the leaders of rebellion were induced to take arms against the government, certainly there can be no impropriety in saying that persons sent with proposals from them ought to have been held sacred. Loyalists, who had the misfortune to be taken by the rebels, and compelled to accompany them, were detered from attempting to escape to any royal troops, which they might often have done, lest they should be mistaken for rebel messengers, and put to death before they could make themselves known. For the same reason such rebels as might be inclined to return to their allegiance were withheld from taking a step so salutary. Besides, might not a whole body of insurgents by communications of this kind have offered to lay down their arms? The rebels, also, treated in this manner, must have been rendered doubly ferocious, and considering themselves as devoted to destruction should they fail in their enterprise, be driven by desperation to retaliate with signal vengeance on the unhappy loyalists who were so unfortunate as to fall into their possession. On the person of Furlong was found the summons, which was couched as follows:

Summons to the Commander of the Garrison of Ross.

"Sir,-As a friend to humanity, I request you will surrender the town of Ross to the Wexford forces, now assembled against that town. Your resistance will but provoke rapine and plunder to the ruin of the most innocent. Flushed with victory, the Wexford forces, now innumerable and irresistable, will not be controled if they meet with resistance. To prevent, therefore, the total ruin of all property in the town, I urge you to a speedy 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 four hours. Mr. Furlong carries this letter, and will bring the answer.

Camp at Corbet-hill, half

past three o'clock, morning, June 5, 1798.

I am, Sir,

B. B. HARVEY, General, commanding, &c. &c.

E e

Harvey had formed a plan for the attack on three parts of the town at once, which in all probability would have succeeded if put in execution. After dispatching Furlong with the summons, however, while he was busily employed in arranging the troops for the assault, a very galling fire was kept up by the outposts of the garrison. To disperse the troops who gave this annoyance, he ordered one Kelly, a young man of the most intrepid courage, to put himself at the head of five hundred men and attack them. In pursuance of this order, which he executed with precision, he was followed in a confused manner by many more of the insurgents than he had occasion for. These, instead of returning to the main body after driving in the outposts, as they had been ordered, elated with success, rushed with impetuosity into the town, drove back the cavalry upon the infantry, and seemed to have been for some time complete masters of it, into which, following the successful career of their companions, crowds from the hill entered with tremenduous shouts. From an idea that the victory was already decisive in favour of the rebels, several officers of the garrison immediately retreated to Waterford. The rebels were prevented from penetrating into the centre of the town by the Dublin and Donegal militia, stationed at the market-house and a place called Fairgate, where they firmly maintained their posts; while general Johnson and a merchant named M'Cormick, a man of lofty stature and great courage, distinguished during the whole action in the hottest parts of the engagement by a brazen helmet, and who had served some time in the army, were labouring with the utmost assiduity to rally and animate the discomfited troops, who had fled across the river to the Kilkenny side, They were again brought back to action, when a most desperate engagement was maintained, with the greatest resolution on both sides, for ten hours. The rebels had already fired a number of houses, as at Enniscorthy, and were pushing with vigour for the bridge. General Johnson on this planted several guns at the lanes leading from Church-lane and Neville-street, and one at the old market place where he for some time stationed himself. These did dreadful execution. Whole ranks were mowed down at once; but such was the resolution of the assailants that fresh men constantly presented themselves with

renovated ardour, filling up the gaps, and seemingly, by approaching within a few yards of the guns, courting the fate they met with. One man in particular, with an undaunted courage perhaps never equalled, rushed forward, clapped his hand upon a cannon, and stuffing into her his hat and wig, as far as his arm could reach, called out to his associates, "Blood-and-ounds! "come on boys! her mouth is stopt." At that instant the gunner applied the match, when this illiterate and unfortunate hero was blown to atoms. Thrice were the rebels driven to the outskirts of the town with dreadful slaughter, and as often, rallied by their leaders, were they brought back again, recovering some ground each time. At length, however, they were repulsed, after the most obstinate and bloody battle during the course of the croppy war. The loss of the rebels exceeded one thousand men. That of the military was about two hundred, among whom was lord Mountjoy, colonel of the county of Dublin militia, and cornet Ladwell of the 5th dragoons. General Johnson had two horses killed under him. The rebels left fourteen swivel guns and four cannon on ship carriages behind them, which were taken by the royal army.

Besides the irregular manner in which this attack was made (Harvey's plan being totally neglected,) perhaps not above five thousand of the rebels descended from Corbet-hill to share in the action; and many, as soon as the engagement commenced, fled home, and gave exulting accounts of the success of the day, which they fancied was inevitable. An artillery-man, a prisoner, who had been attached to one of the rebel cannons, was ordered to level her, and threatened with death should he not do properly what they termed his duty. He aimed too high, which, whether he acted, in such a situation, properly or not, was instantly rewarded with death. The following account, though considerably exaggerated, given by a military man, of the battle, we insert, as it contains a pretty adequate idea of the general tumult and horror of the scene.

"The advanced rebels drove before them a number of cattle, to throw our army into confusion, which was in some measure prevented, by a few discharges of grape-shot. The action commenced by the 4th flank battalion; indeed such a close well-directed fire I never saw, being an idle spectator for

upwards of two hours and a half. About seven o'clock the army began to retreat in every direction. I commanded a sixpounder field-piece. The rebels came pouring into the town like a flood, and human blood began to flow down the streets. Though hundreds were blown to pieces by our grape-shot, yet thousands behind them, being intoxicated with drinking during the night, and void of fear, rushed upon us, as if courting their fate. The cavalry were now ordered to make a charge through them, when a terrible carnage ensued; they were cut down like grass; but the pikemen being called to the front, and our swords being too short to reach them, obliged our horse to re treat, which put us in some confusion. We kept up the action till about half past eight; which was maintained with such obs stinacy on both sides, that it was doubtful who would keep the field. They then began to burn and destroy the town, it was on fire in many places in about fifteen minutes. By this time the rebels advanced as far as the main-guard, where there was a most bloody conflict, with the assistance of two ship guns placed in the street, they killed a great number of them, and beat them back for some time. The Dublin county regiment, headed by their colonel, made another attack on the rebels; the action being now revived in all quarters of the town with double fury, many heroes fell, and among them the brave Mountjoy, which so exasperated his regiment, that they fought like furies -now indeed was the scene bloody. Our forces the third time being overpowered, by the weight of such a body pouring down upon us, we retreated beyond the bridge, when General Johnson came galloping up crying "soldiers, I will lay my "bones this day in Ross, will you let me lie alone?"

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Major Vessey, of the Dublin county, the next in command to Lord Mountjoy, led his men over the bridge again, exhorting them to revenge, for the loss of their colonel. The whole brigade (except some who fled to Waterford) being led on by general Johnson, (as brave a commander as ever drew a sword,) were determined to take the town, to conquer or to die. Again we opened a tremenduous fire on the rebels, which was as fiercely returned. We re-took the cannon which was taken from the king's forces in a former engagement, and turned them on the rebels. The gun I commanded being called to the

main-guard, shocking was it to see the dreadful carnage that was there, it continued for half an hour, it was obstinate and bloody the thundering of cannon shook the town, the windows were shivered in pieces with the dreadful concussion; I believe there were five hundred bodies lying in the main-street. The rebels were so desperate that they frequently came within a few yards of our guns.

"The action was doubtful from four in the morning, till four in the afternoon, when the rebels gave way in every quar ter, and shortly after fled precipitately in every direction, leav ing behind them all their cannon, baggage, provisions, wine, whiskey, brandy, &c. It was past five before we finally routed them; when they made the best of their way to Carrickbyrne. As nearly as can be computed, the rebels had two thousand six hundred killed, and a great number wounded, and a great number mortally. I know soldiers who fired one hundred and twenty rounds of ball cartridge, and I fired twenty-one rounds of cannister shot, with the field-piece I commanded."

On the morning after the engagement the town presented a most hideous spectacle. Upwards of four hundred houses were consumed, and a multitude of dead bodies were lying in the streets. The greater part of these were thrown into a gravel pit and covered over, or precipitated into the river, where they were carried off by the tide.

Had the insurgents succeeded in obtaining possession of Ross, the whole province of Munster would have risen in rebellion, as messengers were ready to be dispatched from Waterford, to summon the people of the south to appear in arms.

Early in the morning of the fifth of June, one of the rebels, who had in a cowardly manner fled from the battle of Ross, came galloping to Scullabogue, where the protestant prisoners, as already observed, were confined; and declaring that the garrison of Ross were massacreing the catholics, feigned an order from general Harvey to put the loyalists to death. As John Murphy, who commanded the guard, wished to save the prisoners, he strenuously declared that not a man of them should be touched without written orders from the general himself. About an hour afterwards, another rebel arrived, exclaiming "Our friends are all destroyed at Ross!-Murder