nemy on the other fide, who fired as thick as poffi- A. C. bly they could, upon thofe that paft the River. But 1691. at length the latter, by an incredible piece of Bravery, forc'd their way through the Enemies Bullets, Fire and Smoke, and having gain'd the oppofite Bank, the reft laid Planks over the broken part of the Bridge, while others were preparing the Pontons. By thefe means the English pafs'd over fo faft, that in lefs than half an Hour they were Mafters of the Town, and poffefs'd themselves of the Works that remain'd entire towards the Enemies Camp: The Irish being fo amaz'd at the fuddennefs of the Attack, and Refolution of the English, that they quickly abandon'd the Place and fled to the Army, though not without confiderable loss. The Befiegers had not above so Men kill'd in this memorable Action,which the MajorGenerals Mackay and Tetteau, and the Brigadier La Meloniere conducted with great Vigour; and to the good Succefs whereof, Major General Talmah, (who went with the Grenadiers as Voluntier) the Duke of Wirtemberg, Count Naffau, and Brigadier Bellaffis greatly contributed, by their Courage and Prefence of Mind. 'Twould be a hard matter to match in Hi-The Irifh story fo brave an Enterprize, a Fortified Town at-Town of Athlone tack'd crofs a River, only by 3000 Men in the Face of the Enemies Army, that were Mafters of all the Fords by rhe Retrenchments they had caft before them! And therefore 'twas but Justice, that General Ginckle fhould entail on his Family the Honour of this Atchievement, by the Title which was afterwards beftow'd upon him, of Earl of

Athlone.

The Englife were no fooner enter'd the River, but an Express was fent from the Town to Monfieur St.Ruth, who commanded the French Auxiliaries, and the Irish Army, who, upon the News, faid; It was impoffible for the English to pretend to take a Town, and be fo near with an Army to fuccour it; adding, he would give a Thousand Pistols they durft ertempt it. The brave and active Sarsfield replied; He knew the Enterprize was not too difficult for English Gourage to attempt, and therefore preit St. Ruth to fend

Sf 2

taken,

June 30.

A. C. fend fpeedy Succours to the Town, which that 1691. General refufing to do, and ftill turning the Undertaking into a Jeft, fome hot Words pafs'd betwixt him and Sarsfield, which bred a jealoufie amongft them, that proved of fatal Confequence not long after. St. Ruth being foon convinc'd that the English were in actual Poffeffion of the Place, order'd feveral Detachments to beat them out again; but then he was fenfible of a former Overfight, in not levelling thofe Fortifications of Athlone that were next his Camp: For now the English us'd the Enemies Works against themfelves, fo that they thought it advifeable to decamp that very Night. General Ginckle having continued at Athlone till he had put * General it into a pofture of Defence, march'd on with Ginckle the Army, and having reach'd Ballinasloe, emcamp'd along the River Suck upon Rofcommon fide, Athlone, which was a very good Pafs, and which if the Irish July 10. had fecur'd they would have given the English a great deal of Trouble. But it feems they had pof

learves

fefs'd themfelves of a far more advantageous Poft; The Irish for they lay on the other fide of Agbrim Caftle, three Camp near Miles beyond Ballifnafloc, and were extended from Aghrim. the Church of Kilcommodon, on their Right, to a

Place call'd Gourtnapori, about two Miles in length. On their Left run a Rivulet having steep Hills and little Bogs on each fide; next to which was a large Red Bog, almoft a Mile over, in the end whereof ftood the Caftie of Agrim, commanding the way that led to their Camp, paffable for Horfe no where, but juft at the Caftle, by reafon of a fmall River,which running through a moift Ground made the whole aMorafs. ThisMorafs extended it felf along to the Right, where there was another Pafs at Urachree, having a rifing Ground on either fide thereof; and the Irish Camp lay along the Ridge of a Hill, on the fide of which flood two Danish Forts, about half a Miles diftance from the Bog below, and this cut into many finall inclofures, which the Irish lined very thick with fmall fhot, and manag'd a Communication between them. General Ginckle having view'd the Enemies Camp, found it, as it was, very advantageous; but confidering he had

advanc'd

advanc'd fo far, that he muft either fight his way A. C. through, or retreat with Lofs and Shame, he order'd 1691. the Army to march towards the Enemy the next Day. St. Ruth fuppofing by the Countenance of the English, that they were refolv'd to attack him, made a folemn Speech to the Irish, wherein he told them; How fuccefsful he had been in fuppreffing Herefy st. Ruth's in France, and bring over a vast number of deluded speech to Souls into the Befom of the Mother Church; That for the Irish. that Reafon his Mafter had made choice of him, before others, to Eftablish the Church in Ireland, on fuch a Foundation, that it fould not henceforward be in the Power of Hell or Hereticks to disturb it; and that all good Roman Catholicks depended on their Courage to Jee thefe glorious things effected. He confefs'd Matters did not entirely answer his Expectation fince he came among them; but that still all might be recover'd ; That he was inform'd the Prince of Orange's Heretical Army was refolv'd to give them Battle; That now or never was the time for them to recover their loft Ho nours, Privileges and Eftates of their Ancefters; urging to them, they were no Mercenary Soldiers, their All being at Stake, and their Design to restore a Pious King to his Throne, to propagate the Holy Faith, and extirpate Herefy. And lastly to animate their Courage more effectually, be affur'd them of King James's Love and Gratitude, of Lewis the Great's Protection, of himself to lead them on, of the Church to Pray for them, and of Saints and Angels to carry their Souls into Heaven; clofing his Speech with an Order, to give Quarter to none, especially not to Spare any of the French Hereticks in the Prince of Orange's Army.

On Sunday the 12th of July the English Army

in the Morning early prepar'd to advance towards The Battle the Enemy, but the Weather proving Foggy, they of Aghrim mov'd not till it was about Twelve a Clock, which was then done in as good Order as the Ground would permit. The General, at the fame time, having view'd the pofture of the Irish, and feeing the neceflity of making himself Mafter of the Pafs of Urachree, fent a Danish Captain with fome Horfe to force it; but they not fucceeding, he order'd

Sf3

Two

A. C. Two Hundred of Cunningham's Dragoons to march 1691. to certain Ditches nigh the Ford, to keep the Enemy from coming over, and in the mean time the English Army march'd forward. By this time it was two of the Clock, and the General finding it neceflary to gain that Ford, and the other ways that led to the Right of the Irish Camp, as the most proper means to attack them, commanded Cunningham's Dragoons at the Ditch, to advance towards a Party of the Enemy pofted on the other fide; who upon their approach with another Party that fuftain'd them, all retir'd behind a Hill nearer the Camp, where was pofted a greater Body. All thefe Parties being ftill reinforc'd by others, oblig'd the English Dragoons to retreat; whereupon General Ginckle order'd Eppinger's Dra groons to get between thefe Bodies and the Enemy's Camp. This Motion was prefently difcover'd by the Enemy, who had the advantage in pouring in fo many Men upon the English, that they would ftill have been too hard for the Dragoons, had they not been feconded by the Earl of Portland's Horfe, who behav'd themfelves here with great bravery. What was at firft only a Skirmish, had by this time engag'd a confiderable Body on both fides; yet the Enemy in a while retir'd, which brought the Generals together to deliberate, whether it were not beft to defer the Battle till next Morning? Which was agreed on fo far, that their Tents were order'd to be fent for; but when they perceiv'd the Enemy to be in fome diforder, by what had already happen'd, 'twas refolv'd not to delay the attack, left the Enemy fhould march off in the Night, and fo afford no more opportunities for a decifive Action. Wherefore by the Advice of Major-General Mackay, it was agreed to begin the Fight on the Enemies Right, thereby propofing to draw part of their ftrength from Aghrim Caftle, near to which their main Body was pofted; that fo the Right Wing of the English might have the cafier Paffage over to attack their left; and then the whole English Army might have the opportunity o engage, which was otherways impoffible:

Which Advice had its defir'd End. About half A. C. an Hour after Four in the Afternoon, a Party of 1691. the Englife Left Wing moved towards the Enemy, and by Five the Battle began afresh. The Ditches were ftrongly guarded by Irish Mufqueteers, and their Horfe advantagioufly pofted to fuftain them: And here the Irish behav'd themselves with undaunted Courage, defendng their Pofts with unparallel'd Obftinacy, nor would they ftir from one fide, till the English put their Pieces over at the other; and then having Lines of Communication from one Ditch to another, they would prefently poft themselves, and flank the English, which occafion'd great firing on both fides, and continu'd on the Left almost an Hour and a Half, before the Center, and the Right Wing of the Army began to engage In the mean time the English main Army advanc'd, and Major-General Mackay and the reft obferving feveral Bodies of the Enemies Horfe and Foot draw off from the Left and move towards their Right, where the English preffed them very hard, they lay hold of that advantage, and order'd the Foot to march over the Bog which fronted the Enemies main Battel. The Regiments of Earl, Herbert, Creighton, and Brewer, going over the narroweft Place, where the Hedges on the Enemies fide ran fartheft into the Bog, they had Orders to March to the lowest of the Ditches adjoining to the fide of the Bog, and there to post themselves, till the Horfe could come about by Aghrim Caftle and fuftain them, and till the other Foot had marched over the other Bog below, where it was broader, and were fupported by Foulk's and Brigadier Stewart's Regiments. Accor ding to thefe Orders, Earl's and the other Three Regiments advanc'd over the Bog, molt of them pafling up to the middle in Mud and Water; and upon their near approach to the Ditches, receiv'd the Enemies Fire; but that did not hinder them from marching to the loweft Hedge, and to beat the Irish from thence; and fo on from Hedge to Hedge, till they were got very near their main BoST4

dy.