HISTORICAL RECORD

OF

THE SIXTH,

OR,

THE INNISKILLING REGIMENT

OF

DRAGOONS.

The circumstances under which the formation of the Sixth, or the Inniskilling Regiment of Dragoons, took place, derived their origin from the political events of the reign of King James II., and from the diversity of religious sentiments entertained by His Majesty's subjects in Ireland.

In the twelfth century (1172) Ireland, which had been divided into a number of independent states, of which Munster, Leinster, Meath, Ulster, and Connaught were principal sovereignties, submitted to the authority of the English monarch Henry II. The religion of the people was the Roman Catholic, the same as generally prevailed in other parts of Europe; but two centuries afterwards, the introduction of the reformed religion commenced (1370), and was completed in England in 1534, in the reign of Henry VIII.; it, however, made little progress in Ireland, where the majority of the inhabitants continued Roman Catholics. The English, having embraced the Protestant religion, extended their reformed ecclesiastical institutions to Ireland, where many Protestant families fixed their residence and obtained possessions. The differences in religion, unfortunately, created hostile feelings between the English and Irish; commotions occurred, and a military establishment was found necessary. This consisted of various numbers at different periods: after the Restoration in 1660, the Army of Ireland was composed of twenty troops of horse, a regiment of foot guards, and seventy companies of foot; which were formed into three regiments of cavalry and eight of infantry, including the (Irish) foot guards[7], in 1684. In the following year King James II. ascended the throne, and instead of overlooking the nominal distinctions among his subjects, and seeking to promote the welfare of all, he commenced his endeavours to re-establish the Roman Catholic religion in the three kingdoms, by the most arbitrary proceedings in Ireland. Opposite views and interests were thus brought into collision; evil passions were called forth, which produced effects contrary to those designed, and the results embroiled Ireland in intestine war, and involved many families in misery. The King also commenced arbitrary proceedings in England, where a number of noblemen and gentlemen of property and influence, united in soliciting the Prince of Orange to come to England with an army to aid them in opposing the measures of the Court.

In the autumn of 1688 the Prince of Orange prepared an armament for England, when the army in Ireland was augmented with men of the Roman Catholic religion, who, not obtaining regular pay, were permitted to seize on the property of Protestants for subsistence: persecutions were also commenced against the latter, and a report was circulated of a design to massacre all persons of the reformed religion, on a named day, when many families fled to England, and others prepared to defend themselves.

Appearing on the western coast of England, as the supporter of civil and religious liberty, the Prince of Orange landed his army on the 5th of November; he was welcomed by the people,—joined by many noblemen,—by officers of rank and distinction, and by a number of soldiers, and he advanced by triumphant marches to the capital, where his arrival was celebrated with public rejoicings: King James vacated the throne, and escaped to France.

These events afforded the strongest encouragement to the Protestants of Ireland to make a bold resistance to the proceedings of their opponents, and to join in the same Revolution which had secured the blessings of a constitutional monarchy, and of religious liberty, for England. The principles of self-defence stimulated them to make a daring effort for the preservation of their liberties, in the hope of being aided from England; and from the opposition thus made to illegal aggression, the Sixth, or the Inniskilling, Regiment of Dragoons, derived its origin.

The city of Londonderry, so called in consequence of a number of Londoners having settled there in the reign of James I., was garrisoned by Lord Montjoy's regiment, which had many Protestants in it: this corps was ordered to march towards Dublin, and the Earl of Antrim's newly-raised corps, all Catholics, was expected to be ready to take charge of the garrison; but some delay occurring, a town guard was organised; and when the Earl of Antrim's regiment approached, it was refused admittance: the gates of the city were closed on the 7th of December, and the most determined resistance evinced by the inhabitants, who were encouraged by David Cairnes, Esq., of Knockmany, and other zealous gentlemen.

About the same period the inhabitants of Inniskilling refused to allow two companies of Sir Thomas Newcomen's regiment to enter their town. Thus two important places were preserved from the power of the adherents of King James, and a military force was organised for their protection. Gustavus Hamilton, Esq., was elected governor of Inniskilling, and colonel of the troops of horse and companies of foot formed there, and Thomas Lloyd, Esq., lieutenant-colonel. Colonel Lundy was governor of Londonderry, situate about fifty-five English miles from Inniskilling. The Protestant inhabitants of the north of Ireland enrolled themselves for their mutual defence; but those who fell into the power of the adherents of King James were deprived of their arms and property, and treated with great severity.

The early part of the year 1689 was spent in active preparations for defence: a corps of horse, another of dragoons, and eight battalions of foot were formed, and applications were forwarded to England for military stores.

In February, the Prince and Princess of Orange were elevated to the throne, by the title of King William and Queen Mary, and their accession was proclaimed at Inniskilling on the 11th of March. On the following day King James landed at Kinsale from France; he was accompanied by five thousand French troops, and made his public entry into Dublin on the 24th of March, three days after the accession of William and Mary had been proclaimed at Londonderry.

In the mean time several encounters had taken place between the forces of King James and the newly-raised Protestant corps in the north of Ireland, in which many of the latter were overpowered; but the Inniskilling men were conspicuous for personal bravery, which they evinced on several occasions, and by their valour they preserved themselves from many of the calamities which befel others. On the approach of Lord Galmoy with a detachment of King James's army, the country people, fearing a general massacre, fled with their cattle and effects to Inniskilling. King James's troops besieged Crom Castle; but were driven from before the place with loss; and a party of his dragoons was seized at Armagh; a most gallant action was performed by two troops of horse and three companies of foot, under Mr. Matthew Anketill, by which Monaghan Castle was preserved; and on the 12th of March Lord Blayney defeated a body of the Irish at Ardtray bridge. The success was, however, not always on one side: Captain Henry Hunter and a band of armed Protestants were surprised and destroyed, near Comber; and a party of Inniskilling men were slaughtered on the banks of the Aughaclane.

The army of King James advanced against Londonderry, to which city the Protestants of that part of the country fled as to their last refuge, and they defended the place with heroic gallantry against the numerous army by which it was besieged.

Colonels Thomas Cunningham and Solomon Richards arrived at Lough Foyle in the middle of April, with their regiments, the ninth and seventeenth foot, for the support of Derry; but in consequence of the misrepresentations of the governor, Colonel Lundy, who stated that there was not provision in the town for more than ten days, and that an army of 25,000 men was near the gates, they returned to England. The governor and town-council were desirous of surrendering; but when King James approached the town with his army, the garrison broke through all restraint—fired on the besieging force, killed several men, threatened to hang the governor and council for tampering with the enemy, and declared their resolution to defend the place to the last extremity. The governor escaped in disguise; a new council was chosen; and the Reverend George Walker and Major Thomas Baker were nominated joint-governors during the siege.

The attack made by the army of King James having been repulsed, the town was invested on the 20th of April. The garrison of Londonderry consisted of seven thousand untrained countrymen, without engineers; the town was not well fortified; twenty guns only were on the walls, and not one of them well mounted; yet the city was successfully defended, for more than three months, against a formidable army, which proves how much depends on bravery and resolution. The garrison made several gallant sorties, and inflicted severe loss on the besieging troops.

Meanwhile the Inniskilling men under Gustavus Hamilton were not inactive. Lieutenant-Colonel Lloyd made a successful incursion into the enemy's quarters, took and burnt the fortifications of Augher, and returned to Inniskilling with an immense number of cattle. The same officer routed a body of King James's troops at Belleek, killing a hundred soldiers, taking thirty prisoners, and capturing two guns; and he threw a relief into Ballyshannon on the 8th of May, without the loss of a man, which proved a brilliant commencement of aggressive warfare: he also captured the enemy's garrison at Redhill, and the castle of Ballynecarreg, in the county of Cavan; and Captains Francis Gore and Arnold Crosbie brought off two hundred troop horses from a pasture at Omagh, which mounted three troops of Inniskilling men.

The garrison of Londonderry becoming distressed for want of provisions, the Inniskilling men advanced to its relief; but the approach of a body of troops, under Major-General Sarsfield, to besiege Ballyshannon, and of another, under Colonel Sutherland, to Belturbet, with the view of besieging the town of Inniskilling, obliged them to return and defend their own quarters. The gallant Lieutenant-Colonel Lloyd was detached against Belturbet, from whence Colonel Sutherland fled, on the 15th of June, leaving a detachment of dragoons to defend the church, who surrendered, and the Inniskilling men gained possession of a supply of ammunition and provisions, eighty troop horses with accoutrements, and seven hundred muskets, which enabled them to equip themselves better than before, and to add several new companies to their levies.

Meanwhile the garrison of Londonderry continued to defend that fortress with sanguinary perseverance, and few days passed without King James's army sustaining severe loss from the sallies of the resolute defenders of the place. The want of provisions occasioned the loss of many men from dysentery; and Governor Baker dying on the 30th of June, Colonel Mitchelburne was elected joint-governor with the Reverend Mr. Walker. The cruelties exercised on the inhabitants of the neighbouring towns and villages, to induce the garrison to surrender, stimulated the men to resistance. Major-General Kirke arrived on the 30th of June with two regiments of foot (the second and eleventh), and a supply of arms, ammunition and provisions, but was prevented from approaching the town by forts on the banks, and a boom across the river. After waiting a few days, he landed on the island of Inch, where he threw up entrenchments, and being joined by a number of countrymen, he formed the design of assembling a sufficient force for relieving the town by land. On the 12th of July he was visited on board his vessel by the Reverend Andrew Hamilton, and Mr. John Rider, who represented to him the state of affairs at Inniskilling, and obtained a supply of arms, ammunition, and eight field-pieces; also commissions for a regiment of horse to be commanded by Colonel William Wolseley,—a regiment of dragoons of twelve troops, commanded by Colonel James Wynne (afterwards the fifth, or Royal Irish dragoons), and three regiments of foot, commanded by Colonels Zachariah Tiffin (now twenty-seventh), Gustavus Hamilton, and Thomas Lloyd, with a troop of cavalry to be attached to each battalion of infantry.

Before these corps were embodied, King James's generals, designing to crush the intrepid Inniskilling bands at once, sent three bodies of troops against them. Lieutenant-Colonel Lloyd, by a forced march of twenty miles, surprised one division, under Major-General Sarsfield, in their camp by night, and although his opponents were five times more numerous than his own party he routed them with a dreadful slaughter. The Duke of Berwick, advancing with the second body of King James's army, destroyed two companies of Inniskilling foot sent forward to secure a pass, but when he came to the defences made to cover the approach to the town, he did not venture to attack them, but withdrew, and was soon afterwards ordered to join the army before Londonderry: he subsequently skirmished with a body of men which Major-General Kirke had landed at Rathmetan, but failed to dislodge them.

The third division of King James's army advancing against Inniskilling was commanded by Major-General Justin M'Carthy, who had been created Viscount Mountcashel, and it was more formidable than the other two; but the Inniskilling men had become emboldened by success, and they fearlessly advanced to meet their more numerous antagonists. Their leading column encountered and routed the Viscount Mountcashel's advance-guard, between Linaskea and Inniskilling on the 30th of July, slew two hundred men, and took thirty prisoners. In the afternoon of the same day, the Inniskilling forces, amounting to about two thousand men, under Colonel Wolseley, attacked the opposing army, of very superior numbers, in a formidable position at Newton Butler. By forcing their way over numerous difficulties, and traversing a dangerous bog, the Inniskilling men were enabled to assail the front of the adverse host, and their attack was made with so much audacity and heroic ardour, that the opposing ranks were panic-stricken, and fled in dismay. The gallant Inniskilling men pursued at speed, and overtaking their adversaries among the bogs and loughs, slaughtered two thousand fugitives; about five hundred were drowned in attempting to escape across the deep waters, and nearly five hundred more were taken prisoners, including Viscount Mountcashel, and Colonel Anthony Hamilton. This surprising victory was gained with the loss of twenty men killed, and fifty wounded. Among the trophies of the day were one iron and seven brass guns, a number of standards and colours, a quantity of military stores, and the whole of the enemy's baggage.

Many of the Inniskilling men, who had evinced great personal bravery, had not been regimented, and Sir Albert Cunningham, a gentleman highly esteemed in the county, and who had been deprived of the appointment of Lieutenant-General of the Ordnance in Ireland, by King James, for his adherence to the reformed religion, was authorized to embody six hundred men, into a regiment of dragoons of twelve troops, of which he was appointed colonel; and the corps, thus formed of the distinguished champions for the institutions of their country, having been retained in the service of the Crown to the present period, now bears the title of the Sixth, or the Inniskilling, Regiment of Dragoons.

While the most signal success attended the gallant Inniskilling men, the garrison of Londonderry was distressed for want of provisions, and on the day that the battle of Newton Butler was fought, the ships Montjoy of Londonderry, and Phœnix of Coleraine, convoyed by the Dartmouth frigate, forced the boom under a heavy fire from the banks of the river, and, after encountering many difficulties, anchored at the ship-quay, to the great joy and relief of the brave defenders of the town. King James's generals were so dispirited by this success, and the loss at Newton Butler, that on the night of the 31st of July they raised the siege, which had occupied one hundred and five days, and retired, having lost from eight to nine thousand men, and many officers, in their fruitless attempt to reduce the city.

Thus terminated the siege of Londonderry, which from the circumstances of its commencement, the sufferings endured during its progress, and the determined conduct of its brave defenders, ranks among the glorious achievements recorded in the annals of war. Governor Walker proceeded to England with an address, on the occasion, to King William and Queen Mary, and was received at Court with all the honour due to his distinguished services.

In the mean time an army was raising in England to aid in rescuing Ireland from the power of King James, and was placed under the orders of the veteran Marshal Frederick Duke Schomberg, who arrived in Ireland in August, with ten thousand men, and besieged Carrickfergus, which surrendered before the end of the month.

Twelve troops of Wolseley's horse, six troops of Wynne's (late fifth Royal Irish), and six of Cunningham's (now Sixth) dragoons, Tiffin's (now twenty-seventh) Inniskilling foot, and Mitchelburne's Londonderry regiment (afterwards disbanded), joined the army commanded by the Duke Schomberg, and were employed in the operations of the campaign. The Inniskilling troopers had made their name a terror to their opponents, and were highly esteemed in the English army. Story, the historian of these wars, states, 'I went three miles beyond the camp, where I met the Inniskilling horse and dragoons, whom the Duke had ordered to be an advance-guard to his army. I wondered much to see their horses and equipage, hearing before what feats had been done by them. They were three regiments in all, and most of the troopers and dragoons had their waiting-men mounted upon garrons (small horses); some of them had holsters, and others their pistols hung at their sword-belts.'

The same author adds, 'If these men had been permitted to go on in their old forward way, it is probable they would have saved the town of Newry being burnt.'

The Inniskilling cavalry performed several feats of gallantry, on detached services, during the period the army was at the unhealthy camp at Dundalk; and subsequently returned to their own country for winter quarters.

Previous to the 1st of January, 1690, the Inniskilling cavalry had been considered more as corps of mounted militia, or of yeomanry cavalry, than as regular troops; but at that period the Inniskilling and Londonderry forces were placed on the establishment of the regular army. The following is an extract from King William's warrant on the occasion:—

Cunningham's Inniskilling dragoons formed part of the force with which Colonel Wolseley captured the town of Belturbet, which was occupied as a frontier garrison. The colonel having afterwards learnt that his opponents were about to assemble at Cavan, to attack his quarters, left Belturbet on the evening of the 10th of February, 1690, with three troops of horse, two of the Inniskilling dragoons, and seven hundred foot of Kirke's (now second), Wharton's (now twelfth), Tiffin's (now twenty-seventh), and proceeded by a circuitous route towards Cavan, with the intention of surprising his opponents in their quarters, before the arrival of their expected reinforcements. Having passed the river at midnight, at a ford two miles above Ballyhaise,—the infantry on horseback behind the troopers,—he moved quietly towards Cavan, but met with obstructions which delayed his march, and the day had dawned when he drew near the town, when, to his great astonishment, he saw upwards of three thousand men, commanded by the Duke of Berwick, formed on a rising ground to oppose him. The disparity of numbers was great; but trusting to the innate valour of his soldiers, he sent forward a hundred Inniskilling dragoons to commence the action. As they advanced along a narrow lane, they were galled by the fire of musketry from behind the hedges, charged by a body of cavalry, and driven back; but a volley from the musketeers checked the enemy, and the troops continued their march. After deploying in front of the enemy, a reserve was ordered to halt, and Colonel Wolseley advanced with the remainder in order of battle. As he ascended the position, the enemy raised a loud shout and fired a volley; but the balls passed over the heads of Wolseley's men, who continued to advance until they arrived within forty paces of their opponents, and then opened a sharp fire with good effect. The infantry, slinging their muskets, were about to charge sword in hand, when, the smoke clearing away, they discovered King James's infantry flying to the fort in a panic, and the cavalry galloping towards the town. Wolseley's men rushed forward, and entering the town, found stores of provisions, shoes, ammunition, and brass money; the temptation being great, they commenced plundering, when the enemy's infantry sallied out of the fort, and resumed the fight. Wolseley attacked them with his reserve, and the soldiers hurrying out of the town, and joining in the contest, their opponents were driven back with the loss of three hundred men killed, and about two hundred taken prisoners; the Duke of Berwick narrowly escaped, having had his horse killed under him.

Colonel Wolseley had about thirty men killed. He observed, in his public despatch, 'Our men showed on this, as on former occasions, a very great forwardness to engage the enemy, notwithstanding the inequality of their numbers, and gave new proofs of their courage and bravery, particularly Major-General Kirke's men[9].' After destroying the stores and ammunition which they were unable to remove, the detachment returned to its quarters; and the enemy, having discovered the resolute character of the troops in Belturbet, laid aside the design of attacking them.

On the night of the 4th of March, a detachment of Inniskilling cavalry, with fifty men of Colonel Erle's regiment, scoured the country to the vicinity of Cavan; and on the following morning attacked and carried a fortified post at Butler's bridge, killing twenty men and taking sixteen prisoners; then joining another detachment, drove a body of the enemy from the houses of Cavan, and completed the destruction of the town.

Provisions becoming scarce at Belturbet, Colonel Wolseley sent out two hundred Inniskilling horse and dragoons, who scoured the country beyond Cavan and captured a thousand head of cattle. Returning with their booty, they found four hundred of the enemy formed up at the river to oppose their passage; undaunted by superior numbers, the Inniskilling troopers rushed, sword in hand, upon their antagonists, and a few moments' conflict decided the fortune of the day; forty of King James's soldiers lay dead on the field, eight were taken prisoners, and the remainder escaped; the Inniskilling men proceeded with their booty to Belturbet.

On the 6th of April another detachment of seven hundred men, from the regiments of Kirke, Erle, and Groven's Danes, with a party of Inniskilling horse and dragoons, advanced from Belturbet to the castle of Killeshandra, which they besieged and captured after a slight resistance; and in May a detachment of Cunningham's Inniskilling dragoons was engaged in the capture of the castle of Ballinacargy. Thus these gallant horsemen succeeded in every enterprise in which they were engaged, their fame spread to distant parts, and they were a terror to their adversaries. They ventured on the most dangerous undertakings, and a detachment scoured the country to Kells, within twenty-seven miles of Dublin, and returned with a supply of cattle and provisions.

In June, King William arrived in Ireland, accompanied by Prince George of Denmark, and a number of noblemen; the eyes of all Europe were fixed on that country, where two kings were to contend for a crown on a public theatre, and the singular spectacle was exhibited of two princes (the Prince of Orange and the Prince of Denmark) fighting against the father of their wives (King James), and of a nephew at the head of an army against his uncle; it was, however, a contest between liberty and slavery,—between constitutional freedom and despotism. King William headed his army of English, Dutch, Brandenburgers, Danes, and French; and King James took up a position behind the river Boyne, with his own forces, and six thousand French and Swiss troops, furnished by Louis XIV.

On the 1st of July a general engagement took place, when the Inniskilling dragoons had the honour of distinguishing themselves under the eye of their sovereign. On this occasion, the right wing of the English army, under the Count de Schomberg, and the centre under the Duke Schomberg, had forced the passage of the river, and were engaged, when King William drew his sword, and placing himself at the head of four troops of the Inniskilling cavalry, told them, that having heard a great deal of their bravery, he had no doubt of witnessing it, and he led them towards the river, followed by several other corps of cavalry and infantry. The four captains requested His Majesty not to expose his person by crossing the river within shot of the enemy, but his reply was, "I will see you over." When in the middle of the stream, a volley from a regiment of the enemy's dragoons brought down one man, killed Captain Blashford's horse, and one bullet struck one of His Majesty's pistols[10]. Arriving on the opposite bank, the King threw off the bandage from his shoulder, which had been wounded on the preceding day, and brandishing his sword, led the Inniskilling men, and other troops which had passed the river with him, against a body of King James's soldiers, three times more numerous than themselves, who were advancing towards him with fury. Intimidated by the dauntless bearing of the soldiers with King William, the enemy halted, faced about, and fled towards Donore; and the Inniskilling cavalry rushed forward, sword in hand, with great intrepidity. The other corps which had followed His Majesty, pursued the enemy as far as Donore, where they were charged by superior numbers, and forced back. The King again placed himself at the head of the brave Inniskilling soldiers, and while leading them forward, sustained a volley of musketry, from which several men and horses fell; he then turned to his left to enable his men to charge; this was mistaken for a signal for them also to wheel to the left, and they fell back a short distance; but quickly discovering their error, they confronted their adversaries, and dashing forward with distinguished gallantry, overthrew the opposing ranks. The battle exhibited all the horrors of civil war; English fought with English, Irish with Irish, and French against French; at the same time Dutch, Danes, Swiss, and Brandenburgers were mingled in the fray,—the colours and standards of various nations floating over the scene of combat. The Duke of Berwick's horse was killed, and he was trampled upon by the combatants. King William was in the hottest of the fight, encouraging his men, and the Inniskilling dragoons were seen bravely contending for the victory.

Scarcely had Sir Albert Cunningham's dragoons (now Sixth) reformed their ranks after the charge, when General de Ginkell, and a party of Dutch dragoons, were seen retreating in disorder along a narrow lane, followed by crowds of the enemy, shouting and brandishing their swords; part of the Inniskilling regiment instantly dismounted, also a detachment of Leveson's (now Third) dragoons, and throwing themselves into an old house, and lining the hedge of the lane, opened such a brisk fire, that the pursuing Irish faced about and fled. The cavalry returned to the charge; the adverse army sustained a decisive overthrow, and fled from the field. Story observes of this action, "Those of our English forces that were engaged, and had opportunity to show themselves, gave signal demonstrations of their courage and bravery; the Inniskilliners and French (protestants in King William's service), both horse and foot, did good service; and the Dutch guards deserve no small honour for their conduct on that day[11]."

No return of the loss of the regiment on this occasion has been met with; but at the muster at Finglas, seven days after the battle, it brought three hundred private dragoons into the field, which is nearly one hundred less than the establishment.

King James fled to Dublin, and immediately afterwards embarked for France; and King William, directing his march to the capital, gained possession of that city without loss. After this success, the Sixth dragoons formed part of a body of troops detached under Lieutenant-General Douglas against Athlone. Arriving before the town, a summons to surrender was sent to the governor, the veteran Colonel Grace, who fired a pistol at the messenger and declared his determination to defend the place. Not having artillery and ammunition sufficient to prosecute the siege, the troops withdrew from before the town, and rejoined the army.

The regiment was subsequently employed before Limerick, which city was besieged by the English army. On the 11th of August, as the regiment lay encamped near Limerick, information arrived of the destruction of the battering train on its march to join the army by a numerous body of Irish cavalry under Brigadier-General Sarsfield (formerly an officer of the English life guards); Sir Albert Cunningham instantly issued from the camp with two squadrons of his dragoons, and dashing across the country, intercepted one of the enemy's detachments, which he charged with signal gallantry, slew one major, one captain, and twenty men; but their main body escaped.

When King William raised the siege of Limerick and returned to England, Cunningham's dragoons were ordered into winter quarters; but were suddenly recalled in consequence of Brigadier-General Sarsfield having invested the castle of Birr, in the King's County:—after the flight of the enemy from before this post, they remained encamped near Birr, while additional fortifications were being raised, and subsequently went into quarters.

In the month of May, 1691, several ships arrived at Dublin from England with men and provisions, and great diligence was used in preparing for an early and vigorous campaign: the Inniskilling dragoons took the field this summer, and joined the army commanded by Lieutenant-General de Ginkell, on the 6th of June, on its march towards Ballymore, which place was captured after a short resistance. Athlone was also taken, and the army advanced against the French and Irish forces under General St. Ruth, in position near Aghrim, in the county of Galway, about three miles beyond Ballinasloe.

Arriving in front of the enemy about mid-day on the 12th of July, the English and Dutch regiments of horse guards, and a squadron of Cunningham's dragoons, were sent forward to force the enemy from a pass in the middle of a bog which lay in front of the Irish army, in which service they succeeded; and two hundred men of the regiment drove the enemy from a ford on the right of the opposing army in gallant style, and from the pass of Urachree. St. Ruth sent forward fresh troops, and the Inniskilling dragoons being also supported, a considerable body of troops was soon engaged at this point, and the enemy was eventually driven back. The English generals met, and after some deliberation, resolved on a general engagement, and between four and five in the afternoon the battle began. After several hours' sharp fighting, in which the Inniskilling men gave fresh proofs of their innate bravery and contempt of danger, the adverse army sustained a decisive overthrow, and was chased from the field of battle until the darkness of the night and a thick misty rain put an end to the pursuit. During the action, the French general, St. Ruth, was killed by a cannon ball, as he rode down Kilcommoden hill, and his fall so dismayed King James's army that it was soon thrown into confusion and routed.

Cunningham's Inniskilling dragoons had one lieutenant, one cornet, and forty-one non-commissioned officers and private soldiers killed; one captain, one lieutenant, and twenty-seven men wounded on this occasion.

After the victory at Aghrim, the army advanced to Galway, and the Inniskilling dragoons were employed before this fortress during the siege, which was terminated on the 21st of July, by the surrender of the place. The English forces subsequently moved towards Limerick, where the wreck of King James's army was assembled; but Sir Albert Cunningham was left with his regiment of dragoons in the county of Galway.

Sligo was subsequently invested by a circular chain of posts at a distance from the town, and one troop of the Inniskilling dragoons was stationed at the abbey of Ashro, near Ballyshannon, and the remainder at Loughrea, Hedford, and Shrewl. The governor of Sligo, Sir Teague O'Regan, proposed conditions for surrendering the town; but afterwards receded, when a closer blockade of the place was resolved upon.

At the same time Sir Albert Cunningham was directed to proceed with his regiment to Castlebar, to join the Irish forces under Sir Baldearg O'Donnel, who had agreed to abandon the interests of King James, and to join the English army with his brigade.

This Baldearg, or Balderick, O'Donnel, was descended from one of the branches of the Tyrconnel family; his ancestors having fled to Spain after the rebellion of 1607, he was born and educated in that country. The Irish, with their characteristic superstition, cherished an idle prophecy, that a descendant of that old family, who would be distinguished by a red mark, as this man was, would free their country from the English yoke. The coincidence of his family and name,—Derg, or Darg, signifying red, induced them to send for him from Spain, and he arrived at Limerick in September, 1690, when thousands flocked to him; but he disappointed their expectations, and achieved nothing worthy of record. After the battle of Aghrim, he was so alarmed, that he kept, with his followers, in the mountains in the county of Mayo for some time, and at length tendered his submission to the government of King William, and promised to bring a considerable number of men over with him, for a stipulated reward.

When the Inniskilling dragoons arrived at Castlebar, O'Donnel's men were found in a state of mutiny, many of them resolving to adhere to the interest of King James; but the commotion was eventually appeased, and they arrayed themselves under King William's banners. On the 4th of September Sir Albert Cunningham took post with part of his regiment at Coloony, five miles south of Sligo, intending to join O'Donnel on the following day, and approach nearer the besieged town. During the night seven hundred select men of King James's army, commanded by Colonel Scott, issued from Sligo, and, being favoured by a foggy morning, surprised the detachment of Inniskilling dragoons in their camp near Coloony, at day-break on the following morning. The troopers finding themselves suddenly assailed by superior numbers, mounted their horses and galloped to Abbey Royle, in the county of Roscommon. The enemy killed about twenty men, took Sir Albert Cunningham prisoner, and captured the tents, cloaks, and baggage belonging to the dragoons.

After the brave and humane Sir Albert Cunningham was made prisoner, an Irish serjeant approached him and said, 'Albert is your name, and by an H—albert you shall die,' and instantly speared him on the spot. 'Thus fell Sir Albert Cunningham, as gallant and worthy an officer as any in the King's service[12].'

Part of O'Donnel's brigade arriving on the following day, the enemy was driven back into Sligo, and all the baggage, &c., was recaptured.

After the death of Sir Albert Cunningham the Regiment was commanded, until King William's pleasure was made known, by the lieutenant-colonel, Robert Echlin.

A body of troops was assembled for the reduction of Sligo, and placed under the orders of the Earl of Granard, and Colonel Mitchelburne, to whom this fortress was delivered up on the 13th of September.

In the meantime the army commanded by General De Ginkell had besieged Limerick, and the surrender of that city, and of all other forts and garrisons, in September, terminated the war in Ireland; the champions of constitutional liberty having triumphed over all opposition.

Thus the gallant Inniskilling men, who composed the Sixth regiment of dragoons, had the satisfaction of witnessing the deliverance of their country from the continued effects of civil war, and the blessings of peace once more diffusing themselves over the land. They had purchased these advantages with their swords, many of them had toiled, and fought, and bled in the cause of civil and religious liberty, and they had the proud distinction of receiving the expressions of their Sovereign's approbation and their country's gratitude. King William also rewarded the services of their lieutenant-colonel, Robert Echlin, with the colonelcy of the regiment, by commission dated the 30th of December, 1691. The thanks of Parliament were communicated to Lieutenant-General De Ginkell, and the officers and soldiers who served under his orders, and the lieutenant-general was afterwards created Earl of Athlone, Viscount Aghrim, and Baron of Ballymore.

Although the war in Ireland was terminated, yet the known hostile spirit of a great portion of the inhabitants to the established government, and the attempts made from time to time by Louis XIV. to replace King James on the throne, rendered the presence of a considerable number of troops, in whom the utmost reliance could be placed, necessary in that country; and Echlin's Inniskilling dragoons, having proved their attachment and fidelity to King William, their devotion to the principles of the Revolution, and their usefulness in every description of service, were employed in Ireland during the remainder of His Majesty's reign.

The first of the two regiments of Inniskilling dragoons, commanded by Colonel James Wynne, served under King William in Flanders, and obtained the title of 'The Royal Irish Regiment of Dragoons;' Colonel Echlin's regiment received no change of designation; but has retained its title of "Inniskilling Dragoons" to the present time; it was numbered the "Sixth Dragoons" in the reign of George II.

During the early part of the reign of Queen Anne the Inniskilling Dragoons remained in Ireland; they were reviewed at Athlone, in July, 1703, by the lord-lieutenant, General the Duke of Ormond, who was pleased to compliment the commanding officer on their appearance and discipline.