History of the Irish Insurrection of 1798

i .-' Cj^ • HISTORY .,, OF THE d~CJUL.^)LAJ^ IRISH IISURRECTIOI OF 1798, GIVING AN AUTHENTIC ACCOUNT OF THE VARIOUS BATTLES FOUGHT BETWEEN THE INSURGENTS AND THE KING'S ARMY, AND A GENUINE HISTORY OF TRANSACTIONS PRECEDING THAT EVENT. WITH A VALUABLE APPENDIX BY EDWARD HAY, ESQ., MEMBER OF THE SOTAL IRISH ACADEMT. " I will a round, unvarnish'd tale deliver." " Nothing extenuate, Nor set down aught in malice." Shakspeabx ^'' \ '-* NEW YORK: V,' V PUBLISHED BY JOHN KENEDY. *• 1847. CONTENTS. Page. Introduction, 7 Geographical description of the county of Wexford,. ... 51 Institution of the Volunteers of Ireland, 62 Meeting of the county on the 22d of September, 1792,. 67 on the Uth of January, 1793, ... 69 Riots in the year 1793, 70 Meeting of the county on the 23d of March, 1795, on the recall of Earl Fitzwilliam, 80 Loss of the former independence of the county of Wex- ford, 83 Melancholy effects produced by the riots in the county of Armagh, in 1795, 88 Causes of the present state of Ireland, 91 Conduct of the troops in Ireland censured by Sir Ralph Abercromby, commander-in-chief, 97 Proclamation of sixteen parishes in the county of Wex- ford, 28th of November, 1797, 100 Conduct of the North Cork militia on their arrival in the county of Wexford, 105 The whole of the county of Wexford proclaimed on the 27th of April, 1798 110 Meeting of the magistrates of the county, 23d of May, . 121 Sudden insurrection on the 27th of May, 137 Battle of Oulart, on the 27th of May, 138 Battle at Enniscorthy, 28th of May, 139 to — Retreat of the troops Wexford general confusion, . 141 Deputation to the insurgents on Vinegar Hill, 146 Defeat at the Three Rocks—surrender and abandonment of Wexford to the insurgents, on the 30th of May,. 153 Conduct of the troops on their retreat to Duncannon Fort, 164 General arrangements of the insurgents, 177 Abandonment of Gorey—conduct of the inhabitants, ... 179 4 CONTENTS. Page. Battles of Newtownbarry and Ballycanow, on the let of June, 1798, 185 Lord Kingsborough, Captains O'Hea and Bourke taken prisoners, 2d of June, 189 Battle of Clough or Tubberneering, 4th of June, 194 Battle of Ross, 5th of June, 198 Dreadful abomination at Scullabogue, 201 Battle of Arklow, 9th of June, 227 Attack at Borris, 236 Proposals of accommodation from Lord Kingsborough, 14th of June, 241 Skirmish at Tinnahely, 16th of June, 245 Insurgents surprised on Lacken Hill—their retreat, 19th, 248 Critical situation of Wexford—dreadful massacre !!!... 251 Battle of Horetown or Fooks's-mill, 20th, 273 Battle of Enniscorthy, 21st, 274 Wexford surrendered to Lord Kingsborough—his conduct and dispatches, 277 Major-general Moore's approach to Wexford, 21st, .... 287 Pursuit of the insurgents from Gorey, and their progress out of the county, 295 Trials and executions in Wexford, 297 Progress of the Wexford insurgents in the counties of Carlow and Kilkenny, 302 Progress of the Wexford insurgents in the county of Wicklow, 304 Progress of the Wexford insurgents closed by surrender, 311 Commanders and court-martials appointed, 312 Conduct of General Hunter—his superior discrimination, 316 Intended extermination of the inhabitants of the Maco- mores, 319 Conduct of the people on the landing of the French at Killala, 328 Conflagration of a Protestant church and Catholic chapels, 340 Conclusion, 350 ABSTRACTS FROM PLOWDEN, TEELING, ETC. Landing of the French at Killala, county Mayo, August 22d, 1798, 351 Battle with the yeomen and fencibles who were defeated by the French, 351 Gen. Humbert takes possession of Ballina, from whence the garrison fled, 352 CONTENTS. 5 Page Shameful defeat of near 6000 British soldiers at Castle- 353 bar, Col. Battle between the advanced guard of Humbert, and • • 333 Vereker, at Coloony, county Sligo, Humbert's march to Drummahair, towards Manorhamil- 353 ton, county Leitrim, Action between Crawford's troops and Humbert, between Drurashambo and Ballinamore,. 353 The French cross the Shannon at Ballintra, 354 Cornwallis crosses the same river at Carrick-on-Shannon, 354 Battle of Granard, between some thousands of West- meath and Longford United men, and the British 354 troops, 354 Battle of Ballynamuck, and surrender of Gen. Humbert, 1798. 355 Battle of Ballynascarty, county Cork, June 19th, Battle of Antrim, June 7th, and repulse of Major-general 355 Nugent, 356 Death of Lord O'Neil, who was mortally wounded, Assault on the town of Larne, and at Ballyraena and 356 Ballycasile, the United Occupation of Saintfield, county Down, by 356 troops, 356 Attack on Portaferry by the men of Ards Battles of Windmill Hill and Ed nevady, 356 357 Battle of Ballynahinch, June 13th, 1798, and Battle of Prosperous, county Kildare, May 23d, 358 slaughter of the ancient Britons, • • 358 Attack of Naas, by nearly 1000 men, the town of A body of 800 men take up arms in Cahir, 359 county Tipperary, 500 359 Mr. Wright seized at Clonmel, and received lashes, 359 Battle of Tara, county Meath, 360 Rathangan, county Kildare, " " Kilcullen 360 Surrender of about 2000 United men to Gen. Dundas, on of them Knockawin Hill, and the murder of above 700 360 by Jocelyn's Fox-hunters, . 360 Bergen tortured to death in Drogheda, couBty Louth,. APPENDIX. on the 22d of I. Speech of Captain Sweetman, Sep- 3«1 tember, 1792 6 CONTENTS. Pace Account of the county meeting at Wexford, 380 Resolutions of the Catholics of Wexford, 382 II. Requisition of the magistrates of the county of Wexford, 383 Resolutions of the county meeting, January 11th, 1793 383 III. Certificate of Solomon Richards, Esq., 385 Affidavit of Mr. Taylor, an Englishman, 389 IV. Extract from the debates of the House of Lords, 10th of July, 1793, 391 V. Resolutions of the Catholics inWexford, July 30th, 391 VI. Requisition to the high-sheriff and magistrates of the county of Wexford, 394 Resolutions at the county meeting, 23d of March, 1795, on the recall of Earl Fitzwilliam, 396 Petition to the king, 398 Address to his excellency Earl Fitzwilliam, 400 VII. Lord Gosford's address to the magistrates of the county of Armagh, with the resolutions entered into, on the 28th of December, 1795, 402 VIII. General orders of Sir Ralph Abercromby, 26th of February, 1798, 406 IX. Oaths during the insurrection, 407 X. The address of the inhabitants of the Macomores to Major Fitzgerald, 409 to General Hunter, 409 Letter to Major Fitzgerald, 411 XI. Affidavit of Mr. Stephen Lett, Jan., 412 Letter from Lieutenant Murphy, 413 Affidavit of Edward Roche, 413 Letter from Captain Bourke, 414 Letter from Lord Kingston, 419 Letter from Major Fitzgerald, 420 Affidavit of Margaret Breen, 421 Letter from Armstrong Browne, Esq., 423 XII. Testimony of Doctor Jacob, 424 XIII. Letter to the Rev. Mr. Gordon, with his answer, 427 Conclusion, 431 \\^'> ,^. * 1. !l C. , THE IRISH REBELLION INTRODUCTION. I WOULD not obtrude myself on public attention were I not earnestly solicited by numerous and re- spectable friends (who have at length prevailed) to give a genuine account of the transactions in the county of Wexford, during the insurrection, in the 1798 in order to counteract the baleful effects year ; of the partial details and hateful misrepresentations, which have contributed so much to revive and con- tinue those loathsome prejudices that have, for cen- turies, disturbed and distracted Ireland. It is con- ceived, that a fair and impartial account, by dissipa- ting error, may operate as a balm to heal the wounds of animosity; for let the candid reader be of what political principles he may, I am confident he must be sensible, that no adherent of either of the contend- ing parties in this unhappy country, can in justifica- tion feel himself authorized to assert, that his own party was perfectly in the right, and the other egre- in the and there are to giously wrong ; yet partisans be found on either side, endeavoring to maintain that this is actually the case. But if these zealots could be induced calmly to listen to the melancholy tales of enormity that can unfortunately be told of both be to relax a little parties, they might prevailed upon It in their prejudices. the spirit of intolerance and 8 INTRODUCTION retaliation be still held up, no kind of social inter- course or harmony can exist in Ireland. With a view, therefore, of establishing concord, by showing from what has happened, that it will be of universal advantage to forget the past, and to cultivate general task amity in future, I have undertaken the_ arduous of to reconcile out errors a endeavoring ; pointing by genuine relation of facts, and I hope this may even- tually prevail upon neighbors of all descriptions to cherish the blessings of union and mutual benevo lence, which cannot fail of banishing from their breasts every rankling idea, and must prevent the possibihty of their ever again becoming the easy tools of political speculation, which unfortunately hitherto encouraged hatred and variance, and ended in the miserable debility and depression of all. Did I know any other person willing and able to give a more circumstantial account of what has fatally happened in the county of Wexford, (which is the only part of Ireland I at present undertake to treat of,) I would cheerfully resign my documents into his hands but as I have been most circum- ; peculiarly stanced, as an eye-witness of many remarkable transactions, the information cannot be so well handed over, and might not be produced with such good ef- fect at second-hand. I conceive it therefore neces- sary to give some account of myself, as most of my readers could not possibly otherwise be sensible of the many opportunities I had of being perfectly in- formed of the state of the country, which certainly did not fall to the lot of many other persons.

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