Protestants whom they had taken in their different marches. On Tuesday the 5th, they burned the elegant seats of the two Mr. Rams, and Mr. Gowan, near Gorey; and sent parties into the country, haling in all the Protestants who had not escaped, and burning and devastating the country in every direction.

vey,

I shall now leave them thus employed, and turn the reader's attention to the proceedings of that division of the rebel army under the command of General Harwhich was destined for the attack of New Ross. They marched from the Three Rocks on the 31st of May, and on the 1st of June, formed their camp at Carrigburn; but the numbers that were flocking to them from every quarter, most fortunately prevented, the attack of Ross at the time intended, as they imagined that in a few days they would be invincible,-Ross, Duncannon-fort, and Newtownbarry, being now the only places in the county occupied by the loyalists. They halted on the hill of Carrigburn till the 4th of June, during which time they plundered, robbed, or burned all the houses of Protestants in this part of the country, and sent out detachments of pike-men to seize on every Protestant who was not so fortunate as to escape to some garrison town. They then took them to camp, and had them tried by their officers. On the 1st of June, several being condemned, were immediately taken a few yards from their tribunal and shot. After this day some were put into the house and barn of Mr. King, of Scullabogue, under the hill, and others were admitted into the rebel ranks. Many of the prisoners were brought from the parish of Old Ross, others from

the neighbourhood of Fethard and Tintern; and on the 1st of June, the church of Old Ross was burned.

On the morning of the 4th, the rebels marched from Carrigburn, leaving a guard of about three hundred men with John Murphy, Nicholas Sweetman, and Walter Devereux, rebel captains; and on the evening of the same day, they took their station on Corbet-hill, the seat of Edward Murphy, Esq. within half a mile of Ross. Here they got wine and spirits, and were in a state of intoxication during the night, intending to attack the town early the ensuing morning with a force of thirty-seven thousand men, as nearly as could be judged.

Fortunately Lord Mountjoy, with the Dublin County Militia from Cork, arrived in Ross that evening, which greatly elevated the little garrison, whose actual strength was now as follows:

Detachments of the 5th and 9th Dragoons, commanded by Captain Irvine.

Mid-Lothian Fencible Cavalry, Lieutenant-Colonel Sir James Fowlis.

Detachment of the British Horse Artillery, Captain Bloomfield. Detachment of Irish Flying Artillery, Captain Thornhill. Fourth Flank Battalion, Lieutenant-Colonel Stewart, of the 89th regiment.

Detachments of the Royal Meath, Clare, and Donegal regiments of Militia.

Dublin County Militia, Lord Mountjoy.

Ross Yeomen Cavalry and Infantry, besides some small parties belonging to country corps.

Major General Johnson, Commander in Chief.

Major General Eustace, Second in Command. The whole force an.ounted to about fourteen hundred men.

D

New Ross is a considerable town on the eastern bank of a large river bearing its own name, which is here very deep, and over which an elegant wooden bridge, 730 feet long, and 40 broad, was erected in the year 1795, by Cox, the American architect. The town lies at the bottom of a very steep hill, down which most of the roads into it are carried; it is not fortified-but there are some remains of an old wall which formerly surrounded it, now in a very ruinous state.

In the evening, the army picquet saw the rebels approaching, and taking possession of Corbet-hill: the latter gave three cheers and discharged a field-piece at the picquet; but as there were evening guns fired, no notice was taken of it. The whole garrison was drawn up on the quay, at the evening parade, when an express arrived to General Johnson from the officer of the guard, that the rebels were approaching the town in great force.

commence

The whole brigade immediately marched off to meet them; but thinking it rather late to an attack, the army was posted at the different passes; and a strong guard being placed to watch the motions of the enemy, they stood under arms at their different stations, observing a profound silence.

In the morning, the rebel general Harvey held a council of war, when it was resolved to summon the town, expecting that it would surrender as Wexford had done, and so become an easy conquest. The following summons was accordingly despatched to Major General Johnson:

"SIR,

"As a friend to humanity, I request you will surrender the town of New Ross to the Wexford forces, now assembled against it; your resistance will but provoke rapine and plunder to the ruin of the innocent. Flushed with victory, the Wexford forces, now insurmountable and irresistible, will not be controled if they meet with resistance. To prevent the total ruin of all property in the town, I urge you to a speedy surrender -a surrender, which you will be forced to in a few hours, with loss and bloodshed, as you are surrounded on all sides; your answer is required in a few hours. Citizen Furlong comes with this letter, and will bring the answer.

"I am Sir, &c. &c.

"B. B. HARVEY, M.G.

"Camp, Corbet-hill, half past 3 o'clock,

"Tuesday, 5th June, 1798."

When Furlong advanced to the guard with his flag of truce, he was shot, his pockets riffed, and the summons found and forwarded. The rebels spent the night firing cannon and musquetry, and now and then huzzaing, to keep up their courage, and animate each other. The small garrison of Ross was, on the other hand, much harassed and dispirited; the situation of the Dublin County militia was peculiarly distressing, as they were nearly worn down by hard marching, enfeebled with hunger and thirst, and without time or means to refresh themselves, they had to march to oppose a cruel enemy.

Soon after Furlong was killed, the royal advanced guard crept under cover of the ditches to take a view of the rebel camp. They perceived that their appearance was rather disorderly some were walking about, some singing songs, and others talking, all apparently in a state of intoxication. When they had in some measure satisfied their curiosity, four or five of them raised their pieces, and gave the enemy such an unexpected volley, as caused them to start up and look about, but they could see no person. Hundreds of the

rebels then fired in every direction, but knew not at what, the soldiers having crept back unperceived. messenger was instantly despatched to Harvey with information, that the army was surrounding them; that some of their men were killed, and others dying of the wounds which they had just received. The rebel chief now ordered them to pour forth on all sides like a torrent, and they were near intercepting a party of the Mid-Lothian cavalry, (which had been out reconnoitering) in their retreat to the town.

About five in the morning of the 5th of June, the attack commenced, when the picquets and out-posts were driven into town, keeping up a very smart fire on the enemy. I shall here insert an account of the battle, which was delivered to me by a person who was an eye-witness, and on whose veracity I can with confidence depend:

"The rebels advanced, driving before them all the black cattle they could collect through the country, to disorder our ranks; which was in some measure prevented, by a few discharges of grape-shot. The action