414 
THE ARTILLERY IN THE REBELLION OF 1708. 
In tie assault of tie relel encampment on Tara Hill on the 26th 
May, .a battalion gun belonging to the Reay Fencibles comes promin¬ 
ently forward. The insurgents made three desperate charges from the 
hill, and in the last actually laid hold of the gun ; but the officer in 
charge of it (whose name I can not ascertain) fired it before they had 
completely surrounded it, prostrated ten or twelve, and scattered the 
remainder. 
Artillery played no part in the earliest operations in Wexford. 
The Royal Irish Artillery first appears on the 29th May. The garri¬ 
son of the town of Wexford being thought insufficient, General 
Fawcett marched from Duncannon Fort to its relief with a consider¬ 
able force. He foolishly, however, sent forward his artillery with 
seventy of the Meath Militia as escort; and this party was surprised 
near the rebel camp on the Forth mountain. The artillery comprised 
a corporal and seventeen gunners of the Royal Irish Artillery, with 
two howitzers, under the command of Lieutenant Birch, who describes 
the incident as follows :— 
“ Having proceeded some distance at the foot of a high mountain, 
we were suddenly attacked by several thousands of the rebels, who 
with loud shouts opened a sharp fire on all sides against us. 
After the first discharge, the militia betook themselves to flight, hav¬ 
ing thrown away their arms—while we attempted in vain to prepare 
again for action—but the horses, not trained to fire, grew furious and 
unmanageable, so that it was impossible to do anything; and we were 
thrown into such instant confusion by the sudden flight of the infantry, 
we found it utterly impossible to spike the howitzers. Three of the 
Meath officers, with most of their men, were killed, and one taken. 
On our part, besides the howitzers, four gunners were killed; one 
corporal and eleven gunners taken, two of whom were afterwards 
killed at Ross; the rest have arrived here (Duncannon) safe; and 
two gunners and myself escaped.” 
The attempt of the rebels on Newtown Barry on the 2nd June may 
fairly be called the critical point of the Wexford outbreak, as, had it 
been successful, the flames of insurrection would certainly have spread 
into Kilkenny and the province o-f Munster. The failure of this attack 
was largely owing to the discharges of grape from the guns. 
The greatest disaster to the British a8|gs in Wexford was yet to 
come, namely, the surprise at Tubberneering. Lieut.-Col. Walpole 
was seut from Dublin to reinforce the small army of General Loftus. 
His was one of the “ Castle appointments ” which have from time to 
time done so much harm in Ireland, and his military knowledge ap¬ 
pears to have been nil. On joining Gen,erp|.Loftus, he insisted on his 
right to an independent command, and mwed from Carnew towards 
Ballymore, having with his force a party of Royal Irish Artillery 
with two 6-pounders and a howitzer. Nearf Clogh, Captain Duncan 
of the artillery perceived signs of an ambuscade and informed Wal¬ 
pole, but was only laughed at for his trouble. At Tubberneering the 
British force, marching without any precautions, was attacked and 
