The Battle of Aughrim

July 12, 1691
By Cecil Kilpatrick

King James reached Dublin on the evening of his defeat at the Boyne, lst July (O.S.) 1690.

The next morning he fled south, first to Waterford and then by sea to Kinsale where he picked up a French naval escort and returned to France for the rest of his life. His army under Lauzun abandoned Dublin and retreated westwards to the line of the Shannon, but also holding the walled city of Cork and the fortified port of Kinsale. Late in the year a great fleet of 70 ships put John Churchill (later Marlborough) and an expeditionary force ashore at Passage West and captured both towns. The French must now rely on the ports of Galway and Limerick on the West coast.

King William reached Limerick on August 7th, but as his army had only their field guns he was held up till the siege train with heavy 24 pounder guns, drawn by oxen, arrived from Dublin.

It had reached Ballyneety near the Silvermine Mountains just fourteen miles from its destination and had camped for the night, when Sarsfield struck.

The previous day he had slipped out of Limerick on to the western shore with a strong cavalry raiding party. They headed upstream and recrossed at Killaloe, remaining concealed on Keeper Hill, watching and waiting till the camp was asleep. Not a man escaped and Limerick knew when the night sky was lit up with an enormous explosion of tons of gunpowder destroying guns and supplies.

On 27th August an assault on the wall was attempted but was repulsed with heavy loss and after two more days the siege was abandoned for the year.

King William, disappointed that the campaign would drag on for another year, took the road to Waterford and returned to London leaving Count Solms. the Dutch Commander, in charge.

Lauzun, the French Commander, also decided to go home, taking all his French troops and leaving the 20 year old Duke of Berwick in command.

The Winter of 1690 - 1691
Hostilities continued even though the main forces were dispersed into winter quarters all over Ireland.

Jacobite Rapparees (irregulars) raided into Williamite territory for horses and cattle, while Williamite raids were made in Kerry and Sligo. 'No man's land'ran from Bantry Bay through Macroom,Mallow,Tipperary,Thurles,Birr,Mullingar, Newtown Forbes to Lough Eme and Ballyshannon. Both armies behaved badly but as the soldiers had not been paid, they felt justified in taking what they could get. Peace feelers were put out and rumours abounded but came to nothing.

With the turn of the year Solms was recalled for duty in Flanders and William wrote, before leaving for Holland, giving command to Baron Godart Van reede de Ginkel. He was a capable professional soldier, solid, cautious, and adept at uniting the many nationalities in his army in the fashion of Eisenhower of the last war.

In William's absence Mary acted as Sovereign in her own right and corresponded with Ginkel,keeping William informed. Generals Douglas and Yjrke were also recalled for service in Flanders and were replaced by Mackay, the Killiecrankie General and Talmash, an Englishman.

On the Jacobite side Tyrconnell, who had gone to France for fresh instructions from James and assistance from Iiouis XIV, returned with money but no French troops. James sent a peerage for Sarsfield, Earl of Lucan, as consolation for not getting command. Berwick was recalled and three high ranking French Lieutenant Generals arrived, all senior to Sarsfield.

The new Commander was Le Marquis de St. Ruhe, usually referred to as St. Ruth, a competent energetic professional soldier with a brutal record as persecutor of the Huguenots in the Cevennes. As a soldier he was a great improvement on Lauzun with the added advantage of beingwithout the impediment of King James. St. Ruth was accompanied by two other Generals, d'Usson and de Tesse. Of the three only de Tesse ever saw his homeland again and he was wounded three times.

The Army Musters
In 1690 the army had mustered at Scarva or Aghaderg (Loughbricldand).@year the main depot would be Mullingar. The Dutch, Danes, Huguenot and English forces under Wurtenberg, which had been scattered across Munster would first rally at Cashel before moving northwards. The forces in Ulster would first assemble at Belturbet in Co. Cavan before moving to Mullingar. It is of particular interest to note the number of Ulster Regiments in William's Army.

Cunyngham's Inniskilling Dragoons - already gazetted as 6th Inniskilling Dragoons which later became the 5th Inniskilling Dragoon Guards. They fought in defence of Enniskillen and at the Boyne and Aughrim. They are at present serving in Arabia.

Wynn's Inniskilling Dragoons - already gazetted as 5th Royal Irish Dragoons, to become 5th Royal Irish Lancers and now 16th/5th Queens Royal Lancers. They fought in defence of Enniskillen and at the Boyne and Aughrim.

Wolseley's Inniskilling Horse - fought in defence of Enniskillen and at the Boyne and Aughrim. Later they fought in Flanders but at the end of the war in 1697 were disbanded.

Tiffin's Inniskilling Regiment of Foot - already gazetted as 27th Foot later to become the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers and still later the Royal Irish Rangers. They fought in defence of Ennisidllen and at the Boyne and Aughrim.

Gustavus Hamilton's Regiment of Foot - fought in defence ofenniskillen, at the Boyne and Aughrim. There were two Colonels Gustavus Hamilton. One was Governor of Enniskillen and raised the regiment. The other who fought in defence of Coleraine, withdrew to Londonderry. He later took over the Inniskilling Regiment and fought at the Boyne and Athlone. He remained as Governor ofathlone but the Regiment went on to the Battle of Aughrim. After the end of the war it was disbanded.

St. John"s Regiment of Foot - originally raised by Col. Henry Baker. Fought at Dromore, retreating to Londonderry. it fought at the Boyne and Aughrim. At the end of hostilities it was disbanded.

Loyd's Regiment of Foot - fought indefence of Enniskillen, at the Boyne and Athlone. It was left behind as a garrison and did not fight at Aughrim. Later disbanded.

Mitchelburn's Regiment of Foot - originally Skeffington's fought under Col. John Mitchelburn throughout the siege of Londonderry and at the Boyne. It mustered with the army under Ginkel but was detailed for garrison duty till the end of the war when it was disbanded.

Cauldfield's Regiment of Foot - originally raised by Rev. George Walker for the defence ofdungannon, but withdrew to Londonderry and fought throughout the siege. Taken over by Col. Robert White after the siege but on his death in 1689 commanded by Col. John Cauldfield. The eight siege Regiments were so reduced in strength that they were merged in 1689 into four. Two fought at the Boyne but only one at Aughrim.

Eventually all their traditions were merged into 27th Foot which recruited in Counties Londonderry, Tyrone, Fermanagh, and prior to 1922, in Co. Donegal.

One Irish Regiment, although not from Ulster, should be listed. Meath's Regiment originally Forbes. Had been part of King James's Army in Ireland but when reorganised by Tyrconnell managed to retain one third of its Protestants. It was sent to England and while all the others were disbanded on Williams arrival, it was retained. The Roman Catholic members were dismissed and replaced by Irish Protestants. It returned to Ireland with Schomberg and was stationed in Belfast. It was gazetted as 18th Foot and fought at the Boyne and Aughrim. Later it became the senior Irish Regiment of the line as The Royal Irish Regiment and was disbanded with four other famous Irish Regiments in 1922.

There was one further Ulster regiment, but it missed the Irish Campaign. The Royal Irish Light Dragoons raised in Londonderry in 1693 from survivors of the Siege. Originally known as Conyngham's Dragoons, not to be confused with Sir Albert Cunningham's Inniskilling Dragoons which by 1693 had become 6th Inniskilling Dragoons. They served King William on the Continent and later won fame under Marlborough becoming 8th Mngs Royal Irish Hussars. In recent times through amalgamation they reformed as The Queens Royal Irish Hussars and are at present serving in Arabia on the borders of Iraq with the Desert Rats.

Ginkel's total force consisted ofthirty battalions ofinfantry. Three were left behind on garrison duty, leaving twenty seven made up of twelve English, three Ulster, six Danish, three Dutch, and three Huguenot. He also had forty squadrons of horse and dragoons. making a total of 20,000 men. His artillery train consisted of twelve field pieces, thirty siege guns and six mortars.

In command ofthe Cavalry was Major General Marquis de Ruvigny, a professional Huguenot soldier and brother of the brave Callemotte killed at the ford of Oldbridge leading his countrymen over the Boyne.

Across the Shannon St. Ruth had moved up his forces from Galway and Limerick to Ballinasloe but his very late arrival in Ireland had placed him at a severe disadvantage in making preparations. He was not ready to take the field till the middle of June.

His army which was about as large as Ginkel's, was made up of 16000 foot, 3,000 horse and 2,000 dragoons. Its soldiers were entirely Irish, apart from its French Generals. His artillery amounted to nine field pieces apart from those mounted for the defence of walled towns like Athlone and Limerick.

The Advznce Westwords to Ballymore
On 6th June Ginkel marched out from Mullingar, having gained two weeks on the previous year. Next day he reached Ballymore about, half way to Athlone, and here the opening shots in the 1691 campaign were fired.

A garrison of about 1000 men under Col. Ulick Burke had fortified an old Norman motte defending a peninsula in a lake and surrounded by water or bog. Their intention was to hold up the advance as long as possible to gain time but they had an impossible task against the full weight of Ginkel's guns. It was all over in 24 hours, when the survivors were glad to surrender and go into captivity on Lambay Island. Time was lost however, waiting for the Duke of Wurtemberg and his forces and Athlone was not reached till 19th June.

The Siege of Athlone - The Leinstertown
Athlone consisted of two walled towns separated by the River Shannon. The previous year, when approached by General Douglas, the defenders under Col. Richard Grace had abandoned the English Town on the Leinster side of the river and withdrawn over the bridge to the Irish town on the Connaught side. This year Col. Nicholas Fitzgerald resolved to defend both towns to allow time for St. Ruth to bring up his army from Ballinasloe.

The attackers spent their first day in mounting a battery of heavy guns to make a breach in the bastion near the North Gate. The next day at daybreak firing commenced and by the afternoon had opened a breach 30 yards wide. A council of war decided to mount an assault that evening at 5 p.m. 300 grenadiers were to lead, followed by pioneers with axes to clear away any obstructions thrown up to repair the breach. Hugh Mackay would conunand four foot regiments who, once through, would fan out in both directions. The first man into the breach was a Huguenot Lieutenant who threw two grenades and fired his musket before being killed. By nightfall the Leinstertown was taken and the defenders had withdrawn over the bridge, throwing down the arch on the far side, which had been temporally repaired.

The Connought Town
The next day St. Ruth came up with the main army and camped two miles from the town. Lt. General &Usson was sent into the town to take over the defence with Major General Maxwell, a Scot, in support. On the Connaught bank just over the bridge, stood an exceptionally strong Castle and a little upstream, the stout Connaught Tower. Before any assault could be made these must be neutralised. The gunners set to work, bringing up the guns and mounting seven batteries to pound the opposite bank with the heaviest bombardment ever to take place in Ireland, till the German blitz. In all 12,000 cannon balls, 600 bombs and many tons of stones were thrown across propelled by 50 tons of gunpowder. It was thirsty work and the gunners consumed four barrels of beer and were paid £33.70 bonus money. In a week the castle lay in ruins. a great heap of rubble and all its guns had been silenced.

The first plan of attack was to use a pontoon bridge made of tin boats brought from Dublin for the purpose, but it was found impossible to make progress under heavy fire without first capturing a bridge head on the other side.

Next a flanking attack about a mile upstream, over a ford was tried. A raiding party, led by a Lieutenant, was sent to reconnoitre, with instructions to avoid getting involved with the enemy. The Lieutenant however, not only crossed the river, but yielded to the temptation to round up cattle and lost the vital element of surprise.

On 26th June a frontal attack over the broken bridge was made with great daring. The troops advanced under covering fire and succeeded in repairing the gap with planks. The timbers were carried by 24 Sappers, who were paid 13.16.0 as a reward for their success. However before the main assault could be mounted, a Sergeant of Maxwell's Dragoons named Custume and ten volunteers rushed on to the bridge braving certain death but all perished in the hail of fire. A Lieutenant and twenty more men took their place and though only two survived they succeeded in throwing down the planks.

On 29th June a Council of War was called and decided to attempt an assault over the ford just below the bridge. The main attack was to be made, while the defenders attention was diverted at the Bridge and at the pontoon bridge downstream. However the Jacobites noticed the preparations and moved in reinforcements from the main camp, causing the attempt to be abandoned. To test the depth of water at the ford three Danish soldiers under sentence of death were offered a pardon if they could cross. Theywore helmets and breastplates andpretended to be deserters, while their comrades fired over their heads.They kept well apart to present a smaller target and to try different parts ofthe river. Their moment ofdanger came when they turned back and the Jacobites offered fire. Two were wounded but all returned safely saying that the water only reached their navels.

The final assault was planned in great secrecy for the evening of 30th June. Men would be moved into place by stealth and the signal would be the tolling of bells for evening worship at the normal hour. 2,000 men led by Col. Gustavas Hamilton and grenadiers of the Inniskillings would take part under the command of Talmash. St. Ruth, to give his men a baptism of fire,had been rotating his regiments and had placed three very indifferent battalions of O'Gara's, O'Neill's and MacMahons Foot in the vital sector. The bells pealed at 6 p.m. when the assault party, with complete surprise bounced over the riverside parapet and into the river. General Mackay volunteering as a private soldier plunged in himself and almost before the Jacobites could open fire they were across, mounting the bank and faning out. One party made for the bridge and another secured the walls. The Jacobites panicked and broke. General d'Usson was attending a party, but hearing the commotion, he rushed to the riverside only to be knocked down in the stampede of his own men and trampled underfoot. In less than an hour the whole town was in Williamite hands. Too late, St. Ruth came up with his main army only to find the gates closed and the walls manned by his enemies. It was a disastrous defeat brought on by over confidence and over- dependence on a physical feature. For St. Ruth it brought grief and shame. He could now only wipe out the humiliation and return to France and Louis XIV with honour, by staking all on one last battle.

The Battlefield
Having lost the line of the Shannon, there were few strong defensive positions before Limerick. The River Suck at Ballinasloe was an insignificant obstacle, but five miles further west rose a long ridge running from the old castle and village of Aughrim for two miles to the old Church of Kilcommodon and known as Aughrim or Kilcommodon hill. On the eastern side of the ridge next Ballinasloe, lay a belt of bog and marsh for its whole length, with further lakes and bogs to the north and south to discourage flank attacks. St. Ruth had been in Ireland for only 7 weeks but he had observed the country as he passed through, with the eye of a soldier and he selected Aughrim for his last stand. He chose well for there was no better position to defend both the roads to Galway and Limerick.

On July 8th his 37 battalions filed over the bridge of Ballinasloe and took up their positions with four days to dig in. General d'Usson was sent on to hold Galway and General de Tesse was appointed second in conunand with particular responsibility for the right or southern sector. Sarsfield was given command of the cavalry reserve and positioned on the left wing at the rear of the hill. He was given that nightmare instruction. "Don't move till further orders'. Orders which never came. The Jacobite soldiers occupied their time well, digging trenches for musketeers at the old castle and to protect the battery of guns nearby where the Parish Church now stands. St. Ruth worked like a man inspired. He knew that his ill trained soldiers would fight best from behind a breastwork and adapted the hedges and ditches on the lower slopes of the hill to this end. The hedges were strengthened and thickened to serve the purpose of modem barbed wire, but gaps were left to facilitate the withdrawal and counter attack of infantry and the downhill charge of horse to dislodge any of Ginkel's men who gained a foothold on the hill.

The most vulnerable point in the defence was at the southern end of the ridge where the little Tristaun stream entered the bog. This became known as The Pass of Urracaree for a line of eskers, or gravelly hillocks, gave access over the bog. Here the defences were made doubly strong for they were sure to be tried and tested. St. Ruth paid particular attention to morale and encouraged the 80 Priests in the camp to instil a crusading spirit. A copy of his own eve of battle ovation has survived, in which he dwells on his own service in suppressing heresy in France and stresses the consequences which the coming battle will have for the faith. At dawn on the morning of the battle, which was a Sunday, the Priests ensured that every man attended mass.

The Battle
Having taken Athlone, Ginkel was held up for ten days waiting for supplies ofpowder and shot to replenish his stock, exhausted by the heavy bombardment. The convoy ofwagons from Dublin arrived on 11th July and immediately the army marched, reaching Ballinasloe by night fall.

Duke Wurtemberg, the Danish Commander, was appointed Second in Command, with special responsibility on the left wing. General Mackay took charge of the centre and General Ruvigny was placed on the right.

At 6 a.m. on Sunday morning 12thJuly, leaving their tents and baggage, the army advanced to battle. Visibility was poor, as a heavy morning mist lay over the low ground and didn't lift till dispersed by the heat of the midday sun. Ginkel at last could see the enemy and was taken aback by the strength of their position. The Jacobite skirmishers, who had been holding up the advance, slowly fell back across the bog and the guns began to thunder across the valley. It was mid afternoon before the Danish Dragoons moving to the left to occupy the Pass of Urrachree, were driven back and the Inniskilling Dragoons came up to their assistance. Both sides poured in reinforcements and soon a general action had developed. The Jacobite tactics of withdrawing from hedge to hedge lured on their opponents and encouraged them to outreach themselves without flanking support. Then the cavalry swept down from the hill, through the gaps in the hedges and cut off the advance guard of the Williamites. It was then the turn of the musketeers, hidden behind their breastworks, to pick off the isolated forward troops and drive the remnant back into the bog.

The Huguenots suffered particularly heavy losses and especially in a depression at the foot of the hill below the present road, which has ever since been known as The Bloody Hollow. At about 6.30 p.m. Mackay. seeing that no progress was being made at the Southern end of that ridge, ordered the centre to advance over the bog under the covering fire of their cannon. Four English battalions struggled through the morass up to their waists in water, Earle's Regiment (19th, later the Green Howards) leading. They appeared to be succeeding as the Jacobites were driven back, but they had only retired one field width from the edge ofthe bog. As soon as the English had formed up on the firm ground down came the cavalry and drove them back while once again musketeers to right and left picked them off. This time the Jacobite foot followed them back across the bog even taking some of the guns beyond the bog. However there was no way they could man handle them through the swamp and they were soon retaken.

In this action Colonels Earle and Herbert were taken prisoner. It was now the turn of Kirke's and Gustavus Hamilton's Regiments to the left and Tiffin's and St. John's along with a Huguenot Regiment to their right. The Jacobites held their fire till the Williamites were within 20 yards and though a furious fight developed and things seemed to be in the balance for a while, they were driven back once more.

St. Ruth was delighted at the steadiness of his troops and the success of his plans. The sun was sinking in the west and Ginkel was about to call offthe action for the night. He sent for the baggage and tents to be brought up but the order was cancelled. Mackay had noticed a movement of both horse and foot from the north to the centre to relieve the hard pressed defenders. Perhaps now was the time for an attack by the Williamite right, by the Castle. Here the way through the swamp was narrow, only two horsemen at a time could cross over. If the foot could cross first, perhaps the horse could succeed. Wynn's dismounted Dragoons and Leveson's led the attack, encouraged by the courageous Mackay who was thrown from his horse. Colonel Walter Burke defended the Castle stubbornly, but his guns had been silenced. The attackers reached a spot where they were sheltered from fire though they could advance no further. It was now up to the Cavalry and under Ruvigny, the Blues, Winn's Dragoons, and Wolseley's Horse galloped over the narrow causeway.

St. Ruth had been watching anxiously. His reserve Cavalry under Sarsfield would soon sweep them back. He was mounting his horse when his head was carried away by a cannon ball. The Williamite cavalry crossed over and at the crucial moment the Jacobite cavalry under Brigadier Henry Lutteral and Lieutenant General Dominic Sheldon withdrew from the field and headed west. Their route from the battlefield is marked on the 6" Ordinance Map to this day as 'Lutterals Pass'. Treachery was suspected though never proved. Yet when Lutteral was found to have been in correspondence with Ginkel and to have consequently received a WiRiamite pension, there can be little doubt. Lutteral and the Officer Corps ofthe Cavalry represented the old Roman Catholic gentry who hoped to redeem something of their estates. The Jacobite foot soldiers who had fought so well, were abandoned to their fate. They were rolled up by the charging Williamite Horse, wheeling south from the Castle along the ridge. They were cut down in their hundreds as they tried to escape. De Tesse tried to save the day, taking command of a force of Cavalry, but his men deserted him and he was lucky to get away, though wounded three times.

Lord Galmoy and Sarsfield (Lord Lucan) who had been in the rear, were caught off guard by the suddenness of the rout. They did their best to hold back the tide, but were forced to withdraw westwards. Only nightfall saved what was left of the infantry but 7,000 of them lay dead on the field, including 400 officers. Another 450 high ranking officers were taken prisoner.

Williamite losses were also heavy, amounting to 2,000 dead and wounded. Eleven Cavalry standards and the Colours of thirty two infantry battalions were picked up the next day. Nine field guns, the reserve ammunition, tents, baggage and thousands of muskets were gathered by the victors.

Near the spot where St. Ruth was struck down grew a blackthorn bush, which became known as St. Ruth's Bush. It, for its successor, is marked by a plaque erected by Bord Failte which reads, 'The Jacobite General St. Ruth died here after a battle with the forces of King William on 12th July 1691. His defeat and death spelled an end to the hopes of James II and changed the course of Irish history'. No one knows what happened to his body though Macauley's account states "The French General was hastening to the rescue when a cannon ball carried off his head. Those who were about him thought that it would be dangerous to make his fate known. The corpse was wrapped in a cloak, carried from the field and laid, with all secrecy, in the sacred ground among the ruins of the ancient monastery of Loughrea".

O'Kelly's Latin account describes the grief and despair created by this disaster in which 'the Irish lost the flower of their army and nation". It was for the Irish Nationalist what Flodden Field had been for the Scots.

'Forget not the field where they perished,
The truest, the last of the brave:
All gone and the bright hopes we cherished.
Gone with them and quenched in the grave".
John Moore.

It was of course quite another matter for the Williamite victors as the following verse penned by William Archer 120 years ago shows.

The Battle of Aughrim

The flight comes on, St. Rgth prevails,
his troops he animates,
Ands wears he'll drive the heretics,
aye up to Dublin gates.
But,, oft,, a ball by justice wing'd,
to vindicate the truth.
As he rode down Kilcomodan,
laid low the brave Saint Rutht.
Then came the rout' our troops rushed on,
the foe fled, pale, agast.
Like autumn leaces in myriads driven
before November's blast.
Seven thousand men they left behind,
in death to close the eye.
While victory bless'd King William's men
the Twelth day of July".
William Archer 1869.

It had been a hard fought battle with both sides evenly matched in numbers of men. Both were all led and gave of their best. It was said, "Never did the Irish fight so well in their own country" and equally, never was an attack made with more bravery and determination. It was the bloodiest battle of the war, it was the last big battle ever fought in Ireland.

Galway surrendered on 21st July and Limerick on 3rd October bringing to an end. The war on the continent continued till the signing of the Treaty of Ryswick in 1697, when Louis XIV recognised William and his successor, Anne.