An Exact ACCOUNT OF THE Royal Army Under the Command of His Grace DUKE SCHOMBERG. WITH THE PARTICULARS of a GREAT DEFEAT Given to the IRISH ARMY near BOYLE.
THE Irish Army are decampt and moved as far as Atherdee, Eight Miles South of this place, where they are Incamp'd, but not Intrench'd: so that it's believed their stay will not be long there.
The late King gave order to burn all the Country as they march'd And a Deserter who came to the General, says, he was, with another, commanded to fire a House in their march, and whilst his Comrade was at work he fled hither, and says he saw the Country on that side all on fire.
Since which some of our Men have been on the Ground where their Camp was, and give the General an Account, That they left abundance of sick Men, and many poor Irish; a great number of Men, Deal-Boards, empty Cask, Tables, Chairs; a great quantity of Forrage, and many other things.
Our great General by his prudent wary Conduct, without Fighting, hath disheartened and so harrassed the Enemy, that they were reduced to great wants in their Camp, of Ammunition, Salt and Brandy. The want of Salt created Diseases and Death amongst many; and receiving a Report the Danes were Landing at Carlingford, they decampt with great precipitancy and fear: And were it not for the presence of their King and the Priests who tell them it's Damnation to desert, and Salvation if they dye in the Cause, the Souldiers had long since left the Officers and Colours, there being no Money but Brass and Copper amongst them, whose Half-Crowns go in our Camp for a Peny, their Shillings for a Half-peny, and their Sixpences for Farthings. Such is their want of Forrage, that it's believed they must send their Horse beyond Duhlin, and will secure their Foot and Droghedagh together. The late King hath put out a Proclamation, requiring all the Ʋlster Irish that followed them from those parts, to quit in Six days the Counties of Meath, of Dublin, &c. and repair to the Mountains in Wicklow, and caused all the Pavements in Droghedagh to be taken up. The late King and Tyrconnel are now at Atherdee, which is their Head Quarters, and where Salt, Brandy and Tobacco are not to be had.
A few days since, about Ten Persons in a small Boat came hither from Dublin, which say, that the Colledge of Dublin is dissolved, and made a Gaol for the Protestants, and Sir John Davis Late Secretary of State Prisoner there. That in Dublin and all over the Kingdom where they have Power, Churches and all convenient places are filled with Confined Protestants. God be praised our General is well, and the Army full of Courage and Resolution, desiring nothing more than to Engage the Enemy; who were so fatigued and wanting of Courage, that though much Superiour to us, especially in Horse, never durst attempt to force our Camp.
I was commanded to Sligo by Colonel Woosley, with three Troops of Horse from Enneskilling, where I arrived the Tenth of this Month. The Forces I found at Sligo, sent thither before by Colonel Woosley, under the Command of Sir Albert Cunningham, were two Troops of Horse, three Troops of Dragoons, and five Companies of Foot; two of which Companies were full, which were Major Wood's and Captain Cooper's; the other three were not really one Company and a half. I was hourly alarm'd at Sligo with the Threats of the Enemy falling upon me in my Quarters, which made me chuse rather to fall upon them in theirs, than to suffer them to come down to me. So that upon Thursday the 19th. I marched with what force I could make towards Boyle. My Horse consisted of about Two hundred, Dragoons a hundred, Foot a hundred and fifty. The Night I left Sligo I marched within a Mile of Ballynefade, where I hal [...]ed about two Hours; from which Place I sent twenty Foot, under the Command of an Ensign, seconded by a Troop of Dragoons. The Foot marched under the Covert of the Mountain; and surprized their Centinels, which were on the top of the Mountain called Courleaes, kill'd one of them, and took three more; upon which, what Forces they had in the Boyle, lying just under us, drew out. Their Foot advanced Five hundred Yards upon the Mountain, and with another Party they had lined the Deer-Park Wall, which Flanked us as we marched towards them. Their Horse, which consisted most of the Irish Gentry, and were five Troops, drew up in a Lane at the Foot of the Mountain, where they might have drawn up Twenty in the Front, having a Wall on the Right-hand, and a Ditch on the Left. Our Passage to them with our Horse, must have been through their Foot; after which our Way being so narrow and rugged, that we could not have charged them with more than three or four at most in the Front of us. Seeing them so advantagiously posted, about Sun-rise, at which time we had the disadvantage of a Fog, I notwithstanding commanded Sir Albert Cunningham's Dragoons to march within side of the Park-wall, who Headed them himself, to beat off the Ambuscade that lay there; which they did, and drove them into their main Body: Upon which I marched down upon each Flank of them, they having the Advantage of the Covert of the Pass. The Right Wing of our Party, which consisted of about Forty Musquetiers, was Commanded by Captain George Cooper, (who willingly obeyed my Commands, and behaved himself very well.) The Left Wing was Commanded by Captain Archibald Hamilton, with the like Number of Men, who behaved himself well also, but could not come to attack them the same time the Right Wing did, occasioned by the illness of the Way. I seconded Captain Cooper with my own Troop; upon the Approach of which, and some few Shot fired from Captain Cooper, the Enemy not firing Twenty Shot at most, run to a Bog which was very near them, but soon quitted it, and took the Plain and Wood: Upon which I commanded part of the Horse to fall upon the Flank of them; and the Foot being in the Rear, killed above Two hundred of them, as I am informed, besides what lie hid yet in the Bushes dead. Their Horses being fresh, when they saw the Foot broke, immediately ran, and after they had passed the Town of Boyle, and came into the Plain, divided themselves, and went three several ways; upon which our Horse divided, and followed; but did not kill above Fifty, their Horse being fresh, and ours tired with the Fatigue of the Journey, though we had the Pursuit of them seven Miles each way.
The main Body of our Foot, which consisted most of Pike men, was Commanded by Major Wood, who marched down very bravely, and when he found the Enemy fled, kept his Men together for a Reserve, for fear of any Reserve of the Enemy, till he marched into Town, and possessed himself of it.
Our Rear-Guard of Horse was Commanded by Captain John Aughmounty, who behaved himself very well in his Post. In fine, Both Officers and Soldiers behaved themselves very bravely.
I have now given your Grace a full Account of the whole Action. The number of Officers taken and killed, and the number of Soldiers taken, are, Four Captains, Four Lieutenants, Three Ensigns, and One Serjeant, taken Prisoners, with Sixty nine Private Men. Our Loss. I thank God, was but Three Private Men wounded, which I hope will recover, and one killed
The Account of the Enemy which we had when we were at Sligo was between Three and Four thousand; but when we came to engage, I did not find their Foot above Five or Six hundred at most, and their Horse not above Three hundred, besides what they left in the Town and Castle, which they immediately quitted as soon as the others were routed. There were Four Colonels of the Enemy here, of which none headed the Foot, but run away with the Horse, and escaped.
I send your Grace here enclosed, what was found in Colonel Kelly's Portmantle, who was Commander in Chief from Brigadeer Sarsfield, which I hope will give your Grace satisfaction of the state of this Province; though I am informed from good Hands of their Party, that they resolve not to quit the Country, but give all the disturbance they can. Though I was commanded to possess my self of James Town, our number being so small in comparison of theirs, who daily flock about us, and between us and Sligo, that I choose rather to keep this Post and Sligo, than to hazzard the Loss of all, having so few in number, which if I should divide into those Three Garrisons, would disable me to meet any part of the Enemy that should draw together, which are in great numbers in the Counties of Letrim, Roscommo [...], Mayo and Sligo. I have no more to say, but will wait your Graces Commands, which shall punctually be obeyed by