Chapter 7: The Coming Battle.
Some hours passed, and he was on the point of dropping off to sleepagain, when he heard a whistle repeated once or twice, followed by thesharp bark of a dog. It was but a short distance away, and, leaping tohis feet, he saw a peasant standing at a distance of two or three hundredyards.
Walter hurried towards him at a speed of which, a few minutes before, hewould have thought himself incapable. The man continued whistling, atshort intervals, and did not notice Walter till he was within twentyyards distant; then he turned sharply round.
"Who are you?" he asked, clubbing a heavy stick which he held in hishand, and standing on the defensive.
The dress and appearance of the man assured Walter that he was aCatholic, and therefore a friend, and he replied at once:
"I belong to one of the Irish troops of horse. The Enniskillenerssurprised a party of us, yesterday, and wounded me, as you see.Fortunately, I escaped in the night, or they would have finished me thismorning. I have been out all night in the rain, and am weak from loss ofblood and hunger. Can you give me shelter?"
"That I can," the man said, "and gladly. Those villains have been killingand destroying all over the country, and there's many a one of us who,like myself, have been driven to take refuge in the bogs."
"Is it far?" Walter asked; "for I don't think I could get more than amile or two."
"It is not half a mile," the man said. "You do look nearly done for.Here, lean on me, I will help you along; and if you find your strengthgo, I will make a shift to carry you."
"It is lucky I heard you whistle," Walter said.
"It is, indeed," the man replied, "for it is not likely anyone else wouldhave come along today. My dog went off after a rabbit, and I waswhistling to him to come to me again.
"Ah! Here he is. He has got the rabbit, too. Good dog! Well done!"
He took the rabbit and dropped it into the pocket of his coat. Seeingthat Walter was too exhausted to talk, he asked no questions, and saidnothing till he pointed to a low mound of earth, and said: "Here we are."
He went round by the side; and Walter perceived that there was a sharpdip in the ground, and that the hut was dug out in the face of the slope;so that, if it were approached either from behind or on either side, itwould not be noticed, the roof being covered with sods, and closelymatching the surrounding ground.
The man went to the low door, and opened it.
"Come in, sir," he said; "you are quite welcome."
The hut contained two other men, who looked up in surprise at thegreeting.
"This is a young officer, in one of our horse regiments," the man said."He has been in the hands of the Enniskilleners, and has got out fromthem alive--which is more than most can say. He has had a bad wound, hasbeen wet through for hours, and is half starving. Look sharp, lads, andget something hot, as soon as possible.
"Now, sir, if you will take off those wet things of yours, and wrapyourself in that rug, you will find yourself the better for it. When aman is in health, a few hours wet will not do him any harm; but when heis weak from loss of blood, as you are, the cold seems to get into hisbones."
Fresh turfs were at once put on the smouldering fire, which one of themen, leaning down before it, proceeded to blow lustily; and, althoughmuch of the smoke made its way out through a hole in the roof, enoughlingered to render it difficult for Walter to breathe, while his eyeswatered with the sharp fumes. A kettle had been placed on the fire, andin a very short time, a jar was produced from the corner of the hut, anda horn of strong spirits and water mixed.
"Here are some cold praties, sir. It's all we have got cooked by us now,but I can promise you a better meal, later on."
Walter ate the potatoes, and drank the warm mixture. The change from thecold damp air outside, to the warm atmosphere of the hut, aided theeffects of the spirits; he was first conscious of a warm glow all overhim, and then the voices of the men seemed to grow indistinct.
"You had better stretch yourself on that pile of rushes," the man said,as Walter gave a start, being on the point of rolling over. "Two or threehours' sleep will make a man of you, and by that time dinner will beready, and your clothes dry."
Walter fell almost instantaneously off to sleep, and it was late in theafternoon before he woke.
"I am afraid I must have slept a long time," he said, sitting up.
"You have had a fine sleep, surely," one of the men replied; "and it'sdinner and supper, all in one, that you will have."
Walter found his uniform and underclothes neatly folded up by his side,and speedily dressed himself.
"That sleep has done me a world of good," he said. "I feel quite myselfagain."
"That's right, yer honour. When you've had your food, I will make a shiftto dress that wound at the back of yer head. Be jabbers, it's a hardknock you have had, and a mighty lot of blood you must have lost! Yerclothes was just stiff with it; but I washed most of it out.
"And now, lads, off with the pot!"
A large pot was hanging over the fire, and, when the lid was taken off, asmell very pleasant to Walter's nostrils arose. Four flat pieces of woodserved the purpose of plates, and, with a large spoon of the samematerial, the man who had brought Walter to the hut, and who appeared tobe the leader of the party, ladled out portions of the contents. Theseconsisted of rabbit and pieces of beef, boiled up with potatoes andonions. A large jug filled with water, and a bottle of spirits wereplaced in the centre, with the horn which Walter had before used besideit.
"We are short of crockery," the man said with a laugh. "Here are someknives, but as for forks, we just have to do without them."
Walter enjoyed his meal immensely. After it was finished, the woodenplatters were removed, and the jug replenished.
"Now, your honour, will you tell us how you got away from the Protestantrebels, and how was it they didn't make short work of you, when theycaught you? It's a puzzle to us entirely, for the Enniskilleners spareneither man, woman, nor child."
Walter related the whole circumstances of his capture, imprisonment, andescape.
"You fooled them nicely," the man said, admiringly. "Sure your honour'sthe one to get out of a scrape--and you little more than a boy."
"And what are you doing here?" Walter asked, in return. "This seems awild place to live in."
"It's just that," the man said. "We belonged to Kilbally. TheEnniskilleners came that way, and burned it to the ground. They murderedmy wife and many another one. I was away cutting peat with my wife'sbrother here. When we came back, everything was gone. A few had escapedto the bogs, where they could not be followed; the rest was, everymother's son of them, killed by those murdering villains. Your honour mayguess what we felt, when we got back. Thank God I had no children! Weburied the wife in the garden behind the house, and then started away andjoined a band of rapparees, and paid some of them back in their own coin.Then, one day, the Enniskilleners fell on us, and most of us were killed.Then we made our way back to the old village, and came up here and builtus this hut. It's a wonder to us how you got here; for there are bogsstretching away in all directions, and how you made your way through thembates us entirely."
"Yours is a sad story, but unfortunately a common one. And how have youmanaged to live here?"
"There are plenty of potatoes, for the digging of 'em," the man said,"for there are a score of ruined villages within a day's walk. As formeat, there are cattle for the taking, wandering all over the country;some have lately strayed away; but among the hills there are herds whichhave run wild since the days when Cromwell made the country a desert. Asfor spirits, I brew them myself. Barley as well as potatoes may be hadfor the taking. Then, sometimes, the dog picks up a rabbit. Sometimes,when we go down for potatoes, we light on a fowl or two; there's many aone of them running wild among the ruins. As far as eating and drinkinggoes, we never did better; and if I could forget the old cottage, and thesight that met my eyes when I went back to it, I should do well enough,but, night and day I am dreaming of it
, and my heart is sore with longingfor vengeance."
"Why don't you join the army?" Walter asked. "There's plenty of room forgood men, and yesterday's affair has made some vacancies in my own troop.
"What do you say, lads? You would have a chance of crossing swords withthe Enniskilleners, and you could always come back here when the war isover."
"What do you say, boys?" the man asked his companions. "I am justwearying for a fight, and I could die contented, if I could but send afew of those murdering villains to their place, before I go."
The other two men at once agreed. They talked well into the night, andWalter heard many tales of the savage butchery of unoffending peasants,by the men who professed to be fighting for religious liberty, whichshocked and sickened him.
It was arranged that they should start on the following morning. The mensaid that they could guide him across country to Dundalk withoutdifficulty, and assured him that he would be little likely to meet withthe enemy, for that the whole country had been so wasted, by fire andsword, as to offer but little temptation even to the most insatiable ofplunderers.
Accordingly, the next morning they set out, and arrived late that eveningat the camp. Walter found that his father and his followers were absent.They had returned, much surprised at not having been rejoined by Walter'sparty, but on their arrival they had found there the survivors of hiscommand, who had ridden straight for Dundalk.
After a few hours' stay, to rest the horses, Captain Davenant, with hisown men and two of the troops of cavalry, had ridden out in search of theEnniskilleners. Larry, who had been almost wild with grief when the newsof the surprise, and, as he believed, the death of Walter, had beenbrought in, had accompanied the cavalry.
It was late on the following afternoon before they rode into camp. Larrywas the first to come in, having received permission from CaptainDavenant to gallop on ahead. They had met the enemy, and had inflicted adecisive defeat upon them, but the greater part had escaped, by taking tothe hills on their wiry little horses, which were able to traverse bogsand quagmires impassable to the heavy troopers.
Captain Davenant had closely questioned two or three wounded men who fellinto his hands. These all declared that a young officer had beencaptured, in the previous fight, that he had been severely wounded, andcarried away senseless, but that he had, in some extraordinary manner,managed to escape that night. This story had greatly raised CaptainDavenant's hopes that Walter might yet be alive, a hope which he had notbefore allowed himself, for a moment, to indulge in; and as he nearedDundalk, he had readily granted leave for the impatient Larry to gallopon ahead, and discover if any news had been received of Walter.
Larry's delight, at seeing his young master standing at the door of thetent, was extreme. He gave a wild whoop, threw his cap high up into theair, and then, without a word of greeting, turned his horse's head andgalloped away again, at the top of his speed, to carry the good news toCaptain Davenant. Half an hour later, the column rode into camp, andWalter was clasped in his father's arms.
That evening, Walter's three companions were enrolled in the troop, and,hearing that there were vacancies for fifteen more, volunteered to returnto the hills, and to bring back that number of men from the peasantshiding there. This mission they carried out, and, by the end of the week,Captain Davenant's troop was again made up to its full strength.
The unsuccessful result of the siege of Schomberg's camp greatly dampedWalter's enthusiasm. He had been engaged in two long and tediousblockades, and, with the exception of some skirmishes round Derry, hadseen nothing whatever of fighting. Neither operation had been attended byany decisive result. Both had inflicted extreme misery and suffering uponthe enemy, but in neither was the success aimed at attained. At the sametime, the novelty of the life, the companionship of his father and theother officers of the regiment, and, not least, the good humour and funof his attendant, Larry, had made the time pass far more cheerfully tohim than to the majority of those in the army.
As before, when the army arrived at Dublin, Captain Davenant's troop wasposted in and around Bray, the greater portion of it being permitted toreside in their own homes, until again wanted for active service. Walter,on his return, was glad to find that his friend John Whitefoot had madehis way home from Derry, and their pleasant intercourse was at oncerenewed.
Schomberg's army, when moved to healthy quarters and bountifully suppliedwith all kinds of food and necessaries from England, speedily recoveredtheir health and discipline, and, in a very short time, were again incondition to take the field.
Early in February, 1690, Brigadier Wolseley, with a detachment ofEnniskilleners and English, marched against Cavan. James had no longer anarmy with which he could oppose Schomberg's enterprises. While the latterhad been recovering from the effects of his heavy losses, nothing hadbeen done to put the Irish army in a condition to take the field again.They lacked almost every necessary for a campaign. No magazines had beenformed to supply them, when they should again advance; and so short offorage were they, that it was considered impossible to make any move inforce, until the grass should grow sufficiently to enable the horses toget into condition.
Nevertheless, the Duke of Berwick marched with eight hundred men fromDublin, and Brigadier Nugent with a like force from West Meath andLongford, and arrived at Cavan a few hours before the English reached thetown. The Irish force was composed entirely of infantry, with theexception of two troops of cavalry. The English force consisted of sevenhundred foot, and three hundred cavalry.
As Cavan did not offer any advantages in the way of defence, the Duke ofBerwick moved his army out into the open field. The English lined thehedges, and stood on the defensive. The Irish horse commenced the battlewith a furious charge on the Enniskilleners and dragoons, and drove themfrom the field; but the English infantry maintained their position sostoutly that, after a prolonged fight, the Irish retreated into a fortnear the town. The English and Enniskilleners entered Cavan, and at oncebegan to plunder the place.
Hearing what was going on, the Duke of Berwick sallied out from his fortto attack them, and gained considerable advantage. Brigadier Wolseley,being unable to restore discipline among the Enniskilleners, who formedthe great majority of his force, ordered the town to be set on fire inseveral places. The troops then collected, and repulsed the Irish withconsiderable loss.
The Duke of Berwick had two hundred killed, amongst whom were BrigadierNugent and many officers. As the Irish remained in possession of thefort, and the town was almost entirely destroyed by fire, BrigadierWolseley returned with his force to Dundalk.
Shortly afterwards, the Fort of Charlemont was invested by a strongdetachment of Schomberg's army. Teigue O'Regan, the veteran governor,defended the place with the greatest bravery, and did not capitulateuntil the 14th of May, when the last ounce of provisions was consumed.The garrison were allowed honourable terms, and the eight hundred men whodefended the place, with their arms and baggage, and some two hundredwomen and children, were allowed to march away. The Enniskillenerstreated the Irish soldiers and their families with great brutality, asthey passed along, but Schomberg humanely ordered that a loaf of breadshould be given to each man at Armagh. The Irish army were not incondition to render any assistance to the hard pressed garrison ofCharlemont, until after they had capitulated.
In the meantime, a great army, which was to be led by King William inperson, was being collected in England. It consisted of a strange medley,collected from almost every European nation--English, Scotch, IrishProtestants, French Huguenots, Dutch, Swedes, Danes, Brandenburghers,Swiss, Norwegians, and Hessians. More than half, indeed, were foreigners.All were well disciplined, armed, and clothed. In all, including theforce under Schomberg, the army amounted to forty-three thousand men, andfifty cannon.
King William landed at Carrickfergus, on the 14th of June, and thecombined army at once began their southward march. Against this force,King James collected but twenty thousand men. Of these, six thousand wereFrench. They had arrived, under the
command of the Count de Lauzun, inMarch, but they had not increased the numbers of King James's troops, forhe had been obliged to send, in exchange, an equal number of hisbest-trained soldiers, under Lord Mountcashel, for service in France. Ofthe fourteen thousand native troops, the Irish horse, which was raisedand officered by Irish gentlemen, was excellent, but the infantry wascomposed for the most part of raw levies, but half armed, and the onlyartillery consisted of twelve guns, which had arrived with the infantryfrom France.
It was a sad parting, when Captain Davenant and Walter left home for thefront. The former was filled with gloomy forebodings. He could scarcelyhope that the ill-trained levies of James could succeed against thevastly superior force, of disciplined troops, with whom they had now tocope; especially as the latter were led by an able and energetic general,while the former were hampered by the incompetence and vacillation ofJames.
The day before they started, Captain Davenant rode over to the Whitefootsand had a talk with Jabez.
"I know not how the campaign will go," he said. "If we are beaten, weshall probably retire to the west, and maintain the war there. In thatcase, Dublin will of course fall into the hands of William. Should thisbe so, I will ask you to reverse our late position, and to extend whatassistance you can to my wife and mother. It may be that, if I do notreturn here, none will disturb them. I have not made myself obnoxious tomy Protestant neighbours, and no one may take the trouble to bring itbefore the notice of the English that I am absent, fighting with the armyof King James. If, however, they should do so, and the castle and whatremains of the estates be confiscated, will you lend what aid you can tothe ladies, and my younger boy, until I or Walter return from the war?"
"That will I do, right gladly," Jabez said, heartily. "Should I hear anytalk of what you speak of, I will go up to Dublin with some of ourfriends and ministers, and we will testify to the good relations whichhave existed between you and your Protestant neighbours, and entreat thatno measures be taken against your estate. Should we not prevail, beassured that I will look after the comfort of the ladies, as if they wereof my own family.
"I can well understand that Mrs. Davenant, the elder, would not acceptthe shelter of our roof, whatever her extremity. She belongs to thegeneration of my father, and cannot forget the past; but I will see thatthey are well lodged in Bray, and have every protection from molestationand annoyance there. Should I find, as, alas! may be the case, that thespirit of religious persecution is fiercely abroad, I will consult withthem, as to whether they may wish to cross the sea until you can jointhem, and will make arrangements, as they may direct, for their passage."
"I am truly obliged to you," Captain Davenant said. "It will make mecomfortable to know that, whatsoever may befall me, they will have afriend in these stormy times."
"Say nought about it," Jabez replied. "Did not you and your son succourmy boy in his extremity? If I do all, and more than all that I can inthis matter, I shall not deem that we are quits."
The Irish army moved forward to the Boyne, which William was approachingfrom the north. James's officers endeavoured to dissuade him from settingeverything on the hazard of the battle. They represented that his army,though now quite unequal to the contest, was rapidly improving in skilland confidence in itself; that reinforcements were every day expectedfrom France, which would at least make them equal to the enemy innumbers; that they were in want of arms, artillery, and stores, all whichmight be expected also from France, in a short period; and that theirpolicy was clearly to protract the war, and wear out the enemy by acontest of posts and sieges.
Unskilled as his troops might be in the field, they had proved themselvessteady and resolute in the defence of fortified places. They held all thegreat fortresses of the kingdom, and it would be easy to provide for thedefence of these, and to occupy William's army in small affairs, till thewinter, when the climate would do execution upon the invaders, while theIrish would suffer little. Then would be the time to fight.
In the meantime, it was urged, the intrigues the French were activelycarrying out in Britain would have produced some effect. The French fleetwas, every day, expected on the coast of England, and William would soonbe compelled to return to that country, if not to recall the greater partof his army. In Scotland, too, the French were busy; and there werematerials in that country for creating a powerful diversion. To fight nowwould be to forego every advantage, and to meet the views of William,whose obvious interest it was to bring the contest to an immediatedecision, now, while every circumstance was in his favour.
But James, who had hitherto shown nothing but timidity and hesitation,was now seized with an impulse of valour. Having acted with unfortunatecowardice before Derry, and Schomberg's camp at Dundalk, he was, asunfortunately, now seized with ardour to fight, when prudence anddiscretion would have been his best policy. But while James wasdetermining to fight, in the teeth of the opinion and advice of hisbravest officers, his true character was shown in his taking everyprecaution for his personal safety. He sent off his heavy baggage, andengaged a vessel, at Waterford, to convey him to France.
William, on the other hand, was naturally eager for an early engagement.He was still very insecurely seated upon the English throne. The peoplewere either discontented or indifferent. They looked with impatience andindignation at the crowd of Dutch officers and civilians, whom Williamhad brought over with him; while the cold and ungracious manner of theking contrasted, most unfavourably, with the bearing to which they hadbeen accustomed in English monarchs.
In Scotland, the Jacobite spirit was gathering in strength, and Williamknew that, unless he speedily broke the strength of James's party inIreland, he would very shortly be confronted with difficulties anddangers on all sides.
The position which the Irish army occupied was a strong one. Its rightrested upon Drogheda, a strong town in their possession. In front was theBoyne, with steep banks lined with thick hedges, with cottages scatteredhere and there, offering an excellent position for light troops. On theleft, the Boyne turned almost at a right angle, and formed a defence onthis flank. To the rear, the Irish position was covered by high hills andthe village of Donore. Further back was the pass of Duleek. The hedgesand cottages by the river side were occupied by the Irish infantry, andupon some little hillocks, which ran along the water's edge, they erectedsome light batteries.
King William reconnoitred the position with great attention, and saw thatit had been well chosen, and its advantages turned to account.Notwithstanding the reports of deserters and others, he showed muchanxiety to determine the exact strength of the Irish. After examining theposition for some time from a height, he rode down towards the river,accompanied by several of his officers. When within musket shot of thebank, near the ford and village of Old Bridge, he perceived that a smallisland in the Boyne was occupied by a party of the Irish horse. Near theford some field works had been thrown up. It was at this point that theking determined to cross the river, and he spent some time conversingwith his officers, as to the arrangements for the passage.
He then rode slowly along the river bank, until he arrived nearlyopposite the left of the Irish line. Here he alighted from his horse, andsat down on rising ground, watching his own battalions, which weremarching, with the greatest regularity and order, into the positionsassigned to them.
While he was so engaged, some officers of James's army were observed,riding quietly along the opposite bank of the river, and also engaged inwatching the movements of the British troops. These were GeneralSarsfield, the Duke of Berwick, the Marquis of Tyrconnell, the Count deLauzun, and others. Some of the English dragoons approached the river,and were fired upon by the Irish. They returned the fire, and, while theattention of both sides was engaged by the skirmish, a party of Irishcavalry moved slowly down towards the river and halted behind a lowhedge, and then, wheeling about, again retired.
The movements of the king, and the group of officers accompanying him,had been observed in the Irish army, and two field pieces were sent down,concea
led in the centre of the cavalry. The guns had been placed behindthe hedge when the horsemen withdrew, and, when William rose from theground and mounted his horse, fire was opened. The first cannon shotkilled two horses, and a man by his side. The next grazed the king'sright shoulder, tearing away his coat and inflicting a slight fleshwound. Had the aim been slightly more accurate, or had the gunners firedwith grape, instead of round shot, it is probable that the whole courseof history would have been changed.
The rumour spread through both armies that the king was killed; but thewound was a slight one, and, having had it hastily bound up, the kingrode quietly through the camps, in order to show the men that the hurtwas not serious. In the evening, he called a council of war. The Duke ofSchomberg was strongly opposed to an attack upon the enemy, while postedin so strong a position, and urged that, by making a turning movement andmarching straight upon Dublin, the enemy would be obliged to fall back,and fight under less advantageous circumstances. But the king, relyingupon his superior numbers and the discipline of his veteran troops,determined to attack at once, knowing that it was all important to bringthe matter to a decision, as early as possible.
Schomberg then urged the necessity of occupying the pass of Slane, uponthe Boyne, considerably to the west of the Irish line, as he would thuscut off their retreat, and, in the event of victory, render their defeata decided one; but the king saw that he should require his whole force todislodge the Irish from their position, and that it was useless to occupythe pass of Slane with a small detachment, as these would be overwhelmedby the retiring Irish.
It was twelve o'clock at night, before the council terminated, and thenthe king mounted his horse and rode through the camp. He examined intothe state and preparation of each regiment, saw that the soldiers wereabundantly supplied with food and refreshment for the morning, and thatsufficient ammunition for the day's work had been served out. He directedthe men to wear green branches in their caps, and gave "Westminster" asthe word for the day.
The order of the battle finally determined upon was that the right wingof the army, under General Douglas and Count Schomberg, son of the duke,should pass the river at Slane and endeavour to turn the Irish left,between Slane and Duleek. The left wing were to penetrate between theIrish right and Drogheda; the centre to force the passage of the river,at the ford of Old Bridge.
A council was also held in James's camp, and here also there wasdifference of opinion. Some of the generals wished to hold the pass ofSlane in force, but James decided against this. As the morningapproached, the king's newborn courage began to die out. He ordered somemovements to the rear, and sent forward more of his baggage. He wouldprobably have declined the combat altogether, had it not been too late.Finally, just as day was breaking over the council, he determined thatthe army should retreat during the battle, and not commit themselves in adecisive engagement. The French formed the left, and were to lead theretreat, while the Irish held the right and centre.
It is almost certain that, if James had kept to his resolution to fight,imprudent as it appeared to be, and had brought the French battalion intoaction, instead of leading them out of the field, the result of thebattle of the Boyne would have been a very different one.