to the Church after having lost both Horse and Arms which were distributed amongst the Men who performed this Service and the Dragoons after some Days Confinement Discharg'd who upon their March in the County of Lowth got near the value of all their Horse and Arms at Captain Blany's House having taken all his best Horses and Houshold-Goods to a very considerable Value This late Action at Armagh much stir'd up his Excellency's Passion insomuch that he swore he would send down a very powerful Army against the North but being awed by a considerable Force under the Lord Inchiqueen in Munster and by another under the Lord Kingston in Connaught durst not send so great an Army as he would and therefore for some time rested quiet The Northern Gentlemen understanding that the Earl of Tyrconnel did not intend an Army to divert them so soon as expected were willing to give themselves some Recreation and the taking of Carrickfergus where the Earl of Antrim was Governour and Mark Talbot Natural Son to the Earl of Tyrconnel Commander of the Forces there was the Subject and it was reported on all hands That if there had not been a Mis-management in the Matter the Design had taken Effect but since it did not I shall not trouble the Reader with a Relation of the manner of besieging that Town or how they left it After the Forces were drawn back which went against the Town of Carrickfergus the Council at Hilburragh thought convenient to send some Forces to secure the Pass at Loghbricklan and other places thereabouts lying within some few Miles of Newry where the Irish had made a considerable Strength both by manning the Bridge and intrenching the Town and at Armagh the Lord Blany with about a Regiment of Horse and a Regiment of Foot secured that Pass in case the Enemy should move that way Things being
disarmed prevailed upon the people to stand on their own Defence against these common Plunderers This Advice soon fastned upon the poor oppressed Protestants insomuch that in some few days Capt. Hunter got near 3000 Horse and Foot in a Body with what Arms they had and were fully resolved to defend that Country until an Army landed out of England and Sir Maxwel's House at Killeleagh was the chief Garrison where Capt. Hunter brought an old Iron Gun which lay some years at Downe-patrick and mounted it there The News of this soon was with the late King James at Dublin and and thereupon the whole Royal Regiment then before London-Derry part of the Lord Gallmoy's Regiment of Horse Sir Eustace's Regiment of Horse and the Lord Duleeke's Regiment of Dragoons were ordered to march immediately from the Camp against this Hunter and to joyn some Foot quartered at Antrim Carikfergus Belfast and Lislegarvey under the Command of Major General Bouchar and Lieut. Col. Mark Talbot this was so suddenly done and all correspondence being stopt with Col. Hunter about the 28th of April the Enemy surprized Capt. Hunter falling in between his Horse and Foot near Comlir putting them to the Rout killing about 300 besides several wounded and taken Prisoners Captain Hunter himself making his escape in a small Boat into the Isle of Man. In this Business some of the Enemy were slain and especially Cornet Lock who it's thought was killed by some of his own Party who had a Design on his Place he being a Protestant for he was shot in the Back with a brace of Bullets which could not be done by the Protestant Party in regard the Cornet was in the Centre and the Ranks never broke which fully demonstrates the good Will of Papists to Protestants although they fight under the same General and the same Cause This Rebellion of the Protestants in the Ards as it was called gave a fair opportunity for the Lord Evagh's Regiment which indeed did not let it pass them for in a very short time most of the Protestants thereabouts were plundered and turned out of their own Houses and afterwards chased by the Lord Duleeke's Dragoons to Donaghadee driving them into the Sea but one Agnew riding at Anchor and having four small Guns on Board and observing how barbarously the Irish were forcing the poor Wretches into the Sea fired two Guns at the Enemy upon which they halted so that Capt. Agnew brought 68 on Board and Landed them in Scotland without taking one penny Fraight The Enemy having met with these Repulses against the Town and finding the Place impregnable by Storm and believing the Garrison wanted both Commanders Provisions and were scarce of fresh Water now resolved to block it up and stop all manner of Correspondence between the Besiegers and England by which means they hoped they would surrender and the rather that they were discouraged by Col. Cunningham and Richards going away and afterwards by the Loss of Kilmore and therefore from the 25th of April till the 11th or 12th of May there was little or no Action except the Townsmen now and then killing some of the Enemy who too eagerly came into Alderman Tompkins's Orchard and the Meadows and Parks about the Town to take away the Horses before they had eaten the Grass thereabouts About this time the Besieged made a Sally and defeated a small Party of Foot and then forced into the Town and upon their Retreat they were protected by the Guns of the Town-Walls in this Sally some small Booty was had but not so much as generally reported Some few days before this the Enemy had a warm Salute by a detached Party out of the Garrison who beat off Col. Ramsey and his Party coming to secure the small Rivulet near the Town thinking the Besieged had their fresh Water there in which Sally some Officers and Soldiers fell of the Enemies Party This with the several other Defeats disheartned the Irish Army very much who were indeed weary of that long Fatigue of a Siege generally drinking Water and but very indifferent Meat Whereupon it was resolved That they should draw off some small distance from the Town and level all the Ditches wherein the Besiegers frequently gall'd them until a Supply of Provisions came from Dublin to the Camp. About this time the Men of Iniskilling having Advice of some Provisions going towards London-Derry with a Convoy under the Command of Col. Sarsfield intercepted them took all the Provisions and kill'd some of the Convoy the rest escaping narrowly The Town of London-Derry being thus successful in all their Enterprizes now daily expect Relief from England and at length Major General Kirk with about three Regiments appeared in Logh-foile with three and twenty Sail and three Frigats some few days after Capt. Richards the Engineer had got off with his Vessel which ran on the Sands for want of a skilful Pilot he lost some Men and came for England but Major General Kirk still remains in the Logh about a Mile from Kilmore and four Miles off the Town in view of the Besiegers to their great Satisfaction although he cannot get into the Town the River being Boomb'd between the Castle of Kilmore and the Garrison and durst not Land his Men they not being able to fight their way through the Enemies Camp and therefore expect farther Relief to be able to take the Field FINIS ADVERTISEMENT AN exact and perfect List of their Majesties Royal Fleet now actually at Sea with the Number of Men and Guns which every Ship carries and also the Names of all the Commanders of the said Fleet. Printed for John Amery at the Peacock against St. Dunstans-Church in Fleet-street and are to be sold by Randal Taylor near Stationers-Hall price 2 d.