Markethill
D.L.O.L. No.10
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The Revolution of 1688-1689
The heroic events of the longest Siege in British History.
Twelve Days in June
Possibly the most significant battle fought in Ireland.
The series of battles in West Ulster.
The last great battle of the Williamite campaign.
The Glorious RevolutionThe Revolution of 1688-1689 was glorious because in England it was bloodless and was supported by the mass of the country, thus achieving a permanence which the Cromwelliam settlement lacked.
It was also glorious because in retrospect we can see that from it flowed religious toleration, freedom of speech and the press, liberty of the subject, independence of judges to interpret the law and the development, both at home and overseas, of parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy.
When he became King, James II's first step was to summon a Parliament and to demand that they vote him revenues for life. Parliament dutifully obliged, but never again, to this day, have they handed over control of finance for more than a year at a time thus ensuring that Parliament must meet every year or government grinds to a halt.
Now that his basic revenue was secure James asked Parliament to repeal the Test Act, the Habeas Corpus Act and other laws which hampered his executive action. He was he thought secure in the knowledge that the Tory principle of non-resistance would ensure compliance.
The defeat of two rebellions made James more confident and his admiration for the policy of Louis XIV in revoking the Edict of Nantes led him on to destruction. James' Ministers, Sunderland and Jeffreys, told him whatever he wanted to hear. James now had a great army, raised to suppress Monmouth's rebellion, with many Roman Catholic Officers holding commissions illegally, contrary to the Test Act. He now openly avowed the intention of keeping it permanently and of having it reinforced by bringing over Regiments, newly raised, from Ireland.
Parliament returned in November 1685 to face a demand from the King for an additional large sum of money to pay for the greatly increased army. This time they did not fall into the trap prepared for them but proposed that the standing army be disbanded and that James rely on the Militia. They annoyed him further by demanding that he discharge his Roman Catholic Officers.
However the true parting of the ways was the refusal of a Tory Parliament to repeal the Test Act, which excluded Roman Catholic and Protestant Dissenters from Office. If he had only sought religious toleration he could have had it and that is what Pope Innocent XI and the Roman Catholic aristocracy advised. James however desired ascendancy for his co-religionists and not toleration. If Parliament would not do his bidding he would manage without it. After sitting for only eleven days Parliament was prorogued.
The Kings of England before the Revolution had always claimed an undefined right, in special cases, to set a law aside. It was known as the Royal Prerogative and could be useful in allowing justice to be tempered with mercy. However James now proposed to use it to repeal laws wholesale.
In April 1688 James' Privy Council issued an Order in Council instructing a Declaration of Indulgence to be read on two successive Sundays at Divine Service in all Parish Churches. In London the dates specified were 20th and 27th May, and in the rest of England 3rd and 10th June. Copies were given to the Bishops who were directed to distribute them among their Clergymen. The Archbishop of Canterbury, William Sancroft, summoned to Lambeth Palace those bishops who were in London and on their advice wrote to all the bishops urging them to come to London at once. However time was short and only six were able to assemble at Lambeth on 18th May. The seven men drew up a humble petition, which after disclaiming all disloyalty and intolerance, said;- "The Parliament, both in the late and present reign, had pronounced that the Sovereign was not constitutionally competent to dispense with statutes in matters ecclesiastical. The Declaration was therefore illegal and the petitioners could not in prudence, honour or conscience, be partner to the solemn publication of an illegal Declaration in the House of God, and during the time of Divine Service".
The King was furious and said "This is a standard of rebellion, you are trumpeters of sedition. Go to your dioceses and see that I am obeyed". The noble and saintly Bishop Ken replied, "We have two duties to perform, our duty to God and our duty to your Majesty. We honour you: but we fear God".
On the 8th June all seven Bishops were summoned to Whitehall but on refusing to withdraw their Petition they were sent to the Tower by boat to face trial for seditious libel.
On June 29th a vast throng surrounded Westminster Hall where the court of Kings Bench was to hear the case. In spite of the Kings purge of the Judges, two of the four hearing the case advised the jury in favour of the accused, for which they were dismissed from the bench the following week. The jury were held up all night by a single dissentient, but next day came the unanimous verdict of "Not Guilty". The rest of the day and night were given over to celebration with bonfires and windows illuminated with seven candles. Even the Kings troops on Hounslow Heath cheered to the echo when they heard the news.
However James was in no mood to give up. He now had a new hope. A few weeks before, a son had been born to his second wife, Mary of Modena. To Protestants this was the last straw.
That night a document was secretly dispatched to William of Orange inviting him to come over to England with a military force round which the country would rally against the government of James.
William Prince of Orange had no easy task. The United Provinces were a federation of republics under immediate threat from France. Many of the Dutch were suspicious of the House of Orange, but William had proved his worth during the French invasion of 1672 when he took command and drove the French out of their country at the age of twenty-one. Permission from the States General would have to be obtained before he could sail with an expeditionary force. At the crucial moment both Louis and James played into his hands. James refused help and advice from Louis, who in a fit of pique marched his forces away from the Dutch border to attack the Rhineland, leaving the way clear for William.
There was still the problem of the English fleet and army, though efforts were being made to persuade their commanders to play for time. After a false start the Protestant East wind blew and on 1st November the fleet sailed.
At noon on 5th November 1688 the ships anchored in Torbay and William was rowed ashore at Brixham.
Some 12,000 men were landed in the next few days, only about half the size of the regular forces in James' pay. The English and Scottish regiments in Dutch pay very sensibly formed the van and as the Dutch recruited soldiers from all the Protestant countries of Europe, it was a very cosmopolitan army.
William gave James plenty of time to consider his position.
First James fled to Sheerness on the Isle of Skeppey but was captured by some fishermen and taken to Faversham and brought back to London. The next time he was taken to Rochester at the mouth of the River Medway and from there managed to get away to France allowing William to reach London unopposed.
The first task was to fill the vacant throne as without a Sovereign there could be no legal Parliament. A convention was summoned consisting of the members still surviving from the last parliament of Charles II thus overcoming the effect of James's purges.
William was not prepared to be Regent or Consort as the Tories would have preferred, so both parties agreed to William and Mary being joint Sovereigns. The agreed formula read:- "That King James the Second, having endeavoured to subvert the Constitution of the Kingdom, by breaking the original contract between King and people, and by the advice of Jesuits and other wicked persons having violated the fundamental laws and withdrawn himself out of the Kingdom, had abdicated the government and that the throne is thereby vacant. That it hath been found by experience to be inconsistent with this Protestant Kingdom to be governed by a Popish Prince or by any King or Queen marring a papist" etc.
On 12th February 1689 Mary arrived from Holland and on the following day in the Banqueting House at Whitehall, the Prince and Princess were proclaimed King and Queen in the usual places in the cities of London and Westminster.
As the Kingdom now had a King and Queen, a parliament could be legally constituted so the Convention was converted into a Parliament and proceeded to pass the Bill of Rights as a Parliamentary statute.
This Declaration rectifying the abuses of power in the previous reign has become one of the great charters of British liberties.
By the Bill of Rights in 1689 A.D. the following Acts were declared illegal.
1. The Royal pretension to dispense with and suspend laws without consent of Parliament.
2. The punishment of subjects for petitioning the crown.
3. The establishment of the illegal Court of High Commission for ecclesiastical affairs.
4. The levy of taxes without consent of Parliament.
5. The maintenance of a standing army in time of peace without consent of Parliament.
6. The disarmament of Protestants while Papists were armed and employed contrary to law.
7. The violation of the freedom of election.
8. Taking legal action outside Parliament about debates and speeches in Parliament.
9. The return of partial or corrupt juries.
10. The requisition of excessive bail.
11. The imposition of excessive fines.
12. The infliction of cruel and unusual punishments.
13. The forfeiting of the property of accused persons before conviction.
Further Acts of the Revolution Settlement
The Toleration Act 1689 As promised all religious but not civil disabilities were removed from the freedom of worship of Protestant Dissenters including Presbyterians, Independents and Quakers but not Unitarians.
William would have been glad to extend this freedom also to Roman Catholics as was the practice in Holland, but the country was not prepared for such a move for another hundred years.
However in practice, the spirit of the new age of Toleration in England, ensured that the law was not enforced rigidly.
Mutiny Act 1689 The Crown remained as the authority to which the Army and Navy gave their allegiance and was still in command of the armed forces. Yet Parliament by the Mutiny Act granted authority to the crown to enforce discipline by Court Martial for only one year at a time.
Judges Commission Henceforth these would be held, not at the will of the King, but "so long as they behave properly". The Crown could no longer dismiss Judges.
Triennial Act 1694 To ensure that Parliaments present themselves to the electorate at regular intervals this Act was passed limiting the life of a Parliament to three years. It was later extended to five. It was also laid down that there must not be a long interval between Parliaments.
Treason Act 1695 Henceforth public justice was to be impartial and no longer a mere instrument of the Crown.
Freedom of Press 1695 Hitherto it had been necessary to obtain a licence before printing any book, pamphlet or newspaper. The Revolution secured the right to print and publish matter obnoxious to the Government by the abolition of the Censorship Act in 1695. Of course, there was still the risk of action before a court of law, for sedition, slander, libel, or blasphemy. England in this respect led the world as the first great power to obtain a free press.
“The Glorious Revolution” by Cecil Kilpatrick
The Siege of LondonderryOutside of the Battle of the Boyne the event which arguably had the greatest influence on the struggle between William and James for the soul of Ireland was the Siege of Londonderry.
The refusal of the people of Londonderry to refuse admission to the Jacobite forces was not initially out of enthusiasm for the cause of William.
The real motive underlying that decision was the instinct of self-preservation. The citizens believed that a massacre of the British was imminent with the memory of horrific happenings of 1641 still vivid.
The fear and alarm was heightened by an anonymous letter (The Comber Letter) dated 3rd December 1688 received by the Earl of Mount-Alexander warning him of a plan to massacre the Protestants of the North on 9th December.
Colonel Lundy, now the Governor, had no thought of a successful defence, for the task seemed impossible. He did not hide his feelings from the people.
When the news reached William that the city had declared for him he determined to send it much-needed help. Lt. Col. John Cunningham and Colonel Solomon Richards were ordered to proceed to Londonderry with two regiments of soldiers and reached the Foyle on 14th April, where they anchored in the bay.
Cunningham, Richards, and their officers went ashore and consulted with Lundy. He dissuaded them from landing with their soldiers when he told them the position was so impossible that reinforcements could only make matters worse. He advised them to go back to England with ships and men, something he intended to do if he got the chance.
Lundy in his meeting with Cunningham had ensured that only those officers of the garrison who thought as he did were present. Others who felt differently were not invited or were prevented from attending. But one soldier uttered what those others believed, "To give up Londonderry is to give up Ireland."
When the rumour spread of what Lundy and Cunningham had agreed soldiers and citizens expressed their anger, and many army officers declared that they no longer considered themselves to be bound to obey the orders of the Governor. After dusk on 17th April, Lundy's friends secretly fled the city one by one.
Next day at a special council meeting angry citizens abused Lundy for his treachery in sending the troops away that William had sent to defend them. While the meeting was in progress a sentry on the walls cried out that the vanguard of the enemy was in sight. When Lundy ordered that there was to be no firing of guns at them, Major Henry Baker and Captain Adam Murray countermanded it and called the people to arms. They were supported by the Rev. George Walker, Rector of Donaghmore in Co. Tyrone, who had taken refuge with his parishioners in the city.
All the able-bodied answered the call and the guns were manned. When James' Redshanks, under Alexander MacDonnell, Earl of Antrim, were only 60 yards from the gates of the city they were closed by the 13 apprentices. Expecting the quiet surrender as promised by Lundy after the Cunningham meeting, the Jacobites were greeted with loud cries of "No Surrender", and gunfire.
Lundy had hidden in his house and from there made his escape over the city wall. When he arrived in England he was imprisoned in the Tower of London and he, Cunningham and Richards, were summoned to appear before a parliamentary Commission. Richards was exonerated, and Lundy was ordered to be returned to Londonderry to stand trial for treason but this never happened. The conduct of Cunningham and Richards had so incensed William that he had dismissed them by newsletter on 30th April.
Without the Governor's leadership or a proper administrative body the people were determined to withstand the siege at whatever cost. Adam Murray could have been Governor but he refused. At a meeting of 15 of the principal officers, Murray being present, Major Baker was chosen. When he complained that the military and administrative duties were too much for one man he was allowed to name an assistant. He chose the Rev. George Walker as Joint-Governor.
Eight regiments were constituted and each man was given his orders. In just 24 hours the defence of Londonderry, with the personnel and material available, was complete. When all had left the city who wanted to go, and these included the old, the very young and the sick, 20,000 remained within the walls; 7,020 men able to fight and 341 officers.
On 19th April, a Jacobite trumpeter came to the southern gate of the city to ask if Governor Lundy's promise of an easy surrender would be kept. He had to take back the message that the city would be defended against attack for the defenders had only contempt for their former Governor who had made that treasonable promise.
Next day, Lord Strabane, a high-ranking Jacobite officer, was sent to offer terms to the city. It was an ultimatum, too, which would not be carried out if the citizens submitted to James, "their loyal sovereign". They would be pardoned and Adam Murray, who received the message, would be commissioned a colonel in the army and receive a gift of £1,000.
Murray's reply to the offer was: "The men of Londonderry have done nothing that requires a pardon, and own no sovereign but King William and Queen Mary".
When the encounter was reported to James he returned to Dublin, and left the Siege in the hands of General Maumont with Richard Hamilton second in command.
The Siege began on 20th April with a battering of the city. It was soon on fire in several places and many were crushed as their houses fell on them when the cannons found their targets. At first the people were shattered by new and horrifying experiences, but in the way of human kind they quickly adapted to their difficult and dangerous situation. Their spirit was so good that on 21st April, Murray led an attack on the besiegers. A bloody battle ensued and Maumont at the head of a cavalry unit making for the scene was struck on the head by Murray's musket ball and killed.
An expedition was sent from Liverpool under the command of Liet-General Percy Kirke for the relief of Londonderry. Kirke's troops sailed on 22nd May, but storms at sea forced a long stop, till 13th June, at the Isle of Man, then the ships sheltered off Rathlin Island reaching the Foyle on 14th June.
In the meantime the Londonderry people were defending themselves with stubborn courage against a numerically stronger and more experienced military force.
Distress had become acute. By 8th June horseflesh was about the only meat to be purchased and it was in very short supply. Tallow was a substitute food and even that was doled out parsimoniously.
When on 14th June the sails of Kirke's ships could be seen by the sentinels on the roof of the Cathedral hope returned. But hope was turned to despair when signals sent between the city and the ships were misread by both. To break the deadlock a messanger from the fleet managed to elude the Irish guards by diving under the boom to tell the garrison that Kirke had arrived with his troops, arms, ammunition, and provisions to relieve the city. But the joy of the message was followed by weeks of misery, for Kirke thought it imprudent to attack the besiegers, and he stayed inactive, at the entrance of Lough Foyle, for several weeks.
Famine was rampant in the city and pestilence had followed in the wake of the horrible hunger. Fifteen officers died of fever in one day and Governor Baker died days later. He was succeeded quickly by Colonel John Michelburne.
When Dublin Castle heard of Kirke's appearance at Lough Foyle it was decided that Richard Hamilton who had succeeded Maumont was not able enough for the command. Conrad de Rosen, Marshal-General of all His Majesty's Forces, a title conferred on him by King James on his leaving Dublin, was appointed to take control of the Siege at Londonderry. Rosen was regarded as a great soldier. He had been sent by Louis XIV to command the French in James' forces in 1689.
He arrived among the besiegers on 19th June quickly to be made aware that not even a Marshal of France could defeat what he thoughtlessly described as a mob of country gentlemen, farmers and shopkeepers protected only by a wall that no engineer would describe as impregnable.
Rosen soon found how stubborn Protestants could be.
The horrific story of the lengths to which the citizens went just to stay alive and the Kirke's inactivity angered William and the Duke of Schomberg. About 13th July, Kirke received physical pain and mental anguish they endured is an example of what people will suffer for a cause in which they believe fervently.orders from Schomberg, as Commander-in-Chief of the English forces in Ireland, to relieve Londonderry at once.
The Mountjoy, a merchant ship, whose Master was a Londonderry man, Micaiah Browning, had a large cargo of provisions. As his ship had been part of the convoy he had angrily attacked Kirke and the army for their inactivity. Now he volunteered to take the Mountjoy through to bring succour to his fellow citizens. He was joined by Andrew Douglas, from Coleraine, the Master of the Pheonix, which carried a large cargo of meal from Scotland. The Dartmouth, a frigate of 36 guns, under Commander John Leake, later to become a famous admiral, was ordered to accompany them to provide protection.
On 28th July ships made their perilous journey up the Foyle. The Mountjoy was in the lead and when it reached the boom it went straight for it. The boom, intended to prevent ships from bringing relief to the city, was sited between Charles Fort and Grange Fort. The Mountjoy broke the boom on 28th July 1689.
There was no more prospect of starving the defenders into defeat. The failure of the siege was a disaster for James as it destroyed his hopes of conquering the North and gave William a firm base in Ulster.
The relieved city was bombarded for three days but on August 1 smoking ruins marked the camping places of the besiegers. They had retreated up the left bank of the Foyle towards Strabane. And the most memorable siege in British history had ended after days of fear, agony and loss. The garrison had been reduced from 7,000 to 3,000 men.
Lord Macauley, in his history of England, when writing of the Siege of Londonderry, said: "A people which takes no pride in the noble achievements of remote ancestors will never achieve anything worthy to be remembered with pride by remote descendents."
Twelve Days in June King William was in Ulster from Saturday, 14th June, 1690 until Thursday, 26th June, only 12 days, yet he left behind a legend full of proud memories. For his part he liked what he saw. "This country is worth fighting for," he said.
His departure from London had been held up by parliamentary business till the end of May, when he announced that he could wait no longer and adjourned Parliament.
Early in the morning of 4th June he set out, reaching Northampton before night fall. On Sunday 8th June he attended divine service in Chester Cathedral and went on to inspect the ships at Hoylake on the tip of the Worral Peninsula.
The Garrison of the Castle had drawn up a Guard of Honour and the townspeople added their applause. The chosen spokesman was a Quaker, whose principles forebade him to doff his hat, or use such titles as Sir and Majesty. He got over the difficulty by taking off his hat and laying it on a stone and then stepping forward and saying "William, thou art welcome to thy Kingdom" which pleased the King so much that he replied: "you are the best bred gentleman I have met since I came to England."
With these words he mounted his horse and set off for Belfast. Half-way along the shore was the little port of Whitehouse, where most of the army disembarked. The Commander-in-Chief, the Duke of Schomberg, and his senior commanders were waiting here to welcome the King.
To cover the disembarkation, earthworks has been thrown up by the engineers at Fort William and garrisoned by troops ready for action.
In 1690 Belfast consisted of about 300 houses in five streets. It had two churches, the Parish Church, where St. George's still stands in the High Street, and the Presbyterian Meeting House in Rosemary Lane. The town had been surrounded by a rampart in 1642 and had been captured by Colonel Venebles for Cromwell after a four-day siege and an assault on the North Gate in 1649.
It was at the North Gate that King William entered Belfast where North Street now crosses Royal Avenue. Here he was welcomed by the magistrates and burgesses in their robes and by the Rev. George Walker, now Bishop-elect of Derry.
A Royal Salute was fired from the Castle and was echoed and re-echoed by the guns which Schomberg had placed at wide intervals for the purpose of conveying signals from post to post. Wherever it was heard it was known that King William had come. Before midnight all the heights of Antrim and Down were blazing with bonfires.
The next day being Sunday he attended Church at the Corporation Church, now St. George's and heard chaplain, Rev. G. Royce, preach from the text: "Who through Faith subdued kingdoms" - Hebrews 11.33. He finished prophetically: "When thou passest through the waters I will be with thee" - Isaiah 43.2.
Next day, Monday 16th June, addresses of loyalty were presented on behalf of the Church of Ireland and Presbyterian Church clergy, the civic authorities of the city of Londonderry, the town of Belfast and by the Sheriffs, Justices of the Peace and Gentlemen of the Counties of Down and Antrim. The next two days were spent in military preparation.
Lieut. General James Douglas arrived from Scotland, with a consignment of arms and ammunition and was able to make a good report of how matters stood North of the Tweed.
In the previous season Schomberg had conducted a slow and cautious campaign but William said he had not come to Ireland to let the grass grow under his feet. He ordered a general muster of the army in the Parish of Aghaderg which included Scarvagh and on Thursday 19th June began his southward march from Belfast Castle.
The line of march continued along Upper Malone by the Old Coach Road and past the ruins of both Drumbeg and Lambeg Parish Churches which had been burnt down in 1641.
William reached Schomberg's headquarters in Lisburn Castle for lunch on the same day that he left Belfast Castle. The afternoon and evening were spent inspecting troops on Blaris Moor, and then on to Hillsborough Castle for the night.
Dr. Michael Dewar in "The Scarva Story" quotes Lewis Topographical Dictionary, 1837 under Scarvagh: "Here the army of William III first rendezvoused after landing in Ireland, the camp extended in two lines from Loughbrickland to Scarvagh Pass and Pointz Pass. A venerable oak in Scarvagh Demesne is still shown as that under which the royal tent was pitched. Actually it is a Spanish Chestnut, but the lines stretching in two directions explain how King William's tent came to be pitched between the two arcs of his encampment, and how Scarva was privileged to shelter the King himself."
After the disappointments of the previous season and the appalling loss of life through disease, Schomberg had dispersed his army into winter quarters all over Ulster. The Derry and Enniskillen men had gone home to pick up the threads of their lives. Now the farmers among them had the crop in and were recalled to the colours and ready to be reviewed. There were four regiments of Enniskillen men - Wynns, Tiffins, Lloyds and Cunninghams, one of foot and three of horse. There was only one regiment of Derry men, St. John's, commanded by Mitchelburne with Rev. George Walker as chaplain.
Story describes the Inniskillen Dragoons of the time: "The sight of their thin little nags and the wretched dress of their riders, half naked with sabre and pistols hanging from their belts, looked like a horde of tartars. The Enniskilleners were without uniforms for even when they were supplied with them, they preferred to fight in their shirt sleeves. This was such a contrast to Schomberg's strict discipline, that he made an exception and let them go according to their own genius."
On 22nd June, King William sat in the saddle for hours reviewing his 36,000 men. Marching past were 10,000 Danes, some of whom came from Norway and Sweden, and even Finland, 7,000 Dutch and Brandenburgers, 2,000 French Huguenots, 11,000 English and Scots, 800 Derrymen, 4,500 Inniskilleners and two companies from Bandon in Cork.
On 24th June, an advance party reached beyond Newry to the edge of Dundalk and brought intelligence that James had fallen back on Ardee. On 25th June, the main army advanced to Newry and camped on the side of a hill. The next day, with the King at their head, wearing an Orange colour sash, they went through the Moyry Gap and passed out of Ulster en route to the Boyne.
Having landed at Carrickfergus on 14th June 1690, King William marched south to engage the Jacobite army along the River Boyne on 1st July 1690.
The Field. As William advanced the Irish retreated before him so that by 30th June his army reached the top of a hill near the southern frontier of County Louth. In the valley beyond was the River Boyne marking the boundary of Louth and Meath.
Down the Boyne at Oldbridge the river could be forded. William viewed the terrain and thought it suitable for a battle which should be short and conclusive.
The two kings had advantages over one another. James had the stronger position, but his troops appeared to be inferior in quality and quantity. He had about 30,000 men of which a third were very good French infantry and equally fine Irish cavalry.
William had 36,000 men of various nationalities and languages.
The Preparation. When William studied the enemy across the Boyne he agreed with his generals that they were not impressive to look at, but added, "They may be stronger than they look, but weak or strong, I will soon know all about them." The Irish recognised William and a marksman fired at him. When it struck the gun holster of Prince George of Hesse William cried, "The poor prince is killed." As he spoke a second shot tore his coat, grazed his shoulder and drew blood. When William slumped over the Irish thought that he had been killed. His men were shocked but quickly relieved when he said "There is no harm done, but the bullet came quite close enough." His injury did not prevent him spending nineteen hours in the saddle that day.
Having assured himself that his men were as ready for battle as he was he advised his officers that he intended to engage the enemy.
The Battle. The armies began to move at 4 a.m. on 1st July. William ordered his right wing, under the command of Meinhart Schomberg, a son of the old duke, to march to the bridge at Slane, a few miles up the river. The troops were to cross there, and to turn the left flank of the Irish army. James anticipated the move and dispatched Sir Neill O'Neill, nephew of Tyrconnell, with a regiment of dragoons to turn the Williamites back. But when O'Neill received a mortal wound his men fled to make clear the way for the forces of King William.
Lauzen, the French commander, feared that William's right wing would come up at the rear of James' forces, and decided to march with his French soldiers and Sarsfield's cavalry in the direction of Slane Bridge. This decision meant that the fords near Oldbridge were left to be defended only by the Irish foot soldiers. When the battle was joined they were easily defeated. Richard Hamilton put himself at the head of the cavalry and under his command they tried to change the course of the battle. Fighting desperately in the bed of the Boyne against Solmes' Blues they drove the Danish brigade back and successfully attacked the Huguenots
King William arrived, where the battle was hottest, in his presence the tide was turned in his favour.
Lord Macaulay said of William, "One of the peculiarities of this man, ordinarily so saturnine and reserved, was that danger acted on him like wine, opened his heart, loosened his tongue, and took away all appearance of restraint from his manner. On this memorable day he was seen wherever the peril was greatest."
On the other hand James, with his reputation as a soldier, was so concerned for his own safety that he stayed well away from the heat of battle.
When he realised that he was defeated at the Boyne he deserted the scene of battle and made for Dublin with a bodyguard commanded by Sarsfield. He was followed by his troops who had suffered fewer losses than might have been expected. A reason for that was that William did not pursue them with the kind of enthusiasm and energy he had shown in war.
The losses of life at the Battle of the Boyne were much less than that of any battle of equal importance.
The Result. The Battle of the Boyne was the most famous of Irish battles, for it represented in the Europe of the day a signal success for the Grand Alliance against Louis XIV.
The drama of two kings fighting at an Irish river for an English throne was a sensation in itself. The fact that they represented the two major power groups in Europe, and were supported by international armies, gave the Boyne universal significance.
The flight of James and William's triumphal entry into Dublin had all the marks of an overwhelming victory.
With William's victory at the Boyne the fate of James was sealed.
Most Ulster folk can tell the inquirer about the Boyne and the Siege of Derry, but fewer are able to relate the events which took place at Enniskillen and Aughrim. The sterling qualities of the Derry men were manifested in their fortitude while passing through severe trials, and in their patient endurance of conditions involving hunger and suffering and death. The virtues of the Enniskilleners (Inniskilleners) were cast in a different mould and displayed in different forms. The basis of the force was composed of inhabitants of the town who took up arms for self defence. They were joined by a large number of the yeomen of County Fermanagh. Subsequently reinforcements came from Cavan, Monaghan, Donegal, Leitrim and Sligo; but the force was essentially local and exclusively Protestant, and all were known by the general name of the Enniskillen Men. A copy of the anonymous letter to Lord Mount-Alexander, announcing the intended massacre of the Protestants, reached them on the day Derry closed its gates against the Redshanks (7th December 1688). On the 11th December, a letter was received from the Government authorities in Dublin, directing them to make arrangements for having two companies of infantry quartered in their town. It was an unusual thing to have a garrison planted among them, and the probability, as they believed, was, that the day for cutting their throats was only postponed until everything was ready.
On the 16th, the news came that the two foot companies sent by Tyrconnell, had reach Lismella, only four miles from the town. The townsmen, took up arms, and put themselves in array. Notwithstanding all the help sent them by the country, their whole strength did not exceed two hundred foot, and one hundred and fifty horse, ill-armed, and with no military training or experience. They left town with the intention of persuading, if possible, the soldiers to return, but prepared, if necessary, to resist their entrance. No sooner did the soldiers come in view of the Enniskilleners (Inniskilleners) than, without waiting for their approach, they turned and fled. During the remaining part of 1688 little was done at Enniskillen except to break the ice around the town, which during that winter was so thick as to permit men on horseback to cross Lough Erne in safety and which to some extent imperiled the safety of the little garrison that was protected by no walls save walls of water. Early in 1689 Hamilton, now the Governor of Enniskillen, formed his men into regiments and fortified the town as best he could, laying in stores of food, forage and ammunition. The Enniskilleners (Inniskilleners) resolved "To stand upon our guard and by the blessing of God, rather to meet our danger than to expect it.”
Flushed with their success at Crom Castle, Hamilton and Lloyd decided to act as they had resolved to, and went on the offensive. Intelligence reached Enniskillen that the Irish had placed a garrison at Trillick, nine miles distant. On the 24th April, Colonel Lloyd marched against that place. Early intimation, however, of his approach had been received at Trillick, and the post was evacuated. Lloyd followed in rapid pursuit, and after a disorderly retreat of six hours the party dispersed and took to the bogs. Their baggage and a large number of cattle were captured. The Castle of Augher, eighteen miles distant, had been recently occupied by James' party. Early on the morning of the 28th of April, Lloyd tried to surprise it, but again the garrison abandoned the post, taking away with them everything portable. Lloyd, having swept part of Monaghan and Cavan, returned on the 2nd of May to Enniskillen with great abundance of sheep, cattle and provisions. On the 4th May, Elliott, the Governor of Ballyshannon, sent a despatch to Enniskillen, informing Hamilton that a large body of Jacobites had advanced from Connaught to besiege his post and begged to be speedily relieved. On the 7th may, Lloyd proceeded towards Ballyshannon. The besiegers, leaving a small force to watch the town, advanced three miles to Beleek to met him. Here they drew up, in a very advantageous position, their flanks protected on the one side by the lough, and on the other by a bog of great extent. A narrow causeway formed the only apparent approach. This they entrenched, and destroyed the bridge. At a critical moment, a countryman offered to guide them through the bog. The horse under Captain Acheson passed in safety, and moved towards their left to turn the enemy's right flank, and thus cut off their retreat to the mountains. Before the opposing armies came within shot, the Irish foot broke and fled to the hills. Their horse, drawn up to the left of their foot, and between them and the lake, stood their ground, until charged by the Enniskillen horse, when, without awaiting the shock, they turned and fled. They were followed for a great distance, and night alone put an end to the pursuit. In this encounter the Jacobites lost 190 killed and 60 captured. The victors plundered the enemy camp and brought all arms, ammunition and two small cannon back to their island home without losing a man. When at the end of May there were reports that the Jacobites had garrisoned Redhill and Ballinacarrig in County Cavan, Lloyd marched out with 1,600 men to confront the enemy. They proceeded to drive the enemy out of their strongholds without firing a shot, using the ploy that they were the vanguard of a much larger force. They then marched into County Meath and captured 3,000 head of cattle, 2,000 sheep and 500 horses and drove them back to Enniskillen. This sortie of Lloyd's stopped 25 miles from Dublin and caused a great panic in that city. While Lloyd's raid was taking place, Hamilton captured the horses belonging to the garrison at Omagh. Cornagrade, which lies about two miles north-east of Enniskillen was the only place where Enniskilleners (Inniskilleners) were to taste defeat in the campaign. The Duke of Berwick roved the country with a flying column of horse, and his force approached Enniskillen while Lloyd was meeting Major General Kirke at Lough Swilly to request help for the newly raised regiments at Enniskillen. Hamilton sent out insufficent troops to fight and Berwick's men gained a victory. However, Berwick did not follow up his success. On the night of the 28th July, a few hours after Colonel William Wolseley, Lieutenant-Colonel William Berry, Major Stone, Colonel James Winn, Colonel Tiffan, and other offices sent by Major-General Kirke, had arrived in Enniskillen, an express came from Colonel Crighton announcing that Lieutenant-Colonel MacCarthy (created Lord Mountcashel) had formed a camp at Crom, with the intention of besieging the castle. Colonel Wolseley replied that he would provide relief; and he called in the forces at Ballyshannon, left there by |
