Preston had, during his military career, earned the reputation of being generally unfortunate. He did not now belie it. At Dungan's Hill, near Trim, he was completely defeated by the Parliamentary General, Jones, losing 5,000 men and all his guns and baggage (August 6th, 1647). Hastily summoned from Boyle to repair, as far as possible, this disaster, O'Neill marched up his troops, encamped near Trim, and by skilful manoeuvring prevented the enemy from reaping the full fruits of victory by an attack on Kilkenny. So far from being grateful to their deliverer, the majority of the Supreme Council were, Rinuccini declares, merely angry that the Kingdom should thus owe its safety to the Ulster general. In Munster, Inchiquin had captured Cahir and Cashel. The latter was defended with the utmost courage. When at last it was taken, not without considerable loss to the Parliamentarians, there was an indiscriminate slaughter of men, women and children. Those who had taken refuge in the Cathedral were massacred there (September). A few months after (November), Lord Taaffe was defeated by Inchiquin at Knockanoss (Co. Cork) with a loss of about 2,000 men. All Munster, except a few towns, was now in the power of the Parliamentarians. At a meeting of the General Assembly (November 1647), it was resolved to seek aid from the Catholic Continental Sovereigns, and ambassadors were sent to Spain, France and Rome, but with little result. The winter and spring months were occupied in confused and confusing intrigues and negotiations. Inchiquin intimated a desire to desert the Parliamentarians, and the Council listened favourably to his overtures. O'Neill breaks with the Council: The Second Ormond Peace : Rinuccini leaves Ireland.-O'Neill had endured, almost since his coming to Ireland, the continual neglect and ingratitude of the Council. He was now at the end of his patience. When a messenger came to his camp to inform him of his removal from the command of the Ulster armies, he publicly burned the letters. This meant, of course, that he had openly broken with the Confederation, or rather with the party that now ruled what remained of it. He had a fine army of tried soldiers, all devoted to him; he occupied a strong position in the very centre of Ireland, and had much support elsewhere. He would not be easily crushed. Meanwhile, the peace between the Council and Inchiquin had been definitely concluded, and Rinuccini issued, with the approval of several of the Irish bishops, a decree of excommunication against all those who had signed this agreement. In consequence of the Nuncio's action, many of Preston's soldiers deserted him and transferred their services to O'Neill, saying that they would not serve under an excommunicated general. The Council further declared Eoghan Ruadh and some of his chief adherents public enemies, rebels and traitors, and began to collect an army to oppose them. Ormond had carefully watched the course of events, and he judged that the time had now come when he could, with advantage, return to Ireland and endeavour to resuscitate the Royalist party there. He landed at Cork on October 29th (1648), and was so well received that the Nuncio at once decided that all hope of building up an effectual party to oppose him was at an end. He resolved, therefore, to leave Ireland, but waited till the new " Ormond Peace" was actually concluded. This was done on January 17th, 1649, and on February 23rd, Rinuccini sailed from Galway for France. Ormond's conditions of peace did not greatly differ from those agreed on in 1646. Almost immediately after their conclusion he proceeded to dissolve the Confederation. To this high-handed proceeding the Council meekly submitted. Charles I was now dead; on the 30th of January, 1649, he had laid his head on the block at Whitehall, and Ormond was acting in the name of his exiled son, now Charles II. Death of Eoghan Ruadh O'Neill.-During these months O'Neill had been holding his own well. He knew, however, that he could not long remain in isolation, but must make terms with one or other of the parties. Both the Royalists-for the former Confederationists may now be justly described by this name and the Parliamentarians, knowing his value, were eager to treat with him. Eoghan, on reflection, preferred to trust anyone rather than the perfidious Ormond, and he entered into negotiations with General Monk. Cromwell, however, would have no dealings with Irish Papists, and the Parliament, at his instigation, ordered Monk to cease all communications. A short time previous to this (August 20th, 1649), Ormond had made an attack on Dublin, which was still held for the Parliament by General Jones. The Royalist forces were badly managed, and Jones won a complete victory, capturing great quantities of ammunition and stores. Ormond now renewed his efforts to come to terms with O'Neill, and Eoghan, because no other resource remained to him, signed a peace on conditions which included liberty of public worship for the Catholics (October 1649), and prepared to march to support his new ally. It was too late, however, the Irish general's life work was done. At the time of the conclusion of the treaty he was already very ill. He rapidly became worse, and on November 6th, 1649, he died at Cloughoughter Castle (Co. Cavan). The assertion was current in his own day and has been repeated in ours that he had been poisoned. No reliable evidence, however, exists to show that his death was other than natural. He was probably between 60 and 65 years of age; possibly indeed older. Less than three months before this, another great soldier had crossed the Channel and landed at Ringsend near Dublin. At last, after a conflict of over seven years, the cause of the Catholic Irish, which looked so hopeful in 1642, had come to final ruin. Cromwell was in Ireland, and Eoghan Ruadh was dead. PRINCIPAL DATES A.D. (Royalist Defeats at Marston Moor and at Naseby), 1644 and 1645 The Battle of Benburb The First Ormond Peace Signed (Treaty of Westphalia. The Thirty Years' War Ends) Ormond Surrenders Dublin The Second Ormond Peace Signed Rinuccini leaves Ireland (Execution of Charles I) Death of Eoghan Ruadh O'Neill 1645 CHAPTER X CROMWELL IN IRELAND Cromwell Lands in Ireland: Siege and Capture of Drogheda.-In March, 1649, Oliver Cromwell was appointed by the English Parliament Commander-General for Ireland, and in July he left London in State to take up his office. He landed in Ireland in August, and marched at once to Dublin. He desired to put down as quickly as possible all resistance, and to proceed with the scheme of Confiscation and Plantation which the Parliament had already outlined. He had no scruple as to methods, no pity or sympathy for the Irish people. His forces amounted to over 20,000 tried and well-equipped troops, and the artillery was the best and heaviest then in use. The enemy who were to oppose him were made up of the parties who had fought in Ireland for the past eight years: Ormondists, Old Irish, Anglo-Irish, and lastly Scotch Presbyterians, a section of whom had been so horrified at the trial and execution of Charles I that they had gone over to the Royalists. All these were disorganised, disheartened, suspicious of each other, weary of conflict and intrigues. Ormond, the Royalist General, had garrisoned most of the larger towns which still held for the King's cause, and against one of the strongest of them, Drogheda, Cromwell now directed his efforts. The garrison consisted of about 2,600 soldiers, English and Irish. Sir Arthur Aston, the Commander, was an experienced officer; he would certainly make a good defence. Of ammunition and food, however, he had very small supplies, and in vain, during the interval before the siege began, did he write letter after letter to Ormond, begging for at least a few barrels of powder to be sent to him. Early in September, Cromwell marched up from Dublin, and sitting down before Drogheda ordered it to surrender to the Parliament. Aston, of course, refused, and on the 9th the assault began. A few hundred shots from Cromwell's great guns sufficed to make two considerable breaches in the walls, and by the evening of the roth, most of the town was in the hands of the besiegers. No mercy was shown, save in a few isolated instances. Old people, women and children were massacred. Many who had taken refuge in the vaults of St. Peter's Church were sought out and murdered, in spite of their tears and entreaties. Sir Arthur Aston was one of the first to fall. Other Towns are Captured or Surrender on Terms.--From Drogheda, Cromwell moved on to Wexford (October 1st). There were traitors in the garrison there. Cromwell, who probably knew the state of affairs, induced the deluded inhabitants to send Commissioners to treat with him. During the progress of the sham negotiations, a certain Captain Stafford opened the gates of the Castle and admitted the enemy. After this the town itself was easily taken by assault (October 11th). The tradition that some hundreds of women and children were put to death in the market-place, as they crowded round the stone cross there, though not exactly contemporary, is so old as to be probably at least founded on fact. New Ross held out only two days, but Cromwell lingered in the neighbourhood for a month. His troops were suffering greatly from sickness, and his effective strength was so much reduced that he was obliged to abandon the siege of Waterford, which he had begun, and to go into winter quarters. During the winter months, the Munster garrisons planted by Ormond one after another revolted, and deserted the King's cause for that of the Parliament. Cork had begun in October, and Youghal, Kinsale, Mallow, Bandon, Cappoquin, Baltimore, Castlehaven, Fethard, Cashel, Cahir and others followed. By the Spring there only remained to the King, outside of Ulster, Waterford, Limerick, Clonmel, Athlone, Galway and Kilkenny. In the north also, the Parliamentary arms and negotiations were gaining success; Dundalk had surrendered to Cromwell himself soon after the fall of Drogheda. Colonel Venables obtained the submission of Carlingford, Newry, Lisburn, and Belfast. Later, other garrisons yielded. Carrickfergus, however, and a few other places held out. George Munroe was driven out of Down and Antrim by Sir Charles Coote. In March (1650) Kilkenny yielded on conditions, and Cromwell prepared for what he hoped and expected would be the final campaign of the war, his next objective being Clonmel. Meanwhile, Lord Broghill had gained some successes over Inchiquin in Co. Limerick. He now turned south, and at Macroom (Co. Cork) defeated David Roche, slaughtering a large proportion of his little army (April 10th). Amongst the prisoners captured was Boetius Egan, Bishop of Ross. The Castle of Carrigadrohid still held out, and Broghill ordered the Bishop to address the garrison, and exhort them to surrender, promising him that, if he succeeded in inducing them to do this, his own life should be spared. The Bishop, being led up to within |