them. A skirmish took place, but no lives were lost, for the rebels were afraid to go too near, and General Johnson* knew his duty too well, to remove from his station till the appointed time. Another column, commanded by Lieutenant-general Dundas, encamped about two miles from the hill, on the left of the Slaney, supported on the right by a third column, under Majorgenerals Sir James Duff and Loftus. During the night, General Needham's column took its station on another side of the hill, and all the field-officers were employed in reconnoitering and forming their plan of attack on the following morning. The whole of the royal forces amounted to about fifteen thousand men.

The different columns surrounding Vinegar-hill manifested the greatest impatience for battle, and at halfpast five o'clock on the 21st of June, a gun was fired from the right, and answered from the centre and left columns, as a signal for a general attack; which com-. menced with a terrible discharge of artillery, and was Incessantly kept up for an hour and three quarters. The position of the right column when the firing

• General Johnson, (now Sir Henry Johnson, G. C. B.) may be said, in the rebellion of 1798, to have been the military saviour of Ireland. His services were ardently acknowledged by our late revered sovereign, George III. who conferred on him the command of the 81st regiment, and afterwards that of the 5th, and appointed him one of his aides-du-camp. He still lives to wear his well-earned honours, and not long before the death of the venerable M'Cormick, he had an affecting interview with his brave auxiliary in the defence of Ross, whom he familiarly designated as his friend with the brazen helmet.

opened, being on a rising ground at the west end of the town, and Vinegar-hill on the East, they played on the rebels with six-pounders; at the same time the column, covered by the fire of their own cannon, attacked them in the town, and though they had taken the most advantageous positions in the streets and houses, the rebels were obliged to yield, if not to numbers, to the superior bravery and skill of his Majesty's troops, and the slaughter among them was very great. They then endeavoured to fly to the hill, but before they could gain the top it was cleared by the centre column, which had formed their line on a rising ground on the north side of the eminence, where the rebels had raised a breast-work. Here they were cannonaded by sixpounders and mortars, and on seeing the shells, they were driven into the utmost confusion, as they could not conceive what they were, some shouting in a kind of delirium (as shell followed shell) "they spit fire at us"-others, 66 we can stand any thing but these guns which fire twice." Indeed the carnage occasioned by them was very great, and fully answered the end.Perceiving the effects of the shells they fled from their strong hold, and took another position on the lower hill, on the east side. The King's troops now mounted the summit, tore down the rebel standard, which was on the top of the old windmill, and displayed the Royal banners, to which the rebels again bid defiance, and planting themselves behind the ditches, which served them for entrenchments and breast-works, they kept up a very heavy fire on the light brigade, commanded by Colonel Campbell; but nothing could retard the

progress of these brave troops, who rushed on them like furies-charging them in their entrenchments, and with the assistance of the left column which flanked them, they soon put them to the route. Their own cannon were now turned on them, which threw them into the greatest confusion; the cavalry then pursued, and mowed them down like grass. Among the slain was priest Thomas Clinch, a notorious and resolute rebel, and their whole loss was estimated at about five hundred. Throughout the whole of this arduous undertaking, the troops who were filled with the true spirit of loyalty, displayed astonishing courage and perseverance. But alas! just after the battle, while the soldiers were yet filled with rage, a few poor loyalists that had encountered the greatest difficulties to escape the merciless hands of the rebels, and who were transported at the approach of the army, unthinkingly ran to them for protection, but being in coloured clothes, were shot by their deliverers, before they had time to make known their distress; in this the soldiers were blameless, not being able for the moment to discriminate between the rebel and the loyalist.*

RETURN OF THE KILLED, WOUNDED, AND MISSING OF THE

KING'S TROOPS, IN THE ATTACK OF VINEGAR-HILL AND ENNISCORTHY, JUNE 21, 1798.

OFFICERS KILLED.

Lieutenant Sandys, Longford militia, attached to 1st battalion ; Lieutenant Barnes, 13th foot, attached to 4th battalion.

WOUNDED.

Major Vesey (now Colonel Vesey), Dublin county militia; Colonel King, Sligo militia; Captain Dunne, 7th dragoon guards;

While these important events occurred at Enniscorthy and Vinegar-hill, Wexford was a prey to the most horrible anarchy and bloodshed. On the 19th of June, the Protestants in Wexford received the heart-rending intelligence that all the prisoners were to be murdered the next day. That night also, one of them, while sitting alone in silent sorrow, heard the death-bell toll as loud as ever she heard it, and much more awful. On the following morning, the never to be forgotten 20th of June, Thomas Dixon rode to the gaol door, and swore that not a prisoner should be alive against sun-set; he then rode

Captain Shundea, 60th regiment of foot, 5th battalion; Lieutenant Barker, Kildare militia, attached to 4th battalion; Lieutenant Hill, Mid-Lothian fencible cavalry.

PRIVATES.

Ninth Dragoons- I rank and file killed.

Mid-Lothian-1 rank and file wounded.

Hompesch's Hussars-2 rank and file wounded.

Dunlavin Yeomen Cavalry-1 rank and file wounded.

89th Regiment of Foot-1 rank and file killed.

1st battalion Light Infantry-1 serjeant wounded, 2 rank and file killed, 18 wounded, and 3 missing.

Royal British Horse Artillery - 1 rank and file wounded.

Sligo Militia-2 rank and file killed, 2 wounded.

Suffolk Fencible Infantry-2 rank and file wounded.

5th battalion 60th Regiment-1 serjeant missing, 5 rank and file killed, 5 wounded.

4th Light battalion-1 serjeant 3 rank and file killed, 22 wounded, 1 missing.

Royal Meath Militia-1 serjeant killed.

Roscommon Militia- I rank and file wounded, I missing.
Dublin County Militia - 2 rank and file killed, 6 wounded.

into the street, repeating the same with horrid imprecations, adding, "that not a soul should be left to tell the tale." Good God! how shall I proceed? neither tongue nor pen can describe the dismal aspect of that melancholy day—a day in which the the sun did not so much as glimmer through the frowning heavens. The town-bell rung, and the drums beat to arms, to assemble the rebels for the purpose of joining those at the Three Rocks, in order to march against general Moore's brigade. In the evening Dixon assembled the murdering band, and immediately hoisted that harbinger of destruction, the Black Flag, which had on one side a bloody cross, and on the other, the initials-M. W. S. that is, " murder without sin," signifying, that it was no sin to murder a Protestant. Having paraded for some time to give more solemnity to the scene, the poor Protestants who were confined in the gaol and prison-ship, were led forth to the slaughter they were conducted to the bridge under a strong guard of merciless furies, piked to death, with every circumstance of barbarous cruelty, and then

RETURN OF ORDNANCE TAKEN FROM THE REBELS. Three brass six pounders, one three pounder, seven one pounder, one five and a-half inch howitzer, two four and a-half inch howitzers-total 14.

ROUNDS OF AMMUNITION.

Seventeen six pounders, thirty one pounders, eleven five and ahalf inch howitzers-total 58.

Note-A cart with a great variety of balls of different diameters, had been thrown down the hill after the action, and immense quantities of lead and leaden balls were delivered over to the Dumbarton fencible infantry.