while the rebels, in position on Ballymanane, were said at a low esti mate to have exceeded 2,000 men.

The bold advance of the little garrison was favoured by accidental circumstances. Troops, detached from Dublin, had been some days expected, and "the cloud of dust, raised by the detachment from Gorey, caused the rebels to imagine that a formidable force was coming against them. Under this persuasion, they did not dispose themselves to the best advantage for they might have easily surrounded and destroyed the little band opposed to them. They attempted it, however, in a disorderly manner; but a regular and steady fire was maintained by the militia, particularly the Antrim--and the half-disciplined supplementaries, encouraged thereby, behaved with equal steadiness; and such was the effect, that the rebels were totally routed, and fled in the utmost confusion. The cavalry, notwithstanding repeated orders from Lieutenant Elliot, through the mistake of their officer, delayed to charge too long, otherwise a greater slaughter must have been made. The victorious party advancing, fired some houses in Ballycannoe, and spread such a general terror, that no attempt was made against them from the post of Corrigrua; and the garrison returned safely to Gorey, with above 100 horses and much valuable spoil.

"In this engagement, and indeed in all others in the beginning of the rebellion, the rebels fired too high to do execution, and only three royalists were wounded, and none killed. The number of slain on the opposite side was probably nearly a hundred. Many fine horses, which the routed party was obliged to leave behind, were killed or maimed, that they should be rendered valueless to the captors.'

We have already mentioned that the capture of Newtown Barry was the object of the second of the rebel divisions, under the command of Father Kearns, then encamped upon Vinegar-hill-and therefore, a brief description of the town will be necessary.

Newtown Barry stands upon the river Slaney, at the entrance of a deep defile, surrounded on every side by steep and lofty mountains. Placed on the principal road which leads to Carlow and Kildare, it would have opened a communication between these counties, and permitted the rebel columns to co-operate; while it would also enable them to prevent the arrival of reinforcements, and the conveyance of ammunition to the king's troops. The acquisition of old Ross would have given them the command of a navigable river, and secured their communications with the Kilkenny rebels; besides, it was well known, that the disaffected inhabitants of Munster would have risen en masse, so soon as Newtown Barry fell.

On the 30th of May, Colonel L'Estrange, with a detachment of his regiment (the King's County Militia), two battalion guns, and a few dragoons, marched in, and reinforced the garrison, which then consisted of 250 yeomanry, mounted and dismounted. On the 31st, a groundless alarm was given by a beautiful young woman, who galloped into the

* Gordon.

town, and announced that the rebels were advancing. Frenzied by the horror she had undergone, in seeing two brothers put to death on Vinegar-hill under circumstances of indescribable barbarity, she had desperately jumped upon a horse, and though closely pursued, escaped from those savage hands which had massacred her kindred.

On the 2nd, the rebels actually made their attack by both sides of the Slaney, advancing under the fire of a six-pounder, and one of the howitzers they had taken at the Three Rocks. The outposts being driven in, Colonel L'Estrange fearful, from the number of approaches by which the rebels could enter the town, that his garrison would be unequal to defend it, evacuated the place, as some say, to retire altogether, but according to others, to take a position on a high ground which commanded the town.

Whether for concentration or retreat the movement was made, it equally deceived the rebels and dissatisfied the royalists. "The rebels, imagining the king's troops, intimidated by their numbers, had fled, rushed into the town, and proceeded to plunder and burn it. The yeomen, enraged at seeing their families and their property in such imminent danger, applied to Captain Kerr, who commanded the yeomanry cavalry, to lead them on; declaring, that they would conquer or die. He asked permission to do so, and obtained it."

Nothing could surpass the desperate gallantry of these daring horsemen-while a heavy fire of grape from the guns and a well-sustained musketry drove the rebels from the town, and enabled the cavalry to act. For three miles, the pursuit was continued by the Enniscorthy roadand although the rebels disbanded, and the country was favourable for retreat,† 400 were killed or wounded, including in the former list two leaders.

After this double defeat, the rebels remained inactive in their camp at Corrigrua, while the arrival of General Loftus at Gorey, with 1,500 men and five pieces of cannon, encouraged the royalists to take the offensive at once, and deforce the enemy from the position they still retained. A combined attack on the hill of Corrigrua was consequently determined on-and from the means in hand, nothing could have been wanting to secure positive success, but the imbecility of one leader, and the gross ignorance of a subordinate. Before the unfortunate result shall be related, a connecting narrative of the previous movements of the royalists will be found necessary.

* Musgrave.

"The hardiness and agility of the labouring classes of the Irish were on this, and other occasions in the course of the rebellion, very remarkable. Their swiftness of foot, and activity in passing over brooks and ditches, were such that they could not always, in crossing the fields, be overtaken by horsemen-and with so much strength of constitution were they found to be endued, that to kill them was difficult, many, after a multitude of stabs, not expiring until their necks were cut across. fact, the number of persons who in the various battles, massacres, and skirmishes of this war, were shot through the body, and recovered afterwards from their wounds, Las greatly surprised me."-Gordon.

In

CHAPTER X.

TOWN OF WEXFORD-DETACHMENT OF THE MEATH REGIMENT CUT TO PIECES WEXFORD KVACUATED-WALPOLE'S DEFEAT AT TUBBERNEERING - LOFTUS RETREATS ON CARNEW.

We have already given a topographical sketch of the county of Wexford, and as the town of the same name acquired a melancholy celebrity, a hurried notice may be acceptable. We give the description of the place as it was-regardless of the changes and improvements which nearly half a century have since effected. With a very fine wooden bridge, erected by the celebrated Cox, a new church, and the ruins of several monastic buildings, in '98, the capital of that troubled county was thus described :

Wexford, a sea-port, and corporate town, was rather populous for its size. It was the chief in the county, and the third largest in the province of Leinster-governed by a mayor, recorder, and bailiffs-a shire and assize town and giving the title of earl to the noble family of Talbot, Earls of Shrewsbury in England. It also then returned two members to Parliament. Wexford is seated on a bay in the Irish channel, at the mouth of the river Slaney-the harbour, though capacious, shallow-and formed by two necks of land, with an entrance half a mile broad, formerly defended by two forts-one at the extremity of either isthmus, and called fort Margeret, and fort Rosslare. As its entrance is obstructed by sand-banks, ships drawing more than ten feet water seldom enter-but those of greater magnitude load and unload three miles from the town, near the south side of the haven, where there is sufficient depth of water, but no shelter from the south winds. Wexford was originally fortified by the Danes-but improved and enlarged by the first English settlers in the twelfth century, who took it from the Easterlings, after a siege of four days, on the 4th of May, 1170. It was besieged by Cromwell, the 1st of October, 1649, and taken by storm, when Sir Edward Butler, the governor, and 2,000 soldiers, were put to the sword.

Large vestiges of the town-walls were, at the period of the insurrec tion, still visible, and the four gates were almost perfect. The consequence of the place-its dangerous proximity to the rebel encampments-the taking of Enniscorthy-and the defeat at Oulart of Colonel Foote, suggested the necessity of reinforcing the garrison of Wexford, then consisting of some 300 of the North Cork Militia, and about the same number of yeomanry, horse and foot. For this purpose LieutenantColonel Maxwell was detached from Duncannon Fort, with 200 of the Donegal Militia, and a six-pounder. The colonel reached Wexford the same evening, and finding the insurrection had extensively broken out, apprized General Fawcett of the fact. Maxwell's reinforcement not being deemed sufficient, "a gentleman named Joshua Sutton

carried a letter from the mayor of Wexford to the general, requesting an additional force; and returned with the exhilarating answer, that the general himself would commence his march for Wexford the same evening, with the 13th regiment, four companies of the Meath Militia, and a party of artillery with two howitzers." On the receipt of this intelligence, Colonel Maxwell, leaving the five entrances into the town guarded by the yeomanry and North Cork Militia, took post with his men on the Windmill-hill above the town, at daybreak on the morning of the 30th-with a resolution to march against the enemy on the arrival of the troops expected from Duncannon.

Fawcett marched-but instead of moving bodily on Wexford, he had the unpardonable folly to push forward seventy of the Meath Militia with the howitzers. At Taghmon, Captain Adams, who was in command, expected to have been joined by Lord Bective, with four companies of his regiment, and two companies of the 13th-but they had not arrived-and misled by false assurances, he continued his march at midnight. The consequence of this rash movement may be anticipated. When under the rebel encampment on the Forth mountain, three miles from Wexford, the troops were assailed under every disadvantage that night and enormous numbers could give. The infantry became panicstricken-the artillery horses, unused to fire, carried off the limbersthe detachment was cut to pieces-and the howitzers were lost.

The official report from one of the few survivors, thus details the injudicious and calamitous occurrence:

"On Tuesday, the 29th of May, I left this, with two howitzers, one corporal, and seventeen gunners, sixty-six privates of the Meath regiment, and four officers, under the command of Captain Adams. At Taghmon we understood we were to be reinforced by eighty of the 13th regiment, under Major Scott, and four companies of the Meath, under Lord Bective, from Waterford. Major-General Fawcett joined us— but the other troops not arriving, we proceeded on our march to Wexford. We were given to understand by every one we met on the road that we should meet with no opposition between us and Wexford; and having no suspicion that the rebels were assembled so near, we were not ordered to take any precautions against surprise. Within four miles of Wexford, we perceived ten or twelve men assembled on a hill, on which we prepared for action; but after remaining in that situation some time, perceiving no further appearance of opposition, we were ordered to limber up and move forward. Having proceeded some distance, at the foot of a high mountain we were suddenly attacked by several thousands of the rebels, who with loud shouts opened a sharp fire, on all sides against us. Before they commenced firing they hoisted a white flag and two or three hats on very long poles for a few seconds. After the first discharge, the militia betook themselves to flight, having thrown away their arms-while we attempted in vain to prepare again for action, but the horses, not trained to fire, grow furious and unmanageable, so that it was impossible to do any thing; and we were thrown into such instant confusion, by the sudden flight of the infantry, we found it utterly impossible to spike the

howitzers. Three of the Meath officers, with most of their men, were killed, and one taken. On our part, besides the howitzers, four gunners were killed; one corporal and eleven gunners taken, two of whom were afterwards killed at Ross; the rest have arrived here safe; and two gunners and myself escaped."*

The terrible consequences which arose from these two unfortunate mistakes-namely, that of Oulart, and the one we have just described→→→ led to the most disastrous consequences. The wildest hopes were engendered in the rebels-the gloomiest anticipations disheartened the well-affected-while, with fancied impunity, truculent ruffianism rioted, to its bent.

Wexford had been put into a posture of defence-for, notwithstanding the general disaffection of the inhabitants, still the loyalists prepared to offer a brave resistance. The streets were roughly barricaded-and a small but spirited garrison was rendered more confident in their power of resistance, when Lieutenant-Colonel Maxwell marched in on the evening of the 29th of May, with 200 good troops, and a corps or two of yeomanry. That state of confidence and security was brief. The next morning brought tidings of the destruction of the Meath detachment, and harbingered coming scenes of violence and bloodshed..

As soon as Lieutenant-Colonel Maxwell was informed of the event, he marched with 200 of the Donegal regiment, and about 150 yeomanry cavalry, to support the 13th regiment, who were expected that morning at Wexford. When he arrived at the foot of the Forth mountain, near the place where the detachment of the Meath regiment had been cut to pieces, he was attacked by a numerous body of rebels, who maintained a heavy fire on his party, from behind the rocks, hedges, and houses, which lay at the foot of the mountain; and discharged a few ineffective shots from the howitzers which that morning had been taken. For the purpose of embarrassing the troops, they drove a number of horses along the road, which, in some measure, produced the desired effect; while the confusion was increased by the precipitate retreat of the cavalry, who, pent up in a narrow road, where they could neither form nor be serviceable, and at the same time were exposed to a heavy fire, had decided on retreating, and went off precipitately towards Wexford. On seeing this, a great body of the rebels rushed down from the mountain, with a view of cutting off the remainder of the troops, which they would have effected, had not the Donegal regiment repulsed them by a heavy and well-directed fire. At last, Colonel Maxwell, perceiving that he would risk much, and that no possible advantage could be derived from maintaining his post against so great a superiority of numbers, ordered a retreat. In this action, Lieutenant-Colonel Watson, formerly of the 65th regiment, who had retired to Wexford, but volunteered on the occasion, lost his life— and a few privates of the Donegal were killed and wounded.

The unfortunate issue of an attempt, which, had it been seconded as Colonel Maxwell had every reason to believe it would have been,

* Letter from Lieutenant Birch to Major Stewart, dated Duncannon Fort, 23rd July, 1799.