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A71080
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A true and impartial history of the most material occurrences in the kingdom of Ireland during the two last years with the present state of both armies : published to prevent mistakes, and to give the world a prospect of the future success of Their Majesties arms in that nation / written by an eye-witness to the most remarkable passages.
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Story, George Warter, d. 1721.
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1691
(1691)
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Wing S5750; ESTC R4615
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149,982
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178
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them by Captain James Hambleton and all the World knows they behaved themselves very well month April April 13. Succors sent to Derry On the 13th of April Collonel Richards and Collonel Cunningham were sent to their relief with two Regiments who came into the Lough but returned without doing any thing and were broke for their pains Maj. General Kirk in the Lough Then went Major General Kirk with his own Sir John Hanmer's and Brigadeer Stuart's Regiments of Foot the Winds were cross and the Irish fortified the River that it was difficult to relieve the Town and our Ships laid at least two Months in the Lough the poor Soldiers as well in Town as on Board endured great hardships all this while But the Dartmouth Frigat at length forced her way month July July 31. Siege Raised and the Siege was raised on the last of July Some condemn the Irish Politicks mightily in sitting down before this Town whenas if they had let it alone the people would either have submitted of themselves or however they had been at leisure to have sent a part of their Army into Scotland which was an easy thing as then to do and would no doubt have hindered any Succours going over that year from England but Providence orders all things and rules the Actions and disposes of the Councels of men accordingly Mackarty taken Prisoner The day before the Siege of Derry was raised the Iniskilliners hearing of a Body of about Six Thousand of the Irish Army Commanded by Major General Mackarty that was marching towards them they very boldly and bravely met them nigh twenty miles from the Town of Iniskillin and at a place call'd Newtowne Buttler fought and routed them taking Mackarty Prisoner killing and drowning nigh Three Thousand there being of the Iniskillin-men in all both Horse and Foot not above Two thousand losing not above Twenty and having about Fifty wounded This Story seem'd to me at first very Incredible but I was told it partly hapned by a Fatal Mistake in the Word of Command amongst the Irish for the Iniskillin-men charged the Irish Right Wing very smartly which Mackarty perceiving ordered some of his Men to face to the Right and march to relieve their Friends the Officer that received the Orders mistook and commanded the men instead of facing to the Right to face to the Right about and so march the Irish in the Reer seeing their Front look with their Faces towards them and move thought they had been running and so without more ado threw down their own Arms and run away the rest seeing their men run in the Reer run after them for company and were most of them cut off or drowned in Boggs and Loughs so unhappy may a small thing prove to a great Body of men and at other times a little thing in appearance proves very advantageous For we read of a Roman at plough who stood with his Ox-yoke in a Gap and stopt the Soldiers that were running away this made them face about and win the Field though I believe in that Action of the Iniskilliners as well as Derry there was a great deal due to their Valour and more to the Providence of God Forces raised in England During these Transactions in Ireland the King gives out Commissions in England to raise 18 Regiments of Foot and four or five of Horse for the Service of Ireland Most of those had their Commissions dated the 8th of March 1688 9 and the Levies went on with all imaginable speed for greatest part of them were raised armed and cloathed in less than Six weeks I was in the Armories at the Tower when the Arms were to be delivered out to the new Levies but there was not half so many there as would do it for the Arms were most squandred away or lost in the late hurry of Affairs and though several Proclamations were sent abroad to bring them in yet His Majesty was forc'd to have most of his Arms out of Holland which was both expensive and troublesome March to Chester This Army was mustered and disciplin'd as well as the time would allow My Lord Devonshire and the honble Mr Wharton being appointed Commissioners to view them in their several Quarters and in July most of them were commanded to Chester in order to be ship'd for Ireland I am a Stranger to the Reasons of State why they went no soonner yet that that seems considerable to me was that my Lord Dundee had left the Convention at Edenbrough raising a powerful Faction for the Late King in the North of Scotland and the Castle of Edenbrough was not as yet surrendered by the Duke of Gordon it might not therefore be thought prudent to part with an Army out of our own Kingdom till the Danger were over from that Quarter so that it was the beginning of August before our Army got to Chester month August August 8. Encamp at Neston and then embarque Most of them encampt about a Week at Neston and then on Thursday the 8th of August about Six a Clock in the Morning His Grace Duke Sconberg General of all Their Majesties Forces Count Solmes General of the Foot and several great Officers more with not Ten Thousand Foot and Horse embarqued at Highlake for Ireland The Winds being cross they lay on Board till Monday the 12th when at Four a Clock in the morning the Wind being S. S. E. and S. E. the Bonaventure Frigat Captain Hobson Commander fired a Gun and put his Light in the Main Top-mast Shrouds that being the Sign for sailing There was also The Antilope the James Galley c. The Cleaveland and the Monmouth Yats with between 80 and 90 Vessels more who all were under sale at Six a Clock and at Eight the Bonaventure put out an Ensign in the Mizen-shrouds for all the Captains and Masters to come on board which done they received Orders to sail directly to Carigfergus-Bay in Ireland In case of bad weather so that they could not reach thither to sail for Loureau in Galloway in Scotland and if they fell short of that Ramsey Bay in the Isle of Man to be the place of Rendezvouz Tuesday the 13th at break of day the greatest part of the Fleet was up with the Mountains of Dundrum in the County of Downe these are commonly called the Mountains of Mourne and are said to be the highest in Ireland on the top of one of the highest stood a famous Monastery in time of old About Three that Afternoon the Fleet came up the Lough within a mile and a half of Carigfergus at Four they came to an Anchor in Bangor Bay and immediately the General ordered his Flag to be put out at the Yats Main-yard-Arm that being the Sign for landing our men which was done accordingly Land in Ireland and they encamped that night in Fields adjoining to the Shoar they lay upon their Arms all night having frequent Allarms of the Enemies
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