On the evening of the 26th, Captain John Grogan, perceiving, from a height near his house, several houses on fire between Enniscorthy and Oulart, assembled as many of his yeomen as he could muster, and proceeded with them to Enniscorthy, whence he accompanied Captain Solomon Richards, of the Enniscorthy cavalry, to meet the insurgents, who were committing great devastation throughout the country, in retaliation, as they alleged, for what they had previously suffered. In fact, there seemed to exist between the parties an emulation of enmity, as they endeavored to outdo each other in mischief, by burning and destroying on both sides those whom they deemed their enemies. The Roman Catholic chapel of Boolevogue was burnt, as was the house of the Rev. John Murphy, already mentioned; and several houses were set on fire, and some of the inhabitants consumed within them. No man that was seen in colored clothes escaped the fury of the yeomanry. In and about Ferns, a party of the North Cork militia and some yeomen pursued the like conduct, as well as in the course of their retreat from thence to Enniscorthy, where they arrived on the morning of the 27th. The Shilmalier infantry, commanded by the Right Hon. George Ogle, were then in Enniscorthy also. They took an excursion to Darby Gap, and on their return they marched home. Captain John Grogan escorted Sergeant Stanley as far as Waterford, on his way to Cork as judge of assize. The town of Enniscorthy was crowded by great numbers of people who fled into it from the country-Catholics among the rest. Some of the latter were put into confinement in the castle, notwithstanding the deplorable evils of which that impolitic system had been already productive; and although it must be naturally imagined, that a greater proof could not be

given of not wishing to join the insurgents than that of flying into the town for refuge.

On Monday morning, the 28th of May, every preparation was made for defence, and every precaution observed in the town. Part of the North Cork militia, commanded by Captain Snowe, Captain Cornock, and Captain Pounden's infantry corps, with their supernumeraries, and the Enniscorthy cavalry, commanded by Captain Richards, (the whole military force in the town,) were on the alert, and under arms, in expectation of an immediate attack. Many of the inhabitants of the town offered their services, and armed themselves as well as they could to contribute to the general defence. Some of the most respectable were permitted to join the troops; but most of those who had offered their assistance were, during the battle, ordered to ground their arms and retire into their houses, out of which they were peremptorily warned not to stir, on pain of death. Good God! what miserable policy in such times, to brand them as Catholics with disaffection, when their actions bespoke so much the contrary, and thus to force them into the ranks of the insurgents! After the battle of

Oulart, the insurgents encamped for the night at Carrigrew, from whence they set out at seven o'clock on Monday morning, the 28th, to Camolin, from thence to Ferns, where, meeting with no interruption, or any military force to oppose them, they crossed the Slaney by the bridge at Scarawalsh, halted for some time on the hill of Ballioril, and from thence they proceeded to attack Enniscorthy, where they arrived about one o'clock, driving before them a great number of cattle, with a view of overpowering the yeoman infantry that had proceeded to the Duffrey Gate, where the attack commenced. The assailants, posting themselves behind the ditches that enclose

the town-parks, kept up a severe but irregular fire of musketry, intermixed with pikemen, who were twice charged by the Enniscorthy cavalry along the two roads leading into the town, with little or no effect. The battle lasted with various success for four hours; Captain Snowe not considering it prudent to quit his situation on the bridge to support the yeomen at the Duffrey Gate, who then fell down by degrees into the town, leaving the suburbs, composed of thatched houses, unprotected, which then were set fire to, (each party accusing the other for doing so,) and, as it turned out, nothing could be more conducive to the success of the insurgents during the confusion the conflagrations occasioned, from which each party retreated, the military taking their station in the town. Had they marched out to meet the insurgents, and given them battle. where they might have had the advantage of the ditches, their superiority in discipline and fire-arms might have enabled them to break and dissipate the tumultuary body opposed to them, that had every advantage over those placed in a hollow. The insurgents made an attempt to cross the river at the island above the bridge, from whence they were so galled as to oblige them to wade through the Slaney higher up at Blackstoops: some were proceeding to Vinegar Hill, which, from its commanding situation immediately above the town, gave them every advantage of observation, while their numbers afforded a sufficiency to attack the town on all sides. The military were at length overpowered by the impetuosity and intrepidity of the insurgents, many of whom fell in the gallant defence made against them; but the soldiers having no cannon to support them, and the suburbs of the town being on fire in several places, they at last sounded a retreat. While the town was

thus circumstanced, a proposal was made to Captain Snowe to put the prisoners to death before the evacu→ ation of the place; but he, like a truly brave man, would not listen to such a diabolical proposal, and rejected it with scorn and abhorrence; notwithstanding which a party went to the castle determined to put all confined therein to death. An ineffectual attempt was made to break open the door, the keeper having forgot to leave the key, with which he had set off towards Wexford; and this circumstance providentially saved the lives of the prisoners, as it became too dangerous for the yeomen to wait any longer to put their threats in executionthreats which they constantly repeated the whole of that morning while they stood guard over their prisoners. Indeed, so assured were the prisoners themselves of being put to death, that they had continued for hours on their knees at prayer, in preparation for that awful event, when the victors released them from confinement. Captain John Pounden, of the Enniscorthy supplementary infantry, Lieutenant Hunt of the Enniscorthy yeomen, and Lieutenant Carden of the Scarawalsh infantry, with about eighty of the military, and some supplementary men, fell in this action. A regular retreat being sounded, gave the military an opportunity of bringing away their families and friends, together with a great many men, women, and children, who proceeded in the best manner they could to Wexford. The only opinion prevailing in the latter town, for some hours, was, that Enniscorthy and all its inhabitants were totally destroyed. This was occasioned by the arrival in Wexford of Lieutenant Archibald Hamilton Jacob, and a private of the Enniscorthy cavalry, who had been so fortunate as to effect their escape, and who came in with their horses all in a foam, so as to be

speak the most precipitate flight. At the same time, tremendous clouds of smoke were observed over Enniscorthy, which is distant only eleven miles from Wexford, and no news arriving for several hours, left room for no other conjecture, but seemed to confirm the account given by these fugitives. The military in their retreat were very confused at first; however, self-preservation urged their keeping together, suggested by a private in the yeomanry. Officers had been induced to tear off their epaulets, and every other mark that could distinguish them from the privates, considering themselves in more danger if they were recognised as officers. However, not being attacked, there was sufficient leisure to escort those that accompanied them, and who were in such a piteous plight as to excite on their arrival the hearty commiseration of all the inhabitants of Wexford, who invited them indiscriminately to their houses, and supplied them with every comfort and necessary in their power, and of which they stood so much in need. How distressing must be the situation of many ladies who were glad to get up behind or before any person that might be tender enough, in the general consternation, to take them on horseback! Some had their clothes scorched about them, others wanted their shoes and other parts of their dress, which had been lost or torn off; besides, the great heat of the day made it doubly distressing to delicate females, many of whom had the additional charge of the burden and care of their children. It was very deplorable to observe the anguish and misery of these fugitives, so suddenly and violently torn from their homes and family endearments; while each in melancholy detail dwelt upon the relation of private calamity.

Great as the apprehensions of the inhabitants of