|
The General Council address
the Prince of Orange - The Prince replies - William and Mary proclaimed
King and Queen in Enniskillen - Tyrconnell determines to reduce Ulster -
He employs Colonel Richard Hamilton - Hamilton marches into Ulster - His
Advance spreads Consternation - Lord Blaney defeats a Portion of his
Forces and occupies Coleraine - Enniskillen still maintains her
Independent Attitude - Viscount Galmoy lays Siege to Crom Castle with
Tin Cannon - His Treachery and Barbarity.
Ulster now determined on
a concentrated effort, the
county councils congregated at Hillsborough to form one
general council to consult upon the interests of the Protestant
community. Tyrconnell contented himself with collecting,
as best he could, forces to be employed in the service of
James, and the Northerners, during January and February,
1689, were left unmolested to collect their troops and mature
their plans. One of the first acts of the General Council
was to compose an address to the Prince of Orange, stating
their condition and expressing their sentiments and praying
for speedy assistance. This address was committed to the
care of Captain Leighton for delivery to the Prince. Leighton
sailed from Belfast on the 10th of January, and on the 10th
of February he returned with William's answer addressed
to the President of the Ulster League, the Earl of Mount
Alexander.
In his reply the Prince
said: "Having received an
account from Captain Leighton of what he was entrusted
to represent to us in relation to the condition of the
Protestants in Ireland, we have directed him to assure you
in our name, how sensibly we are affected with the hazards
you are exposed to, by the illegal power the Papists have
of late usurped in that kingdom, and that we are resolved
to employ the most speedy and effectual means in our power
for rescuing you from the oppressions and terrors you be
under; that in the meantime we do well approve of the
endeavours we understand you are using to put yourselves
into a posture of defence, that you may not be surprised,
wherein you may expect all the encouragements and assistance that can be
given you from hence.
"And because we are
persuaded that there are even of
the Romish communion many who are desirous to live
peaceably, and do not approve of the violent and arbitrary
proceedings of some who pretend to be in authority; and we
think it just to make distinctions of persons, according to
their behaviour and deserts; we do hereby authorize you to
promise in our name, to all such who shall demean them-
selves hereafter peaceably and inoffensively, our protection
and exemption from those pains and forfeitures which those
only shall incur who are the maintainers and abettors of the
said illegal authority, assumed and continued contrary to
law, or who shall act anything to the prejudice of the Protestant
interest, or the disturbance of the public peace in that
kingdom.
"And for further
particulars we refer you to the report
you shall receive from Captain Leighton (who hath committed
himself with fidelity and diligence in your concerns) of the
sincerity of our intentions towards you. And so we recommend you to the
protection of Almighty God."
This gracious message
from the Prince of Orange did
much to raise the spirits of his adherents in Ulster. In Londonderry and
Enniskillen the tidings of the proceedings at
Westminster on the 6th of February, whereby the Convention
had carried a resolution that the Prince and Princess of
Orange should be declared King and Queen of England,
were received with great joy. William and Mary, on the
nth of March, were proclaimed at Enniskillen with unbounded enthusiasm,
and with such pomp as the little town
could furnish.
To reduce the Protestants
of Ulster to submission before
aid could arrive from England was now Tyrconnell's chief
object, and he employed for this purpose a member of the
illustrious house of Hamilton. Colonel Richard Hamilton,
however, was not destined to add to the lustre of the family
record. He spent his earlier years at Whitehall and
Versailles, and later repaired to Ireland, where he was appointed
Brigadier-General in the Irish army, and was one
of the Irish Privy Council. He had been sent by Tyrconnell,
whose friendship and confidence he had won, to support
James in England, and when the troops submitted to the
Prince of Orange, he made his own terms of peace. Owing
chiefly to the influence of his celebrated brother, Anthony,
Richard came under William's notice, to whom he was recommended as a man
of honour, and as one having great
influence with Tyrconnell; and as negotiations had been
opened with the Lord -Deputy, he was commissioned to
repair to Dublin to confer with him. This commission he
accepted, promising if he was unsuccessful in bringing
Tyrconnell to terms, he would return to London in three
weeks.
When Hamilton arrived in
Dublin, instead of executing
his commission, he gave Tyrconnell all the information he
had collected relating to the state of England, which he
represented as favourable to the cause of James, recommended
him to maintain his position as Lord Deputy, and notwithstanding his
solemn promise to return he remained in Ireland
and gave every assistance to the Viceroy to collect an army
with which it was proposed to reduce Ulster to submission.
The call to arms was answered with remarkable promptitude
and enthusiasm. The flag which flew on Dublin Castle bore
the words: "Now or Never! Now and for Ever!" and all
Ireland repeated them. The army which in Ormonde's time
had consisted of eight regiments rapidly increased to six
times that number, and the ranks were full to overflowing.
There was, however, a lamentable lack of officers, for Tyrconnell, in
his zeal to purge the army of Protestants, had
deprived many of their commissions, and their places were
now filled by tailors, cobblers, and footmen. The arming
became universal. To add fuel to the flame of general enthusiasm, an
agent from James arrived to convey to Tyrconnell the welcome
intelligence that he was himself hastening to the relief of his Catholic
subjects and would soon
appear among them in person at the head of a powerful
force.
Hamilton, raised to the
rank of General, marched into
Ulster, after a proclamation had been issued commanding
the northern Protestants to disarm and dissolve their assemblies. They
had not yet learnt how to act with the unity
and rapidity required to secure successful resistance, and
they relied on Lundy, who, though he had signed a declaration by which
he bound himself to stand by the new Government on pain of being
considered a coward and a traitor,
did not give the support he promised, and on which the
Northerners had calculated. On the nth of March Hamilton
appeared before Newry, which Sir Arthur Rawdon, with
the small forces under his command, was obliged to abandon,
and he slowly retreated towards Dromore. Here a skirmish
took place with the opposing forces, with the loss of a few
men, and Rawdon's followers were compelled to take to flight
till they came to Hillsborough, which they could not hold,
with the result that ammunition, provisions, and papers of
the Central Council fell into the hands of Hamilton's men.
The advance of the
Jacobite army spread consternation
among the ill-armed and ill-disciplined levies of the Protestants,
many of whom sought refuge in Londonderry or fled to
England. The more resolute, however, rallied round Lord
Mount Alexander and Sir Arthur Rawdon, whose spirit and
example kept together about 4000 men, and with these they
marched to Coleraine in order to prevent Hamilton's forces
from crossing the Bann. The latter, elated with success, and
being accompanied by a rabble, such as Keating well compared to the
unclean birds of prey which gather wherever the
scent of carrion is strong, gave themselves up to collecting
booty, and thus gave time to the fugitives to rally and to
fortify the towns they occupied.
The allied forces of
Armagh and Monaghan, amounting
to about 1800 men, ''indifferently well armed", were under
the command of Lord Blaney. With these he had held
in check a body of Jacobites who had made Charlemont their
head-quarters, and a party of Blaney's men attacked near
Glasslough a large force of James's adherents and defeated
them, inflicting great loss. The terror inspired by the approach of
Hamilton's army reduced Blaney's followers to
some 300 foot and the same number of horse, with which
he left Armagh on the 15th of March, to make his way to
Coleraine. Information of his movements being conveyed
to the Jacobites, the garrisons of Charlemont and Mountjoy
marched to intercept him by seizing the bridge at Artrea,
between Dungannon and Moneymore. Blaney, however,
succeeded in reaching the bridge before them, and although
they were numerically much stronger he attacked them and
put them to flight with considerable loss, after which he
proceeded to Coleraine, where the news of his victory cheered
those who had awaited his arrival.
The inhabitants of
Enniskillen, meanwhile, maintained
their old courageous front, and, notwithstanding orders from
Lundy directing them to abandon the town and retire upon
Londonderry, determined to defend a position which might
prove of service to their co-religionists, inasmuch as it stood
in the way of an advance from Con naught. On the 20th of
March, we are told, "all the Protestants in the county of
Cavan, in pitiful stormy weather and in great disorder, came
running to Enniskillen and the villages about, to the no
small surprise of us all, about three or four troops of horse
coming before, followed with about as many foot companies,
and then the whole inhabitants with their women and children, to their
middle in clay and dirt, with pitiful lamentations, and little or no
provision to sustain them. Our
governor ordered them free quarter for man and horse in
the town and country about; many of them were indifferently
well armed, and we were joyful that they were come to us,
being in hopes that they would join us in defence of our
country. But on inquiring into the reasons of their leaving
their country as they did (where they had several good
strengths that might for some time have been defended,)
their officers told us that they had orders from Colonel
Lundy for so doing, and did endeavour (though to no
purpose) to persuade our governor to do the same with
Enniskillen. But that which hastened them away in so
great disorder, was the Lord Gillmoy's coming with a part
of the Irish army into the county of Cavan, and surprising
a house that belonged to Mr. Dixy, Dean of Kilmore, and
made prisoner the Dean's eldest son (who was captain of
a troop of horse,) Edward Charleton his cornet, and about
eight or ten of his troopers; upon news of which all the
garrisons about broke up, some setting fire to their own
houses, and the whole country fled to us without knowing
who or what number of men were come against them."
The Lord Gillmoy alluded
to was Pierce Butler, third
Viscount Galmoy, a descendant of Thomas, tenth Earl of
Ormonde. He was made a Privy Councillor by James, who
later created him Earl of Newcastle. As colonel of a troop
of Irish Guards he was guilty of great barbarity, and proved
the truth of Oldmixon's remark about him, that "he was a
monster whom no titles could ennoble". Having stationed
himself at Belturbet, as a point from whence to proceed
against Enniskillen, he began by laying siege to Crom, a
castle on the banks of the lower Lough Erne, about sixteen
miles from Enniskillen. "This place", says a contemporary,
"was under our protection, and has been ever since our
frontier garrison towards Dublin, and his Lordship thinking
to frighten that garrison to a compliance with his demands,
sent two cannons made of tin, near a yard long in the chace,
and about eight inches wide, strongly bound about with
small cord, and covered with a sort of buckram, near the
colour of a cannon. These two mock cannons he drew
towards Crom with eight horses apiece, making a great
noise as if they were drawn with much difficulty.
"As soon as they came
before Crom, he threatened to
batter the castle with these two battering guns, and had the
vanity to fire one of them, which burst, and had like (as
'twas said) to have spoiled the gunner. But those within
the castle, depending upon aid from Enniskillen, refused
to surrender, and fired out at them from the castle, killing
several. Gillmoy continues the siege, and on Friday the
22nd of March, sent a letter to the governor of Enniskillen
in the nature of a summons, acquainting him that King
James was come to Dublin, and that he was come with an
army to reduce that country to his obedience, and that by
his commission he had power to grant them better conditions than they
might ever expect from him afterwards,
if they were reduced by force.
"Upon receipt of this
summons, our governor called his
officers together to consult what was fit to be done, and all
of them did unanimously conclude not to desert Enniskillen,
nor to submit to any but to King William and Queen Mary,
whom they had now proclaimed; and accordingly returned
Lord Gillmoy an answer, that they owed allegiance to none
but them, nor would they submit to any but to their
Majesties, or those commissioned by them, and so did prepare themselves
the best they could to defend the town,
and to use what means they could to relieve Crom."
"On Saturday, the 23rd of
March," continues our
chronicler, "early in the morning, many of the County of
Cavan men left Enniskillen, and marched towards Derry,
in obedience (as they said,) to Colonel Lundy's orders. And
the same day in the afternoon, our governor drew out all
the horse and foot he had under his command, on the
common hill near Enniskillen, keeping them all day at
their arms, expecting every hour to hear that the lord Gillmoy was on
his march towards us, and resolved to give
him battle before he came near the town; for ever since
we took up Enniskillen, we judged it advisable rather to
fight the enemy at a distance from it, than to let them lay
siege to it, and we have hitherto done accordingly. But
seeing no enemy appear all that day, and our scouts returning and
bringing us word that Gillmoy came only the length
of Lisnaskea, a village ten miles distant from the town, and
that upon the news of our drawing out against him, he
retreated back with his men to the siege of Crom. Our
governor therefore, in the night, sent a detachment of about
two hundred of his best armed men, some by land, and some
in boats, towards Crom, hoping they might get into the
castle in the night; but it being day before they got there,
the enemy used all the endeavours they could to keep our
boats from landing at the castle, firing many vollies at them,
but being bad marksmen, killed only one old boatman, and
did our men no further harm, but our men shot several of
them dead from the boats, landed at the castle, and having
joined those that were within, they sallied out together, and
beat them from their trenches; killed between thirty and
forty of them, got the fire-arms of those that they killed, took
their two mock cannon (one of which was left at Crom, and the
other brought to the castle of Enniskillen), got two suits of
armour, and several other things of value, and immediately
after this the Lord Gillmoy quitted the thoughts of any further
siege against Crom, and retreated to Belturbet."
Of Galmoy's barbarity and
perfidy many tales are told.
The following is a fair example of his methods, and that
it is true in every detail we have ample evidence. "At this
time", says the same authority, "one Brian MacConagher
Maguire (who had been a captain in the Irish army,) was
a prisoner with us at Crom. Him the Lord Gillmoy had
a desire to release, and the next day he sent an express to
captain Crighton (the proprietor of the Castle of Crom, and
governor thereof,) proposing to exchange captain Dixie for
this Captain Maguire, and desiring, if the change were
approved of, that Captain Maguire might be sent to him,
promising upon his honour to return us Captain Dixie
for him.
"The exchange was very
acceptable to the governor,
and all that were in the castle of Crom, but yet they would
conclude nothing until they had the consent of the governor
of Enniskillen, and the other officers that were there, and
so sent an express from Crom to Enniskillen for their resolution. The
messenger was immediately sent back to Captain
Crighton, with orders from the governor to go on with
the exchange. Accordingly Captain Crighton sent Maguire
to the lord Gillmoy, desiring that Captain Dixie might be
returned to him, according to his promise under his hand,
which letter is in the hands of the governor of Enniskillen.
But the lord Gillmoy, as soon as he had Maguire in his
hands, called a council of war on Captain Dixie and his
cornet, Mr. Charleton, where they were both found guilty,
and sentence of death passed upon them, for levying men
by the Prince of Orange's commission, which was found
in their pockets; and immediately they were desired to
prepare to die against the next day; but in the meantime
great endeavours were used, and promises made them of
life and preferment, if they would turn Papists and adhere
to King James. But they though both young men, resolutely rejected the
offer, and preferred their religion to the
saving of their lives." Captain Dixie, it must be recalled,
was a son of the Dean of Kilmore.
"And here", continues our
chronicler of the deeds of these
brave Inniskillings, "I cannot but remember Maguire's
carriage, who (as it was reported) showed an extraordinary
concern for the Lord Gillmoy's breach of faith; he went
to him, and told him that his putting Mr. Dixie to death
(after his promise under his hand to return him,) would
be a perpetual stain to his honour, and rather than he
should do so base a thing, prayed that he might be returned
a prisoner back to Crom, and that Mr. Dixie's life might
be saved, for he did not desire to purchase his freedom by
so great injustice. But the Lord Gillmoy, deaf to anything
that could be said on their behalf, caused both the young
gentlemen to be hanged on Mr. Russell's sign-post in Belturbet, and,
when they were dead, commanded to take their
corpses into the kitchen, to cut off both their heads, and
ordered them to be thrown out into the street to the soldiers
to play at foot-ball with, and when the soldiers for some
time had pleased themselves with this barbarous sport, the
heads were set up on the market-house in Belturbet."
Thus history repeats
itself. This piece of savagery was
but a repetition of what had happened in Fermanagh exactly
one hundred years earlier, when " Captain Willis, having
Captain Fuller's band and other companies with him, was
sent on commission to be sheriff there, and preyed the
country. They cut off the head of Edmund Hugh M'Guire,
and hurled it from place to place as a football ",*a striking
instance of how -
. . . ill keeps echoing
ill
And never lets our ears
have done with noise. |
