and to engage them to take up arms, without waiting for the descent; promising, that, as soon as they should do so, the Marquis d'Harcourt, who was nominated General of this expedition, would cause the troops to embark. I then passed over in disguise to England. I proceeded to London, where I had several conversations with some of the principal Lords. But, it was to no purpose, that I said to them whatever I could most strongly conceive, and represented to them the necessity of not allowing so fine an opportunity to escape. They continued firm to their desire, that, previous to their rising, the King of England should land with an army. To tell the truth, their reasons were good; for it was certain, that, as soon as the Prince of Orange would have witnessed the revolt, or would have had information of the project, which could not long remain concealed, on account of the preparations which it was necessary to make for the landing, he would have immediately ordered a fleet to sea, and would have blockaded the ports of France; by which means, those who might revolt, finding themselves driven, with their hastily-raised troops, to fight against a good army, composed of veteran and disciplined soldiers, it was certain, that they would have been very soon crushed." The Duke, although disguised, could not remain so generally unknown, as he necessarily wished to be, while in England. "I recollect to have heard him say," observes Montesquieu, "that a man had recognized him by a certain family air, and, particularly, by the length of his fingers; and that, fortunately, this man was a Jacobite, who said to him- May God bless you, in all your undertakings!' which recovered him from the embarrassment he was in." Unable to accomplish the object of the very unpromising commission with which he was intrusted-or that of endeavouring to make those to whom he was sent act against the dictates of good sense-and being likewise apprised of the formation of a conspiracy against William's person with which he did not wish to be mixed up, the Duke left London, as soon as possible, by the way he had come, and reached the house, near the coast, where he was to hear of his vessel. There, lying down upon a bench, he fell asleep, until roused, in a couple of hours, by a loud noise at the door, when, on getting up, he beheld a number of men entering, armed with guns. His first natural surprise and alarm were soon dissipated, at recognizing, by the glimmering light of a lamp, the master of his vessel; who, to be the better provided against any accident, had taken the precaution of bringing with him a trusty guard of 12 well-armed sailors. The Duke then embarked, and reached Calais in 3 hours. The general results of this enterprise against William were, that, on the discovery of the Jacobite plot, to be supported by an invasion from France, he obtained forces from Flanders, in addition to the troops he had already in England, and likewise sent a fleet to sea sufficient to oppose the designed invasion; so that the French corps intended for that undertaking were finally ordered elsewhere; King James, after remaining for some time at Calais and Boulogne, returned to St. Germain; and the Duke of Berwick, who had rejoined his father, went to serve that year's campaign in Flanders, where nothing of consequence occurred. According to the Irish Jacobite Plunkett, the frustration of the plan, for effecting King James's "restoration" on this occasion, was owing, among other causes, to the obstruction offered by the weather to an invasion of England, at a period when a landing there might otherwise have been effected, with every prospect of subsequent success. "There was," alleges that writer, "no opposition by sea, nor any, at that nick of time, on the land of England. Yett this most excellent opportunity miscarryed also. For the wind remained contrary for a fortnight: in which space 1 of the English fleets came home: and so his Maiesty was forced to return to St. Germains." A similar observation is made by a contemporary Williamite annalist of this war, in reference to the disappointment of the French. O God," he says, "caused the winds to blow directly against them, till the whole was discovered, and the English and Dutch fleet upon their coasts." The Duke of Vendome, in 1696, commanded the French in Catalonia against the Spaniards under Prince George of Hesse Darmstadt, who had fought for William III. in Ireland. At the beating of the Spanish cavalry, June 1st, in the combat near Ostalric, or Hostalrich, the Duke, states my authority, "posted so advantageously, upon the heights, the grenadiers, and the Dismounted Dragoons of the Queen of England, that they equally overlooked the plain where the combat was to take place, and the retrenchments of Ostalric, so that they covered the flanks of our troops." On the 16th, having advanced to Tordera, in order to cut off the communication of the Spanish army with Barcelona, the Duke, upon the 22nd, despatched the "Lieutenant-Colonel of the Regiment of Dillon,* with 600 men," add the French accounts, "to fortify himself at Calella, a little town on the sea-shore, beyond Pineda. He was attacked there, the 23rd, by 2000 men of the regular troops, and by 3000 miquelets, or peasants, who were repulsed with the loss of 25 or 30 men killed, without our having had more than 3 soldiers wounded. He was again attacked, the 24th; which obliged the Duke de Vendome to send there a detachment of cavalry, at whose appearance the enemy took to flight; though they had some brigantines to second them, with the protection of their cannon. This Lieutenant-Colonel, by the time the Spaniards assailed him, would seem to have been sufficiently fortified or covered in his post, from the little he suffered, compared with what the very superior force of the enemy did. The Duke of Savoy, having finally decided on seceding from the League of Augsburg, and restoring tranquillity to his own dominions, as well as to Italy in general, by a treaty of peace and alliance with Louis XIV., united his forces, in 1696, with those of France under the Marshal de Catinat, to compel the Allies to consent to the neutrality of Italy. The Duke and the Marshal, for this purpose, September 18th, invested Valenza, in the Milanese. It was under an experienced Governor, Don Francisco Colmenero, with a garrison of between 6000 and 7000 men, Germans, Spaniards, and Huguenots in William III.'s pay. All the preparations for reducing the place being completed, the trenches were opened, September 24th, and the operations lasted till October 8th, when the siege terminated, in consequence of the submission of the powers confederated against France, on the 7th, at Vigevano, to ratify the terms dictated to them for the pacification of Italy. At this siege, the Honourable Brigadier Simon Luttrell of Luttrell's-town, County of Dublin, mounted the The Honourable Arthur Dillon, having been so young, or not 20, when he brought to France the corps levied in Ireland by the interest of his family, and of which he should consequently be Colonel, it was necessary, that his inexperience should be compensated by the experience of a competent Lieutenant-Colonel, the officer referred to in the text, who was a Frenchman. The Lieutenant-Colonel's family name, long connected with this regiment, was Manery, or Mannery, which I, more than once, find misprinted, and correct accordingly. trenches, September 28th, and the 2 battalions of his corps, the Queen's Regiment of Infantry, as well as the 2 of Sir John Fitz-Gerald, Baronet, of Clonlish, or the infantry Regiment of Limerick, did so, the night between September 30th and October 1st. The most considerable affair was during the night between the 29th and 30th, when, among several regiments upon duty in the trenches, there were 100 of the King of England's Dismounted Dragoons, or the corps of Dominick Sarsfield, 4th Viscount Kilmallock, and the 3 battalions of the infantry Regiment of Charles O'Brien, 5th Viscount Clare. "About 10 o'clock at night," according to the French narratives, "the besieged made a sortie with 200 grenadiers, sustained by 400 fusileers, who had orders not to fire, but to descend into the boyau," a portion of the trenches, "and sword in hand, and with fixed bayonets, to surprise, and kill, all that were to be found there. This was to avoid drawing upon them the French cavalry; from which there were, every night, 200 on the right and left of the palisades and trenches. The Allies advanced very silently as far as the head of the trench, without being perceived on our part, until the instant they were upon the workmen, who, falling back upon the trench, spread much disorder there. The alarm having been given, the Allies, on perceiving they were discovered, fired a severe volley, inflicting much injury upon the companies of Netancourt and of Condé. But, as soon as these were reassembled, rallied, and sustained by a detachment of the Irish Regiment of Clare, the Allies were obliged to retire, and were pursued even to their palisades. In this smart encounter, the besiegers had 25 soldiers, 2 Captains, and some other officers killed, with 35 soldiers, and several officers wounded." In 1697, Louis XIV., strengthened by his peace with the Duke of Savoy, assembled 3 armies in Flanders; the 1st under the Marshal de Villeroy; the 2nd, under the Marshal de Boufflers; the 3rd under the Marshal de Catinat. The 2 former were to hold the Allies, under William III., and the Elector of Bavaria, in check, while the 3rd was to attack the important fortress of Ath. Before this town, defended by the Comte de Roux, with above 3800 men, Catinat, aided by the great military engineer Vauban, broke ground, May 22nd, with about 40,000 men, and a powerful artillery. It held out till June 5th, when the capitulation was regulated, and the garrison marched out, the 7th. At the reduction of this fortress, Colonel Andrew Lee, or the 3 battalions of his regiment, are mentioned, as having, on different nights, mounted the trenches, sometimes accompanied by the illustrious Vauban, and Catinat himself. In Spain, the great object of France, for 1697, was the reduction of Barcelona. This was a very difficult undertaking-from the strength of the fortifications-from the ample supply of artillery, above 240 pieces, with munitions of war in proportion-from the amount of the garrison, under Prince George of Hesse-Darmstadt, consisting of 11,000 regular infantry, and 1500 cavalry, besides 4000 civic militia-from the compass of the walls, and of the adjacent Fort of Montjuich, preventing an entire investment, and thus facilitating an introduction of external supplieswhile the Count de Velasco, Viceroy of Catalonia, lay encamped about 6 miles from the town, with a body of 3000 regular cavalry, forming, with militia, irregulars, or guerillas, not less than 20,000 men, to interrupt the progress of a besieging army! That army, under the Duke of Vendome, consisted of 42 battalions, and 55 squadrons, besides marines, from its attendant fleet under the Comte d'Etrées; the whole, however, represented as considerably under 30,000 men,* and consequently appearing rather inadequate for the capture of a place, situated, and supplied as Barcelona was. The French battering-train of 84 pieces of artillery, or 60 heavy cannon and 24 mortars, with ammunition and provisions, being landed from the fleet, June 10th, the troops encamped before the town the 12th, and the trenches were opened the night between the 15th and 16th. The siege, in the course of which, or July 12th, Velasco was ably surprised and routed, at St. Filieu, by Vendome, lasted to August 5th, or for about 52 days' open trenches; the negociations respecting the terms of capitulation occupying till the 10th; and the garrison marching away the 11th. This very important conquest, which cost the French above 400 officers, with from 8000 to 9000 soldiers, and the Spaniards in proportion, reflected corresponding honour upon the Duke of Vendome, who was duly rewarded by Louis XIV. Among the Irish attached to the Duke's army there, was the Honourable Simon Luttrell of Luttrell's-town, in whose Brigade were the 2 battalions of his own corps, or the Queen's Regiment of Infantry, the single battalion of the infantry Regiment of Clancarty, or that of Colonel Roger Mac Elligot, and a battalion of Vendome's own regiment. The Honourable Arthur Dillon likewise served with a battalion of his regiment; and Colonel Oliver O'Gara with his battalion of the Queen's Dismounted Dragoons. On the approaches to the town, June 13th, says the contemporary French narrative, "the besieged, having abandoned the Convent of the Capuchins, 350 toises from the covered way of the place, the Duke de Vendome caused it to be occupied, that evening, by Colonel Dillon, with 600 men." On the night of June 16th-17th, when, notwithstanding "a violent tempest," and "the besieged having lined the rampart, fronting the attack, with 40 pieces of cannon very well served," the battalions in the trenches acted so well that their progress was but "little retarded," 1 of those corps was the Regiment of Clancarty. Finally, or August 4th, the enemy, on the side of the Llobregat, having "sent out all their cavalry, to cover the entrance of a convoy into the town," while, "to cause a diversion, a very large body of infantry, sustained by some cavalry, came down from a mountain to assail the French posts, the Regiments of Dillon and of Solre, that were encamped conveniently to defend them, flew to arms, and, the Colonels having headed them, attacked the foes so vigorously, charging amidst them sword in hand, that they pursued them even to the tops of their mountains, after having slain a very great quantity of them."-Which overthrow of this very large body of Spaniards, with the routing elsewhere of the main force of their cavalry, prevented the intended entrance of the convoy into Barcelona, and the negociations for a surrender were commenced the following day. To these French statements respecting the Irish there, the Whig writer, Forman, adds-"That, in the siege of Barcelona, in the year 1697, the great Vendosme was so charmed with their courage, and so amazed at the intrepidity of their behaviour, that the particular esteem and notice with which he distinguish'd them, even to the day of his death, is yet very well remembered in France. If what I say here," he concludes, "is not literally true, there are Frenchmen enough, still living, to contradict me."-And this assertion, concerning * Bellerive says of Vendome-"Il avoit tout au plus 26,000 hommes, en comptant les troupes de la Marine, et les Milices qui lui étoient venues du Languedoc." See, likewise, Quincy, and the Continental publications of the time, on this siege. the high opinion of the Irish as soldiers by Vendome, is corroborated by the testimony of the Chevalier de Bellerive, who afterwards fought under that great commander with the Irish in Spain, and who, noticing their gallantry there, under him, in 1710, says "M. de Vendosme, who had a particular esteem for this warlike nation, at whose head he had delivered so many combats, and gained so many victories, confessed, that he was surprised at the terrible enterprises which those butchers of the army (it is thus that he named them) achieved in his presence."*-Among the garrison of 10,000 men, placed in Barcelona by Vendome, was the Regiment of Dillon; in connexion with which, the veteran Peter Drake of Drakerath, in the County of Meath, observes-" And here I cannot omit the mention of a very extraordinary event. The centinels placed on the breach confidently affirmed, that they saw, in the night, numbers of dreadful apparitions, who were wont to engage one another as in an attack; furiously crying, kill, advance, and such like expressions, commonly used on those occasions; and what added the greater authority to these assertions was, that several centinels on that post were found dead without any visible marks of violence, and so supposed to have died of their fears. This occasioned orders for doubling the centinels, and, being sometimes of the number, imagined I both heard and saw the like." The War of the League of Augsburg against Louis XIV. was soon after terminated by the general Treaty of Peace with France, signed at Ryswick by Holland, Spain, and England, in September, and by the German Emperor, and the Empire, in October following. Early in 1698, Louis XIV., after such a long and burthensome war, was obliged to relieve France, by lessening, as much as possible, the vast and expensive military establishment he had maintained against the Allies; and since his acknowledgment, by the late treaty, of William, as King of England, was incompatible with a continuation, in France, of the Irish forces, hitherto kept up there as James II.'s army, a great reform was ordered to be made among the Irish troops in general. The extent of that reform, or reduction, as already sufficiently shown, in connexion with the special histories of the Irish regiments, need only be referred to here. But the disbanding of so many soldiers, as had belonged to the several broken corps, was productive of the very bad consequences, that might be expected from the long-accustomed avocation of such a number of men being at an end; while it was so very difficult, if not, in the great majority of cases, so impossible, on their part, to obtain other regular employment, or means of subsistence, in the strange country which France was to them, that they had, on the whole, but too just cause to sympathize with the purport of the noble Moorish veteran's exclamation in the play "Farewell content! Pride, pomp, and circumstance of glorious war!- See a further commendation of the Irish by Vendome, in Book iv., under battle of Cassano, in 1705. |
