An Impartial Narrative of the Most Important Engagements Which Took Place Between His Majesty's Forces and the Rebels Part 1

An Impartial Narrative of the Most Important Engagements Which Took Place Between His Majesty's Forces and the Rebels, During the Irish Rebellion, 1798.

by John Jones.

PREFACE.

The Editor with the most profound respect, submits to the Public the following NARRATIVE.--It forms a small portion of a more extended work, calculated to contain the particulars of every remarkable occurrence, connected with the Rebellion, which happened in the course of the last year;--a year which will const.i.tute an EPOCH in the history of Ireland, and the events of which ought to be universally known.

The moment of action is not the most favourable to accuracy of detail:--Notwithstanding the purest intentions and the most scrupulous regard to truth, much will remain, for candour to extenuate and information to supply. Impressed with this sentiment, and feeling the importance of the subject, the Editor has waited till the season of tranquility, and now presents to the public eye, the produce of his exertions. He wished to postpone the Publication in order to complete it, but he yields to the entreaties of his Friends, and finds it necessary to make some sacrifice to the eagerness of public curiosity: The remaining part is in preparation for the Press, and as he continues to be supplied by those who were witnesses at the transactions, and consequently most capable of communicating correct intelligence, he hopes soon to accomplish his design.

The Reader will perceive from the following specimen, that the accounts of the Battles are not arranged in chronological order; neither do they boast of any great pretensions to literary merit; but they will be found to have a recommendation more valuable than either--AUTHENTICITY. The Editor was less solicitous about the style of the work, than the truth of it, and where, upon investigation, the matter conveyed to him proved correct, he has given it in the language of his correspondent.

If History be, as it has been elegantly described, "Philosophy teaching by Example,"--what example more necessary to be held out to public view, and transmitted to posterity, than that which shews the dreadful effects of a Revolution attempted by force? Where the visionary politician enjoys for so short a time his sanguinary triumph--suspected even by those whom he calls his friends, he is superseded by such as are more ferocious than himself, while the fury of Fanaticism equally destroys _his_ prospects in the mad effort to exterminate one religion and subst.i.tute another.

The perusal of such transactions must suggest useful reflections.

The surviving Loyalist will rejoice in the triumph of _law_ and the restoration of _order_. The surviving Rebel will repent of his folly, and enjoy the comforts which Law and Order distribute.

Such are the motives and such the object which influence the Editor of this little Work. From those who may approve of it, and whose situation and leisure furnish the opportunity, he requests further a.s.sistance. Particulars of Engagements, not included in this part, will be thankfully received, and due attention paid to them in the subsequent Publication.

A NARRATIVE, OF THE MOST IMPORTANT ENGAGEMENTS, IN THE _IRISH REBELLION_, 1798.

Clonard is situate about Twenty five miles from Dublin on the Western road leading to Mullingar. Tho' const.i.tuted a post town, it is a very small village, consisting of an Inn and a few thatched houses; but from its situation being on the confines of two counties, Kildare and Meath, and having a bridge across the river Boyne, which opens a communication from Dublin to Westmeath, and from thence to Athlone and the Province of Connaught, it must be considered as a very important pa.s.s in all times of commotion and war. On the Dublin side of the town is situated the mansion house of the Tyrrell family, and at present belongs to _John Tyrrell_ Esq.

It is an old fas.h.i.+oned house, fronting the road from which it is separated by a high wall and a court yard; having an extensive garden upon its right, and a sheet of water upon the left.--Mr. John Tyrrell, being a Magistrate of both Counties, Kildare and Meath, and having exerted himself early to suppress the disturbances which were occasioned by the Defenders, naturally became an object of their resentment, and having been repeatedly menaced with an attack, he fortified his house by building up the original hall door, opening another, which might flank the approach to the house, and barricading all the lower windows, so as to render them musquet proof.

Upon the inst.i.tution of the Yeomenry, Mr. John Tyrrell was honoured with a Commission to raise a Corps of Cavalry, which was immediately embodied, under the t.i.tle of the _Clonard Cavalry_, and Thomas Tyrrell, and Thomas Barlow, Esqs. were appointed Lieutenants. This Corps soon distinguished itself by its unwearied exertions to preserve the peace of the neighbourhood; but in the course of the Spring of 1798, Mr. John Tyrrell the Captain, receiving positive information of a conspiracy to take away his life, thought it prudent to retire with his family into England.

The command of the Corps consequently devolved upon Mr. Thomas Tyrrell, the first Lieutenant, who had also at this critical period been appointed High Sheriff of the County of Kildare.--Upon the tenth of May 1798, he received an official letter, ordering the Clonard Cavalry upon permanent duty; in this emergency Mr. Thomas Tyrrell, finding his own house at Kilreiny about one mile and a half from Clonard inconvenient, and in truth indefensible from its situation, removed with his family to his Kinsman's house at Clonard, before described, where he mounted a guard of one Serjeant and 18 men who were to be relieved every week.

Orders were about the same time issued to Captain O Ferrall of the Ballina Cavalry, to mount a permanent guard at Johnstown, near the Nineteen Mile house, which were accordingly complied with: but upon the 16th of May, reports of a general rising having been circulated, and being corroborated by encreasing outrages in the neighbourhood, Captain O Ferrall was permitted to fall back from Johnstown to Clonard in the night time for protection; repairing to Johnstown at four o'Clock in the morning, and retiring to Clonard in the evening.

In this way matters went on for some time, when the country becoming still more disturbed and apprehensions of an attack upon Clonard becoming more serious, Lieutenant Thomas Tyrrell repaired to Dublin, with an escort of his Corps, leaving the command at Clonard with Lieutenant Barlow. The object of this visit to Dublin, was to represent to Government the situation of that part of the country, the daily apprehensions of an attack, and the necessity of a reinforcement. Lord Castlereagh, to whom these representations were made, answered, that under the existing circ.u.mstances no force could be sent to Clonard, but Mr. Thomas Tyrrell was authorized to raise some Supplementaries, for whom he would be supplied with arms and ammunition.

Pending this application in Dublin, viz. upon the 29th of May the Rebels a.s.sembled to the number of 800 in the village of Carbery, five miles from Clonard, where they burned the Protestant Charter School and several houses; they then proceeded through Johnstown, burning and destroying the house of every protestant near the road.

Towards evening they halted at a place called Gurteen, where they destroyed the house of Mr. Francis Metcalf.--When intelligence of these transactions reached Clonard, Lieutenant Barlow marched out with a party of the guard, and being joined by Captain O Ferrall they went in pursuit of the Rebels, but did not over take them, until they had halted at Gurteen, where they had taken a very advantageous position upon each side of a narrow road, behind strong quickset hedges, so that Cavalry could not approach them with any prospect of success. Lieutenant Barlow halted his men, and then advancing some paces towards the enemy, took off his helmet, and challenged them to come forward. They however declined leaving their entrenchments, and night approaching, the Yeomenry with great reluctance returned to their Guard house.

On the 30th of May Lieutenant Thomas Tyrrell arrived safe from Dublin, with his escort, carabines for the Troop, musquets for the Supplementaries and a quant.i.ty of ammunition. The next day he enrolled nineteen well affected protestants to act as Supplementaries and dismounted.

By this time the Rebels had collected a very considerable force and every night committed some outrage and depredation. They encamped upon an Island in the bog of Timahoe, and also at Mucklin and Dreihid; they plundered almost every house in the neighbourhood of their respective places, drove away all the fat cattle and horse they could meet, and intercepted the supplies for the Dublin market.

_BATTLE OF TIMAHOE._

Government being apprized of these proceedings, dispatched General Champagne to Clonard, where he arrived upon the 6th of June; and after consulting with Lieutenant Tyrrell, was escorted by him to Edendery, where the General expected a detatchment of the Limerick Militia; but being disappointed in this respect, an express was sent to Philipstown to hasten the reinforcement, which arrived at Edendery upon the evening of the 7th; and on the next day, General Champagne, having arranged his plan of operations, marched from Edendery, with the following forces: A detatchment of the Limerick Militia, under Lieutenant Colonel Gough; the Coolestown Yeomen Cavalry, under Captain Wakely and Lieutenant Cartland; the Ca.n.a.l Legion, under Lieutenant Adam Williams; the Clonard Cavalry, Lieutenant T. Tyrrell; and the Ballina Cavalry, Captain O Ferrall.

These several corps were distributed, so as that the Cavalry should surround the bog of Timahoe, while the Infantry attacked the Camp upon the Island: This judicious plan was completely executed,--the contest was obstinate for some time, owing to the small number of the Infantry, who led on the attack; but their firmness and discipline supplying the want of numbers, the Limerick, headed by the gallant Colonel Gough, and ably supported by Lieutenant Williams marched into the entrenchments, drove the Rebels from their camp, who were attacked in their flight by the Cavalry and many of them put to death. The Camp was entirely destroyed; and a great quant.i.ty of prisoners and considerable booty were carried off by the victors!

On the 29th of June, Lieutenant Tyrrell having received information that a large body of Rebels had stationed themselves upon a hill near his dwelling-house at Kilreiny, and had committed various robberies in the course of the preceding night, he went to Kinnegad to solicit a reinforcement and sent an express to Edendery for a force to co-operate with him. The Kinnegad Yeomen Cavalry, under Lieutenant Houghton, and a small party of the Northumberland Fencibles immediately marched with Lieutenant Tyrrell to Clonard, and from thence being joined by his own Corps, he proceeded to _Fox's hill_, where the Rebels were posted to the amount of 600.--The attack was began by the Clonard Supplementaries, who displayed great steadiness upon this occasion; the Kinnegad Corps and the Northumberlands supported the attack with great zeal, and the Edenderry force consisting of a detatchment of the Limerick, Lieutenant Colonel Gough, the Coolestown Cavalry, Captain Wakely and the Ca.n.a.l Legion, Lieutenant Williams, having fallen upon the Rebels from the opposite side, they were routed with considerable slaughter. Their commander, one _Casey_, his brother and another Leader were killed in this action, and their bodies brought to Edenderry, where they were exposed for several days.

_JUNCTION OF THE WEXFORD AND KILDARE REBELS._

It might have been hoped, that these successes would have established tranquility in this neighbourhood, and probably such effects would have followed the military exertions, were it not for the irruption of a large column of Wexford Rebels into Kildare, under the command of Colonel _Perry_ who being immediately joined by Colonel _Aylmer_, commanding the Rebel Camp at Prosperous, was prevailed upon to abandon his intention of penetrating into the North, and to adopt a plan suggested by _Aylmer_, of attacking Clonard, pus.h.i.+ng on from thence by Kilbeggan to the Shannon and surprising Athlone. In pursuance of this plan, the Rebel Forces amounting to 4000 men made a movement towards Clonard.

_BATTLE OF CLONARD._

Lieutenant Tyrrell was totally unapprised of the intention, or motions of the enemy:--his guard were extremely vigilant during each night, but not apprehending any danger in the day time they frequently dispersed through the village for the purpose of recreation and refreshment. This happened to be the case with many of his men upon Wednesday morning the 11th of July, on which day, about eleven o'Clock Mr. _Richard Allen_ galloped into the Court, and brought intelligence that he was pursued by a piquet guard of the Rebels, whom he narrowly escaped as they were well mounted; and he was confident a considerable force was approaching. The alarm was instantly given--every exertion was made to collect the scattered men, and parties were stationed in the most advantageous positions.

As the enemy were expected from the Dublin side, six of the Corps (including Mr. Allen and Thomas Tyrrell junr. the Lieutenant's son, and only fifteen years of age) took possession of an old Turret at the extremity of the garden; and which commanded the road. Such was the rapidity with which the Rebels advanced, that the firing actually commenced from this quarter upon their Cavalry before the entire guard could be collected, and the gate leading into the Court yard was under such necessity closed to the exclusion of several, so that when Lieutenant Tyrrell came to ascertain his strength, he found he had only _Twenty-seven_ men, including his own three sons, the eldest of whom was only seventeen years old!

Such a critical situation required the coolness of a man innured to military danger, and all the exertion, firmness and skill of a veteran soldier. But although Lieutenant Tyrrell never had served in the Army, his own good sense supplied the want of experience, and his native courage furnished resources adequate to the magnitude of the occasion. He found his men as zealous as himself, determined to maintain their post and to discharge their duty to their King and Country, or fall in such a glorious cause. After sending a supply of ammunition to the advanced post at the Turret, and stationing other out-posts, he retired into the house with the main body, from which he selected the best marksmen, and placing them at particular windows gave directions that they should not fire without having their object covered, he had the rest of the men secured behind the walls and incessantly employed in loading musquets and carabines for the marksmen at the windows.

The firing as we have observed commenced from the Turret at the extremity of the garden. About 300 of the Rebel Cavalry lead on by one _Farrell_ formed their advanced guard, and approached the Turret in a smart trot, without appearing to apprehend any danger. The first shot was fired by young Mr. Tyrrell, which mortally wounded Farrell, and being followed by a general discharge from the rest among the body of the Cavalry, threw them into great confusion, in which state they fled out of the reach of the firing. The Infantry however coming up, many of them contrived to pa.s.s the Turret under cover of the wall, and numbers were posted behind a thick hedge on the opposite side of the road, from which they kept up a smart fire against the Turret, but without doing any material mischief.

The Infantry who had pa.s.sed the Turret being joined by a party who came by a cross road (for it seems their plan was to surround the house by advancing in different directions) they stationed a guard upon the Bridge to prevent any reinforcement arriving in that direction. About ten or a dozen of this guard were in a very few minutes shot by the marksmen from the windows, upon which the rest fled; not one of the Rebels ventured afterwards to appear upon the Bridge, so that the communication with the Western road was in a great measure preserved, the importance of which to the little garrison in Clonard will appear in the event of the day.

The enemy being thus defeated in their first onset in both points of attack, became exasperated to an extravagant pitch of fury, and determined upon the most savage revenge. A large party contrived to penetrate into the garden, by the rere, and some of them immediately rushed into the Turret. The Yeomen stationed there were upon an upper floor--they had the precaution to drag up the ladder by which they ascended;--the Rebels endeavoured to climb upon each other, so as to reach the upper story, but they were killed as fast as they appeared; others then ran their pikes through the cieling, and fired shots but without effect--the conflict was obstinate--twenty seven of the Rebels lay dead on the ground floor, when at length, a quant.i.ty of straw was brought and set on fire. The building was soon in flames; two of the yeomen, Mr. Michael Cusack and Mr. George Tyrrell, endeavouring to force their way through the smoke were immediately put to death; the rest of the party viz. Mr. Allen, young Mr. T. Tyrrell, and two others escaped by leaping from a window twenty foot high into an hay-yard, from whence under cover of a wall which divided it from the garden they escaped into the house.

Having succeeded so well by the effect of conflagration, the enemy set fire to the Toll house and some other cabbins on the left near the Bridge, for the purpose of embara.s.sing and confusing the garrison; during this operation, they were seen throwing their dead into the flames, for the purpose, it was thought of evading discovery.

The Battle had now lasted near six hours: about five in the evening the approach of succour was descried from the house--the hopes of all were elevated and they fought with renovated vigour.

One of the guard who had been excluded by the sudden shutting of the gates in the morning, finding he could be of no other use, repaired to Kinnegad, represented the situation of his friends at Clonard, upon which fourteen of the Kinnegad Infantry, under Lieutenant Houghton, and eleven Northumberland Fencibles, under the command of a Serjeant, immediately collected and with great gallantry marched for Clonard. The communication by the Bridge having been kept open in the manner before related, Lieutenant Tyrrell sallied from the house, and soon effected a junction with this reinforcement. A few vollies completely cleared the roads, and having then placed the Northumberland and Kinnegad men in such situations as most effectually to gall the enemy in their retreat from the garden, the Lieutenant undertook in person, the hazardous enterprise of dislodging them from thence.

At this time, it is supposed there were 400 Rebels in the garden; numbers of them were posted upon a mount planted with old fir trees, which afforded considerable protection, and many lay concealed behind a privet hedge, from whence they could distinctly see every person who entered the garden, tho' they could not be seen themselves--Lieutenant Tyrrell at the head of a few picked men, rushed into the garden; and was received by a general discharge from both parties of the enemy: no time was lost in attacking the party behind the hedge, who being defeated, retired to the mount;--here the action again became warm, the Rebels appeared determined to maintain the advantage of their situation, and the Yeomen, tho'

fatigued with the labour of the day, could not think of retiring.

Six of them were badly wounded, among whom was Mr. Richard Allen, who had so gallantly defended the Turrett--a ball pa.s.sed thro' his left arm, and entered his side; his comrades still persevered with the most undaunted courage, and supporting a steady and well directed fire against the mount, the enemy were at length dispersed, and in their flight were met by the Northumberland and Kinnegad Corps who made great havoc among them.

The victory was now complete--as glorious an achievement, we will venture to say, as occurred during the whole rebellion, and for which the gallant officers and men can never be too much applauded, whether we consider it as an unexampled display of genuine loyalty and true courage, or estimate its value from its immence importance to that part of the country and the kingdom at large. It was the first check which the United Army of Wexford and Kildare experienced and proved the fore-runner of those multiplied defeats which terminated in its total dispersion.

_MRS. TYRRELL'S SUFFERINGS WHILE PRISONER WITH THE REBELS._

After the Battle it might have been expected that the little garrison would have given themselves up to an excess of joy; but the breast of their Commander was filled with anxious solicitude----the partner of his heart--his wife, the mother of those three gallant youths, who mixed in the hottest scenes of the day, was absent the whole time, and no tidings of her had reached the garrison. The men sympathised with the husband and the children, and success was thought incomplete, until she was restored to their embraces.

Probably the reader may partic.i.p.ate somewhat of a similar feeling, and desire some gratification from a brief narrative of the circ.u.mstances attending the Lady while in possession of the Rebels.

On the morning of the 11th of July, about the hour that the guard dispersed, as we have before mentioned, Mrs. Tyrrell went in her carriage from Clonard to her own house at Kilreiny upon some domestic concerns--she soon heard the Rebels were approaching, and speedily drove back with the hope of reaching Clonard before them.

In this however she was disappointed; the noise of musquetry convinced her of the impractibility of this attempt. The servant was ordered to turn about and drive to Kilreiny, from whence she intended to send an express to Edenderry--she had not however proceeded many yards, when the carriage was overtaken by two men on horseback, armed with drawn swords who with oaths and menaces ordered the servant to stop--They turned the carriage back towards Clonard until they overtook about 200 men armed with pikes, a few musquets and some swords. They searched the carriage for arms, but did not find any. Mrs. Tyrrell describes the men as a ragged, wretched looking banditti: three of them, armed with musquets mounted the boot of the carriage; three more got behind it--and in this manner attended by a great crowd, the carriage was drove two miles round to the high road leading from Dublin to Clonard: here they kept her a prisoner, notwithstanding her frequent entreaties to be enlarged; she at one time apprehended the pike-men would cut her to pieces, as they quarrelled among themselves, some disposed to treat her with civility--others the reverse--After some time she prevailed upon them to permit her to retire into a cabin, the inhabitants of which knew her, and two men armed with musquets were placed as centries. She there remained, until the Rebels were defeated at Clonard, when the whole body upon their retreat a.s.sembled at the cabin; one of the rebel officers came in and desired Mrs. Tyrrell to get into her carriage; she asked for what purpose. He replied, that she must go with them; she entreated him to permit her to remain where she was, and that her carriage and horses were at his service; he for some time denied her request: but falling on her knees to supplicate him, he told her she might stay:--He then withdrew, but immediately a great common fellow came in, seized her by the arm, dragged her to the door, and desired some men to lift her upon a horse, which had been provided for her, as some wounded men were to be put into the carriage. Mrs. Tyrrell's alarm now became excessive--she looked round for the person, who had consented to let her remain in the cabin, and getting her arms round him reminded him of his promise. He acknowledged his engagement, but confessed he had not power to perform it--that she must go with them, but would be accomodated with her own carriage.

Three or four men then thrust her into the carriage, which moved on, attended by an immense body of people, and a great number of officers. When they had proceeded about a mile, the carriage was stopped and entered by Col. _Perry_, who said, he was fatigued.

Mrs. Tyrrell endeavoured to prevail upon him to let her go--but in vain--she told him, she would use all her influence for his advantage, if ever she had an oportunity--He answered, that the Yeomen had taken a general officer, at Clonard, and that she must remain a Prisoner till his fate was known.--After some time, the carriage was stopped again, and a fellow came in, who told Col. _Perry_, _he_ had a right to it, as he had taken it, and tho'

quite a common fellow, _Perry_ had not power to prevent him.

Mrs. _Tyrrell_ then applied to this man for protection; he answered, that she could not obtain her liberty. She was now reduced to all the anguish of despair, when a gleam of hope suddenly darted across her mind, upon seeing a man riding beside the carriage whose countenance was perfectly familiar--This was one _Kearns_, a popish priest, who had been for some time a curate in the neighbourhood of Clonard, and had always been received in Mr. Tyrrell's house, with the respect due to his clerical function, and the hospitality of an Irish gentleman. Upon meeting a man, who had feasted for weeks together at her table, and a clergyman too! she thought herself secure and implored his protection:--He coldly answered--"O, yes, Madam"--But with all the base and black ingrat.i.tude of a sullen and unfeeling heart, insensible to _past_ kindness, he drew back his horse, and with the jesuitical prevarication, natural to such a character, determined not to interfere, while he neglected to console her with an implied offer of a.s.sistance.----Thus deserted, she again abandoned herself to despair, and began to prepare herself for that death, which she now looked upon as inevitable.----A man, who sat upon the boot of the carriage, was suddenly struck with the fervency of her devotion, and turning round, said, _He_ had as much authority as any other man there, and that the lady should do as she pleased.

Elevated a little from her despondency by this expression, Mrs. Tyrrell gave him her gold watch, promising him any further reward he would demand, if he would procure her liberty.----At this time a person in the garb of an officer, and whose countance beamed with the rays of humanity, rode up to the carriage--she immedeiately addressed him in the most supplicating terms--imploring him to take pity upon a poor defenceless woman, who had not, and who could not injure him--He interrogated her as to who she was and how she came there.--She told him--He protested, that he did not before know of any such thing and requested to know, what she wished to do----She replied that she only required to be let on her feet, that she might proceed home. He immediately ordered the cavalcade to stop--handed her out of the carriage in the most kind and humane manner--conducted her thro' an immense crowd of armed men, and apologized for not accompanying her to Clonard, by saying, "she knew, he could not do it with safety."--Mrs. Tyrrell made him the acknowledgements of a grateful heart, and begged to be entrusted with his name, that if ever it should be in her power, she might return the kindness she had then experienced and repay the obligations she had received.--He said, he was afraid, she could not do him any service, and with apparent reluctance, told her, he was Captain _Byrne_!--He then returned to his party, and Mrs. Tyrrell having met some of the people in whose cabin she was a prisoner, they accompanied her to Clonard, where she was consoled for all her sufferings by finding her husband and children alive.

The gentleman (for such his conduct evinced him to be) who called himself, Captain _Byrne_, proved to be Mr. _Byrne_ of Ballyma.n.u.s, in the county of Wicklow, who afterwards surrendered himself to Government, and Lieutenant Tyrrell being in Dublin at the time, repaired to the Castle, had an interview with Mr. Byrne, expressed his acknowledgements to him in the warmest terms, and represented the conduct of Mr. Byrne to the administration in such a manner, as shewed the Lieutenant's sense of the obligation, while it promoted the lenient disposition which was afterwards manifested to Mr. Byrne.