IRELAND. 
gret, and prepared, under the conduct of’ their country¬ 
man Sarsfield, to exert with vigour their unaided force 5 
while Ginkel felt himfelf fo fecure, that he withdrew his 
troops into wini*;r-quarters, without fecuring the paffes 
and caftles along the Shannon. This negleCt afforded 
the Irilh an opportunity of making ruinous incurfions. 
The effects of thefe devaftations were aggravated by 
the atrocities of a banditti, previoufl'y noticed by the 
name of Tories, and who now became numerous and for¬ 
midable under the denomination of Rapparees, the Irifh 
term for their ufual weapon the half-pike. In fummer 
they hovered round the Englifli camp, butchering every 
foldier that fell into their hands; and in winter, leaving 
their arms in convenient places, they appeared as beggars 
qn the different quarters of the army. Affembling in 
the night in retired fpots, they rulhed on their prey, and 
vanifhed at the firft appearance of danger, leaving their 
progrefs to be traced by the conflagration of houfes, and 
the carcafes of their murdered victims. To repel thefe 
marauders, the Englifli were under the neceflity of em¬ 
ploying perfons of a fimilar defcription, called Proteftant 
Rapparees, whofe mode of holtility being fimilar, were 
better able to cope with fuch an enemy; but, by this 
kind of retaliation, the miferies of the unoffending inha¬ 
bitants were prodigioufly increafed. 
In the fpring of 1691, Ginke], having learned that an 
attack was intended on his garrifon at Mulingar, marched 
•with 3000 men againlt a coniiderable body of the enemy 
encamped near Ballymore, between that place and Ath¬ 
lone. Here they occupied a pafs fortified, from preci¬ 
pitation and ignorance, with palifadoes pointing towards 
themfelves, fo as to protect initead of checking the enemy. 
Driven fucceflively from this ground, and from Grenoge, 
where they rallied and again gave battle, they fled in 
confternation to Athlone, with the lofs of 300 men, 500 
horles, their baggage, and a quantity of arms. The Spi¬ 
rits of James’s adherents were, however, kept up by the 
return of TyVconnel, who had been fent to folicit fuc- 
cours from France, with clothing and money, and the 
arrival of French officers, and among the reft Saint Ruth, 
whom the dethroned monarch had appointed commander 
in chief of his forces in Ireland. Finding a defenfive 
fyftem neceflary, this new general ftrengthened the pofts 
on the weft fide of the Shannon, and took his ftation 
with the main army behind Athlone. Ginkel, with an 
inferior force, having reduced Ballymore, proceeded to 
inveft that town. The Englifli diftridt on the eaft fide of 
the Shannon wasfoon (formed ; but the enemy, having de¬ 
stroyed the arch of the bridge which communicated with 
the Irifli town, made a defperate refiftance in the latter. 
The affailants having been foiled in more than one at¬ 
tempt to repair the bridge, nothing lefs than the railing 
of the fiege was anticipated by Saint Ruth ; when the 
Englifli, fording the river under a tremendous fire from 
the enemy’s works, mounted the breaches that had been 
made next the Shannon, and in half an hour made them¬ 
felves mafters of the town. Saint Ruth, informed that 
the affailants were palling the ford, replied that they 
could not poflibly have the prefurnption to attempt the 
town while he and his army lay fo near; but, another 
meffenger arriving with the intelligence that they were 
in poffeffion of it, he put his troops in motion for their 
cxpulfion. On receiving the fire of their own guns from 
the walls, they precipitately retreated fouthward acrofs 
the river Suck. 
Ginkel, having on the 5th of July iffued a proclamation 
effering a free pardon and compenfations to fuch of 
James’s adherents as fhould furrender within a limited 
time, and repaired the fortifications of Athlone, marched 
«n the 10th toward the enemy, and encamped along the 
Suok, three miles from the Irifli army. The latter, 85,000 
in number, occupied a poll of great ftrength at Aghrim, 
being encamped aiong the heights of Kilcommeden, be¬ 
hind a bog which left only two paffes for the approach of 
an enemy. With only 18,000 men, Ginkel advanced on 
Vpx.. XI. No. 756, 
325 
the 12th to attack an army fo fuperior to his own, fo 
ltrongly polled, encouraged by every argument the gene¬ 
ral could employ, and by the prielts, who are faid to 
have gone through the ranks and to have fworn the men 
on the facrament/not to defert their colours. The battle 
began by a part of the Englifli army forcing the pafs on 
the right of the enemy. Through this pafs the entire 
left wing afterwards poured, and attacked the right of 
the Irifli, to the fupport of which Saint Ruth drew great 
part of his cavalry from his left wing. The Englifli 
cavalry feized this opportunity to force the other pafs, 
defended by Aghrim-caftle, on the left of the enemy, 
while fome regiments of infantry in the centre made their 
way with great labour through the bog; but, tranfported 
with ardour, and purfuing their opponents almolt to the 
main body of the Irifli, tiiey were driven back to the bog 
with coniiderable lofs. Saint Ruth, too eafily elated 
with this tranfient fuccefs, exclaimed in an extacy of joy, 
“ Now will I drive the Englilh to the very walls of Dub¬ 
lin!” Meanwhile the cavalry of the latter, having ac 
compliflied their purpofe, prefled forward with defperate 
impetuofity, and afforded the infantry in the centre an 
opportunity to rally and recover their former ground. 
The French general was conducting a formidable body 
of liorfe to repel this new attack, when lie was killed by 
a cannon ball. His troops, deprived of their leader, were 
foon thrown into confufion and routed, with the lofs of 
all their artillery, baggage, a quantity of fniall arms, 
eleven ftandards, and thirty-two colours. In the battle 
and purfuit 7000 of the Irilh were (lain, and 450 taken 
prifoners; of the Englilh 700 were killed, and iooct 
wounded. The conquerors, after this decifive victory, 
proceeded to attack Galway, which, after a refiftance of a 
few days, capitulated. The troops and garrifon were 
allowed to march to Limeric with the honours of war, 
and a free pardon was granted to the inhabitants. 
Encouraged by the favourable conceflions of Ginkel, 
many of James’s adherents deferted his caufe, and fub- 
mitted to William. Even among thole who had been 
his molt zealous partifans, a difference of opinion pre¬ 
vailed. Tyrconnel died of vexation from the contu¬ 
melious treatment which he received on account of his 
advice in favour of fubmiflion ; yet his fentiments on that 
head were adopted by the three lords juftices to whom 
James had deputed the civil adminiftration. The French 
1'aCtioR, however, proved predominant, through the in¬ 
fluence of the generals of that nation, and the intelligence 
that a fleet of twenty fliips was ready to fail from France 
to their affiftance. Ginkel was meanwhile preparing to 
attack Limeric. While the fleet of fir Ralph Delaval 
was cruiling off Cape Clear to intercept the fuccours ex¬ 
pected from France, he approached the city on the 25th 
of Auguft on the fouth-eaft fide, in the fame manner as 
William had done the preceding year. As it feemed' 
ufelefs to attempt to make breaches in walls defended by 
3 garrifon equal in number to the befieging army, the 
general refolved if poffible to cut off the enemy from the 
county of Clare, which furnilhed them with provifions, 
by gaining poffeffion of Thomond bridge. This attempt 
was made on the 22d of September. Ginkel croffed the 
Shannon with a large body of troops, partly by means of 
pontons, and partly by fording. After a (harp conteft, 
they forced their way to the works protecting the bridge, 
which the grenadiers were commanded to (form, "a 
furious engagement enfued ; the Irilh gave way, and a 
French officer who commanded at the poll, fearing left 
the Englilh Ihould enter with the fugitives, ordered the 
draw-bridge to be raifed, and thus abandoned his own 
men to the fury of the enemy. Before the carnage could 
be ftopped, fix hundred carcafes filled the bridge even to 
the battlements; a hundred and fifty men were forced 
into the river and drowned ; and a hundred and twenty 
were taken by the befiegers, who made a lodgment 
within ten yards of tne bridge. To fuch a height had 
the diffenfions among the garrifon rilen, lb great was the 
4- Q ' mutual 
