one miffing, fixteen rank and file killed, fixty-two wounded, five mifling.

The arrival of general Moore's army at Foulkes's mill occafioned a very great alarm, at Wexford and the Three-rock camp. t On the evening of the nineteenth, the drums beat to arms, and the church bell was rung. Keugh and Harvey were very bufy, but seemed much difiayed. They fent all the rebel foldiers in town to the Three-rock camp. For three miles, the distance from it to the town, each fide of the road was crowded with old men, women and children, on their knees, praying for their fuccefs, as they marched by. When they advanced about two miles, they met on horfeback father Keane, commonly called the bleffed priest of Bannow. The rabble had uncommon veneration for him, because they believed, from his fuperior fanctity, that he was more expert in working miracles, and had more fupernatural powers, than any other prieft. He was a little old grey-headed man. The rebels flocked to him with great eagernefs, to obtain his benediction, which gave, by laying his hand on their heads, and muttering a few words.

he

This priest having been guilty of fome irregularities, foon after he was priested, retired to Newfoundland, where he exercifed, for fome years, his facred function, and at the fame time the apoftolick purfuit of a fisherman. A boat, in which he ferved as a failor, having caught great quantities of cod fish, in a harbour where it had been fought for in vain fome years before, this fudden change was imputed to his benediction beftowed on it. He returned to his native country, with the title of the bleffed priest of Bannow, which is his native place. During the rebellion he diftributed many thoufand fcapulars among the rebels; and to numbers he gave two, one to pro

*

tect

Having given the reader a defcription of the rebel camp on Vinegar-hill, I fhall give him that on the mountain of Forth, im Appendix, No. XXI. 3.

See in the Index a full explanation of this religious emblem; and in Plate V. a figure of one,

tect them in advancing, the other in retreating. He affured the wearers of this facred fymbol, that a ball from a heretick gun could do them no more injury than a pea. He conftantly vifited the rebel camps, particularly that on the mountain of Forth; and a poney on which he rode, was led by two pike-men, who cried out, with a loud voice, "Make way for the bleffed priest of Bannow!" I have been affured that he refufed his bleffing to fome rebels, unless they brought him the head of Mr. Goff, of Horetown, a quaker, who was justly and univerfally esteemed; and it is faid, that he would moft certainly have been aflaffinated, but for the victory of general Moore, which ftruck terror into the rebels.

A party of them took poffeffion of Mr. Goff's houfe, under the command of one Monk, and they were attended by father Byrne, a prieft, who was purveyor to the party; and he compelled the Mifs Goffs, young and amiable women, to bake bread, and do every other menial office to fupply the rebels. A party of them one day afked his benediction, having knelt down for that purpofe; but he refufed to give it, only to fuch as produced their pikes flained with the blood of hereticks.

It was mentioned before that general Moore was to take poft at Foulkes's mill, ten miles from Wexford, to prevent the rebels in their flight from Vinegar-hill from efcaping by Clomines. He remained in the demefne of Mr. Sutton, of Longraige, which is quite close to it, on the evening of the nineteenth of June.

Next morning, general Moore had a smart action with the rebels, which is defcribed by him in a letter to general Lake.†

I have been affured by perfons well acquainted with the defigns of the rebel general, that this action was brought on in the following manner:

That general Roche intended to have taken poffeffion of Rofs, when general Johnfon had left it; that

Plate III. 6, 7.

† Appendix, No. XXI. 2.

that he fent one' party to Horetown, to watch the motions and engage the attention of general Moore, while the main body proceeded to Rofs; that the former fuddenly and unexpectedly came on general Moore's army, and had a fkirmifh with them.

The main body having heard the firing, went to their afliftance, which brought on a general action.

Roche, after being defeated, meant to have kept one divifion of his army in the woods of Horetown, to the north, the other in thofe of Roffgarland, to the fouth; and to have renewed the attack in the night, when, aided by the darknefs which would have been favourable to the charge of his pikemen, and relying on the fuperiority of his numbers,* he entertained strong hopes of fuccefs; but the arrival of the 29th and the Queen's regiment as a reinforcement to general Moore baffled his expectations.

There were many priests in the rebel army, exhorting their troops, and often horfewhipping, and even threatening the runaways with fwords and piftols, to compel them to return to their ranks.

Having mentioned the occurrences which preceded and occafioned the evacuation of Wexford by the rebels, I fhall now relate that event, and the dreadful maffacre of proteftants which took place the day before, and which has caft fuch an indelible ftain on that county, that every Irifhman, who feels for the honour of his native country, fhould wifh that its very name was expunged from the map of Ireland. From the fanguinary fpirit which the rebels manifefted on all occafions during the rebellion towards that fect of chriftians, there is not a doubt but that they meant to extirpate them as foon as they had obtained a decided fuperiority over the government; and their leaders never failed to practife every artifice they could devife, to make them believe they were in a fair way of attaining it: But when their delufions were removed, and they faw a very numerous and well

He had at least fifteen thoufand. General Moore had not more than one thousand two hundred.

well-appointed army march into the county of Wexford, they were ftung with defpair, and refolved to indulge their fanatical hatred against proteftants, by murdering fuch of them as were their prifoners.

Jofeph Gladwin, the gaoler, declares, that Thomas Dixon, mariner, went down to the gaol about the hour of two o'clock, mounted on a large white horse, and. that a man walked by his fide, bearing a black flag; that when he came to the Bridewell door, he said, Bring out the prifoners; and, as they are fhot, we, will pile them against the dead wall of the gaol."

.66

I fhall give the reader an account of this tragical affair, as related to me by fome refpectable perfons who refided in Mr. Hatchel's houfe,* very near the bridge, where it was perpetrated, and were eyewitneffes to it.

"Between the hours of ten and eleven o'clock on the morning of the twentieth of June, we faw a body of rebels coming over the bridge, bearing a black flag, with a crofs, and the letters M W S infcribed on it in white; which were fuppofed to mean murder without fin; and on the other fide a red crofs. After having made a proceffion through part of the town, they fixed that woeful harbinger of death on the custom-house quay, near the fatal fpot where fo much blood was foon after fhed; and where it remained flying for about two hours before the butchery began. I

"Soon after they arrived on the quay, they seemed to disperse; however many of them remained there, and repaired to one particular place, where drink was given to. them, and where a prieft was very bufy in diftributing it, and who, they believed, remained

* Plate VI.

Some refpectable, proteftant ladies, prifoners at that time, affured me, that at that awful moment, they were informed, and with apparent forrow, by fome popish women, in whofe houfes they lodged, that the hour was come, when every perfon in Wexford of their religion, would be put to death. Others received this melancholy intelligence the evening of the preceding day.

remained there till they left the quay, fhouting, "To the gaol! to the gaol!" when they all disappeared, but returned about four o'clock to the bridge, with a number of prisoners, whom they maffacred. They thus continued till about feven o'clock to convey parties of prisoners from ten to twenty, from the gaol and the market-house, where many of them were confined, to the bridge, where they butchered them. Every proceffion was preceded by the black flag, and the prifoners were furrounded by ruthless pikemen, as guards, who often infultingly defired them to bless themselves.

"The mob, confifting of more women than men, expreffed their favage joy on the immolation of each of the victims, by loud huzzas.

"The manner, in general, of putting them to death, was thus: Two rebels pushed their pikes into the breaft of the victim, and two into his back; and in that ftate (writhing with torture) they held him fufpended, till dead, and then threw him over the bridge into the water.

"After they had massacred ninety-seven prisoners in that manner, and before they could proceed further in the bufinefs, an exprefs rode up in great hafte, and bid them beat to arms, as Vinegar-hill was befet, and reinforcements were wanting. There was immediately a cry, "To camp! to camp camp!" The rebels feemed in fuch confufion, that the maffacre was difcontinued.

"In the moment of confufion, the reverend Mr. Corrin, parish priest of Wexford, arrived on the bridge, to divert them from their fanguinary defigns, and which, it is faid, he did to the utmost of his power. Soon after his arrival, he knelt down on the very spot where the blood had been fpilled, and faid fome prayers. After which the rebels rofe from their knees, and exclaimed, "Come on, boys, in the name of God, to the camp! Thank God, we VOL. II. have

C

See Appendix, No. XX. 2.

3