he had never before experienced so heavy and well directed a fire. As the rebels continued to extend their wings, the yeomen deemed it prudent to retire near to the town, where they dispatched a message to captain Snowe, who defended the bridge, to require him to hasten to their assistance. That gentleman immediately marched to their aid with the North Cork militia; but understanding that the rebels were moving towards the bridge, he retreated to his former station in order to defend it: ordering the cavalry to cover his rear, a large body of the enemy having advanced to his last position. These captain Richards accordingly charged and dispersed, but had nine of his corps killed and three wounded, and sixteen horses killed. Captain Snowe arrived at the bridge in time to prevent the enemy from crossing.

Meantime the troops at the Duffrey-gate, finding they must quickly be surrounded by the long extended wings of the ene my, if they continued to hold their position, divided themselves into small parties; and occupying the different avenues leading into the town, defended them for some time with the greatest spirit and resolution; though the streets in which they fought had been fired by some of the disaffected inhabitants, in order to annoy them. These brave men, however, were at length compelled to retreat to the market-house, where they again made a stand. The rebels now attempted to ford the river in many places, but were galled from the bridge, which had become the station of defence. So fluctuating was the success of the day, during several hours, that many of the inhabitants, in order to avoid the fury of the prevailing party, had alternately displayed the orange and the green ribbon. At length the rebels, fording the river both above and below the bridge, some of them up to the middle, others to the neck in water, entered the eastern part of the town and fired it; when the garrison retreated in great disorder towards Wexford, fourteen miles distant, having expended the whole of their ammunition, though they had repeatedly filled their pouches from the militia magazine. An instance of intrepidity displayed by a yeoman, we deem not unworthy of notice: a spent ball having lodged in his neck, he had it extracted by the assistance of an officer; and calmly charging his piece with it, returned it to the enemy.

The garrison, in this obstinate engagement, lost eighty-eight men, among whom were captain Pounden of the supplementary yeomen, lieutenant Hunt of the Enniscorthy infantry, and lieutenant Carden of the Scarawalsh. Besides these, many of a large body of loyalists who joined the troops as volunteers, armed with guns, pistols, swords, &c. fell in the action. The rebels lost about three hundred men. As many of the protestant inhabitants as had time to escape, fled in distraction to Wexford, which they accomplished with difficulty. The weather was fine, and they were not pursued. The following account of the escape of the Rev. Mr. Handcock, rector of Kilcormuck, and his family, will convey to the reader an adequate idea of the situation of the loyalists. Mr. Handcock had personally fought in defence of the town.

"Finding that we could no longer keep our ground, I rushed singly through the streets, with a blunderbuss cocked, and "presenting it at every person who looked at me, running for 66 my life, but without the faintest hope of saving it, or that of

my family, yet determined to share their fate; and with great "difficulty getting into my house, locked and barricadoed by "the affrighted inmates, I dragged my wife down stairs with "my children, just as they sat in her sick room;* and observ❝ing which way the fugitives were moving out of the town, I "forced them along with the tragical cavalcade, until my wife, " overpowered with terror and the heat of the flames, fell on a ❝ burning pile of rubbish, where, unable myself, from fatigue, "to raise her, she would have been suffocated, or trampled to "death, had not a gallant fellow of the North-Cork militia, "wounded, and scarce able to drag his legs after him, assisted

me, swearing the Munster oath, By Js you did not for"sake us, and I will not desert you.' The poor fellow accord"ingly stuck by us till we arrived at Wexford. In return for "this, having got my wife and children behind or before mounted yeomen, I procured a horse for his wife, and carried his "musket as far as I was able. When we came within three four miles of Wexford, we were met by the yeomen ca

or

*She lay-in only two days before.

"valry of it, who turned out on hearing our disaster, to cover

On the morning after the rebels got possession of the town, it presented a dreadful scene of conflagration. Part of it was entirely consumed; and in part the flames were spreading with the greatest fury. Above four hundred dwelling-houses, warehouses, &c. were thus destroyed. The rebels, after having formed a camp on Vinegar hill, entrenched it, and erected some batteries, stationed a very strong garrison in Enniscorthy, and placed picquet guards, centinels, and videts, in all the avenues and roads leading to it for some miles round; which were relieved every day from the camp on the hill. The church of Enniscorthy having been stripped by the victors, they conveyed the bell to their camp, where it was employed for the purpose of marking the hours, and was to be rung as an alarum in case of surprise. And old windmill at the top of the hill was converted into a prison for loyalist prisoners. These were all tried by a court-martial, and on being condemned, were led to the front of the rebel line, where they were either shot or piked to death. On the morning of the twenty-ninth, the rebels executed no less than twenty-four persons.

CHAPTER VII.

THE town of Wexford, whither the garrison of Enniscorthy and as many of the loyal inhabitants as could make their escape, had retreated, had been in a state of the greatest alarm and consternation since the commencement of the insurrection, especially since the defeat of the royal troops at the battle of Oulart by father Murphy, on the twenty-seventh. The garrison had now laid aside all thoughts of giving the enemy battle in the field, and confined themselves to making every preparation for a vigorous defence. Amongst other measures taken for this purpose, all fires were ordered to be extinguished, and the roofs of thatched houses to be stripped, lest those inhabitants who were disaffected should assist the assailants by setting fire to the

town.

1

In consequence of a suspicion of treasonable designs the sheriff and others had resolved to apprehend Beauchamp Bagenal Harvey, of Bargycastle, John Henry Colclough, of Ballyteig, and Edward Fitzgerald, of Newpark, all of them gentlemen of the county of Wexford; who were accordingly arrested on the twenty-sixth and twenty-seventh, by captain Boyd, of the Wexford cavalry. On the twenty-ninth, Mr. Boyd, who had hopes of dispersing the insurgents without either giving them battle or making any concession in their favour, or who concluded that he might at least be able to divert their attention and to retard their progress, visited these three gentlemen in prison, and proposed that one of them should proceed to the

rebel camp and endeavour to persuade the insurgents, to retire to their respective homes. It was agreed that Mr. Colclough should undertake the mission, provided he was allowed to take Mr. Fitzgerald with him. When these two gentlemen arrived at the camp, the rebels were in a state of the utmost distraction; being undetermined in their plan of operations; some proposing to attack Newtown-Barry, others Ross, others Wexford, many to remain in their present post, and not a few to return for the defence of their own property, against the Orangemen. On the appearance of the two gentlemen prisoners, however, as they termed them, the divided multitude collected around them with loud shouts of joy and welcome. When Mr. Colclough had delivered his message, which was treated with neglect, he retired to put himself again into the hands of those by whom he had been sent, but Mr. Fitzgerald remained with the rebels, and that evening accompanied them to a post called Three Rocks, the termination of a long ridge called Forth Mountain, which forms the boundary of the Bargy and Forth barronies. As Three Rocks is only two miles and a half from Wexford, and as they were now fully determined to attack that town, they remained there during the night.

Meantime the several successful operations of the rebels and their increasing numbers, had spread so great an alarm, that, on the morning of the twenty-seventh, two hundred of the Donegal militia, commanded by lieutenant-colonel Maxwell, and a six pounder, arrived in Wexford accompanied by colonel Colville, captain Young, and lieutenant Sodon, for the purpose of strengthening the garrison, consisting of the remains of the North Cork militia, about three hundred men; the Healthfield and Enniscorthy cavalry, captain Ogle's infantry, the Enniscorthy infantry, the Wexford infantry commanded by doctor Jacob, the Scarawalsh infantry, and the Wexford and Taghmon cavalry. Colonel Maxwell's reinforcement not being deemed sufficient, a letter was conveyed to general Fawcett at Duncannon-fort from the mayor of Wexford, imploring further assistance, by a Mr. Sutton, who returned with the exhilerating tidings, that the general would that evening commence his march to Wexford in person, and bring with him the thirteenth regiment, four companies of the Meath militia, and a party of

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