The Battle of Vinegar Hill (Irish: Cath Chnoc Fhíodh na gCaor) was a military engagement during the Irish Rebellion of 1798 on 21 June 1798 between a force of approximately 13,000 government troops under the command of Gerard Lake and 16,000 United Irishmen rebels led by Anthony Perry. The battle, a major rebel defeat, took place on 21 June 1798 on a large rebel camp on Vinegar Hill and in the streets of Enniscorthy, County Wexford, and marked the last major attempt by the rebels to resist government forces in a pitched battle.
By 18 June 1798, a government force led by Gerard Lake and numbering roughly 13,000-strong had surrounded County Wexford and were ready to march into the county and suppress the rebellion. Local United Irishmen commanders issued a call for all rebels in the county to gather at Vinegar Hill to confront Lake's force in a pitched battle. The number of rebels assembled was roughly 16,000, but the majority lacked muskets and were instead equipped with pikes as their main weapon. Thousands of women and children were also at the rebel camp at Vinegar Hill, many of whom were camp followers.[1]
Prior to the battle, Lake and his subordinates drafted up a plan to capture the Vinegar Hill camp and defeat the rebels located there. This plan called for government forces to encircle the hill and taking control of the only escape route to the west of Vinegar Hill, a bridge over the River Slaney. Lake divided his force into four columns to carry out the plan; three columns, each lead by David Dundas, James Duff and Francis Needham were to assault Vinegar Hill, while the fourth column, led by Henry Johnson, was to capture the rebel-town of Enniscorthy and a nearby bridge.[1]
The battle began shortly before the dawn of 21 June with an artillery bombardment of rebel positions on Vinegar Hill. Dundas, Duff and Needham's columns were ordered to advance against rebel outposts on the hill under the cover of the bombardment, with the artillery guns being gradually moved closer as rebel outposts were secured. The tightening ring of enemy troops surrounding rebel positions forced the rebels to constantly withdraw into the hill, which exposed them to artillery fire (in particular a new experimental form of ammunition, shrapnel shells) and led to hundreds of rebels being killed and wounded Two massed infantry charges were launched against the attacking government forces by rebel forces, which were both repulsed, with the situation facing the rebels becoming increasing desperate.[4]
In the meantime, Johnson's column, which included a detachment of light infantry, attacked Enniscorthy but was met with fierce resistance from rebels in the town, who had fortified many of Enniscorthy's buildings. The initial attack on the town was driven back, with Johnson's column suffering several casualties and losing several cannon. After receiving reinforcements which included a detachment of cavalry, Johnson ordered his troops to launch a second attack which slowly pushed the rebels out of Enniscorthy and recaptured the lost artillery, though rebel forces inflicted heavy casualties on the attackers. The rebels were able to defend the River Slaney bridge and prevent Johnson's force from crossing it.[5]
When the three advancing columns had crested the eastern summit of Vinegar Hill, the remaining rebels began to slowly withdraw through a gap in enemy lines known as "Needham's Gap", which existed due to Needham's column moving at a slower pace than the other two columns, something which prevented the hill from being totally encircled. Though the bulk of the rebel force was able to escape through this gap, many rebels were unable to do so and became trapped by the advancing columns; the advancing artillery guns switched to grape shot to maximise casualties they inflicted.[2]
After government forces seized the hill, there were instances of captive female camp followers being sexually assaulted.[2][6][7] In Enniscorthy, soldiers from Johnson's column set fire to a rebel aid station in the town, resulting in several wounded rebels being burned to death.[8] Historian Ernest W. Hamilton suggested these atrocities were perpetrated in revenge for prior massacres of loyalist prisoners by the rebels, most infamously the Scullabogue Barn massacre.[9] The rebels abandoned most of the supplies they had stored at the camp in the retreat, and thirteen artillery pieces, most of which had been captured from government forces, were recaptured after the battle.[10]
The bridge at Enniscorthy, with Vinegar Hill visible in background
A number of disparate assessments of rebel casualties were made after the battle, with estimates ranging from 400 to 1,200 killed. Historian Kevin Whelan estimates that between 500 and 1,000 rebels (including camp followers) were killed, while military eyewitness Archibald McLaren wrote that rebel casualties amounted to 1,200 killed. In contrast, government forces sustained roughly 500 men killed. Murphy was captured after the battle near Tullow, County Carlow and executed by hanging.[1][2][3]
After the battle, the majority of the rebel forces retreated unmolested towards the Three Rocks camp near the town of Wexford. There, rebel commanders agreed to abandon the camp and split into two separate columns in order to launch a new campaign aimed at reviving the rebellion outside County Wexford. One column moved west, and the other north towards the Wicklow Mountains to link up with Joseph Holt's rebels. As such, the defeat was not the decisive rebel defeat as it has been commonly portrayed, though it did alter the nature of further fighting as rebel military actions subsequently consisted exclusively of mobile warfare, raids and other guerilla operations.[1]
In popular culture
In his poem Requiem For the Croppies, Irish poet Seamus Heaney depicted the battle as "the final conclave" where the last hopes for the rebellion to succeed were finally crushed, though the poem's final line depicts the barley in the pockets of dead rebels growing through the soil used to bury them in, symbolising that their dreams of independence live on.[11] The battle was depicted in the 2015 American musicalThe Guns of Ireland written by playwrights Jeffrey David Payne and Mike Speegle.[12]
^ abcdefgGardner, Juliet; Wenborn, Neil, eds. (1995). The History Today Companion to British History. London: Collins & Brown. p. 782. ISBN1-85585-2616.
^ abcdReinterpreting the 1798 Rebellion in County Wexford – Kevin Whelan, p.28 in The Mighty Wave- The 1798 Rebellion in County Wexford (1996) ISBN1-85182-253-4 (Eds. Keogh & Furlong)
^ abMacLaren, Archibald. A minute description of the battles of Gorey, Arklow, and Vinegar-Hill, tegether [sic] with the movements of the army through Wicklow-Mountains, in quest of the rebels, who were supposed to have been encamped at the seven churches. ... Written by Archibald McLaren, ... [Dublin?], 1798. p 30
^The Green Flag: A History of Irish Nationalism, Robert Kee (London 1972) ISBN0-297-17987-X, p. 121
^The British military Journal. London, UK, (1799–1801). p 230
^MacLaren, Archibald, A Minute Description of the Battles of Gorey, Arklow and Vinegar Hill; together with the movements of the army through the Wicklow mountains, National Library of Ireland, and in Charles Dickson, The Wexford Rising in 1798: Its Cause and Course, pp. 239–49 (Tralee 1955) ISBN0-09-477250-9
^The chronologist of the present war; or general historical and political register: Containing a faithful series of the events which have occurred in Europe, &c. from the commencement of the French Revolution to the end of the year 1798, including a space of nearly nine years. In two parts: Part I. Amidst a variety of interesting articles will be found the following: acts (principal of Parliament) addresses assassinations battles declarations denunciations executions (remarkable) finance gifts (patriotic) inventions manifestoes motions (remarkable in Parliament) naval engagements proclamations promotions (principal) reports (of Parliament) sieges subsidies supplies treaties (of peace, offensive, defensive, and subsidiary, &c. Chronology- one of the eyes of history. The third edition, with material additions and improvements. Dublin, 1799. p 449
^Herney, Seamus. "Requiem For The Croppies Poem by Seamus Heaney". Poem Hunter. Retrieved 6 November 2022.
Cullen, Luke. Personal Recollections of Wexford and Wicklow Insurgents of 1798 (1938).
Cloney, Thomas. A Personal Narrative of those Transactions in the County of Wexford, in which the author was engaged, during the awful period of 1798. Dublin, 1832.
Gordon, James B. History of the Rebellion in Ireland in the year 1798, &c. London, 1803.
Maxwell. W.H. "History of the Irish Rebellion in 1798 with Memoirs of the Union and Bennetts Insurrection of 1803" Bell & Daldy, Covent Gardens, 1861.
Secondary sources
Dickson, Charles. The Wexford Rising in 1798: Its Causes and Course. Tralee, 1955.
Furlong, Nicholas. Fr. John Murphy of Boolavogue, 1753–98. Dublin, 1991. ISBN0-906602-18-1.
Kee, Robert. The Green Flag: A History of Irish Nationalism. London, 1972.
Keogh, Daire & Nicholas Furlong (Editors). The Mighty Wave: The 1798 Rebellion in Wexford. Dublin: Four Courts Press, 1996. ISBN1-85182-254-2.
January 20, 2023
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The Battle of Vinegar Hill Irish Cath Chnoc Fhiodh na gCaor was a military engagement during the Irish Rebellion of 1798 on 21 June 1798 between a force of approximately 13 000 government troops under the command of Gerard Lake and 16 000 United Irishmen rebels led by Anthony Perry The battle a major rebel defeat took place on 21 June 1798 on a large rebel camp on Vinegar Hill and in the streets of Enniscorthy County Wexford and marked the last major attempt by the rebels to resist government forces in a pitched battle Battle of Vinegar HillPart of the Irish Rebellion of 1798 Defeat at Vinegar Hill by George Cruikshank 1845 Date21 June 1798Location52 30 05 N 6 34 11 W 52 50139 N 6 56972 W 52 50139 6 56972 Enniscorthy County WexfordResultBritish victoryBelligerents Ireland Great BritainUnited IrishmenCommanders and leadersGerard Lake Henry Johnson James Duff David Dundas Francis NeedhamAnthony Perry John Murphy Myles Byrne Mogue KearnsStrength 13 000 1 16 000 1 Casualties and losses 500 killed 1 200 killed 1 2 3 Contents 1 Background 2 Battle 3 Aftermath 4 In popular culture 5 See also 6 References 7 Primary sources 8 Secondary sourcesBackground EditBy 18 June 1798 a government force led by Gerard Lake and numbering roughly 13 000 strong had surrounded County Wexford and were ready to march into the county and suppress the rebellion Local United Irishmen commanders issued a call for all rebels in the county to gather at Vinegar Hill to confront Lake s force in a pitched battle The number of rebels assembled was roughly 16 000 but the majority lacked muskets and were instead equipped with pikes as their main weapon Thousands of women and children were also at the rebel camp at Vinegar Hill many of whom were camp followers 1 Prior to the battle Lake and his subordinates drafted up a plan to capture the Vinegar Hill camp and defeat the rebels located there This plan called for government forces to encircle the hill and taking control of the only escape route to the west of Vinegar Hill a bridge over the River Slaney Lake divided his force into four columns to carry out the plan three columns each lead by David Dundas James Duff and Francis Needham were to assault Vinegar Hill while the fourth column led by Henry Johnson was to capture the rebel town of Enniscorthy and a nearby bridge 1 Battle Edit The Camp on Vinegar Hill an illustration by George Cruikshank to accompany William Hamilton Maxwell s 1845 work History of the Irish rebellion in 1798 The battle began shortly before the dawn of 21 June with an artillery bombardment of rebel positions on Vinegar Hill Dundas Duff and Needham s columns were ordered to advance against rebel outposts on the hill under the cover of the bombardment with the artillery guns being gradually moved closer as rebel outposts were secured The tightening ring of enemy troops surrounding rebel positions forced the rebels to constantly withdraw into the hill which exposed them to artillery fire in particular a new experimental form of ammunition shrapnel shells and led to hundreds of rebels being killed and wounded Two massed infantry charges were launched against the attacking government forces by rebel forces which were both repulsed with the situation facing the rebels becoming increasing desperate 4 In the meantime Johnson s column which included a detachment of light infantry attacked Enniscorthy but was met with fierce resistance from rebels in the town who had fortified many of Enniscorthy s buildings The initial attack on the town was driven back with Johnson s column suffering several casualties and losing several cannon After receiving reinforcements which included a detachment of cavalry Johnson ordered his troops to launch a second attack which slowly pushed the rebels out of Enniscorthy and recaptured the lost artillery though rebel forces inflicted heavy casualties on the attackers The rebels were able to defend the River Slaney bridge and prevent Johnson s force from crossing it 5 When the three advancing columns had crested the eastern summit of Vinegar Hill the remaining rebels began to slowly withdraw through a gap in enemy lines known as Needham s Gap which existed due to Needham s column moving at a slower pace than the other two columns something which prevented the hill from being totally encircled Though the bulk of the rebel force was able to escape through this gap many rebels were unable to do so and became trapped by the advancing columns the advancing artillery guns switched to grape shot to maximise casualties they inflicted 2 After government forces seized the hill there were instances of captive female camp followers being sexually assaulted 2 6 7 In Enniscorthy soldiers from Johnson s column set fire to a rebel aid station in the town resulting in several wounded rebels being burned to death 8 Historian Ernest W Hamilton suggested these atrocities were perpetrated in revenge for prior massacres of loyalist prisoners by the rebels most infamously the Scullabogue Barn massacre 9 The rebels abandoned most of the supplies they had stored at the camp in the retreat and thirteen artillery pieces most of which had been captured from government forces were recaptured after the battle 10 Aftermath Edit A view of Vinegar Hill from Enniscorthy The bridge at Enniscorthy with Vinegar Hill visible in background A number of disparate assessments of rebel casualties were made after the battle with estimates ranging from 400 to 1 200 killed Historian Kevin Whelan estimates that between 500 and 1 000 rebels including camp followers were killed while military eyewitness Archibald McLaren wrote that rebel casualties amounted to 1 200 killed In contrast government forces sustained roughly 500 men killed Murphy was captured after the battle near Tullow County Carlow and executed by hanging 1 2 3 After the battle the majority of the rebel forces retreated unmolested towards the Three Rocks camp near the town of Wexford There rebel commanders agreed to abandon the camp and split into two separate columns in order to launch a new campaign aimed at reviving the rebellion outside County Wexford One column moved west and the other north towards the Wicklow Mountains to link up with Joseph Holt s rebels As such the defeat was not the decisive rebel defeat as it has been commonly portrayed though it did alter the nature of further fighting as rebel military actions subsequently consisted exclusively of mobile warfare raids and other guerilla operations 1 In popular culture EditIn his poem Requiem For the Croppies Irish poet Seamus Heaney depicted the battle as the final conclave where the last hopes for the rebellion to succeed were finally crushed though the poem s final line depicts the barley in the pockets of dead rebels growing through the soil used to bury them in symbolising that their dreams of independence live on 11 The battle was depicted in the 2015 American musical The Guns of Ireland written by playwrights Jeffrey David Payne and Mike Speegle 12 See also EditCastle Hill convict rebellion Vinegar Hill Charlottesville Virginia Vinegar Hill BrooklynReferences Edit a b c d e f g Gardner Juliet Wenborn Neil eds 1995 The History Today Companion to British History London Collins amp Brown p 782 ISBN 1 85585 2616 a b c d Reinterpreting the 1798 Rebellion in County Wexford Kevin Whelan p 28 in The Mighty Wave The 1798 Rebellion in County Wexford 1996 ISBN 1 85182 253 4 Eds Keogh amp Furlong a b MacLaren Archibald A minute description of the battles of Gorey Arklow and Vinegar Hill tegether sic with the movements of the army through Wicklow Mountains in quest of the rebels who were supposed to have been encamped at the seven churches Written by Archibald McLaren Dublin 1798 p 30 The Green Flag A History of Irish Nationalism Robert Kee London 1972 ISBN 0 297 17987 X p 121 The British military Journal London UK 1799 1801 p 230 MacLaren Archibald A Minute Description of the Battles of Gorey Arklow and Vinegar Hill together with the movements of the army through the Wicklow mountains National Library of Ireland and in Charles Dickson The Wexford Rising in 1798 Its Cause and Course pp 239 49 Tralee 1955 ISBN 0 09 477250 9 Kee See Part 2 Chapter 10 Furlong Nicholas Fr John Murphy of Boolavogue 1753 98 Dublin 1991 ISBN 0 906602 18 1 Hamilton Ernest W The Soul of Ulster The chronologist of the present war or general historical and political register Containing a faithful series of the events which have occurred in Europe amp c from the commencement of the French Revolution to the end of the year 1798 including a space of nearly nine years In two parts Part I Amidst a variety of interesting articles will be found the following acts principal of Parliament addresses assassinations battles declarations denunciations executions remarkable finance gifts patriotic inventions manifestoes motions remarkable in Parliament naval engagements proclamations promotions principal reports of Parliament sieges subsidies supplies treaties of peace offensive defensive and subsidiary amp c Chronology one of the eyes of history The third edition with material additions and improvements Dublin 1799 p 449 Herney Seamus Requiem For The Croppies Poem by Seamus Heaney Poem Hunter Retrieved 6 November 2022 Lopez Kathryn Jean 11 May 2015 Finding Ireland in the Pacific Northwest National Review Retrieved 6 November 2022 Primary sources EditByrne Miles 1780 1862 Memoirs Cullen Luke Personal Recollections of Wexford and Wicklow Insurgents of 1798 1938 Cloney Thomas A Personal Narrative of those Transactions in the County of Wexford in which the author was engaged during the awful period of 1798 Dublin 1832 Gordon James B History of the Rebellion in Ireland in the year 1798 amp c London 1803 Maxwell W H History of the Irish Rebellion in 1798 with Memoirs of the Union and Bennetts Insurrection of 1803 Bell amp Daldy Covent Gardens 1861 Secondary sources EditDickson Charles The Wexford Rising in 1798 Its Causes and Course Tralee 1955 Furlong Nicholas Fr John Murphy of Boolavogue 1753 98 Dublin 1991 ISBN 0 906602 18 1 Gahan Daniel The People s Rising Wexford 1798 Dublin Gill amp Macmillan Ltd 1995 Kee Robert The Green Flag A History of Irish Nationalism London 1972 Keogh Daire amp Nicholas Furlong Editors The Mighty Wave The 1798 Rebellion in Wexford Dublin Four Courts Press 1996 ISBN 1 85182 254 2 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Battle of Vinegar Hill amp oldid 1131908597, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
