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 impaffable, they were under the neceffity of making a detour of at leaft 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 horse, 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 prisoners, and a good many were killed. James Neale, one of the band of mufick, his wife, Ii2

Plate III. 8, 9.

Plate III. 9.

|| Ibid. 9.

and

They retreated by Bridgetown, Baldwinftown, and Duns cormuck.

and another woman, who became their prifoners, were perforated with pikes in a moft barbarous manner. 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 fhirt 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 she was completely cured in the hofpital. Her legs, thighs and arms, had many pike wounds; and her head was fwollen and ulcerated with them. I

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 Barrie '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 garrifon of Wexford was in a great measure performed during a dark night, in a country whofe inhabitants were hoftile, and in a state of infurrection; yet in the course 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 he 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 ftandard, 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 Carrick byrne-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 those 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, arose 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. 11, 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 moft 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 ftandard 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 dragoons, 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 occupied by patroles, both day and night, to prevent a furprise. 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 precipitation, and crying out, "Here they are! here they. are!" She had been a prifoner to the rebels on Vinegar-hill, where fhe 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 escape, though closely purfued.

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

Plate VII. 5.

Ibid. II. 4, 5

Ibid. 1.

direction of Vinegar-hill. When he advanced about three miles, he perceived the rebels approaching in great force, and fo concealed by a thick wood, and large hedge-rows, that he fuddenly found himfelf in the midit of them. After exchanging a few fhots, he returned to the town, and made the beft difpofition he could for its defence. Soon after the enemy began to advance in two large columns, one at each fide of the river, and under cover of very thick woods, which are on high hills that furround the town. As they approached, they communicated with each other, by loud fhouts and yells, which ferved as fignals to announce the moment of attack.

About three o'clock, the rebels fired fome round and fome canister fhot into the town, which obliged the out-pofts to retreat into it. As colonel L'Eftrange perceived a defign in the rebel column at the oppofite fide of the river to get on his rear, and to furround him, and as his fmall force would be infufficient to guard the different avenues leading to the town, after confulting with his officers, he refolved to abandon it, and to take poffeffion of a rifing ground, which commanded it; and by doing fo, he ftrengthened" his force by its concentration.

The rebels, imagining that the king's troops, intimidated by their numbers,, had fled, rushed into the town, and proceeded to plunder and burn it. The yeomen, enraged at feeing their families and their property in fuch imminent danger, applied to captain Kerr, who commanded the yeomen cavalry, to lead them on; faying, that they would conquer or die. He afked permiffion to do fo, and obtained it.

Affifted by lieutenant-colonel Weitenrea, and major Marley, they immediately advanced into the town, which was full of rebels, who were plundering and burning it; and who would have completely demolished it, but that a few loyal fubjects, by keeping up a conftant fire from their houfes, retarded and checked their de ftructive progrefs. While the rebels were thus engaged, our troops attacked them with a heavy fire of grape.