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an undertaking, but which I made not the least doubt of obtaining, and took my leave of his lordship and the other officers, promising to return to them early on the next morning. It was a considerable time before I could collect a sufficient number of the principal inhabitants to communicate my intentions to them; and even when it was at length effected, their confusion was such, that it was agreed to postpone the business until early in the following morning, then to meet at Captain Keugh's house, where the subject would be taken into consideration by a general assembly, which could not be so well formed at that time of the night.

About three o'clock in the afternoon of the 20th, the army under the command of General Moore began to march from its encampment at Long-graigue, the seat of the Rev. Mr. Sutton, towards Taghmon, and had proceeded but half a mile, when the insurgent force from the Three Rocks, led on by their general the Rev. Philip Roche, appeared in view at a place called Fooks's mill. Each party immediately commenced the attack, which lasted with various success and great obstinacy on both sides, for four hours, when the insurgents having expended the whole of their ammunition at the very moment that it is said the troops were on the point of giving way, thought proper to retire, and made a good retreat to their original station on the Three Rocks. In this engagement, from the nature of the ground, the great body of the pikemen could not be brought into action, so that there were not more of the insurgents engaged, than about an equal number with that of the army against them, whose loss too is said to be considerably greater than theirs; but although General Moore's dispatches concerning the engagement have been published, yet the list of the killed and

wounded, mentioned to have been sent with the general's letter, has been suppressed, so that I have not been able to obtain the official account of this particular. The insurgents, as usual, did not attempt to retreat until they had fired their last shot, when two regiments under Lord Dalhousie were perceived coming up to reinforce General Moore. The insurgents in the retreat brought away with them five out of the six small cannon which they brought out with them; all of which had been fastened on common cars with ropes, and the remaining one they lost, because the car upon which it was mounted having been broken by falling into a ditch, it was left there. The Wexford men, who were in this engagement, attended their companions to the Three Rocks, and then proceeded to the town, where they arrived late at night.

General Johnston had smart skirmishing with the outposts of the insurgents from Enniscorthy on the 20th, on his arrival at Bloomfield, within a mile of Enniscorthy. Early on the morning of the 21st, a general assault was made on the insurgent force encamped on Vinegar Hill by General Lake, while the town of Enniscorthy was attacked by General Johnston, which he carried after an obstinate resistance for two hours, with great slaughter of the insurgents, whose defence of the place was most wonderful, considering that they had but a few pounds of powder to distribute to their whole force on the preceding evening; so that it is astonishing how they could venture, with such a scanty provision of ammunition, to give any opposition to an army of great force, perfectly equipped and appointed, and abundantly provided with every necessary. Even on Vinegar Hill there were but two charges for cannon; one of which was fired against the army approaching from

Solsborough, and the other dismounted cannon posted at the Duffrey-gate at Enniscorthy; and although a great number of cannon and bombs were fired from the royal artillery towards Vinegar Hill, only one man was wounded, and none killed, by the shot from the ordnance. The insurgents, notwithstanding their defenceless situation, displayed vast courage and intrepidity before they abandoned the hill, which they were at length obliged to do, and great numbers of them fell on this occasion. All suspected persons were put to death in Enniscorthy, and several houses were set on fire; among the rest that which had been used by the insurgents as an hospital, which, together with all the wounded men in it, were totally consumed. A free passage was left for the insurgents to retreat to Wexford, as the division of the army under General Needham, from some unaccountable reason, had not come up in time to join the battle; and from the route this division took, it is surprising that it did not fall in with the insurgent force under General Edward Roche, who was also too late for the engagement, as he only arrived just at the commencement of the retreat of the insurgents, which, however, he recovered with his men, from Darby-gap, and restrained the career of the cavalry that were in full pursuit of the insurgents dislodged from Vinegar Hill.

Lord Kingsborough was so anxious to carry the plan we had agreed on for the salvation of the town into execution, that he sent for me before three o'clock in the morning on the 21st, when I had scarcely time to have taken any rest. I instantly got up and went to him, when I found him arrayed in full uniform, and completely equipped to set out that moment, which he wanted me to do also; but I represented to him the danger of going through the

country in such apparel as he then was, and that, at all events, our safety could not be secured without the concurrence of the people with our plan, which, however, I thought would be easily obtained, as I related to him the conversation I held with the principal inhabitants on the night preceding; and that I expected to meet them again on the subject at an early hour that morning. He and his officers then entreated me to hasten the meeting, and to have the drum beat to arms, for the people to assemble, that their consent might be obtained, as there was no time to be lost in carrying into effect the only means of saving the town from total destruction; for we distinctly heard the report of the cannon from Enniscorthy, where the battle had just then commenced. I immediately went and rapped up the principal inhabitants nearest to me, whom I commissioned to call up their neighbors; and thus in a short time was the whole town roused from slumber. A meeting consequently took place at the house of Captain Keugh, where it was thought advisable that Doctor Jacob should accompany Lord Kingsborough and me; but on further contemplation, instead of one, it was judged necessary to send out three deputations from the town to the three different armies approaching, lest one might not be able to effect its purpose; and it was also thought most prudent that Lord Kingsborough should not leave the town, but that it should be instantly surrendered to him, as military commander; and Doctor Jacob, who was present, offered to reassume the office of mayor; so that this was putting all kind of civil and military authority into the same hands in which they were before the insurrection; and thus did the inhabitants of Wexford do every thing consistent with duty by taking the earliest opportunity of returning to their allegiance, which, by the funda

mental principles of the constitution, could never be arraigned, as they were not only abandoned, but even surrendered to the insurgents, by those who were bound, by every tie of duty and interest, to protect them, but who, instead of acting as they ought, sent a deputation of surrender, and shamefully fled, leaving even their own wives and families, together with the other inhabitants, under the uncontrollable sway of the conquerors, whom they thus constituted regular enemies."

Captain M'Manus of the Antrim militia and myself were appointed to proceed to the army at Oulart, with the proposal of the inhabitants of Wexford and Lord Kingsborough's dispatches; Captain O'Hea of the North Cork militia, and Mr. Thomas Cloney, were deputed on the like mission to Enniscorthy; and Captain Bourke of the North Cork militia, and Mr. Robert Carty were sent to the army of Taghmon. The meeting was then adjourned to the custom-house quay to propose these arrangements to the people, assembled there on parade for the purpose. They approved of every step that had been taken with three cheers; and the business was concluded by a most feeling address from Doctor Jacob, in tears, to the people, whose good opinion on all occasions he was so happy as to possess, by being very attentive in his duty as physician and surgeon to the wounded. A deputation then went to Lord Kingsborough's lodgings to inform him of the determination of the people; and his lordship, upon accepting of the military command of the town, applied to Captain Keugh for his sword; but he, taking a wrong impression of the solemnity of the previous proceedings, and imagining himself entitled to march out at the head of the people to meet the army approaching the town, proposed surrendering it and the sword together to the officer

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