THE ARTILLERY IN THE REBELLION OF 1798. 
415 
utterly routed by tlie insurgents. Duncan was brought, badly woun¬ 
ded, into Gorey, but had to be removed to Wicklow as the rebels 
were pressing on. The three pieces were taken, but one did very 
good work at first, as Musgrave thus testifies. 
“ The following anecdote of the Royal Irish Artillery, whose valour 
and loyalty have been conspicuous on all occasions, deserves to be re¬ 
corded. During the confusion and dismay which took place among 
the troops, when they were surprised in the road at Tubberneering, 
the gunners of the artillery, with the most deliberate coolness, levelled 
one of the hedges of the road, dragged the gun into an adjacent field, 
and fired with excellent effect at a numerous body of rebels who were 
posted on a high rock, from whence, with their musket ry, they had 
killed many of our soldiers. They drove the rebels from that ad¬ 
vantageous position, after having killed a number of them, and con¬ 
tributed materially to prevent the complete destruction of the army.” 
The battle of New Ross, fought on the 5th June, was the hardest 
contested during the rebellion. The British forces in the County of 
Wexford had now been materially strengthened, and the artillery en¬ 
gaged consisted of the three Horse Artillery Troops previously named, 
which did good service. 
Having already noticed the valour of the Royal Irish Artillery in 
action, we may now see what gallant constancy they showed in the 
midst of captivity and degradation. In the action at Ross, a gunner 
taken prisoner at Forth was tied to a captured field-piece and forced 
to fire it three times. He elevated the gun too high to do any harm, 
and with his last round knocked a small piece off a roof. The un¬ 
fortunate man made some remark about the great effect of his shot. 
“ This is a much better shot,” said a rebel, sending a pistol bullet 
through his head. 
In the unsuccessful attack which the insurgents made on Arklow on 
the 9th of June, the defenders had no artillery except the battalion 
guns of the Durham Fencibles. The rebels used the guns which they 
had taken at Forth and Tubberneering, and Sergeant Shepherd of the 
Royal Irish Artillery was obliged to manage them. Having once 
loaded with grape, he traversed a gun a little to one side and swept 
down about thirty insurgents. Fortunately for him, this result was 
ascribed to the fire from the town. Being then ordered to load with 
round shot, he loaded again with grape instead, knowing that it could 
do no harm at that range, and fired as quick as possible so as to waste 
ammunition. On a second order to load with round shot, he did so, 
but elevated so high as to do no damage. The rebels then relieved him 
of his charge, thinking it better to work the guns themselves. 
The Royal Horse Artillery and Royal Irish Artillery fought side by 
side in the victory at Yinegar Hill on the 21st June. The artillery 
proved of great use both on the march to the hill and in the actual 
assault; and when some of the guns had reached the summit, they 
opened fire on the thick masses of the rebels with tremendous effect. 
In many of the small actions, which ended the Wexford campaign 
