I R E L 
f:re from the out-pods of the garrifon, he fent five hun¬ 
dred men to dillodge them. They quickly performed 
this fervice, but were followed, in defiance of orders, by 
a fierce and ungovernable multitude, who, rufhing upon 
the troops in that quarter, forced back the cavalry with 
(laughter on the foot, and drove them all to the oppofite 
fide of the river. In the full perfuafion of a decided vic¬ 
tory in favour of the affailants, home of the officers fled, 
without flopping, to Waterford with this alarming intel¬ 
ligence. The rebels, however, purfued their advantage 
no farther 5 and the royal troops, ported in other places, 
remained unattacked by them. Their columns were not 
completely formed, when the third, making a premature 
onfet, was thrown into confufion by the cowardly flight 
of fome of its leaders. Major-general Johnftone, who 
commanded the king’s forces, feized this advantage, led 
back his men from the bridge, and drove the confufed 
rabble from the town, the outlkirts of which were in 
flames. Diftraftion prevailed among the rebel troops, 
alike regardlefs of commands or plans; nevertlielefs, one' 
of the columns being rallied by the exertions of indi¬ 
vidual fpirit, the royal forces were twice driven from 
their ground; but, returning a third time to the charge, 
their opponents finally retreated, and left them an indu¬ 
bitable viftory. In this conteft, which, including the in¬ 
tervening paufes, lafted ten hours, (he lofs of the garrifon, 
•whofe number was noo, amounted, according to the 
official account, to 230 in killed, wounded, and miffing. 
Their adverfaries, whofe force is eftimated at 20,000, 
moftly unarmed, and of which number not one fourth 
perhaps was engaged, are computed to have loft from 
1000 to 1500. This failure they revenged on a number 
of innocent loyalifts, collected from the neighbouring 
country as hoftages for the fafety of fuch rebels as ffiould 
be taken prifoners, and confined in a dwelling-houfe and 
barn at Scullabogue. Thirty-feven were fhot in the 
houfe ; and, the barn being fet on fire, all who were within, 
to the number of 184. by fome accounts, and by others 80, 
perilhed in the flames. 
Struck with horror at this atrocity, and difgufted by 
the infubordination of the troops, Hatvey refigned his 
command, and they then chofe Roche the prieft for their 
general; and, taking poll on the hill of Lacken, within 
two miles of Rofs, remained there for fome time in total 
inactivity. Meanwhile their aflociates at Gorey, who, 
after Walpole’s defeat, had alfo continued fome days 
without attempting any thing, afiembled on the 9th of 
June, and advanced northward to form a junflion with a 
body of infurgents ia the county of Wicklow, for the 
attack of Arklow, which had been abandoned by the 
garrifon, and was left for a time wholly defencelefs. 
This favourable opportunity for making themfelves maf- 
ters of the place was loft by their inaction: the fugitive 
garrifon was remanded to its poll; and, on the very day 
of the attack, colonel Skerrett, a brave and able officer, 
arrived with the Durham fencible regiment. The royal 
force of 1600 men was arranged in lines with artillery in 
front, fo as to cover three fides of the town, while the 
fourth was defended by the river Ovoca. The aflailing 
army amounted to more than 20,000 men, four or five 
thoufand only of whom had mufkets, and even thefe were 
very fcantily fupplied with ammunition. Their main 
attack was directed againft the point where the Durham 
fencibles were polled. Thrice they attacked with fuch 
imp?tuolity as to approach within a few yards of the 
cannons’ mouths, but they were received with fo deltruc- 
tive a fire as to be repulfed with (laughter in every at¬ 
tempt. At length, after an engagement of four hours, 
the rebels, having exhaufted their ammunition, and being 
difcouraged by the fall of Michael Murphy, a prieft, 
their principal commander, defifted on the approach of 
night from the combat, and retired, unpurfued, toward 
Gorey, with the lofs of three or four hundred men. The 
importance ol this repulfe was, at this junflure, very 
great; for, had the infurgents gained pofleffion of Ark- 
Vox,. XL No. 75S. 
A N D. 349 
low, and followed up the blow, there would have been 
nothing to prevent their progrefs to the metropolis itlell. 
In Ullter, where the fyftem of the United Infix had 
taken the deepelt root, it had, by the rigorous meafures 
of government, been only checked in its growth, not 
eradicated. The dilaffefted in the north, however, re¬ 
mained quiet, till they received intelligence of the early 
fuccelfes of the Wexford infurgents. Encouraged by 
thefe advantages, a confiderable number afiembled on the 
7th of June near Antrim,- and had very nearly made 
themfelves mailers of the town; but they were attacked 
by a body of troops under general Nugent, and routed 
with the daughter of about two hundred men. Thirty 
of the roya 1 ills, among whom was lord O’Neal, fell on 
this occaiion. Unfuccefsful attempts were alfo made by 
fimall parties at Larne, Ballymena, and Ballycaftle. Dif- 
heartened by thefe failures, and learning that the war in 
Wexford was completely of a religious character, and 
that any fuccefsful oppofition in Ulfter would only tend 
to give a preponderance to the catholic caufe in the 
fouth, thefe malcontents, mod of whom were proteftants, 
difperfed, and returned quietly to their homes. 
A commotion of equally Ihort duration took place in 
the county of Down. A body of infurgents, actuated 
by the lame motives as thofe of Antrim, afiembled near 
Saintfield on the 8th of June; and, clmfing Henry Mun- 
roe, a Ihopkeeper of Lilburn, for their general, they 
placed themfelves in ambufcade the following day, await¬ 
ing the approach of a corps of York fencibles ami 
yeomen cavalry, under colonel Stapleton. After a (harp 
confiifl, the enemy were diflodged, and the troops re¬ 
mained mailers of the ground; but retreated to Beifalt 
with the lofs of fixty of their number. Undifmayed by 
this repulfe, the followers of Munroe re-aflembled, and 
took poll at Ballynahinch with 4.000 men and fix fmall 
cannon tied on cars. Here they'were attacked on the 
13th by general Nugent with 1500 men; and, after de¬ 
fending themfelves for fome time on the Windmill Hill, 
and loling about a hundred and fifty men, they fled in 
all diredftions, and again afiembled on the mountains of 
Slyeeve Croob. Influenced by the fame arguments which 
had been fuccefsfully ufed with the infurgents of An¬ 
trim, they now difperfed, their leaders were taken and 
executed, and tranquillity was reftored in the northern 
province. 
Meanwhile the rebels of Wexford had chiefly confined 
themfelves, fince their repulfes at Rofs and Arklow, to 
defenfive warfare, and made Vinegar Hill their principal 
llation. General Lake, the commander-in-chief, refolved 
to fiirround this port on all fides, and feveral divifions 
moved for that purpofe from different quarters; Dundas, 
Dufte, and Loftus, from the vicinity of Kilcavan ; Euf- 
tace and Johnftone from Rofs; and Needham from Ark¬ 
low and Gorey. Panic-ftruck at the approach of the 
troops from Rofs, the bands of Philip Roche on the hill 
of Lacken fled in the utmoll confufion, leaving behind 
them great quantities of plunder. A Itratagem praftifed 
by Roche fecured them from annoyance on their flight. 
He diftributed a number of horfemen with banners dif- 
played, as in defiance, which produced the appearance of 
a force prepared for battle, and intimidated the royal 
troops from a fudden attack, while his infantry were re¬ 
treating with all poffible expedition, and in this manner 
they reached the poll of Three Rocks without the lols of 
a man. 
From the commencement of the infurreflion in Wex¬ 
ford, the lower daffies of people there feemed to confider 
it as a religious war of extermination. Vinegar Hill, the 
principal rendezvous of the rebels, who were compofed 
only of catholics, with the town of Ennifcorthy, and the 
adjacent country to a confiderable extent, had now been 
above three weeks in their pofleffion. The wretched 
proteftants, who had not been fortunate enough to efcape 
front this devoted ground, were feized. Some were af- 
faffinated on the fpot where they were taken, but moil of 
4- U them 
