A. C. Approach the Enemy beat a Parley; but the Ge1689. neral not allowing their Demands, the Town was order'd to be Attack'd. On the 22d the Trenches Carrick were open'd, fome Batteries rais'd, and the Siege Fergus Be- carried on in Form. This made the Befieged more fieged Aug. eager to Capitulate; but Duke Schomberg ftill refu22. and ta-fing to let them march out with the ufual En. ken 26. figns of Honour, and they infifting upon it, the D.Schom Attacks were purfued with great Vigour, till the 26th of Auguft, when confiderable Breaches being made, and all things ready for a General Affault, the Garrison was contented to accept what Conditi ons the Befiegers were pleas'd to grant, viz. to be conducted with their Arms, and as much Baggage as they could carry on their Backs, to the next Irish Garrifon, which was Newry. Whilft the Siege of Carrick fergus was carrying on, the reft of the Horfe, Foot and Dragoons, which for want of Tranfport Ships had ftaid berg reviews the behind, were Embark'd at Highlake, and fafely Army, Landed in Ireland: On the 28th of Auguft the General return'd to Belfast, and two Days after his own French Regiment of Horfe join'd the Army, which being mufter'd on the laft day of that Month, was found to confift of [*] Four Regiments of [*] 70 wit, Horfe, One of Dragoons, and Eighteen of Foot. Aug 31. To Horfe, the Lord De- Regiment, the Lord Delamere's, Colonel Coy's, Duke Schomberg's The Artillery Horfes being, most of them, yet at Chefter, the Duke of Schomberg order'd the greatelt part of the Train to be Ship'd, and the Fleet to fail with them and all other Neceflaries to Carlingford Bay, while in the mean time he march'd the Army beyond Lisburn, and fo onwards through Hilsborough, and and pitch'd his Camp at Drummore, the Place where A. C. the Northern Proteftants of Ireland were not long 1689. before routed by Hamilton. The Day following he, continued his March to Loughbrilane, where the Inniskillin Horfe and Dragoons join'd him, and chearfully offer'd themfelves to be an Advance-Guard to the Army. Upon their Approach the Irifh abandon'd the Newry, a very strong Pafs, having firft fet Fire to the Town; which News being brought to the General, he difpatch'd a Trumpeter to the Duke of Berwick, who Commanded there, to acquaint him, That if they went on to burn in this barbarous manner, he would not give any Quarter. This Meffage had fo good Effect, that the Irish abandon'd Dun dalk without doing any harm to the Town, whither He Encamps Duke Schomberg march'd with his Army, and En at Dancamp'd about a Mile North of it, in a low moist da'k. Ground; having the Town and the River towards the Weft, between him and the Enemy, the Sea towards the South, the Newry Mountains to the Eaft, and to the North Hills and Bogs intermix'd. The bad Weather, long and conftant Marches, and fearcity of Provifions, made his raw Men already begin to faint, but here they met with fome Refrefhment,and on the 9th of September were reinforc`d by Major General Kirk's, Sir John Hanmore's and Brigadier Stuart's Regiments. The Duke, at fift, defign'd to have continued his Progrefs, but the Fleet, with the Train of Artillery, failing to come up in time to Carlingford, according to his Directions, was a great dilappointment to him; and fo much the more, that he had Intelligence by an Engineer, who deferted the Enemy, that General de Rofe, being then at Drogheda with about 20000 Men, and hearing that the English halted at Dundalk faid, he was fure they wanted fomething and therefore fent part of his Forces to feize on idee, a fmall Town between Drogheda and Dundalk The Duke de Schomberg continued in an uncertain Pofture till the 20th of September, when in the Morn ing he had an Account, that King James having gather'd all his Forces near Digbeda, advanc'd towards him, and that a Party of 2000 Foot, and Kk4 1500 A. C. 1500 Horfe were gone beyond the Mountains to 1689. attack the Pafs at Newry, and fall into his Rear; thereupon he detach'd a Party of Horse against them, at the fight of whom they retreated towards Sligo, However, the Day following the Enemy appear'd in order of Battle, and a great Party of their Horse advanc'd towards the Intrenchments of our Army. Several of the English Officers were for engaging the Enemy, but the Duke told them, Let them alone, we will fee what they will do; and though he faw them coming within Cannon fhot of his Camp, yet he faid ftill, He did not think they defign'd to Fight. However, one Day feeing them draw their Army into two Lines, he fent Lieutenant General Douglas to the Camp. to order all the Foot to ftand to their Arms, and the Horfe to return to the Camp upon a certain Signal, but till then go on with their Foraging. The Soldiers, who were already ftrugling with Difeafes and Want in their Tents, receiv'd thefe Orders with the greatest Chearfulness in the World, but in fome time the Irish drew off, and fo the matter ended, to the great Difappointment and Diffatisfaction of the Army, who hoped no lefs than to beat the Enemy, and by a Victory to put an end to their Miferies. But the Duke of Schomberg wifely confider'd, that the Enemy was much Superiour in Horfe, that his own Men were Undifciplin'd, and withal weakened by Hunger and Sicknefs, theirs fefh'd with Health and Plenty, and that the lofs of a Battle might be attended with the lofs of Ireland. A Confpi- In a Day or two after the Irif marching off racy difco- there was a dangerours Confpiracy difcover'd in ver'd in the English Camp, which was carried on by fome he Eng- French Papifts, who had lifted themfelves in the Jifh Army Proteftant Regiments of that Nation; the Officers having been oblig'd to raife their Companies in fo much haft, that they had no time to examine them very ftrictly. A Captain of one of thefe Regiments being inform'd, that four of his Soldiers and a Drummer, who were Roman Catholicks, defigned to go over to the Enemy, he caus'd them to be fecur'd, and found Letters about one of them to Monfieur D' A. C. Avaux. Upon ftricter Examination the Fellow declar'd he had the Letters from on Du Pleffis, likewife 1689. a Papift, who now ferv'd as a private Soldier in one of the French Regiments, though he had formerly been a Captain of Horfe in France, from whence he was forc'd to retire for Murther. Du Pleffis be. ing feiz'd ingenuously confeft, that he had written to King James, and to the French Ambassador, and acquainted them, that there were divers Papists in the three French Regiments, whom he promis'd to bring over to the Irish Camp, upon Condition he might have the Command of them, and his Pardon in France. He and his five Accomplices were thereupon brought to their Trial, fentenc'd to Death by a Council of War, and accordingly Executed; after which the French Collonels made ftrict enquiry what Papists there were in their Regiments, and found about 250, who by order of the General were fecur'd, difarm'd, and fent over Prifoners into England, and from thence to Helland, where they were fet at Liberty. Though the Duke of Schomberg thought fit to The Inniskeep in his Camp with the Grofs of his Army,, yet killiners did he not reftrain the Inniskilliners from making defeat the Excurfions: Nor had he Reafon to repent this Li-Irish near berty he allow'd them,for on the 27 thof Septemb. he Sligo. receiv'd an Account that about a Thoufand of them, headed by Collonel Lloyd, routed a Body of the Irish that were marching towards Sligo, confifting of about 5000 Men, of whom they kill'd 700, took O Kelly their Commander, and 40 other Officers Prifoners, befides a great Booty of Cattle, with the lofs of very few of their Men. His Grace was fo pleas'd with the News, that having order'd all the Inniskillin Horfe and Foot in his Camp to draw out, he rode all along their Line with his Hat off, and caus'd the Dutch Guards and the Inniskillin Foot to make three running Firings, which were anfwer'd by the Inniskillin Horfe, and by the Cannon upon the Works, as alfo from the Ships that lay at the Mouth of the River. The Joy of this Succefs was fome time after much The Trifn abated by the lofs of Sligo, and James-Town: The take Sligo " A. C. Irish marching that way in a confiderable Body, 1689: Commanded by Sarsfield, thofe of James-Town not Brave St. Sau veur at Sligo: thinking it tenable,abandon'd it and march'd to Sligo, lofing fome of the Men, and killing fome of the Irish in their hafty Retreat. Next Day Sarsfield with his fmall Army advanc'd before Sligo, whereupon Collonel Ruffel retired to Ballifhannon, and advis'd the Foot alfo to quit the Place. But nevertheless Monfieur St. Sauveur, a refolute French Captain in Melloniere's Regiment, with his own Company of French Granadiers, and Collonel Lloyd with his bold Inniskilliners ftaid in the Town, and upon the approach of Sarsfield retreated to the two Forts, Lloyd into one, and St. Sauveur into the other. The first not knowing how to fubfist his Men, retir'd that Night with fome lofs. But the French Ation of Captain having carried in fome Provifions, and finding fome Ammunition in the Fort, refolved ftoutly to maintain his Poft. The Nights were then dark, and he fearing the Enemy might make their approaches to the Fort undiscover'd, got a great many Fir Deals, and dipping the end of them in Tar, they gave fuch a Light when fet on Fire and hung over the Walls, that he difcover'd the Enemy advancing towards them, with an Engine they call a Sow; but having kill d the Engineer, and two or three more, the reft retreated, and he burnt the Engine. Day no fooner appear'd but the Irish were forc'd to quit a fmall Field-Piece they had planted in the Street, being gall'd with fhot from the Fort by St. Sauveur's Men, who prefently after fallied out and kill'd many of the Enemy. But at last their Provifion, not their Courage, being spent, and there being little or no Water in the Fort, they furrendred it upon honourable Terms; and at their marching over the Bridge, Collonel Sarsfield, who would have purchased thefe brave Soldiers at any rate, flood with a Purfe of Gold, and offer'd every Man that would ferve King James, Horfe and Arms, with five Guineas advance; yet they all made anfwer, They would never fight for Papifts; except one, who the very next Day after he had got Horfe, Arms, and the Gold,brought all off with him to Dundalk The |