CHAP. XLIV.. XLIV. on at An trim. 1798. Infurrection at Antrim--Battles of Saintfield and Bloody Friday-Progress of Father John-Attack -Remarks on the rebellion. CHAP. IN Ulfter first had the fyftem of United Irislmen been dangerously rooted; and there, from the spirit, Infurre&ti- the intelligence, and the habits of order of its inhabitants, infurrection would have been far the most formidable to government. The scheme had been diforganized, as I have already related; but numbers were exafperated, ready to rife and be organized anew, as foon as they should be afcertained of the fuccefs of the confpiracy in the capital and the neighbouring counties. As in thefe, by the imprisonment of the chiefs, all fuccefs was prevented, the county of XLIV. the difaffected remained quiet in the north till news CHAP. arrived of a feditious commotion in the Wexford, with three victories in fucceffion over the royal army. Expecting that their example would be followed throughout the province, a confiderable number affembled in the vicinity of Antrim, on the feventh of June, with defign to feize the magistrates, who had appointed on that day a meeting there; and, making their attack at two o'clock in the afternoon, rendered themselves very nearly mafters of the town. Un But they were diflodged by a body of troops with artillery under general Nugent, and purfued with the flaughter of perhaps near two hundred; not without the lofs of about thirty of the royalists, among whom was lord O'Neal, a defcendant of the ancient dynasts of Ulfter, fo formidable to English government till the end of Elizabeth's reign. fuccessful attempts were alfo made by fmall parties at Larne, Ballymena, and Ballycastle. Affembling on Donnegar hill, the infurgents were affured that the rest of the northerns would not fecond their efforts, in confequence of intelligence received that the war in the county of Wexford was completely of a religious complexion, and that successful oppofition in Ulfter to the royal authority would tend to enable the catholics of the fouth to effect their great object, the extermination of proteftants. In despair and disgust, these mal-contents, who were mostly proteftants, relinquished all thoughts of further warfare; and, breaking, throwing away, or furrendering their weapons, difperfed to their feveral homes. Fe 2 Actuated CHAP. XLIV. Saintfield. June 9, 1798. Actuated in like manner as thofe of Antrim, a number of infurgents affembled near Saintfield in Action at the county of Down, on the eighth of June, under a leader named Jackfon; and with furious refentment fet fire to the house of one Mackee, an informer, where eleven perfons are faid to have perished in the flames. This was the only act of atrocity, except in battle, committed by the armed mal-contents in Ulfter, where the people are better educated than in the fouth, and poffefs more the principles of pure religion. Electing for their general Henry Munroe, a fhop-keeper of Lifburn, they placed themfelves on the ninth in ambufcade, awaiting the approach of colonel Stapleton with a body of York fencibles and yeomen cavalry. Here the royal troops would have been totally routed, if the infantry, on whom the cavalry were driven back with flaughter, had not, with a cool intrepidity, extremely uncommon, if not altogether fingular, at this time in Ireland, rallied and diflodged the foe. Stapleton, having remained mafter of the ground, retreated to Belfast, having loft about fixty men including three officers, befide Mr. Mortimer, a clergyman, vicar of Portaferry, who had volunteered on this occafion. At Ballyna Little difcouraged by this repulfe, in which the 13, 1798. lofs of the rebels was perhaps not greater than that of the royalifts, the bands of Munroe, reaffembled, and took poft at Ballynahinch, on the Windmill hill, and at the house and in the demefne of lord Moira, in number about four thousand. To the troops of general Nugent, who arrived on the twelfth XLIV. with fifteen hundred men, they abandoned this CHAP. hill, and the town, which lies in a valley between the hill and the high grounds of lord Moira. On the latter they took post, and, in the next morning, cannonaded the royal army with fix fmall cannons tied on cars, while fhells were thrown against them from the oppofite artillery. The cannonade continued three hours without execution on either fide, while the town was in flames, which had been wantonly fired by the foldiery of Nugent. At length a close combat was commenced. The Monaghan militia, posted with two field pieces at lord Moira's great gate, were driven by an impetuous charge of pikemen back on the Hillsborough cavalry, and both together forced in diforder from their ground. But what their valour had gained was loft to the insurgents by their want of tactics. Affailed in flank by other troops, which gave time for rallying to the discomfited, they were thrown into confufion, and retreated up the high ground to the fummit. After a defense of this post for some time, they fled in all directions, and again assembled on the mountains of Slyeeve-Croob. Here after confultation, influenced by the fame arguments which had been fuccefsfully urged to the infurgents of Antrim, they finally dif perfed. Their lofs at Ballynahinch was about a hundred and fifty: that of the royal forces feems to be stated too low at forty. The execution followed of the infurgent leaders to complete the termination of this very local and fhort, but active and vigorous commotion, which must have been attended with confequences CHAP. confequences incalculable, if it had spread to extent through the northern counties. XLIV. rebels. Proceed- The abandonment of rebellion in the northern ings of the Wexfordian province, while the rest of the kingdom, with a small 1798. exception, remained in a state of quiet, left the infurgents in the county of Wexford to contend almoft alone against the royal troops. Since their repulses at Rofs and Arklow, they were reduced to defensive warfare, and could only hope to maintain fome posts, until forces fhould arrive to their affiftance from France. Some in the mean time among them feemed refolved to annoy their opponents where opportunities occurred. Their chief force about Gorey, marching to Mountpleasant in the county of Wicklow, burned the little town of Tinnehely on the seventeenth of June, and put to death fome protestants as orangemen. Many more would have fuffered on that imputation, if they had not been faved by the humane interpofition of Mrs. Maher, a catholic lady. The furprizal of Hacketstown, their next object of attack on the eighteenth, was prevented by the arrival of general Dundas with an army, who, leaving as a garrifon in this town the yeomen of Tinnehely, ftyled the True Blues, purfued the rebels to Tinnehely and thence to Kilcavan hill. Here a junction was formed with the troops of Loftus, from Tullow, and an attack feemed to be intended against this poft: but after a cannonade, with little execution on either fide, and tremendous fhouts of defiance from the rebels, with their hats raised on pikes according to their conftant practice, the |