upon the hill, they were sufficiently advanced to cut down a number of the fugitives. Having thus explained the causes that prevented the plan of attack from being executed as it had been intended, we shall proceed to describe the movements of the other columns, by whom the rebel stronghold was carried on the 21st of June. General Sir James Duff, who advanced by the Ferns Road, with his right resting on the Slaney, and his left flanked by the light infantry under General Loftus, reached the base of the hill with occasional interruptions from rebel pickets, who occupied the high grounds on the line of march, but who were easily dispersed by a few shells from the howitzers. Previous to commencing his ascent, he detached General Loftus with the light infantry and guns, to seize an eminence which overlooked the lower line of the rebel position, and consequently laid it open to a cannonade at easy range. The movement was rapidly effected-and although the inclosures were numerous, and the ground steep, General Loftus, by breaking down the stone fences, was enabled to get his artillery forward-and crowning the height with his guns, he opened them with excellent effect upon crowded ranks which were completely enfiladed. The remainder of Duff's brigade pressed steadily up the hill-and at the same time, the columns of Generals Lake, Wilford, and Dundas, with Campbell's light companies, ascended the south-eastern face, while Johnson's brigade mounted from Enniscorthy. As the troops advanced, they sustained a sharp fire from the rebel marksmen who, acting en tirailleur, lined the numerous inclosures, and disputed them with some spirit. The rebel cannonade was ineffective, although they had thirteen pieces of various calibres on the hill, but their musketry was well sustained, and yet with all the advantages of a strong position, the loss inflicted on the assailants was infinitely less than could have been anticipated. The steady advance of the troops was never for a moment checked, and the movements of the columns so admirably timed, that they crowned the hill simultaneously-while the rebels, availing themselves of the means of retreat which General Needham's failure had left open, went off en masse, abandoning their cannon, ammunition,* and all the plunder that had * "Inclosed is a return of the ordnance taken on Vinegar-hill, in which are included three taken from us on the 4th of June: "Return of orȧnance taken from the rebels on Vinegar-hill, 21st June, 1798. 3 Six-pounders, brass. 1 Three-pounder. 7 One-pounders. 15 inch howitzer. 14 inch howitzer. 13 Total. Rounds of ammunition, 17 Six-pounders. 30 One-pounders. 11 5 inch howitzers. "A cart, with a vast variety of balls of different diameters, had been thrown been accumulated during the period they had occupied their savage and sanguinary encampment. The brunt of the action, and the greatest proportion of the loss, fell upon the brigade commanded by General Johnson. On the evening preceding the attack on Vinegar-hill, that General advanced within a mile and a half of Enniscorthy, intending to bivouac in the vicinity of the rebel position, and bring his column fresh into action the next day. The troops had scarcely, however, piled arms, when the rebels in great force issued from Enniscorthy, and moved forward with the apparent intention of attacking the royalists, and hazarding a general action. They advanced in close columns, covered by a number of sharpshooters, and connected by several bodies, formed in irregular lines. The rebel skirmishers, after maintaining a sharp fusilade, were speedily dislodged by the fire of the cannon, and falling back on the supporting column, which had halted on an eminence half a mile from the ground occupied by the royalists, the guns were directly turned upon the height. On this occasion, these unfortunate and deluded men evinced an ignorance of warlike missiles which can hardly be conceived. As the round shot from the guns bedded themselves in the face of the hill against which they had been directed, the rebels rushed in numbers to pick them up. A shell from a howitzer falling, it was exultingly surrounded by a crowd of men, each struggling to become owner of this god-send. The effect of the explosion may be fancied, as when the fuse reached the powder, more than fifty of the ignorant wretches were furiously contending for the possession of the lighted shell!* The night passed, and at daybreak, Johnson drove the rebels from the height, and forced them back into Enniscorthy. The closeness of the country afforded them an excellent opportunity to employ their marksmen—and as every hedge was boldly held, the advance of the royalists was not effected without some loss. After halting an hour, to allow the general attack upon the hill to operate as a diversion, and employ the main body of the enemy, Johnson pushed his column into the town. On this occasion the rebels made a stubborn resistance, their pikemen disputing the streets, and their musketry firing on the advancing troops from the windows. Every yard was stoutly contested, and a six-pounder, advanced into the open space before the court-house, was carried down the hill after the action, and immense quantities of lead and leaden balls delivered over to the Dunbarton fencibles. (Signed) "ROBERT CRAWFORD, Captain R. I. A.” *Here they were cannonaded, and on seeing the shells, they were driven into the utmost confusion, as they could not conceive what they were, some shouting in a kind of delirium (as shell followed shell) They spit fire at us'-others, 'We can stand any thing but these guns which fire twice.' Indeed the carnage occasioned by them was very great, and fully answered the end."-Taylor. Ꮮ by a sudden rush, the gunners killed, and the piece captured by the pikemen. But it was immediately retaken; the bridge was cleared of the enemy-the Dublin regiment cheered and pressed up the hill-ana although that ascent was the steepest, the brave old mant * reached the summit, as the other columns crowned it. The royalist casualties were comparatively trifling,† and the rebel loss fell infinitely short of what might have been expected from a déroute so complete as that which followed the loss of their favourite position. As the greater number of the insurgents were cut down dispersedly in the pursuit, the amount could not be correctly estimated. Probably three or four hundred might have been slain. One of their favourite generals, a church-militant leader, was included in the casual *General, afterwards Sir Henry Johnson, G. C. B., may be said, in the rebellion of 1798, to have been the military saviour of Ireland. His services were acknowledged by George III. who conferred on him the command of the 81st regiment, and afterwards that of the 5th, and appointed him one of his aides-de-camp. He lived long to wear his well-earned honours, and shortly before the death of the venerable M'Cormick, had an affecting interview with his brave auxiliary in the defence of Ross, whom he familiarly designated as his "friend with the brazen helmet." + Return of the killed, wounded, and missing of the King's troops, in the attack -of Vinegar-hill and Enniscorthy, June 21, 1798. OFFICERS KILLED. Lieutenant Sandys, Longford militia, attached to 1st battalion; Lieutenant Barnes, 13th foot, attached to 4th battalion. WOUNDED. Major Vesey (now Colonel Vesey), Dublin county militia; Colonel King, Sligo militia; Captain Dunne, 7th dragoon-guards; Captain Shundea, 60th regiment of foot, 5th battalion; Lieutenant Barker, Kildare militia, attached to 4th battalion ; Lieutenant Hill, Mid-Lothian fencible cavalry. PRIVATES. Ninth Dragoons-1 rank and file killed. Hompesch's Hussars-2 rank and file wounded. Dunlavin Yeomen Cavalry-1 rank and file wounded. 89th Regiment of Foot-1 rank and file killed. 1st battalion Light Infantry-1 serjeant wounded, 2 rank and file killed, 18 wounded, and 3 missing. Royal British Horse Artillery-1 rank and file wounded. Sligo Militia-2 rank and file killed, 2 wounded. Suffolk Fencible Infantry-2 rank and file wounded. 5th battalion 60th Regiment-1 serjeant missing, 5 rank and file killed, 5 wounded. 4th Light battalion-1 serjeant 3 rank and file killed, 22 wounded, 1 missing. Royal Meath Militia-1 serjeant killed. Roscommon Militia-1 rank and file wounded, I missing. Dublin County Militia-2 rank and file killed, 6 wounded. |