IRELAND (HISTORY.) 



113 





on for the space of three hours, William was obliged 

 to retreat, with a loss of 500 killed and 1000 wounded ; 

 and soon afterwards he ordered the siege to be 

 raised, and his army to retreat to Clonmel. Thence 

 he himself proceeded to Waterford, and embarked for 

 England. On his departure, the command of the forces 

 was left to count Solmes and Ginckle, and the care 

 of the civil government to two lords justices. 



The earl of Marlborough had, before William 

 raised the siege of Limerick, sailed from Portsmouth 

 with 5000 men ; and, landing near Cork, he reduced 

 this place and Kinsale. This event, so prejudicial 

 to the cause of James, was almost immediately 

 followed by the departure of Boileau and his French 

 soldiers from Limerick, between whom and the Irish 

 there had long been much jealousy. The Irish 

 were not, however, dispirited by these events. On 

 the contrary, they prepared for an attack on the 

 garrison at Mullingar, and, for this purpose, had 

 collected forage for 5000 cavalry for five days at 

 Athlone. Ginckle, on learning this, resolved to 

 anticipate the attack, and, marching at the head of 

 3000 men from Mullingar, he attacked a considera- 

 ble body of the Irish, who were encamped at Bally- 

 inorc. The attack succeeded ; the enemy fled ; but, 

 rallying at a place called Grenoge, they again gave 

 battle, and were again defeated, and thrown into 

 complete disorder. By this defeat, their plan of 

 offensive operations against the English garrisons 

 was frustrated. 



The partisans of James would probably have 

 given way to despair, had not their hopes been kept 

 up by the promise of supplies from France ; but only 

 officers came, and among them Saint Ruth, who was 

 empowered by James to take the command of all his 

 troops in Ireland. This general, after having learnt 

 the number of the forces which he was to command, 

 and of those by which he would be opposed, deemed 

 it prudent to act solely on the defensive ; and he 

 therefore strengthened his posts on the west side of 

 the Shannon, while with his main army he took his 

 station behind Athlone. Against Saint Ruth thus 

 situated, Ginckle resolved to commence offensive 

 operations. On the 18th of June, he came in sight 

 of the town ; a breach was soon made in the wall of 

 what is called the English town, and that part was 

 taken by storm ; but it seemed impossible to reach 

 the Irish town, the bridge being broken down, 

 and the Shannon being here extremely deep, and 

 at the same time very narrow. Ginckle, under 

 these circumstances, twice attempted to repair the 

 bridge, but the works were destroyed. His officers 

 and troops, instead of being discouraged, were 

 eager to ford the river, notwithstanding the obstacles 

 and dangers to which they would be thus exposed ; 

 and the general giving \yay to their impetuosity, 

 they rushed into the stream, gained the opposite 

 shore, and in spite of the enemy's incessant fire, 

 in half an hour were masters of the town. This 

 disaster increased the mutual hatred of the Irish 

 and French ; and of it, and the hatred thus in- 

 creased, Ginckle endeavoured to take advantage, 

 by issuing a proclamation, offering pardon to those 

 who would desert James. This offer, however, 

 produced little effect ; and it was evident that the 

 muse must be entirely decided by force of arms. 



Saint Ruth, immediately on the reduction of 

 Athlone, retired with his army, which consisted of 

 25,000 men, to the heights of Kilcommeden. Here 

 he took up a strong position, and awaited the 

 approach or Ginckle, who was not slow in following 

 him, notwithstanding his army consisted of only 

 18,000 men. This inferiority, however, was amply 

 compensated by the spirit by which his soldiers were 

 actuated. Indeed a most bloody contest was uliowt 



to take place. The first effort of Ginckle was to 

 force a pass on the right of the enemy ; and this 

 having been effected, his whole left wing advanced 

 through it; and attacked the right of the Irish. The 

 contest was severely contended ; and the Irish, even 

 after they were obliged to give way, retired only to 

 flank their assailants in their turn. Saint Ruth, as 

 soon as he was informed of the attack on his right, 

 drew great part of his cavalry from his left to support 

 it. Advantage was immediately taken of this, and 

 orders given to force the pass of Aghrirn castle, on 

 the left of the enemy by the cavalry, while the 

 infantry made a movement to support this attack. 

 The latter charging with impetuosity, the enemy 

 designedly gave way, and the assailants, pursuing 

 too far, were overpowered by a charge on the front 

 and flank at the same time. The cavalry, however, 

 had succeeded in their object, which induced Saint 

 Ruth to make them the principal object of his attack. 

 But, while he was giving orders to that effect, he 

 was slain by a cannon ball. The disputes between 

 the French and Irish now produced the most fatal 

 results ; for Saarfield, the Irish general, being totally 

 unacquainted with Saint Ruth's plans, was unable to 

 follow them up, and, before he could decide in what 

 manner to act, the English were victorious. Their 

 loss was only 700 killed, and 1000 wounded, whereas 

 the Irish lost 7000, besides 450 prisoners, and all 

 their cannon, ammunition, &c. Allowing his troops 

 a few days' repose, Ginckle marched against Galway, 

 which soon surrendered, on condition that its garrison 

 should be permitted to march to Limerick. The terms 

 in other respects were liberal as well as politic ; for, 

 as soon as they were known, considerable numbers 

 deserted the cause of James. Still, however, his par- 

 tisans were numerous, and such as remained firm, were 

 animated by a most determined spirit of resistance. 



No place of consequence now remained to James 

 except Limerick, and thither Ginckle directed his 

 march. Recollecting, however, the ill success of 

 his master before this place, he resolved to proceed 

 with the utmost caution. He took measures to 

 prevent the garrison receiving supplies by sea, and 

 to secure his own communication with Kerry, in case 

 he should be obliged to take up his winter quarters 

 there. As the garrison was equal in numbers to his 

 own army, it would have been madness to have 

 attempted to have taken the town by assault. 

 Instead, therefore, of wasting his time in making- 

 breaches in the walls, he resolved to cut off their 

 provisions, by cutting them off from the county of 

 Clare, whence they were drawn. This enterprise 

 was successfully performed, to the surprise and con- 

 sternation of the Irish, who, when they saw the bat- 

 teries dismounted, thought that the siege was about 

 to be raised. The next object of the general was to 

 gain possession of Thomond Bridge and King's 

 Island, which lie to the north of what is called the 

 English Town. The Shannon was crossed, the 

 works that protected the bridge were approached 

 and stormed, and, after a desperate resistance, the 

 English made a lodgment within ten yards of it. 

 Ginckle was surprised at his own success ; biit a 

 general engagement which the enemy ought to have 

 hazarded on this occasion, was prevented by the 

 disputes between the Irish and the French. Tin's 

 dissension, together with the success of the English, 

 produced an offer to capitulate; and Ginckle nere, 

 as at Athlone, gave the most liberal terms. In a 

 few days after Limerick was thus reduced, a French 

 fleet appeared in the Shannon, with such supplies of 

 troops, &c. as must have rendered it impossible, if 

 they had got into the city, to have taken it. 



The articles of Limerick, as they are called, that 

 is, the terms on which this city, and all the other 



