3:s r R e L 
cording to peremptory orders tent by exprefs from gene¬ 
ral Dundas. 
The country round the capital was now cleared of the 
infargents; but rebellion had burft forth with fury inn. 
quarter where it was lead: expefted. In the large and po¬ 
pulous county of Wexford, many of the catholic inhabi¬ 
tants of which had addreffed the lord-lieutenant, alluring 
him of their attachment to government, and their deter¬ 
mination to arm, if permitted, in its defence, the rumours 
of the cruelties wantonly praftifed on their fellow-coun¬ 
trymen in other parts, had excited horrible apprehenfions; 
but, when they began to be exercifed on themfelves by 
the infolent and licentious foldiery, their conllernation 
became inconceivable. In the night of the 26th of May, 
the ftandard df rebellion was railed by John Murphy, cu¬ 
rate to the pari fir-prieft of Boulavogue. An attempt to 
difperfe this nocturnal affembly by lieutenant Bookey, of 
the Camolin cavalry, coll him his life ; and, on the morn¬ 
ing of the 27th, two bodies of armed men appeared on 
the hills of Oulart and Kilthomas, the former ten miles 
north of Wexford, the latter nine welt of Gorey. The 
reports, but too well founded, of the murder of unarmed 
and unoffending people by parties of yeomen, rapidly in- 
creafed their numbers. To difperfe thefe two armed mobs, 
each of which u'as but a confuted multitude of both fexes, 
two bodies of royal troops advanced on different Tides, 
and with very different luccefs. The infurgents on Kil- 
thomas-hill fled in a panic, after fome diftant volleys of 
mufketry from a body of between two and three hundred 
yeomen from Carnew, who killed about one hundred and 
fifty fn the purfuit, and bur v.d on their march a hundred 
cabins and two Romilh chapels. At Oulart, where Mur¬ 
phy commanded, the rebels at firft fled with precipitation 
before a chofen detachment of the North Cork militia from 
Wexford; but, luddenly returning upon their purfuers, 
when the latter had arrived in confufion and ahnolt breath- 
lefs near the fummit of the hill, they made fo furious an 
attack with their pikes as to cut off the whole detach¬ 
ment except lieutenant-colonel Foote, the commander, a 
ferjeant, and three privates. 
While the country exhibited a difmal fcene of commo¬ 
tion and conflagration, Murphy, elated with his fuccefs, 
' marched, on the 28th, with perpetually-increafing num¬ 
bers, from Oulart to Camolin, where he found a quantity 
of fire-arms, fent by earl Mountnorris for the ufe of his 
yeomen. He then proceeded to Ennifcorthy with his fol¬ 
lowers, in number about feven thoufand, of whom eight 
hundred were armed with mufkets. After an ineffectual 
attempt to oppofe the rebels in the field, the garrifon of 
about three hundred, chiefly yeomen and volunteers, re¬ 
treated into the town, fituated on both Tides of the Slaney. 
The place was nearly encompaffed by the affailants, num¬ 
bers of whom eroded the river, wading to the neck; and 
it was at length rendered untenable by the difaffefted in¬ 
habitants, as ij is reported, fetting fire to their own habi¬ 
tations. The garrifon accordingly abandoned the poft, 
and, accompanied by raoll of the loyal people in the place, 
of whom between eighty and ninety fell, they retreated to 
Wexford. Here the fugitives found a fcene of fcarcely 
lets terror and confufion than that from which they had 
juft efcaped. The rebels were approaching the town, and, 
while preparations were made for defence, it was deemed 
advifible to attempt to avert the danger by perfuafion. 
Beauchamp Bagenal Harvey, John Henry Colclough, and 
Edward Fitzgerald, gentlemen of the county, were then 
in confinement on private information; the two latter 
undertook, at the inftance of fome officers, to repair to 
the infurgents, and ufe their influence to prevail upon 
them to difperfe. They found them, on the 29th of May, 
pofted on Vinegar-hill, an eminence at the foot of which 
hands the town of Ennifcorthy, diitrafted in their coun¬ 
cils, without leaders of influence, and without plan. The 
arrivaTof the gentlemen prifoners, as they were ftyled, was 
hailed with joy by the ftraggiing bands, who retained Fitz¬ 
gerald as their leader, and refolved' to proceed to Wex- 
A N D. 
ford. Colclough was difpatcned with this intelligence, 
and the following night the infurgents, to the number of 
15,000, pofted themfelves on the eminence of Three Rocks, 
the termination of a long but not lofty ridge, called the 
mountain of Forth, diftant from Wexford only two miles 
and a half. 
As general Fawcett, with a confiderable force, was ex¬ 
pedited from Duncannon, the garrifon of Wexford, on the 
morning of the 30th, took a pofition without the town, that 
they might be ready to co-operate with him in the attack of 
the rebel force. The general's vanguard, however, of eighty- 
eight men, haviug been cut off under Three Rocks by the 
enemy, he retreated precipitately to Duncannon. Colonel 
Maxwell, of the Donegal militia, commander of the gar¬ 
rifon, having in vain attempted to regain two howitzers, 
taken from the flaughtered troops, returned to Wexford, 
where, in a council of war, it was refolved to evacuate the 
town, and withdraw to Duncannon. This retreat was 
condufted with the moft fhameful irregularity, and even 
fome of the armed yeomanry were 'left with the inhabi¬ 
tants to the mercy of the rebels. The courfe of the troops 
through a country which had remained perfeftly quiet, 
was marked with the burning of houfes and the fhooting 
of unarmed peafants. Harvey had, at the requeft of the 
officers, written a letter to the chiefs of the rebels, an¬ 
nouncing the furrender of the town, and intreating them 
to aft with humanity. They promifed that the lives and 
properties of the townfmen fliould be protefted, on con¬ 
dition of all the arms and ammunition being delivered 
into their hands; but on their arrival, finding the place 
abandoned by the foldiers, and no ftores of that fort left 
behind, the ungovernable multitude, irritated by this dis¬ 
appointment and the outrages of the troops, could fcarcely 
be reftrained from a general maffacre and conflagration. 
The fliips in the harbour, crowded with fugitives hoping 
to efcape to England, all returned, except two, when l'urn- 
moned by boats from the rebels. 
In the northern parts of the county of Wexford, the 
rebels were not fo fuccefsful. A body of about one 
thoufand was defeated on the ift of June, near Gorey; 
and another of four thoufand was . routed with daughter 
on the 3d, in an attempt on Newtown-barry. A vaft 
number having affembled under a prieft named Roche, 
on the hill of Corrigrua, leven miles from Gorey, 1500 
of the royal forces marched by different roads in two di- 
vifions, under general Loftus and colonel Walpole, to 
attack that poft. Roche, receiving intelligence of this 
movement, proceeded with his whole force, exceeding 
10,000 men, againft Walpole’s divifion. That officer, 
marching without caution, knew nothing of the enemy 
till they poured upon him, and threw his troops into 
confufion by a tremendous fire. While attempting to 
rally them, lie himfelf fell, on which they fled in the ut- 
moft diforder, and, leaving their artillery confiding of 
three pieces in the poffeffion of the enemy, did not flop 
till they arrived at Arklow, thirteen miles diftant. Their 
lofs amounted to about forty; but a detachment of fe- 
venty grenadiers, fent by general Loftus to their afliftance, 
were alfo furrounded, and all killed or taken prifoners. 
The general, following the rebels to Gorey, found them 
pofted on the hill at whofe foot the town lies, and from 
which they fired upon his troops with the captured ar¬ 
tillery. As he could neither attack their poll, nor attempt 
to pafs by it to Arklow with any probability of fuccefs, 
he retreated tc Tullow, in the county of Carlow. 
On the taking of Wexford by the rebels, they releafed 
Harvey and Colclough from confinement, and chofe the 
former for their generaliifimo. Leaving a garrifon in 
the place, the chief divifion of their forces proceeded to 
attack the town of Rofs. Harvey fent a fummons with, 
a flag of truce to the commander there, requiring him to 
furrender, but the bearer was fhot by the royal troops. 
Meanwhile the rebel general arranged his men in three 
columns for the purpofe of affaulting the town in as 
many different quarters at once: but, being galled by^ a 
