endeavoured to make them return; but finding that he could not influence them, thought it his duty to head them, not only to prevent them from committing outrages, but for their own prefervation, to keep them in a state of fubordination.

This party amounted to about two hundred, including the foldiers of the North Cork. The main body of the garrifon, confifting of the Donegal militia, part of the North Cork, and many corps of yeomen infantry and cavalry, followed in about an hour after, under the command of lieutenant-colonel Maxwell.

When the first party had advanced about four miles, they were informed that a large body of rebels lay in wait for them, at a fmall village called Maglafs,* in the barony of Forth, about two miles farther on. They, therefore, by the advice of captain Cornock, took a circuitous road towards the fea, and avoided them, which was very fortunate, as they might have been overpowered by the fuperiority of their numbers.

Difappointed of their object, the greater part of the rebels difperfed; however, about five hundred of them, who remained in a strong pofition at Maglafs, attempted to oppofe colonel Maxwell's party, who routed and killed a good many of them.

About feven miles from Wexford, captain Snowe overtook Mr. John Colclough and his wife in a phaeton; and as he, from refiding in that country, and from being a rebel chieftain, had great influence there, the captain refolved to detain him as a hostage, to prevent any attack from being made on his detachment in their retreat. During their march, large bodies of rebels frequently appeared behind the hedges, ready to oppofe them; and whenever that happened, captain Snowe obliged Mr. Colclough to ftand up in his phaeton, as a token of amity; at other times Mr. Colclough waved his hat in the air,

on

Plate III. 8.

on which the rebels difperfed, which evinced the great refpect they bore him.

He had been liberated the day before at Wexford, and faid, he was going to his houfe at Ballyteigue, in the barony of Forth; though, in fact, he was proceeding to join the rebels; yet, with fingular diffimulation, he, ftanding in his phaeton, drank the king's health, and faid, " Captain Snowe, remember that I am a loyal fubject: I was committed on a charge grounded on the malicious information of a

villain.'

Next day Mrs. Colclough triumphantly entered Wexford, which was in poffeffion of the rebels, in her phaeton, adorned with green emblems.

*

They compelled Mr. Colclough to accompany them to the river Scarpafs, where the tide being full, which made it impaflable, they were under the neceffity of making a detour of at least ten miles. ||

About fix miles from Duncannon fort, † when it was extremely dark, they were attacked and fired on in the rear, by a party of rebel horfe, commanded by John Murphy, of Loughnageer, who afterwards headed the Rofsgarland corps of rebels, and was concerned in burning the barn at Scullabogue. The foldiers, after firing a few random fhots, were panick-ftruck, and fled to Taylor's-town bridge; on which having thronged in great numbers, they were very much expofed to a heavy fire from the rebels, who were pofted on an adjacent furze-brake on a hill.

Many perfons were killed on the bridge, and among them two women, one a foldier's wife, the other a beautiful young girl, extremely well dreffed, who was the daughter of an Enniscorthy loyalift, and had retreated with them from that town.

About fifty of the North Cork, and the yeomanry were taken prifoners, and a good many were killed. James Neale, one of the band of mufick, his wife, and

Plate III. &, 9.

Ii2

Ibid. 9.

They retreated by Bridgetown, Baldwinftown, and Dun cormuck. Plate III. 9.

manner.

and another woman, who became their prifoners, were perforated with pikes in a moft barbarous After having ftripped them of the principal part of their clothes, their bodies were conveyed to a newly-ploughed field, and covered lightly with fods. Neale's wife, in whom life was not quite extinguifhed, recovered in the night, and removed the fods; and finding her husband's bloody shirt and waistcoat, fhe covered herself with them, and crept to Tintern, from whence fhe was fent on a car to Duncannon-fort, and from thence to Waterford, where the was completely cured in the hofpital. Her legs, thighs and arms, had many pike wounds; and her head was fwollen and ulcerated with them. ‡

As captain Snowe's party, attacked in a strange country and during a dark night, were panick-ftruck and difperfed, he was left quite alone, and arrived at Duncannon-fort about feven in the morning, after having experienced various dangers and diftreffes, and overcome with fatigue and hunger. Lieutenant-colonel Maxwell's party retreated by Maglafs, Bridgetown, Baldwinftown, and Duncormuck, and the pass of the Scar, at Barriet's-town; where, having been obftructed by the tide, they halted fome time to refresh the troops, and went thence to Duncannon-fort by Foulkes's mill. Thus the retreat of the garrison of Wexford was in a great measure performed during a dark night, in a country whofe inhabitants were hoftile, and in a ftate of infurrection; yet in the courfe of their march of eighteen hours, they had not received any nourishment.

Before I proceed to give the reader a defcription of the entry of the rebels into the town of Wexford, of which they got poffeffion the thirtieth of May, and of the events which occurred there, I fhall endeavour to give him an idea of their different ftrong pofts and encampments, and of the objects which they were defirous of attaining; and in this, their plans appear

She was far gone with child; yet fhe was delivered at the ufual time, and the child is living.

appear to have been fyftematick, and guided by policy and forefight.

Confident of fuccefs, from their recent victories, and the numerous hordes affembled on the mountain of Fort and Vinegar-hill; and as multitudes were hourly flocking to their standard, they divided their army into three divifions.

One, under the command of Bagenal Harvey, and father Philip Roche, of Poulpeafty, in the parish of Killan, was to form a camp on Carrickbyrne-hill,* for the purpose of attacking the town of New Rofs. Another, under father Kearns, captain Doyle, and captain Redmond, nephew of father Redmond, parish priest of Ferns, marched to Vinegar-hill, from whence they were to proceed to take Newtown-barry.+ The third, commanded by Anthony Perry of Inch, father Michael Murphy of Ballycanoe, and father John Murphy of Boulavogue, was deftined to attack Gorey; and having taken it, to march to Dublin,

BATTLE OF NEWTOWN-BARRY.

By taking Newtown-barry they would completely command the river Slaney, having previously gained Enniscorthy and Wexford, fituated on it; befides the advantage of poffeffing the harbour of the latter.

Newtown-barry is on the river Slaney, at the entrance of a deep defile, furrounded with very high and fteep mountains; and, being on the principal road which leads to the counties of Carlow and Kildare, it would open a communication, and afford a perfect co-operation with the rebels in thofe counties, and enable them to prevent the arrival of reinforcements or the conveyance of ammunition to the king's troops

The zeal and policy with which the rebellion in the county of Wexford was conducted, arofe from a plan, which lord Edward Fitzgerald had formed, of landing there a few troops from France, with a number of good officers, and a large quantity of arms and ammunition, in a few remarkable faft-failing frigates.

Report of the fecret committee, Appendix, No. XVI. p. 136. † Ibid. 1I. 5•

* Plate III. 5.

troops from that quarter. The acquifition of Old Rofs, would give them the command of a very fine navigable river, and open a communication with the county of Kilkenny rebels; befides, it is now well known, that most of the difaffected inhabitants of Munfter would have rifen in mafs, as foon as that town had fallen into their hands.

The towns of Gorey, || Arklow, § and Wicklow, were fo thinly garrifoned, that the leaders of the third column were confident of proceeding to Dublin, without any material impediment. They knew alfo that immenfe numbers would flock to their standard in their progrefs; and that the rebels in the metropolis, (with whom they held a conftant communication) bold, numerous, well-armed, and organized, would rife on their approach,

Government having received intelligence of the intended attack on Newtown-barry, colonel L'Eftrange was fent to defend it on the thirtieth of May, with a detachment of the King's county militia, a few drageons, and two battalion guns; the whole, including two corps of yeomen, one infantry, the other cavalry, amounting to about three hundred and fixty. As the inhabitants had been in conftant expectation for fome days of an attack from the rebels encamped on Vinegar-hill, all the avenues to the town had been occurie by patroles, both day and night, to prevent a fu prife. On the evening of the thirty-first of May, they were fuddenly alarmed by the arrival of a young woman in the town, with the utmost precipiation, and crying out, "Here they are! here they are!" She had been a prifoner to the rebels on Vinegar-hill, where he was fo unfortunate as to fee her two brothers put to death, with extreme torture. In the frenzy of grief, fhe, at the risk of her life, feized and mounted a horfe, and was fo lucky as to make her efcape, though clofely purfied.

Next day, the firft of June, colonel L'Eftrange went out with a party of dragoons to reconnoitre, in the direction

Plate VII. 5.

Ibid. II, 4, 5

Ibid. 1.