MEMOIRS 
 
 mile's *^B'YRNE 
 
13,219 — AUBEVILLE. PRINTING R. HOUSSE 
 
*'^'T,Es Byrne 
 
 (-RNE 
 ISd-O. 
 lifuioifuf by JtfC'^ J>'i/' 
 
MEMOIRS 
 
 ov 
 
 MILES BYRNE„ 
 
 CHEF DE BATAFLLON IN THE SERVICE OF FHANCE 
 Offiper of (lie liCglon of honour. Knljs^ht of !Snint-[.oiii.<i>, etc. 
 
 EDITED BY II IS ^Y I D W 
 
 VOL. I 
 
 PARIS 
 
 G U S T A V E B S S A N G E E T C 
 
 25, QUAI VOLTAIIlIi 
 
 NEW-YORK 
 
 'iD. WALTER STR K li I 
 
 1863 
 
 BOSTON COLLEGE LIBRARIf 
 CHESTNUT HILL. IVIASS. 
 
rf) 
 
 
 TO THE READER 
 
 Miles Byrne, the author of the following memoirs, was 
 born at Monaseed, in the county of Wexford, Ireland, on 
 the 20th of march 1780. His family suffering like the 
 generality of Roman catholics, in Ireland, from the spirit 
 of persecution on the part of the Orange-men and other 
 violent adherents to the English government, he became 
 engaged in the insurrections of 1798 and 1803, along 
 with the gr* at body of catholic and protestant gentlemen 
 who wished for toleration of all religions and a free and 
 just government in their native country. Their efforts 
 failing, he came to France in the month of August 1803. 
 
 The first volume of these memoirs contains a simple 
 narrative of wdiat fell under M. Byrne's own observation 
 during that period — 1798 and 1803. 
 
 In november 1803 the first consul Buonaparte issued a 
 decree for the formation of an Irish legion in the service 
 of France, to consist of a regiment of infantry, one of 
 
 t«j O <J «J 
 
II TO THE HEADER 
 
 cavalry, and another of artillery. On the formation of 
 this legion, M, Byrne got his commission of lieutenant of 
 infantry. 
 
 The old irish brigade in the service of France, was 
 broken up at the great revolution of 1789 ; but the officers 
 of that body had quite different opinions and principles 
 to those of the irish legion organized by the first consul 
 of the Eepublic of France. The irish « brigade » was origi- 
 nally formed of the followers of James II and the Stuarts 
 and were the advocates of absolute government. The 
 irish « legion » on the contrary, was composed of those 
 patriotic Irish who were exiles from their native country, 
 on account of the part they took in the cause of its civil 
 and religious liberty. 
 
 The second volume of these memoirs gives a full ac- 
 count of the campaigns of the irish legion under the 
 emperor Napoleon I in Flanders, Holland, Spain, Portu- 
 gal, Germany, Silesia, etc., from 1804 to 1815, when it was 
 dissolved by the government of the second restoration of 
 the Bourbons, after the battle of Waterloo. The irish 
 legion was much distinguished in all these great wars, 
 and was the only foreign regiment to which Napo- 
 leon confided an Eagle. 
 
 M. Byrne was made captain, then chef de bataillon (a 
 rank equal to that of lieutenant colonel in the British 
 army) by the emperor. Unfortunately the abdication of 
 Napoleon I, took place before the formality of signing 
 M. Byrne's commission as chef de bataillon had been go- 
 
TO THE READER HI 
 
 ne through. This rank he however gained immediately 
 upon the Eevolution of July 1830 taking place. After the 
 revolution, there being no irish, or other foreign regiment, 
 in the service of France, M, Byrne was appointed chef de 
 bataillon to the 56tli regiment of the line in the french 
 army ; for he held his rank all along in the french army 
 as a naturalized frenchman. 
 
 Officers who knew french and english equally well 
 being wanted for the staff of general Maison going to 
 command the french army in Greece in 1828, M, Byrne 
 was named as one, and while in Greece had several em- 
 ployments of importance, such as commanding the castle 
 and town of Patras, Modon, etc. He often said, that he 
 never set out on any campaign with so happy a feeling 
 as for that of Greece, because it was in the cause of 
 liberty. 
 
 The third volume of these memoirs consists of biogra- 
 phical sketches of various irish patriots, exiles, etc., whom 
 M. Byrne knew in France. On his appointment as chef 
 de bataillon to the 56th he came from Greece to Grenoble, 
 where the regiment was then in garrison, in the autumn 
 of 1830. He continued to serve in that regiment for five 
 years. In the month of June 1832 the 56th was sent from 
 Dijon to Brittany to put down the insurrection of la 
 Vendee, which had been got up by the duchesse de Berri 
 and her partisans. In 1835 the 56th regiment came to 
 Paris, and as there was then no prospect of war,M. Byrne 
 gave in his resignation, as he had a right to do, after 30 
 
IV TO THE READER 
 
 years service, according to the French law, heing liable 
 to be called out only in the event of war. 
 
 In 1835 he settled at Paris as his home. 
 
 It is much to be regretted that he has left but a frag- 
 ment of his campaigns in Greece, only 24 pages. He was 
 engaged writing them within a short while previous to 
 his lamented death in January 1862. 
 
 The reader will find in these three volumes, the truth- 
 ful narrative of a modest, brave, high-minded soldier. 
 One who possessed the soundest understanding and the 
 most tender heart, and who was ever desinterested and 
 humane. 
 
 I cannot but believe that these memoirs may have a 
 happy eff'ect on the rising generation of Ireland, as the 
 picture of a true irishman, warmly attached to his loved 
 native land, for whose welfare he was ready to his last 
 hour, to lay down his life, and to make any sacrifice 
 within the bounds of honour. They may also aw-aken 
 sympathy in England and Scotland for the wrongs of 
 Ireland. 
 
 Fanny BYRNE. 
 
 Paris, 45, lue de Ponlhieii, may 1865. 
 
NOTES 
 
 OF AN IRISH EXILE 
 
 OF 1798 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 Various circumstances occur almost daily which re- 
 mind me that I should leave some notes respecting the 
 part I was forced to take in the struggles of my unfortu- 
 nate country, after the year 1796 , when the people 
 expected to he able, through the united-irish system, to 
 accomplish their independence. I say « forced », because 
 it was impossible to remain neuter. I may give as a 
 proof, the fate of my unfortunate first cousin Patt Breen, j 
 and his father Terence Breen; both shot in cold blood j 
 by the ancient Britons, accompanied by the yeomen of f 
 the county, and in the presence of my aunt and her dau- | 
 ghters. My cousin Miles Breen was saved only on account 
 of his youth, he being but 16 years of age : but he was 
 sent on board a transport ship in the harbour of Dublin. 
 
6 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRXE 
 
 Yet neither my uncle nor his son ever fought in the ranks 
 of the insurgents, nor left their homes — unluckily for 
 them I — Had they followed the people's camp, they might 
 have escaped the cruel end of being put to death in the pre- 
 sence of all that were dear to them, without judge or jury. 
 Thomas Knox Grogan of Castletown, having served in 
 the Green Horse, received a commission from government 
 in the end of 1796 to raise a corps of yeomen cavalry. Pos- 
 sessing two estates, Monaseed and Castletown, he found 
 no difficulty in getting men well mounted amongst his 
 tenants, who enrolled themselves with pleasure, for it was 
 difficult to find a more upright, honourable man ; tho' he 
 was not very well fitted for command, being subject to 
 the gout. Sir Thomas Esmond of Balinastra was first lieu- 
 tenant, Laurence Doyle of... his first cousin, second 
 lieutenant, Mert Mernagh of little Limerick, adjutant. 
 The last was my near relation. Seeing several of my best 
 friends and school-fellows, such as Nick Murphy of Mo- 
 naseed, Ned Fennell, of deer Park, John Doyle and his 
 brother James of Knoch, and my aunt's husband Michall 
 Morning all sending their names to captain Knox Grogan, 
 I readily consented to leave mine, but added, my mother 
 would not consent until she got the lease of the land called 
 the Fox cover renewed. She could never forget what she 
 sufiered, a few yearsprevioug, when leaving Ballylusk, the 
 townland and place where I was born, and which had been 
 in the family for centuries : she could not get the lease 
 of that place renewed, as the landlord J. Doyle wished 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 7 
 
 to come and live on it himself. Catholics could only get 
 then leases of 31 years. M. Grogan at once complied with 
 my mother's wishes and had the leases filled up imme- 
 diately with three lives, mine, my sister Bridgets, and 
 my first cousin Miles Morning. The latter was then about 
 15 years of age ; he died a few years after. My poor father 
 was then sick and confined to his bed-room. 
 
 After M. Grogan had signed the leases in the presence 
 of my uncle Morning, and his land agent Jackson, he 
 requested these gentlemen to accompany my mother to 
 Monaseed, a distance of six miles from Castletown, in order 
 for my father to sign them in their presence. My mother 
 was quite happy at having this business settled, and ex- 
 pected it would clieer my poor father's spirits. She was 
 cruelly disappointed. For, when she told him I was enrol- 
 led in the corps of yeomanry with all my friends and 
 comrades, he declared, « he would rather see the leases 
 « burned and me dead, than ever see me put on a red 
 « coat. » I was tlien very young, and the pang I felt left 
 me motionless for some time. All he had so often told me 
 of the persecutions and robberies that both his family 
 and my mother's had endured under the English invaders 
 came to my recollection. How often had he shewn me the 
 lands that belonged to our ancestors, now in the hands 
 of the descendants of the sanguinary followers of Crom- 
 well, who preserved their plunder and robberies after the 
 restoration of that scoundrel Charles II. My poor father 
 was low spirited and pining in consequence of the death, 
 
» MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 a short time before, of my sister Katlierine; she was 
 every thin^ that was beautiful, intelligent and good and 
 extraordinary for her age, being but 18. My father did not 
 long survive her. He died in a few months after the pe- 
 riod I allude to; and if I did not follow all his last in- 
 junctions, I at least conformed with one; I never wore a 
 red coat. On my father's demise, being an only son, and 
 my presence being necessary to take charge of the land, 
 captain Knox Grogan had my name taken off the roll of 
 the yeomanry. 
 
 Every exertion was made by government to get yeo- 
 manry corps organized throughout the country, but scarce 
 any were equipped or armed when Hoche's expedition ap- 
 peared off Bantry bay in december 1796. But the follow- 
 ing year they were raised and embodied in every part of 
 the counties of Wexford, Wicklow and Carlo w. These are 
 the counties I know best, and where I had many friends. 
 The corps generally assembled for drill twice a week, 
 and these meetings frequently were terminated with 
 dinner parties and other amusements. 
 
 Had Hoche's corps of army (consisting of about 15,000 
 men) landed, as there was then no english force in Ire- 
 land, nothing could have prevented them marching on 
 Dublin and establishing there a provisional government; 
 everywhere he would have been joined by the peopL^. 
 Then, in place of « yeomanry, » lord Edward Fitzgerald, 
 Arthur O'Connor and Wolfe Tone would have been char- 
 ged to organize national guards to keep order in the 
 
MEMOERS OF MILES BYRNE 9 
 
 towns and villages tliroug-hout the country, whilst wait- 
 ing' to raise a national army or militia for its defence. 
 As to men, a hundred thousand could have been enrolled 
 at once ; with the 20,000 stand of arms brought by the 
 French, and the arms found every where, they would 
 soon have been equipped. The country possessed all the 
 resources necessary for this great undertaking ; the 
 church property becoming immediately the property of 
 the state; and the estates of all those who should emi- 
 grate, or remain in the English army, fighting against 
 their country being confiscated, the revenue arising from 
 these funds would have been employed to provide for 
 and defray all the expenses necessary for the defence and 
 independence of the country. 
 
 For fourteen years previous to this period, the volun- 
 teers were well equipped and armed throughout every 
 part of Ireland; of course all these arms were well pre- 
 served and would be delivered up immediately to the 
 governors of the diff'erent provinces, if the actual posses- 
 sors did not come forward to make use of them themsel- 
 ves. But the protestant counties of the north were all 
 organized and ready to shake off the English yoke. The 
 united irishmen,andthe Presbyterians, whetherthey were 
 united Irishmen or not, were all republicans. They knew 
 that Hoche came not for conquest, but to aff'ord them an 
 occasion for declaring their right to self government, 
 therefore all the north would have joined him at once. 
 As to the south, it being a catholic country, though the 
 
10 MEMOIKS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 united Irish system was scarcely known there at that 
 time, the people every where sighed for that equality of 
 civil and religious liberty, so long refused to them, and 
 so insultingly refused by that great bigot lord Charle- 
 raont and by Henry Flood. The immortal Grattan was 
 for the full and complete emancipation of his fellow men, 
 though he counted too much on the guarantee obtained 
 from the government of that deceitful epoch, for the 
 independence of his unfortunate country. The removal 
 of lord Fitzwilliam should have shewn him that there 
 was nothing to be expected but treachery and infamy 
 from those who replaced him. 
 
 It is quite fresh in my memory, and I shall never 
 forget it, the mournful silence, the consternation of the 
 poor people at the different chapels on Christmas day and 
 the following Sunday, after learning that the French had 
 not landed, and that the french fleet had returned to 
 France. Had Hoche been at the head of his troops in the 
 Bay of Bantry, instead of Grouchy, he would have landed 
 them immediately, and from that moment the then eu- 
 glisli government was shaken to its centre, 
 
 Hoche knew well that the Irish people only waited for 
 a fit opportunity to change the form of their govern- 
 ment, and his presence in Ireland at the head of a 
 powerful army afforded them an excellent one... He was 
 determined that the new irish government should reco- 
 gnize the french republic, and allow the french people 
 the rio:ht of choosinc that form which suited them best. 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRXE 11 
 
 As to the independence of Ireland, that would be ah-eady 
 accomplished and no more to be questioned. Such were 
 the solemn engagements g-iven to Tone, and they would 
 be renewed with the provisional government when sit- 
 ting in Dublin. What a blessing it would have been for 
 humanity had all this taken place, and what torrents of 
 blood and treasure it would have s]iared to England and 
 the continent of Europe ! But providence seems to have 
 decreed, that Ireland should remain the most degraded, 
 the most miserable country on the face of the globe. 
 
 The principal chiefs of the united irish, both in the 
 north and in the city of Dublin, did not yet despond; on 
 the contrary they prepared an extensive plan for orga- 
 nizing all Ireland, and in the spring of 1797 whilst go- 
 vernment shewed the greatest activity in getting yeo- 
 manry corps equipped and armed through every part of 
 the country, and had them ready for active service, united- 
 irishmen were made by thousands daily. No one scrupled 
 to take the test, which indeed had nothing in it treason- 
 able or dishonourable. Thomas Addis Emmett took it 
 and kissed the Book in presence of a court of justice (be- 
 fore which he was pleading for a man who was charged 
 with being a united irishman, to shew the absurdity of 
 wanting to punish a man because he wished to obtain 
 an equal and adequate representation of irishmen of 
 every religious persuasion in parliament. 
 
 For my own pari, « I » took it with pleasure, and 
 worked to the best of my abilities in every way to for- 
 
12 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 ■ward the cause, and to shew the great advantages that 
 might be obtained by the union of irishmen of all reli- 
 gious persuasions ; and I now most solemnly declare, in 
 the presence of the almighty, that I never regretted the 
 part I took, and that if it were to be done over again, I 
 should do the same; the only difference would be, that 
 from the experience I have acquired, as a military man 
 (who has had the honour to serve in the french army), 
 i that I might be enabled to do it better. Thus my con- 
 fession of faith being made, I shall now begin to relate 
 every thing worth mentioning, which ti)ok place pre- 
 vious to the 23'! of may 1798, the day that was jBxed 
 upon for a general rising of the united irishmen of 
 Ireland, by the Directory then acting under the presi- 
 dency of lord Edward Fitzgerald. 
 
 There were very few united irishmen in my part of 
 the country when I was made one ; but before a month 
 had elapsed, almost every one had taken the test, by the 
 exertions of Nick Murphy, Johnny Doyle, Ned Fennell 
 and myself. The priests did every thing in their power 
 to stop the progress of the association of united irishmen : 
 j)articularly poor father John Redmond, who refused to 
 hear the confession of any of the united irish, and turn- 
 ed them away from his knees. He was ill requited after- 
 wards for his great zeal and devotion to the enemies of 
 his country ; for after the insurrection was all over. Earl 
 Mouutuorris brought hini in a prisoner to the british 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 13 
 
 Camp at Gory, with a rope about his neck, hung 
 him up to a tree and fired a brace 'Of bullets through 
 his body. Lord Mountnorris availed himself of this 
 opportunity to shew his « loyalty, » for he was rather 
 suspected on account of not being at the head of his corps 
 when the insurrection broke out in his neighbourhood. 
 Both Redmond and the parish priest father Frank Cava- 
 uagh were on the best terms with Earl Mountnorris, 
 dining frequently with him at his seat Camolen Park ; 
 which place father Redmond prevented being plundered 
 during the insurrection. « This » was the only part he 
 had taken in the struggle. 
 
 The good effects of the united irish system, in the 
 commencement, were soon felt and seen throughout the 
 counties of Wexford, Carlow and Wicklow, which were 
 the parts of the country I knew best. It gave the first 
 alarm to the government; they suspected something ex- 
 traordinary was going on, finding that disputes, fighting 
 at fairs and other places of public meeting, had comple- 
 tely ceased. The magistrates soon perceived this change, 
 as they were now seldom called on to grant summons or 
 warrants to settle disputes. Drunkenness ceased also, for 
 a united irishman to be found « drunk » was unknown 
 for many months. The man who had had the misfor- 
 tune to drink too much, considered himself a lost man, 
 as soon as he became sober, fearing that no more confi- 
 dence would be placed in him. I often had to console men 
 
14 MKMOIHS OF MILES BYHNE 
 
 who feared it might be thought, that because they had 
 formerly been proue to drinking, that they could not be 
 trusted with any enterprise of importance. Such was the 
 sanctity of our cause and the assistance we received from 
 every new member who joined our society, that we soon 
 organized parochial and baronial meetings, and named 
 delegates to correspond with the county members. Robert 
 Grahame of Corcannon, near Coolgrany, a cousin of my 
 mother, was named to represent the county at the meet- 
 ing to be held in Dublin at Oliver Bonds. He was too lale 
 for the meeting, and indeed had the good fortune to 
 escape being taken, being apprized in time that the house 
 was surrounded by soldiers and police. 
 
 Anthony Perry of Inch was one of the first and most 
 active of the united class ; he being a protestant and ori- 
 ginally from the North, we had the greatest confidence 
 in him. Poor Ned Fennell and I went frequently by 
 night to consult and get instructions from him : we had 
 to ride seven miles and to return before day. We used 
 all our influence to prevent the people going by night 
 to take arms; they were anxious to be prepared for the 
 rising, which they longed much for : — we were very 
 successful in this undertaking; and had it propagated, 
 that the Orangemen were seizing the arms, in order 
 to throw suspicion on the poor people. One night, return- 
 ing from Inch, we left the high road and passed through 
 a little village of about a dozen houses; we passed and 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES ItYU.NE 15 
 
 repassed several times, making- a great noise with our 
 horses and calling- out the names of some of the well 
 known chiefs of the Orange party. Next day, the poor 
 people of this hamlet were ready to make affidavit that 
 the Gory yeomanry had come to take the arms from the 
 protestant gentlemen of that neighhourhood, in order to 
 have a pretext to have the country proclaimed, as if the 
 catholic peasantry had heen seizing the arms. The people 
 every where believed it, and it had the best effect, for 
 consequently « they « gave up all idea of taking- arms by 
 night. 
 
 Ned Fennell was bold and active, and brave to temerity. 
 He was handsome and well made, and of distinguished 
 manners, and though but, the son of a res]iectable farmer, 
 might have been taken for a man of the first rank in the 
 country from his high tone and daring address. 
 
 His elder brother Garret, was also handsome and 
 brave. — Nick Murphy though young, inspired great 
 confidence in all who knew him; he was active and ho- 
 nest, and thought he never could do enough to forward 
 the cause of the united Irish system and in organizing 
 the baronial meetings; he was one of the first to cor- 
 respond with the county members. 
 
 He and I had been ii^^imate from childhood ; he was 
 two years older than* 
 each other. 
 
 )UlltV IIICIIIUCIO. 
 
 1 iiilimate from childhood ; he was ^H 
 i^i^ but we never had a secret from^^ 
 
 A large quantity of powder in jars, was confided to 
 
l(j MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 US, to have made into cartridges, but a search for arras 
 and ammunition being ordered by the magistrates, we 
 decided at once to have it hid in a field on my land. 
 
 Lest we both should be absent, or in custody, we 
 thought it right to have another person with us, less 
 likely to be arrested, and who would be forthcoming and 
 be able to find the powder when it was wanted. We 
 agreed to communicate the secret to a neighbour, John 
 Sheridan, a very worthy man, and who, though a united 
 irishman, could not be suspected, we thought, as he did 
 not commit himself to any but to Murphy and myself. 
 Notwithstanding, when Murphy and I were hiding, 
 previous to the insurrection, poor Sheridan was taken up 
 and on the point of being shot. To save his life, he disco- 
 vered where the ammunition was hid, and it being found 
 on my land, I had nothing to expect, had I fallen into 
 the hands of the Orangemen. Sheridan did every thing 
 he could afterwards to make amends, and we forgave 
 him; he fought bravely with us throughout the insur- 
 rection, and died in exile after all was over. 
 
 John Doyle of ICnockbrandon was one of my school 
 fellows and one of the most active young men in the 
 country; unfortunately he was l^led early in the insur- 
 'rection ; had he lived, he would^ifve been one of tlie 
 most daring chiefs : he was wealthy and had the grea- 
 test influence over people of every class. 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES HYUXE 71 
 
 The first united irishman's funeral that took phice 
 being" attended by vast crowds, and put into sections and 
 marching' order, by a young man of the name of Toole 
 (of Anagh), who wished to imitate one he had seen in 
 Dublin, attracted the notice of Hunter Gowan and of 
 course made him suspect that something extraordinary 
 was going- on in the country. — As I shall have often to 
 allude to the cruelties and cold-blooded murders commit- 
 ted by this monster, it is necessary to mention what he 
 was. 
 
 He had for many years distinguished himself by his 
 activity in apprehending robbers, for which he had been 
 rewarded by a pension from government. He was a low 
 fellow, but this pension enabled him to hold some rank 
 in the country. He called his place « Mont Nebo » and 
 planted his land with trees of different kinds. He kept a 
 pack of hounds, and wished to be looked upon as a great 
 sportsman ; he felt much mortified when the neighbour- 
 ino- a-entlemen refused to hunt with him. 
 
 '» b^ 
 
 He happened one day to be led by the chase some miles 
 from his own place, and fell in with old Garrett Byrne of 
 Ballymanus, who, with his hounds, was in full chase. 
 The latter enraged at being crossed in his sport by an 
 « upstart, » as he called Hunter Gowan, gave liira a horse 
 whipping and told him never to presume to come in his 
 way again. Gowan took the law of Garrett Byrne and ran 
 him into great expense. This occurence (of th horse 
 
 2 
 
18 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 whipping) took place many years previous to 1798, but 
 it would appear, that, from that moment, Gowan swore 
 eternal hatred to catholics in general, but most particu- 
 larly against the Byrnes. 
 
 A brother of Hunter Gowan lived in Gory and kept a 
 saddler's shop there; he was considered a good sort of 
 man , without any pretence of being above what he 
 was. 
 
 Garrett Byrne was a descendant of one of the oldest 
 and most distinguished branches of the Byrnes of the 
 county ofWicklow; he inherited the small estate of Balli- 
 manus and lived in great style, associating with men of 
 the highest rank in the county, all of whom esteemed 
 and feared him : he was a perfect gentleman; he was 
 dexterous in the use of arms, particularly the small 
 sword and pistol. My father often saw him shoot swal- 
 lows from his hall door with a pistol ball. He brought up 
 his family with high notions of what they owed to their 
 ancestors. He had five sons, all splendid men, Garrett, 
 John, Coclough, Edward, and poor Billy or William, 
 who was executed at Wicklow, and two daugliters, 
 Nelly and Fanny, both very fine women, and very well 
 educated. 
 
 Garret Byrne finding himself getting old and feeble, 
 and wishing to secure an independency to his daugh- 
 ters, proposed to his eldest son Garrett, who had been 
 lately married to a miss White, to give him up the estate 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 19 
 
 and that he and his daughters would go to reside in Ar- 
 klow. The son readily complied, and settled on his sis- 
 ters what their father thought sufficient for them, and 
 they gave up Ballymanus to young Garrett and his wife, 
 a few years previous to 1797. 
 
 From this epoch, young Garrett Byrne was looked up 
 to by the people of that part of the county of Wicklow 
 as a chief in whom they could confide, when the rising 
 should take place, and they were not deceived. From that 
 moment, Garret Byrne became active and enterprizing in 
 organizing the country, where he was destined to com- 
 mand, and the people looked up to him as one who was 
 to lead them to victory when the campaign began. 
 
 During the summer of 1797, all the yeomanry corps 
 of the counties of Wexford, Carlow and Wicklow, cavalry 
 and infantry, were equipped in the most splendid man- 
 ner. Reviews took place in districts, where several corps 
 were assembled for the purpose. The greatest harmony 
 reigned amongst them; although these corps were com- 
 posed of catholics as well as protestants, religious ani- 
 mosity was unknown. The united-irish system contribu- 
 ted not a little to promote this blessing, and to remove 
 the chance of a religious war, had not the infernal Orange 
 system making its appearance about this time, from the 
 north of Ireland into the province of Leinster thwarted 
 its good effects. The united Irish laboured for nothing 
 but civil and religious liberty for irishmen of all per- 
 suasions, and for the independence of their country. 
 
20 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 How sickening it is to reflect, that no man indepen- 
 dent of English influence, has yet come forward to write 
 the history of that period, and to give the lie to the ca- 
 lumnies that were invented and propagated against 
 those brave patriots who were ready to sacrifice life and 
 property and every thing dear to them to see their un- 
 fortunate country well governed and happy as she ought 
 to be! 
 
 I frequently went to see the reviews of the yeomanry 
 corps, at Shillelah, Camolen, Gory, Castletown, Cool- 
 grany, etc, to meet friends and ascertain from them 
 the progress our system was making in their various 
 districts; likewise, to consult with them about the best 
 means of keeping the people quiet until the proper time 
 arrived for acting and taking the field. 
 
 All seemed to be going on as well as we could wish, 
 till the autumn of 1797, when the chiefs of several yeo- 
 manry corps became alarmed, and proposed to them to 
 take a test oath that they were neither united irishmen, 
 nor Orangemen, and never would be either the one or 
 the other. 
 
 Captain Knox Grogan assembled his corps at Little 
 Limerick and begged them to take this oath. Michael 
 Redmond, one of the finest young men of the corps, 
 and the most eloquent, made a speech in reply, and said, 
 that for his own part, he took the proposition as an in- 
 sult, and therefore would resign : « If there were proofs, » 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYKNE 21 
 
 he said, « against any one of them of mis-de-meanoui-, let 
 « him be arrested and brought to trial, but not insulted : 
 c( that they were men of honour and could not put up 
 « with such treatment. » All the corps, except two offi- 
 cers, sir Thomas Esmond Bart and Laurence Doyle, lieu- 
 tenants, r.nd two sergeants-instructors, who had served 
 with Grogau in the Green Horse, joined Redmond, and 
 arranged to go to captain Grogan Knox's residence the 
 next day, to give in their resignations, and all that had 
 been furnished by government, such as arms, saddles, 
 etc. Poor Grogan was much dejected, and left the field, 
 followed only by sir Thomas Esmond, lieutenant Doyle 
 and the two sergeants. He recruited a few men amongst 
 his poor protestant tenantry, to whom he furnished hor- 
 ses, and at the head of some twenty or thirty of them, 
 was killed, at the battle of Arklow, fighting against the 
 insurgents, on the 9'" of June 1798. 
 
 Sir Thomas Esmond Bart and Laurence Doyle, although 
 they fought beside Grogan, during the battle, were ar- 
 rested on the 12" of June and sent prisoners to Dublin. 
 As they were catholics, the only w^ay for them to have 
 been considered loyal subjects in those days, was, to have 
 died beside their unfortunate captain. A curious coin- 
 cidence, the brave and undaunted Michael Redmond who 
 commanded a corps of the insurgent army, was killed 
 about the same time, fighting against Grogan and his 
 English allies, the Durham fencibles, commanded by 
 general Skerrit. Poor Redmond's death was sorely felt; 
 
22 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 he would in a short time have become one of the principal 
 leaders of the great cause, the « redemption and inde- 
 pendence of Ireland. » His younger brothers, Dennis and 
 John, fought bravely and had to escape to Dublin and 
 abandon their families and homes. 
 
 The corps of yeomanry cavalry, commanded by Beau- 
 mont of Hyde Park, in which Anthony Perry of Inch, or 
 Perry Mount, and Ford of Ballyfad w^ere officers, refused 
 to take any oath respecting their being Orangemen, or 
 united-irishmen ; at the same time they resolved not to 
 resign, but to continue their service as usual. Soon after, 
 the corps was ordered to assemble, when a regiment of 
 militia was in w^aiting, and the suspected members were 
 surrounded and disarmed ; that is to say, all the catho- 
 lics, which were about one half of the corps, with Perry 
 and one or two other protestants, being considered too li- 
 beral to make part of a corps that was henceforward to 
 be upon the true protestant, or Orange system. 
 
 Captain Beaumonf s sisters being catholics, one mar- 
 ried to William Talbot of Castle Talbot, another to Barry 
 Lawless of Shank-hill, her first cousin, he thought it neces- 
 sary to shew his aversion to their religion, that he might 
 not be suspected of lukewarmness in the protestant cause, 
 and from that moment he became a savage and cruel 
 bigot, and a great tyrant wiierever he had an opportunity 
 of exercising his power. The brave men of his corps, whom 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 23 
 
 he had had disarmed, deeply regretted that they had not 
 had the satisfaction of resig-ning, as Grogan's corps had 
 done, before having met with such an affront. They 
 felt it keenly and consequently became the more active 
 in organizing the country ; amongst those may be men- 
 tioned in particular Perry and Garrett Fennell. They 
 knew well that they were marked out for vengeance, but 
 that, they did not mind. No proof could be brought 
 against them from the impossibility of procuring infor- 
 mers to give evidence against united irishmen. Such was 
 the holiness of the cause they w^ere embarked in, that 
 they dreaded no danger, from any quarter, and continued 
 quietly and successfully with the preparations necessary 
 for the general rising ; they waited, no doubt, with impa- 
 tience for that great event, which they hoped would leave 
 them free and independent of the detestable english 
 yoke to which their country had been subjected for 
 centuries. 
 
 In the towns there were corps of foot yeomanry as well 
 as cavalry. White of Bally-Ellis raised a foot corps and 
 got great praise from the government, as he had it equip- 
 ped and armed when Hoche's expedition came to Bantry 
 Bay in 1796. 
 
 If this corps was one of the first that was ready to 
 march, it was also one of the first to be disbanded and 
 disarmed, for it was composed principally of catholics, 
 tho' the officers were protestauts. 
 
24 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 It is curious for me to relate now, that only for the 
 illegal and arhitrary disbanding of the Bally-Ellis corps 
 of yeomanry, I should probably never have enjoyed the 
 influence I had in the country ;' but this requires expla- 
 nation. — These brave and most honest men felt that 
 they were badly treated by their captain Mr. White, 
 against whom they intended to enter a law-suit. Some 
 of them called on me to have my opinion and I advised 
 them to name two or three of the corps, who could afford 
 it, to go to Dublin, and that I would give them a letter 
 to my half brother Edward Kennedy, who was intimate 
 with counsellor « Thomas Addis Emmett, » and that from 
 that gentleman, they could have the best law opinion on 
 their case. Two were immediately named, John Keelly 
 and his brother-in-law; both very simple, but very ho- 
 nest, worthy men. I gave them a few lines to my bro- 
 ther, who, on their arrival in Dublin, accompanied and 
 presented them to Mr. Emmett. He at once undertook 
 their affair. He saw it would afford a good opportunity 
 of punishing and exposing those tyrants who selfishly 
 thought of nothing but their own advancement. 
 
 Counsellor Curran joined Emmett, and both promised 
 poor Keelly, that the law -suit should be carried on free 
 of all expense to the brave Bally-Ellis corps : they bid 
 him return and get all his comrades immediately to sigu 
 a paper which they gave him, for the purpose of proceed- 
 ing forthwith against White, who, it would appear, felt 
 himself open to the law by his improper conduct. 
 
MEMOIHS OF MILES BYRNE 25 
 
 It is needless to add, that Keelly followed to the letter, 
 the iustructions he received from his lawyers, and that 
 not only the members of the corps, Imt all the people of 
 the country, were enchanted to hear of the kind reception 
 he had met with, in Dublin, through my means, and that 
 injustice could not be committed with impunity on any 
 member of their society. Certainly my brother enjoyed 
 a good deal of influence and consideration amongst the 
 leading patriots of the day, such as Keoph of Mount 
 Gerum, Thomas Braghal, Emmett, Edward O'Reilly, 
 Richard Maccormick, etc., and he was always ready to 
 avail himself of it to serve his countrymen, who were 
 continually calling on him in Dublin, from the counties 
 of Wexford and Wicklow in particular. Indeed it is only 
 justice to his memory to add, that he made the greatest 
 sacrifices, both pecuniary and otherwise, for the great 
 cause we w'ere all embarked in. From 1798 till 1803 he 
 lost no opportunity of serving those brave men, who had 
 had to escape from their homes and take refuge in Dublin, 
 in procviriug situations and employments for them ; and 
 finally, he had to pass three years of his life in Kilmain- 
 ham Jail, without ever being brought to trial and he only 
 got out of prison in 1806, on Mr. Fox coming into admi-i 
 nistration. 
 
 I think it necessary to enter into these details before I 
 begin to relate what I saw and experienced during the 
 insurrection which followed, and to mention some of the 
 
 « 
 
 incidents which took .place in the country previous to it. 
 
26 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRXE 
 
 White of Bally-Ellis little thought he was drilling and 
 preparing some of the bravest fellows that ever pulled a 
 trigger against tyranny. His corps would have rendered 
 the greatest service as instructors, had the insurgents suc- 
 ceeded. Many of them excelled in dexterity and military 
 acquirements; bothlsaac and Jacob Byrne were very much 
 looked up to by their comrades as chiefs. Three brothers of 
 the name of Finn, Laurence, Luke and Dan, rather small 
 sized men, distinguished themselves by their bravery 
 and by their brotherly attachment ; they seldom sepa- 
 rated, and frequently saved one another in the greatest 
 danger. 
 
 One day, when charged by cavalry on the high road, 
 Luke fell under the horse's feet, whilst his brother Lau- 
 rence escaped over a hedge or ditch ; the latter turning 
 round to ascertain what had become of Luke, perceived 
 him lying on the ground and two horsemen in the act 
 of firing their pistols at him ; he instantly shot one of 
 them : Luke, though knocked down, kept his fowling 
 piece by his side, raised it up, shot the other horseman, 
 escaped with his brother and gained the main body soon 
 after. They were first in every action, and always the 
 last to quit the field of battle. After many adventures and 
 dangerous enterprises, they effected their escape into 
 Dublin when the insurrection was put down : they left 
 their widowed mother and sister to the mercy of White 
 and the Orange ruffians of that neighbourhood. The elder 
 brother, Laurence, went to Americp. ; Luke became a clerk 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 27 
 
 and book-keeper in a mercantile house; Dan, tlie youn- 
 gest, had to become a waiter in a porter house in Patrick 
 street. Such was the reputation of the Finns, that the wor- 
 thy proprietor, Thomas Mac Gauran, had to enlarge his 
 establishment and open a second house next door, for 
 all the good patriots of Dublin began to frequent it. Soon 
 after, young Finn married Mr. Mac Gauran's niece and 
 became his partner. When I left Dublin, they were mak- 
 ing a fortune. In consequence of the explosion of the 
 depot, in Patrick street, in 1803, they were imprisoned and 
 much injured in their business, though no charge what- 
 ever could be brought against them. Poor Finn died some 
 time after getting out of prison. Mac Gauran came with 
 all his family, after the peace, to reside at Ingouville near 
 Havre de Grace and in some years after, he had the 
 misfortune to take nitre instead of salts, of which he died 
 immediately, much lamented and regretted by all the 
 Irish patriots who knew him and leaving several young 
 children unprovided for. 
 
 The situation of the few Catholics who still remained 
 in the different yeomanry corps, became every day more 
 insupportable and humiliating and particularly so in 
 those of Shillelah and Carnew, these corps being princi- 
 pally composed of Orangemen, or to say the least, of very 
 prejudiced and bigoted protestants. Poor Thomas Cullen, ,' 
 a very able sculptor, and a very enlightened man, fell a ' 
 victim to the rage of his fellow yeomen when the insur-i 
 rection broke out, for his being a Catholic. 
 
28 MEMOIRS OF MILES DYRNE 
 
 Towards the end of the year 1797, the Orange magis- 
 trates used all their influence and made every eflfort to 
 find out a clew by which il\ey might discover what the 
 united irishmen were bent on doing; but all in vain. 
 They could not for any sum of money find any to turn 
 informer and betray the sacred cause. Thus the proverb 
 was found untrue, for an irishman could not be found 
 to turn the spit. 
 
 An incident occurred however in the neighbourhood 
 of Carnew' , which caused great alarm throughout the 
 country. A young man of the name of Whelan, who had 
 been riding home in a shower, bid his servant put his 
 great-coat on a hedge to dry; it had scarcely been placed 
 there, when it was stolen by a man passing that way. 
 Whelan instantly pursued the thief, and when he over- 
 took him W'ith his great-coat under his arm, he gave him 
 a drubbing, instead of taking him a prisoner, as he ought 
 to have done. This fellow was known by the name of 
 Cooper, the sowgelder. He went to the next Orange ma- 
 gistrate to swear information against Whelan for beat- 
 ing him, but the magistrate told him, it would be a surer 
 way to get revenge and also to obtain compensation, 
 were he to swear that Whelan had made him a united 
 irishman. Cooper readily follow'ed the advice of this 
 honest magistrate and a few days after numbers of 
 innocent men w'ere arrested on this fellow's information 
 and sent to Wicklow and Wexford jails. Fortunately the 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 29 
 
 assizes circuit came on soon after, and Mat Dowling 
 being' employed as solicitor and counsellor Curran 
 specially retained to plead for all those imprisoned in 
 Wicklow jail, the perjured villain was soon unmasked, 
 and proved by Curran to be a returned felon of the 
 name of Morgan, and not Cooper, who had been trans- 
 ported for ten years for robberies and other crimes and 
 had only returned a short while before. Thus his evidence 
 was scouted and the prisoners acquitted; but not before 
 Curran had stigmatized those magistrates who could 
 encourage and bring forward such a villain ; he declared 
 in the open court, that the baseness and infamy of such 
 transactions, would reflect eternal infamy, not only on 
 them, but on the government, if they were allowed to 
 retain their commissions. The formality of bail being re- 
 quired, my step-brother Kennedy, and Mr. Thomas Sea- 
 grave of Keven street who were at the trial in Wicklow, 
 went bail for twenty of those who had been acquitted ; 
 two of our tenants were amongst the number. 
 
 Mat Dowling exerted himself in the most surprising 
 manner on this occasion. It was past twelve at night be- 
 fore lie was able to* get the last of these brave fellows out 
 of prison. Not having had time to dine or eat any thing 
 all day, it is needless to say that he and the gentlemen 
 who bailed the prisoners, supped heartily together, and 
 passed a merry night after the victory of the day. Mat 
 Dowling was a most honest attorney and an agreea- 
 ble companion and one of the truest patriots that could 
 
30 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 be met with in all Ireland. I made his acquaintance at 
 Paris in 1803, after he got out of fort George, and I must 
 say I passed many happy days in his company. He was 
 full of talent, witty and generous beyond description ; 
 every one liked him that knew him, and was delighted 
 with his agreeable manners. 
 
 Counsellor Curran learned from the Judge who went 
 the circuit, that it was not thought expedient to bring 
 Cooper to Wexford to prosecute the prisoners who were 
 in jail there on his information. They were all set at li- 
 berty, on the Judge entering the court house at Wex- 
 ford, to the great mortification and disappointment of 
 those upright mag-istrates who did not scruple to have 
 so many honest men torn from their homes, their wives 
 and children when* no charge could be brought against 
 them, save from the information of the villain Morgan or 
 Cooper, who had in fact been instigated to swear against 
 them by these same magistrates. 
 
 All these brave patriots who had to quit the diflferent 
 yeomanry corps, knew well that they would be regarded 
 by the Orange magistrates as men who should be closely 
 looked after, and that no pains or expense would be spa- 
 red to procure informers to swear against them. All this 
 only served to excite them to exert themselves in every 
 way to forward the organisation of the united Irish sys- 
 tem and really obtained for them greater consideration 
 and influence than they otherwise would have had. Al- 
 ready the people began to look up to them as their chiefs 
 
MEMOIRS or MILES 15YRNE 31 
 
 and leaders, although only a few of them were entit- 
 led to rank by the organization then known in the 
 country. 
 
 It was well understood that the ensuing spring was 
 finally fixed on for the great struggle and simultaneous 
 rising ; therefore the winter of 1797 and 1798 only re- 
 mained to complete the preparations necessary for this 
 long-wished-for event. Nothing could exceed the readi- 
 ness and good will of the united irishmen to comply with 
 the instructions they received to procure arms, ammu- 
 nition, etc., nothwithstauding the difficulties and perils 
 they underwent purchasing those articles. Every man 
 had fire arms of some sort, or a pike; the latter weapon 
 was easily had at this time, for almost every blacksmith 
 was an united irishman The pike blades were soon had, 
 but it was more difficult to procure handles for tham and 
 the cutting down of young ash-trees for that purpose 
 awoke attention and caused great suspicion of the object 
 in view. However as there were no informers, all went 
 on smoothly, until the fatal 30'' of march 1798, when 
 all Ireland was put under martial law and officially de- 
 clared to be in a state of rebellion, by a proclamation of 
 the lord lieutenant and the privy council of the realm. 
 By this proclamation, the military were directed to use 
 the most bummary method of repressing all kind of dis- 
 turbs nee. From that moment every one considered him- 
 self as walking on a mine, ready to be blown up and all 
 sighed for orders to beffin. 
 
3'2 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYUNE 
 
 What a pity that lord Edward Fitzgerald, or the Direc- 
 tory did not, at this juncture, immediately issue their 
 decree to take the field, instead of waiting, until the 
 chiefs were in prison, or hiding to escape the most cruel 
 tortures that ever were invented by any savage nation 
 on the face of the globe. The furious inquisitors of Spain 
 might have taken a lesson from the Beresfords of that 
 day : flogging, half-hanging, picketing, were mild tor- 
 tures in comparison of the pitch caps that were applied 
 to the heads of those who happened to wear their hair 
 short, called croppies; the head being completely sin- 
 ged, a cap made of strong linen well imbued with boil- 
 ing pitch was so closely put on, that it could not be ta- 
 ken off without bringing off a part of the skin and flesh 
 from the head : in many instances, the tortured victim 
 had one of his ears cutoff, to satisfy the executioner, 
 that if he escaped, he could readily be discovered, being 
 so well marked. 
 
 The military placed on free quarters with the inhabi- 
 tants, were mostly furnished by the ancient Britons; a 
 cruel regiment, which became obnoxious from the many 
 outrages they committed, wherever they were stationed : 
 being quartered in houses where the men had to absent 
 themselves, the unfortunate females who remained, had to 
 suffer all sorts of brutality from these ferocious monsters. 
 What hardships, what calamities and miseries had not 
 the wretched people to suffer, on whom were let loose 
 such a body of soldiery as were then in Ireland ! It was 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 33 
 
 on this occasion that sir Ralph Ahercrombie, unwilling ■ 
 to tarnish his military fame, rather than sanction by his 
 presence, proceedings so abhorrent to his nature, resigned 
 the chief command of the army in Ireland, on the 29'' of i 
 april 1798. 
 
 Many of the low-bred magistrates availed themselves 
 of the martial law, to prove their vast devotion to go- 
 vernment, by persecuting, and often torturing the inof- , 
 fensive country people. Archibald Hamilton Jacob and 
 the Enniscorthy yeomen cavalry never marched out of 
 the town without being accompanied by a regular exe- | 
 cutioner, with his ropes, cat o'nine tails, etc. 
 
 Hawtry "White, Solomon Richards, and a protestant 
 minister of the name of Owens were all notorious for 
 their cruelty and persecuting spirit ; the latter particu- 
 larly so, putting on pitch caps and exercising other 
 torments. To the credit of some of his victims, when the 
 vile fellow himself was in their power, and was brought 
 a prisoner to the insurgent camp at Gory, they sought 
 no other revenge than that ofputtingapitch cap on him. 
 I had often difficulty in preventing the others, who 
 had suffered so much at his hands, from tearing him to 
 pieces. He, in the end, escaped, with many other priso- 
 ners, being escorted and guarded by men who did not 
 consider that revenge, or retaliation of any kind, w^ould 
 forward the sacred cause they were embarked in : parti- 
 cularly, as they were desirous it should not be thought 
 
34 MEMOIRS OF MILES I5YRNE 
 
 that it was a religious war tliey were engaged in. 
 Although several of the principal chiefs^f the united 
 irishmen were protestants, the Orange magistrates did 
 all they could to spread the belief, that the Catholics had 
 no other object in view, but to kill their protestant fel- 
 low subjects, and to give weight to this opinion, they did 
 what they could to provoke the unfortunate people to 
 commit outrages and reprisals, by killing some and 
 burning their houses. 
 
 In short, the state of the country, previous to the 
 insurrection, is not to be imagined; except by those 
 who witnessed the atrocities of every description com- 
 mitted by the military and tlie Orangemen, who were 
 let loose on the unfortunate, defenceless and unarmed 
 population. 
 
 The infamous Hunter Gowan now sighed for an op- 
 portunity to vent his ferocious propensity of murdering 
 his catholic neighbours in cold blood. When the yeo- 
 manry corps were first formed, he was not considered 
 sufficiently respectable to be charged wntli the command 
 of one; but in consequence of the proclamation of martial 
 law', he soon obtained a commission of the peace and was 
 created a captain and was commissioned to raise a ca- 
 valry corps ; in a short time he succeeded in getting 
 about thirty or forty low Orangemen, badly mounted ; 
 but they soon procured better horses, at the expense of 
 the unfortunate farmers, who were plundered without 
 redress. This corps went by the name of the black mob ; 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 35 
 
 their first campaign was, to arrest all the Catholic black- 
 smiths and to burn their houses. Poor William Butter, 
 James Hay don and Dalton, smiths whom we employed 
 to shoe our horses and do other work, for many years 
 before, were condemned to be transported, according- to 
 tlie recent law enacted, that magistrates upon their own 
 authority could sentence to transportation. But the mon- 
 ster Hunter Gowan, thinking tliis kind of punishment 
 too slight, wished to give his young men an opportunity 
 to prove they were staunch blood-hounds. Poor Garrett 
 Fennell who had just landed from England, and was on 
 his way to see his father and family, was met by this 
 corps, and tied by his two hands up to a tree; they then 
 stood at a certain distance and each man lodged the con- 
 tents of his carabine in the body of poor Fennell, at their 
 captain's command. 
 
 They then went to a house close by, where they shot 
 James Darcy, a poor inoilensive man, the father of five 
 children. The bodies of these two murdered victims were 
 waked that night in the chapel of Monaseed, where the 
 unhapjn' women and children assembled to lament their 
 slaughtered relatives. This chapel was afterwards burn- 
 ed. Poor Fennell left a young widow and two children. 
 This cruel deed took place on the road between our house 
 and the chapel. The day after, the 25'' of may 1798, dis- 
 tant about three miles from our place, one of the most 
 bloody deeds took place that was ever recorded in Irish 
 history since the days of Cromwell. Twenty eight fathers 
 
36 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 of families, prisoners, were shot and massacred in the 
 Ball Alley of Carnew, without trial. Mr. Cope the pro- 
 testant minister, was one of the principal magistrates 
 who presided at this execution. I knew several of the 
 murdered men : particularly, Pat Murphy of Knock- 
 brandon, at whose wedding- I was two years before; 
 he was a brave, and most w^orthy man and much 
 esteemed. William Young, a protestant, was amongst 
 the slaughtered. 
 
 At Dunlavin, county of Wicklow% previous to the ris- 
 ing, thirty four men were shot, w^ithout any trial : offi- 
 cers, to their disgrace, presiding and sanctioning these 
 proceedings. But it is useless to enumerate or continue 
 the list of cruelties perpetrated : it will suffice to say, 
 that where the military were placed on free quarters, and 
 where all kinds of crime were committed, the people 
 w^ere not worse off than those living wiiere no soldiers 
 were quartered; for in the latter instance, the inhabitants 
 were generally called to their doors, and shot without 
 ceremony ; their houses being immediately burned or 
 plundered . 
 
 This was the miserable state our part of the country 
 was in at the begiuning of may 1798. All were obliged 
 to quit their houses and hide themselves the best way 
 tliey could. Ned Fennell, Nicholas Murphy and I agreed, 
 the last time we met, previous to the insurrection, that 
 through the means of our female friends, we should do 
 every thing in our power to keep the people from des- 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 37 
 
 ponding:, for we had every reason to hope, that ere long, 
 there would be orders received for a general rising from 
 the Directory. We also promised to endeavour to get 
 news from Dublin if possible, and at least from Arklow 
 through Pliil Neill and young Garrett Graham of that 
 town; both of them very active and well known to the 
 principal men in Dublin, and through them and Antho- 
 ny Perry, we expected shortly to receive instructions for 
 what was best to be done, under the critical circums- 
 tances in which we wt're placed. I w^as daily in hopes of 
 getting some information from my step brother Kennedy 
 (at Dublin), and on this account, I remained as long as 
 I could in the neighbourhood of our place, keeping away 
 however, from my mother's house; sleeping at night in 
 the fields, watching in the day time from the hills and 
 high grounds, to see if the military or yeomen were 
 approaching. 
 
 The 22'^ of may I ventured to call on Ned Fennell's 
 father, who I met on his own land, to enquire if he had 
 any news for me ; he told me he had seen my sister and 
 also Nick Murphy's sister that morning, and that neither 
 of them had learned any thing new, the communica- 
 tions then being every where intercepted, and that they 
 had little hopes of being able to procure any. Mr. Fennell 
 assured me I might accompany him to his house without 
 any risk, and there take some refreshments, of which I 
 stood in great need ; he promised that both he and his 
 young son Mathew, then 17 years of age, would be on 
 
38 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 the look out, that they could see in every direction to a 
 great distance, if the military were approaching. I ac- 
 cepted his kind offer, and in less than fifteen minutes 
 after I entered the house, the son came in, in haste, to 
 tell me, that the Carnew yeomanry were crossing- the 
 river from Burkstown, at the hottora of the land, but 
 that we could escape unseen by a hedge and get to a hill 
 about a mile off without being perceived. I followed his 
 advice, and soon reached it. On this hill I met Ned Now- 
 lan and Mu'k Kearney, both very fine young fellows. 
 They had just escaped also from the infernal Carnew 
 corps. We agreed to remain together, and I proposed to 
 them to go to my step sister Mrs Doyle at Ballyntemple, 
 county of Wicklow : it was a woody country and offered 
 more facilities for hiding, and about five miles from 
 Arklow. 
 
 We set out in the night and arrived in the morning, 
 when I found my poor sister in great distress, fearing 
 every moment that her husband would be arrested; the 
 house having been ransacked the day before, under pre- 
 text of searching for concealed arms; but she was con- 
 vinced that it was me they were looking for, so we im- 
 mediately left the house, took some bread witli us and 
 got into a wood where we passed the da^', near the vaU^ 
 ofAvoca. 
 
 When night came on, we decided to go to Arklow. 
 Nowlan had a friend of his, James Earichty, who had 
 
MEMOIUS OF MILES BYRNE 39 
 
 gone there, a few days before, to conceal himself at his 
 brother's place : the latter being- an inhabitant of Arklow 
 and a sea faring- man, and keening also a small inn or 
 pub li chouse. 
 
 We expected we could stop some time vm-noticed ; be- 
 sides, we thought it was necessary to learn something 
 from the leaders in the town. One of my father's sis'ers 
 and her husband had been living there for some time, 
 which was another inducement for me to go there. 
 
 Next day being the market-day of the towni, w^e got in 
 without being remarked. I went instantly to my aunt's 
 and got her husband to procure me an interview with 
 Garrett Graham, w ho was to be one of the principal chiefs 
 there. In the garden belonging to the house he came 
 ' from (his own); I found him, terribly cast down ; he told 
 me how' he expected to be arrested every moment, and 
 that he could not think of escaping, as his father would 
 bo taken in his place, the house burned, etc., if he was 
 not forthcoming. He told me that Phill Neill had sur- 
 rendered himself, to save his father from imprisonment 
 and destruction ; he seemed to envy my situation, and 
 added, « tliat he was convinced, from all he had learned 
 « that morning, and from the different movements of the 
 « military and yeomanry corps of the town and neigh- 
 « bourhood , that there was fighting going on some 
 « wiiere, and that it was reported that the insurgents 
 « were in great force in the counties of Kildare and 
 « Carlo w. » 
 
40 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 I took my leave of Graham and went instantly to meet 
 Nowlan and Kearny at Earichty's brother's house. They 
 had heard all the news Graham gave me, and even more, 
 and from better authority. We, in consequence, decided 
 to quit the towu immediately and to get again into the 
 country, and if possible, go in the direction where we 
 might expect to meet the insurgents. 
 
 Earichty who resided in Arklow knew two recruiting 
 sergeants of the fourth dragoon guards, who had been 
 quartered there for some time and frequented his house. 
 They had just received orders to rejoin their regiment at 
 Carlow. Mrs Earichty arranged with them that his brother 
 and his three comrades might march with them as long 
 as it suited their convenience ; of course we readily avai- 
 led ourselves of this opportunity. But as it was known in 
 town that their orders for recruiting had ceased, they 
 did not wish us to march through the streets with tliem; 
 consequently as soon as Mrs Earichty had procured us 
 four cockades, we set out by a back-way and joined our 
 two sergeants on the great road. We stopped in a village 
 about three miles from Arklow for the night and next 
 morning rejoined our two horsemen on the high-road to 
 Hackets-town. 
 
 James Earichty was on friendly terms with those ser- 
 geants, having seen them so much at his brother's. He 
 saw that they seemed rather alarmed and asked them if 
 they had heard any news during the night? They re- 
 plied, « that they had got very bad news ; that it was 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES RYRNE 41 
 
 '( probable they would have to return ; that the insur- 
 ' gents were risino- and attacking- the military in diffe- 
 « rent places, hut that they did not get a",y satisfactory 
 ff details one way or anotlier. » 
 
 We got no farther news until we reached Hackets- 
 town in the evening, and on entering it, ])oor Ned Nowlan 
 was met by a clerk of Ralph Blan^y's of Carnew, Effy 
 Page, who arrested him and had him put into prison im- 
 mediately. 
 
 On seeing this, one of the sergeants came instantly 
 and told Earichty that he thought we should do well to 
 go outside the town to pass the night, and that we could 
 rejoin them in the morning on the great road to Carlow, 
 and if we saw them accompanied by any cavalry, that 
 of course we knew what was best to be done. We followed 
 their advice, and next morning at daylight we saw them 
 at a great distance and alone, which raised our spirits 
 very much ; as we had heard during the night from the 
 country people, that Rathvilly was attacked, and also. 
 the town of Carlow ; w;^ hoped to meet the insurgents 
 some where or other in force but unfortunalely, we 
 were again cruelly disappointed. Passing at Rathvilly we 
 saw a great number of men lying dead on the roadside, 
 where they had been killed the day before by the military 
 who were quartered there. 
 
 On arriving in Carlow, we saw every appearance of 
 the greatest confusion and dismay. The insurgents in 
 great force had attacked the town, at two o'clock that 
 
42 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 morning", the 25'' of may, and altho' they were defeated 
 and dispersed and many of th-nii burned in the houses 
 in TuUow street, where they took shelter, yet it was ge- 
 nerally thought, that they would muster again in greater 
 numbers than ever, as they were not pursued by the 
 cavalry to any distance from the town. We had re- 
 marked, that we did not meet a single corps of yeomanry 
 from Arklow to Carlo w ; they were so frightened that 
 they preferred keeping concentrated in the garrisons of 
 the regular troops. 
 
 Kearny, Earichty and I all concluded, that from every 
 thing we had witnessed and learned during the last two 
 daj's, there must have been an attempt at a general ris- 
 ing in the counties of Carlow, Wexford and Wicklow. 
 We therefore decided at once on making the best of our 
 way back to our own couritr}', where we should be more 
 likely to render service. 
 
 We instantly left Carlow, and at a short distance in the 
 fields, went into the first house we came to. There we 
 remained till night. Earichty had been a good deal at sea 
 with his brother, and seemed to know how. to direct his 
 course on land by the stars, as well as if he had been on 
 the ocean ; he promised to guide us across the country to 
 my mother's place, a distance of m.ore than twenty miles, 
 without following any of the principal roads, where we 
 might be liable to meet patroles — he kept his word. But 
 of all the forced marches I ever made, this was the worst 
 on account of being obliged to leap over hedges and dit- 
 
.MEMOIRS OF MILES liYRXE 43 
 
 clies to avoid the liig-h-way. Poor Kearny caught a dy- 
 sentery by it, of which he died soon after. He was a fine 
 young- man of twenty years of age. ■ — Earichty w'as 
 twenty eight or thirty; six feet two inches high — power- 
 fully made, and well proportioned, sagacious and clever. 
 To him I may say I owed my existence, for we never 
 could have made the journey by night, but for the 
 knowledge of astronomy he acquired at sea. 
 
 We arrived a little before day-break at my mother's 
 house. I approached the house with great precaution 
 (lest there might be soldiers placed there), and I must 
 add, overwhelmed with anxiety, fearing- to learn every 
 thing for the worst. However, finding all silent, I went 
 at once and knocked. My poor si.ster came to the window, 
 trembling and alarmed; un'il she saw it was me. She 
 told me that my mother had gone to Gory to strive to 
 get our step brother Hugh out of prison ; he w'as in the 
 last stage of a decline and liad only arrived a short 
 time before from Dublin, to recover his health. Still 
 the cruel Orangemen took him up, as they could not 
 get me. 
 
 Before I had time to ask any questions, my sister told 
 me, « she hoped to have good news to tell me in the 
 " morning ; that it was certain the people were rising 
 « in every direction, and had already defeated the troops. 
 '• She could not then give me the details, but in an hour 
 « or two, she was sure to be able to satisfy me in every 
 « particular. » Until she ascertained something more posi- 
 
44 MEMOIRS OF MILE? BYRNE 
 
 five, Earichty, Kearny and I thoug-ht it prudent to 
 remain out in a field, concealed near the house, whilst 
 waiting for the news. 
 
 When it was hroiid day lig-ht, we saw my sister run" 
 nine,- to look for us, to give us the cheerful tidings, with 
 all the joyful enthusiasm so characteristic of a young 
 , Irish girl of eighteen. She told us that the troops had 
 ran away from Gory, and that all the prisoners were at 
 liberty to go where they pleased ; hut still the people, or 
 the insurgent army, as we must now call them, did not 
 march that way, but were in great force in the neigh- 
 bourhood of Camolen and Ferns. 
 
 We instantly prepared to go and join them. I distri- 
 buted the few arms I had concealed. My fov.ling piece 
 not having been hid, was taken a month before by Earl 
 Mountnorris corps of yeomanry : but I expected to be 
 able to bring a treasure to our camp, in an immense 
 large jar of powder, which Nich Murphy, Jack Sheridan 
 and I hid some time before. I was cruelly disappointed, 
 when I went to the field and found that it had been dug 
 up and taken away. My sister told me, that some days 
 before, she had seen Sheridan in company with soldiers 
 in that field, but she could not say what they were doing; 
 the unfortunate man discovered this treasure no doubt 
 to save his life. 
 
 It was only now that I beard for the first lime of all 
 the barbarous murders that had been committed' whilst 
 1 was away : the massacre at Carnew — the murder of 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES RYRNE 45 
 
 poor Garrett Fennell, Darcy and a list of others who 
 had shared the same fate. My dear sister thoiio'ht she 
 could never tell me euoug-h about all that had happened 
 during- my absence ; how oar horses were taken, and . 
 that three men mounted my mare, and sprained her back, ■ 
 etc. — But if I had not remarked a long scar on her 
 neck, she would not have mentioned any thing- about 
 herself. A yeoman of the name of Wheatly, of the Gory 
 corps, the day on which poor Hug'h was arrested, threat- 
 ened to cut her throat with his sabre, if she did not tell 
 instantly the place where I was hiding- : the cowardly 
 villain no doubt would have put his threat in execution. ■ 
 had not some of his comrades interfered to prevent 
 him. 
 
 Beiug- joined by a few of our farmer workmen and te- 
 nants sons, who heard 1 had returned, I prepared ag-ain 
 to take leave of my sister, knowing that m}' dear mother 
 would soon be home to keep her company. This time she 
 saw me depart with joy and delight, for she had set her 
 heart and soul on the success of our undertaking ; her 
 courage and spirit was surprising under such circums- 
 tances, for a girl of her age and she never despaired. — 
 I ind her farewell and marched off with my faithful 
 friends Earichty, Kearney and the others who had just 
 joined us on the great road to Camolen, a distance of seven 
 miles, and reached this town without meeting with a 
 single armed man to oppose us. Here, we learned all the 
 particulars of father John Murphy's wonderful success 
 
46 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYKNE 
 
 the night before, and we instantly resolved to march and 
 join him without delay. 
 
 The reverend John Murphy of the parish of Monageer 
 and Boole-vogue was a worthy, simple, pious man, and 
 one of those roman catholic priests who used, the great- 
 est exertions and exhortations to oblige the people to 
 surrender their pikes and fire arms of every description. 
 As soon as the cowardly yeomanry thought that all the 
 arms were given up, and that there was no farther risk, 
 they took courage and set out on whit Saturday, the 
 26'' of may 1798, burning and destroying all before 
 tliem Poor father John seeing his chapel and his house, 
 and many others of the parish all on fire, and in several 
 of them the inhabitants consumed in the flames, and 
 that no man seen in coloured clothes could escape the 
 fury of the yeomanry, betook himself to the next wood, 
 where he was soon surrounded by the unfortunate people 
 who had escaped ; all came beseeching his reverence to 
 tell them, what was to become of them and their poor 
 families : he answered them abruptly, that they had bet- 
 ter die courageously in the field than be butchered in 
 their houses : that for his own part, if he had any brave 
 men to join him, he was resolved to sell his life dearly, 
 and prove to those cruel monsters that they should not 
 continue their murders and devastations with impunity. 
 All answered and cried out, that they were determined 
 to follow his advice and to do whatever he ordered. 
 « \Yell then, » ho replied, » we must wIkmi night conies, 
 
MEMOIRS OK MIMvS BYRNE 47 
 
 « get armed the best way we can, with pitch forks and 
 « other weapons, and attack the ("amoleu yeoman 
 « cavah'y on their way back to Earl Mountnorris, 
 « where they will return to pass the night, after 
 « satisfying their savage rage on the defenceless 
 u country people. » 
 
 Father John's plan was soon put in execution ; he 
 went to the high road by which the corps was to return , 
 left a few men near a house, with instructions to place 
 two cars across the road, the moment the last of the 
 cavalry had passed, and at a short distance from tlience, 
 half a quarter of a mile, he made a complete barricade 
 across the high w^ay, and then placed all those brave 
 fellows who followed him, behind a hedge along the road 
 side ; and in this position he waited to receive this famous 
 yeomanry cavalry returning from being glutted with all 
 manner of crimes during this memorable day, the 26'' 
 of may 1798. 
 
 About nine o'clock at night, this corps, riding in 
 great speed, encountered the above mentioned obstacle 
 on the road, and were at the same moment atta'cked from 
 front to rear, by father John and his brave men with 
 their pitch forks. The cavalry after discharging their 
 pistols got no time to reload them, or to make liinch use 
 of their sabres. In short, they were literally lifted out of 
 their saddles, and fell dead under their horses feet. 
 Lieutenant Booky who had the command, in t';e absence 
 of Earl Mountnorris, was one of the first killed ; he was 
 
48 MKMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 a sanguinary villain, and it seemed a just judgment that 
 befell them all : but be that as it may, father John and 
 his men ^vere much elated with their victory, and get- 
 ting- arms, ammunition and horses by it, considered them- 
 selves formidable, and able at least to beat the cruel yeo- 
 manry in every rencounter. They marched at once to 
 Camolen Park, the residence of Lord Mountnorris, 
 where they got a great quantity of arms of every des- 
 cription, and which had been taken from the country 
 people for months before; and even the carabines belong- 
 ing to the corps, and which had not been distributed, 
 waiting the arrival of the Earl from Dublin. 
 
 During the night, and the next day, wdiit Sunday, the 
 27'' of may, the people flocked in to join father John's 
 standard, on hearing of his success; and as soon as the 
 news w^as known in Gory, the troops took fright and 
 abandoned the town, letting the prisoners go where they 
 pleased. But finding that father John had marched in 
 another direction, they returned and resumed their per- 
 secutions as before : they again arrested great numbers 
 and had them placed in the market liouse loft, ready to 
 be butchered, the moment the insurgents made their ap- 
 pearance before the town. Poor Perry was amongst the 
 prisoners, and in a dreadful state, having the skin as 
 well as the hair burnt off his head. Esmond Cane was ar- 
 rested that day and made a prisoner. 
 
 Father John might have marched to Gory and even 
 to Acklow, w ithout meeting with much resistance, but 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 49 
 
 lie thought it would be more advisable to raise the whole 
 county of Wexford first, and get possession of the prin- 
 cipal towns. In consequence of this decision, on whit- 
 sunday, the 27th of may, he marched with all his forces, \ 
 then amounting to four or five thousand men, to Oulard \ 
 Hill, a distance of ten miles from Wexford, and five from ! 
 Enniscorthy.He encamped on this hill for the purpose of ■ 
 giving an opportunity to the unfortunate people who 
 were hiding, to come and join him. He soon perceived 
 several corps of yeomanry cavalry in sight, but all keep- 
 ing at a certain distance from the hill, waiting till the 
 infantry from Wexford arrived to make the first the 
 attack. 
 
 Shortly after, he saw a large force on march, flanked 
 by some cavalry, and as soon as they began to mount the 
 hill, father John assembled his men and shewed them 
 the different corps of cavalry that were waiting, he said, 
 « to see us dispersed by the foot troops, to fall on us and 
 « to cut us in pieces ; but let us remain firm together 
 « and we shall surely defeat the infantry, and then we 
 « shall have nothing to dread from the cavalry, as they 
 « are too great cowards to venture into the action. )> All 
 promised to conform to his instructions, a Well then, » 
 he rejoined, « we must march against the troops that are 
 rt mounting the hill, and when they are deployed and 
 « ready to begin the attark, we must retreat precipita- 
 « tely back to wdiere we are and then throw ourselves 
 « down behind this old ditch », pointing to a boundary 
 
 4 
 
50 MEMOIRS OK MILES BYRNE 
 
 on the the top of the hill. All his instructious were exe- 
 cuted as he had ordered. 
 
 BATTLE OF OULAED HILL 
 
 The king's troops were commanded by colonel Foote and 
 major Lombard, and as soon as they came within about 
 two muskets shot of the insurgents, they deployed and 
 prepared for action, but became enraged when they saw 
 the insurgents retreating back to the top of the hill ; 
 however they followed quickly, knowing that the hill 
 was completely surrounded iiy the several corps of yeo- 
 manry cavalry, and that it was impossible or the insur- 
 gents to escape before they came in with them. 
 
 Father John allowed the infantry to come within half 
 musket shot of the ditch and then a few men on each 
 flank and in the centre stood up, at the sight of which, 
 the whole line of infantry fired a volley. Instantly father 
 John and all his men sallied out and attacked the soldiers, 
 who were in the act of re-charging their arms ; and al- 
 though they made the best fight they could with iheir 
 muskets and bayonets, they were soon overpowered and 
 completely defeated by the pik men, or rather by the men 
 with pitch-forks and other weapons; for very few had 
 ])ikes at this battle, on account of having given them up 
 b}' the exhortations and advice of the priests. 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 51 
 
 Of this formidable expedition which was sent from 
 Wexford on the 27th of may, to exterminate the insur- 
 gents, very few returned to bring the woeful tidings of 
 their defeat, and the glorious victory obtained by the 
 people over their cruel tyrants. Of the North Cork party, 
 that had been the scourge of the country, for several 
 months previous, and so distinguished for making Oran- 
 gemen, hanging, picketing, putting on pitch-caps, etc. 
 Major Lombard, the hon""' captain DeCourcy, lieutenants 
 Williams. Ware,' Barry and ensign Keogh, with all the 
 privates but two, were left dead on the field of battle 
 In short, none escaped except colonel Foote, a sergeant, 
 a drummer and the tw^o privates, mentioned above. The 
 -insurgents had but three killed and five or six wounded. 
 The Shilmalier cavalry commanded by colonel Lehunt, as 
 well as the different corps of cavalry that surrounded 
 the hill during the battle, and which did not take any 
 part in the action, in their precipitate retreat to Wexford, 
 Enniscorthy and Gory, shot every man they met on the 
 road ; went to the houses, called the people to their doors 
 and put them to death : many who were asleep, shared 
 the same fate, their houses being mostly burned. 
 
 Solomon Richards, coramandei- of the Enniscorthy ca- 
 valry, and Hawtry White who commanded all the troops 
 of cavalry sent from Gory to exterminate the people, 
 surpassed any description that could be given of the 
 cruel deeds of those cowardly monsters, who ran away 
 that memorable day, « whitsunday « the 27th of may 
 
52 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 1798. They little thoug-lit however that for every one 
 they put to death in cold blood, they were sending thou- 
 sands to join the insurgent camp. 
 
 Father John and his little army now became quite 
 flushed with their last victory. Seeing the king's troops 
 flying and escaping in every direction, they w"ere at a 
 loss to know W'hich division they should pursue , they 
 however (having as yet no cavalry), marched from Oulard 
 Hill and encamped for the night on CarrigrewHill. Next 
 morning, the 28th of may, at seven o'clock, they marched 
 to Camolen, and from thence to Ferns. Not meeting with 
 any of the king's troops in this tow^n to oppose them, 
 and having learned that they had retreated to Gory and 
 to Enniscorthy, father John resolved at once to attack 
 this last town; in order to afford a better opportunity to 
 the brave and unfortunate country people to escape from 
 their hiding places and come to join his standard, he 
 and his little army crossed the Slauey by the bridge at 
 Scarawalsh; and certainly this skilful manoeuvre or coun- 
 termarch had the happiest result; for, immediately on 
 crossing the river, he was joined by crowds, and amongst 
 them, many of those splendid young men who so much 
 distinguished themselves in every action after^^ards 
 against the enemies of their country ; such as, Ned Fen- 
 nell, John Doyle of Ballyellis, Nick Murphy of Mona- 
 seed, Michael Redmond and Mat Morney from little Li- 
 merick. Thomas Synnot of Kilbride, though not so young 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 53 
 
 as many of the others, surpassed them in activity. In 
 short, all the fine brave young- men of the most respect- 
 able class of farmers in the neighbourhood joined on this 
 memorable day; all of them agreed to obey and comply 
 with father John's instructions, and to have his order 
 strictly executed ; offering him, at the same time, their 
 opinions on the best way of carrying on the war : to all 
 of which this courageous, simple man, listened with de- 
 light. Thus he became general in chief « provisionally. » 
 Would to God he had been confirmed in this rank all 
 through! His lieutenants now only vied with each other 
 in shewing their skill and bra\ery against the cruel 
 enemy that had been desolating the country for 
 months. 
 
 These young men only wanted a little drilling, to be- 
 come great leaders and excellent officers, to enable them 
 to obtain by their courage and tolerance the complete 
 independence of Ireland. Nothing could be farther from 
 their views than a religious war. The best proof of this 
 assertion is, their love and sincere attachment to Perry 
 and all the other protestant chiefs embarked with them 
 in this holy struggle to get rid of the cruel english yoke 
 and to have established in its stead, perfect toleration for 
 every creed and religious persuasion — that is to say, 
 civil and religions liberty for v all » to the greatest extent 
 possible. Such was the sacred engagement of the united- 
 irishmen to one another, from the commencement of the 
 war, and which they never suffered to be violated in 
 
54 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 their capacity as chiefs, whenever they had the means to 
 prevent it. Yet because three or four priests were driven 
 from their neutral position by the blood-thirsty Orange- 
 men, to join the people's camp, the English government 
 wished to stamp the war in Ireland of 1798 as merely a 
 religious war carried on by priests. Yet now, strange to 
 say, this same government and English nation, holds up 
 to the skies, as the greatest heroes of the age, those bi- 
 shops and priests who marched forward with the crucifix 
 as their standard, at the head of the people in Spain, 
 Portugal, Hungary and Lombardy, to drive the French 
 and Austrians from their various countries. The unfor- 
 tunate Irish Roman catholic priests of that day did not 
 shew their love of country as the Spanish and Italian 
 clergy did, and for this want of patriotism, they were 
 but ill requited by the English government who profited 
 by it. 
 
 The priests saved the infamous English government in 
 Ireland from destruction, and for their pious assiduity 
 and earnest endeavours on this occasion, to keep the peo- 
 ple in thraldom, they were but poorly recompensed. 
 With the exception of doctor Troy, the catholic arch-bi- 
 shop of Dublin, few or none got favours for themselves or 
 their friends. Had ten counties of Ireland produced, each 
 at the same time, a father John Murphy, with his success, 
 the remaining thirty two would all have followed the 
 example. Then the english forces would have beeii obli- 
 ged to have evacuated the country; their army reduced 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 55 
 
 by desertion and sickness would have been overwlielmed 
 in every part by the multitude of people pouring in upon 
 them in every direction. 
 
 I feel this long* digression necessary at this epoch of 
 my narrative, on account of the great pains taken by the 
 enemies of the independence of Ireland, to make it appear, 
 that the catholic united Irishmen had no other object in 
 view than retaliation and revenge on their protestant fel- 
 low countrymen during the war. If none but the slanderer 
 sir Eichard Murgrave had propagated such a calumny, 
 I would not deign to refute it, but the book-making bi- 
 got, the protestant minister Gordon, whilst he allows 
 that the greatest atrocities and murders were committed 
 by the protestant yeomanry on the unarmed and inno- 
 cent catholics, previous to the rising, still condemns fa- 
 ther John Murphy, as a vulgar, ferocious fanatic, because 
 he had the courage to take the field and give battle to 
 those blood-tliirsty troops in which Gordon's son was an 
 officer. Is this impartial history? 
 
 On the other hand, honest Edward Hay, one of the ca- 
 tholic aristocracy, who had his brother executed in Wex- 
 ford as an united Irish man, and chief of insurgents, 
 W'ishes to make it appear, in his narrative, that there 
 were very few united Irish men in his country-, tlie 
 county of Wexford; because, the reports found at Oliver 
 Bonds scarcely made mention of the county of Wexford. 
 The reason is simple. The county Delegate, Robert Gra- 
 
56 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 ham, had the good fortune to arrive too late at Bonds, 
 and escaped Therefore, his report of men and arms, to 
 the provincial meeting could not he ascertained. 
 
 In an other page Edward Hay tells, that from the ex- 
 hortations and exertions of the priests in every parish, 
 the pikes were surrendered, and generally lodged in the 
 chapels at night. He also mentions that Baynel Harvey 
 had brought all from his district the day he was arrested. 
 Thus, as none but united Irishmen would risk having 
 pikes, and they were discovered every where, it proves 
 that the great mass of the people were united Irishmen. 
 The government knew it perfectly. Therefore it is use- 
 less to strive to maintain, that the county of Wexford 
 people were less desirous than those of other counties to 
 shake off the yoke of England. 
 
 What a misfortune for Ireland not to be able to produce 
 one historian who could boast, that he was neither a 
 place hunter, placeman or pensioner of the English go- 
 vernment! To such a man, the most valuable materials 
 could be furnished. — ■ What a pity and misfortune, that 
 the author of « captain Rock » did not possess a thousand 
 a year, or at least an independence which might have 
 enabled him to live out of England ! He could have 
 brought his history of Ireland down to the union, and 
 even later, instead of leaving it off at the reign of 
 Henry VIII; thereby he would have had an opportunity 
 of doing justice to father John, and to all those brave pa- 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 57 
 
 triots of 1798 who sacrificed every thing dear to them, 
 life, fortune, all the enjoyments on earth, to see Ireland 
 free and governed by Irishmen, and as she ought to be, 
 in place of being the last and most unfortunate country 
 on the face of the globe. 
 
 Another Irishman who took upon himself to write and 
 publish the history of the brave united Irishmen, says : 
 « he is not for revolutions made by the sabre; » but as 
 this declaration coincides so well with the fulsome cant 
 of « not spilling one drop of blood ; » I shall leave these 
 divines to be judged by posterity", and return to father 
 John Murphy, who would have been the last man in 
 the world to transgress the divine laws of his religion. 
 By acting as he did, to resist englisli murderers, he she- 
 wed to the tyrants of the earth, how dangerous it is to 
 drive even slaves to desperation ; his success in this 
 just war affords a fine specimen of what a people are 
 capable when resolved to be free. 
 
58 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 Bat Lie and taking of the town of Enniscorthy without caiiitulation. Preci 
 pitate retreat of tlie king's troops to "Wexford. The people of the Irish 
 army encamp on Vinegar Ilill, 28th may 1798. 
 
 As soon as it was decided to attack the town of Ennis- 
 corthy, father John marched his litth- army to the hill 
 of Balliorril. I still call it his army, amounting now to 
 about seven or eight thousand men, six or seven hun- 
 dred of whom were armed with muskets or fowling 
 pieces and tolerably supplied with ammunition : but not 
 having either artillery or cavalry, it required the grea- 
 test care and precaution to provide provisions, and have 
 them always at hand, to leave no pretext to the men to 
 quit the camp in search of them ; consequently, a park 
 of cattle was soon collected and driven by careful men at 
 the rear of the column. A halt on this hill of Balliorril 
 became necessary after a march of six hours, in order to 
 let those who were fatigued, repose themselves. Besides, 
 vast numbers were seen escaping from the Orangemen 
 and marching towards the hill. Amongst these was the 
 reverend Michael Murphy of Ballycarnew. who was 
 accompanied by several fine young fellows, who, though 
 badly armed, had all some kind of weapon, and each 
 longed for an opiiortunit}' to use them. 
 
 Every disposition that could be thought of was now in 
 readiness, and at half past one o'clock, father John at 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 59 
 
 tlie head of his little army left the hill and marched to 
 attack Enniscorthy. A small advance g-uard of two hun- 
 dred men with fire arms flanked by some pikemen, pre- 
 ceded him. They were met at the Duffrey gate, outside 
 of the town, by the whole military force of the garrison, 
 composed of several corps of infantry and cavalry, com- 
 manded by captains Pounden, Cornocks, Richards, Ja- 
 cobs^ etc., with the exception of captain Snow of the 
 North Cork militia, who did not think it prudent to quit 
 tlie town and march with the infantry under his orders : 
 ]irobably in consequence of the severe lesson which his 
 regiment had received the day before on Oulard Hill. But 
 be that as it may, father John's advance guard was at- 
 tacked and charged desperately by the Enniscorthy ca- 
 valry, the moment it approached the Duffrey gate, and 
 was forced, not to retreat, but to get behind the ditches 
 on each side of the road, and thus escaped the fury of the 
 further charges of the cavalry, who had to fall Ijack on 
 t' eir infantry corps, that- were placed in the rear, at the 
 point where two or three roads join leading into the town 
 from the Duffrey gate. 
 
 Father John fearing it would be very dilRcult to get 
 hi.s jukemen to attack this mass of infantry so well pos- 
 ted, flanked on one side b}' the river Slaney, and on the 
 other by houses and walls, from which a continual firg 
 was kept up, and many of his men killed when they ad- 
 vanced, bethought himself of a stratagem, after consult- 
 
60 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 ing* with the other leaders ; it consisted, in getting- some 
 thirty or forty of the youngest and wildest of the cattle 
 brought from the rear of his column goaded on by some 
 hundreds of brave, decided pikemen, which immediately 
 threw the Enniscorthy infantry into the greatest confu- 
 sion. The more they fired, the more the cattle and their 
 drivers advanced through the smoke and balls, until the 
 line was completely broken, and all forced to retreat pre- 
 cipitately into the town, where captain Snow and his 
 infantry had remained on the bridge and secured thus 
 the passage to this panic striken army, that boasted in 
 the morning they would never return until all the insur- 
 gents were exterminated. They now however betook 
 themselves to the houses, from which a tremendous firing- 
 was kept up from the windows and doors on the insur- 
 gents, who bravely pursued them into the town. Though 
 exposed to the greatest danger, under the terrible fire, 
 and seeing their comrades fall dead by their side, yet the 
 people set to work calmly and determinedly to besiege 
 every house wdiere the enemy took refuge. Such perseve- 
 rance and courage finally succeeded. The king's troops 
 seeing some houses on fire in the suburbs, on the road 
 to Wexford, and a great number of people appearing 
 suddenly on the top of Vinegar hill, which commands 
 the town completely, they believed they were going to be 
 attacked on all sides ; and from what they had already 
 experienced of the intrepidity of this gallant little Irish 
 army, they suddenly sounded a retreat and tied to Wex- 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 61 
 
 lord, in the greatest disorder, abandoning- the town wi- 
 tliout being* able to put their threats into execution, to 
 luiveall the prisoners put to death that were confined in 
 tlie castle. Fortunately the keeper of the prison was one 
 of the first to escape and took the keys with him, so the 
 cruel Orangemen were disappointed, not having- time to 
 ,^ have the doors broken open before their flight. 
 
 But had father John's army been less fatigued and ex- 
 hausted, after the long march made in the morning, and 
 fighting all day, without having had time to take any 
 nourishment, half this infernal band would have been 
 made prisoners, before they reached Wexford ; for they 
 neither observed order nor discipline ou the way ; officers 
 taking off their epaulets and other marks of distinction, 
 to try to pass for [)rivates, in the event of being overta- 
 ken by the people. 
 
 No doubt they fought bravely and defended themselves 
 as well as they could during the battle, until they were 
 over powered, but I will never call a man brave who 
 kills his fellow man in cold blood, whom he finds unar- 
 med and unal)le to resist. This was the kind of bravery 
 the military were practising every where throughout the 
 country, previous to the insurrection, without having 
 the pretext, or excuse of reprisals, or retaliation of any 
 kind; — cowardly murderers, wantonly committing all 
 sorts of crimes for mouths before, and now they were 
 
62 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 forced to abandon their houses, and far the greater part 
 to leave their families behind them, at the mercy of this 
 brave army that took the town by storm, and after a bat- 
 tle that lasted more than four hours, and during the latter 
 ])art of which, the people had to fight with the greatest 
 disadvantage. Yet compare and contrast their conduct 
 after the victory with that of the cruel yeomanry and mi- 
 litary. There were no houses burned or pillaged after the 
 towni was taken : yet the victors did not want for pre- 
 texts for reprisals and revenge. The houses were no doubt 
 searched for arms and ammunition, for the people stood 
 in tlie greatest need of ammunition, having used almost 
 all they had during the battle 
 
 No doubt, the sudden flight of many of the families be- 
 longing to the yeomanry excited the greatest sympathy, 
 when they arrived in Wexford, amongst the inhabitants 
 of every class ; but there was little pity shewn to the un- 
 fortunate women and children who had been forced to 
 sleep out in the ditches for weeks before, and whose hus- 
 bands and fathers were hunted day and night by this 
 same yeomanry, and who were sure fo be shot if they 
 fell into the hands of those blood thirsty monsters, who 
 were a disgrace to humanity. 
 
 A camp was immediately formed on Vinegar hill, and 
 the Irish army marched there without delay to pass the 
 night. A report that fresh troops were coming to attack 
 them had the best effect, as it caused all the stragglers 
 to quit the town and join their respective corps on the 
 hill. 
 
MEMOIRS OK .MILKS BYRNE 63 
 
 The numbers of killed and wounded was nearly equal 
 on both sides ; however in the town the people had more 
 killed on account of having- been fired at from the houses 
 as they entered. But at the Duffrey gate, the king's troops 
 had more than a hundred killed, with several officers ; 
 captain JohnPounden of the Enniscorthy infantry, lieute- 
 nant Hunt of the yeomanry and lieutenant Garden of the 
 Scarawalsh infantry were found amongst the dead after 
 the battle. 
 
 I trust that one day, when poor Ireland will be free, 
 that there will be a monument raised to the memory of 
 those brave men who so heroically contributed to gain 
 the battle of Enniscorthy : to Thomas Synnott, who with 
 liis little band waded the river Slaney, above the town, 
 under the fire of the enemy ; and to those fine fellows in 
 the suburbs, whotset fire to their own houses in the rear 
 of the king's troops, and made them thereby suppose 
 that they were surrounded on all sides, and caused them 
 to flv with confusion in everv direction. 
 
 REFLECTIONS 
 
 It would be indeed difficult to appreciate the great and 
 precious results that might have been obtained after the 
 victory at Enniscorthy, for the independence of Ireland, 
 had this victory been promptly followed up by another, 
 
64 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRXE 
 
 which could have been easily accomplished the day after 
 the battle, the 29th of may, in place of waiting on Vine- 
 gar hill to receive deputations from the garrison of Wex- 
 ford, which had literally capitulated, by letting out their 
 prisoners, and sending these same- prisoners to make 
 terms for them, or in other words, to give them time to 
 escape. The entire irish forces, amounting then to ten 
 or twelve thousand, should have marched at once on New 
 Ross, which town they would have readily taken, for the 
 military there were equally terror struck as those of 
 Wexford. From New Ross, the army could follow the river 
 Barrow to Carlow, and this rapid march would have af- 
 forded an opportunity to the Queen's county as well as 
 the Qounty of Kilkenny to rise in a mass and form camps 
 of their own ; and on the same day, the 29th, three or 
 four thousand could have been spared and sent to take 
 Bunclody or Newtown Barry, w-here the troops were also 
 terror stricken, in place of giving them time to recover 
 from their panic, to the first of June, four days later, 
 when the town was taken, but evacuated th ^ same day, 
 on account of re-inforcements coming to the aid of the 
 garrison. 
 
 Newtow n Barry in possession of the Irish army, they 
 could have followed up their victory along the river 
 Slaney to Tullow, where those brave men W'ho failed at 
 Carlow on the 25tli of may, would all have joined and 
 have had a better occasion, and more time to prepare for 
 new combats. Another great advantage would have been 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 65 
 
 obtained by this rapid march, Garrett Byrne of Ballyma- 
 nus would have marched with his brave county of Wick- 
 low men to this camp, and the junction once formed, he 
 would have had the chief command, which would have 
 had the happiest effect, as he enjoyed the highest consi- 
 deration and was beloved and esteemed by all. All would 
 have obeyed and executed his orders most willingly. But 
 instead of this, those brave Wicklow men were making 
 night marches, in groups of twenties, to join the camp at 
 Vineo-ar hill. By the time they arrived, it was not men 
 that was wanting ; for the brave and dauntless Thomas 
 Cloney of Moneyhore, joined the camp on the 29th of 
 may, at the head of a splendid corps of fine determined 
 fellows. Cloney though young, being about 24 years of 
 age, was a man of the soundest judgment, the purest 
 honour and coolest bravery, and well fitted to be a chief. 
 He was six feet, two or three inches high, well propor- 
 tioned and handsome. He would, had the war continued 
 and succeeded, not only have become a good general, but 
 a stateman and senator. He was ever ready to save the 
 lives of all prisoners, and often at the risk of his own : 
 still he was cruelly persecuted for his humanity and 
 uprightness. His long imprisonment and sufferings are 
 well known to every true Irish patriot. I feel at a loss 
 for expressions to do justice to the memory of Mr Cloney ; 
 I knew him well, and as I shall have to speak of him 
 often, before my narrative is finished, I shall endeavour 
 to make amends for any omissions of what could have 
 redounded to his honour. 
 
66 MEMOIRS OF WILES BYRNE 
 
 Another g-entleman, one of the purest Irish patriots 
 that ever lived, joined the people's camp at Enniscorthy 
 on the 29th of may. William Barker was a wealthy resi- 
 dent of the town, connected not only with all the catholic 
 aristocracy of the county, but nearly allied to the first 
 protestant families of the town and county ; not belon- 
 g-ing: to any political society whatever, he did not hesi- 
 tate to take a command, when a chance offered to set 
 Ireland independent and free. He had, in my mind, more 
 merit than almost any one who took part in this war. 
 
 Mr Barker having- served with distinction in France, 
 in one of the irish brigades, Walsh's regiment, the people 
 had great confidence in his experience as an officer and 
 a brave soldier, and were therefore ready to obey and 
 execute his orders. His brilliant conduct at the battle of 
 Vinegar hill, on the 21st of June, when, at the head of the 
 division, he commanded the important post at theDuffrey 
 gate, against the english troops, and where he lost his 
 arm, proved that the people had made a good choice. But 
 I shall enter more fully on that subject, when I come to 
 describe the battle. Mr Barker being consulted, proposed 
 at once to march to take New Ross the same day, which 
 would probably have been accomplished without much 
 loss, the panic then being so great amongst the king's 
 troops. Unfortunately, Mr Barker was outvoted by the 
 other chiefs, all of whom wished to take Wexford first. 
 No doubt it was of great importance to have the county 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 67 
 
 town at once, but it was of still greater importance not 
 to give the eneraj' eight days to recruit their forces 
 at New Ross, as was the case, for it was not attacked till 
 the 5'i of June. Had it been taken on the 29th of may, it 
 would have opened a communication and roused the peo- 
 ple of the whole province of Munster to take up arms 
 against the common foe, as it was the key and leading- 
 road into that country where there were few regular 
 troops ; and as to the yeomen cavalry, they were only 
 good for shooting the poor defenceless people in cold 
 blood, and in the event of a general rising, their cruel 
 conduct would soon have proved more prejudicial to the 
 king's army than to the Irish, as it would drive every 
 one able to carry arms, to join the irish standard. The 
 people of the adjoining counties of Waterford, Tipperary 
 and Kilkenny not rising at this critical moment, afHicted 
 and saddened the lovers of the independence of Ireland, 
 for the awful crisis had arrived when every true hearted 
 irishman should have taken up arms to drive the common 
 enemy out of his country. It was not want of courage, 
 but want of unanimity amongst the chiefs to take the 
 field, according to the pledges or promises they had so- 
 lemnly given. No doubt, many of them were absent, or in 
 prison, but still sufficient remained to head the people to 
 victory and to follow the sublime example of the brave 
 people of the county of Wexford. But alas ! the destiny 
 of poor Ireland is still depending on chance, as it was in 
 december 1796, when general Grouchy, in the absence 
 
68 MEMOIRS OF MILES IIYUNE 
 
 of general Heche failed, not from want of courage, but of 
 a fixed determination to land at once the french army 
 then under his command in Ireland and march straight- 
 forward to Dublin ; there being no en^lish forces suffi- 
 cient in the country at the time to oppose him. On the 
 contrary, more than a hundred thousand irishmen would 
 have joined him before he had reached the capital, where 
 he would have found the means of equipping and arming 
 them in a very short time. 
 
 I may be asked, if it was so easy to raise a hundred 
 thousand men, why not do the business without french 
 aid? The reply is simple — a rallying point and arms 
 were wanting to the irish patriots of 1796. But the battle 
 and victory of Enniscorthy, in 1798, would, in a great 
 measure, have supplied those deficiencies, had two great 
 laults not been committed after this victory. The first I 
 have already described, which was, not having- followed 
 Mr Barker's advice, to march on the 29th of may to New 
 Ross, in place of Wexford,and thereby afford an opportu- 
 nity to the province of Munster to rise en masse. This ge- 
 neral rising would give sufiScient occupation to the king's 
 regular troops ; and as to the yeomanry, I have said be- 
 fore, they were rendering service to the irish army by 
 their cruelty to the people who had not joined the 
 camp. 
 
 The second great fault was, having concentrated the 
 irish forces at Vinegar hill, there to wait and accept a 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 69 
 
 g'eneral battle on the 21'' of June, with scarcely any 
 pieces of artillery, or cavalry of any kind, against the en- 
 glish army, well supplied with both. Nothing- was more 
 easy than to have avoided this battle; if the division 
 which came from the county of Wicklow, in place of 
 marching- to Vinegar hill to cover Wexford, had marched 
 into the mountains of the county of Wicklow, where 
 it had nothing- to dread from either cavalry or artillery ; 
 nnd by this manoeuvre approaching Dublin, the english 
 division would have been obliged to fall back immedia- 
 tely to cover the capital. Thus, the war would have been 
 prolonged until the French landed, in august, under 
 general Humbert. Although the forces which this brave 
 general brought only consisted of a detachment of eight 
 hundred men, from the moral effect it would have had, it 
 would have been quite sufficient to raise the three pro- 
 vinces en masse : for all knew well, that other expeditions 
 were in readiness to sail from France to reinforce general 
 Humbert's advance guard, for as such it was considered - 
 Then, the ever-to-be-lamented Tone, Tandy, and many 
 other chiefs w^ould have accompanied french troops to 
 every part of Ireland, when the people would have 
 rallied round them as their liberators. 
 
 I thought this long digression necessary to prove and 
 to explain the immense importance of the victory gained 
 at Enniscorthy, had it been rapidly followed up by one 
 or two more, which at that time, could have been so 
 
70 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 easily obtained. It was only necessary to continue to 
 obey for a few days longer those chiefs under w'hose 
 command the last two battles were gained, and to wait 
 to make a proper choice of a commander in chief and 
 staff from amongst the splendid young fellows who were 
 distinguishing themselves in every combat against the 
 common enemy. 
 
CHAPTER II 
 
 Great indecision in the camp. Arrival of the deputies from Wexford with 
 propositions from tlie .carrison and Iving's troops there. The irish army 
 march and encamp on tlio tliree rock mountain near Wexford to pass 
 the night. Next morning, the 30th, defeat of thoMeath mihtia : two pieces 
 of cannon with their amnumition waggons taken. Negotiation and sur- 
 render of AVexford to Hie irish army. Bagnel Harvey released from prison 
 and named commander in chief hy the people. Cruel conduct of the 
 king's troops in their retreat to Dungannon fort. A. general rising of 
 the inhabitants of the haronios of Bargy and Forth, in consequence. 
 They name (]ornelius Grogan to ho their chief Great resources afforded 
 to general Harvey and his staff and army hy the town of Wexford. 
 
 The camp of Vinegar hill on the morning of the 29 c* 
 of may 1798, after the victory, presented one of the most 
 glorious and splendid scenes that ever occurred for the 
 independence of Ireland. The finest young fellows that 
 any country in the world could produce, were pouring 
 in from oil directions, hut particularly from the barony 
 ofBantry, and the country leading- to Ross. No doubt 
 great confusion and excitement prevailed, but it was fhe 
 excitement of a mass of people beseeching their leaders to 
 lead them on to victory, which they could not fail to ob- 
 tain ; so bent were they on meeting the enemy and on 
 
72 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 having- an opportunity of being revenged on the cruel 
 monsters who were committing e\GY\ crime, violating 
 the women, burning the houses, shooting the owners in 
 cold blood at their doors, in the presence of their wives 
 and daughters, etc. The disputes between contending 
 parties respecting the next town to be attacked were 
 very warm indeed ; some wished to return to Gory, 
 which they knew was again occupied by the king's 
 troops; others wished to march on Carnew, to take ven- 
 geance for the slaughter of the 28 fathers of families 
 slaughtered there, previous to the insurrection, without 
 judge or jury, save the protestant minister Cope, who 
 presided at the massacre. Many came forward to shew 
 themselves as victims, because the^^ had had their hair 
 cropped short; caps with boiling pitch having been put on 
 their heads ; these not only brought off the skin, but the 
 flesh in many instances ; numbers by this inhuman 
 treatment were disfigured for life. — Some who had 
 been picketed and half hung, claimed the right of ven- 
 geance on the towns where these unheard of persecutions 
 had been perpetrated. 
 
 Such were the conflicting scenes to be witnessed 
 on this memorable morning, at the camp of Vinegar 
 hill. 
 
 The brave men who gained the battles of Oulard hill 
 and Enniscorthy, tho' they were fifteen and twenty mi- 
 les from their homes, being mostly from the north and 
 north-east of the town, still agreed with the thousands 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 73 
 
 of young- fellows who had just joined the cam]), to march 
 forthwith and attack Ross, when unfortunately, the ap- 
 pearance of Edward Fitz2:erald of New Park and John 
 Colclough of Ballyteague changed this plan. These 
 g-entlemen had been for some days prisoners with Bagnel 
 Harvey in Wexford jail, charged with being united 
 irishmen. They were liberated and requested to go to the 
 people's camp on Vinegar hill, to pray them to disperse 
 and give up their arras, etc. The absurdity of telling a 
 victorious army to disperse and go to their homes and 
 there wait until they might be shot in detail, shewed how 
 panic struck the cowardly garrison of Wexford was, and 
 hoW' easy it would have been to have captured them, and 
 to have forced « them » to lay down their arms, had 
 there been a rapid march made on the town, instead of 
 the circuitous one to the three-rock mountain, which 
 was made on the 29th and which gave the king's troops 
 time to recover from their panic, and wait for the re-in- 
 forcements they expected hourly from Ross and the Fort 
 of Duncan ncn. 
 
 It was decided that John Colclough should return to 
 Wexford to tell the garrison that no terms but a com- 
 plete surrender of the town would be listened to; and in 
 consequence, as soon as he received his instructions, he 
 set out as the bearer of these woeful tidings for the cruel 
 Orangemen who composed the force of the place. 
 ■ Edward Fitzgerald was detained at the camp, not as 
 an hostage, but as a worthy man possessing a large pro- 
 
74 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 perty and enjoying great influence in the country and 
 to whom the people looked up, as a fit person to become 
 their leader. Mr Fitzgerald knew nothing of military 
 afl'airs, he seemed therefore disinclined to assume any 
 command, but he remained and identified himself with 
 the people and their cause, to which he remained faithful 
 to the last. 
 
 Mr John Hay of Newcastle joined the camp this day, 
 and as he had been some time in the french service, it 
 was thought he would become at once one of the princi- 
 pal commanders; but wdiether from modesty, or from 
 perceiving the want of warlike stores, discipline, ammu- 
 nition, etc., that existed in the camp, and being accusto- 
 med to see nothing but regular service, he could not be 
 prevailed on to take any command that day. Subsequen- 
 tly he fought bravely until he met his untimely end. He 
 was executed at Wexford after the town was retaken. 
 
 It being decided that a small permanent camp should 
 be kept up on Vinegar hill, the army at length set out 
 on its march to attack Wexford. 
 
 Amounting now to at least sixteen thousand men, 
 three thousand of whom had fire arms, and amongst 
 these some of the best marksmen of the country ; parti- 
 cularly those from the barony of Shelmaliere, where the 
 men were trained from their infancy to shoot wild fowl in 
 the marshes during winter as a means of gaining their 
 livelihood ; sending loads of barnacles or sea birds to 
 Dublin weekly. An army flanked by such rifle men hail 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 75 
 
 nothing- to fear from the yeomen cavalry : nor were there 
 any english regailar forces assembled at the time in any 
 part of the country, that could have dared to venture to 
 meet them in the field. Thus the march of this valiant 
 little irish army to the three rock mountain, three miles 
 on the other side of Wexford, was effected without impe- 
 diment. A camp was immediately formed and out posts 
 placed to guard against surprise, and the wearied mass 
 soon betook themselves to rest for the night. But early 
 next morning, the 30th of may, they were roused up by 
 the intelligence, that an armed force with artillery was 
 perceived at a distance on the road leading from Duncan- 
 non fort to Wexford, to reinforce the garrison and king's 
 troops there. 
 
 This news afforded a fortunate occasion to those brave 
 fellows wdio had lately joined, and who longed so much 
 for an opportunity to prove that they were not inferior 
 in courage and intrepidity to those who had gained the 
 battles of Oulard hill and Enniscorthy. This advanced 
 guard of the king's forces sent forward by general Faw- 
 cet who remained himself at Tagmohn, was allowed to 
 proceed on its way until arrived on the road under the 
 three rock mountain, when it was attacked in front and 
 rear at once, by a force detached from the people's camp, 
 led on hj the brave Cloney, John Kelly of Killan, Ro- 
 bert Carty, and Michall Furlong of Templescoley. The 
 fight did not last more than fifteen minutes: the whole 
 detachment of the king's troops was either killed 
 
76 MEMCimS OF MILKS TiYUNE 
 
 wounded, or made prisoners : it consisted of about one 
 hundred men of the Meath militia, artillerymen and 
 three officers comprised, with two pieces of cannon. The 
 result of this brilliant action had the happiest effect, as 
 it not only caused Wexford to surrender forthwith, and 
 struck terror into the enemies and persecutors of the peo- 
 ple every where throughout the country, hut it shewed 
 that this same people could produce the greatest heroes, 
 when fighting for the independence of their belbve.l 
 country, against their cruel english tyrants. 
 
 I have in another part mentioned Thomas Cloney as 
 fitted to have filled the highest situation ; I must now 
 speak of the ever-to-be-lamented John Kelly of Killian, 
 who was considered by all those who knew him, or who 
 saw him in battle, to possess all the finest qualities of tli£ 
 truest patriot and the bravery and heroism of the greatest 
 general of antiquity ; this fine young man would have 
 become the « Hoche » -of Ireland, had the war continued 
 and succeeded. He was recovering fast from the wounds 
 he received at the battle of Ross, when the relentless 
 Orangemen of Wexford had him executed after the town 
 was re-occupied by the king's troops. 
 
 No doubt the result of the victory gained under the 
 three rock mountain was great, but how much greater 
 might it have been, had Edward Fitzgerald, Edward 
 Roache and John Hay (all three considered by the people, 
 from the high station and influence they had in the 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 77 
 
 country, as destined to take a special command), instead 
 of negotiating- with the enemy and affording it thereby 
 time to get away hy land and sea, marched at once on 
 the town with fifteen thousand men and the two howit- 
 zers just taken, to intercept instantly all the roads lead- 
 ing out of the place, particularly the one to barony Forth, 
 to prevent the possibility of a retreat on Duncannon Fort. 
 This measure properly executed, the garrison would 
 have been obliged to surrender at discretion and lay 
 down their arms, or be slaughtered to the last man. The 
 moment to have put this plan into execution was, when 
 colonel Watson, marching with the garrison to attack 
 the camp at the three rock mountain, was killed at the 
 head of the king's troops and that all his men fled back 
 to the town in the greatest disorder and preciintation and 
 with the utmost terror and dismay. Pursued vigourously 
 then, the people would have entered with them pell-mell, 
 without the least hinderance. Besides, at the same time 
 thousands were assembled at the country side of the 
 wooden bridge, ready to co-operate with the Irish army 
 coming from the camp at the three rock mountain to 
 attack the town. This plan not being thought of in time, or 
 at least not put into execution, caused the irish chiefs to 
 become the dupes of the most infernal deception or ruse 
 de guerre ever practiced in such cases. Two respectable 
 and liberal protestant gentlemen, counsellor Richards 
 and his torbher, were deputed from the gari'ison to pro- 
 ceed to the people's camp, to treat for the surrender and 
 
78 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 evacuation of the town by the king's troops ; they brought 
 a letter from Mr Bag-nel Harvey. This gentleman had 
 been a prisoner several days in Wexford jail and was now 
 liberated for the purpose of being made an instrument by 
 his cruel enemies to obtain time for tlieni to get away 
 with their arms and ammunition, all of which should have 
 been surrendered, had the people's decision been execu- 
 ted. The Mess''* Richards were well received at the camp, 
 and it was immediately agreed on, that one of them 
 should remain as an hostage, whilst the other returned 
 accompanied by Mr Edward Fitzgerald, to see the terms 
 of the capitulation fulfilled. On their departure, the camp 
 began to move forward from the three rock mountain, 
 with ridiculous precaution, to the Windmill hills, near 
 the town, to be ready to receive the arms, ammunition 
 and other military stores, to be surrendered according to 
 the articles of the capitulation. But by the time Edward 
 Fitzgerald and counsellor Richards arrived in Wexford, 
 the king's troops had fled, carrying off with them, or 
 destroying, all the arms and ammunition the town 
 contained and of which the people stood in such need. 
 Their exasperation and indignation became so great at 
 the idea of being outwitted by the cowardly garrison, 
 that it required the greatest exertion on the part of the 
 chiefs to prevent the town from being burned to the 
 ground and this danger was not so much apprehended 
 from the over-cautious array of the three rock mountain, 
 as from the thousands of brave fellows who were comine," 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 79 
 
 from the otlier side : and had these men not been delayed 
 repairing the bridge, where a part of it had been burned 
 at the other end, Ferry Bank, they would in all probabi- 
 lity have arrived in time to intercept and destroy great 
 numbers of tlie troops that were escaping in the utmost 
 confusion and disorder, without observing any kind of 
 military discipline. It only required a few hundred re- 
 solute men to be sent after them, to have defeated them 
 completely, before they I'eached the « Scar » at Barry's 
 town. Thus pursued, they would not have had time to 
 quit the high road, to go and kill in cold blood as they 
 did, the unoffending and innocent people through the 
 country, wherever they passed. 
 
 Mr Edward Fitzgerald, in place of having to stipulate 
 with the king's forces for the surrender of the town, was 
 prayed by a few of the civil authorities, D' Jacob the 
 mayor at the head of them, to proceed to the bridge to 
 beseech the mass of people then crossing it, not to set 
 fire to the town He succeeded with the greatest difficulty 
 in appeasing and preventing them for a moment putting 
 into execution the vengeance they thought themselves 
 so well entitled to, from the many persecutions practiced 
 by the cruel magistrates who had fled with the king's 
 troops, and who had contributed so much before and after 
 the insurrection to deluge the country with the blood of 
 its worthiest citizens. 
 
 Whilst Mr Fitzgerald Mas thus occupied in endeavou- 
 
80 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 ring- to pacify those brave fellows who were pouring into 
 the town over the bridge, and shouting « victory and 
 vengeance » the army of the three rock mountain, that 
 luid halted at the Windmill hills, entered the town with 
 more order;, their chiefs' at their head, and all exer- 
 ting themselves in the most praise-worthy manner to 
 prevent pillage, or harm of any kind being offered to the 
 inhabitants, but most particularly for respect to be shewn 
 to the females of every class and party ; they succeeded 
 beyond their expectation, which was wonderful, from 
 the exasperation and disappointment of the~people in nol 
 getting the military stores they were led to expect that 
 the town would have preserved for them. Nothing could 
 surpass the joy and enthousiasm of the patriotic portion 
 of the town's people, to find that their cruel enemies had 
 fled and to see their liberators marching into the town in 
 great triumph. Almost every house was decorated on the 
 occasion with green flags, green boughs and ornamenis 
 of one description or another. All this, with the doors 
 thrown open ever}" where and refreshments of all 
 kinds most freely ofl^ered and distributed by the inhabi- 
 tants, to an army now twenty thousand strong, contribu- 
 ted in a great measure to keep order : besides, parties 
 w^ere immediately sent to search all the ships and vessels 
 in the harbour, in which a good deal of ammunition 
 and arms was found, with those Orang-emen who 
 intended to escape by sea, and who were brought on 
 shore as prisoners. 
 
MI'MOIUS OF MILES BYUNE 81 
 
 Considering- all that had happened during the day, 
 Wexford ^vas remarkably quiet on the night of the 30th 
 of may, hut very early next morning the 31st all began 
 again to be in commotion ; the army became anxious to 
 obtain new victories; orders were given to march out and 
 encamp on the Wind-mill Hills, and to have it divided 
 into two separate bodies or divisions, one of which con- 
 sisting of those who inhabited the Wexford side of the 
 Slaney, marched to Taghmon ; having learned that ge- 
 neral Fawcet had fled from that town precipitately back 
 to Duncannon fort, with the 13tli regiment or Meath 
 militia as soon as he had heard of the defeat of his ad- 
 vanced guard at three rock mountain; there was nothing 
 now to prevent this division of the irish army marching 
 instantly to attack and take the town of Ross. But un- 
 fortunately a want of bold determination prevailed 
 amongst the leaders. At length they named Bagnel Har- 
 vey to be their commander in chief. This gentleman 
 though liberal and "patriotic and enjoying the most un- 
 limited confidence for his integrity and zeal in the sacred 
 cause of the people, did not possess the military talents 
 or qualities necessary for such an important rank and 
 situation ; besides, his very delicate constitution render- 
 ed him quite unfit for such a command. 
 
 Mr Harvey being a protestant of the highest respecta- 
 bility, and chosen by his catholic country men to become 
 their commander in chief, should have been a sufficient 
 proof that it was not a religious war that the Irish were 
 
 6 
 
82 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 engaged in ag-ainst their cruel enemies the English, but 
 a war to obtain equal and adequate rights for people of 
 every religious persuasion, and for the complete inde- 
 pendence of their country. 
 
 The commander in chief now made choice of a num- 
 ber of splendid young men to compose his staff, all of 
 whom would, with a little experience have become dis- 
 tinguished field officers. Amongst these was, John Deve- 
 reux of Taghmou, afterwards general Devereux in the 
 South American service, and who contributed so much 
 to the independence of that country with Bolivar, 
 after he had been forced to expatriate himself to 
 North America to escape the persecutions of the Orange 
 magistrates of Wexford. But his worthy father did not 
 escape the wrath of those vile tyrants ; they had him ar- 
 rested and lodged in Wexford jail, where he died soon 
 after, before they had time to have him executed. 
 
 Besides the means of composing his staff with young- 
 men of exemplary courage and talent, the general in 
 chief Harvey found many other resources in the town of 
 Wexford for his army ; such as gunsmiths for repairing 
 the fire arms, and blacksmiths for forging pikes; a 
 press for printing proclamations, which should have been 
 issued and distributed in thousands, prohibiting pillage 
 or plunder of any kind, but particularly against taking 
 the life of the greatest criminal before he was tried; aud 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 83 
 
 for this purpose, a special commission or court martial 
 should Tiave been formed and attached to each army to 
 try all offenders, and have impartial justice rendered to 
 all parties ; no doubt it would have been a difficult task 
 in the first instance to prevent the thousands who had 
 had their nearest relations killed in cold blood previous 
 to the rising, from taking revenge when any of those 
 monsters fell into their hands, but unfortunately the in- 
 nocent sometimes become the victims of this kind of re- 
 taliation, and it might have proved better policy to do 
 the reverse of what the enemy w'as practising every day; 
 at all events, cold-blooded murders could never be servi- 
 ciable to any cause. 
 
 The baronies of Forth and Bargy afforded great resour- 
 ces to general Harvey as to provisioning his camp with 
 eatables of different kinds; the inhabitants were very in- 
 dustrious and of course well supplied in general with 
 provisions, but they were less alive to the degraded and 
 enslaved state they were kept in than the people of the 
 other baronies of the county, and had not numbers of 
 them been shot by the king's troops retreating from 
 Wexford to Duncannon Fort, very few of them would 
 have joined the camp ; but the news of the murder of so 
 many innocent and defenceless people roused them from 
 their apathy, and filled them with indignation, and in 
 consequence, some thousands of them assembled and wait- 
 ed on Cornelius Grogau of Johnstown and asked him to 
 
84 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE * 
 
 become their chief. This aged gentleman though ill with 
 the gout at the time, accepted ; he mounted his horse im- 
 mediately and went at their head to Wexford, with green 
 banners flying; it caused the greatest joy to the patriots 
 of the town to see a protestant of his high station and 
 large fortune in the country, join their standard. But a 
 cruel destiny awaited this worthy man; he fell a victim 
 to the rage of revenge, being one of the first executed 
 when the town was retaken by the English. His brother 
 Thomas Knox Grogan, captain of the Castletown yeoman 
 cavalry was killed at the battle of Arklow, fighting in 
 the english ranks against the people. The third brother 
 John Grogan, commander of the Heathfield cavalry, re- 
 treated with the king's troops to Duncannon Fort, and 
 yet, nothwithstanding the active part he took at the head 
 of his corps, and his great devotion and loyalty to ever}" 
 thing english, he had not influence enough to save his un- 
 fortunate brother Cornelius from being hanged. Such 
 was the gratitude and the way the best services were 
 requited by the enemies of Ireland, at that awful epoch ! — 
 Captain Keugh a protestant gentleman well known , 
 was named to command the town of Wexford, which was 
 divided into wards, and a commission of the most res- 
 pectable inhabitants elected to act as the police, procur- 
 ing provisions, and seeing them distributed equally to 
 all without distinction. Civil guards were organized; the 
 men chose their officers , the guard did duty night 
 and day, and rendered great service in keeping order. 
 
CHAPTER III 
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 The irisli army separate into t-^-o corps or divisions. On the 31st may at the 
 Windmill Hills one of these under the orders of general Harvey, march 
 to Taghmon, Garrick Byrn, Gorblet Hill, and New Ross. The other corps 
 march in the direction of Gorey, to Vinegar Hill, and Garrigrew Hill, 
 where a camp is formed. On the first June Newtownharry or Bunclody 
 taken and abandoned the same day by a small division of the irish 
 troops. 4th of June Jjattle of Tuberneering or Clough gained over general 
 Loftus and colonel Walpole ; the latter killed and his army destroyed, 
 (iorcy taken the same day. All the prisoners put at liberty. A camp form- 
 ed on the hill near the town. 5th and 6th June reconnoitring parties sent 
 from the camp in all directions. 7th of June the army march to attack 
 Garnew and encamp on Kileavan Hill, having learned that general 
 Loftus and all the king's forces there had fled to TuUow. The 8lh of 
 June the army return to the camp at Gorey. 9th of June the battle of 
 Arklow. 
 
 This was the favourable state of things at Wexford, 
 when general Harvey .and his corps of army marched 
 from the Windmill Hills to Taghmon, wdiere he encamped 
 for the night of the 31st may 1798, whilst the other body 
 or division consisting principally of those from the north 
 side of the Slaney and who had gained the battles of Oul- 
 lard Hill and Enniscorthy, marched back from the Wind- 
 mill Hills in the direction of Gorey to Vinegar hill and 
 to the hill of Carrigrew. This brave little army though 
 
86 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 having many distinguislied leaders, had not as yet cho- 
 sen a general in chief. Father John Murphy always 
 preserved his influence with all those w^ho knew him. 
 
 The reverend Philip Roche had joined by this time , 
 he was a clergyman of the most elegant manners, a 
 fine person, tall and handsome, humane and brave be- 
 yond description. He had been attached at one time to 
 the parish chapel of Gorey, and thereby knew of the 
 many inhuman deeds committed by the Orange magis- 
 trates in that neighbourhood on the defenceless, unarmed 
 people, so he did not hesitate to take an active part in 
 the struggle. 
 
 The reverend Father Kearns having also joined and im- 
 mediately availing himself of his influence as a clergy- 
 man, proposed to march and attack Newtownbarry or 
 Bunclody. He was instantly followed by about two thou- 
 sand five hundred brave, determined men; badly armed 
 as to fire arms, but with pikes and other weapons. Fa- 
 ther Kearns was one of the strongest and most powerful 
 men that could be met with in an.y country, and his bra- 
 very equalled his strength. Had he been bred to the mi- 
 litary profession, in a country like France, where courage 
 and merit were sure of being recompensed, he would 
 have been a Kleber, and soon have been raised to the first 
 rank in any army he made part of. 
 
 On the first of June, Kearns and his small division mar- 
 ched in good order, following up the river Slaney, and 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 87 
 
 driving' the yeomen cavalry before them whenever they 
 came in sight, or dared to make any stand. He halted and 
 drew up his men on a small hill near the town of New- 
 townbarry to give time to the rear guard and the strag- 
 glers to arrive and join the main body. During this halt 
 I approached him for the first time ; he was on horseback 
 and well mounted, and indeed it required a good horse 
 to carry him. I took the liberty of observing to him how 
 desirable it would be to have such a military position on 
 the other side of the town, as the one on which we were 
 standing, as soon as we should be masters of the place. 
 He cut me short. I had still more to say ; he replied, 
 holding up his whip. « Tell all those you have any cou- 
 rt trol over, to fear nothing, as long as they see this whip 
 c< in my hand. » It was the only weapon he possessed. 
 I need not add that this abrupt answer caused a smile on 
 the countenances of all those who were listening to our 
 very short conversation and no doubt augmented their 
 belief that this powerful man was destined to lead them 
 to victory. To speak to him of a rallying point in case of 
 being forced to retreat, would be worse than treason ; his 
 ships were always burned. 
 
 When Father Kearns thought his little army sufficiently 
 rested, he took off his hat, being still on horse-back, 
 and beseeched all to join him in a short prayer; all knelt 
 down ; he then gave the signal for the attack, which was 
 executed with such promptitude and vigour, that colonel 
 
88 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 Lestrange who commanded the g-arrison, with five hun- 
 dred regular infantry, besides the yeomen cavalry, was 
 overwhelmed and forced to retreat precipitately and in 
 the greatest disorder. About twenty of the garrison hav- 
 ing been cut off, not having time to escape, took pos- 
 session of an isolated house belonging to a Mr Maxwell 
 and from the windows of it fired out and killed several 
 people in the streets. It was endeavouring to dislodge 
 these men, that Father Kearns lost time, and was pre- 
 vented pursuing the king's troops that were flying in 
 such disorder, when they were met by a reinforcement 
 of the king's county militia that was coming to their 
 assistance, rallied them and of course gave then new 
 courage. They returned to the town, and did not meet 
 the little irish army in a formidable position to resist 
 them, it being dispersed through the leading streets. 
 These were the real motives which obliged Kearns 
 and his men to retire and evacuate Bunclodj^, or New- 
 townbarry ; and not drunkenness and pillage, as the eter- 
 nal enemies of every thing irish, had it propagated, in 
 i order to bring disgrace on our cause. For my own part, 
 I must declare, that I did not see a single man intoxicated 
 during the time we occupied the town. Besides, the stron- 
 gest liquors could scarcely have caused drunkenness in 
 the short space of time the place was occupied. For, in 
 less than an hour, Kearns and his men were again out- 
 side the town, and being- separated into different detach- 
 ments they had no doubt to light their way through 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 89 
 
 crardens aud lanes for some time; but not bcinG- followed 
 by tlie infantry, they had little to apprehend from the 
 cavalry; for twenty pikemen that kept together with 
 two or three with fire arms, was quite sufficient to keep 
 the best of those corps at a respectful distance. The num- 
 ber of killed and wounded was nearly equal on each 
 side. 
 
 Thus Father Kearns' brave little army, so formidable 
 in the morning, and from which so much was expected, 
 had to retire without being able to accomplish the great 
 object for which tbe expedition was undertaken ; namely, 
 the opening of the communication up the Slaney into 
 the counties of Carlow and Wicklow, and thereby aiford- 
 iug an opportunity to the persecuted inhabitants of these 
 counties that had been dispersed and hunted daily, like 
 wild beasts, to rally again and assemble in such force 
 that their enemies would have been forced to fly before 
 them like chaff. Besides the infamous towns of Carnew 
 and Dunlaven, in the county of Wicklow, where so many 
 cold-blooded murders were perpetrated previous to the 
 rising, would have been chastised as they merited. The 
 town of Tullow would have been taken at once and Car- 
 low would have been afforded another chance of reven- 
 ging its disasters of the 25th of may, and the cruel 
 death and execution of the excellent and humane sir | 
 Edward Crosby, whom every on;> lamented, with the j 
 two or three hundred victims of military executions 
 
90 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 which took place in Carlow, would have been sufficient 
 to rouse the whole country again. 
 
 If Newtow^nbarry had been retained, as could so easily 
 have been accomplished, had colonel Lestrange been vi- 
 gorously pursued for a mile outside the town, he would 
 have been forced to quit the great road, disperse and es- 
 cape through the fields with the troops he commanded 
 and the reinforcements coming to his assistance would 
 have followed the example. For such was the terror and 
 panic spread by the yeomen cavalry in their flight, that 
 nothing could rally them until they got to Clonegal ; 
 and as to the few Orangemen who took refuge in the town, 
 it would have been better to give them an opportunity to 
 escape, which they would have had as soon as night 
 came on, or have been burned in the houses, if they 
 persevered in firing from them. 
 
 Kearns men being obliged to abandon Newtownbarry 
 by different ways, still kept together in small detach- 
 ments, any of which was quite sufficient to make head 
 against the yeomen cavalry. Not knowing any rallying 
 point at the time but Vinegar hill, they all directed their 
 course that way, marching at their ease, stopping for 
 the night whenever it suited them, regaining the camp 
 in two or three days afterwards, as it answered their 
 purpose ; meeting no enemy they had plenty of time to 
 recover from their great fatigue and prepare for new ac- 
 tions. For my own part, 1 longed to rejoin the main body 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 91 
 
 as soon as possible, and not being certain where to find 
 it, I proposed to those who kept by me, to march at once 
 to Vinegar hill, where no doubt we should get all the 
 information we required. We arrived there on the 2'^ of 
 June, and learned that all those who marched under the 
 orders of Father John Murphy, Father Roche, and the 
 other chiefs, were then encamped on Carrigrew hill. We 
 immediately set out, and arrived at this camp on the 3'i 
 of June, Avhere I met hundreds whom I had not seen for 
 months before, and who knew me from my child-hood. 
 The greater part of these brave fellows were just escaping 
 from their hiding places, and had run the greatest dan- 
 ger coming to join the camp, having to pass through 
 those parts of the country which were occupied by the 
 enemy, and where all kinds of outrages were perpetrated 
 by these cruel monsters; particularly a cavalry regiment, 
 the « ancient Britons, » accompanied by the Orangemen 
 and Hunter Gowan with his black mob. — To the ho- 
 nour of the people, the females of this murderer's family 
 were respected by them. Hunter Gowan had fourteen 
 daughters, all grown up ; they were escaping to Arklow 
 on the 28th of may, when they were met by a party of 
 the people commanded by Mert Mernaigh of Limerick. 
 These young women knowing well the number of inno- 
 cent persons whom their father had shot in cold blood, 
 expected no doubt every kind of ill treatment ; but Mer- 
 naigh and his followers assured them they had nothing 
 to fear ; and after searching the jaunting cars for arms 
 
92 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 and ammunition, Mernaigh and his men escorted them 
 on the great road leading- to Arklow, for some distance, 
 until they were out of the way of meeting other parties 
 of the samiC description : he did this at the risk of meet- 
 ing the enemy in superior force. Had he fallen into their 
 hands, this humane and generous conduct towards these 
 young women would have been considered sufficient 
 proof that he was a chief ; consequently, he would have 
 been tried and executed immediately as such. This was 
 the sort of turkish justice practised by the English 
 throughout this war. Yet no provocation on their part 
 could make the people debase themselves to retaliate on 
 
 f helpless females. They were every where respected, as 
 they should be ; not a single instance to the contrary 
 could be brought forward when the war terminated ; nor 
 was there a protestant church injured, with the exception 
 
 f of one at old Ross, whilst every place of worship belong- 
 ing to the catholics was burned. 
 
 It was on the S'l of June I had the happiness of meeting 
 my poor step-brother Hugh Kennedy for the first time 
 since I was forced to leave home in the beginning of 
 may. I found him looking better than I could have expec- ■ 
 ted, after all he had suffered. He was busy forming pla- 
 toons and sections. The men seemed to obey him cheer- 
 fully ; he being a Dublin man, was considered capable 
 of giving them instruction and of shewing them how to 
 form a line, how to break from the line into column bv 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 93 
 
 platoons and sections. I saw with pleasure the great desire 
 every one at this camp evinced to see a military organi- 
 zation take place by parishes or towns. That the men 
 of each assembled should freely choose their own officers 
 and promise to obey them : but unfortunately there ne- 
 ver was sufficient time to accomplish a work so necessary 
 for the success of our cause. Being always on the march, 
 or skirmishing with the enemy, it was nearly impossi- 
 ble. Yet one thing might have been done which w-as ne- 
 glected ; that was, to oblige the chiefs and officers that 
 were known in the united system, to wear on their arms, 
 a distinctive mark, according to the rank they held. This 
 wovild have prevented many disagreeable occurrences 
 that took place during our night marches. Another mea- 
 sure was also in contemplation which would have had 
 the best effect. This was, that as soon as the men had 
 chosen their officers and had consented to obey their or- 
 ders, that they should consent also to have their coats 
 cut in a kind of military form, with the skirts turned up 
 behind : no matter what was the colour. This kind of 
 uniform (until a better could have been provided), would 
 have prevented them in a great measure from quitting 
 the camp without permission from their officers. They 
 would certainly have felt ashamed to have been seen 
 scampering through the country, wdiilst others were obli- 
 ged to do severe duty in their place ; and to be seen with 
 their coats of a military shape in a villagewhilst fighting- 
 was going on at some distance w^ould dishonour them 
 
94 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 for ever; and if they attempted to change this coat, or 
 Irish uniform for one not cut in this fashion, it would be 
 considered not only as desertion, but high treason, and 
 thereby amenable to the severest punishment. But ins- 
 tead of those necessary regulations, every one wore what 
 he fancied made him look to advantage and appear « war- 
 like, » green of course was the favorite colour, and wher- 
 ever it could be had, put on in profusion. As it could 
 not be got in sufficient quantities to furnish all, it would 
 have been adviseable to have adopted the simple g-reen 
 cockade and to require all to put it in their hats and no- 
 thing else. The officers wearing the same cockade, and 
 stripes on their arms to distinguish the difierent ranks, 
 would have sufficed until such time as uniforms and 
 epaulets could have been procured. Drums or some mu- 
 sical instrument was wanted, to call the men to assemble. 
 This deficiency was remedied by the standard bearers of 
 each corps accompanied by a small guard, marching 
 through the camp and crying to the men of such a corps 
 to join their colours forthwith ; and as the name of the 
 baronies, towns or parishes that the corps belonged to 
 was always mentioned, it probably answered the purpose 
 better than the sound of a drum to the ears of the country 
 people, who as yet not having had any thing to do with 
 the drill sergeant would be quite at a loss to know what 
 the drumming meant : but the sweet cry of the name of 
 their native barony or village roused them up at once. 
 How often have I admired the alertness of these brave 
 
MEMOIRS or MILES DYRNE ' •)5 
 
 fellows at the cry of the standard bearer « Shelmaliere / 
 men come to your colours », « Men of Monaseed corps, 
 join your colours immediately ; we are g'oing- to march 
 etc. » This last mentioned town contained very few hou- 
 ses, but the manor of Monaseed was considerable euoug-h, 
 and all the inhabitants took a most active part in this war 
 and furnished many who distinguished themselves in every 
 battle or skirmish to the end, and all being- united irish- 
 men, they followed the chiefs which they themselves had 
 named with an entire confidence, and never had reason 
 to reg-ret the choice they had made. The standard bearer 
 of the Monaseed corps, Pat Murray of Crane, a determi- 
 ned man, rendered the greatest service by being aiways 
 at his post ready to call the men to arms when required. 
 He was quite proud of his splendid colours, and with 
 reason, for it was one of the handsomest of the camp, 
 being- adorned with harps and green emblems , put 
 on by handsome young ladies who sympathised in our 
 sacred cause. Murray had the honour of taking this 
 standard himself the first night of the rising, at Earl 
 Mountnorris at Camolen Park, after Bookey and his ca- 
 valry were defeated : it belonged to one of the volunteer 
 corps of 1782 and kept no doubt by the earl as a trophy of 
 the scanty parliamentary independence that w^as torn 
 from the English at that epoch for ])oor Ireland, and 
 which the great lord Charlemont and the great Orator 
 Flood deemed quite sufficient at the time; for the ensla- 
 ved roman catholics, according to those bigots, were not 
 
96 / MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRXE 
 
 entitled to be emancipated, nor to participate with their 
 protestant fellow countrymen in the new acquired liber- 
 ties. It is a w-ell known fact, that not one roman catholic 
 w^as admitted into the volunteer corps of the county of 
 Wexford in 1782. How different were the. enlightened 
 views taken a few years later, by the ever to be lamented 
 lord Edward Fitzgerald, Arthur O'Connor, Emmett, and 
 the other great patriots, who sacrificed every thing that 
 was dear to them to obtain equal and adequate represen- 
 tation for irishmen of every religious persuasion. These' 
 great men knew too well that no justice could be obtained 
 for Ireland but by force of arms. Unfortunately we were 
 depi^ved of their aid and council ; the greater number of 
 them being in prison, or tied to foreign countries before' 
 the rising took place. 
 
 The brave men who belonged to the different yeomen, 
 corps who had either resigned, or been dismissed as sus- 
 pected of being united Irishmen, were now atthecamp of! 
 Carrigrew', rendering the greatest services, both as chiefs' 
 and instructors ; particularly Grogan's corps of Castle- 
 town, Beaumont's of Hyde Park, and White's of Bally- 
 ellis : the latter being an infantry corps, and all the men 
 well drilled, all of them were acting as instructors and 
 teaching the country people how to load and prime their 
 firelocks with safety. Whilst those who had served in 
 the cavalry, being excellent horsemen, were looked up to 
 as experienced military men, and consequently they, for 
 
.MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 97 
 
 the most part, acted as chiefs and leaders, and were obe- 
 3'ed and followed by the innocent country people as such, 
 without hesitation, which had the happiest effect during- 
 our short campaign . 
 
 BATTLE OR TUBBERNEERING OR CLOUGH 
 
 The halt during- the 2'i and 3'i of June at the camp of 
 Carrigrew hill was considered necessary to afford time to 
 those who had gone to enquire about their families on 
 their way back from Wexford, to rejoin the cam]). These 
 two days were well spent in preparing for new combats, 
 and in acquiring accurate information as to the strength 
 of the enemy, and the respective positions and towns 
 where they were concentrated. This information was 
 soon obtained from the poor people who had to fly and 
 escape from their homes before the king's troops that 
 were marching on and devastating every thing as they 
 passed. Early on the morning of the 4th of June it was 
 known that four divisions, each with artillery, and ac- 
 companied by several corps of yeomen cavalry, were 
 marching to attack our camp at Carrigrew; one division 
 from Carnew, one from Newtownbarry, and two other 
 divisions were coming on two difTerent roads from Gorey. 
 General Loftus commanded the centre division ; the divi- 
 sion on his left was commanded by colonel Walpole, and 
 
 7 
 
yy MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 all these divisions were to arrive and attack the hill at 
 the same moment. 
 
 Our little Irish army consisting now of about ten or 
 twelve thousand men, with a scanty supply of powder 
 and ball for our fire arms, and without either^cavalry or 
 artillery (with the exception of a few gentlemen farmers 
 who were still tolerably w^ell mounted, as « ;ill » their 
 horses had not been taken by the Orangemen. 
 
 "We had to prepare for battle and to make head against 
 all those regular forces, that were on march to annihilate 
 us and drive us into the sea. It was at once decided by 
 all the chiefs assembled, Father John Murphy and others, 
 to march and attack the division of the king's troops co- 
 ming from Gorey; to take the town if possible and release 
 the second batch of prisoners confined tbere, before tbe 
 cruel magistrates could have time to have them exe- 
 cuted. 
 
 About nine o'clock in the morning of the 4th of jiine, 
 our army was drawn up in line in Mr Donovan's domain 
 near Carrigrew hill, and I must say, in a more military 
 order than usual. The line being now broken into column 
 and an advanced guard of two or three hundred men for- 
 med, some of whom were mounted, orders were given to 
 march on the road to Gorey ; the advanced guard, flanked 
 by some good sharp sbooters, set out in good order and 
 proceeded the column at the distance of a mile : I made 
 part of this advanced guard, and almost all mv friends 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 99 
 
 and relations that I met at the camp made part of it also. 
 We marched in good order, until we arrived near Tub- 
 berneering, where the road leading- to Gorey turned a 
 little to the left and formed a kind of elbow. At this turn 
 or point of the road, we perceived the English army 
 drawn u^i^in line of battle; their artillery all placed ready 
 to fire. Instantly one of our mounted men was sent back 
 to apprize the head of our column of this circumstance ; 
 but before he had time to go far, a discharge of the enemy's 
 artillery and musketry sufficiently shewed where they 
 were in a position to receive us. We had a great number 
 killed and wounded by this volley ; still we kept our 
 ground and advanced through a large field to take ad- 
 vantage of a ditch (a hedge) that lay between us and the 
 enemy at our left flank nnd which brought us within 
 half musket shot of them. But this manoeuvre cost us 
 dear. Whilst crossing this field, our men- were literally 
 mowed down. My first cousin Pat Bi'uslaun had a part of 
 his thigh cut away with the grape shot, and on my 
 other side, I saw several I knew fall and amongst them,* 
 Ned Doyle who had been for many ^^ears a servant at my 
 father's house : he received a musket ball through the 
 thigh, but soon recovered from his wound and fought in 
 many battles afterwards with double courage. Once 
 we got to our new position, being so very near the 
 enemy, we had less to fear, as we could bring more 
 readily our pikemen into action ; our men with the fire 
 arms having a kind of breast work in front, kept up 
 
100 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRXE 
 
 a well directed fire, every shot of which must have 
 told. 
 
 Whilst we thus occupied the enemy, our column or 
 main body in the rear formed their line of battle, which 
 extended much to our left flank, advanced in a kind of 
 half moon or crescent. Colonel Walpole seeiuf; this ma- 
 noeuvre, and not finding general Loftus's division yet in 
 sight, and which was marching on his right flank, in 
 order to gain time for this division to arrive ordered a 
 retreat : but the moment the fire of his cannon had ceased, 
 we sallied out, ran on the artillery, and before the dri- 
 vers had time to put to the horses, had captured three 
 pieces of six pounders, with cases of ammunition, and 
 in short every thing appertaining to this artillery. 
 
 The drivers and gunners were treated with respect, 
 but though prisoners, the}' were obliged to shew the 
 men under whose guard they were left, how to manoeu- 
 vre and manage this artillery. 
 
 Nothing could equal the enthusiasm of our line of bat- 
 tle, not marching, but running to the assistance of the 
 advanced guard; particularly so when they saw the fine 
 park of artillery which had fallen into our possession ; 
 they very naturally thought the battle was completely 
 gained; but they had still to fight another not far distant 
 from thence, as colonel Walpole halted and rallied his 
 troops at Clough, about a mile in the rear from Tubber- 
 neering, where he was joined by a hundred grenadiers, 
 
MEMOmS OF MILES RYRNE 101 
 
 sent to him by g-eneral Loftus. With this reinforcement 
 he expected to be able to keep his position until the ge- 
 neral himself with his entire division came to his assis- 
 tance. 
 
 It is only justice to the memory of this unfortunate 
 man to say, that he displayed the bravery of a soldier 
 and foug-ht with the greatest perseverance in his critical 
 situation : but he was soon overpowered by our men, 
 now so flushed with victory, that nothing- could retard 
 tiieir march onwards. Walpole was nearly surrounded 
 by our forces, that out-flanked him before he fell. We 
 saw him lying dead on the road, and he had the appea- 
 rance of having received several gun-shot wounds. His 
 horse lay dead beside him, with a number of private sol- 
 diers dead and wounded. His troops now fled in great 
 disorder and could not be rallied ; they were taken by 
 dozens in the fields and on the road to Gorey. After 
 they had thrown awa^^ their arms, accoutrements and 
 every thing to lighten them, they were yet overtaken by 
 our pikemen. It was curious to see many of them wnth 
 their coats turned inside out; they thought no doubt by 
 this sign of disaffection to the English, that when made 
 prisoners, they would not be injured. But this manoeu- 
 vre was unnecessary, for I never heard of a single ins- 
 tance of a prisoner being ill treated during those days of 
 fighting : our men were in too good humour to be cruel 
 after the victory they had obtained. 
 
102 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 Although the battle was gained at Clough and the 
 king's troops in full retreat, still there were two things 
 to be feared and to be guarded against ; first, that the 
 cowardly yeomen who did not venture to take part in the 
 action, would have time to massacre the prisoners who 
 were confined in vast numbers in Gorey, particularly 
 those who were placed in the market house loft in the 
 main street, through which these ferocious men were to 
 pass ; secondly, it was to be feared that the infantry 
 escaping might have time to get into some isolated house, 
 and there barricade themselves until reinforcements came 
 to relieve them. To obviate these two disasters, we decided 
 to pursue them so rapidly as not to affbrd them time to 
 do either. From Clough to Gorey, a distance of several 
 miles, we never allowed them to rally or make the least 
 resistance, and so arrived in the town of Gorey at their 
 heels. They had only time to fire through the windows 
 where the prisoners were confined. Fortunately Esmond 
 Kyan who was one of them made them all lye down 
 quite flat on the floor, the moment he perceived the enemy 
 approaching, and by this precaution, both he and his 
 fellow prisoners escaped, for none were wounded; the 
 balls only broke the windows and lodged in the walls on 
 the other side of the market house loft. 
 
 I must here say, without vanity, that I never before 
 felt so proud, or happier than I did on this occasion, to 
 think that 1 was among the very first of our forces who 
 contributed to save the lives, and put at liberty, so many 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 103 
 
 bi-ave men. I only knew Esmond Kyan by rci)utation, 
 but he was well acquainted with my father, and of course 
 he knew all about me and our family. He was the great- 
 est acquisition to as at this moment, for his bravery and 
 activity could not be surpassed ; though he had lost an 
 arm some years before. He had a cork arm and did not 
 appear to want one at all. 
 
 Being well instructed in gunnery, he went instantly 
 to the hill or rising ground above the town, wdiere our 
 camp was pitched and immediately took charge of our 
 newly acquired park of artillery : and certainly a braver 
 or more experienced officer could not have got the com- 
 mand of it. He soon had the honour to fire the first salute 
 with this cannon, when general Loftus appeared in sight 
 with all his forces to attack us, which made this over 
 cautious general quickly disappear. Seeing this volley 
 so well directed, he naturally thought that he had ap- 
 proached too near our camp and thereby ran the risk of 
 having his artillery captured also. But fortunately for 
 him, our men were quite exhausted, not having had time 
 to rei;ose or take refreshments of any kind during the 
 day, otherwise he would have been pursued and probably 
 forced to leave some of his cannon behind him. A few of 
 our men who w-ere pretty well mounted, were sent after 
 Loftus's division to see what airection it had taken. 
 These men soon returned and told us, that the king's 
 troops were not marching but running away on the road 
 to Carnew. What a pity, that we had no cavalry equip- 
 
104 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 ped and well armed to follow and attack their rear guard, 
 which making- off in such confusion would have been 
 forced to surrender; or at least, great numbers of priso- 
 ners would have been made. 
 
 The result of this day's fighting was incalculable for 
 our cause; to see such number of fine fellows rushing 
 into the greatest danger for the love of their country and 
 its independence, as military discipline as yet could 
 scarcely be expected to prevail. I wish I could recollect 
 all their names, to mention them in this narrative, as a 
 small tribute to the memory of such true patriots, who 
 risked every thing that was dear to them on earth to see 
 Ireland as she ought to be. Some however I can never 
 forget, such as, Ned Fennell, John Doyle, Nick Murphy, 
 Michael Redmond, Mert Mernagh, Laurence and Luke 
 Finn, Isaac and Jacob Byrn of Ballyellis ; as to poor An- 
 thony Perry of Inch, though he had got out of prison a 
 few days before, he was suffering so much from the 
 cruel treatment he had received there, the application of 
 a pitch cap on his head, W'hich raised all the skin of his 
 head and a part of his face, that he was miserably low-- 
 spirited and w^eak and could not render the service he 
 otherwise would have afforded us had he been well and in 
 his usual state of health; for lis was a real soldier and 
 devoted to the cause. 
 
 The very innaccurate accounts published of the battle 
 
I MEMOIRS OF MILRS BYHMK 103 
 
 of Tubberneering or Cloug-h, by persons, who evidently 
 were not there, oblige me to be more particular in men- 
 tioning" all that came within my own knowledge during 
 that memorable day, the fourth of June 1798. That day 
 the great power of the pike as a war weapon, if the men 
 are properly disciplined, was fully shewn. 
 
 One version attributes Walpole's defeat to his love of 
 dress, about which it is said, he spent more time than 
 on military operations and tactics. Yet we see he lost no 
 time that morning at his toilette, for he would have been 
 exact to the moment at the hill of Carrigrew, according 
 to the concerted plan he had with general Loftus, had we 
 not met him on the road ; as to his not having scouts out, 
 the best proof that he had, is, that they apprized him of 
 our march, and tliat he was not surprized, as he had his 
 division drawn up in line of battle, ready to receive us ; 
 and certaiiily he had plenty of time to retreat back on 
 Gorey before our main body could have come up with 
 him, had he preferred running away to fighting, or 
 risking a battle. Another says, « no vedette w^as out 
 from either army and that the collision was sudden, eto) 
 Our advanced guard on the contrary, marched with all 
 the precautions usually taken by detachments sent to re- 
 connoitre, that is to avoid falling into an ambuscade on 
 either side, aiid to push on until the enemy was properly 
 discovered. All this we accomplished, and after having 
 met the enemy, we might have fallen back on our main 
 
106 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 body without fear or blame of auy kind. Fortunately v.e 
 kept our position and tliereby contributed by our perse- 
 verance to the victory. A third version is, that general 
 Loftus on hearing the report of Walpole's cannon and ' 
 other fire arms in the engagements, not being able to go 
 across the country, proceeded by the road to the scene of 
 action, etc. Why could he not have come by the same 
 way the grenadiers came that he sent to reinforce Wal- 
 pole at Clough, and he would have arrived in time to 
 participate in the action. The divisions that were march- 
 ing from Newtownbarry and Carnew to attack us, as 
 well as the one commanded by general Loftus himself, 
 all heard the firing and knew well that the battle was 
 going on. Why did they prefer keeping at so respectful 
 a distance? Their cavalry were so well mounted and such 
 great fox hunters, they might have crossed the open 
 country any where, and have arrived in our rear and 
 thereby have caused a timely diversion in favour of Wal- 
 pole's army. The truth is, they were panic struck, and 
 could not readily be brought into action. Besides, their 
 « speciality » was, to murder inoffensive people in cold 
 blood, not to meet the armed foe in the field of battle. 
 
 I have already mentioned that bj^ our driving the re- 
 gular troops, and the cruel yeomanry, through the towai 
 of Gorey, in such a rapid manner, we not only saved the 
 lives of more than a hundred j)risoners who were lodged 
 in the town jail and on the market loft, but also the lives 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 107 
 
 of many others who expected every moment to be torn 
 from their homes and families. Amongst these were seve- 
 ral of my acquaintances, and I need not say with what 
 joy and alacrity they came to welcome us as their libe- 
 rators, and to join our standard and to share hencefor- 
 ^^ard all our perils and fatigues. Denis Doyle was one of 
 them whom I knew from my childhood, as both he and 
 his family were our neighbours and we were accustomed 
 to meet ever^^ Sunday at the chapel of Monaseed. He had 
 been a short time settled in Gorey as a timber merchant, 
 and he expected every moment either to be dragged to 
 prison, or shot. I was the first he recognized amongst 
 our forces, and he ran to meet me with open arms : he 
 could scarcely contain his wonder and joy when I told him 
 about the battle we had just gained ; he mentioned to me 
 how Walpole had laid several wagers that we could not 
 resist twenty minutes on the hill of Carrigrew, and 
 Doyle himself told me, he thought it was impossible that 
 we could make head against the regular troops he saw 
 assembled and marched off that morning to attack our 
 camp, with artillery of every description and accompa- 
 nied by a dozen corps of yeomanry cavalry. 
 
 Denis Doyle from that day became one of our brave 
 and active officers : lie was young, handsome and spiri- 
 ted. When the war terminated, he had the good fortune 
 to escape to America and set up in the sani" business at 
 New- York, which he had been following at Gorey. His 
 
108 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 brother Davy had been practising- as a lawyer in Ame- 
 rica for two a three years previous to this, which no 
 doubt induced him to go and join him there. Another of 
 his brothers Mr. James Doyle, took a very active part all 
 through the war, and after the defeat at the Boyne, he 
 escaped and got to Dublin , were he had to hide for a 
 long time, and could never venture to return to his home. 
 He was married to a daughter of Mr Kavanagh of 
 Ballycarten and a niece of Father Frank Kavanagh. My 
 friend and school-fellow Johnny Doyle, who distingui- 
 shed himself so much, and whom I have mentioned before 
 was first cousin to these Doyles. Mr James d'Arcy, bro- 
 ther to the reverend Father d'Arcy (roman-catholic priest) 
 who had replaced at one time Father O'Leary as chaplain 
 to the Spanish ambassador at London, acted throughout 
 the insurrection with coolness and bravery. He was mar- 
 ried to another of Mr Kavanagh's daughters. Being 
 obliged to abandon his home and property he came to 
 reside' at Dublin. His elder brother Mr JMatthew d'Arcy, 
 was forced to quit Gorey with his young family, to es- 
 cape the vengeance of the Orangemen; he settled at Island 
 Bridge, Dublin. 
 
 The MM. Redmond (Denis and John; first cousins to 
 the d'Arcy s and brothers to the brave Michael Red- 
 mond who was killed at the battle of Arklow, escaped to 
 Dublin, where they had to hide for some time; they could 
 not return to their homes. 
 
 Edward Byrne, « or little Ned, » as we used to call him, 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 109 
 
 tho' he was nearly six feet high, because lie was the 
 « last » of the brothers, was brother to Garret Byrne of 
 Ballymanus, and to the ever-to-be-lamented William 
 Byrne, who was executed at Wicklow, and to whose sister 
 Miss Fanny Byrne, lord Cornwallis had promised a re- 
 prieve; but this cold-hearted inhuman man did not keep 
 his promise. He allowed the unhappy young* lady to re- 
 pair to Wicklow to weep over the cold remains of her 
 beloved brother, whose only crime was, having- saved 
 the lives of many prisoners, at the risk of his own ; his 
 innocence became proverbial ever after through the coun- 
 try ; when any one was going to be tried, the people 
 would cry out, « oh! surely that man is as innocent as 
 poor Billy Byrne. » 
 
 After the insurrection was over, Ned Byrne married in 
 Dublin, the third and youngest daughter of Mr Kava- 
 nagh of Ballyscarton and sister to the brave Thomas 
 Kavanagh, who was killed at the batttle of Arklow. He 
 thereby became brother - in - law to James Doyle , 
 James d'Arcy and Ned Kavanagh, and allied to the 
 Redmonds. 
 
 Nearly half a century after, I was transcribing these 
 notes one day at Paris, when I received a Dublin news- 
 paper, in which I saw an account of a great entertain- 
 ment given by the catholic lord Mayor of the city of 
 Dublin (at the Mansion house), Mr. John d'Arcy, son to 
 
1 10 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 the late Matthew d'Arcy, nephew to Mr James d'Arcy, 
 cousin to the Redmonds, and allied to many of the other 
 insurgent chiefs of 1798, to the Eng-lish protestant lord 
 lieutenant of Ireland, « Clarendon, » under whose admi- 
 nistration the unfortunate country suffered greater mise- 
 ries that at any other epoch of her history. I dont mention 
 this coincidence to disparage Mr John d'Arcy, for whom 
 I feel the greatest esteem, for he only complied with the 
 duties incumbent on the high situation he owes to his 
 fellows citizens, when he entertained the enemy of the 
 independence of Ireland, for which so many of his near 
 relations suffered. 
 
 I only mention the circumstance on account of the 
 questions put to me so often by my french friends, who 
 cannot conceive why such vast numbers of Irish catho- 
 lics are abandoning the land of their birth to escape fa- 
 mine and the many unheard of miseries there, to go off 
 to America, whilst they have still the means of paying 
 their passage, whilst the catholic lord Mayor and the pro- 
 testant lord lieutenant of Ireland, are on such friendly 
 terms; it is quite beyond their comprehension, for they 
 say that if there was any thing like a St Bartholomew or 
 a revocation of the Edict of Nantes, they could easily un- 
 derstand the matter; but it appears to them quite incom- 
 prehensible to see catholic lords and catholic members 
 of the H. of C. sitting in the english parliament, whilst 
 Irish catholics are allowed to die every day from want 
 and hunger ; they think this state of thing is equal if not 
 
 I 
 
MEMOIRS OK MILES BYRNE ill 
 
 worse, to the massacre of S. Bartholomew « that « only 
 lasted a day, but the extermination never ceases in Ire- 
 land. — To all this I answer, that many causes may be 
 assig-ncd for all this misery, but the great one is, reli- 
 gious dissensions; that about the time I w^as born, no 
 catholic could purchase land as a perpetuity, tho' all the 
 soil had belonged to his ancestors. They were allowed to 
 rent it on leases of 21 years, but as soon as the land 
 was reclaimed and improved, it was let over their heads 
 to some descendants of the followers of Cromwell ; these 
 men on account of professing the protestant religion got 
 leases of nine hundred and ninety nine years, or ninety 
 nine years, renewable for ever. They thus became the 
 middle men and cruel task masters of the unfortunate 
 Irish serfs : and although at a later period, a law was 
 passed empowering roman catholics to purchase land, 
 very few were able to avail themselves of this concession, 
 on account of the difficulty, or I may say the impossibi- 
 lity of getting small'portions of land to buy. The titles to 
 the large estates w'ere so disputed in chancery, that no 
 one cared to have any thing* to do with them. The law to 
 sell encumbered estates only passed when the million 
 had fled, or w^ere about to emigrate to America; that happy 
 country where the labourer is sure of his hire, and wdiere 
 he cannot be evicted when he has improved his land. The 
 Irish'catholics so justly renowaied for the steadiness witli 
 which they have borne persecution on account of their 
 religion, see the numbers of the members of that religion 
 
1 12 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 diminishing yearly, from starvation and bad government. 
 I add, that until such time as the Irish have the po\\'er 
 of making their own local laws, no redress can be expec- 
 ted, english whigs and english tories seeming delighted 
 to witness the decrease of the Irish population. — Thus 
 that unfortunate country is doomed to remain an ensla- 
 ved province of England, and to be despised by every 
 Clarendon who may be sent over to misgovern it. But I 
 must quit this painful digression and resume my narra- 
 tive at Gorey. 
 
 Although the king's troops had retreated in every di- 
 rection, still it was thought, that when they met reinfor- 
 cements on their wa}', they might return. It was therefore 
 deemed necessary for us to take every precaution not to 
 be surprised as we wei " at Newtownbarry after we had 
 taken that town, and in consequence, Denis Doyle and I 
 were intrusted to place guards and out posts at every 
 entrance into Gorey ; whilst others were charged with 
 the same service at the camp. We took particular care to 
 place a strong guard on the road to Arklow, from which 
 direction an attack was to be dreaded. We chose men of 
 confidence as chiefs of each post, and after we had given 
 them the watchword and counter sign, we made several 
 rounds during the night and found all those chiefs of 
 posts doing their duty perfectly well, altho' I believe it 
 was the first time any of them ever performed such a 
 service. Some time before day we were relieved from the 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 113 
 
 danger of being attacked from the Arklow side, as a large 
 body of Arklow men came to join our standard and told 
 us liow the king's troops had evacuated that town and 
 were retreating on the road to Wicklow. This was joyful 
 news to me, as I could now lie down with safety to rest; 
 not in a bed, for that was a luxury I had not been accus- 
 tomed to for many months past. — When I awoke in the 
 morning, the 5th of June (1798) I found that several small 
 parties had been sent from the camp to reconnoitre , one 
 of them specially charged to burn the house of that 
 monster Hunter Gowan, about two or three miles distant 
 from Gorey. This kind of retaliation was a poor compen- 
 sation, and no consolation to the unfortunate relations 
 of his victims. — Fathers, mothers, wives, children, 
 brothers, sisters, all had been left to mourn those but- 
 chered by such magistrates in the pay of the english 
 government. 
 
 About this time a proclamation was issued from head 
 quarters, Wexford, out-lawing Hunter Gowan, James 
 Boyd, Hawtrey White, and Archibald Hamilton Jacob, 
 all magistrates and commanders of yeomen corps, all of 
 whom had committed the most horrid cold blooded mur- 
 ders of the peaceable and well-disposed people throughout 
 the country, previous to the insurrection. 
 
 It has been frequently asked, why Arklow was not 
 occupied forthwith by our forces, as the enemy had aban- 
 
114 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 doned the place. No doubt a small body of our men might 
 have been detached there, to keep possession of the town 
 and to make a general perquisition for arms and ammu- 
 nition, which we stood in such need of. But it would 
 have been imprudent to have marched with all our forces, 
 and leave general Loftus in our rear at Carnew, where 
 we were told he was assembling an army and making 
 the greatest preparations to come and attack our camp, 
 having received reinforcements from Tullow, Carlow and 
 different other places. Perhaps too much time was allowed 
 to elapse before the march on Carnew was ordered : but 
 let that be as it may, a halt became absolutely necessary, 
 to afford time to procure provisions for so numerous a 
 body of men as we now were, amounting to nearly 
 twenty thousand, and at that season of the year, when 
 all the old provisions become so scarce, it was on meat 
 alone we could count, to furnish our troops the means of 
 living. As to rations of bread and other victuals, we found 
 the greatest difficulty in procuring any quantity, tlie 
 country being every where pillaged and devastated by 
 the^king's troops and Orangemen, who had been placed 
 with the unfortunate inhabitants on free quarters pre- 
 vious to the rising. 
 
 Killing cattle at our camp to supply the men, was often 
 attended with great inconvenience and waste; when the 
 distribution of the meat was made, the men not having 
 immediately the means of cooking it, never thought of 
 carrying it with them raw, when the order to march was 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 115 
 
 g'iven. The offal and hides being- left on the g:round would 
 liave caused a pestilence in the hot weather, had it not 
 been for the great exertions of an old gentleman of eighty, 
 Mr Barney Murray of Gory , who rode every day to the 
 camp and had them carried away and buried. For this 
 act of humanity, he was imprisoned when the tyrants 
 returned. 
 
 On the 6th of June I made a part of a detachment sent to 
 reconnoitre; we were about thirty in number, tolerably 
 well mounted and armed; we g'ave directions in different 
 villages where we passed, to the elderly men who could 
 not join the camp, to take fat cattle from the domains of 
 our enemies, have them killed, the meat boiled and cut 
 in small portions, and have it forwarded without delay 
 to our army at Gory. Our orders were complied with as 
 well as could be expected under such circumstances. We 
 pushed on our reconnoissance in the direction of Shille- 
 lah and had already made seven or eight miles without 
 meeting the enemy, when all at once, we perceived a 
 corps of cavalry on march. We of course did not advance 
 but halted to see what direction they would take; they 
 drew up and halted also, the moment they saw we would 
 not advance. After remaining a sliort time they wheeled 
 about and marched back. We concluded that by this 
 manoeuvre they wished to draw us into an ambuscade. 
 Perhaps they only followed their instructions, or that 
 they supposed we could not have ventured so far, if we 
 
116 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 had not had our main body very near us to fall back on. 
 Be that as it may, we thought it prudent to avoid a com- 
 bat with a force three times our number : besides, our 
 mission being accomplished; we returned to our camp at 
 Gory without having exchanged a shot with the enemy. 
 
 The next day the 7th of June I got the command of an- 
 other small party to reconnoitre. We took nearly the 
 same direction as the day before, but I wished to return 
 by another way in order to obtain something certain 
 about the enemy's force at Carnew. and to approach this 
 town as near as I could with safety for that purpose. 
 Being assured by some country people that the king's 
 troops had left that place, I now longed to get back to 
 communicate to the leaders all the information I had 
 acquired, and as Monaseed lay in the way, I wished to 
 pay a short visit to my dear mother, and to let the men 
 who accompanied me take some refreshments at our house. 
 We had not been there many minutes, when we percei- 
 ved a horseman coming on the road we had just left ; I 
 went out and met him. It struck me at once that he was 
 a spy, as he did not give any satisfactory account of who 
 he was, or where he was going. I thought it right to 
 have him arrested : he was rather well-looking and about 
 twenty Iwo or three years of age ; his horse, bridle and 
 saddle were fit to mount any man, he had no arms. We 
 could not find the least scrap of jiaper on him; he no 
 doubt might have had one sewed in his clothes, but we 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 117 
 
 had no time to make a minute search. I had a musket 
 primed and loaded in his presence, placed him on his 
 knees and had it levelled at him, threatening to shoot him 
 forthwith if he did not tell me something- r.bout where he 
 was going'. All to no purpose, nothing would he divulge, 
 and yet I Avas convinced he was going on a mission for 
 the enemy. Being eager to rejoin our camp without de- 
 lay, I got one of our tenants, Maguire, who had been 
 seeing his wife and children, and was about returning on 
 foot to the camp, to mount the prisoner's horse and get 
 him (the prisoner) up behind him. 
 
 AVe rode off quickly and about two miles from Gory, 
 we met our entire army in full march to attack Carnew. 
 I was instantly surrounded by the chiefs who were de- 
 sirous to hear all the news I had acquired during the 
 day. When I had satisfied them on this point and told 
 them all the particulars about the prisoner, the column 
 was ordered to halt and Esmond Kyan took charge of him 
 and engaged he would soon make him speak. For this 
 purpose, he made him put his head into the mouth of the 
 howitzer or mortar, and threatened to blow him up into 
 the air, if he did not immediately confess all he knew. 
 But just as with me, nothing whatever could he extort 
 from this most extraordinary young man, and yet it was 
 evident he came from the country then occupied by our 
 enemies. As it was useless to try any further experi- 
 ments on this obstinate fellow, he was sent to the rear of 
 the column to be escorted with the other prisoners, and 
 
118 MEMOIUS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 our army resumed it's march towards Carnew ; altho' it 
 was now well known that general Loftus had quit the 
 town the day before and marched with all the forces un- 
 der his orders to Tullow ; but it appeared that a march 
 on Carnew, or a demonstration of some kind had become 
 necessary to appease the wrath of the vast numbers who 
 had had their dearest friends and relations slaughtered 
 there, previous to the rising. How far this march was 
 inconsistent with our military operations, we learned 
 before many days passed ; but it was a difficult matter 
 to avoid committing faults, circumstanced as we were. 
 
 Our army encamped the 7th of June on Kileavau hill 
 near Carnew, and in a short time afterwards, the grea- 
 test part of this town was burned. Many houses however 
 belonging to those who were known not to have partici- 
 pated in the cold blooded murders and tortures perpetra- 
 ted there, were exempted from this useless retaliation. 
 
 To destroy isolated houses, liable to serve as citadels 
 or places of refuge to the enemy, became necessary, ac- 
 cording to our plan of carrying on the war, but other- 
 wise it was bad policy to destroy any habitation, no 
 matter who the owner might be. Bob Blaney"s malt hou- 
 ses, and indeed all his concerns w'ere saved, because he 
 was so well known for his humanity and exertions in 
 endeavouring to save the lives of the unfortunate people 
 who were brought to Carnew to be tortured there pre- 
 vious to the insurrection ; his brother Ralph was less po- 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 119 
 
 pular, and of course his house shared the fate of his neigh- 
 bours. Yet it was known that Raph Blaney after the war 
 was over, did many kind acts to people who were in dis- 
 tress. His handsome house at Buckstown not b?ing- des- 
 troyed, made him very grateful to the people of that 
 ueighhourhcod, whom he knew had contributed to save 
 his property there. 
 
 Our cainp on Kileavan hill was visited by some protes- 
 tants of the neighbourhood, who feeling they had no- 
 thing to dread on account of the neutral part they main- 
 tained during this struggle for independence, approached 
 their catholic acquaintances with confidence. They recei- 
 ved them well, as persons considered friendly to our 
 cause. But judge of my surprise, and how glad I was, 
 when I saw amongst these visitors, young A iffy Page, 
 Ralph Blaney's clerk, he, who had had poor NedNowlan 
 taken prisoner on the 24th of may, when we were passing 
 at Hacketstown. I have mentioned all the particulars of 
 this matter in the beginning of my narrative. Of course 
 I had Page taken into custody, and given up to Nowlan's 
 two uncles, Taddy and Darby Laughlan, and to his bro- 
 ther John Nowlan. All three were fortunately present 
 at the camp at the time. I related to them in Page's pre- 
 sence, how he had their nephew and brother arrested and 
 thrown into prison at Hacketstown : he owned it was 
 true, and added, that Nowlan was safe, and would be 
 exchanged for him; hoped he would not be ill treated, 
 
120 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 etc. I impressed in the strongest manner on the uncles 
 and brother of poor Nowlan, the necessity of keeping this 
 young scamp, well guarded, until the exchange took 
 place ; that if they had not been there, I should have ta- 
 ken charge of Page myself and never lost sight of him 
 before all was accomplished. Of course they replied I 
 might rest assured they would do every thing necessary 
 to hasten the release of their relative. I quit them upon 
 this, having a good deal to do else where. I was happy 
 to think that chance had thrown this young scoundrel 
 into our hands, and that thereby poor Nowlan would be 
 snatched from an untimely end. Think then of my sor- 
 row and indignation, when Taddy Laughlan, the un- 
 cle, told me next day, that young Page's father, with 
 whom he was well acquainted, came to him and pledged 
 himself in the most solemn manner, that if his son was 
 put at liberty, they both would go immediately and have 
 Nowlan liberated. Laughlan had the fatuity to accede 
 to this proposition, thinking no doubt it was the surest 
 way of getting his nephew out of prison; but unfortuna- 
 tely, he was cruelly disappointed. In thirteen days after- 
 wards, poor Nowlan was brought back to Carnew, and 
 there immolated, to appease the thirst of the bloody Oran- 
 gemen of that place. 
 
 Ned Nowlan was a powerful strong man, twenty four 
 years of age. The murder of so fine a young fellow was 
 deeply felt by all who knew him; particularly as no 
 charge wliatever could be brought against him. But it 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 121 
 
 sufficed, that he was brave and a roman catholick, to 
 have him sacrificed to the fury of the relentless tyrants 
 and magistrates of Carnew. — It makes me melancholy 
 to think that he was not saved. His mother's sisters were 
 married to respectable farmers, enjoying' consideration 
 and influence in the country. They did not exert them- 
 selves on this occasion as they might have done. Both 
 Pag'e and his father should have been retained prisoners 
 and the females of their family charged with negotiating 
 the exchange of the prisoners. Alas ! nothing was 
 done. — 
 
 An incident occurred scarcely worth noticing, if it did 
 not shew how much we stood in need of discipline and 
 some kind of control, to prevent our young men scam- 
 pering through the country , without any object in 
 view. 
 
 Before quitting the camp at Kileavan hill, I wished to 
 leave a provision of salt at my mother's ; it was an article 
 we then began to feel the want of, and for this purpose 
 I brought my nephew James Kennedy, a lad of twelve or 
 thirteen years of age, mounted on a breeding mare, more 
 than twenty years old, and the only one of all our hor- 
 ses that the Orangemen left on the land. I was accompa- 
 nied by Jacob Byrne of Bally Ellis. We were riding 
 slowly, when we stopped to speak with some friends we 
 met who were just coming out of the town of Carnew. 
 My nephew who preceded us about two hundred yards. 
 
122 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 was thrown on the road in the most brutal manner by 
 two fellows who mounted the old mare and came up 
 meeting us. The poor boy all covered wit', dust was 
 running after them, crying- and shouting to stop them. 
 I crossed them in the road and desired them to alight 
 instantly, which they positively refused to do. Jacob 
 Byrne in assisting me to arrest these fellows, narrowly 
 escaped ; my piece in the struggle went off and shot his 
 horse dead under him ; both fell so suddenly on the road, 
 that I feared he was badly wounded. Fortunately he did 
 not receive the least injury; he lost a fine horse, that was 
 all, and the scamps betook themselves to the fields, lea- 
 ving the old mare behind them. So we proceeded to Car- 
 new. Mrs Leonard a widow, who kept a great warehouse 
 and establishment there, and whose premises were respec- 
 ted in the general conflagration, had put aside for me, a 
 small bag of salt, which young Kennedy took charge of. 
 But I had to have him escorted back to our house, three 
 miles distant. This circumstance with many similar 
 that occurred, shewed the necessity there was to have 
 companies formed, and the captains and lieutenants re- 
 gularly elected by their men. These companies to be from 
 oneto two hundred strong, to answer the proximity of the 
 locality the men belonged to : each company to have a 
 first and second captain, a first and second lieutenant, a 
 first and second ensign. One at least of each of these ranks 
 to be continually present with his company. Their duty 
 of course would be to look after the welfare of all those 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 123 
 
 who elected them, to the honour of the command ; to see 
 that provisions were procured and regularly distributed, 
 but of all things, to pass a minute inspection every mor- 
 ning- of the arms of their respective companies, and to be 
 more particular about the pikes, as on this weapon so 
 much depended; it being remarked, that many of our 
 men, as soon as they got any kind of firelock, even an 
 old pistol, which could not fire a shot, gave aw^ay their 
 pikes to others. These men at the inspection, could be 
 mildly admonished and made ashamed of having given 
 away a fine pike that such good use of had been made at 
 the last battle, etc. A simple organization of this kind, 
 with a few other military regulations, would have made 
 our army of pikemen formidable indeed. Our fire arms 
 being of different calibres, we could not easily get car- 
 tridges made to fit them all; and this was another rea- 
 son why we should have paid more attention to see that 
 the pikes were always in good condition. 
 
 By the march of our army to Kileavan hill we shewed 
 the enemy that had retreated on TuUow under the com- 
 mand of general Loftus that we expected to have met 
 them in the open field ; but they preferred shutting them- 
 selves up in the town, after evacuating Shillelah , Tiu- 
 nahilly and all that part of the county of Wicklow, 
 bordering on the county of Wexford, sooner than risk a 
 battle against our pikemen in the plain, though they had 
 cavalry well mounted and knew we had none. Thus we 
 
124 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRXE 
 
 were obliged to go and attack them in their towns, where 
 they were intrenched and barricaded in such a strong 
 way, that our pikemeu found the greatest difficulty in 
 making use of their arms. 
 
 But there was a plan suggested, which if it had been 
 put into execution would have in some measure remedied 
 our critical situation and have forced the enemy to quit 
 their strong holds. This plan consisted in having a corps 
 of six or eight thousand men detached as a corps of ob- 
 servation , manceuvring from Tinnahilly to Rathdrum, 
 and menacing to intercept the Dublin road leading to 
 Arklow; the command of this corps to be intrusted to 
 Garrett Byrne of Ballymanus. This gentleman was well 
 known to the gentry of the county ot Wexford and much 
 esteemed by them : but he was still better known in the 
 county of Wicklow, where all the people were ready to 
 follow him through thick and thin It was in this situa- 
 tion he could have rendered the most important service ; 
 aided by so many chiefs, all of whom had distinguished 
 themselves in each combat with the enemy, such as, Dan 
 Kervin, of Ballanacar, and a host of others, equally brave 
 and enterprising. Garrett Byrne's instructions were to 
 be, to avoid a general battle; to attack all small parties 
 of the enemy and harass them in every way; to keep 
 open his communication with the main body or army ; 
 but if separated by a superior force of the enemy, he 
 could retire into the mountains of Wicklow , to Glen 
 Muller and the seven churches, where his men would 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 125 
 
 have flocks of sheep at their disposition and from thence 
 he could have easily opened a communication with the 
 Kildare men. Had this plan been decided or and carried 
 into execution on the 5th or 6th of June, we should not 
 have had to fight a battle at Arklow, for the town was 
 abandoned by the king's forces, and the panic was so 
 great, that we might have reached Dublin, without meet- 
 ing much resistance, and in all probability have assem- 
 bled there in a few days under the walls of the capital, 
 more than sixty thousand fighting men, that would have 
 come flocking from all parts of Ireland, to join the stan- 
 dard of independence. 
 
 All these plans were suddenly relinquished on learning 
 that the town of Arklow was re-occupied by the english, 
 and the orange yeomanry, and by re-inforcements from 
 Dublin; carriages, jaunting cars, carts, waggons, etc., 
 all being pre^^sed into requisition to transport troops there 
 in all haste, to strengthen the garrison. 
 
 Our army returned on the 8th of June to it's former 
 camp at Gory hill, to make preparations for the attack 
 of the enemy at Arklow. Our ammunition became very 
 scarce, except for the artillery, of which we had still, a 
 tolerably good supply, and provisions of all kinds were 
 very difficult to be had for so numerous a body as was 
 now agglomerated at our camp. 
 
 Different applications for gunpowder was made to the 
 town of Wexford, which were not complied with, under 
 the pretext that it was all wanted for the defence of the 
 
126 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 city; as if we were not defending the town more effec- 
 tually than its inhabitants ; tho' we were thirty miles 
 away, still we were fighting- their battles as well as our 
 own. At length we received a very small barrel of pow- 
 der from "Wexford; a scanty supply no doubt, but it ar- 
 rived very opportunely, the eve of a great battle ; it was 
 distributed immediately to those who had firelocks, as 
 there w^as no time to have it made into cartridges. It was 
 whilst witnessing this distribution that poor Nick Mur- 
 phy and I lamented the loss of our large jar of fine pow- 
 der, which held sufficient to have supplied our army for 
 a long time 
 
 I have mentioned already how John Sheridan had dis- 
 covered to Hunter Gowan the place where we had this 
 jar concealed, whilst Murphy and I Mere absent, going 
 from place to place to conceal ourselves and to escape the 
 fury of the orangemen. 
 
 About this time the result of the hard fought battle at 
 Ross was known at our camp, and also thatBagnel Har- 
 vey had resigned the chief command and that Father 
 Philip Eoche had been chosen by the people to replace 
 him, as commander in chief of their forces before Ross. 
 — Roche w^as a very superior, intelligent man ; of course 
 we regretted seeing him leave our corps of army, though 
 we were in no want of chiefs to lead us to victory. We 
 had still Father John Murphy and Father Michael Mur- 
 phy , both enjoying immense influence amongst the 
 fighting men . 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 127 
 
 Besides, we had Anthony Perry, Esmond Kyan, and 
 many other distinguished leaders, all of whom by this 
 time were well known to have merited the rank they ob- 
 tained in the united Irish system. What we wanted most, 
 was gunpowder and a proper plan of campaigning, to 
 draw the enemy from their intrenchments into the plain, 
 and thereby enable us to bring our intrepid pikemen into 
 action, as we did at the memorable battle of Tubber- 
 neering against Walpole. 
 
 We were now in possession of the whole of the county 
 of Wexford, except Newtowubarry on the Slaney confi- 
 nes of the county of Carlow, New Ross on the Barrow 
 confines of Waterford and Kilkenny county , and the 
 Fort of Duncannon. We were also masters of that part 
 of the jcounty of Wicklow bordering on the county of 
 Wexford, from Carnew to Shillelah. Tinnahilly, to the 
 town of Arklow. It is only justice to say, that those dis- 
 tricts of the county of Wicklow furnished our army with 
 the most determined, fine, brave fellows and all to a 
 man, priding themselves on being united irishmen. They 
 had all either personually, or some members of their fa- 
 milies, sufi"ered the most cruel tortures and persecution; 
 such as, having had pitch caps put on their heads; they had 
 been picketed or half hung, they had had the king's troops 
 living on free quarters at their respective homes, and 
 there committing all sorts of atrocious crimes, shooting 
 the inhabitants, burning the houses, etc. Several men 
 
128 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 from Dunlaren came to tell the dreadful fate of their nea- 
 rest relations who had been murdered there, in coldblood, 
 previous to the rising-. These fine fellows were now only 
 occupied how they could best serve their country's cause. 
 How much it is to be lamented, that the inhabitants of 
 all the districts of Ireland were not then animated with 
 the same love of independence! Then indeed the english 
 yoke would have been soon shaken off, and no power 
 could have fastened it on again. England would have 
 had too much to do at home to keep her own population 
 quiet, and guard herself against the french nation, at 
 that time so powerful and so desirous to see England wea- 
 kened and reduced to be a second-rate state , which 
 evidently she would have been, the moment Ireland was 
 separated from her. 
 
 A short notice of a man whom I knew well, from one 
 of the above mentioned districts in the county of Wick- 
 low, and who acted throughout our struggle for inde- 
 pendence a most conspicuous part, first in the organiza- 
 tion of the united Irish system, and subsequently as 
 one of our brave chiefs in the war, will be in its place 
 here on account of wiiat is to follow. 
 
 Matthew Doyle, who resided on the way between Bal- 
 lyarthur and Arklow, was appointed by the provincial 
 chiefs to travel in the adjacent counties, to give instruc- 
 tions to the societies, and to report on their progress. 
 Putenham Mac Cabe was frequently sent from Dublin on 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 129 
 
 the same mission. I met them at Nick Murphy's house, 
 at Monaseed, where they stopped the night, to take 
 refreshments. No two men could be more dissimilar 
 in manner. Mac Cahe was quite a man of the world, ra- 
 ther handsome, plausible in conversation, with a myste- 
 rious air of importance, which was greatly enhanced by 
 his tie wig and other disguises he had to put on during 
 the perilous mission he had undertaken for the welfare of 
 Ireland — I met Mac Cabe in Paris in 1803. I never 
 could rightly understand his patriotism. We were seve- 
 ral Irish officers at the time, just setting off from Paris 
 for Brest, from which place we expected an expedition 
 would soon sail to free our unfortunate country. Mac 
 Cabe seemed to gibe at our great hurry to repair to the 
 coast, just as if he knew the secrets of the government ; 
 nor could 1 ever learn that he volunteered to go on any of 
 the expeditions preparing in the french sea-ports to in- 
 vade Ireland. Yet he ran great risks going frequently to 
 England and Ireland and returning to France during the 
 w^ar. In 1807 I was with a battalion of our regiment in 
 garrison at Antwerp. Mac Cabe arrived there from En- 
 gland by way of Amsterdam ; he had two ladies under 
 his care, who were coming from Ireland, madame Ber- 
 theme and her daughter mademoiselle Berthemd. "We in- 
 vited these ladies and Mac Cabe to dine with us at our 
 mess, which they accepted, and we spent a very pleasant 
 evening, at the Hotel du Lion d'Or. Mac Cabe shewed us 
 a handsome caseof pistols hehadpurchased in London, and 
 
 9 
 
130 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRN'E 
 
 which he intended for general Arthur O'Connor. This 
 was the last time I ever spoke to Mac Cabe, though I saw 
 him one day in the streets of Paris after the restoration 
 of the Bourbons. He had just arrived from Dublin, where 
 he had been imprisoned some time. — 
 
 Matthew Doyle was a stout healthy looking man ; when 
 travelling he was always mounted on a good horse, as 
 the farmers and graziers generally are when going on 
 their business to fairs or markets. In this way Doyle 
 passed through the country quietly, without attracting 
 any notice, yet notwithstanding all his precautions, his 
 dwelling was one of the first in the country where the 
 soldiers were let loose on free quarters : the ancient bri- 
 tons finding Doyle had escaped into the woods, establis- 
 hed themselves in his house, where they kept his wife 
 and children prisoners, until they were called away 
 when Arklow was abandoned on the 5th of June. Doyle 
 had the satisfaction of seeing, before the war terminated, 
 these cruel monsters nearly all slain, at the battle of 
 Bally Ellis in which he took an active part. But in a 
 few days after, he was taken prisoner and on the point 
 of being shot, when it was thought better to put him 
 into a regiment as a private soldier; this regiment being 
 one of those sent to Egypt under the command of sir 
 Ralph Abercrombie, Doyle made the campaign there 
 against the french ; when discharged a few years after- 
 wards, he was very vain of his military acquirements, 
 which he trusted might one day be employed for the 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES RYRNE 131 
 
 emancipation of bis country. — He was introduced to 
 poor Robert Emmett in 1803. 
 
 I mention all tbese particulars about Doyle previous to 
 g-iving an account of tbe battle of Arklow, because no 
 man knew tbe environs of tbat town better tban be did, 
 and no one was more capable of making a diversion in 
 tbe rear of tbe enemy's line, bad it been resolved to do so 
 during tbe battle and wbicb no doubt would bave ren- 
 dered tbe victory less dear to our army. 
 
 BATTLE OF ARKLOW — 9tH OF JUNE 1798. 
 
 At about ten o'clock in tbe morning all the prepara- 
 tions tbat were possible to be made being now ready, and 
 all our men wbo were absent during tbe nigbt baving 
 joined tbeir respective corps, tbe order to march from 
 Gory bill was given and never did I witness any thing 
 before like tbe joy that seemed to brighten every counte- 
 nance when this command was repeated from rank to 
 rank throughout tbe entire column ; it bad more the ap- 
 pearance of a march to some great place of amusement 
 than to the battle field. I think we mustered twenty 
 thousand strong at least, but we bad not two thousand 
 firelocks fit for use. Tbe greater part of the muskets that 
 were taken by tbe country people, little accustomed to 
 make use of them, the locks soon became deranged, and 
 
132 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 we had no gunsmiths following our army to repair 
 them, nor had we even blacksmiths to repair our pikes ; 
 for those poor fellows were either shot, transported, or 
 in prison previous to the rising-; but still we had some 
 three or four thousand tolerably well mounted pikes in 
 our army, and the remainder of the men were armed 
 with weapons of different sorts, all of which inclose fight- 
 ing would suffice against the soldier's gun and bayonet. 
 We met no scouting parties from the enemy's camp before 
 we reached Coolgreny; in this town we made a short 
 halt, to let the men take some refreshments, and after a 
 rest of less than an hour, we resumed "our march on Ar- 
 klow, the enemy's cavalry flying back before us, with- 
 out waiting to exchange a single shot with our advanced 
 guard. Thus we arrived between three and four o'clock 
 (after making ten Irish miles), in front of the enemy's 
 line, which we found intrenched and barricaded, to com- 
 mence a regular battle, with our very irregular troops, 
 against a regular and disciplined english army. "We first 
 perceived a number of field officers seemingly very busy 
 riding before their line of battle, but they, as soon as the 
 first shot was fired from our troops, retired to the rear of 
 their line, and we saw one of them fall from his horse , 
 we supposed either badly wounded or killed. He be- 
 longed to the Durham fencibles that occupied this strong 
 position. 
 
 Esmond Kyan lost no time in drawing up our artillery 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 133 
 
 to attack this position and the very first volley he fired, 
 he had the satisfaction to see that he had dismounted one 
 of the enemy's cannon. The Monaseed corps to which I 
 belonged, entered the field in front of the enemy's intren- 
 chments, at the same time with Esmond Kyan and the 
 artillery; but we were instantly ordered to file to the 
 right and attack the outlets or fishery, where the enemy 
 was in great force, and the corps not yet arrived were to 
 take our ; I ace to guard the artillery and force the enemy's 
 position in that direction. 
 
 We immediately obeyed and marched to attack the fis- 
 hery, but we were greatly exposed to the fire from the 
 enemy's intrenchment in crossing an open field and by 
 this prompt measure we lost several fine fellows. We 
 were soon joined by other corps of our army that had 
 made a circuitous road and consequently without losing 
 any men. We being now in sufiicient force, began the 
 attack, and in a short time the battle became general in 
 every direction where the king's troops were perceived, 
 and the yeoman cavalry shewed more pluck on this oc- 
 casion than usual. They accompanied the regular forces 
 in several charges against our men, but without success, 
 for we forced both them and the english troops to aban- 
 don their position in the fishery with great loss of men 
 killed and wounded. Such were the prodigies of valour 
 exhibited by our chiefs at the head of their respective 
 corps, that general Needham, who commanded in chief 
 the king's forces, from the onset despaired of success, 
 
134 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 and he had already begun to take the necessary disposi- 
 tions to effect his retreat before the great mass of our pi- 
 kemen should be brought against him ; his troops, he saw 
 plainly, though they fought bravely, could no longer 
 resist the impetuosity of our attacks jn the open field. 
 Besides, he feared every moment that his forces might 
 disband in confusion, particularly that part of Walpole's 
 division which escaped at Tubberneering and which al- 
 though now considerably reinforced by the Oavan militia 
 and other troops sent from Dublin, could not forget 
 their late panic at Clough, where Walpole was killed. 
 
 General Needham had also the cavalry regiment of an- 
 cient Britons and at least a dozen corps of yeoman cavalry 
 to bring against us, whilst we had scarcely any men 
 mounted to make head against them; yet we defeated and 
 dispersed them in every engagement during the day. 
 Captain Thomas Knox Grogan at the head of the Castle- 
 town cavalry was one of the first who attempted to charge 
 our troops; both he and his cousin James Moor of Mona- 
 seed and several others of his corps were killed in an 
 instant and the rest dispersed. I knew them both well ; 
 Moor was a near neighbour, and we rented land from 
 Grogan, one of the most worthy men in the country'. All 
 the other cavalry corps that came to attack us, were de- 
 feated and dispersed in like manner as Grogan's. So we 
 were nowafter four hours of desperate fighting completely 
 masters of the field of battle, with the exception of one 
 
MEMOIRS OF JULES BYRNE 135 
 
 corner, the position occupied by colonel Skerret and the 
 Durham fencibles, and this post was only attacked by 
 our artillery, commanded by Esmond Kyan. Unfortuna- 
 tely this brave and experienced officer, after having for- 
 ced Skerret to abandon his first stronghold, received a 
 wound which disabled him for some time ; he had his cork 
 arm with a part of the stump carried off by a onnon 
 ball; this accident afforded time to Skerrett and his 
 much vaunted Durham fencibles to barricade themselves 
 in their new position. But, had a few hundred of our pi- 
 kemen been brought to bear on them during this manoeu- 
 vre, they would have fled as well as all the other troops 
 under the command of general Needham. For really those 
 fencibles shewed no bravery, further than to keep them- 
 selves under cover and away as much as possible from 
 our pikemen. They never once attempted during the bat- 
 tle to assist the other troops of their division, which were 
 overwhelmed in every direction by our army. Thus by 
 keeping as much as he could out of the fight, colonel 
 Skerret made a reputation for himself, and for which, 
 according to the military lottery, he was recompensed 
 with the rank of general. 
 
 On the other hand, the intrepid and heroic chiefs of 
 our Irish army looked for no other reward than to see 
 their country free a^d independent. Stimulated by this 
 sublime aspiration, they cheerfully marched to meet the 
 enemy; no matter how perilous the situation, and gene- 
 
136 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 rally under the greatest disadvantage; suffering all 
 manner of privations, and here it is only just that I should 
 mention some of those who displayed the greatest hravery 
 and courage during this action. 
 
 The brave Michael Redmond with the Limerick corps, 
 and the men of his own neighbourhood contributed most 
 powerfully in gaining the battle. After defeating the 
 king's troops in the fishery, he was pursuing them into 
 the town, when he received a mortal wound of which he 
 expired instantly. This misfortune threw a damp over 
 the men who looked to poor Redmond as their principal 
 chief; but they were again cheered and encouraged by 
 Anthony Perry , Merth Mernaye and other intrepid 
 leaders. 
 
 The reverend Michael Murphy who led on his men 
 with skill and courage, enjoying as he did, an immense 
 influence over all those who knew him, his death in the 
 heat of the battle, was no doubt a cruel loss, but not an 
 irreparable one as some people would have it thought, for 
 if it was considered necessary to have a clergyman to 
 lead the people to victory, there was still one in our 
 ranks who enjoyed a greater ascendency over the masses 
 than the unfortunate man who was killed. Father John 
 Murphy apparently with the simplicitj^ of a child, was a 
 lion in the fight; in short he knew not, nor cared, nor 
 feared danger, from the moment he was forced to take the 
 field to save his life from the tyrants who had burned his 
 house, his chapel and all he possessed, on the 26th of 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 137 
 
 may : and this day at Arklow, he was seen in every cri- 
 tical sitviation encouraging- the men and exposing" himself 
 to the greatest dang^er, wherever he thoug-ht his presence 
 could be useful. He was so well known that the moment 
 he was perceived, there was a g-eneral burst of joy and 
 enthusiasm throughout the ranks of the army. Thus it 
 may be fairly said of Father John, -that he contributed 
 
 most powerfully to the success of the day at Arklow, 
 
 I 
 
 James Kavanagh of Ballyscarton and Micha?! Fearet of 
 Tara, with many other fine fellows were killed at the 
 head of their men, driving- the king's troops from the 
 fishery. — Dan Kervan wath the other county of Wicklow 
 loaders, distinguished themselves by their coolness and 
 bravery all through the fighting; and of the Monaseed 
 corps, I must as usual mention Ned Fennell, Johnny 
 Doyle, Nick Murphy, and indeed I could add a host of 
 others who shewed the greatest intrepidity in heading 
 their men in the thick of the fire. In short, in every corps 
 of our army, were to be seen during this battle very 
 young men indeed, displaying the greatest courage and 
 carelessness about the great danger they were exposed 
 to. — Such was the endearing love of country and inde- 
 pendence which animated the soul of each, that if they 
 had been well commanded, the enemy had no force in 
 Ireland to withstand them any time. I enter into these 
 particulars to shew that we were not in want of brave 
 and experienced leaders to head the men in the action, 
 
138 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 What we wanted, was a commander in chief, who should' 
 have been chosen by all the other chiefs, previous to the 
 battle, and whose orders alone should have been punc- 
 tually executed ; and no other that did not emanate froini 
 him. There were several trust worthy men to whom thisf 
 important command might have been confided, such as, 
 Garrett Byrne of Ballymanus, Anthony Perry, Esmond 
 Kyan, Edward Fitzgerald of New park, and indeed many jj; 
 others who would have been quite equal to the task, with 
 a council to direct them and a staff of aides-de-camp, 
 composed of fine young- fellows to carry their orders 
 and assist Ihem in the fight. But instead of having a ge- 
 neral in chief and a staff organized in this way, we were 
 often at a loss to know from whom the orders came. Foi 
 my own part, I never could ascertain who it was tha1| 
 gave the order to our army to march back to our camj: 
 at Gorey hill, at the moment the battle was gained and 
 the king's forces quitting the town and retreating on the 
 road to Wicklow. The Durham fencibles that were left tc 
 cover this retreat, only waited till it became dark to be 
 gin their retrograde march unperceived. 
 
 Our army had only to make a few fires at a little dis- .-.. 
 tance to shew the enemy we were encamped for the! 
 night and in a short time aftei', the town would have^ 
 been completely evacuated , not only by the english 
 troops, but by the yeomen ai?d orangemen of every des- 
 cription. 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRXE 139 
 
 How melancholy to think a victory so dearly bought, 
 should have been abandoned, and for which no good or 
 plausible motive could ever be assig-ned. No doubt we had 
 expended nearly all our ammunition, but that should 
 have served as a sufficient reason to have brought all our 
 pikemen instantly to pursue the enemy whilst in a state 
 of disorder, and panic struck as it really was that day at 
 Arklow. 
 
 My firm belief is to day, as it was that day, that if we 
 had had no artillery, the battle would have been won in 
 half the time; for we should have attacked the position 
 of the Durham fencibles at the very onset, with some 
 thousand determined pikemen, in place of leaving those 
 valiant fellows inactiveto admire the effect of each cannon 
 shot. No doubt our little artillery was admirably directed 
 and did wonders, until Esmond Kj^an's wound deprived 
 the Irish army of this gallant man's services ; he was 
 in every sense of the word, a real soldier and a true pa- 
 triot. 
 
 A diversion in the rear of the enemy's line during 
 the battle might have accelerated their retreat and have 
 thrown them into still greater disorder and confusion. 
 — Matthew Doyle of whom I have already spoken, offe- 
 red to execute this diversion, but it w^as considered un- 
 necessary. Of course Doyle and his men betook them- 
 selves to the front of the fight. Had a house or two been 
 set on fire in the rear of the enemy, as was the case at 
 
140 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 the battle of Enniscorthy on tlie 28th of may, and whicl 
 decided instantly the success there in our favour, th. 
 same result would have been obtained for us at Arklow 
 for the king's troops finding- themselves attacked in thai 
 rear M^ould begin to fly in every direction ; and already 
 disafiection was plainly seen in their ranks, and theirisl 
 private soldier had learned that he would not be badbj 
 treated if he fell into our hands. Thus, had we followei 
 up our victory, in a very short time vast numbers of th 
 irish would have deserted from the english and come t 
 join our standard; for with the exception of the Orange 
 men, all the irish that were brought against us, onl; 
 waited a fit opportunity to abandon their tyrants an- 
 come over to us ; and no one knew this better than gene 
 ral Needham. That was the reason he wished to effect hi 
 retreat in time, before the disafi'ection became general i 
 his army. But the unhappy destiny of poor Ireland woul 
 have it, that we were really ignorant of our own strengt 
 and did not know how to avail ourselves of the immens 
 advantages we had already acquired; having the whol 
 country every where through the county of WickloA 
 favourable to us, by which the king's forces were obli 
 ged to pass, they never could attempt again to maki 
 another stand before they reached Dublin, and our arm; i 
 would, at every mile it advanced, be considerably augl 
 mented by those brave fellows who had had to takerefug 
 in the Wicklow mountains, and who would now salk 
 forth to attack the enemy in disorder, retreating in hast 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRXE 141 
 
 and confusion to escape from twenty thousand men, by 
 whom tliey were closely pursued after their defeat at 
 Arklow. 
 
 Nothing but the most precipitate march or flight could 
 have saved any portion of them. General Needham drea- 
 ded this desertion; of course he apprized his government 
 of his critical situation. The government had no reinfor- 
 cements to send him, but Irish militia regiments, in 
 whose loyalty now no confidence could be placed. 
 
 The infernal orange system and lodges which the go- 
 vernment allowed to be organized in all tlie Irish militia 
 regiments, W'Ould soon have had the happiest effect for 
 us, had we but followed up our victory. For all those 
 who refused to take the orange test, particularly the ro- 
 man catholics of those, regiments, only waited a favour- 
 able occasion to escape from all kinds of persecutions and 
 insults, which they had daily to put up with from the 
 orange ringleaders, who treated them as vile united re- 
 bels, croppies, etc. 
 
 No redress could they expect from officers who were sworn 
 Orangemen themselves. Thus this schism and division 
 , was augmenting in every Irish militia regiment, and 
 jwith it insubordination and indiscipline^ such as was 
 jnever known in any army before, and wdiich confirmed 
 the prediction of sir Ralph Abercrombie, when he re- 
 signed the chief command of this army on the 29th of april 
 1798, sooner than tarnish his military fame by remain- 
 ing to lead a band of ruffians to scenes of coldblooded 
 
142 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYP.NE 
 
 slaughter and desolation. « The englisli army », he de- 
 clared, « in Ireland v»'as formidable to all h'lt the 
 enemy. » 
 
 Never before had the english government in Ireland 
 been so near its total destruction. When Hoche's expedi- 
 tion appeared on the coast in 1796, the irish nation was 
 ready to avail itself of it, to throw off the english yoke ; 
 but now the people found they were adequate to accom- 
 plish this great act themselves without foreign aid. — 
 What a pity that there was not some enterprising chief 
 at their head at Arklow, to have followed up our victory 
 to the city of Dublin, where we should have mustered 
 more than a hundred thousand in a few days; conse- 
 quently the capital would have been occupied without 
 delay by our forces; when a provisional goverment would 
 have been organized and the whole irish nation called on. 
 to proclaim its independence. Then would every emblemi 
 of the cruel english government have disappeared fromi 
 the soil of our beloved country, which would once more 
 take its rank amongst the other independent states of the 
 earth! — 
 
 My great anxiety to appreciate the result of the battle, 
 or what might have been the result of our victory at Ar- 
 klow, has led me away from our march back to Gorey, 
 but I now resume the details of this sad march. 
 
 Beinff masters of the countrv all round and of the bat- 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 143 
 
 tie field, where not an enemy was to be seen, we should 
 have deserved the greatest blame, had we neglected to 
 carry with ns our unfortunate wounded men. For my 
 own part, I did all in my power to have those who were 
 wounded near me during the action, carried away by 
 their comrades, until the means of transporting them on 
 cars could be procured, which was difficult, on account 
 of its being now quite dark night. — Had we, as we 
 should have done, got all the brave men who were killed 
 in the action, buried, it would have deprived Earl Mount- 
 norris and the ferocious ancient Britons of the cannibal 
 pleasure they enjoyed in mangling the body and roast- 
 ing the heart of the reverend Michael Murphy. — But I 
 shall not dwell on this painful subject, of which so 
 much has been published by the bookmakers of that 
 epoch. 
 
 When I reached Gory late at night, I went to see 
 about the wounded men of my acquaintance ; they were 
 placed on a ground floor in the main street, and as yet 
 their wounds were undressed. One of them poor young- 
 Owen Brucelann took me by the hand, when I proposed 
 to bring a surgeon, he told me it was useless, that he 
 could not recover, and in a few minutes after he expired. 
 Two others died before I left the room. Many of those who 
 were not badly wounded were taken by their friends to 
 their respective homes, where they were sure to be well 
 taken care of by the females of their families. A. melancholy 
 
144 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 occupation, no doubt, for the poor mothers, ^'ives and 
 sisters ; but we had no regular hospitals as yet organi- 
 zed, which was the worst feature of our campaigning. 
 Not to be left the hope of being cured of our wounds was 
 grievous indeed, but what was still worse, was the cer- 
 tainty of being instantly put to death if made prisoners. 
 Well, with this gloomy prospect before our eyes, 1 think 
 we were more rlauntless, and more ready to meet the 
 enemy in open fight than ever; and so far from despond- 
 ing and remaining at Gory hill on [the defensive, not- 
 withstanding our mistaken retrograde movement from 
 Arklow, we resumed our military offensive operations 
 the day after. Our losses in killed and wounded were no 
 doubt considerable, and it must have been equally great 
 with the enemy. The numbers could never be rightly 
 ascertained ; we brought some hundreds of wounded men 
 away from the field of battle, and from the night coming 
 on, it appeared that many more were not brought off. 
 When those unfortunate men were discovered by the 
 enemy next day, they were instantly slaughtered. 
 
 Esmond Kyan and some others of the wounded chiefs, 
 had to go to Wexford to get surgical advice. Thus ended 
 the battle of Arklow. 
 
CHAPTER IV 
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 The principal events after the battle of Arklow, up to the concentration 
 of a great part of our forces at Vinegar hill, on the evening of the 20th 
 of juno. 
 
 Our mistake at Arklow in not bivouacking Mhen the enemy was in full 
 retreat. 
 
 The battle ve fight next morning the 21st of June 1798 against general 
 Lake and his twenty thousand regular troops and yeomen at Vinegar hill 
 and Enniscorthy. 
 
 Our retreat to Wexford, etc. 
 
 After we return from Arklow, the Irish army remain at the camp on Gory 
 hill and is stationary there the 10th and llth of June, to allow time to all 
 those who went to visit their families to return and rejoin their respec- 
 tive corps, and by resting, to recruit their forces and prepare for new 
 combats. 
 
 Owens, the protestant minister and magistrate, who was a prisoner with 
 the Irish army, pretending to be mad, thereby narrowly escapes death ; 
 having made himself conspii-uous by putting on pitch caps on the unfor- 
 tunate people who were brought before him, much irritation against 
 him. 
 
 On the I2th of June, our army leave Gory hill and march to Limerick hill 
 and encamp there; from which place scouting and reconnoilering par- 
 ties are detached in the direction most likely to meet the enemy. 
 
 10 
 
H6 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 On the IStliofjuue, a strong reconnoitering force is sent on the road to 
 Arklow, and meet the enemy who fly in disorder from them, back to the 
 town. 
 
 John Thumping of Ballygullen, brother-in-law to Hunter Gowan. is brought 
 a prisoner to the camp and put to death at the bottom of the hill, by 
 men who bad had their fathers and brothers murdered by his sons and 
 his cruel brother-in-law, Hunter Gowan. 
 
 On the I4th of June several detachments of our forces are sent in the direc- 
 tion of Carnew, Sbillelah and Tinnahilly. — Our manoeuvering and 
 exertions to induce general Needham and the gnrrison of Arklow to 
 come out and meet us in the open field of battle prove fruitless. 
 
 15th of June. Great skirmisking with the king's troops, and after driving 
 them before us we make a number of prisoner. 
 
 Having left Limerick hill and marched to Mount Pleasant on the 16th of june 
 we prepare for battle. 
 
 17th of June. New combats, in which the enemy are defeated and forced 
 to retire into the mountains. Brilliant conduct of Mathew Doyle and the 
 Arklow corps on this occasion. Billy Byrne's humane interference to save 
 the lives of prisoners at our camp, and for which he is executed after, 
 wards at Wicklow. — His trial and execution cause much sorrow 
 throughout the country, and sadden all to whom he was personnaily 
 known. 
 
 Mrs Meagher of Coolalug comes to visit our camp for the purpose of 
 interceding for and saving prisoners. How I became acquainted with 
 this lady. 
 
 18th of June. Arrival at our camp of men who had escaped from Dublin 
 through the mountains of Wicklow, bringing intelligence that a french 
 army is hourly expected to land. — Bad effect produced by this news.— 
 A cruel delusion for the poor Irish to be counting on aid from France at 
 the moment the conqueror of Italy and his forty thousand m.en are on 
 their way to Egypt ! — This intelligence at such a moment, creates a 
 difference of opinion between the leaders. 
 
 19th of June. Our army march to Kilkevin hill, and have smart skirmishing 
 the whole day with the enemy but as usual, the king's forces refuse 
 to risk a battle. — The Irish army engaged the whole day skirmishing 
 is not able to bring the enemy to a general action, when the pikemen 
 would have been of such use. 
 
 On the 19th, bad news received from the Irish army before Ross and an 
 invitation from the commander in chief of that army to the chiefs of our 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 147 
 
 corps, praying them to concentrate all the forces under their orders at 
 Vinegar hill. —The cruel result of this silly, untimely and unmilitary 
 manoeuvre but too soon felt. 
 
 On the 19th at night our army march from Kilkevin hill to Camoleu and 
 Ferns, and next day the 20th arrive at the foot of Vinegar hill. 
 
 Battle of Vinegar hill and Enniscorthy on the 21st of June 1798. — Great bra- 
 very and intrepidity is shewn all along the line by the Irish army. Some 
 of the chiefs recommend assembling all our forces and attacking the 
 enemy's left flank. 
 
 The town of Enniscorthy and it's outlets defended by Mr William Barker 
 and Father Kearns. 
 
 Retreat of the Irish army after the battle to the town of Wexford. 
 
 Indignation of this army on hearing of the negociations that were carried 
 on between the inhabitants of that town and lord Kingsborough, so 
 early as three o'clock in the morning of the 21st to surrender to him and 
 the king's troops the town on condition that they and their properties 
 should be saved. — The result of the battle of Vinegar hill could not be 
 known before eleven o'clock, as it only finished at nine, and the distance 
 is eleven Irish miles. 
 
 Mr Barker is taken a prisoner and lodged in Wexford jail, after having his 
 arm amputated by au English surgeon and carefully dressed for, some 
 days. — Mr Devereux the father of g.'ueral Devereux, is lodged in the cell 
 adjoinmg Mr Barker's, and dies of a fever. —Mr Barker with his wife and 
 child make their escape to Hamburgh, and from thence proceed to 
 Paris. 
 
 Humbert lands folate; when the Irish armies are dispersed. 
 
 Our great mistake at Arklow of not bivouacking- when 
 the enemy was in full retreat, for I shall not call it a 
 failure, as we gained the battle there, obliged us to adopt 
 a new plan; it was, to endeavour to bring the enemy to 
 meet us in the open field. This plan consisted in chan- 
 ging frequently our camp, marching and counter-march- 
 
148 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 ing before the english line, to try to induce them to quit 
 their strong-holds and come to attack us in their turn, 
 that our pikemen might be instantly brought into 
 action . 
 
 Our camp on Gory hill (after we returned from Ar- 
 klow) became stationary there for the 10th and 11th of 
 June, to allow time to all those who went to visit their 
 families, to return and rejoin their respective corps. 
 
 On the 12th of June our army marched from Gory and 
 encamped the same day on Limerick hill, from which 
 place scouting and reconnoitering parties were detached 
 in the direction thought the most likely to meet with the 
 enemy, who by the bye, fled back whenever we approa- 
 ched them and refused to engage in combat with our 
 men. 
 
 The english forces at Arklow were particularly cau- 
 tious to avoid meeting our pikemen, from whom they had 
 so recently received a terrible specimen of the iitility 
 and advantage of this long handed weapon, called the 
 pike, when properly bi'ought to bear upon the foe. The 
 garrison of Arklow however took courage and ventured 
 to send out several detachments into the country and 
 neighbourhood at some miles distant from the town; — 
 not to meet our army in open fight, but to murder in 
 cold blood all the unfortunate innocent people who were 
 found in their houses. The ancient british horse regiment 
 accompanied by the yeomen cavalry corps, glutted their 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 149 
 
 ferocious appetites in these most monstrous deeds. Even 
 the Orange historian, Gordon, is obliged to own the great 
 extent and enormity of those crimes. He at the same time 
 wishes to palliate them by saying that the insurgents 
 used reprisals at their camp. No doubt there were many, 
 and it was nearly impossible it could be otherwise, in 
 the presence of such vast numbers who had had their 
 dearest parents slaughtered previous* to the insurrection, 
 by the inhuman magistrates and orange yeomanry. Yet 
 notwithstanding, many prisoners were saved, against 
 whom the most serious imputations for sanguinary deeds 
 could be produced. I contributed in several instances as 
 much as lay in my power to have those vile, ungrateful 
 fellows spared ; because, I thought, the spilling of blood 
 in this way could never serve our cause. I on one occasion 
 in the market house loft at Gory, had influence enough 
 to prevent the famous magistrate and protestant minister 
 Owens from being killed. He who had made himself so 
 conspicuous in putting on pitch caps on the unfortunate 
 people who had the misfortune to be brought before him, 
 as a justice of the peace. When several of those who had 
 been thus treated by this miserable bigot, insisted on 
 having him put to death forthwith, I pointed out to them 
 how «he» liad had his sufferings from a pitch cap, which 
 had taken all the hair and skin from his head, and that it 
 would rfDt be worth their while to inflict on him any 
 other punishment; besides, that he had in consequence 
 become silly. Owens finding I had succeeded in dissuad- 
 
150 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 ing them from their design for the moment, played his 
 part very well. Perceiving- some young girls amongst • 
 those whom curiosity brought to see the prisoners, he 
 ofiFered his services to marry any of them who wished to 
 be joined in wedlock to their lovers. A young man and a 
 young girl being very near us, he advanced and put their 
 hands together, and instantly began the ceremony of 
 marriage, when the* poor innocent girl gave a terrible 
 scream and ran away, which caused much laughter and 
 seemingly amused all present. Whether it was, that she 
 did not like the young man, or scrupled being married 
 by a protestant minister I did not learn. — Owens had 
 to shew himself at the window of the market house loft 
 whenever any of our corps passed through the street. 
 Fortunately for him, the windows being very high from 
 the ground, the pikes could not reach him. — A strong 
 guard was continually left at this prison, until the day 
 our army left Gory and marched to Limerick hill; then 
 Owens and the other prisoners that were confined there 
 were sent off to "Wexford, escorted by brave men who did 
 not thirst for spilling human blood, and thereby escaped 
 from the reprisals, which sooner or later they might 
 expect did they remain in Gory. — What a contrast was 
 this humane conduct to the ferocious Hunter Gowan and 
 the young bloodhounds who composed his corps of 
 yeomen cavalry : these cowardly murderers being well 
 aware of what awaited them if taken prisoners, took good 
 care to keep out of the way of our army and never to risk 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 151 
 
 meeting in battle the friends of the fine fellows they had 
 slaughtered in cold blood, previous to the insurrection 
 breaking* out. The father however, of two of those young 
 blood hounds, who had made themselves so conspicuous 
 in shooting poor Garrett Fennell, James d'Arcy, and 
 many others, on the 25th of may, had the misfortune to 
 be taken prisoner and brought to our camp at Limerick 
 hill ; Jolr: Thumping was his name, he lived at Bally- 
 gullen, he was brother -in law to Hunter Gowan, they 
 having married two sisters, and the brother of their wives 
 Tommy Norton, was the worthy companion of the mons- 
 ter Hunter Gowan, in all his cruel deeds during this la- 
 mentable period An epoch which, either by history or 
 tradition must go down to the latest posterity, reminding 
 the rising generations never to be at rest, nor to forgive, 
 until they get completely rid of their sanguinary task 
 masters, the inhuman English. 
 
 Returning one evening to our camp at Limerick hill, I 
 passed on the way some men escorting a prisoner whom 
 I recognized to be John Thumping : I knew him well by 
 sight, though I never had spoken to him. I feared the 
 worst for this unfortunate man, on account of his son's 
 bad reputation, and his other infamous connexions, such 
 as Gowan, etc. — I hastened to the camp, to communi- 
 cate my apprehensions to Ned Fennell, whom I met on 
 horseback. He was also just returning from a reconnoi- 
 tering party, as I was. This fine undaunted fellow, like 
 
152 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 every brave man, shuddered at the idea of having inno- 
 cent blood spilt : he perfectly agreed with me, that Thum- 
 ping should only be made accountable for his own acts, 
 and not for those of his infernal sons. We both instantly 
 rode back to meet the escort that was conducting the 
 prisoner to the camp, when at the bottom of the hill we 
 perceived a crowd of people and a man lying dead at 
 some distance. It was the unfortunate Thumping, who 
 being met by men who had had their fathers ad bro- 
 thers murdered by his sons and Hunter Gowan, instantly 
 put him to death. — Had poor Ned Fennell arrived a few 
 minutes sooner, he would have saved the unfortunate 
 man, as none could claim a prior right to retaliate, than 
 he whose brother had been one of the first victims, hav- 
 ing been murdered by the young Thumpings, but not by 
 the father. 
 
 The winter after the war terminated, a poor young lad, 
 who lived by his labour, having been one of those who 
 escorted Thumping to the camp, was executed at Arklow 
 for his death. — Mat Fennell, the brother of Ned and 
 Garrett, was arrested at the same time; probably his 
 youth saved him (for he was only sixteen) from being 
 offered up as a sacrifice to appease the wrath of the vin- 
 dictive Orangemen and cruel magistrates of the country 
 at that epoch. It is melancholy to have to speak of these 
 sad reprisals. I witnessed none at our camp of Carrigrew 
 hill, Kilkevin or Gory. 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 153 
 
 All our mancEuvring and exertions to induce general 
 Needham and the garrison of Arklow to come out and 
 meet us in the open field of battle, proving fruitless, 
 and learning that general Loftus had quit TuUow at the 
 head of the king's troops there, and was marching in 
 the direction of Tinnahilly, whilst general Dundas with 
 his division had arrived from Baltinglass at Hacketstown, 
 to co-operate with general Loftus , we immediately 
 left our camp at Limerick hill and marched to meet 
 them . 
 
 On the 15th of June our advanced guard had some 
 smart skirmishing with the english forces, and after dri- 
 ving them before us and making a number of prisoners, 
 we encamped at Mount Pleasant on the 16th of juue, and 
 there prepared for battle. 
 
 The next morning, the 17th, those generals at the head 
 of the english forces, Loftus and Dundas, who had mar- 
 ched, one from Tullow and the other from Hacketstown, 
 quite determined to attack our camp, and who had even 
 boasted that we could not resist them or keep our position 
 for half an hour at Mount Pleasant, when they approach- 
 ed in sight of our army, and found it in line so formida- 
 bly drawn up to receive them, hesitated and suddenly 
 halted their army, instead o' coming to attack our line 
 and begin the battle. — Our generals seeing this hesita- 
 tion of the enemy, ordered our brave fellow^s to sally from 
 the camp and to commence the fight, which was instan- 
 
154 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 tly executed with great success. We forced the king's 
 troops to retire precipitately and to abandon a large park 
 of cattle, with a quantity of provisions they had follow- 
 ing their army ; and notwithstanding the vast number of 
 cavalry corps they had covering their rear, we took a 
 great number of prisoners and forced the enemy to quit 
 their first position and to take another on a hill at a great 
 distance, from which position they were preparing to 
 fall back on Tallow and Hacketstown. Here as well as in 
 most other places where we engaged the enemy, skill 
 alone was wanting to follow up the king's troops to in- 
 sure success. — The people had numbers and courage 
 enough to overthrow any force which had been sent 
 against them, if they had been skilfully commanded. 
 
 On this day all our corps evinced the greatest courage 
 and quickness to march to attack the enemy, but I must 
 mention one corps in particular which proved to the en- 
 glish on this occasion that they would have been well 
 received by our pikemen, had they advanced to attack 
 our line, or have waited in their own to accept the 
 battle 
 
 I dont mean to say that Matthew Doyle and the Ar- 
 klow men whom he commanded, fought with more cou- 
 rage and displayed more intrepidity than the other corps 
 of our little army, but this I must say, that I could not 
 help admiring the clever military manner he kept his 
 men, manoeuvring, marching and counter-marching in 
 presence of the enemy. — Doyle was stript, in his shirt. 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 155 
 
 a red girdle or sash round his waist, an immense drawn 
 sabre in his hand. He was at the head of about two hun- 
 dred fine fellows, all keeping their ranks, as if they had 
 heen trained soldiers and strictly executing- his com- 
 mands. At one moment a large corps of the enemy's ca- 
 valry came galloping on the road under where we were 
 drawn up and quite near us, but before they had time to 
 pass, Doyle had his men drawn up across the road, at a 
 point which formed an elbow, ready to meet them. The 
 cavalry on perceiving this formidable barrier impeding 
 their passage, halted suddenly, wheeled about and ran 
 away, which caused great cheering amongst our men, 
 who were placed on an eminence near the road, and by 
 this time within pistol shot of the cavalry, whilst they 
 were in the act of wheeling about. Many of them must 
 have been wounded from the fire of our gunsmen which 
 was kept up as long as the enemy was within reach. 
 The enthusiasm caused by this skirmish might have 
 been turned to good account, for our pikemen were now 
 ready to march against any cavalry, infantry or artil- 
 ler}^, but it was late in the day, and the main body of the 
 enemy was too far off to be reached before night. The 
 town of Tiunahilly afforded us very little resource. As a 
 military position it was not worth any thing to us ; we 
 got however some gunpowder, of which we stood in the 
 greatest need, and a few fire arms, in bad condition, and 
 which had been left by the Orangemen in the confusion 
 of their escape. 
 
156 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 We were joined here by many brave men who had 
 been till then hiding- in the mountains, hourly in danger 
 of being- discovered and shot if they attempted to quit 
 their hiding places. 
 
 It was during the stay our army made at the camp of 
 Mount Pleasant, that poor Billy Byrne of Ballymanus by 
 his humane interference saved the lives of several priso- 
 ners against whom charges of persecuting the people 
 were brought. Amongst those prisoners was Thomas 
 Dowse, a gentleman farmer and grazier , wuth whom 
 -poor Byrne was on intimate terms. Of course he used all 
 his influence and succeeded in getting Dowse put at li- 
 berty. Could it be believed, that Dowse's evidence on 
 Byrne's trial at Wicklow afterwards, in which he decla- 
 red his heart felt gratitude, and said, that to Byrne alone 
 he owed his life, was the principal one on which the un- 
 fortunate Billy Byrne was found guilty and executed 
 there. Byrne's influence with the insurgents, shewing, 
 he was a rebel to the British government. 
 
 At Mount Pleasant Byrne was in his own country and 
 neighbourhood, where every one knew him andlovedhim 
 and respected him; it was not extraordinary that he 
 could save persons against whom no very serious crimes 
 were proved, still this humane act sufficed to the cruel 
 ascendency men who conducted the trial at Wicklow, to 
 shew that Byrne must have been a chief, or he would not 
 have had the power to save Thomas Dowse from being 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 157 
 
 put to death. — How monstrous, and how lamentable to 
 have so fine a fellow sacrificed, to appease the thirst of the 
 orang-e blood hounds! 
 
 Brigade major Fitzgerald of general Hunter's staflF at 
 "Wexford, procured for Byrne a protection from the gene- 
 ral in chief of the english forces there; on the faith of 
 which protection, be quitted the country and came to Du- 
 blin to join his sislers. There he had been publicly walk- 
 ing about for more than a month previous to his arrest, 
 so conscious was he of his innocence and that he had 
 nothing to apprehend. Particularly as his elder brother 
 Garrett Byrne, who was one of the principal leaders and 
 distinguished generals of our Irish army, had surrende- 
 red some time before to sir John Moore on condition of 
 being allowed to quit the country and expatriate himself 
 for ever. — What a pity that ^Villiam Byrne had not to 
 do with a man lihe sir John Moore, who valued his own 
 word of honour and his reputation, pledged to Garrett 
 Byrne more than any flattery or reward he could obtain 
 from the castle inquisitors who presided over the desti- 
 nies of the unfortunate country at that memorable epoch 
 in the city of Dublin. 
 
 I trust it may not be thought presumption in me to 
 say so much on this sad subject, but though very 
 young at the time, I knew poor Byrne too well not to 
 appreciate his high mind, and the horror with which he 
 spoke of crimes committed previous to, and during the 
 
158 MEMOIRS OF MK.ES BYRNE 
 
 insurrection. — I dined beside him two days before his 
 arrest, at the house of my half brother Edward Kennedy. 
 I came from my hiding place to meet him there, and 
 could not help observing the serenity of his manner and 
 the great security he felt, that no danger could await 
 him, in consequence of the protection he had ob- 
 tained. 
 
 Alas! he was soon cruelly undeceived and taught that 
 no reliance could be placed on the protection granted by 
 the authorization of the cold hearted lord Cornwallis, or 
 of any of the English tyrants then ruling over unhappy 
 Ireland. 
 
 Byrne' sudden trial and execution at Widow caused 
 the most sorrowful sensatien throughout the country and 
 saddened the hearts of all those to whom he was person- 
 nally known. He was a perfect gentleman, with the soun- 
 dest understanding. He evinced the greatest courage. He 
 was amiable end simple in his manners; handsome, 
 powerfully strong and well proportioned; six feet six in- 
 chos m height, about 24 years of age. Such was the ever 
 to be lamented Billy Byrne. 
 
 I must not omit to mention the name of a generous 
 high-minded lady who came to our camp at Mount Plea- 
 sant, for the purpose of aiding and assisting Billy Byrne 
 to get several prisoners liberated. This lady was Mrs Mea- 
 gher of Coolalugh, whose son-in-law Dan Kerviu was 
 one of the leaders of the county of Widow men, and who 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 159 
 
 disting-uished himself so much at the battle of Arklow : 
 he enjoyed great influence in our army. Mrs Meagher 
 being a miss Byrne before her marriage, and related to 
 the Ballymanus family, and possessing very graceful 
 manners, succeeded beyond her expectations in persua^ 
 ding even those who had had their dearest relations mur- 
 dered by the Orangemen, that retaliation could no bring 
 them to life and that it would be better to shew themsel- 
 ves generous and mer^ful on this occasion. 
 
 I must here mention how 1 became connected with Mrs 
 Meagher and her son-in-law Dan Kervin. The letter mar- 
 ried about 1795 my brother-in-law's sister miss Mary 
 Doyle of Ballytemi)le. I was at their wedding, which 
 terminated in a melancholy way. After spending a de- 
 lightful evening, just about eleven at night when the 
 young married couple were retiring from the supper ta- 
 ble, the bride in crossing the hall to go to her bed room, 
 fell dead on the floor. She was leaning on my sister Mrs 
 Doyle's arm at the time. — It is needless to say what all 
 felt that sad night, when they were suddenly n'lunged 
 from the height of gaietv and mirth into such sorrow^ 
 
 The year after this mournful event, Dan Kervin, mar- 
 ried one of Mrs Meagher's daughters by whom he.shad 
 two children. He was killed by a cannon ball at the bat- 
 tle of Vinegar hill — Mrs Meagher's eldest son Peter who 
 resided in Dublin, and my half brother Edward Kennedy 
 married two sisters, the miss Leonards of Meath street. 
 
160 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 I mention the above circumstances to shew the oppor- 
 tunity I had of knowing- and ascertaining all that could 
 be hoped or expected of a general rising in the counties 
 of Dublin, Wicklow and Kildar. 
 
 At our camp at Mount Pleasant, three men from the 
 city of Dublin, who had escaped with difficulty through 
 the "Wicklow mountains, joined us. They were known to 
 Dan Kervin, and they brought us the sad tidings that 
 the Dublin people were complete* disarmed, their chiefs 
 in prison, or fled from the country and the brave Kildare 
 men, who first took the field, dispersed in every direction; 
 and from the newspapers of the month of may, which 
 they gave to Garret Byrne and the other chiefs, we lear- 
 ned that general Buonaparte had been named commander 
 in chief of the french army destined to invade both En- 
 gland and Ireland. This news no doubt was gladly re- 
 ceived at our camp. But what a cruel delusion for the 
 poor irish to" be counting on any kind of aid or assistance 
 from France, at the moment the conqueror of Italy and 
 his forty thousand men were on their way to Egypt! — ■ 
 Besides, this intelligence only tended at such a moment, 
 to create a difference of opinion between the leaders ; as 
 some of them thought it would be better and wiser policy 
 to wit for the landing of the french in Ireland, and not 
 to risk a general battle beftn-e a junction to co-operate 
 with them could be effected; whilst on the other hand the 
 majority of the chiefs thought that to stand on the de- 
 fensive would be attended with the worst consequences 
 
 I 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 161 
 
 not having any strong places to fall back on, where our 
 army could defend itself. They resolved therefore to meet 
 the enemy in the open field, but at the same time to 
 choose good military positions where our pikemen could 
 be speedily brought into action; and in consequence of 
 this resolution, our army marched on the 19th of June 
 to Kilcavin hill and there drew up in line of battle; and 
 I must say, the most formidable one I had yet seen since 
 the commencement of the war. Every one was at his 
 post and in hopes that the generals Dundas and Loftus 
 with their divisions would not hesitate to come and at- 
 tack us : but as usual, those prudent generals kept at a 
 certain distance ; no doubt to induce us to quit our strong 
 position of Kilcavin hill. Thus we had to move forward, 
 to bring the enemy to action, on the direction of Carnew, 
 in which town, though nearly all burned, the euglish 
 generals, now joined by general Lake and his staff, in- 
 tended to establish their head quarters. — Here great 
 skirmishing between our gun men and the enemy's rifle 
 men commenced, and our little artillery that followed in 
 the rear, was brought to the front and opened a smart 
 cannonade on the enemy. This, with our formidable line 
 of pikemen moving forward like a wall, made the king's 
 troops retrograde. They were quickly pursued, and the 
 fighting continued till night put a stop to it. Our pike- „. 
 men never before shewed a more determined desire to 
 make good use of their arms, than on this occasion; and 
 had the enemy accepted the battle from us, in our strong 
 
 U 
 
162 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 position that day on the hill, we should have gained it 
 beyond a doubt. — How lamentable to be engaged the 
 whole day skirmishing without being able to bring the 
 enemy to a general action, where the great mass of our 
 pikemen would have had an opportunity of participating 
 in it, and have shewn what could be accomplished by 
 brave men armed with this powerful weapon, the pike, 
 then the terror of the english troops, as well as of the 
 Orangemen, 
 
 We had some fine fellows killed and a great number 
 wounded during this day's fighting. My brother Hugh 
 received a ball through his thigh, and my dear sister as 
 soon as she heard of it came and had his wound dressed, 
 and remained with him after she had had him placed on 
 a car, and got a confidential man to drive it in case of 
 being obliged to march. It was ver}' fortunate she had 
 all this done in my absence, otherwise our poor brother 
 might have been abandoned; for I could not have left my 
 post, being then busily engaged with the enemy on the 
 road to Carnew, leading from our camp, and which post 
 with the brave men who remained with me, we main- 
 tained, till it became dark night and the enemy had re- 
 trograded and fallen back on Carnew. 
 
 When we rejoined our camp on the hill, we found it 
 was already nearly evacuated, a night march being or- 
 dered, after a council of the principal chiefs had been 
 held, in consequence of despatches from the general in 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILKS BYRNE 163 
 
 chief of the irish forces before Ross, in which he stated 
 he could not keep his position there, and that he would 
 be forced to fall back with his corps of army to cover the 
 town of Wexford. He recommended also to our general 
 the necessity of concentrating forthwith all their forces 
 at Vinegar hill, in order to co-operate with his army. On 
 this latter subject a warm debate took place in the coun- 
 cil between the chiefs. Both Anthony Perry, and all the 
 county of Wicklow leaders, were for making a rapid 
 march to Rathdrum and thereby intercept the communi- 
 cation of the king's forces with Dublin through that 
 part of the county of Wicklows and if this plan was not 
 adopted, to manoeuvre and fight the enemy the best way 
 we could in the country which we now occupied and 
 where we were still victorious ; as neither the english 
 troops nor the yeomen we had before us ventured to come 
 into close contact with our pikemen. 
 
 Either of those plans executed would have proved a 
 better diversion in favour of Wexford than our silly march 
 to Vinegar hill. But Edward Fitzgerald w^ho deservedly 
 enjoyed great influence amongst the county of Wexford 
 men, and indeed with Garret Byrne and many of the 
 Wicklow chiefs also, thought it more advisable to con- 
 centrate the irish forces at Vinegar hill, and there fight 
 a general battle. Unfortunately this opinion prevailed, 
 and in consequence, our little army began its movement 
 in the night of the 19th of June 1798, without meeting 
 any obstruction from the enemy, who only learned in the 
 
164 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 morning that we had left Kilcavin hill. — Finding that 
 we were not followed by the king-'s troops, we halted to 
 repose for the night, in the neighbourhood of Camolen- 
 Ferns, etc., where we procured some refreshments for 
 our men, who were by this time exceedingly exhausted 
 with hunger and fatigue. 
 
 Next morning the 20th of June, we resumed our march 
 towards Vinegar hill, very slowly, to give time to the 
 stragglers and to those who had to go some distance to 
 seek something to eat, to regain their respective corps. 
 
 Our column by this time became greatly encumbered 
 by vast numbers of poor women escaping with their chil- 
 dren and every thing valuable they could carry off with 
 them from the english army and yeomen, who were de- 
 vastating the whole country we had left, going from 
 house to house shooting every sick or wounded man they 
 met, ravishing the women, etc. It would be difficult to 
 describe the cruel situation of the unfortunate females 
 who had to remain in their respective homes, to nurse 
 and take care of their sick and wounded parents, now 
 abandoned and left to be butchered by the merciless en- 
 glish soldiery. The recollection of all this makes me shud- 
 der, and blush with shame for my country witnessing 
 the perpetration of those monstrous crimes, and not ha- 
 ving had the courage to rise up « en masse, » and rather 
 be sacrificed to the last man, than to lye prostrate at their 
 tyrant's feet, whilst they were committing all these ou- 
 trages. It is indeed lamentable to think of all this. We 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 165 
 
 might at any time on the 20th of June, have turned about 
 with ten thousand resolute pikemen, and have attacked 
 the eng-lish troops that were following us, commanded 
 by generals Dundas and Loftus, with a certainty of de- 
 feating them and of being avenged for the cruelties they 
 had committed; but no, it was doomed we should muster 
 on Vinegar hill, and abandon that great extent of coun- 
 try where we had been so successful, and thereby play 
 the game our enemies so long desired to see us play. 
 
 Now general Needham could with safety move from 
 Arklow, with all the troops under his command and fol- 
 low on our left flank, whilst general Duff had nothing 
 now to impede his march on our right flank, with the 
 forces he had under his orders at Newtownbarry ; particu- 
 larly as he was supported by general Johnston, who was 
 marching from Ross, having nothing more to fear on 
 that side, with all the king's troops there, to co-operate 
 in the simultaneous attack w'hich general Loftus inten- 
 ded making on the town of Enniscorthy and Vinegar 
 hill. 
 
 How could our generals for an instant think that Vi- 
 negar hill was a military position susceptible of defence 
 for any time without provisions, military stores, or great 
 guns? — It stands high no doubt over the river Slaney 
 and the town of Enniscorthy, which it commands ; but 
 on the other side, both artillery and cavalry, as well as 
 infantry can march to the top of the hill with the great- 
 est ease ; but the die of war was cast. Our little Irish 
 
166 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 army must be drawn up and assembled on this hill en 
 masse and there wait the arrival of the english army, 
 now moving after us from all directions, with vast parks 
 of artillery, well supplied with every thing necessary for 
 battle, whilst we had with us but two six pounders and 
 a small mortar or howitzer, with scarcely a round of am- 
 munition for these cannons. — The town of Enniscorthy 
 had placed on the hill a few small one pounders, which 
 were of very little use, not having any cartridges prepa- 
 red to fit them. 
 
 On leaving our bivouac the morning of the 20th of 
 June, we formed a tolerably well organized rear-guard 
 to cover our column, which was moving very slowly, on 
 account of being greatly encumbered with numberless 
 carts and cars conveying the families escaping from the 
 terrible devastation carried on throughout the country 
 we had abandoned, by the english and the yeomanry. 
 
 During this day's march I several times halted that 
 part of the rear-guard under my command, the moment 
 we perceived the enemy's cavalry approaching, in order 
 to aflford time to our embarrassed column to advance and 
 get out of the narrow passages; but this cavalry halted 
 also, when they saw us drawn up en masse to receive 
 them, and if any of our cars were thrown across the road to 
 impede their march, the sight of those cars was quite suf- 
 ficient to make them retrograde; such was their dread of 
 getting into an ambuscade. So we had scarcely any skir- 
 mishing or fighting before we arrived at the foot of Yi- 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 167 
 
 neg'ar hill, late in the evening. It was dark night, but 
 the thousands of little fires to be seen in the fields and 
 plain all round the hill, where GUI' people were prepar- 
 ing to get something to eat and to pass the night, affor- 
 ded plenty of light and presented at the same time the 
 appearance of a vast camp, or rather the bivouac of a re- 
 gular french army. 
 
 As soon as I had heard the dispositions that had been 
 ordered for the next day, I with all those brave men who 
 had made part of the rear-guard with me, during the 
 march, betook ourselves to rest for the night, not being 
 required to do any duty in consequence of arriving so 
 late. I need not add, that we all slept most soundly, till 
 wakened by some random gun shots about two o'clock in 
 the morning (the memorable 21st of June 1798), when 
 we were informed that general Johnston who had mar- 
 ched from Ross with the king's troops to attack Ennis- 
 corthy, had had his advanced guard beat back on the 
 20th by some of our forces, commanded by Mr William 
 Barker of Enniscorthy and the reverend Moses Kearns, 
 and that the skirmishing continued till night put an end 
 1o it, quite to the advantage and satisfaction of those 
 brave chiefs. 
 
 We also heard that the Irish army before Ross, com- 
 manded by the reverend Philip Roche, general in chief, 
 retreated from Lacken hill on the 19th of june to the three 
 Rock Mountain and the next day, the 20th of June, gene- 
 ral Roche marched his army fiom thence to Lorgraig or 
 
168 MEMOIFIS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 Fook's mill, and there fought a desperate battle against 
 general Moore who commanded the king's troops, but the 
 latter being on the point of being joined by a large re- 
 inforcement just landed from England, general Roche, 
 after fighting for four hours, resolved to retire and fall 
 back once more on Wexford, which retreat was effected 
 with great order. Sir John Moore no doubt thought it 
 prudent not to risk another battle before his army was 
 reinforced, and he was even on the point of retreating 
 when he learned that two regiments were rapidly advan- 
 cing to his support, and then contented himself to keep 
 his ground and wait for this reinforcement. 
 
 All these accounts shewed plainly, that we had no as- 
 sistance to expect at Vinegar hill from this part of our 
 Irish forces now fallen back to cover the town of "Wex- 
 ford; and to add to this misfortune, one of our generals, 
 Edward Roche, who had been the principal instigator of 
 the false manoeuvre of marching our army from the 
 strong military position we occupied in the county 
 of Wicklow, to be concentrated at Enniscorthy and 
 Vinegar hill, and who had made such solemn promises 
 to go or to repair to his own country, and there oblige 
 the thousands of men who had been absent visiting 
 their families to rejoin forthwith their respective corps, 
 lost too much time by going to Wexford to consult with 
 those men who thought that through the intercession and 
 immediate interference of their « noble » prisoner, lord 
 Kingshorough with general Lake, general in chief of the 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 169 
 
 eng'lish forces, that every thing would he obtained for 
 the salvation of themselves and the town of Wexford. 
 They were soon cruelly undeceived, and we were doomed 
 to fight the battle of Vinegar hill in the absence of ge- 
 neral Edward Roche and his brave division of five thou- 
 sand strong, and the best marskmen of the Irish army. 
 In spite of this defalcation, we mustered nearly twenty 
 thousand on the 21st but not more than from three to 
 four thousand had fire arms, and with a very scanty pro- 
 vision of powder and ball; whilst general Lake had 
 twenty thousand regular english troops to oppose to us, 
 with a vast park of artillery and military stores of all 
 kinds, besides numerous corps of yeomanry cavalry well 
 equipped and armed, attached to each division of his 
 army. 
 
 BATTLE OF VINEGAE HILL AND ENNISCOETHY-RETEEAT OF 
 THE lEISH AEMY TO WEXFOED, 2lST OF JUNE 1798. 
 
 At break of day the different corps began to quit their 
 bivouacs, each to repair to the position assigned to them 
 on the hill and on all the roads leading into the town of 
 Enniscorthy. Our wounded men that we' had transported 
 on cars with us from the county of Wicklow, in order to 
 have them placed in the hospital, we left at Drumgold, 
 one of the suburbs of the town under Vinegar hill; we 
 had also to leave there a vast number of women and 
 
170 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 young girls who had followed their husbands and bro- 
 thers, to escape from the english monsters who were de- 
 vastating their homes, • — All this caused a sad embar- 
 rassment no doubt to our column , but by no means 
 damped the courage of our men; on the contrary, if any 
 thing was required to rouse them to deeds of valour, it 
 was this occasion to protect these innocent females, their 
 dearest ties to life. — What a heart breaking scene to 
 witness the separation which here took place at the dawn 
 of day, husbands quitting their wives, brothers their 
 sisters, never more to meet! — 
 
 Skirmishing at all our advanced posts commenced with 
 the day ; however the battle did not become general on 
 the whole line before seven o'clock, but at day break se- 
 veral cannon shots were heard in different directions, 
 from the enemy's camps. These were signal guns, which 
 proved to us that we were now nearly surrounded on-^all 
 sides, except the Wexford one which should have been 
 occupied by general Needham, it was said, had he fol- 
 lowed his instructions. — This is mere twaddle; he 
 remained in the rear, in reserve, by the orders of his ge- 
 neral in chief Lake, to keep the road open to Gory. This 
 prudent english general who refused to fight us at Kil- 
 cavin hill, did not like to risk a charge of our pikemen, 
 without having a division in reserve to fall back on, in 
 case of defeat. His powerful artillery commenced a tre- 
 mendous fire, which was for some time directed against 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 171 
 
 the summit of the hill, considered our strong- position and 
 where it was thought our men were massed, ready to be 
 brought into action. Our small artillery in answering 
 the enemy's great guns, soon expended the last round of 
 ammunition, and to very little effect. We w^anted Esmond 
 Kyan here to command it, as he did at the battle of Ar- 
 klow, but unfortunately this brave officer had to remain 
 at "Wexford to get his wound cured. To remedy instantly 
 the bad effect which the ceasing of our artillery might 
 produce, a large column of chosen pikemen was formed, 
 composed of the county of Wicklow men,Monaseed, Bal- 
 ly Ellis, Gory corps, etc., to attack the enemy's left flank 
 and, if possible, to turn it and to bring our pikemen 
 into the action, which now appeared the only resource 
 we could count on; for our gun men had also nearly 
 expended their scanty supply of ammunition : as to de- 
 fending the intrenchments that were raised on the hill, 
 it would have been quite ridiculous to have attempted it. 
 They not being more than a couple of feet high in many 
 parts. 
 
 I had not seen Vinegar hill since the morning after the 
 battle of Newtownbarry, the 2<' of June, and I was sur- 
 prised to find that scarcely any thing had been done to 
 make it formidable against the enemy; the vast fences 
 and ditches which surrounded it on three sides, and 
 which should have been levelled to the ground, for at 
 least a cannon shot, or half a mile's distance, were all left 
 untouched. The english forces, availing themselves of 
 
I7'2 MEMOIRS OF MILES KYRXE 
 
 these fences, advanced from field to field, bring-ing with 
 them their cannon, which they placed to great advantage 
 behind and under the cover of the hedges and fences; 
 whilst our men were exposed to a terrible fire from their 
 artillery and small arms, without being able to drive 
 them back from their strongs holds in those fields. 
 
 Several columns of our pikemen however, were instan- 
 tly brought to attack the enemy's formidable position 
 behind the fences in the fields, and it was in leading ou 
 one of those desperate charges, that the splendid Dan 
 Kervin was killed, at the head of the brave county of ' 
 "Wicklow men. His death at this moment was a severe 
 loss, though he was soon replaced by a leader equally 
 brave; yet his men could not be easily roused from the 
 gloom cast over them by this misfortune; besides many 
 fine fellows their comrades fell at the same moment be- 
 side Kervin. Indeed it is a miracle how the other chiefs 
 escaped ; they all displayed the greatest coolness and 
 courage, charging at the head of their men under the 
 tremendous fire of the enemy's batteries, which were 
 sending cannon ball, grape shot, musket ball, as thickly 
 as a shower of hail-stone. 
 
 A. Perry, E. Fitzgerald, Garrett Byrne, Father John 
 Murphy;, Jemmy Doyle, Ned Fennel, Nick Murphy and 
 many others whose names I dont recollect at this mo- 
 ment, distinguished themselves at this memorable battle. 
 I must also mention the names of some brave men who 
 were killed, and with whom I was well acquainted. Two 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 173 
 
 brave young- men, brothers, Patt and IN^ecl Headen were 
 killed beside one another. They left a widowed mother. 
 Their eldest brother James was transported. John Shehan 
 of Monaseed, a young' man who shewed great courage, 
 was killed; James Mallow of Ballylusk who left a wife 
 and three children, fought bravely and was killed at the 
 head of our column. Thomas Neill of Armagh, who kept 
 a general warehouse and cloth shop , an industrious 
 [worthy man, fell also; his unhappy widow, before she 
 could be brought to contract a second marriage, came to 
 Dublin twelve months after this epoch, to the place where 
 I was hiding, to ascertain from me her husband's death. 
 When I satisfied her on the subject, she returned home 
 and married Bryan Reilly, a brave young man, who 
 carried on the business as her former husband hail 
 done. 
 
 I had been in many combats and battles, but I never 
 before witnessed such a display of bravery and intrepi- 
 dity as was shewn all along our line, for nearly two 
 hours, until our ammunition was expended. It was then 
 recommended by some of our chiefs to assemble all our 
 forces and to attack the ennemy's left flank, overturn it 
 and march back to the county of Wicklow. 
 
 At the commencement of the battle, this plan might 
 have been easily executed ; but would it not have been 
 cruel, and shameful thus to abandon the town and the 
 brave fellows who were defending it so heroically? And 
 
174 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 also, to abandon our wounded men and the unfortunate 
 families who had escaped and followed our camp? 
 
 The town of Enniscorthy and its outlets were splen- 
 didly defended by Mr William Barker and Father Kearns, 
 who with the corps they commanded were at the advan- 
 ced posts beyond the Duffery gate at day-light, where 
 they had been skirmishing- the evening before with the 
 eng-lish forces under the command of general Johnston. 
 
 Mr Barker had one four pounder mounted on a car, 
 which was of little use, except from the moral effect it 
 might have had on his men. His military acquirements 
 and the knowledge of tactics which he had learned in the 
 service of France, were now of the greatest advantage 
 and turned to the best account for the defence of the place 
 confided to his charge. 
 
 Mr Barker first began by placing a strong guard in 
 reserve on the bridge, and then advanced with the main 
 body to meet the enemy, having each flank covered with 
 his guns men. In this order of battle he commenced a 
 most desperate attack on the enemy's line and kept his 
 ground until it was perceived that our forces had retrea- 
 ted from the hill ; still he defended and disputed every 
 position and held his posl on the bridge with a valour 
 beyond description, until he lost his arm and was carried 
 away from the field of battle. 
 
 Mr Barker was surrounded by those brave Enniscor- 
 
MEMOIRS OF M[LES BYRNE 175 
 
 thy men who were ready to follow him through thick 
 and thin. His loss from their ranks was severely felt by 
 them; at this critical moment the undaunted Kearas re- 
 placed Mr Barker in the command : but he too, soon re- 
 ceived a wound whicli deprived this division of our army 
 of two trust worthy chiefs. 
 
 Now the retreat from the town as well as the hill be- 
 came inevitable ; all moved rapidly towards the Wexford 
 road, which was not intercepted by the unrelenting" ge- 
 neral in chief Lake, who contented himself this day with 
 occupying the town and having our sick and wounded 
 burned in the house which served as an hospital. All the 
 wounded found on the field of battle, or in the houses, 
 were, by his orders, instantly put to death. Fortunately 
 for Mr Barker, some humane ofHcers of the general's staff 
 quartered themselves at his house , which they saved 
 from being burned, and they prevented the cruel Orange- 
 men from shooting him. One of those staff officers was a 
 surgeon of the english troops This gentleman operated 
 the amputation of Mr Barker's shattered arm and carefully 
 dressed his wound for a day or two. But this kind atten- 
 tion soon ceased. By order of the general in chief, Mr 
 Barker was arrested and sent forthwith and lodged in 
 "Wexford jail, there to be tried as a leader and a general 
 of the insurgents, and of course to be found guilty, and 
 as such, to be executed without mercy. — He was ac- 
 companied to his dismal prison by his worthy wife with 
 her child Arthur, there to wait and abide his trial before 
 
176 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 a court martial, composed of prejudiced Orang-emen. It 
 would be difficult to o-ive a description of the afflictino" 
 scenes they witnessed, between the executions taking- 
 place daily, and the malignant fever raging- in the pri- 
 son. Mr Devereux of Taghmon died of this sickness in 
 the next cell to Mr Barker's. He was the father of general 
 John Devereux, since so distinguished fighting for the 
 independence of South America under Bolivar. 
 
 Mrs Barker lost no time in informing her brother-in- 
 law Mr Arthur Barker of Waterford, of their great mis- 
 fortune and sad situation. This gentleman who was well 
 known to the first people in Wexford, and who w^as not 
 in any way implicated in the insurrection, came instan- 
 tly to his brother's assistance. After the greatest exer- 
 tions he succeeded in h-aving Mr Barker provisionally 
 released on account of his bad state of health. 
 
 Mr. Arthur Barker well knowing that new charges 
 would soon be brought forward against his brother Wil- 
 liam, hastened to get him, his wife and child conveyed 
 away into some safe hiding place, until a neutral ship 
 could be engaged to take them abroad. In a short time 
 he found a vessel ready to sail for Hamburg, on board of 
 which he had his three dear relatives embarked, and took 
 a last farewell of them, never to meet again. 
 
 After a long and stormy passage, and having narrowly 
 escaped being discovered by the english cruisers, Mr 
 William Barker with his wife and child landed at the 
 port of Hamburg. His fir.<t care was to inform the freuch 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 177 
 
 minister of foreign affairs of his arrival there, and to 
 pray him to have passports forwarded for him and his 
 family to repair immediately to Paris, etc., that he would 
 wait at Altona for the answer. By return of post Mr Bar- 
 ker received what he asked and set out instantly with his 
 family for the french capital, and on arriving there he 
 had an interview with the minister of foreign affairs, who 
 told him to prepare in all haste a memoir or statement of 
 all he knew of the situation of Ireland in general, but 
 particularly to mention what he thought could be done 
 for the brave county of Wexford people, and to be careful 
 to mention the best landing places there, and where the 
 deepest water was to be had on the coast, etc. It is need- 
 less to say, with what readiness Mr Barker complied with 
 the minister's injunction. With his perfect knowledge of 
 the french language, the memoir was soon prepared and 
 presented to the minister, who assured him that its con- 
 tents would be taken into the most serious consideration 
 by the government and Directory. 
 
 After this Mr Barker went to reside at St-Germain-en- 
 Laye, and having furnished to the french government 
 all the information he could recollect on the state of Ire- 
 land, he left that town and went to live at Morlaix with 
 his family, to be near Brest, and to be ready to accom- 
 pany the first expedition that should sail from that port 
 for his unfortunate country. 
 
 This brave and unassuming officer who had seen real 
 
 services in France, and who had made in point of fortune 
 
 12 
 
178 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 and otherwise, such great sacrifices for Ireland, might 
 have availed himself (as many of his countrymen would 
 have done), of those sacrifices and services to obtain a 
 high rank from the french government. But he asked no 
 other favour than to be comprised in making part of any 
 expedition destined for his country, the- independence of 
 which occupied all his thoughts. To see this great end 
 achieved, there was no sacrifice under heaven that Mr 
 William Barker was not ready to make. 
 
 I met Mr Barker in 1803 in the irish legion at Morlaix, 
 for the first time since the battle of Vinegar hill, when I 
 learned from him all the details of his sufferings, and 
 fortunate escape from "Wexford jail. 
 
 Mr Barker's timely arrival in Paris proved one thing 
 at least to the french government, that it was our total 
 want of ammunition, even for the arms we possessed, that 
 caused our failure. What a shame it was to that govern- 
 ment not to have attempted to smuggle arms and powder 
 and ball to us, whilst we were masters of the sea coast, 
 round from Ross to Arklow, for nearly a month ; had 
 general Humbert landed with his eleven hundred men 
 in June instead of august 1798, he would have been 
 joined by a levy en masse from all parts of Ireland. 
 
 For such were the persecutions and tortures which the 
 people had to endure, that they were ready to avail them- 
 selves of any rallying point that offered to be avenged of 
 their cruel tyrants. 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 179 
 
 Humbert landed too late, when our armies were dis- 
 persed. Still had he avoided the & vanity » of a general 
 action with the english army, and have marched with 
 his eight hundred remaining men into the mountains, 
 he could have gained time, and probably his government 
 would have been induced to send him a reinforcement. I 
 recollect well when he surrendered to lord Cornwallis, 
 that we were still in sufficient force in the mountains of 
 Wicklow to have rallied the brave men of that county, 
 as well as those of Carlow and Wexford, had general 
 Humbert had an army capable of keeping the field for 
 any time. The irish soldiers in the english regiments 
 would have joined him in thousands, and the irish mili- 
 tia regiments, with the exception of the Orangemen, only 
 waited for a good opportunity to declare for the inde- 
 pendence of their country. 
 
 Our retreat from Vinegar hill was not so disastrous as 
 might have been expected, from the powerful force of re- 
 gular troops well supplied with artillery, which general 
 Lake had at his disposition to send after us. No doubt the 
 cruel slaughter of all those unarmed and helpless people 
 who were overtaken in the environs of Enniscorthy, and 
 for a mile from the hill, was beyond all description. 
 Mercy at this moment was out of the question ; there was 
 no instance of a single person being made prisoner on 
 this occasion, all were barbarously butchered. But when 
 we once got our rear guard reorganized on the Wexford 
 
180 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 high-road, we were able to save a vast uumber of our 
 stragglers, for then the cowardly cavalry as usual, feared 
 to approach and attack us. 
 
 We afterwards effected our retreat tolerably well to the 
 town of Wexford. — And here our two armies that had 
 separated on the 31st of may at the Windmill hill near 
 the town, then flushed with victory, one to go northwards 
 to attack Gory and Arklow, the other to go to take New 
 Ross, met again, but unfortunately under very different 
 circumstances, they being now completely dismayed and 
 disheartened after our recent defeats ; and it is grievous 
 to think that our generals did not seem to have any pre- 
 concerted plan of action in the event of such disasters as 
 we were now experiencing. This was the critical moment, 
 when leaders should have shewn that energy of character 
 which would inspire their followers with enthusiasm and 
 confidence. They should have rallied and harangued their 
 men; swear anew never to separate from them until the 
 great end for which they took up arms was accomplished; 
 resolve on changing the system of carrying on the war, 
 by avoiding as much as possible general actions, or bat- 
 tles with the enemy and attack only the detached forces 
 when success was certain ; make regulations that it should 
 be considered a crime and punishable, for any man to 
 appear in our columns, who had not fire arms, a pike, or 
 some weapon equivalent. But of all things to devise some 
 better method of bringing our pikemen to charge the ene- 
 my en masse, and with that impetuosity which, no guns 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 181 
 
 or bayonets could withstand its shock for a moment. 
 
 Long before our corps retreating from Vinegar hill had 
 time to reach the town of Wexford, it was occupied by the 
 division under the command of the general in chief the 
 reverend Philip Roche, which had been encamped the 
 night before on the three Rocks mountain. It is needless 
 for me to add that in consequence of this occupation, we 
 had nothing to expect in the way of refreshments, on 
 our arrival from Enniscorthy. The greatest disorder and 
 tumult seemed to reign all through the town. 
 
 Edward Hay and some of the principal inhabitants of 
 Wexford, had the folly to expect that because they saved 
 lord Kingsborough from being put to death, and had 
 treated him kindly during his imprisonment, that they 
 could, through the intercession of this notorious chief of 
 the inventors of pitch caps and other instruments of tor- 
 ture, negociate a treaty of peace with the general in chief 
 of the english forces Lake, and obtain from the latter ho- 
 nourable terms for the Irish army. In consequence of this 
 sad delusion three deputations were named to be the 
 bearers of lord Kingsborough's recommendation on the 
 subject; they were composed as follows. Edward Hay and 
 captain Mac Manusofthe Antrim militia, whom we made 
 prisoner at the battle of Tubberneering. This officer w^as 
 taken out of jail to accompany Mr Edward Hay. On the 
 road to Oulard, where they expected to meet general Need- 
 
182 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 ham , Mr Robert Carty of Birchgrove and lieutenant 
 Harman of the North Cork militia, a prisoner also, went 
 to meet general sir John Moore. Mr Thomas Cloney and 
 captain O'Hea of the North Cork militia (the latter let out 
 of prison to accompany Mr Cloney), were specially 
 charged with carrying lord Kingshorough's despatches 
 and letters to general Lake at his head quarters of Ennis- 
 corthy. These gentlemen were thus three leaders of the 
 people and three prisoners of ours set at liberty to 
 accompany them. 
 
 Lord Kingsborough no doubt desirous to escape from 
 prison, wished to be one of the deputies himself to go to 
 negociate for the inhabitants of Wexford, with the gene- 
 ral in chief of the english army; but it was thought 
 unsafe for his lordship to quit at such a critical moment 
 the town which was supposed to have been surrendered 
 to him early that morning, many hours before the result 
 of the battle of Vinegar hill could be known in Wex- 
 ford. Besides, the inhabitants wished to keep him as an 
 hostage until his promises to them were fulfilled. Lord 
 Kingsborough now saw plainly himself that there was 
 no safety for him but in the custody of those humane 
 individuals who had already so often saved his life, at 
 the great risk of their own. He wisely kept out of the 
 sight of the enraged people who occupied the town, whilst 
 waiting an answer to his despatches, sent by the Wex- 
 ford embassy to the English head quarters at Enniscor- 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 183 
 
 thy. But he cruelly deluded those credulous "Wexford 
 people by telling them to count on the clemency of the 
 unfeeling general Lake, in the course of whose military 
 career in Ireland, not a single act of humanity did the 
 unfortunate people ever experience from him where he 
 was in command. 
 
 The following is the very laconic answer from general 
 Lake to lord Kingsborough's entreaties in favour of the 
 Wexford people, 
 
 v< Lieutenant general Lake cannot attend to any terms, 
 made by rebels in arms against their sovereign; whilst 
 they continue so, he must use the force entrusted to him 
 with the utmost energy for their destruction. To the de- 
 luded multitude he promises pardon, on their delivering 
 into his hands their leaders, surrendering their arms, 
 and returning with sincerity to their allegiance. 
 
 « Enniscorthy, June 2^ 1798. 
 
 « Signed general Lake. » 
 
 Fortunately for lord Kingsborough the town was eva- 
 cuated by our forces before this answer arrived; other- 
 wise he would probably have been torn to pieces by the 
 deluded people who had counted on his great influence 
 for protection. How unfortunate for several of our leaders 
 
184 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 that they did not know this answer sooner; they would 
 have seen by it, that they had nothing to expect from the 
 lenity of Lake, and that they should not have left the 
 brave people who were ready to follow them through all 
 dangers. ' 
 
 I am sorry to be obliged to make any allusion to those 
 unhappy men who shewed so much resignation and cou- 
 rage mounting the scaflFold to be launched into eternity, 
 but how much better it would have been for them to have 
 remained with those brave fellows, who kept the field, 
 and never despaired of success. The worst that could 
 happen would be, to die fighting gloriously against the 
 enemy's of Ireland. 
 
 A melancholy inference may be drawn from the kind 
 treatment lord Kingsborough experienced from the citi- 
 zens of "Wexford, during his imprisonment in that town. 
 Had he been put to death, or cruelly tortured, according 
 to his own fashion, by them, many of those leaders who 
 left our ranks, counting on his intercession, would have 
 remained at the head of their respective corps, and they 
 would thereby have shewn to their English tyrants, that 
 'a people fighting for liberty and the independence of 
 their country, fully determined to sacrifice every thing 
 for it, and to persevere to the last extremity, must finally 
 succeed. The english government felt this and knew well 
 that if the war was prolonged, an expedition from France, 
 with a reinforcement to the irish army might hourly be 
 expected, when consequently a general rising would take 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 185 
 
 place throughout Ireland. Lord Cornwallis was therefore 
 despatched in haste from England to offer different and 
 better terms to the Irish army than those proposed by 
 general Lake at Enniscorthy. To the intercession of the 
 too notorious flogging, strangling, hanging, lord Kings- 
 borough, not a single good measure or pardon could ever 
 be attributed, notwithstanding all he owed to those hu- 
 mane inhabitants of Wexford, who so often saved his life 
 at the risk of being put to death themselves. 
 
 It was much to be regretted, that a distinguished lea- 
 der, Thomas Cloney, had been chosen as one of the depu- 
 ties to go on the very hopeless embassy to general Lake's 
 head quarters at Enniscorthy, to seek for terms for the 
 citizens of "Wexford. Possessing-, as Mr Cloney did, the 
 confidence and regard of a brave and generous people, 
 who looked up to him as their trust worthy chief, he 
 should not for a moment have separated him.self from 
 them ; besides, his presence at this momentous crisis 
 was too necessary with what we called the Ross division 
 of the Irish army, when almost all the other leaders 
 of that division or corps of army, Bagnel Harvey, John 
 Hay, John Colclough, etc., were absent, from what 
 motive was best known to themselves. The brave and 
 undaunted John Kelly of Kyllan whose courage and 
 intrepidity had been so conspicuous at the battle of Ross 
 lay dangerously ill of the wound he received there. 
 Under these circumstances, clergymen, or men like 
 
186 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 Edward Hay, whose presence at the Irish camp could 
 have been dispensed with, should have been chosen to 
 go on this silly mission to the english general's head 
 quarters. Whilst brave leaders, like Cloney, remaining at 
 the head of the fine fellows they had the honour of 
 commanding would have proved to the enemy, that 
 the Irish army was still formidable. 
 
 By adopting a difi-erent plan of campaigning, avoiding 
 general battles, and of all things not seeking to defend 
 weak positions like Vinegar hill, we should be able al- 
 ways to outmarch the english infantry and defeat them 
 in detail. As to the cavalry in a country like Ireland, so 
 fenced every where with hedge rows and ditches, there 
 was nothing to be feared. Besides, our men began to hold 
 the english cavalry in the greatest contempt, which was 
 half the battle. By following this system, we might have 
 continued the war with success and with a certainty 
 that the english army would be every day getting weaker 
 from sickness, desertion and other causes, when it was 
 found that we could keep the field in spite of its manoeu- 
 vering, and destroy all the small detachments sent to 
 seek provisions through the country. But to accomplish 
 this plan of campaigning the chiefs should be the first to 
 shew the good example to the brave men they were lead- 
 ing to victory; to be resolved never under any circums- 
 tances to separate themselves from them until a final and 
 satisfactory result could be obtained for all. 
 I am persuaded that the brave Cloney always felt the 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 187 
 
 deepest anguish that he had accepted this fruitless mis- 
 sion, the execution of which might have cost him his 
 life. He never however, after this fatal embassy of the 
 22<i of June joined our ranks, nor took any part in the war 
 we were still carrying- on against our cruel enemies. His 
 absence from that division of the irish army which fought 
 so bravely against sir Jbhn Moore, at Longraig on the 
 20th of June, and where he, Cloney, displayed the great- 
 est valour, was indeed severely felt by all those fine fel- 
 lows who were accustomed to see at their head, this 
 splendid young man then about 25 years of age, and six 
 feet four in height. 
 
 Although Mr Cloney did not any more make part of 
 our army, he could not escape the wrath of the Wexford 
 ascendency faction : he was soon arrested, imprisoned, 
 tried by a court martial, and condemned to exile. He 
 returned to Ireland in 1803 and was again arrested and 
 kept in Kilmainham jail for three years My half bro- 
 ther Edward Kennedy was one of his fellow state priso- 
 ners during that period; they were only liberated by the 
 Fox administration in 1806. 
 
 Thus the brav.e Cloney's long imprisonment, and the 
 many persecutions he had to bear up against for the love 
 of Ireland well entitle him to hold a rank amongst the 
 immortal irish martyrs who suffered all kinds of torture 
 and persecution for the freedom and independence of 
 their beloved country. 
 
188 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 I felt unhappy, on the retreat from Vinegar hill to 
 Wexford, not to see many of my friends and comrades 
 of the Monaseed corps, Nick Murphy, Ned Fennell 
 Johnny Doyle, etc.; however on entering the town I 
 heard that they were already arrived, hut the two latter 
 I never saw more. Fennell was killed at the attack on 
 Hacketstown a few days afterwards, and the brave young 
 Johnny Doyle was killed at the head of a reconnoitering 
 party the morning of the battle and complete defeat of 
 the ancient Britons, at Bally-Ellis, very near his father's 
 house. The loss of those fine fellows was severely felt, 
 particularly by the Monaseed corps in which they were 
 two of the most distinguished officers. 
 
 I also heard that my poor brother Hugh arrived safe 
 with the other wounded men from Vinegar hill, and that 
 they were sent out of town on the road to the mountain 
 of Forth, or the three Rocks mountain, where it was said 
 that a camp would be formed for the night. Of course I 
 was very anxious to follow them and to repair to this 
 camp, but first I wished to see some of our generals whom 
 I understood were still in town, to ascertain from them 
 what plan had been decided on for our future operations. 
 I was in this perplexed situation surrounded by numbers 
 of those brave men from my own neighbourhood, all of 
 whom looked up to me at this critical moment for infor- 
 mation. We marched through different streets without 
 being able to learn where those generals could be found; 
 such was the great confusion which prevailed, we 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 189 
 
 repeatedly asked for Edward Fitzgerald, Garret Byrne, 
 Perry, Esmond Kyan, Edward Roche, etc., but none 
 could point out to us the house, or houses where they 
 were; at length we came in front of a house where we 
 perceived the catholic bishop D^ Caulfield at a window, 
 haranguing a multitude of people and imploring them 
 to quit the town forthwith and repair to the camp, that 
 the generals were already gone there. We were also in- 
 formed that the three clergymen, the reverend Philip 
 Roche, reverend W. Kearns, and Father John Murphy 
 were gone to the camp. I was delighted to learn that 
 those brave men had escaped. I knew that Father Kearns 
 was wounded defending Enniscorthy and it was reported 
 that Father John Murphy was killed on the hill. I was 
 doubly rejoiced that he was safe, for his energy of cha- 
 racter and great coolness and decision in times of danger 
 endeared him to all those who served with him since the 
 commencement of our campaign. How unfeeling, and 
 uncharitable, and unjust it is of those Roman Catholic 
 historians who have taken upon them to write of the in- 
 surrection of 1798 in the county of Wexford, to condemn, 
 and endeavour to tarnish the reputation of those priests 
 who fought so bravely at the head of the people, in their 
 efforts to expel the common enemy I — At the same time 
 these timid historians are obliged to allow, that those 
 clergymen were left no alternative but to take the field, in 
 self defence, as death and torture awaited them the mo- 
 ment they fell into the enemy's hands. Were these same 
 
190 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 vastly loyal historians asked, if the undaunted and noble 
 part which the Spanish priests took to drive the french 
 out of their country, during- Napoleon's most unjusti- 
 fiable war, was not most glorious and if the monks and 
 clergy did not immortalize themselves at the siege, and 
 the unprecedented defence of Saragossa? — I am persua- 
 ded they would answer in the affirmative, without mak- 
 ing any allusion whatever to the gospel, as they did in 
 the case of the poor Irish priests. Yet, the mission of the 
 french soldiers in Spain, was not to hunt down priests, 
 nor to burn or desecrate the places of worship belonging 
 to the inhabitants, but they were there as « conquerors, » 
 and as such, tho' less cruel and less bigotted than the 
 English in Ireland, the Spaniards were perfectly right 
 to make every possible sacrifice until the French were 
 expulsed from their country ; they finally succeeded, and 
 the brave clergymen who were killed in this holy strug- 
 gle, are not spoken of by the historians of that epoch as 
 having « deserved an untimely and fatal end. » On the 
 contrary their memory is revered by all, and they are 
 considered as true martyrs who died for the independence 
 of their beloved Spain. 
 
 I was marching to join the camp at the head of those 
 brave men I had just assembled in the town, when my 
 nephew James Kennedy, a young lad of twelve years of 
 age, came running up to me in tears and told me his 
 step father (Matt Kavanagh), had been killed by his side 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 191 
 
 during: the battle of Vinegar hill. — Felix Fornen of 
 Monaseed, a tenant of ours, and a very worthy man, was 
 with him, and had been very kind to him on the retreat. 
 Fornen told me he felt so ill himself, with dysentery, that 
 he was bent on returning home, to join his wife, even at 
 the risk of being shot on the way, and that if I would 
 allow my nephew to go with him, he would take him 
 home to his mother who lived near where he did. I con- 
 sented, tho' I feared they would find great difficulty in 
 makino- twenty five miles, on account of the state of the 
 country. — Ferneu told me he intended to travel by night, 
 and to hide in the day, and he was sure in this way, of 
 escaping and of bringing my nephew safe also. Fortuna- 
 tely they had not to travel by night, nor to hide in the 
 day, for in a short time after I left them, they fell in 
 with the division of our army that marched over the 
 bridge on the direction to Gory. So my dear mother 
 heard in a few days after, from her grand-son James 
 Kennedy, that both my poor brother Hugh and I were 
 stiil living. His wound was getting better after the ball 
 was extracted. 
 
 When I marched out of Wexford to join the camp at 
 the mountain of Forth, I thought all our forces were to 
 assemble there, and it was only when I met Father John 
 Murphy at the council of war, which we held at night al 
 Sleedagh, Bargy Barony, that I learned that a division 
 ofour army with some of the principal chiefs, Edward 
 
192 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRXE 
 
 Fitzgerald, Garret Byrne, Edward Roche, Esmond Kyan, 
 etc., had taken quite an opposite direction, crossed the 
 wooden bridge and marched on the road to Gory. 
 
 I have already mentioned how general Edward Roche 
 arrived at Vinegar hill with his division of five thousand 
 men, too late to take any part in the battle we fought 
 there, but both he and his troops retreated back to 
 Wexford with us. 
 
 As they were less in want of provisions than the other 
 corps of our army, he was able to keep them together 
 encamped at the Windmill hill, near the town, until he 
 and the other chiefs, who as well as Father John Murphy, 
 were not duped by the false promises of lord Kingsbo- 
 rough, decided on assembling and rallying all the men 
 who were dispersed in the town of Wexford, and crossing 
 the wooden bridge forthwith. I should have preferred 
 making part of that division, as it was to pass near our 
 place on its way to the count}^ of Wicklow, a country by 
 the bye, which we should not have left, as it aflFords so 
 many suitable positions for the system of warfare we 
 were now obliged to adopt against the enemy, 
 
 I had scarcely any acquaintance amongst the inhabi- 
 tants of Wexford, I went however to the house of a Mrs 
 Rosseder, where I expected to meet my friend Nick Mur- 
 phy, she being his cousin. But it was shut up and not- 
 one appeared to be living in it. Mr Murphy's mother was 
 of the family of the Roches and nearly related to general 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 193 
 
 Edward Roche and other families of the town. Had I met 
 him, I should have known the decision newly taken to 
 cross the, wooden bridge with a division of our forces, 
 and consequently I should have brought all those brave 
 fellows I rallied in the streets of "Wexford to join that di- 
 vision and have marched with it to Pepper Castle^ where 
 it halted to pass the night. 
 
 I need not say I should have preferred acting with 
 those commanders Anthony Perry, Esmond Kyan, etc., 
 whose brilliant courage I witnessed at the battle of Ar- 
 klow and elsewhere; however I was consoled to be with 
 the reverend John Murphy, who did not despair of being 
 able to out-manoeuvre sir John Moore and the other en- 
 glish generals ; and for this purpose, in place of going to 
 encamp on the mountain of Forth, he marched into the 
 Barony of Forth and by this circuitous march, he found 
 the route next day quite open before him, either to move 
 into the counties of Carlow or Kilkenny, etc. 
 
 As the next chapter will contain all those marches I 
 shall continue to speak about Wexford and relate every 
 thing I learned during my short stay there. 
 
 Much has been said of the massacre which took place 
 
 on the bridge of Wexford and the nearly superhuman 
 
 exertions of some of the principal inhabitants to save 
 
 lord Kingsborough and his fellow prisoners. Why not 
 
 have kept them all in the same jail and urjder the same 
 
 guard? — This would have ensured equal safety to the 
 
 poor as well as to the rich and the noble. 
 
 ^ 13 
 
194 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 As those transactions took place before the 21st of 
 jane, of course I could not have witnessed them, and 
 have only now to state, that I never knew one of our lea- 
 ders, or the brave men who followed them, in this war of 
 extermination, who did not hold in the utmost horror 
 these abominable cold blooded reprisals. It is true many 
 plans were suggested to try to make the english generals 
 desist from shooting their prisoners, but without avail. 
 One was, that every time it was ascertained that one of 
 our men had been murdered at the english camp, ten 
 english prisoners with us should draw lots, two only 
 were to be drawn, the first shot forthwith, the second 
 pardoned and sent to the english head quarters to declare 
 what he had witnessed, and that if the murders did not 
 cease at the english camp, the most unheard of retalia- 
 tion should be executed in every direction where an en- 
 glish soldier could be found. 
 
 This was the state of the country, when the wily lord 
 Cornwallis, then the most competent judge of what a 
 people driven to the last desperation is capable of accom- 
 plishing, recollecting America, arrived in Ireland to is- 
 sue proclamations, and to offer protections to all chiefs 
 as well as to their men. We soon perceived oar ranks 
 thinned in consequence of those delusive protections 
 granted by England's viceroy or lord lieutenant. His 
 conduct at that awful crisis reminds me of Ibrahim Pas- 
 cha's in Greece or the Morea, When he arrived there at 
 the head of thirty thousand Egyptians, to reconquer the 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 195 
 
 Greeks for the emperor of the Turks, he too issued pro- 
 clamations and g-ave protections to all those Greeks who 
 returned to their homes, and in a few days the villages 
 became repeopled. The undaunted Greek generals per- 
 ceiving they were nearly abandoned in the mountains, 
 soon hit on a stratagem to put an end to this desertion ; 
 a desperate one no doubt. They laid ambuscades in the 
 neighbourhood of those villages where already the Egyp- 
 tian soldiers were peaceably mixing with the inhabitants. 
 After a sufficient number of those soldiers were caught, 
 wdien night came on they were marched through those 
 villages, some put to death there, others were allowed to 
 escape, after having their noses and ears cut off, to carry 
 the tidings to Ibrahim's camp near Navarino. This half- 
 savage, half-warrior, sallied forth with all his forces, 
 burned and destroyed every village and town from Na- 
 varino to Patrass, and shot every women and child he 
 found on his w^ay. He could not be persuaded that those 
 unfortunate inhabitants did not participate in these mu- 
 tilations and murders. Consequently the Turkish justice 
 was in this instance quite surpassed by the Egyptian 
 chief. Until this event, it was well known, that no per- 
 son holding this extraordinary man's protection was 
 ever molested, if he was not guilty of some new fault. 
 
 Under « his » jurisdiction poor Billy Byrne of Bally- 
 manus would not have been executed, for he committed 
 no crime after he got the protection of the lord lieutenant, 
 nor indeed « before » receiving it either. But Ibrahim 
 
196 MEMOIRS OF MILES 15YRNE 
 
 had not had the advantage of studying at the « refined » 
 Pitt and Castlereagh school, as lord Cornwallis had; he 
 thought he might be just 'without endangering his holy- 
 religion or the Turkish state. 
 
 In consequence of this monstrous hutchery, the camps 
 of the Greek generals in the mountains were re-inforced 
 by all those who were fortunate enough to escape the 
 Egyptian cimetar. These camps became henceforth the 
 only places of shelter and safety for the entire population 
 of the Morea. 
 
 From this moment all the world could see that though 
 Ibrahim had a disciplined army, he never could pacify 
 or conquer a people capable of making any sacrifice un- 
 der heaven to shake oS'the monstrous Turkish yoke. In 
 1828 I marched through those burned villages, being- 
 then attached to the staff' of the french general in chief 
 who was sent with an army to drive both Turks and 
 Egyptians from the land of the Morea, and to leave to its 
 heroic defenders the right to govern themselves. I had an 
 opportunity of learning all their unheard of sufi'erings 
 during this cruel and protracted war. 
 
 General Maison ordered me to remain with a detach- 
 ment of infantry, a few days at Pyrgos (a town which 
 had a population of ten or twelve thousand before the 
 war), until the unfortunate inhabitants had time to re- 
 turn from their hiding places. 'On^ the fourth day the 
 greek governor of that province, Mr Ruff'a de Benneguela, 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 197 
 
 told me all were arrived, then amounting to about twelve 
 hundred men, women and children. The rest had pe- 
 rished by the sword, sickness and famine. I mention all 
 this to shew how dearly liberty must be bought when 
 there is not a levy en masse in the first instance to crush 
 and annihilate the taskmasters and cruel tyrants, who 
 are in possession of the strong holds. Had a simultaneous 
 rising- taken place in Ireland in the month of may 1798, 
 as it had been agreed on by the Irish Directory and lord 
 Edward Fitzgerald, what a mass of misery might have 
 been prevented ! — Torrents of blood might not then have 
 been shed in vain. — Or, had even ten counties of the 
 provinces of Munster and Leinster commenced the war at 
 the same time, and with the same success as the county 
 of "Wexford, England had then no forces to resist so 
 powerfal a mass of people resolved to shake off her 
 yoke. 
 
 It is well known, that all the Irish militia regiments 
 only waited for this rising to come flocking to our stan- 
 dard of independence. The Orangemen of those regiments 
 of course would not join, but without intending it, they 
 were rendering as good service; as they regarded all the 
 catholic soldiers as united irishmen, they never ceased 
 insulting them, and had them punished on the most tri- 
 vial pretexts. 
 
 When a detachment of the Wexford militia was made 
 ])risoner at Gores Bridge, or New Bridge, on the river 
 Barrow on the 23d of June by our forces, the Orangemen 
 
198 MEMOIRS OF MTLES BYRNE 
 
 of this detachment were soon denounced by their catho- 
 lic comrades as being- the principal instigators of all the 
 punishments they underwent in the regiment, the flog- 
 ging, etc. 
 
 Seven of those unfortunate Orangemen were put to 
 death the same night, by their own comrades, who avai- 
 led themselves of this opportunity to be revenged for all 
 the tortures they had endured at the regiment. This may 
 serve as a specimen of what the authorization of organiz- 
 ing Orange lodges in all the regiments then in Ireland 
 was likely to produce. 
 
 We wanted an able general in chief, or in other words 
 an honest dictator, whose orders could never be diso- 
 beyed under pain of death, as on the prompt execution 
 of them depended the success of our holy undertaking. 
 
 With these different and untoward contingencies, and 
 to general Humbert and his few french soldiers not 
 arriving in time, may in a great measure be attributed 
 our failure in the county of Wexford. 
 
 If we had had a general commanding in Wexford on 
 the 21st of June, of the stamp of the greek generals I have 
 mentioned, he would no doubt have despatched lord 
 Kingsborough and his fellow prisoners to the English 
 head quarters with their ears and noses cut off, the mo- 
 ment he learned that all our sick and wounded were bur- 
 ned in the hospital at Enniscorthy by orders of general 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 199 
 
 Lake. This reprisal and mutilation of the noble lord and 
 his companions might have served as a warning to the 
 following unfortunate gentlemen; Mr Bagnel Harvey, 
 captain Keugh, Cornelius Grogan, John Colclough, re- 
 verend Philip Roche, John Hay, Patrick Prendergast, 
 John Kelly of Killan, etc., etc.; it would have shewn 
 them, that away from the people's camp they could make 
 no terms for themselves or any one else ; and by remai- 
 ning with the people, they would at least have saved the 
 citizens of Wexford the hideous spectacle of their heads 
 being placed on pikes over the public edifices of the town 
 and there left to bleach and wither into dust. 
 
 Poor John Kelly of Killan was obliged to quit his com- 
 mand on account of the desperate wound he received at 
 the battle of New Ross. He was brought in a car to the 
 place of execution. He would have stood by the people to 
 the last. 
 
CHAPTER V 
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 anH J; ^^^'J^^-^th Father John Murphy. thereverendPhilipRoche 
 and the reverend Moses Kearns marched into the Barony of Forth and 
 encamped that night on a place called Sleedagh in the Bargy Baronv 
 five mdes from Wexford. - A council of .-ar hetd at our bivouLk, aftl; 
 which the reverend P. Roche quits his command to go to the En^dish 
 head quarters, .vhcre he expected to he able to make good terms and ob- 
 
 fiTl I r'?r, ?™'' '''■ ~ "^ "f J™^- Th^ tli vision marches by the 
 field where the battle ^.-as fought on the 20fh at Foulksmill and Lon- 
 graig against general sir John Moore, passing through Killan to the 
 
 b^ tf f.^VT"^ ^'^''' '''" english troops ^-ere defeated. A slated 
 house ^-h.ch served as a barrack, burned by order of Father John Mur- 
 phy. The enemy set hre to several houses in the village before they ^-ere 
 forced torelreat from it. - 23d of June. Attacked Gores-bridge on the river 
 Barrow Defeated the Wexford militia and the -ith dragoon guards ^ho 
 were defending the town and passage. A great quantity of flour found 
 bu no means of transporting it. Some of the prisoners of the Wexford 
 mihtiaput to death by their fellow prisoners. - Jacob Byrne's desperate 
 wound and extraordinary treatment and cure, escape.' recovery, etc 
 until he got to Dublin. After taking Gores bridge, we encamped (or 
 bivouacked) on the ridge of Leinster on the night of the 23d. - 24th of 
 rXii'VT ^^""""'^^^ clay-light, march to^he village of Dunain or 
 Lolhery. \ast numbers of Colliers quit their hiding places and come to 
 
 m oZr '""^'' ''"'^' ^^'"^-^ wasoccupiedbytheenghsh forces 
 
 till our army came in sight, ^^-hen they began their retreat in good order. 
 By our rapid march on different roads to Castlecomer. a detachment of 
 the ^\ aterford militia was out flanked by our men and forced to surren- 
 der.- Failure of this capture caused by a sad error. The town of Castle- 
 comer attacked and carried in the most brilliant manner, with the 
 exception of one house at the foot of the bridge, belonging to the countess 
 of Ormond, or lady Anne Butler. This house being set on tire in the rear 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 201 
 
 after great numbers fell in the front before it, the king's troops who de- 
 fended it, were summoned to surrender by the author, who employed a 
 black servant as his messenger. Negotiation for this purpose impeded 
 by the arrival of general sir diaries Asgill from Kilkenny at the head of 
 three thousand troops. — Pusillanimous conduct of this general, who 
 retreated back to Kilkenny and abandoned the held when the Irish troops 
 formed Iheir line and olTcred him battle.— A soldier left the english and 
 camerunningtous; he was fired at but escaped, and gave us a great deal 
 of news. — A great error committed in not leaving some forces to block- 
 ade the house at the foot of the bridge, whilst we marched to attack 
 general Asgill. Our fatiguing march the same day the 24th of June, into 
 
 I the Queen's county where we expected great assistance, proved fruitless 
 and allowed the enemy to recover from their panic and concentrate 
 their forces. —25th June. Our retrograde march from the Queen's county 
 to repass the river Barrow, still more fatiguing than the day before, on 
 account of the great heat. Arrived late at our bivouack on the hill of Kill- 
 comney, a bad military position. Desertion of the Colliers this night, 
 after they had robbed our men of their best firearms. — 26th June- My 
 last conversation with Father John Murphy, on the treachery of the Col- 
 liers. He knew that the king's troops were marching on four roads to 
 
 vsurround us. His orders to attack and force the pass of Scollagh-Gap. The 
 brilliant conduct in this fight of our pikemen. as well as the gunsmen- 
 Nothing abandoned at our bivouack to the bloodthirsty general Asgill, 
 who fearing to follow us through the pass, glutted himself on the peace- 
 able, unarmed inhabitants of the adjacent districts, whom he murdered 
 without mercy in their homes. — Bad results in consequence of the un- 
 accountable and fatal separation of Father John. An impostor took his 
 name a year after in Dublin, to swindle money and go to America- — The 
 dislocation of our forces for want of union, after we passed Scollagh-Gap; 
 a party of which went to the woods of Killanghram, whilst another party 
 fought its way and joined our other division at the Gold mines. — My 
 painful anxiety on finding our house at Monaseed abandoned, and no 
 one there to give me any inteUigence of my beloved mother. —Jacob 
 Byrne placed in a house on our land. His sister apprised of his situation 
 comes to take care of him till his recovery and escape to Dublin. — My 
 brother Hugh's wound getting quite well, he is able to march and accom- 
 pany me to continue the campaign. — Our painful separation from our 
 dear sister, who goes to remain with our mother, never to quit her again. 
 — We march and join tlie other division of our forces near the gold 
 mines, return with it and bivouack at Ballyfad. — My joy at meeting 
 again with Nick Murphy; his escape from major Sirr, and afterwards 
 to France, etc. 
 
 After relating the incidents that occured during- my 
 short stay at "Wexford the 21st of June, I resume the ac- 
 
202 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 count of our march from that town towards the three 
 Eocks mountain, where we expected to encamp for the 
 night; but before we had made a mile on the road, we 
 perceived that a column of our army was moving from the 
 mountain in the direction of Johnstown in the Barony of 
 Forth. I instantly with the brave men who accompanied 
 me changed our direction and followed the movement of 
 this column. 
 
 It being very late in the evening, and we in the great- 
 est need of some kind of refreshment after the fatigues of 
 this memorable day, I ordered a short halt at Johnstown, 
 near the mansion of poor Cornelius Grogan. Here I met 
 a worthy man who had known me from my childhood, 
 Mr Nash; this gentleman had been agent to the Grogan 
 family, and when he came to receive the rents of the 
 Castletown and Mouaseed estates, frequently stopped at 
 our house. He desired an old servant to endeavour to get 
 me something to eat, and whilst we were speaking of old 
 and better times, the poor woman came back to say, that 
 she could give nothing but a slice of barley bread and 
 some sour milk. I soon devoured them and found both 
 delicious. 
 
 Mr Nash told me poor Grogan was very ill, and suffer- 
 ing from gout and rheumatism. I took my leave of him, 
 and when I thought the men had got all the refreshments 
 the place could afford, we set out again, to join our di- 
 vision, which had halted to bivouack for the night at a 
 place called Sleedagh in the Barony of Bargy. 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 203 
 
 I need not say how happy I was on arriving at this 
 camp to find that my brother Hugh, with many other 
 wounded men were all there, and that they had been 
 kindly treated on the way from Vinegar hill, by the men 
 who were charged to escort them. But my disappoint- 
 ment and dismay was very great indeed, when I learned 
 that the principal division of our little army had crossed 
 the wooden bridge at Wexford and directed its course to 
 the county of Wicklow, and that almost all the chiefs 
 with whom I had been accustomed to act, and who I ex- 
 pected to meet here, made part of that division : such 
 as, Anthony Perry, Esmond Kyan, Ned Fennell, Johnny 
 Doyle, Nick Murphy, etc. I also regretted not to see Ed- 
 ward Fitzgerald, Garrett Byrne, and Edward Roche. The 
 presence of these leaders at the head of our column al- 
 ways inspired our brave fellows with a confidence that 
 they would be well commanded. 
 
 I now felt that my responsibility became great indeed, 
 in consequence of this separation. — As all the men of 
 the Monaseed corps, as well as the county of Wicklow 
 men who followed me here from Vinegar hill, looked to 
 me at present as their chief, in the absence of those chiefs 
 who marched with the division on the direction to the 
 county of Wicklow, they requested me to act as such, 
 and added, they would obey my orders. I accepted and 
 promised to do the best I could in our critical situation. 
 A council of war was held in the night, at the instiga- 
 tion of the reverend Philip Roche, who wished we should 
 
204 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 remain at this camp of Sleedagh, until he went to Wex-|'' 
 ford, where he said, he was certain to obtain a cessation 
 of arms, and good terms from the english general in 
 chief Lake; on which the reverend John Murphy declared, 
 for his part, he could have no reliance on such negotia- 
 tions, and he never would advise any one to surrender 
 and give up their arms. AVe all loudly applauded this 
 declaration and added, that we were ready to follow 
 « him » through thick and thin. Poor Roche now resolved 
 to go alone to the English head quarters; he mounted 
 his horse, and before setting off, he desired to know from 
 Father John Murphy, how he was to know where to direct 
 to him, in the event of obtaining the good terms he ex- 
 pected. Murphy replied : « You will have no dif&culty to 
 learn the direction our little army will take, for everywhere 
 that we pass, we shall burn all the isolated slated houses 
 which might serve as a refuge to the enemy. » These were 
 the last words they ever exchanged. I was quite close to 
 them at the time. It was now near day light, the reve- 
 rend P. Roche rode off to Wexford, whilst we were pre- 
 paring to quit our bivouack. — What a sad instance of 
 the frailty and weakness of human nature, this man so 
 brave on the field of battle the day before, at the head of 
 fifteen thousand men though badly armed ; had he remai- 
 ned at his post as general and not have placed any faith 
 in the insidious promises of the vile lord Kingsborough, 
 he would have thereby enabled us by his military genius 
 and imposing manners to have prolonged the war until 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 205 
 
 ammunition Came from France; all of which we hourly 
 expected. 
 
 Poor Roche was very handsome and more than six feet 
 high. He enjoyed considerahle influence, particularly 
 over those brave men he commanded at Foulksmill; and 
 his able retreat to the three Rocks mountain after that 
 battle, did him the greatest honour. For he only left the 
 field of action at the very last, when he was assured that 
 all the wounded men were sent away and safe. 
 
 From his camp at the three Rocks mountain, he imme- 
 diately repaired to the council room at Wexford, where 
 he insisted all should be stationary until the result of 
 the negotiation with general Lake could be known. — 
 Unfortunately this declaration did the greatest injury, 
 as many fine fighting fellows went to their homes, whilst 
 w^aiting an answer from the delegates which were sent to 
 the English head quarters at Enniscorthy; and conse- 
 quently, these brave men learning the cruel treatment 
 their general received, never rejoined our army again. 
 Poor Father Roche thought that because he had been hu - 
 mane himself and had saved the lives of the enemy in 
 every instance where he had influence, that he had no- 
 thing to risk in meeting the bloody and implacable as- 
 cendency, again in pos.'^ession of Wexford; but he was 
 soon cruelly undeceived. On entering the town, he was 
 torn from his horse and ignominiously dragged through 
 the streets to tne scaffold. — He deserved a better fate. 
 1 should have mentioned before, that the reverend 
 
206 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 Moses Kearns suffering from the wound he got at Ennis- 
 corthy, and by great loss of blood, became so weak that 
 he was obliged to remain behind at a farmer's house on 
 the way from Wexford. This brave chief's absence at so 
 critical a moment was another severe loss. — Like Fa- 
 ther John Murphy, he would not have been deceived by 
 the false promises of the vile lord Kiugsborough , nor 
 would he have abandoned the brave men whom he had 
 the honour to command. 
 
 Bagnel Harvey, John Colclough and John Hay, with 
 other leaders remaining behind at Wexford, counting on 
 the treaty which lord Kiugsborough had made in their 
 favour with general Lake, the reverend John Murphy 
 now became the principal chief of our very small corps of 
 army at Sleedagh bivouack. 
 
 On the morning of the 22^^ of June it did not amount to 
 more than five or six thousand men, and I doubt even if 
 we could have mustered so strong. Still had the then go- 
 vernor of Wexford, captain Mathew Keugh been actuated 
 with the same desperate spirit which fired the Eussian 
 governor at Moscow, and sacrificed lord Kiugsborough, 
 our ranks instead of being thinner , would have been 
 swelled beyond any thing we experienced since the 
 commencement of the war. It was doomed otherwise. In- 
 trigue carried the day with the weak leaders of the peo- 
 ple, who remained behind in the town of Wexford. 
 
 At day light we left our bivouack and formed the co- 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 207 
 
 iumn for marching-; greatly encumbered as usual with 
 our wounded and vast numbers of females, who were 
 following their brothers, or other relatives, not having 
 any place of refuge, or other means of escaping from the 
 monsters then ravaging their homes. 
 
 We moved on the direction of Foulksmill and Long- 
 graig, where the battle was fought on the 20th against 
 general sir John Moore, and where the unfortunate reve- 
 rend Philip Roche shewed so much generalship, and 
 also, where Thomas Cloney and many other fine fellows 
 displayed the greatest talent and bravery. 
 
 This field of battle was a dismal sight; mangled bodies 
 lying still unburied all around ; broken carts and wag- 
 gons strewed over the field and on the adjacent roads. 
 However these obstacles did not stop our march. 
 
 As the english general Moore, after the battle of the 
 20th at Foulksmill retreated on Taghmon, he marched 
 from thence to Wexford on the 22^ of June, when he had 
 learned that the Irish army had evacuated the town ; so 
 that our small division marched in his rear and passed 
 over the country which he had abandoned. By this ma- 
 noeuvre and circuitous march, we were enabled to bend 
 our course into the counties of Carlow, Kilkenny, etc., 
 and as usual, the cowardly cavalry fled before us ; so we 
 had very little skirmishing with them before we reached 
 Killan, the town that gave birth to the brave and ever to 
 be regretted John Kelly. 
 
 ■^rom this place we pursued the enemy closely until 
 
208 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 we came up with them at the village of Killedmond on 
 the county of Carlow side of the boundary, where they 
 seemed to be in great force, having been joined there by 
 a reinforcement 
 
 Of course they prepared to dispute the passage and 
 give us battle; but we soon became masters of the village 
 and drove both the infantry and cavalry from it, as in 
 this instance our pikemen were brought to bear on them 
 in the street, though not till they had set fire to several 
 houses before they fled. The barracks they occupied being| 
 a slated house, Father John Murphy ordered it to be 
 burned. 
 
 By this time our small army was quite exhausted, 
 from so long and so fatiguing a march, and stood much 
 in need both of refreshments and sleep. — We bivouacked 
 not far from this village for the night of the 22d of 
 June, and early next morning the 23d, hearing that 
 there was a regular force of cavalry and infantry 
 stationed at the little town of Goresbridge, to defend the 
 passage there of the river Barrow, we left our bivouack 
 in the highest spirits, and marched to attack this post.— 
 Coming near the town we were met by the fourth dragoon 
 guards and after a short skismish we forced them to re- 
 treat and fall back on their infantry, the Wexford militia, 
 which began a brisk fire and a smart engagement ensued, 
 during which we had several wounded. But now, whether 
 from a fear of disafltection in his troops, or a terror of 
 another kind, the commanding officer of the militia, has- 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 209 
 
 tened to mouut behind a dragoon soldier, galloped away 
 and left his men to do the best they could. Abandoned by 
 their officer, who did not endeavour to eflFect his retreat 
 in time with them, their fire soon ceased, when they were 
 surrounded and made prisoners. No doubt the officer 
 knowing that the greater number of his soldiers were 
 catholics, and suspecting they were inclined to join our 
 ranks, he hastened to escape, lest they might bring him 
 by force with them. This is the only apology that can 
 be offered on the occasion for his conduct. It was how- 
 ever well ascertained through the english army then in 
 Ireland, that the great mass of the roman catholic soldiers 
 were predisposed to come over to join our standard, but 
 particularly so, those of the Irish militia regiments. In- 
 deed it was not only the catholics, but all the dissenters 
 of the militia regiments, who wished to see Ireland inde- 
 pendent and self governed. They waited with impatience 
 for a french army, round which they would have rallied 
 without hesitation ; as, according to a prophecy they had 
 in the north, nothing could be accomplished before french 
 aid arrived, — I had proofs of the strong and implicit faith 
 they had in this prophecy ; I was in the Wicklow moun- 
 tains atthe time general Humbert landed in Ireland. Some 
 days after this was known, a Serjeant and about twenty 
 men of the Antrim militia regiment then stationed at Ar- 
 klow came to join US. I asked the sergeant why he did 
 not come sooner; he replied, that the prophecy in which 
 
 he believed, said, nothing could be done before the french 
 
 14 
 
210 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 landed ; and that, that was the reason why he did not 
 come and join our army when we were in greater force. 
 He was a presbyterian in religion, and one of the best con- 
 ducted young men that could be. He began immediately 
 to drill our men. He was an excellent instructor, and if 
 we had had at the commencement several like him, they 
 would have rendered vast service, — I shall have often to 
 speak of this sergeant when I come to relate what I wit- 
 nessed during the autumn and winter of 1798, in the 
 Wicklow mountains. We called him Antrim John, and 
 we considered him a great acquisition to our cause at 
 that critical moment. 
 
 After we took possession of the little town of Gores- 
 bridge, where we got a good quantity of flour, we marched 
 to the ridge of Leinster and encamped there that night. 
 Fires were lighted immediately through the camp, and 
 all the young women who were following their relations 
 betook themselves to making bread, or slim cakes, the 
 best way they could, of the sacks of flour which were 
 brought to the bivouack. This, with a number of sheep 
 killed, sufiiced at least for that day to give every one so- 
 mething to eat. Our wounded men were conveyed to the 
 camp and good care taken of them. Though my poor 
 brother Hugh's wound was getting better, still he had 
 to remain on the car, fearing to inflame his thigh if he 
 attempted to walk. I was obliged to place on the same 
 car with him, poor Jacob Byrne of Bally Ellis, who was 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 211 
 
 wounded this day ; the ball entered under his hip and 
 passed right through to his other side. I thought it im- 
 possible he could ever recover from this desperate wound. 
 A young man whom I did not know seeing me very 
 anxious about Byrne, told me he had studied surgery, 
 and that if I would allow him, he would dress the wound. 
 Of course I accepted his kind offer, although I did not 
 approve of the manner he intended to operate : but the 
 case being, as I thought, hopeless, I let him try his hand. 
 The dressing consisted simply of a band of linen, about 
 two inches wide and a couple of yards long, and when 
 this bandage was well steeped in whisky, he fastened 
 one end of it to a slight ratan and passed it through the 
 wound, withdrawing the ratan and leaving the linen in 
 the wound, with injunctions not to pull it out; he said 
 that suppuration would be kept up by leaving it in, and 
 as the wound healed, it would emit all strange bodies. 
 Poor Byrne suffered this rough operation with great resi- 
 gnation. I had him again placed on the car with my bro- 
 ther, and charged the trust worthy man who drove the 
 horse to be attentive to both, and to be always on the alert 
 and ready to follow our column when it set out to 
 march. 
 
 It will be seen before the end of my narrative, the 
 wonderful escape this brave man Byrne had, and this is 
 the reason I give the above details regarding the dressing 
 of his wound. They shew the scanty means we possessed 
 of being useful to unfortunate men in his situation. 
 
212 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 As the country people were so terror stricken about the 
 neighbourhood of the ridge of Leiuster, that they were 
 not able to give us any information respecting the ene- 
 my's positions, we had to send reconnoitring parties in 
 all directions. After their return we betook ourselves to 
 rest, and passed a few hours tolerably well. At day light 
 we were again under arms and marching to Castlecomer. 
 By this manoeuvre we afforded a safe occasion to the vast 
 number of Colliers who were waiting our arrival, to quit 
 their hiding places and to come and join our standard. 
 
 On quitting our bivouack, a sad spectacle was offered 
 to our view, A cruel and foul deed was committed dur- 
 ing the night. Several of the prisoners belonging to the 
 Wexford militia, were put to death by their own comra- 
 des, who having met in our army many of their rela- 
 tives, had been put at liberty. They of course joined our 
 ranks and changed immediately their uniforms for co- 
 loured cloaths. Thus metamorphosed they perpetrated 
 these cold-blooded murders, which every brave man must 
 execrate. One of these militia soldiers named Bruslaur, 
 was the prime instigator of this horrible and coward re- 
 venge. It appeared that he had been cruelly punished and 
 flogged, for being an united irishman, on the evidence 
 sworn against him by those unfortunate men. He of 
 course said in his defence, that they were all sworn 
 Orangemen, and did every thing in their power to have 
 him and his fellow catholic soldiers put to death. Let 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 213 
 
 that be as it may, it was but too true that the infamous 
 orange system was encouraged and sanctioned by all the 
 protestant officers of those irish militia regiments. 
 
 It was about half past two o'clock in the morning of 
 the 24th of June, when we set out in good marching or- 
 der, and before five o'clock we arrived at the village of 
 Dunain, where we were immediately joined by vast 
 numbers of Colliers, the most determined looking fighting 
 fellows I ever beheld; badly armed no doubt, with old 
 rusty swords and pistols ; but well disposed to make use 
 of them, and to exchange them for better lire arms when 
 an occasion offered. 
 
 A battalion of the Waterford militia which had been 
 stationed at the Colliery, or village of Dunain, about 
 three or four hundred strong, at our approach, abandoned 
 the place and retreated on the town of Castlecomer. I was 
 riding beside Father John Murphy at the head of our co- 
 lumn, entering this village of Dunain, when we saw the 
 great masses coming to join us. He at once decided that 
 I should proceed on the high road with a part of our 
 forces, whilst he would march himself under the gui- 
 dance of the Colliers and with the remainder of our 
 troops, by another way to attack Castlecomer. 
 
 The column halted for a few minutes only ; I had a 
 very fine horse, that my men brought me the day before, 
 he being now foundered for ihe want of a fore shoe, I 
 went to the first blacksmith's forge I perceived, and as- 
 
214 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 ked the smith if he would have the goodness to put on a 
 shoe on my horse; he replied he could not then light a 
 fire, that he was just come from his hiding place, and 
 besides, he was in too great haste to march and fight 
 along with us. However when I shewed him that I had 
 the horse shoe, he searched and found as many nails as 
 were necessary and soon tacked it on. I asked a woman 
 who was standing at the door to be good enough to give 
 me a glass of water, but the smith ordered her to bring 
 me a glass of good beer, and a crust of bread. This brave 
 fellow seemed quite displeased with me at offering to pay 
 him for the little service he had rendered me; as he sup- 
 posed I was a chief and that we were going to fight in the 
 same cause, bethought it was the least he could do. I gal- 
 lop'd off and I soon got again to the head of our column , 
 which was drawn up, and halted on the great road to 
 Castlecomer. At some distance from thence, a detachment 
 of the english forces was also drawn up on the high 
 road. They appeared to be about sixty or seventy in num- 
 ber. Our men told me that they thought these english 
 soldiers wished to come and join us, or at least to surren- 
 der; that they had hoisted a white handkerchief, etc. — 
 I instantly resolved to ride on and see if they wished to 
 surrender, and to offer them all the protection and secu- 
 rity they should require, on the event of their laying 
 down their arms. 
 
 I told our men to be careful not to fire a shot, and to 
 be prepared to receive these english soldiers kindly; and 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 215 
 
 if they marched back with me, to open right and left and 
 let them pass to the rear of our column, I then rode off, 
 and when I arrived at the detacliment I found it was a 
 company of the Waterford militia; two officers on foot 
 belonging to it came to me and stood on each side of me, 
 whilst one of their soldiers held the reins of my bridle. 
 
 These officers told me, that they made part of the rear- 
 guard of their forces, retreating from the Colliery, and 
 now seeing that they were not only out flanked, but com- 
 pletely cut off from tlieir regiment, if they were sure of 
 being treated as prisoners of war, they would surrender. 
 I assured them that orders were given before I left our 
 column, that the first men who should attempt to molest 
 them, would be instantly shot. I further pledged myself 
 to risk my own life in every instance to save theirs. All 
 was now agreed on between us; these soldiers marching 
 with the butt end of their muskets in the air, and thus to 
 pass through our column to the rear, when they would 
 have to give up all their arms and ammunition. 
 
 Unfortunately one of our men, of the name of Doyle, 
 coming through the fields, and knowing nothing of the ca- 
 pitulation, seeing me, as he thought, a prisoner, leaped into 
 the road, and drove his pike into thesoldier who was hold- 
 ing my horse; on which, one of the officers ordered his 
 men to fire, and the other discharged his pistol at me. My 
 horse received a ball in the shoulder. They fired only a 
 few shots, when they turned about and began to escape 
 the best way they could, throwing away accoutrements, 
 
216 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE * 
 
 arms, etc., to be able to run the quicker. Many of them 
 were however, overtaken, before they got to Castlecomer, 
 and the few who did escape over the bridge, got into lady 
 Anne Butler's house, which was already occupied by the 
 english troops, whom Father John Murphy had beaten 
 from their position in the town, and forced to take re- 
 fuge in it. This house being two or three stories high, and 
 isolated, the enemy kept up a tremendous fire from all the 
 windows on our forces arriving before it, so that we had 
 several killed and wounded in an instant, without being 
 able to approach it. We had quantities of hay and straw 
 loaded on carts and pushed on by our men; we endea- 
 voured under cover of them, to cross the bridge and get 
 up to the house. This stratagem failed; for the men who 
 were pushing the carts, not being suflSciently covered, 
 were shot through the angles of the loads of straw. I had 
 my horse killed under me by one of these vollies fired 
 from the windows of this house. 
 
 A young man who was on horseback in shade of a 
 wall, seeing my horse fall, came good natu redly and of- 
 fered me his horse, which I accepted, and mounted im- 
 mediately and rode off to a small church about a quarter 
 of a mile from the bridge; we had placed our prisoners 
 there under a strong guard. — I chose from amongst 
 these prisoners, a black servant man in livery, as the 
 most conspicuous, brought him back with me to the 
 bridge in front of lady Anne Butler's house, made him 
 tie a white handkerchief to a cane, and hold it over his 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 217 
 
 head; on the sight of this, the fire from the house 
 ceased. 
 
 I then gave him his instructions, told him he should 
 go into the house, ask to see the officer commanding the 
 english troops there, tell him, that the rear of the house 
 was set on fire by another party of our forces, whilst we 
 were engaged in the front; that if he came out with his 
 men and brought their arms and ammunition to us, they 
 should not only be protected but set at liberty to go 
 where they pleased. That if they did not accept this of- 
 fer, they would all be inevitably consumed in less than 
 half an hour, as quantities of fuel and combustible mat- 
 ter of every kind was applied to the rear of the house, by 
 our men commanded by the general in chief in person, 
 who was at present completely master of the whole 
 town, with the exception of this single house, now on 
 fire. — As to himself, I told him he should be taken care 
 of and put at liberty, whatever might be the result of the 
 negotiation. This honest black servant left me, marched 
 quietly to the hall door, which was opened for him from 
 within, and in less than five minutes came back to me 
 on the bridge where I remained to receive him. The ans- 
 wer he brought to my proposal, from the officers besieged 
 was as follows, that they knew but too well that the 
 house in which they were was on fire, and consequently, 
 they were ready to surrender; but first, they wished to 
 have a written protection signed by the reverend John 
 Murphy, whom they understood was our commander in 
 
218 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 chief, otherwise they could not venture, on account ot 
 ■what had happened that morning to a company of their 
 troops retreating from the Colliery; that the chief to whom 
 the company surrendered was unable to protect them, 
 etc., I of course sorely felt the truth of this observation, 
 and lamented the fatal error which gave ground for it, 
 and caused the failure of the most humane intention to 
 save so many lives, and at the same time, to get their 
 arms and ammunition which we so much needed at that 
 moment. 
 
 I now, accompanied by my black « parlementaire, » 
 went to seek for Father John, to get him to give this 
 written document, required by the besieged officers, and 
 to tell him of all that had occured since we separated at 
 the Colliery. After making a great round through the 
 gardens, I at length had an interview with him, across 
 the river, which is very narrow there; he highly approved 
 of the promises I had made to the besieged. He told the 
 black servant to return with me, and desired he should 
 go instantly back to the house, and tell the english troops 
 there, that the moment he (Father John Murphy) could 
 procure pen, ink and paper, he would send them the 
 written protection they required; that he would then give 
 orders to cease adding more fuel to the house now in 
 flames, hoped they would not hesitate getting out of it 
 before it was too late, and that he would be at the bridge, 
 along with me, to receive and protect them , On which I 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 219 
 
 returned again with my black messenger to the bridge, 
 repeating to him his instructions. I sent him as before, 
 but this time he could announce that he had seen and 
 conversed himself with our general in chief, who pledged 
 himself in the most solemn manner that all the promises 
 I had made to the military who took refuge in the house 
 now on fire, should be strictly adhered to, and that the 
 moment they came out and gave up their arms and am- 
 munition, they would be put at liberty to go where they 
 pleased, and that the greatest care would be taken that 
 none of them should be molested. 
 
 Of course 1 now expected that there would be no fur- 
 ther difficulties raised by those unfortunate men who 
 were on the point of being consumed, and that they would 
 surrender and come out without hesitation, before the 
 house crumbled into pieces under them. I waited most 
 anxiously, thinking every minute an hour, but there 
 was no appearance of any movement from the house. I 
 thought it strange that the besieged should take so long- 
 to deliberate and decide this time; more than half an 
 hour elapsed, when at length I saw the hall door open, 
 and the worthy black, man running towards me; he cried 
 out this time : « ! sir, they wont surrender, they see 
 from the top windows, an army coming to their relief, 
 but the house is all in smoke and flames about them. » — 
 I thanked him for the way he behaved and bid him stay 
 by me. I instantly despatched several of our men to seek 
 
220 MEMOIRS OF MlLtS BYRNE 
 
 out Father John, who was still in the town, to let him 
 know the failure of our negotiation, and the cause of it. 
 Soon after we heard the firing of muskets on the hill to 
 our left flank, and the whistling of halls through a grove 
 of trees on the same side. This firing came from the en- 
 glish division which marched from Kilkenny under the 
 command of general sir Charles Asgill. If this general 
 had had the courage to have marched straight on to Castle- 
 comer, instead of firing at two musket shot's distance 
 from us, he might have surprised many of our men 
 scattered through the town ; hut now we were apprized 
 and had plenty of time to rally our forces, and take an 
 advantageous position on a rising ground opposite to his 
 line, and there wait and offer him battle, which he pru- 
 dently declined to accept, and which was to be regretted ; 
 four our little array was now flushed with victory, and 
 powerfully aided, as we expected it would be by the 
 Colliers, who would bravely fight to keep up their ancient 
 reputation as the defenders of Irish rights. 
 
 I not having entered Castlecomer, except in the neigh- 
 bourhood of the house at the foot of the bridge, from 
 which the greatest resistance was made by the enemy, 
 and where our forces sustained the greatest losses, and 
 where so many brave men fell, cannot give all the de- 
 tails of what took place in the town ; but it was attacked 
 and carried in the most brilliant manner by Father John 
 Murphy and the fine fellows he commanded, and with 
 very little loss. 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 221 
 
 Altho' I have already related a great deal of what I 
 myself witnessed during this memorable day, still other 
 incidents occiired later, which will shew the chances 
 we had in our favour, had the English accepted the 
 battle. 
 
 In moving up the road from the bridge of Castlecomer, 
 after we had rallied our forces, we heard the enemy's 
 firing, though we did not see their line before the head of 
 our column passed the grove or wood on our right flank ; 
 then we perceived general As^ill's division drawn up in 
 line of battle at a very little more than a musket shot's 
 distance from us, and curious to say, the firing ceased 
 and he allowed our column to gain the rising ground 
 opposite his line, and there to form our line of battle, 
 whilst he might have attacked us, marching by the 
 flank, exposed to all his fire, and in the worst position 
 possible to resist or sustain such an attack. 
 
 During this march another odd thing happened; a 
 private soldier from the centre of the english line, quit 
 his ranks and came running towards us, armed and 
 equipped. Several shots were fired after him, without 
 effect. This soldier told us, we might count on seeing 
 many others of his comrades follow his example. 
 
 It is difficult to know to what to attribute such great 
 want of decision on the part of general Asgill. As he was 
 cruel and bloodthirsty, perhaps his conscience told him, 
 he would want courage on the occasion, or perhaps he 
 
222 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 thoug-ht implicit confidence could not be placed in the 
 troops he commanded. Or was it, that he waited for a re- 
 inforcement he expected, before he would risk a battle 
 with us? Those three motives combined, must have weig- 
 hed very heavily indeed upon him, for he abandoned 
 the field and marched back with his division on the road 
 to Kilkenny, leaving us at perfect liberty to return to 
 Castlecomer if we wished. But then we could have no 
 object in doing- so, as it never was our intention to 
 guard or keep the town; and having got all the arms 
 and ammunition it contained, except those which remai- 
 ned with the english troops in the house at the foot of 
 the bridge. — 
 
 If we could have even suspected that general x^sgill 
 feared risking a battle, we should have left a part of our 
 forces before the house at the foot of the bridge, until we 
 could have had time to return and force the besieged to 
 come out and lay down their arms; which they would 
 have done now without hesitation, finding they had no 
 relief to expect from this too prudent warrior. 
 
 Although a council of war seemed expedient in our 
 critical position, yet none was held, as Father John 
 Murphy communicated to us his plan, which we all 
 agreed to, as the best to be followed under the present 
 circumstances. 
 
 We knew that general Asgill retreated to wait for re- 
 inforcements, and we suspected that he wished to draw 
 us into an ambuscade, if we had pursued him on the road 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 223 
 
 to Kilkenny. Without artillery we could not think of 
 goin^ to attack a city where the enemy was well provi- 
 ded with cannon, ammunition and arms of every descrip- 
 tion. Nothing but the certainty that we should be joined 
 by the mass of the population could have warranted such 
 a proceeding. And to the shame of the people of that 
 country be it said, they preferred to bow in abject slavery 
 and crouch beneath the tyrants cruelty, sooner than come 
 boldly to take the field with us. 
 
 Father John perceiving our men quite exhausted, 
 from want of repose and sleep, after the fatigues they had 
 endured this day, marching- and fighting, resolved at 
 once to go and take a military position at some appro- 
 priate situation in the Queen's county, where we could 
 bivouack and pass the night with safety. 
 
 Though our march from Castlecomer was not impeded 
 by the enemy, yet it was distressing to witness how our 
 men, from weakness, threw themselves flat on the road 
 side and there fell fast asleep. This shewed the necessity 
 of halting sooner than was first intended ; for Father John's 
 plan was, to march that day through that part of the 
 Queen's county leading to the town of Athy, county of 
 Kildare, from which place and neighbourhood he learned, 
 thousands of fighting men only waited our arrival to come 
 flocking to join our standard, and thus avail themselves 
 of their courage, and indeed more than sufficient numbers 
 to overthrow the king's forces, that were keeping them 
 in bondage. 
 
224 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 Unfortunately at that sorrowful moment the popula- 
 tion lay prostrated and enervated at their tyrant's feet ; 
 all their own chiefs being either in exile, banished, exe- 
 cuted or imprisoned. 
 
 After we passed the night of the 24th of June in the 
 Queen's county, seeing not the least disposition on the 
 part of its inhabitants either to aid or assist us in our 
 present struggle to shake off the cruel english yoke, we 
 began our movement on the 25th to approach as near as 
 we could that day, to Scollagh-Gap, Mount Leinster and 
 Blackstairs; we w^ishedto be masters of those important 
 passes into the counties of Carlow and Wexford, in order 
 to be able to obtain some tidings of the principal division 
 of our army, which separated from us on the 21st of June 
 in Wexford and marched over the wooden bridge, on the 
 direction of the county of Wicklow. We were at all times 
 most anxious to open a communication with that division, 
 but it now became imperative to do so, in consequence of 
 our critical situation and the want of ammunition. For 
 the accomplishment of this, poor Father John Murphy 
 suggested a plan, to the wise instructions of which we 
 all willingly adhered. They were very simple. He desired 
 that all those who had any quantity of powder, should 
 divide it with their comrades w4io had none ; and he or- 
 dered all those whose fire arms were out of repair, 
 to provide for themselves pikes, or some weapon equiva- 
 lent, such as pitch forks, etc. Thus armed, and marching 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYHXE 225 
 
 111 close order, we had nothing to dread from either ca- 
 valry or infantry, and we should be able to force our way 
 through any of the passes, and might always avoid risk- 
 ing a battle against a superior force of the enemy and 
 only accept it when we were sure of victory. 
 
 Our retrograde march from the Queen's county to re- 
 pass the river Barrow (though we had scarcely any skir- 
 mishing with an enemy who fled from us the moment we 
 drew up to attack it), w^as still more fatiguing than our 
 march the day before from Castlecomer. The long road 
 we had to make, the great heat of the weather, and not 
 being joined as we expected by the people of that county, 
 not even perceiving the numbers of the Colliers increase 
 on whose great exertions and assistance we counted so 
 much, and which was the principal cause that induced 
 Father John to come into the country; all this was dis- 
 heartening indeed, and we arrived weary and exhausted, 
 very late in the evening of the 25th ofjuneatour bivouack 
 on the hill of Kilcomney, county of Carlow side. And 
 now I must endeavour to explain our situation here, as 
 it will be the last time I shall ever have to speak of Father 
 John Murphy as our commander. 1 trust it may not be 
 thought I say too much about myself, and the intercourse 
 I had with him after we left AVexford. Telling my own 
 story may be considered the narrative of what took place, 
 and indeed as the history of the events and results which 
 followed, and happened to every one of my comrades, 
 
 15 
 
226 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 nearly in the same way ; with the exception, that many 
 of them had not the good fortune to escape as I have 
 had. 
 
 We placed our out posts as we were accustomed to do 
 every night, and had our wounded brought to the centre 
 of the camp, as well as the females who were following 
 their beloved husbands and brothers. 
 
 . Our position here at Kilcomney hill was by no means 
 a military one, or well chosen, having roads leading to 
 it from several directious.lt had however, one advantage, 
 that of being near the pass of Scollagh Gsp, by which 
 we intended marching next day, and of fighting our way 
 to the county of Wicklow. The arrangements for the 
 night being completed, in a few minutes all were sound 
 asleep. 
 
 I awoke next morning, the 26th of June, a little before 
 day light, and my first care was, to rouse up some men 
 to send to reconnoitre on different roads. Lamentable to 
 say, almost all of them complained how they had been 
 robbed of their fire arms during the night by the Colliers. 
 A general cry of indignation went through our camp 
 against these scoundrels, on whom we counted to see per- 
 forming the greatest military achievements in our ranks; 
 now not only haviug deserted, but having availed them- 
 selves of our brave men being overpowered with fatigue 
 
iMEMOIHS OF MILES BYKNE 227 
 
 and want of sleep, to wrench their arms from them, and 
 escape to their coal pits or former hiding- places. One can 
 only compare these Colliers to the men who were renow- 
 ned for fighting- at fairs and « patterns, » who we seldom 
 remarked as first in the hattle, now that we were fig-ht- 
 ing- for our independence, and to shake off the English 
 yoke. 
 
 Young men, sons of gentlemen farmers, and the far- 
 mer's sons generally speaking, were the men to whom 
 the people looked up with confidence in this perilous 
 struggle; and in no instance during this campaign were 
 they deceived. Those brave, modest young men, who 
 would have thought it a dishonour to be engaged in a 
 fair fight, were now every wdiere seen, first in the dan- 
 ger, leading their men to victory. 
 
 I hastened to seek Father John, to let him know what 
 I had learned, and to take his orders. He was already 
 apprized of the treachery of the Colliers, and remarked, 
 how many of them went off the night before when we 
 were in the Queen's county. He also knew that the king's 
 troops were moving on several directions to surround and 
 attack our camp, as all our reconnoitering parties return- 
 ing after they met the enemy, confirmed this report. The 
 morning being foggy, we could not well distinguish the 
 force of the troops coming- on dififerent roads to surround 
 us, but it was at once resolved on to go and meet and at- 
 tack those advancing through the pass of Scollagh Gap, 
 
228 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 and to force our way al any price by that road, as we 
 could have no pretence to make head against all the en- 
 g-lish divisions arriving- by the other routes, in our de- 
 plorable state, with a scanty supply of ammunition for 
 the fire arms which the Colliers did not deprive us of. 
 
 The enemy's cavalry which marched out from the pass 
 of Scollagh Gap, was boldly attacked and beaten back 
 by our gunsmen, Wi41 supported in this instance by our 
 pikemen ; so that in a short time we were masters of a 
 sufficient extent of it to admit all our forces, which still 
 amounted to four or five thousand. The greatest care was 
 taken to bring off all our wounded, as well as the fema- 
 les who were following, and to leave nothing at our hi- 
 vouack to become the prey of a ferocions enemy. Yet the 
 hired Press of the english ascendency of that day, would 
 have it, that we abandoned ten pieces of artillery and 
 quantities of baggage, and had thousands killed and 
 wounded. We had no artillery to abandon, never having 
 had any since we left Wexford on the 21st of June, and 
 as to the losses sustained, ours was far less than the ene- 
 my's ; our rear guard of sharp shooters covering our re- 
 treat through this pass; availing themselves of rocks on 
 either side, they took deliberate aim and killed or woun- 
 ded almost every officer who appeared at the head of his 
 men following us, whilst our advanced guard opened the 
 way, fighting desperately, driving the enemy before 
 them, until we got completely through the pass of Scol- 
 lagh Gap : and the much prized and greatly spoken of 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 229 
 
 major Mathews thought it prudent not to pursue us with 
 the troops he commanded, to the other side of Scollag-h 
 Gap; and as to the cowardly g:eneral sir Charles Asgill, 
 who was at the head of three or four thousand regular 
 troops, his friends might have attributed it to his « hu- 
 manity, » his not wishing to come to close quarters with 
 us, had he not, to his disgrace, preferred a more safe and 
 easy victory; running with his army through the dis- 
 tricts adjoining Kilcomney, and instead of pursuing and 
 fighting with us in the field, murdering in cold blood 
 the unarmed, inoffensive inhabitants, who never left 
 their homes, and who consequently, had taken no part 
 in the war. They were now cruelly rewarded for their 
 neutrality by this monster, who spared neither age nor 
 sex; men, women and children were butchered without 
 mercy in their houses and fields where they were peace- 
 ably occupied. 
 
 What we had accomplished this morning the 26th of 
 June, might have been considered a victory, had not a 
 dismal cloud soon over-cast all our hopes and future 
 plans. — The reverend John Murphy was missing. In 
 vain did we seek him in our column, no where was he 
 to be found. It is most unaccountable how this excellent, 
 brave and enterprizing chief became separated from the 
 main body, as all our movements were executed accord- 
 ing to his directions, and there being sufficient time for 
 every one to get away from our bivouack before the 
 
230 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 king's troops could arrive there. Father John would have 
 joined us in the pass, where we were fighting and dri- 
 ving the enemy before us, had not something fatal preven- 
 ted him. We never could learn positively the final end 
 of this most excellent worthy man. — Nearly a year 
 after this time, subscriptions were made in the city of 
 Dublin to defray the expences, it was said, of getting 
 Father John Murphy to escape to America. 
 
 Mr Martin Byrne, a woollen draper in Francis street, 
 and several of his friends, were very active in this mat- 
 ter ; they wished that some person who knew him, would 
 meet the clergyman to whom the money was to be given, 
 to assure them that this man was the real Father John 
 Murphy, who distinguished himself so much in our late 
 campaign. I was hiding in Dublin at that time, and was 
 waited on by a friend who asked me to accompany him 
 to Mr Martin Byrne's house, to see a fellow, whom he 
 feared, was only personating Father John, in order to 
 swindle benevolent patriots out of their money. — I rea- 
 dily complied, and on the first sight of a black looking 
 fellow, told Mr Byrne and his friends that they were im- 
 posed on by an impostor, who had not the least resem- 
 blance to poor Father John . — It was reported then that 
 he had been executed at Tullow, but scarcely any one 
 would believe it, as no mention appeared of his arrest in 
 the government papers of the day, when the vindictive 
 ascendency would have been too glad to have to an- 
 nounce officially such good news as the hanging of a po- 
 pish priest. 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 231 
 
 When we got through the pass of Scollagh Gap, we 
 must have appeared formidable to the enemy on that side 
 of it. For we soon perceived that the king's troops had 
 iled and retreated on Enniscorthy and Newtownbarry ; 
 as I have ah-eady said, the famous general Asgill not 
 deeming it prudent to follow us, we were again masters 
 of our movements, and sufficiently strong, notwithstand- 
 ing the want of ammunition and the good fire arms 
 which the Colliers robbed us of, to march and form a 
 junction with the other division of our army which se- 
 parated from us at Wexford, and which we supposed 
 then to be some where in the county of Wicklow. 
 
 Unfortunately our general in chief was absent at this 
 critical moment, and though brave and intrepid leaders 
 were still at the head of our men, they could not agree 
 on what was best to be done All of them from the neigh- 
 bourhood of Wexford and Enniscorthy, seemed bent on 
 going to the extensive woods of Killaughram, as the best 
 and surest place to recruit their forces in, and to wait 
 there to hear news of the other Irish division ; whilst all 
 of us from the northern part of the county of Wexford 
 persisted on the necessity of marching forthwith in the 
 direction of the Wicklow mountains, where we might 
 be sure of obtaining intelligence and probably join the 
 division without difficulty. I did every thing in my power 
 to dissuade these brave fellows from separating from us, 
 by pointing out to them the great danger they would 
 run of being surrounded, and of their retreat being made 
 
232 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 impossible. But it was all in vain, they were decided, 
 having- only five or six miles to march, they said, before 
 reaching those famous woods, with which many of 
 them seemed well acquainted; whilst they observed, that 
 our party might have thirty, or even forty miles to march 
 before we could expect to join the corps commanded by 
 Garrett Byrne, Edward Fitzgerald, Anthony Perry, Es- 
 mond Kyan, etc. 
 
 Further supplication now became useless; thus from 
 the want of union did our separation and dislocation be- 
 gin. We were only pursued by an enemy, that but ven- 
 tured to send out its cavalry to kill our stragglers esca- 
 ping isolated to visit their families and homes. — "We 
 who were resolved to fight our w"ay to the Wicklow 
 mountains, found by this last lamentable separation, our 
 numbers indeed very inadequate to such an underta- 
 king. Still W'C persevefred and hoped for the best. 
 
 I had my poor brother Hugh and Jacob Byrne, of wdiose 
 desperate wound I have already spoken, placed on the 
 same car, and the same faithful man who drove the horse, 
 from the day Hugh was wounded, the 18th of June, took 
 the greatest care of them both. — Byrne's miraculous 
 escape and extraordinary recovery in those awful times, 
 will shew what even a few determined men can accom- 
 plish in the most perilous situation, by sticking firmly 
 together. 
 
 All the cars on which our wounded were placed, got 
 safely through the pass of Scollagh Gap. The one on 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 233 
 
 which were my brother and Byrne, had still a long- and 
 dreary route to make, of more than thirty miles , from 
 lieino,- obli<rpd to avoid the towns where the eng^lish had 
 g'arrisons, such aSjClonegaljBunclody or Newtownbarry, 
 Ferns, Carnew, etc. 
 
 It required an escort composed of men of the most un- 
 daunted stamp to brave the dangers which overspread 
 the country we had to march through, from Scollagh 
 Gap to the Wicklow mountains, and that so recently af- 
 ter the battle of Vinegar hill, which so flushed the yeomen 
 and Orangemen with victory. Yet the sight of our little 
 column made those cow^ardly assassins fall back on their 
 english supporters, who occupied the tow'ns, and leave 
 us at liberty to push forward and accomplish our plan, 
 with some skirmishing from time to time no doubt. 
 
 Mouaseed being on the direct route to the Wicklow 
 mountains, I hoped I should there have the pleasure of 
 meeting once more ray dear mother. My surprise and 
 grief was great indeed when arriving at our house, not 
 to find a living being to give me the least intelligence 
 about her. Every thing was in disorder, the doors wide 
 open, window's and furniture broken, etc. Two of our 
 tenants living on a farm (Fox cover) at some distance 
 from the house and the high road, we hastened to go 
 thither in expectation of finding some one to give us in- 
 formation. Fortunately Mrs Macguire, the wife of one of 
 the tenants, happened to be at home. 
 
 This good woman relieved my painful anxiety : she 
 
234 MEMOIUS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 told me my dear mother was safe and well, with her 
 faithful servant Biddy Cosker, at Buckstown house, then 
 belonging' to Ralph Blaney, where poor Ned Fennell's 
 father had brought them, with the females of his own 
 family for protection. 
 
 Mr Fennell having saved this house, when our armj^ 
 passed that way, Mr Blaney felt verv' grateful and offered 
 his services in return, of which this worthy man Fennell 
 availed himself on this melancholy occasion, to pro- 
 cure a safe refuge for our unprotected mothers and 
 sisters. 
 
 Poor Jacob Byrne's own dwelling place, Bally-Ellis, 
 beingtpo near that dreadful Orange town Carnew,he could 
 not be brought there, without risking being shot instan- 
 tly ; he was therefore placed in a house belonging to us, 
 adjacent to Macguire's, and which only served for keep- 
 ing cattle in winter. One of his sisters being informed of 
 his arrival, and of his sad condition, came and remained 
 wnth him day and night, in this waste house; keeping 
 the door continually wide open to prevent suspicion that 
 any one was concealed there. Provisions of one kind or 
 other were brought and left with them during the night, 
 by females, whose courage and humanity in those terri- 
 ble times, deserve the greatest praise. In less than a 
 month, Byrne gained sufficient strength to get to ano- 
 ther hiding place, and from thence finally to Dublin, 
 where I met him the year after, perfectly recovered from 
 his extraordinar}^ wound, with no other treatment than 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 235 
 
 that which his poor sister had been able to render 
 him. 
 
 I think it rig-ht to mention those details, to shew, liow 
 the very worst wounds are cured sometimes without 
 surgical aid. And I think itnecessary to speak of our 
 long march from ScoUagh Gap, to shew, that those brave 
 men who separated from us to go and take refuge in the 
 woods of Killaughram, might have passed through the 
 country where the horse and car passed on which Jacob 
 Byrne was transported to Monaseed, and from this place 
 have gone with us until we joined the other division of 
 our army at the Gold mines. 
 
 My brother Hugh's wound being now a great deal bet- 
 ter, he resolved to march with us. and on no account to 
 remain behind. My dear sister who never left him an in- 
 stant, from the day he received his wound, had now to 
 separate from us and go to remain with our mother at 
 Buckstown house, and there endeavour to comfort and 
 console her in the best way she could. Though very young 
 at the time, she was quite adequate to such a task, en- 
 joying great moral courage, and a flow of spirits which 
 prevented her desponding in the worst of times. This 
 happy disposition of our sister made our separation from 
 her less painful than it otherwise would have been ■ be- 
 sides, we knew she would be safe at Buckstown house, 
 with our dear mother and the worthy Fennell family. 
 
 Before continuing our route to the Gold mines, we 
 
236 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 wished to g-et news of the different combats which had 
 taken place during the last eight days, and indeed it was 
 most cheering to receive the accounts we got on arriving 
 at Monaseed, of the advantages gained over the king's 
 troops in those districts, by our forces, commanded by 
 Anthony Perry, Garret B^'rne, Edward Fitzgerald, Es- 
 mond Kyan, etc. The victory called « the bloody friday,» 
 the attack on Hacketstown. on Chamney's house, Cootal- 
 lin, Ballygraheen hill near Shilelah and the battle and 
 defeat of the ancient Britons. — All those details though 
 given to us by poor females whose husbands and brothers 
 no doubt shared in those actions, we found afterwards to 
 be quite exact : and the list of the names of the unfortu- 
 nate victims murdered in cold blood on the 20th and 
 21st of June in their houses, where they lay sick, unable 
 to escape, by these monsters holding commissions from, 
 the english government as magistrates and commanders 
 of yeomen corps, was accurate indeed. One shudders to 
 think of it. 
 
 Here is one instance of the many, which ma}- serve as 
 an illustration how these foul deeds were perpetrated by 
 cow'ardly monsters, who never ventured to meet us on 
 the field of battle. 
 
 Hunter Gowan, justice of the peace, captain of acorps 
 of yeomen cavalry, knowing that Patrick Bruslaun, a 
 near neighbour of his, and w'ith whom he had always 
 lived on the most friendly terms, w-as confined to bed 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 237 
 
 with a wound, rode to Bruslaun's house, knocked at the 
 door and asked Mrs Bruslaun in the kindest manner res- 
 pecting- her husband's health. « You see, » said he, poin- 
 ting to his troops drawn up at a distance from the house, 
 « I would not let my men approach, lest they might do 
 « any injury. Conduct me to your husband's room, 1 
 « want to have a chat with poor Pat. » She, not having 
 the least suspicion of what was to follow, ushered Gowan 
 to her husband's bed-side. He put out his hand, and af- 
 ter exchanging some words with poor Bruslaun, delibe- 
 rately took out his pistol and shot him through the 
 heart. Turning round on his heel, he said to the unfortu- 
 nate woman, « you will now be saved the trouble of 
 « nursing your damned popish rebel husband. » 
 
 These details I had from Mrs Bruslaun's own lips. And 
 how many more of the same kind could I not add to 
 them, were it of any use now to look back to that awful 
 epoch of English tyranny and slaughter in Ireland? — 
 
 Poor Bruslaun was not forty years of age; he left three 
 children quite young. He was, without exception, one of 
 the bravest men that ever lived. He was respected by 
 every one who knew him. For my own part, I loved him 
 from ray childhood like a brother. I had many first 
 cousins, but to none of them was I so attached as to him ; 
 his mother was m^^ father's eldest sister. 
 
 How grievous tothink, that none of those « would-be » 
 patriotic writers on Irish affairs, had courage to go, even 
 some years after 1798, when no danger could await them. 
 
238 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 through those counties, and there collect materials, and 
 where previous to the insurrection, so many cold-blooded 
 murders were perpetrated on the innocent and peaceable 
 inhabitants, by these magistrates holding commissions 
 as justices of the peace, as colonels of militia regiments 
 and as chiefs of yeomanry corps, and who were a dis- 
 grace to humanity and every thing sacred on earth! — 
 
 I was residing, or in other words « hiding « at But- 
 terstown Lane near Dublin in the winter of 1799. The 
 Parish priest there, the reverend Father Connelly, on 
 wdiom I sometimes called, asked me one night, if I would 
 have any objection to go to town, to meet a friend of his 
 who was preparing something for the press, on the causes 
 which brought about the insurrection. I answered I had 
 none whatever to go and see any friend of his, whom I 
 presumed was like himself, a staunch patriot. He smiled 
 and told me, that the gentleman was counsellor Mac Cana 
 and that he would fix a night with him, when it would 
 be convenient and safe to receive me at his house in Du- 
 blin. He added how Mr Mac Cana wished to be acquainted 
 with those from whom he could acquire information res- 
 pecting the murders committed previous to the breaking 
 out of the insurrection, at Carnew and in that neighbour- 
 hood by the magistrates of the district, and especially 
 those perpetrated by Hunter Gowan previous to the ri- 
 sing. « I told Mr Mac Cana » said Father Connelly, « that 
 « 3'ou, being from that country", would put him in the 
 c< way of obtainiiig all he required. » 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES RYRNE 239 
 
 According to appointment, I waited on counsellor Mac 
 Cana, at liis dwelling place in Dublin and there furnis- 
 hed him with the names of numbers of those who were 
 slaughtered at the little town of Carnew, and elsewhere, 
 previous to the insurrection : in short I gave him all the 
 information on that subject which I thought could lead 
 to a perfect discovery of the instigators and authors of 
 those cold-blooded murders. I gave him the names of the 
 magistrates who presided at those executions in the hall 
 court of the castle of Carnew, and mentioned particularly 
 « Cope n the protestant minister and justice of the peace of 
 the district, who acted as prime executioner in that tragical 
 scene. Mr Mac Can a told me. all I mentioned to him should 
 be verified on the s; ot, and that he would avail himself 
 of every occasion to procure such information as would 
 tend to a complete exposure of the infamous expedients 
 resorted to by the irish government of that epoch, and 
 which sanctioned those murders in almost every district 
 in Ireland. 
 
 1 left Mr MacCana highly flattered by his kind recep- 
 tion, and could not help admiring his ardent manner in 
 speaking of the cruel transactions Vvhich were carrying 
 on at the time, to destroy every veatige of irish liberty. 
 His great zeal on this occasion did not surprize me, as I 
 knew he was a roman catholic, and that his principal 
 aim would be, to prove to the world, that the irish people 
 were not making a religious struggle, but were carrying 
 
2i0 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 on a just war of self defence against the most unheard of 
 tyranny, exercised by the english agents, and the vile 
 creatures they hired in Ireland to aid and assist them, 
 in the perpetration of all their monstrous cold-blooded 
 murders. 
 
 When I returned to Butterstown Lane, and told the 
 worthy patriot Father Connelly, of my most agreeable 
 interview with his valued friend counsellor Mac Cana, he 
 was quite enchanted, and said, we might soon expect to 
 see something appropriate to the times we lived in pu- 
 blished, from the pen of this highly gifted man, whose 
 talents for writing were then well known, as was also, 
 his great devotion to the interest of Ireland. 
 
 Having learned at Monaseed every thing respecting 
 the enemy's position, and that we should only have to 
 fight their cavah\y, we marched off to join the other divi- 
 sion of our army, which we were informed, was encam- 
 ped near the Gold mines. Both my brother Hugh and I 
 knowing every part of this country we had to pass 
 through, felt the greatest confidence that we should be 
 able to fight our way, though our numbers were diminis- 
 hed, in consequence of our long march from Scollagh 
 Gap. Many of these brave men likewise, passing near 
 their homes, naturally wished to go and see what had 
 become of their families in their absence. Still we had a 
 sufiicient number to make head against any corps of ca- 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 241 
 
 valry; indeed, fifty pikemeu and three or four gunsmen 
 would have sufficed at that moment to prevent these das- 
 tards from approaching our column. Such was their fear, 
 since the recent lesson they had received, the day the 
 ancient Britons were defeated, that the sight of a car 
 abandoned on the way, or drawn across the road, made 
 them halt and cease their pursuit, lest they should be sur- 
 prized and fall into an ambuscade prepared by our forces; 
 and from the experience we acquired in our long march 
 from Scollagh Gap, I am convinced, that with six com- 
 panies of pikemen well organized, and aboat six or eight 
 good marksmen with rifle carabines and plenty of am- 
 munition attached to each company, we could have cros- 
 sed the country in every direction, in spite of the cavalry 
 that could have been brought against us ; for the moment 
 a cavalry corps attempted to charge, our men would quit 
 the road and get behind some hedge or ditch, and there 
 wait until the cavalry was sufficiently near to be sure to 
 take a few of them down at the first volley, when it was 
 certain the remainder would wheel about and escape; 
 besides if no means of erecting an obstacle was at hand, 
 we had always the resource of immediately forming our 
 pikemeu into a solid hollow square, which certainly 
 would not be broken by the cowardly cavalry we had to 
 engage with at that epoch. 
 
 No country in the world, except la Vendue in France, 
 offers the same advantages for making war against ca- 
 valry, as Ireland, on account of the smallness of the 
 1 16 
 
242 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 fields, and the very high fences with which they are sur- 
 rounded in every part. — How curious it is, we had no 
 instance of those bold fox hunters who composed the 
 yeomen cavalry corps (and whose horses never refused 
 leaping any kind of fence), making a charge through 
 fields, to attack even twenty of our pikemen who kept 
 well together; but a single isolated man, was sure to be 
 pursued and cut down by them. Poor Ned Kennedy of 
 Bally-Ellis passing at some distance from his own place, 
 left us to go and enquire about his family; being alone, ai 
 troop of horse attacked him but before they could kill him, 
 he wounded three of them with his pike, in a desperate 
 manner. Had Kennedy had a dozen of brave fellows like 
 himself, along with him, at the time, probably the troop 
 would not have ventured on so perilous a combat. He was 
 away at some distance from our little column, and that 
 sufficed to give courage to the fox hunters. To conclude 
 this chapter, I shall mention the heartfelt delight we 
 experienced on meeting at the "White Heaps, the other 
 division of our army, which we so much longed to join. 
 It was on its march from the Gold mines. We returned 
 with it to Ballyfad, where we bivouacked for the 
 night. 
 
 I need not say how glad we were to see again so many 
 of the chiefs with this division, and all looking tolerably 
 well, viz : Anthony Perry, Garrett Byrne, E. Fitzgerald, 
 Esmond Kyan, Edward Roche, etc., but alas! many 
 others were missing. The splendid Ned Feanell, Johnny 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 243 
 
 Doyle, and several of my dearest friends were killed in 
 different combats, whilst we were fighting at Castleco- 
 mer. However, the friend of my childhood and with whom 
 I beg'an my « united Irish » career, the brave and truly 
 patriotic Nick Murphy of Monaseed, was here; and al- 
 though he was suffering sadly from a fall and sprained 
 foot, which obliged him to ride behind a man on a pillion, 
 still he did not despond. He did not despair of our being 
 able to keep the field and making head against the enemy, 
 until relief in ammunition could be procured, even from 
 some neutral county, not at war with England. It was 
 at this juncture that Murphy and I had to lament the loss 
 of our large jar of powder, which the unfortunate Jack 
 Sheridan discovered and surrendered to Hunter Gowan, 
 and by which Sheridan escaped being put to death. The 
 want we were in of ammunition often, was the cause 
 which induced us to go and attack barracks and houses 
 where we thought we might have a chance of procuring 
 some. By these perilous and rash attacks, the lives of the 
 bravest of our men were sacrificed, which would have 
 been avoided if we had had a competent supply of pow- 
 der and ball to carry on a defensive campaign, whilst 
 waiting the assistance we hourly expected from France. 
 It was even hoped at the time, that when a proper appli- 
 cation would be made by our friends in America, that 
 the brave people of that country would hasten to send us 
 arms and ammunition. They have since, in the Greek 
 struggle to shake off the Turkish yoke, afforded the most 
 
244 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 important service to that nation, by sending there provi- 
 sions of every kind. 
 
 From the neutral powers of the continent, we had no- 
 thing to expect; on the contrary, they were furnishing 
 their Hessian soldiers to our enemies the English, to aid 
 and assist them in ravaging and plundering poor Ireland. 
 Thus we were doomed to be left to our own resources : 
 and still, if all those who took the united irish test, had 
 been of the same stamp as the brave Nick Murphy of 
 Monaseed, we should have succeeded in prolonging the 
 war, until we should have awakened the sympathy of 
 some generous nation in our favour. He was, I must say, 
 without exception, one of the most determined men en- 
 gaged in our struggle. He never thought that he could 
 do half enough to forward the sacred cause we had un- 
 dertaken. He was high spirited and honourable; liked by 
 all who knew him ; simple and unpretending in his man- 
 ners and very well informed. He was handsome, active 
 and well made, though rather slight, he was 24 years 
 of age, 
 
 After the disasters at the Boyne, Murphy escaped to 
 Lublin and was hiding at Mr Dillon's house, merchant's 
 quay, where he received the kindest hospitality. He pas- 
 sed several months there as one of the clerks of the esta- 
 blishment, when one morning a servant came to tell him 
 that a country carman was in the hall who had a letter 
 for him from his mother, and which he wished to deliver 
 himself in person. Murphy hastened down stairs to the 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 245 
 
 hall, when the carman all covered with mud, and wearing 
 a pair of big brogues, presented him a letter, the seal of 
 which he broke without hesitation, seeing it was to his 
 address; on which, the carman opened his great coat 
 and drew a cocked pistol, levelling it at his breast and, 
 telling him not to stir, or he would shoot him on the 
 spot, that he was his prisoner, etc. Fortunately Murphy 
 caught tie lock of the pistol with his left hand, the fore- 
 finger or index of which got between the hammer and 
 the flint, which prevented it going off. The finger was 
 cut to the bone with the flint. This wound saved his life 
 but now a desperate struggle ensued between the dis- 
 guized carman and Murphy. Luckily the latter knew 
 well how to wrestle, and at length succeeded in tripping 
 up his antagonist and getting away through the back 
 yard and up to a hay loft, from which he got out on the 
 roofs of houses and escaped down into a street in the 
 rear. 
 
 When the false carman got up, he hastened to open 
 the hall door and to call Major Sirr and his gang to his 
 assistance. They entered and also surrounded Mr Dillon's 
 house, sword in hand, pistols cocked, etc. The dastardly 
 town Major took the same precautions on this occasion 
 which he did the day he shot poor lord Edward Fitzge- 
 rald, at Murphy's house in Thomas street. — Seeing a 
 heap of straw in the coach-house, and perceiving some- 
 thing stir in it, he instantly ordered his men to advance 
 and fire a volley into the straw, by which he expected 
 
246 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 Nick Murphy if not killed, would at least be maimed, so 
 as to prevent him offering any further resistance. His 
 dismay must have been great indeed, when he discovered, 
 that it was not Murphy, but a beautiful pointer and her 
 little puppies that were killed by those fellows, whom he 
 made march before him, to cover his sacred person from 
 all danger. Mr Dillon's house was soon surrounded and 
 rummaged from one end to the other, in every hole and 
 corner, capable of containing a living being, and the 
 adjacent houses were not only searched, but guards left 
 to watch every issue leading to them. 
 
 Notwithstanding all these precautions, Murphy found 
 a safe place to conceal himself and baffled Major Sirr and 
 his band of ruffians for the moment. — Indeed it is only 
 justice to say, that the Dublin people of 1798, though 
 they did not rise « en masse » and erect barricades, as 
 they ought to have done, yet were they ever ready to re- 
 ceive and render service to those patriots who were dri- 
 ven to take refuge in the city, to escape from the most 
 cruel and unheard of tortures and murder hourly perpe- 
 trated in the provinces of Ireland. 
 
 From his hiding place Murphy found means to inform 
 his poor mother, who resided in Wexford, of his fortu- 
 nate escape and actual perilous situation. This worthy 
 woman hastened to send him all the money she could 
 make up, by her daughter Nancy, who came by sea to 
 Dublin, and arrived there just in time to see her brother, 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 247 
 
 and to hand him the money to pay his passage to Ham- 
 burgh; a vessel bound for that city being under weigh, 
 and clearing out from the custom house dock, and in 
 which Murphy lay concealed. He had only time to take 
 a sad farewell of his beloved sister, who returned the 
 same night to Wexford to endeavour to comfort their 
 aged mother in her present affliction. 
 
 After running many perils at sea. Murphy escaped 
 from the English cruisers and arrived safely at Ham- 
 burg, and from thence he hastened to Paris, to oflFer his 
 services to the french government, to accompany any ex- 
 pedition destined for Ireland. He waited several years in 
 France, always in hope that sooner or later, something 
 would be done for his unfortunate country. At length, 
 despairing of any aid ever being obtained for her from 
 France and having exhausted all the little resources 
 which his mother had been able to provide, and by which 
 she was reduced to very straitened circumstances, being 
 in great distress, he manfully decided on returning at 
 any risk, to find some employment, by which he would 
 be enabled to support his mother and sister. He could 
 not think of ever returning to Monaseed, besides the little 
 property he had there was sold. He stopped at Enniscor- 
 thy, and there became an agent, or corn factor for mer- 
 chants. He soon acquired an honourable independence. 
 The principal person by whom he was employed, was 
 that benevolent and charitable gentleman Richard Deve- 
 reux of Wexford. 
 
248 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 Murphy finished his days in sight of Vinegar hill, 
 where he displayed so much bravery on the 21st of 
 June 1798. Few men ever had a higher sense of honour 
 and self respect than Murphy. 
 
 He was proud, not vain ; he never sought the acquain- 
 tance of those rich catholics whose fathers were the tithe 
 proctors of the cruel ascendency, by whose avarice the 
 wealth and resources of poor Ireland were hourly ex- 
 hausted. 
 
 Altho' we did not muster very strong the day we joined 
 the other division at the White Heaps, yet vast numbers 
 of those who remained behind to enquire after their fami- 
 lies, when we passed Scollagh Gap, rallied during the 
 night, at our bivouack at Ballyfad and were considered 
 a timely reinforcement and welcomed as such in the best 
 way, by getting something to eat and drink from their 
 comrades. I regretted not to see A. Perrj" the first even- 
 ing; but I met him next day in the thick of the fight at 
 the battle of Ball3'gullen, an account of which I shall 
 give in the next chapter, after first relating the different 
 battles and combats fought by this division which cros- 
 sed the wooden bridge at Wexford on the 21st of June, 
 commanded by Edward Fitzgerald, A. Perry, Edward 
 Roche, Esmond Kyan, etc., up to this day, the first of 
 July 1798 at Ballyfad. 
 
CHAPTER VI 
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 21st ot June 1798. — The division of the Irish army with the followiag lea- 
 ders, Edward Fitzgerald, Edward Roche, Anthony Perry, Garrett Byrne. 
 Esmond Kyan, etc., crosses over the wooden bridge at Wexford and 
 march to Peppard Castle, w^here it bivouacks that night. — 22d of June. — 
 A council of war held by all the chiefs, at which it is decided to march 
 by the shortest route, to the Wicklow mountains. The decision is sud- 
 denly changed, in consequence of hearing that the enemy was slaying 
 all who were found in their houses at Gory — A rapid march to Gory. A 
 general attack on those savages, who are defeated and driven back on 
 Arklow, etc. Humane conduct of Edward Fitzgerald on this occasion. He 
 had just learned that his beautiful mansion at New Park, with the out- 
 houses, etc., had all been burned, yet this sad news do not lessen his 
 exertions to save the prisoners. Pippard the sovereign at Gory, a very 
 old man who had presided at the cold-blooded murders, owes his life to 
 him. — The 22d of June known by the name of the battle of the bloody 
 friday. — Great indignation and fury excited amongst our men on 
 entering Gory, at the sight of many of their relations and friends murde- 
 red there, and whose bodies had been thrown into the streets to be de- 
 voured by the pigs. — Dreadful reprisals ensue, as might be expected. — 
 Burning at Scullaboge. Prisoners put to death on the bridge of Wexford. 
 
 — Dixon's conduct on this occasion. — 23d 'of June. — Bivouack at the 
 foot of Cruaghan hill near the White Heaps. Garrett Byrne's plan follo- 
 wed.— 24th ofjune.— The division marcli toAnghram.— The battle and 
 attack on the barrack at Hacketstown.— 26th of June.— The small Irish 
 army move towards Croghan hill and Wicklow Gap. — 27th and 28th 
 of June. — Skirmishes w'ith the enemy's cavalry. — 29th of June. — 
 Battle and defeat .of the ancient Britons at Bally-Ellis.— 30th ofjune. 
 
 — Irish division quit its bivouack and march to Shillelah ; take up a 
 military position ou a hill called Ballygraheen and encamp for the night- 
 
250 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 — 1st of July. — Battle on Bally raheen hill : defeat of the english. — 2(1 of 
 July. — Our division march towards Wicklow Gap. — 3d of July. — Irish 
 army proceed to the Gold mines. —4th of July. —Battle of Ballygullen, 
 last, regular or pitched hattle with the hritish troops in tlie county of 
 Wexford. 
 
 I have described in the 5th chapter the unaccountable 
 way our army separated into two divisions at Wexford 
 on the 21st of June, after the loss of the battle of Vinegar 
 hill; and I have related in the same chapter, the march, 
 combats and engagements with the enemy, by the divi- 
 sion which left Wexford under the command of Father 
 John Murphy, in the direction of Sleedagh, BarnyBargy. 
 I will now continue to give an account of the progress of 
 the other division of our army which crossed the wooden 
 bridge at Wexford, on the same day, the 21st of June, 
 under the command of the following chiefs, Edward 
 Fitzgerald, Edward Roche, Anthony Perry, Esmond 
 Kyan, etc. This division had to march with the greatest 
 precaution, as all the roads leading to Wexford were sup- 
 posed to be intercepted by the enemy's forces from En- 
 niscorthy. However though marching on the flank of the 
 English, it arrived late in the evening at Peppard's cas- 
 tle, a distance of ten or twelve miles from Wexford, where 
 it bivouacked that night. Thus leaving the english ge- 
 neral in chief Lake's head quarters at nearly the same 
 distance behind it at Enniscorthy. 
 
 Early in the morning of the 22^' of June, the principal 
 leaders of the division decided at the council of war they 
 held, to march forthwith by the shortest and surest route 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRXE 251 
 
 to the Wicklow mountains, and there to choose a good 
 military position against the enemy, and where they 
 might avoid being forced to risk another general battle, 
 until some ammunition, now so much wanted, could be 
 procured, one way or other. 
 
 This division of our army that should have mustered 
 at least twenty thousand men, shewed a great falling 
 off, as well as the other division with Father John Mur- 
 phy, in consequence of the great hopes held out that lord 
 iKingsborough's embassy to general Lake would be suc- 
 cessful. Vast numbers of the best marksmen remained 
 behind waiting the return of their delegates from the 
 enemy's head quarters at Enniscorthy ; but Fitzgerald 
 and the other chiefs were not to be deluded by the Wex- 
 ford negociations; they were more determined than ever 
 to keep the field and harass the enemy in every possible 
 way and gain time and prolong the war until assistance 
 arrived from France which was now daily expected. 
 
 When the english forces left in reserve at Arklow and 
 'Gory, by general Needham, to cover the rear of general 
 Lake's army before Vinegar hill, heard that we had lost 
 the battle there, and were told also that our army was 
 dispersed and nearly exterminated and not likely ever to 
 be able to rally and assemble again, they took courage 
 and sallied out from those towns. They began to murder 
 all they met, crossed and scoured the country in every 
 direction, entered the houses, killing those even who lav 
 
/ 
 
 252 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYKNE 
 
 sick, plundering and robbing the people of every thing 
 they thought worth taking away. 
 
 The troops which composed this infernal band were 
 the ancient Britons, a cavalry regiment, and several 
 english infantry regiments with all the yeomenry 
 corps of the country, who were commanded by their 
 Orange chiefs; viz : Hunter Gowan of Mount Nebo, 
 Beaumont of Hyde Park, Ram of Gory, Earl Courtown, 
 White of Middleton, Earl Mountnorris, etc., etc. These 
 cowards were at their work of extermination on friday 
 the 22"* of June, when a division of our army on its way to 
 the Wicklow mountains came up. They saw several wo- 
 men lying with their bowels ripped up and young chil- 
 dren grasped in their arms; they became furious at the 
 sight of such horrors, and a general cry for vengeance 
 ran through the column. The route was changed and 
 orders given to scour the country on each side of the road 
 to Gory : — those savages were found in various houses, 
 committing all kinds of crimes; they were beaten and 
 driven back upon Gory, where they attempted to rally 
 and give battle , but here again they were defeated and 
 pursued on the road to Arklow with great loss. This town 
 would have been abandoned by the english troops, had 
 our generals thought it advisable to march thither and 
 take possession of it ; but they wished to keep nearer the 
 Wicklow mountains and were satisfied with the com- 
 plete victory gained over the enemy at Gory, and in the 
 pursuit as far as Coolgreny, where vast numbers of those 
 
MEMOIHS OF MILES BYRNF 253 
 
 assassins were slain by our intrepid men, who were well 
 mounted and prepared for the pursuit. The main body 
 remaining at Gory to get refreshments, orders were sent to 
 all our out-scouting- parties to return and rally the divi- 
 sion there. When all had rejoined the column, they mar- 
 ched in the direction of Wicklow Gap at the foot of Crog- 
 henhill, to bivouack there for the night. 
 
 The humane and generous conduct of that truly brave 
 man Edward Fitzgerald of New Park, can never be too 
 much praised. For whilst he was using all his influence 
 to save the english and Orange prisoners made at Gory, 
 the news of the burning and complete destruction of his 
 own beautiful mansion, with its offices, malt house, etc. 
 amounting in value to many thousand pounds, was 
 brought to him by some of his faithful servants who had 
 escaped from the flames and the rage of the english sol- 
 diers, sent by general Lake to execute those cruel deeds. 
 This melancholy intelligence Mr Fitzgerald heard with 
 the greatest composure and fortitude, it only seemed to 
 make him exert himself the more to save the lives of the 
 prisoners, which became now every moment more dif- 
 ficult, in consequence of the bodies of nine of our men, 
 who had been hung the day before, having been disco- 
 vered by their relations in the streets, where the swine 
 were devouring them. — Some were also found lying in 
 the streets expiring, having been recently shot. The rage 
 of our men at the sight of such horrors was such, that it 
 was with the utmost difficulty Edward Fitzgerald and 
 
'^^^ MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 the other chiefs prevented them burning- the town of 
 Gory, and the old governor, or sovereign of it, Mr Pip- 
 pard from being shot. It was averred that he had presi- 
 ded at the execution of our unfortunate men the day 
 before. He was a very old man, and defended himself by 
 saying, that he was forced to comply with the wishes of 
 the vile soldiery and Orange mob, who had been spread- 
 ing- death and destruction through every part of the 
 country, when they were told that our defeat at Vinegar 
 hill was such that we could never rally again. 
 
 It is scarcely possible to describe the horrors and 
 atrocities exhibited on this occasion. Unprotected females 
 of all ages became the prey of the brutality of those ruf- 
 fian english soldiery; women and children were the vic- 
 tims of their indiscriminating fury. This dreadful dav is 
 known since by tradition in the country as « bloody fri- 
 day, » which was the 22^ of June 1798. 
 
 A sudden and well merited vengeance however over- 
 took many of these monsters caught in the midst of their 
 crimes; but the principal chiefs and instigators of such 
 foul deeds, being well mounted, escaped to Arklow. 
 
 Hunter Gowan and the greater number of the com- 
 manders of yeomen cavalry who were seldom, or rather 
 « never » to be met in battle, shed more innocent blood, 
 going from house to house murdering all they met, than 
 those who foug-ht their battles. 
 
 However painful it is to look back on those horrible 
 
MEMOniS OF MILES BYRNE 255 
 
 times, having- had some of my own dearest relations and 
 best friends murdered in cold blood, I cannot refrain 
 from repeating in this narrative, the names of some of the 
 perpetrators of these cruel deeds, who in their double 
 capacity of magistrates and captains of yeomenry, not 
 only ordered, but presided at the execution of men, ma- 
 ny of whom were aged and had never left their houses 
 during the war, nor taken any part in it. My uncle Mr 
 Breen of Castletown was one of those, but his neutrality 
 did not save him. 
 
 In another chapter 1 have told the treacherous manner 
 in which captain Beaumont of Hyde Park had both him 
 and his son Pat murdered in the presence of my aunt 
 Breen and her four daughters, on the lawn, before the 
 hall door. Beaumont who was escorted by a detachment 
 of cavalry, knocked at the door and asked to see ray un- 
 cle, with whom he was on the most friendly terms. As 
 soon as Mr Breen came out, Beaumont's first cj^uestion 
 was: « Are your sons Pat and Miles at home? — Cer- 
 tainly, where should they be? » was the answer of the 
 poor father, a Well let them appear, or those men 
 who accompany me wont believe it. » When they came 
 out, the father and the eldest son Pat were placed 
 on their knees and immediately shot. Miles who was 
 only sixteen years of age was sent prisoner to Arklow, 
 and from thence aboard a guard ship in the £ay of 
 Dublin. 
 
256 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 No pen can describe the dreadful state of my unfortu- 
 nate aunt and her four daughters at this awful moment. 
 To add to their misery, one of the assassins had the bru- 
 tality to tell the eldest daughter Mrs Kinsla, who had 
 been married but a year or two before, that she would 
 find something' else to weep over when she returned home. 
 She had come but half an hour before to visit her family; 
 her own ])lace being but a short mile from her father's 
 house. As the monster told her, when she went home, 
 she found her husband lying dead in the court yard, and 
 a young child of a few months old in his arms. The un- 
 fortunate man had taken it out of its cradle, thinking 
 that the sight of the poor infant might soften Beaumont's 
 heart, and incline him to mercy. But this staunch sup- 
 porter of the protestant ascendency, could not let so good 
 an opportunity pass of proving his loyalty to his king, 
 by thus exterminating a catholic neighbour. Yet strange 
 to say, his own three sisters were very strict roman ca- 
 tholics, and respectable ladies, holding a certain station 
 amongst the catholic gentry of the country; they were, 
 Mrs William Talbot of Castle Talbot, Mrs Barry Lawless 
 of Shank hill, and miss Mary Beaumont. 
 
 I have met all these ladies in company, at Paris, after 
 the restoration of the Bourbons. Of course I had no con- 
 versation with them on the cold blooded murders perpe- 
 trated in our unfortunate country; I presume the}' la- 
 mented the active part their brother took in these horrible 
 deeds. — 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 257 
 
 I met also in Paris, Mrs Butler, a daughter of that no- 
 torious monster Hunter Gowan. It was well known, that 
 neither this lady, nor any of her « thirteen » sisters (alj 
 of whom were unmarried at the time of the insurrection), 
 ever took the least pains to mollify their father, or turn 
 him from his cruel propensity to spilling blood : on the 
 contrary, they seemed to take delight, and to be amused 
 preparing' the poor « croppies » heads for receiving the 
 pitch caps, cutting the hair and making what they cal- 
 led asses crosses on them, previous to the application of 
 this infernal blistering invention of torture, which was 
 introduced into the county of Wexford by the colonel of 
 the North Cork militia, lord Kingsborough and his vile 
 Orange associates. — After all this, and the piqueting, 
 half -hanging and flogging which the magistrates had 
 recourse to, are our poor people to be blamed for the re- 
 prisals they were goaded on to inflict ? — No doubt cold- 
 blooded murders must ever disgrace the most sacred 
 cause, and the perpetrators of them should be held up to 
 everlasting execration by all brave men, and nothing can 
 excuse the burning of the barn at Scullabogue with the 
 prisoners it contained; yet it never appeared that it was 
 a premeditated action; it could only have been the act of 
 some cowardly rufiians, escaping from the battle of Ross, 
 and never could be attributed to any one above the mea- 
 nest vulgar wretch; and the cowardly Dixon who got the 
 prisoners put to death on the bridge of Wexford, was a 
 
 seafaring « cannibal, » who took advantage of the chiefs 
 
 17 
 
258 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 being away at the camp, to commit this atrocious crime : 
 these brave leaders would have saved liberty this lamen- 
 table disgrace ; not one of them ever suffered or counte- 
 nanced such reprisals. — On the side of the english army, 
 the cold-blooded murders were perpetrated at the insti- 
 gation of the generals in command, who not only presi- 
 ded at the executions, but allowed their undisciplined 
 soldiers to enter the houses and violate the unfortunate 
 women, who had no means of escaping from these brutal 
 monsters. To the honour of our army, there was not &.< 
 single instance of a female belonging to the enemy, even 
 being molested during the war; and no place of worship 
 of any religion was ever desecrated; whilst thirty three 
 roman catholic chapels were burned to the ground. Thei 
 protestant church of Old Ross was burned on the second! 
 of June 1798; it was said to have been burned by acci- 
 dent; at all events it was the only one. 
 
 The exhausted state of the county of Wexford withi 
 regard to provisions at this season of the year, when thei 
 new crops were far from being ripe, was now sorely feltl 
 by our little army, as well as the want of powder audi 
 ball, and notwithstanding the brilliant victory gainedl 
 over the enemy at Gory, it became necessary to marchi 
 to the Wicklow mountains, where at least sheep could bei 
 easily procured. 
 
 Garrett Byrne of Ballymanus approaching now his 
 own country, was consulted on every occasion by Fitz- 
 gerald and the other chiefs, and indeed he seemed to have 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 259 
 
 the principal command, that is, his suggestions and 
 plans were followed for some days. 
 
 From our camp near the White Heaps, at the foot of 
 Creaghan hill, on the 23^ of June, several corps of the 
 enemy's cavalry were seen at a distance on the road to 
 Arklow^ but they did not venture to advance or approach 
 our column ; and those of the enemy's corps coming from 
 the other direction were attacked and dispersed in a short 
 combat, and they soon disappeared altogether. So skir- 
 mishing ceased for that day, and time was afforded us to 
 procure provisions of one kind or another; sheep were 
 killed, roasted, or dressed as well as could be done under 
 such circumstances. Ball cartridges was what our army 
 stood most in need of : a scanty supply was however ob- 
 tained by the victory at Gory, The ammunition that was 
 found in the Orange houses there, with what was got on 
 the prisoners, sufficed to raise the spirits of the men, and 
 make them wish to be led on to new attacks, and to other 
 towns, where provisions and ammunition might be 
 had. 
 
 Garrett Byrne thought a march first towards the small 
 town of Aughram adviseable, as affording the men of that 
 neighbourhood the means of quitting their hiding places, 
 and of rejoining their corps. He counselled afterwards a 
 march back to the county of Wexford, in order to give 
 the men who took refuge in the woods of Killaughram, 
 after the battle of Vinegar hill, an opportunity of march- 
 
260 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 ing- from those woods with safety, in spite of general 
 Lake's army at Enniscorthy and Wexford. 
 
 It was during those marches and countermarches, that 
 the undaunted Father Kearns, some days later, with ai 
 large body of men whom he headed, marched out fromi 
 the woods of Killaughram and rejoined our division. The 
 wound which he received defending the town of Ennis- 
 corthy on the 21st of June, when he replaced the brave 
 William Barker in the command (he who had his arm 
 carried off), was still far from being in a healing state, 
 but he preferred the risk of being killed in battle, ra- 
 ther than be found hiding, and then to be shot like ai 
 dog. 
 
 On the 24th of June, as on the day before, there was 
 very little skirmishing; the enemy's cavalry were dis- 
 persed by our gunsmen, in every attempt they made to 
 attack us. 
 
 On entering Aughram and several villages of the neigh- 
 bourhood, our column was shocked to see dead bodiesi 
 strewed on the high road. These unhappy people hadi 
 been murdered a day or two before by the cruel yeo- 
 menry of the town of Rathdrum. A general cry of indi- 
 gnation was raised, and a march on this town was first 
 decided on, but Garrett Byrne thought there would be a 
 better chance of finding ammunition in the barracks at 
 Hacketstown, where by the private information he had 
 just received from that quarter he learned a large depot 
 of ball cartridges had been deposited there a few days be- 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 261 
 
 fore. Of course there was no time to be lost. So, early in 
 the morning of the 25th of June the small irish army left 
 its bivouack and marched to attack the town and bar- 
 racks of Hacketstown, and during the march the enemy's 
 cavalry were in every attack which they made, repulsed 
 and beaten back towards the town, where their infantry 
 was drawn up in line, in a field just outside the place, 
 prepared for a general battle; but our pikemen in this 
 instance dashing forward in the most resolute manner 
 soon threw this infantry into the greatest confusion and 
 forced them to retreat and abandon their position; after 
 leaving captain Hardy and many others, dead in the field, 
 they took refuge in the barracks; whilst the english ca- 
 valry fled and escaped through the town in the greatest 
 disorder on the high road to Tullow. 
 
 The town being thus abandoned offered no resistance, 
 as all the Orange men of the population who had fire 
 arms repaired to the barracks and there took shelter with 
 the english troops. A general attack immediately com- 
 menced on those barracks, and a malt-house adjoining ; 
 but all the windows and doors being completely barrica- 
 ded and a tremendous fire kept up from within, it be- 
 came necessary to use every kind of stratagem to ap- 
 proach it; feather beds were brought, loads of straw, etc., 
 under cover of which the men expected to get safe to the 
 doors ; but unfortunately numbers were killed or woun- 
 ded in those attempts, which were continually renewed 
 for several hours. It was leading one of those attacks 
 
262 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 that the brave Ned Fennell was killed, at the head of the 
 men he had so often led on to victory. The death of this 
 intrepid young- man threw a great damp for the moment 
 over those who saw him fall, hut they soon rallied with 
 new vigor to be revenged for his loss. 
 
 Being without cannon, it could not be expected that 
 the garrison would in fear surrender before it became 
 dark night. Then indeed no alternative was left but to be 
 burned, or to escape through the flames. For this pur- 
 pose it was resolved to wait before the town until night 
 came on, but a large force of infantry and cavalry of the 
 enemy being perceived on a hill at some distance during 
 the action, Garrett Byrne and the other chiefs were in- 
 duced to relinquish their plan of a night attack. Accor- 
 dingly orders were given to bury the dead and to have 
 all the wounded carried carefully away and placed on 
 cars, to be ready to march in the centre of the column, 
 which was assembled and set out in the direction of Bal- 
 tenglass and Donard, bringing cattle and some sheep to 
 serve for the next day's provision. Powder and ball were 
 found in some of the houses in town, but in very small 
 quantities; and it is probable that had the barracks been 
 taken, little would have been found there either. 
 
 The english troops retreated on Tullow the moment 
 they found our army had raised the siege and marched 
 away; of course they carried with them all the ammuni- 
 tion which had been deposited in the barracks. Thus ter- 
 minated the attack on Hacketstown, which cost so dearly; 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 263 
 
 a better result might have been hoped for after the sacri- 
 fice of the fine fellows who fell during the action. 
 
 The next day the 26th of June, both Edward Fitzgerald, 
 Perry, and indeed almost all the chiefs thought it more 
 prudent to keep in the Wicklow mountains on the bor- 
 ders of the county of Wexford, to afiford the men of this 
 county a rallying point, which they required, having 
 been so dispersed after the battle of Vinegar hill and in 
 consequence of this resolution, the little Irish army mar- 
 ched towards Crahan hill ; the enemy's cavalry from Ar- 
 klow. Gory, and other towns, were continually seen at 
 a distance, but they seldom ventured to engage in com- 
 bat with our men, so that the 27th and 28th passed with 
 very little skirmishing. 
 
 Early in the morning of the 29th of June it was resolved 
 to march and attack the town of Carnew. The column 
 was halted at Monaseed to repose and take some kind of 
 refreshments, which were indeed difficult to be had, as 
 every house had been plundered by the english troops on 
 their way to Vinegar hill a few days before. 
 
 The Irish column resumed its march on the high road 
 to Carnew and in less than half an hour after its depar- 
 ture, a large division of english cavalry sent from Gory 
 by general Needham, marched into Monaseed. This divi- 
 sion consisted of the notorious ancient Britons, a cavalry 
 regiment which had committed all sorts of crimes when 
 placed on free quarters with the unfortunate inhabitants 
 previous to the rising. This infernal regiment was ac- 
 
264 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 companied by all the yeomen cavalry corps from Arklow 
 Gory, Coolgreeny, etc., and the chiefs of those corps, 
 such as Hunter Gowan, Beaumont of Hyde Park, Earl 
 Mountnorris, Earl Courtown, Ram, Hautry White, etc., 
 could boast as well as the ancient Britons of having- com- 
 mitted cold-blooded murders on an unarmed country 
 people. But they never had the courage to meet us on the 
 field of battle, as will be seen, by the dastardly way they 
 abandoned the ancient Britons at Bally Ellis. 
 
 The officers of the ancient Britons as well as those of 
 the yeomen corps, learned that the Irish forces had just 
 marched oflF on the road to Carnew, and were informed 
 at a public house that the insurgents who had been there, 
 were complaining how they were fatigued to death by 
 the continual marching and countermarching, and that 
 although they had fire arms, their ammunition was com- 
 pletely exhausted and scarce a ball cartridge remained 
 in their army. The truth of this information could not be 
 doubted ; it was acquired at an inn or public house at 
 Monaseed kept by the widow of a yeoman, Mr James 
 Moore, cousin to captain Thomas Grogan Knox and who 
 was killed- at the battle of Arklow on the 9th of June. 
 Grogan was killed at the same time at his side. All the 
 information coming through so sure a channel, encou- 
 raged the english troops to pursue without delay the in- 
 surgents and to cut them down and exterminate them to 
 the last man, for they could not resist without ammuni- 
 tion. The ancient Britons were to charge on the road, 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 265 
 
 whilst the yeomen cavalry being so well mounted, were 
 to cover the flanks and to march through the field : and 
 those fox hunters promised that not one croppy should 
 escape their vengeance. 
 
 All being thus settled and plenty of whisky distributed 
 to the english soldiers, the march to overtake the insur- 
 gents commenced, and when about two miles from Mo- 
 naseed, at Bally Ellis, one mile from Carnew^ the ancient 
 Britons being in full gallop charging, and as they thought, 
 driving all before them, to their great surprise were sud- 
 denly stopped by a barricade of cars thrown across the 
 road, and at the same moment that the head of the column 
 was thus stopped, the rear was attacked by a mass of pi- 
 kemen who sallied out from behind a wall, and completely 
 shut up the road, as soon as the last of the cavalry had 
 passed. The remains or ruins of an old deer park wall on 
 the right hand side of the road ran along for about half 
 a mile; in many parts it was not more than three or four 
 feet high. A.11 along the inside of this our gunsmen and 
 pikemen were placed. On the left hand side of the road, 
 there was an immense ditch with swampy ground, which 
 few horses could be found to leap. In this advantageous 
 situation for our men, the battle began ; the gunsmen 
 half covered, firing from behind the wall, whilst the en- 
 glish cavalry though well mounted could only make use 
 of their carabines and pistols, for with their sabres they 
 were unable to ward off the thrusts of our pikemen, who 
 
266 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 sallied out on them in the most determined manner. 
 
 Thus in less than an hour, this infamous regiment, 
 which had been the horror of the country, -^as slain to 
 the last man, as well as the few yeomen cavalry who had 
 the courage to take part in the action. For all those who 
 quit their horses and got into the fields were followed and 
 piked on the marshy ground. The greater part of the nu- 
 merous cavalry corps which accompanied the ancient 
 Britons, kept on a rising ground, to the right side of the 
 road at some distance, during the battle, and as soon as 
 the result of it was known, they fled in the most coward- 
 ly way in every direction, both dismayed and disap- 
 pointed that they had no opportunity on this memorable 
 day of murdering the stragglers as was their custom on 
 such occasions. — I say « memorable, » for during the 
 war, no action occurred which made so great a sensation 
 in the country ; as it proved to the enemy, that whenever 
 our pikemen were well commanded and kept in close or- 
 der, they were invulnerable. And besides, it served to 
 elate the courage and desire of our men to be led forth- 
 with to new combats. 
 
 The english troops that marched out from Carnew re- 
 treated back on the town in great haste, when thej' heard 
 of the defeat of the ancient Britons at Bally Ellis. The 
 infantry finding that they were closely pursued by our 
 men, barricaded themselves in a large malt house belon- 
 ging to Bob Blaney. This malt house was spared at the 
 time of the first attack on Carnew, when the greatest 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 267 
 
 part of the town was burned, on account of the upright 
 and humane conduct of the owner, Mr Blaney. Now it 
 had become a formidable and well fortified barrack, ca- 
 pable of holding- out a long time, particularly as our 
 army had no cannon to bring to bear against it. However^ 
 it was instantly attacked and great eflforts made to dis- 
 lodge the enemy who kept up a continual fire from all 
 the windows; and, as at Hacketstowm, every means were 
 taken to approach the doors under the cover of beds, straw, 
 etc., but without success, as the men were wounded 
 through the beds and straw, before they could reach the 
 doors. So it became necessary to wait till night came on, 
 when the garrison which occupied this malt house would 
 have had no other alternative left it but to surrender at 
 discretion or be consumed to ashes. 
 
 Edward Fitzgerald and the other chiefs deemed it more 
 prudent however to raise the siege and to take a military 
 position on Killcavan hill for the night, rather than 
 remain before the barracks or malt-house; knowing 
 well that general Needham who commanded the english 
 forces at Gory, as also the english troops at Ferns and 
 IS ewtownbarry- would make a forced march to relieve 
 Carnew, and if possible endeavour to obtain some kind 
 of revenge for the destruction of their favorite ancient 
 Britons ; whom they so cowardly abandoned at Bally Ellis 
 to their dismal and well earned doom. 
 
 The horses belonging to the ancient Britons which 
 were taken during the action, were of little use, being 
 
268 MEMOIRS OF >:iLES BYRNE 
 
 mostly badly wounded; but the ammunition, carabines, 
 pistols and sabres which were procured by this victory 
 roused and encouraged the men to wish for more combats 
 and to be brought against the enemy in the open field, 
 pow that they had a better supply of powder and ball, 
 of which they stood in such need. 
 
 Another, and a still greater advantage was obtained by 
 this victory; it made the « prestige » or illusion vanish, 
 respecting the pre-eminence or superiority of the english 
 cavalry, in a country so hedged and fenced with all kinds 
 of dikes and ditches, as Ireland is in almost every county. 
 With these obstacles, the different chains of mountains 
 would considerably add to the difiiculty of cavalry acting 
 against pikemen. Besides this, the defeat of the ancient 
 Britons at this critical moment threw the slur of cowar- 
 dice over the high and cruel ascendency, as well as on 
 all those of the Orange faction who had so shamefully 
 abandoned those ancient Britons in the hour of danger, 
 and with whom they so often assisted in perpetrating the 
 cold blooded murders, when there was no danger to be 
 feared. As if to excuse their pusillanimity they asked 
 lord Cornwallis to consider the irish who fought at the 
 battle of Bally Ellis, as guilty of murder, and thereby to 
 be excluded from the amnesty or pardon. As if that action 
 were more criminal than the others during the war. 
 
 At an early hour on the 30th of June the irish division 
 left its bivouack at Killcavan hill and marched in the di- 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 269 
 
 rection of Shilelah and took up a military position on 
 Ballyraheen hill, and encamped there for the nig-ht. The 
 next morning, July the 1st, the english forces, both ca- 
 valry and infantry, were seen in rapid march, coming to 
 attack the irish camp on this rising ground; and no 
 doubt on account of this memorable anniversary of the 
 first of July, the enthusiasm of the Orange yeomanry 
 corps was greatly augmented ; they could be seen vying 
 with each other, to see who would be first on the hill, to 
 exterminate the irish. But the latter soon prepared for bat- 
 tle, and met them before they had time to reach the top 
 of the hill and began a most successful attack on the en- 
 glish line. Here both irish pikemen and gunsmen carried 
 all before them with unexampled impetuosity and brave- 
 ry, so that in less than an hour, some hundreds of the ene- 
 my lay dead and wounded on the field of battle. Amongst 
 the dead were captains Chamney and Nixon of the Cool- 
 attin and Coolkenna corps. Those of the enemy who es- 
 caped from the field of action fled with the greatest pre-" 
 cipitation in all directions; their infantry being closely 
 pursued by our pikemen, was forced into Chamney's 
 house at the foot of the hill ; whilst the cowardly cavalry 
 being well mounted, disappeared beyond the hills in an 
 
 instant. 
 
 Captain Chamney's mansion now became a fortress 
 for the enemy who escaped, it being isolated and slated, 
 the infantry frofti within kept up a galling fire on our 
 men, who however attacked it with their usual intrepi- 
 
270 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 dity, endeavouring to approach and storm it under cover 
 of feather heds etc. Unfortunately at this siege, as well 
 as at all those hitherto attempted in the same way, num- 
 bers of our bravest men fell victims to their courage be- 
 fore the garrison could be dislodged or forced to surrender, 
 and it was deemed prudent to raise the siege on account 
 of the want of artillery and the danger there might be 
 in delaying too long, lest our men engaged in this attack 
 might be surprised during the night by the english 
 troops then presumed to be coming from Tullow, Car- 
 new, Carlow, etc., to relieve their comrades besieged in 
 Chamney's house. 
 
 Fitzgerald, Garrett Byrne and the other chiefs, after 
 consulting with one another, ordered the division to as- 
 semble, and when all the men could be rallied, which was 
 more difficult at night to be done, it marched off, greatly 
 elated by that day's victory, in the direction of Wicklow 
 Gap. No doubt another good supply of ammunition and 
 fire arms was obtained, and it was to be regretted that 
 the siege of Chamney's house could not be continued, as 
 there a better supply might have been gained. But night 
 attacks being attended with so much risk and disorder 
 should be avoided if possible. 
 
 As the enemy had so frequently escaped destruction 
 by taking shelter in isolated, slated houses, when defeat- 
 ed in the open field by our pikemen, it became necessary 
 to destroy such dwellings. It was a cruel alternative, but 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 271 
 
 indispensable after the losses sustained before Chamney's 
 house. It wovild prevent such abodes in future becoming- 
 strong- holds for the eng-lish troops, who certainly never 
 scrupled buruino- and destroying- all the thatched houses 
 of the poor irisli, thoug-h they offered no means of de- 
 fence to our forces, who always preferred coming- to close 
 quarters with the enemy in the open field, where our 
 pikeraen could be advani ageously brought into action, 
 as they were on Ballyraheen hill, when the English line 
 could not resist a moment the first charge of those intre- 
 pid pikemen. 
 
 In consequence of this victory, as well as that of Bally 
 Ellis, it was to be expected that general Lake when ap- 
 prized of those victories would order all the english forces 
 he commanded in the counties of Wexford and Carlow to 
 march to the Barony of Shilelah to attack our army there. 
 
 The irish generals, to avoid a general battle as long- 
 as possible, ordered a rapid march towards Wicklow Gap 
 and the White Heaps, w^here the division arrived and 
 bivouacked on the 2'^ of July, having had very little skir- 
 mishing wath the ensmy during the march, as their 
 cavalry was keeping at a great distance and escaping- 
 whenever our mounted men approached them. 
 
 Early on the morning- of the 3ti of July the irish army 
 marched to the Gold mines and after burning- the english 
 camp which had been formed there in 1795, and which 
 was mostly composed of wooden barracks, it returned by 
 the White Heaps and bivouacked near Ford's mansion of 
 
272 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 Ballyfad, Anthony Perry's father-in-law; Inch, the resi- 
 dence of poor Perry, being- close by, he could visit there 
 for the last time all that was dear to him, and take a 
 melancholy view of his own handsome place. 
 
 Our camp at Ballyfad being- in the proximity of 
 Arklow, Gory, and other towns, where the english 
 forces were concentrated, it was expected soon to meet 
 them in battle, for which x)ur men were now better 
 prepared, on account of the supply of arms and am- 
 munition procured by our late victories. Besides, 
 numbers of the brave men who had been fighting 
 at Castlecomer, ScoUagh Gap, etc., belonging to the 
 division which was commanded by Father John Mur- 
 phy, rejoined their comrades here; and Father Moses 
 Kearns at the head of vast numbers coming from the 
 woods of Killaughram arrived, so that our Irish army 
 mustered again pretty strong, and notwithstanding the 
 irreparable loss of the many fine leaders killed in the 
 diff'erent actions, such as Ned Fennell, Johnny Doyle, 
 Michael Redmond, Dan Kervin, etc., and all those also, 
 who abandoned their men and remained in Wexford 
 county, on the amnesty to be obtained through the inter- 
 ference of the vile lord Kingsborough, yet intrepid chiefs 
 were not wanting ; we had still at our head, Garrett 
 Byrne, Edward Fitzgerald, Anthony Perry, Esmond 
 Kyan, Edward Roche, etc. 
 
 I have mentioned in the preceeding chapter how I met 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 273 
 
 and joined the irisli division on its way back from the 
 Gold mines, and that I was accompanied by my brother 
 Hug'h and many other brave fellows, who never left me 
 during- our long- and perilous march from Scollagh 
 Gap. 
 
 I find in looking- over my notes, that it was on the 
 3<' of July, and not on the first, that we joined that 
 division. 
 
 I will now relate what took place at our bivouack the 
 same nig-ht near Ballyfad, where I met poor Nick Mur- 
 phy, suffering from an accident; he had his foot sprained 
 by a fall he g-ot, which oblig-ed him to ride behind a man 
 on a woman's pillion. In this state he could not be ex- 
 pected to exert himself much, and the Monaseed corps, 
 to which we both belonged, having- lost so many of its 
 best ofiicers, the command of it was intrusted to me, 
 which flattered me not a little, as I was well known from 
 my infancy to all those brave fellows who composed it. 
 
 BATTLE OF BALLTGULLEN ON THE 4tH OF JULY 
 
 At the dawn of day, after our reoonnoitering- parties 
 
 returned, our army was roused from its slumber, and 
 
 left its bivouack to go and take a military position on an 
 
 eminence just near and over Ballyfad. I was at the head 
 
 of our column with Esmond Kyan and other officers who 
 
 18 
 
274 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 were going- to choose out the situation, when all at once 
 reaching' this rising ground, we found ourselves envelo- 
 ped in a thick fog, which as we advanced, became so 
 dense that it was impossible to distinguish any object at 
 twenty feet distance, and after marching some time in 
 this obscurity, we at length heard a discharge, or volley 
 of musketry, the balls of which came whistling over our 
 heads and through our ranks. "We knew of course that 
 this discharge came from the enemy's advanced guard, 
 frightened no doubt hearing the noise of our approach. 
 This discharge was made to give the alarm to their troops 
 who were following, for they must have feared falling 
 into an ambuscade on account of the fog. But be that as 
 it might, we returned back immediately to Ballyfad and 
 took another direction until the fog should disappear and 
 the day become brighter, in order to distinguish the 
 force of the enemy we should have to encounter. 
 
 In returning, or wheeling about, after we had heard 
 the volley of musketry, Esmond Kyan's horse stumbled 
 and fell to the ground ; whether from a wound or acci- 
 dent we could not. see, on account of the darkness, but he 
 leaped from the saddle, and on one of our men offering 
 him his horse, he refused, but bade him keep his foot stiff 
 in the stirrup and to turn it out a little, he then put his 
 foot on the horseman's foot and jumped behind him, in 
 the most dexterous manner, notwithstanding the want of 
 his arm. 
 
 In retracing our way back down the hill, we met 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 275 
 
 numbers of our men g:oing' astray from the main body, 
 on account of the fog-. However all soon fell into their 
 ranks, and the division moved on in perfect order on the 
 high road leading to Gory, and after marching about a 
 mile in this direction, the fog began to disappear and the 
 morning became bright, when all at once we perceived a 
 large division of the english army, horse, foot and artil- 
 lery following our column and at about two musket shots 
 distant from our rear guard. General sir James Duff 
 commanded this english division, and it appeared evident 
 that as he did not accelerate his march to attack our co- 
 lumn, he expected general Needham's and other divisions 
 to come up to his assistance, before he risked battle. Be- 
 sides, our division marching in such perfect order, must 
 have shewn himhow formidable it was : the men per- 
 fectly calm, anxious for the order to be given to halt and 
 begin. They were continually looking- behind them at 
 the mass of red coats, glittering arms and banners 
 which were following on the same road we were passing 
 over. They were flanked by a numerous cavalry which 
 never attempted to charge our men in the rear. All this 
 proved to our generals that general sir James Duff was 
 only waiting for reinforcements, consequently they at 
 once decided to risk a general action, and after our co- 
 lumn had made more than two miles on the Gory road, 
 it turned to the right by a narrow cross road leading to 
 the town land of Ballygullen, and then proceeding for 
 about a mile in this direction and seeing the english 
 
276 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 army still following and at the same distance, our gene- 
 rals ordered the column to halt and to form the line of 
 battle the best way we could, which was instantly exe- 
 cuted with great skill; our gunsmeu taking position and 
 placing themselves behind fences on both sides of the road, 
 w^iilst a part of ourpikemen, w^ith somew^ell mounted 
 men at their head, had the appearance of continuing 
 the march in the usual way, which induced the english 
 cavalry to advance and follow as they had been doing 
 all the morning, without further precaution. 
 
 Our men who were placed behind the fences, allowed 
 this body of cavalry to approach very near their line, and 
 it was intended even to let them pass on, and to get 
 them between two fires, but the impatience of our marks- 
 men could not be restrained any longer, and they com- 
 menced a well directed fire on the cavalry, w^iich was 
 soon thrown into great disorder and fled away, after ha- 
 ving great numbers killed and wounded. 
 
 General Duff seeing his advanced guard of cavalry at- 
 tacked and dispersed so suddenly, marched rapidly for- 
 ward with all his forces and deployed his column and 
 then commenced the battle of Ballygullen, the last regu- 
 lar one we fought in the county of Wexford, and where 
 the greatest bravery and generalship was displayed. Our 
 gunsmen boldly kept their position under the heaviest 
 fire; and as they were good marksmen, every shot either 
 killed or wounded some of the enemy, and they conti- 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 277 
 
 nued this fire until their last cartridg^e was spent. It was 
 only then that the want of the pikemen was felt : they 
 should have been placed in the first instance with the 
 gunsmen behind the fences, so as to have had but a short 
 way to sally out and charge the enemy. However to re- 
 medy this omission, a large body of pikemen, headed by 
 Perry, Garrett Byrne, Fitzgerald, and indeed by almost 
 all the chiefs, were marched to turn the left flanck of ge- 
 neral Duff's army, and to intercept his communication 
 with Gory, from which place he expected reinforce- 
 ments. To avoid being turned, he had to fall back on the 
 Gory road. 
 
 Thus so far our generals by this prompt manoeuvre of 
 the pikemen succeeded in making the enemy quit the 
 field. But knowing that other english divisions would 
 soon arrive to general Duff's assistance, they were pre- 
 vented availing themselves of the advantage obtained, 
 which they otherwise might easily have done, had they 
 not been obliged to rally our men, and prepare to meet 
 the enemy coming from Carnew, Ferns and other di- 
 rections. 
 
 We had vast numbers killed and wounded no doubt in 
 this battle, which lasted two hours, fought with equal 
 bravery on both sides. 
 
 General Duff's infantry availed themselves also of the 
 hedges and fences, and they did not want ammunition 
 as our gunsmen did : but finally, though our pikemen 
 
278 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 did not do all they might have done in this hattle, they 
 powerfully contributed to the success of the day, by the 
 imposing, formidable close order they observed during- 
 the action, and general Duff knew well his troops could 
 not resist a charge from those intrepid pikemen. He 
 therefore fell back on the Gory road, whilst our generals, 
 after getting the wounded carried away, gave orders to 
 rally and make a halt on a rising ground, about half a 
 mile from the field of battle, to afford time to our men 
 who were in the rear to arrive and rejoin their respective 
 corps, which they did at their ease, not being followed 
 by the enemy's cavalry, who had been so badly treated 
 in the commencement of the action, that they completely 
 disappeared out of our view. 
 
 On crossing the field of battle, and whilst endeavour- 
 ing to get the wounded men carried off, Ned Doyle, a 
 very brave man who had for many years been a servant 
 at our house, and who had been wounded by my side at 
 the battle of Tubberneeringon the 4th of June, being now 
 recovered from his wound, and remaining with me as 
 usual, all at once perceived his father lying amougst the 
 dead, holding his pike in his hand. The unfortunate man 
 having a wen or tumour as large as a cannon ball under 
 his ear, could be distinguished at a great distance. Upon 
 this sight the son became frantic and half mad, and 
 afterwards we had often the greatest trouble to prevent 
 him killing any prisoner he could approach. We endea- 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 279 
 
 voured to make him feel that as his father was killed in 
 battle, and not murdered in cold blood, he should not re- 
 taliate his death on the prisoners. His mind was quite 
 unhing-ed and it became useless to remonstrate with him. 
 He escaped however, and I met him the year after in Du- 
 blin. When I come to relate what occurred to myself in 
 that city, I shall have to mention other incidents respec- 
 ting this unfortunate man, who I understand will figure 
 one day as the hero of a romance. It is on account of this 
 that I here relate these facts concerning him, in order 
 that the readers of the romance may know how to appre- 
 ciate the merits of the production. 
 
 It was during the short repose our army took after the 
 battle, that I had the last conversation with the ever-to- 
 be-lamented Anthony Perry. He was lying on the ground 
 when I came up, holding his horse by the bridle; I sat 
 down beside him, holding mine in the same manner. He 
 seemed much exhausted and fatigued. We spoke of poor 
 Ned Fennell's death at Hacketstown . It was this brave 
 man who first introduced me to Mr Perry, the year be- 
 fore, during the organization of the united irishmen, in 
 which they both took such a lively interest. 
 
 In consequence of being suspected on this head, Perry 
 became one of the first victims of the cruel torture inven- 
 ted by lord Kingsborough of the North Cork militia. He 
 was still suffering from the effects of the application of 
 the terrible pitch cap which had carried off both the hair 
 and the skin from his head; and though it was more 
 
280 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 than a month since this intolerable torture had been ap- 
 plied, his head remained scalded, and the hair not yet 
 grown. 
 
 I asked him what plan we should now follow. To which 
 he answered, that Edward Fitzg-erald, Garrett Byrne, 
 and. indeed all the leaders were of opinion that it would 
 be madness to remain longer in the county of Wexford, 
 over-run as it was then with the english troops, and 
 where general Lake had at his disposal not only his own 
 army, but the forces' of the adjacent towns of Carlow, 
 Tullow, Newtownbarry, Carnew, etc. Consequently, it 
 was resolved on to march to the Wicklow mountains and 
 there manoeuvre and gain time, until something in the 
 way of supplies of arms and ammunition came from 
 France, or some other quarter. 
 
 When our men were rested and rallied, we marched off 
 on the Ferns road, as if to attack that town, then occupied 
 by an english division, which had been marching to attack 
 us, but retrograded as soon as the news of general Duff's 
 defeat reached it. It is curious to remark, we neither saw 
 their scouting parties the remainder of the day, either in 
 front, rear, or on our flanks ; they were however certainly 
 prepared to receive us in their garrison strongholds, had 
 we proceeded to attack them ; but we continued our march 
 on the Ferns road until we passed Craneford ; then we 
 turned to the right, leaving Carnew on our left hand, 
 passing by Buckstown house, where I saw my dear mo- 
 ther and sister, for an instant only ; they were there with 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 281 
 
 the Fennell family and many other females, who had to 
 take refuge in this mansion, which belong:ed to Ralph 
 Blaney of Carnew. By this time it was getting- dark, 
 and as I was marching with the rear guard, I had to 
 take a sudden and painful farewell of my dear mother and 
 sister. They told me that my brother Hugh had just 
 marched by with the main body; this was indeed agree- 
 able news to me for I had not seen him since the battle. 
 
 It being now resolved on to make a night march, in 
 order to bafSe the enemy, our column marched on to 
 "Wingfield, leaving Hillbrook to the left, and Conuahill 
 to the right; proceeding thus on the road to Kilpipe and 
 Anghrim, the straight way to Glenmalur and the Wick- 
 low mountains. I wish to be particular about tracing 
 this route, as it was said by some of the historians of the 
 insurrection, that our division after the battle of Bally- 
 gullen marched to Carrigrew and there dispersed itself. 
 Such false information could not have been furnished by 
 any of the brave fellows who fought at that battle; it 
 could only have been obtained from some of those who 
 remained hiding, waiting the result of lord Kingsbo- 
 rough's negociations with general Lake in their favour. 
 Or perhaps, it was surmised by the fanciful writer him- 
 self, who in the page following, has this same division 
 of our army marching under the command of Garrett 
 Byrne, Fitzgerald and the other generals, to join William 
 Aylmer in the county of Kildare. 
 
 So far from thinking of dispersing our men were flus- 
 
t 
 
 282 MEMOIRS OF yiLES BYRNE 
 
 hed with the hope that something good was still in store 
 for them, and I never saw them march and keep together 
 better than they did all this day, both before the battle 
 and after it. And as this was the last pitched battle we 
 fonght against the British army in the county of Wex- 
 ford, I feel it but justice to say, that I never saw more 
 bravery displayed than was shewn on this occasion by 
 our leaders and men ; nor greater cowardice than was 
 exhibited the whole day by the english cavalry, which 
 kept continually away out of the danger. It is true gene- 
 ral Duffs infantry fought well; but general Needham 
 and the numerous corps of yeomenry cavalry which he 
 commanded, shewed the white feather on this occasion, 
 fortunately for us ; for our march was not in the least 
 obstructed by those staunch supporters of the cruel as- 
 cendency which then mis-governed poor Ireland. 
 
 I have endeavoured in this chapter, as well as in the 
 preceeding ones, to relate in the simplest waj^ I could, all 
 our proceedings throughout this campaign , from its 
 commencement on whit-saturday the 26th of may 1798, 
 up to this day, the 4th of July 1798 , which nearly 
 comprises the principal battles and combats that took 
 place during that period; with the exception however of i 
 those of Ross, Longraig, and the attack on Kavanagh's 
 house at Barris. I was not present at those battles 
 but I passed over the battle field at Longraig, the 
 second day after the action, the 22'' of June, and I 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE ^83 
 
 lonversed with many of the brave fellows who had 
 ought both there and at Ross; and from all I could ever 
 earn since on the subject, the best and truest account of 
 hose battles is contained in the courageous Thomas 
 Honey's short personal narrative; he being one of the 
 eaders, and much beloved by the brave men who follo- 
 Ned him, and telling modestly, as he does, all the tran- 
 ;actions in which he took such an active share in that 
 )art of the county of Wexford bordering on the town of 
 rloss, his version may be relied on. 
 
 As the next chapter will contain my campaign in the 
 Wicklow mountains,! must conclude this, by again and 
 igain repeating, that if our brave county of "Wexford 
 narksmen had been supplied with sufficient war muni- 
 ;ion,they would have manoeuvred in those mountains and 
 lave mustered still very strong when the French lauded 
 n august, in spite of general Lake and all the forces he 
 ;ould bring against us ; but the want of ammunition was 
 Dur misfortune: it was seeking for it, which induced us 
 to attack so many towns, where we suffered such severe 
 losses, all of which would have been avoided had we had 
 plenty of powder and ball. Alas I we had no friendly fo- 
 reign countries to furnish us with those treasures so ne- 
 cessary for carrying on a war of independence, and such 
 as the Greeks received in their struggle, from every 
 icountry in Europe as well as from America. 
 
 Before I conclude, I must mention my interview with 
 
284 MEMOIRS OF MiLES BYRNE 
 
 poor Ned Fennell's father; it was indeed very painful 
 He and his two daughters were standing on the road- 
 side, with my dear mother and sister, when we were 
 marching by Buckstown house; this worthy man had 
 brought them there, as to the surest place of refuge. It 
 was the first time I had seen him since his son Ned's 
 death ; he seemed to be bearing up against this last mis- 
 fortune better than could be expected. 
 
 He said to me : « my son Ned has died the death of the 
 « brave, on the ^battle field, whilst poor Garrett my el- 
 « dest son, and the father of three children was murdered 
 « in cold blood by that monster Hunter Gowan and his 
 « Orange yeomenry, previous to the rising. » 
 
 Poor Mr Fennell's great anxiety was, to find out some 
 one who could point out the spot where his son was in- 
 terred at Hacketstow^n the day of the battle, as he wished 
 to have him brought and buried beside his mother and 
 brother in the family burying ground. Two months later 
 when there was less danger, a young lady, miss Doyle 
 of Knockbrandon, volunteered to accompany Mr Fennell 
 on this melancholy mission, and pointed out to him the 
 grave w-here his splendid son was buried during the ac- 
 tion. This young lady was his cousin and loved him like 
 a brother. 
 
 When we consider the immense preparations the bri- 
 tish government had to make, and the vast number of 
 troops employed to reduce a single county, it must be al- 
 
 5 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 285 
 
 'I .owed, that our little united army in the Wexford cam- 
 paign could only be reduced by an overwhelming force ; 
 and what would have been the consequence to England 
 had ten other counties raised the standard of indepen- 
 ,ience at the same time, and have succeeded as the county 
 of Wexford had done? 
 
 I have been frequently asked if our failure was not in 
 a great measure to be attributed to the want of officers 
 who had seen service. Certainly, experienced, brave mili- 
 tary officers, are the soul of every army, and no one can 
 esteem or appreciate their great worth more than I do. 
 But it was a depot of military stores which we wanted 
 most; for we had a host of leaders who displayed talents 
 of the first order for the field. 
 
CHAPTTER VII 
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 Bad consequences of the -^aut of time to prepare food for the men. — 
 Night marches generally attended with disasters, from men losing their 
 way, or remaining behind to get something to eat. — I accept Tom 
 Woodburn's invitation to stop and take some refreshments, and lose the 
 main body in consequence. I reluctantly consent to go with him to 
 my brother-in-law's place at Ballytemple. — My fortunate escape, owing 
 to my step sister Avatching whilst I slept.— Poor "Woodburn taken prisoner 
 by the yeomenry cavalry, at two tields from where I was. He is cruelly 
 treated and brought to Arklow. — I assemble, the night following, all 
 the men who were hiding in the neighbourhood, and march with them in 
 search of our division. — Have one man killed on the march. We reach 
 Glenmalur the second day, when we meet hundreds of our men who 
 had lost the column as we did in the night march. We begin to organize 
 ourselves the best way we can. — Meet Dwyer here for the first time. 
 — He was not known to any of us, Wexford men. and seemed to have 
 few acquaintances. — Holt was here. I had seen him two years before at 
 the Flannel Hall, Rathdrum, where he was acting as seal master, putting 
 leaden seals on the flannels.— Our excursions and night marches to get 
 provisions. — Holt at first not confided in. — He becomes popular after- 
 wards. Our adventure at Greenen Bridge, where he displays talent. — 
 My Brother Hugh returns from the Boyne and joins us here: his 
 wound not yet healed. He tells me of my uncle John (my father's bro- 
 ther) being killed near him at the Boyne. — Esmond Kyan will not 
 stop with us. Garrett Byrne's letter written from the english camp at the 
 Glen of Imale, by order of general sir John Moore, to Murtough Byrne of 
 little Anghram. inviting him and any other chiefs who might be in the 
 Glen to surrender. — Murtough Byrne's honourable conduct on- the occa- 
 sion;— before opening the letter, he wishes as many of us as possible to 
 be present at the reading. Our decision, and answer instantly given to 
 the peasant who brought it. — The section of a company of the .Antrim 
 militia come from Arklow to join us: —it was commanded by a non com- 
 missioued oflicer, a good instructor ; we call him « Antrim John. » His 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 287 
 
 exertions to drill the men.— Mrs Betty MuUoy and her children —Forced 
 to abandon our head quarters at Glenmalure. Excursion on the Tinnahely 
 road. Destruction of the commissary waggons. —Nick Murphy's letter 
 to me about the french landing — My brother Hugh and I m;ike night 
 marches to see my mother and sister. My fortunate escape from the 
 Orangemen, at Fennell's house ; hiding in Ned Kean's cave. — My sister 
 and Mrs Ricards agree about the way they intend arranging my escape. 
 Mrs Ricards devoted kindness beyond all praise. — My arrival in Dublin 
 with her. 
 
 I have endeavoured to shew in the preceding chapter 
 how the scarcity of ammunition and the utter despair of 
 obtaining fresh supplies of any kind, was one of the prin- 
 cipal causes for marching after the battle of Ballygullen 
 to the Wicklow mountains, there to wait and defend our- 
 selves the best way we could, until something might oc- 
 cur to better our situation. I must here add, that the 
 next great cause was, the privations which began to be 
 sorely felt in the county of Wexford, already ravaged in 
 all directions, the old provisions being wholly consumed, 
 and the new crops far from fit for use at this season of 
 the year, the 4th of July ; as to cattle, though we could 
 procure some, we seldom could halt and wait a sufficient 
 time to have them killed and the meat cooked for eating. 
 "When I look back, I am. really astonished how we bore 
 up against hunger and fatigue; particularly so, on the 
 day of the battle of Ballygullen, which began at day 
 light, and with marching, counter-marching and fight- 
 ing, only terminated with a weary night march; the 
 worst of all, and which should be avoided as much as 
 possible : as the men from fatigue throw themselves on 
 
288 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 the ground, and there sleep until they are surprised by 
 the enemy ; or, when they awake, often take wTong- di- 
 rections to rejoin their columns. Although our march was 
 not impeded by the enemy following us, yet our long 
 fast, caused numbers to go right and left, seeking for 
 something to eat. — And here I will mention what 
 occured to myself. — A very brave, fine, young fellow, of 
 the name of Tom Woodburn, who was well mounted, rode 
 up to me on the road, after we had passed Kilpipe, and 
 proposed to me to go to my step sister's at Ballytemple a 
 mile off; he was acquainted with her father-in-law 
 Mr Doyle and he said, he w^ould stop at this gentleman's 
 house, wdiilst I could go to my sister's, which was only 
 at two fields distance, and that we could meet in the mor- 
 ning. I reluctantly consented. I feared that my brother- 
 in-law, who had taken no part in the insurrection, might 
 be injured by ray visit. He was the father of six chil- 
 dren, the eldest of them, only ten years old. How cruel it 
 would have been, had these poor innocent creatures been 
 left fatherless on my account I — Certainly their father 
 ran the chance of being either shot or transported, had 
 I been found in his house. I cannot help adding, that it is 
 one of the acts of my life which frets me most, when I 
 look back and think how I agreed to accompany Wood- 
 burn. — As he proposed, he stopped at Mr Doyle's, and I 
 w%nt to my sister's house. She and her husband were 
 preparing to go to bed, and how they were terrified when 
 they saw me, is beyond description. They told me that 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 289 
 
 scarcely a day had passed since the battle of Arklow, 
 without their place being- visited by the yeomen cavalry 
 from that town, and that they were quite sure to see 
 them next day. 
 
 After eating something-, which indeed I much needed, 
 I retired to one of the out houses ; not the stable, for that 
 would be the first place which the cavalry would enter, 
 to see if there were any horses that would answer them. 
 — I soon fell sound asleep, unconscious of my dangerous 
 situation. At the dawn of day, my poor sister (who had 
 passed the night watching and listening whilst I slept), 
 awoke me and brought me to a little distance from the 
 house to look at some object which was on a hill opposite. 
 I saw at once a horseman, or « vedette, » quite plainly, 
 and at the same time we heard the noise of cavalry co- 
 ming up from the valley to the house. My sister with 
 great presence of mind, pointed out to me the way to 
 escape ; one minute later, I was shot, or a prisoner. I 
 crossed a field and got over a high fence, which divided 
 my brother-in-law's land from that of Mr Graham of 
 Ballycoog. I there remained concealed, till my dear sister 
 came in about an hour after and called me and told me 
 that the danger was over for the moment, that the 
 Orange cavalry had visited every part of their dwelling, 
 out-houses, etc., and that poor Thomas Woodburn was 
 taken prisoner at her father-in-law's house; that he was 
 tied neck and heels and carried off to Arklow, or perhaps 
 
 shot on the way. All this was very sad tidings to me, but 
 
 19 
 
290 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 there was no help for such misfortunes. I hegg-ed her to 
 send and tell a young man, a tailor of the name of Lary 
 Laurgan who had been wounded at the battle of Arklow, 
 and remained sick, hiding in the woods ever since, that 
 I wished to see him. He came immediately to me, and 
 we agreed that he should, in the course of the day, ap- 
 prize all those who were hiding, and who wished to join 
 our army to assemble late in the evening, and that li 
 would undertake to conduct them to our camp, which i 
 should be on the way to Glenmalure. At dusk he brought I 
 to the rendez-vous, tenor twelve poor fellows, badly armed, 
 but determined to fight their way. Not being proviedi 
 with any kind of provisions for the road, itwas thought 
 right, that four or five of them, previous to setting off, 
 should call at Mr Graham's house at Bal lycoog, and en- 
 deavour to get some bread or other provisions. Fearing 
 that they might exact, or ask for unnecessary things, or 
 that any harm should be done to Mr William Graham's i 
 house, I accompanied them there. His cousin John gave I 
 these poor fellows a loaf of bread and half a bottle i 
 of whisky, for which they were very thankful. He very 
 ungraciously complained next day to my sister of my ' 
 having headed these men to the house. He ought to have ! 
 been grateful to me for accompanying them there, which • 
 1 did, that they might do no injury at the place, or take ' 
 away what was useless ; when speaking to me he seemed 
 quite penetrated with the goodness of my motives. But 
 such were the times, he feared the very fact of the house 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 291 
 
 not having been burned would be enough to compromise 
 him and his cousin Willie Graham, who was absent at 
 Dublin, with the eng-lish party. — I took leave of my 
 poor sister, and set out with my small detachment ; all 
 of them seemed delighted to get away from the misery 
 they had undergone in hiding, and cheered with the 
 prospect of again joining the main body. They almost 
 all knew the country we had to march through, so we 
 were in no need of guides. We were joined on the way 
 by many of our men who had remained behind from fa- 
 tigue; and particularly at Anghram, several fine fellows 
 i came from their hiding places and marched with us ; but 
 still we could not learn positively what direction our 
 main body, commanded by Garrett Byrne, Perry, Fitz- 
 gerald, etc., had taken, so we resolved at once to fight 
 our way to Glenmalure. The night was advanced, and 
 when daylight came, we perceived at some distance, a 
 large body of the enemy's cavalry in the valley which 
 we had begun to cross. We instantly returned and took 
 a position on an eminence, or high ground some hundred 
 steps in the rear and with a good fence in front. There 
 we formed our little line of battle, and though we had 
 few fire arms fit for use, still our pikemen shewing their 
 terrible weapon to advantage, the cowardly cavalry 
 feared to approach us. Three or four of them rode into a 
 corn field in front of where we were drawn up, there 
 discharged their carabines and then galloped back and 
 regained their corps which soon completely disappeared 
 
292 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 from the plain. — On seeing the cavalry ride away, we 
 left our position on the road side and went to the corn 
 field to find out at what object the three shots were fired. 
 There to our sad surprise, we found poor Lary Laurgan 
 lying on his back dead, with three balls through his body. 
 It would appear that his strength failed him, and that he 
 threw himself flat into the corn field, thinking thereby to 
 escape ; but he was perceived by the enemy, as he threw 
 himself down, and they gloried in murdering this poor 
 sickly man, instead of carrying him away as a prisoner. 
 Such trophies and deeds as this, were the continual 
 boast of the english cavalry, — it was indeed worthy of 
 them. — 
 
 We all regretted Laurgan very much. As none of his 
 comrades had missed him from the ranks, they were the 
 more shocked to see him lying murdered in the corn field. 
 After this unfortunate incident, we resumed our march 
 and we arrived early in the day at Glenmalure, where I 
 met vast numbers of the county of "Wexford men, all of 
 whom, like myself, were at a loss to know what direction 
 the main body of our small army had taken. As no one 
 could give us any intelligence on the subject, we resolved 
 to organize ourselves the best way we could, and to re- 
 main in Glenmalure until we could learn where Garrett 
 Byrne and the other chiefs had pitched their camp. 
 
 The place afforded some resource as to food, for vast 
 flocks of sheep were still on the mountains around; but 
 the want of salt and vegetables was sorely felt. As to 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 293 
 
 bread, none could be bad. for any money, and the potatoes 
 were unripe and unfit for use. In consequence, it became 
 urgent to organize night expeditions to go far away, to 
 endeavour to procure oat-meal and salt. — I saw the 
 brave and intrepid Dweyer here, for the first time. — He 
 had already acquired a great reputation in those moun- 
 tainous districts, for every time that the cavalry attempted 
 to reconnoitre the position near the entrance of the glen, 
 he was sure to be on their flank, or in an ambuscade 
 before day-light, waiting their arrival ; and as both he 
 and the men who generally accompanied him w-ere of this 
 country, and good marksmen, they took delight in terri- 
 fying the cavalry, who instantly wheeled about and 
 fled, the moment a shot was firedat them. So by Dweyer's 
 bravery and exertion in this kind of skirmishing with 
 the enemy, we were in perfect safety during the night, 
 to repose and recover from our fatigues of the county of 
 Wexford campaign. 
 
 Glenmalure is nearly three miles long, wuth the little 
 river Avonbeg coming down from the high mountains. 
 There were several houses on each side of it, w^here our 
 men got the means of cooking the mutton which they 
 had in abundance, as the hills, as I said before, were co- 
 vered with flocks of sheep. They also got timber to make 
 pike handles in the rafters of the smelting house, belong- 
 ing to the lead mines, to replace those that were broken, 
 or lost during the night marches. 
 
 So that in a few days, we were tolerably well armed 
 
294 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 with pikes, but badly provided with fire-arms and am- 
 munition. A nig-ht expedition was now decided on, to go 
 into the country villages at some distance, to bring salt 
 and any dry provision s^we could get, back to our camp in 
 Glenmalure, where it was resolved the intrepid Dweyer 
 should remain with the men he commanded to defend the 
 entrance of the glen during our absence. The famous 
 Holt, who had just arrived, was to have the command of 
 the night expedition, and at dusk when we had all our 
 men assembled near the smelting house and ready to 
 march, some county of "Wicklow men who knew Holt, 
 came to tell us, that his wife had come to join him; and 
 that she had been making terms for him with the enemy 
 at Rathdrum, in which town Holt was well known to all 
 the authorities, having been employed to put the seals on 
 the flannels at the fairs, having been Bumbailiflf, etc ; 
 and as her own family the Manning's, were notorious 
 Orangemen , they feared it might be dangerous to 
 confide in Holt; that he would lead us perhaps into 
 some ambuscade from whence we might not be able to 
 escape, etc. To all this we listened with great attention, 
 and as we the county of Wexford men being the majority, 
 we decided to send to Holt who was at Pierce Harney's 
 house, with his wife, at the very head of the glen, to let 
 him know that we were ready to march, resolving at the 
 same time, not to follow his plan. When he arrived, we 
 asked him in what direction he intended to march; he 
 replied to the Seven Churches : we objected, saying, that 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 295 
 
 neighbourhood was too poor, that it would be better 
 to take another direction into a richer country, to which 
 he at once agreed most cheerfully. No doubt to prove to 
 us that he had not any interested motive for going to the 
 Seven Churches, though it was the country of his wife's 
 family. Or perhaps, what weighed most with him, was a 
 desire to comply with the wishes of the county of Wex - 
 ford men, whom he perceived formed the majority of the 
 detachment then under arms and ready to march. - It 
 was at once decided to march on the Ratudrum road as 
 far as Greenan bridge and from thence to turn into the 
 country parts which had not suffered by the war. 
 
 We mustered for this expedition two or three hundred 
 ofour men, who were best able to bear up with great 
 fatigue, leaving the weak, sickly and wounded under the 
 care of Dwyer, who acted as governor of Glenmalure, 
 our citadel, or strong hold, in the Wicklow mountains. 
 
 We set off in good marching order and in high spirits. 
 Holt and a friend of mine, John Doyle of Anghram and 
 myself being mounted, we rode at the head of our little 
 column, with a few men on foot who preceded us, as an 
 « avant-garde « about fifty yards. As the night was very 
 dark, we recommended our men to observe the greatest 
 silence, but the noise made by our own horses could not 
 be avoided and might be heard at some considerable 
 
 distance. 
 
 Doyle and I were riding on each side of Holt, who was 
 telling us his plans, and the great things he thought we 
 
29^ MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 should perform before returning to Glenmalure : in the 
 ^ first place he observed, that he thought all the isolated 
 houses, which might serve as places of refuge to the 
 enemy, particularly if they were covered with slates, 
 ought to be burned. This sentence was .scarcely pro- 
 nounced, when we perceived flashes of light like so many 
 stars, from the pans of the enemy's fire-locks, within 
 pistol shot of us, and instantly the whizzing of balls 
 through our ranks and over our heads. This discharge 
 came from the english army, which had marched from 
 Rathdrum to reconnoitre our position and had only time 
 to reach the bridge of Greenan, when on hearing the 
 noise of our column advancing, they halted in silence 
 and waited our approach. 
 
 I shall never forget Holt's presence of mind and ex- 
 traordinary exertion on this dangerous occasion. He cried 
 out with the voice of a stentor, to our pikemen to march 
 en masse and cross the bridge, and he gave orders to 
 our gunsmen at the same time, and in the same loud 
 voice, to wade the river, and to get on the enemy's flank, 
 so that not one of them might escape, etc., etc. Many of 
 the Rathdrum yeomen who accompanied the english 
 army in this night expedition, became terrified, when 
 they heard Holt's voice, with which they were well ac- 
 quainted, and this no doubt added to the disorder which 
 already prevailed in their ranks : for they suddenly re- 
 treated back to Rathdrum. Whilst we on our side, had 
 the greatest trouble to rally our men and keep them from 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 297 
 
 disbanding themselves, as they feared they had got into 
 an ambuscade. A pistol shot heard in the rear, gave rise 
 to this apprehension : consequently, instead of marching 
 in a mass to the bridge, as Holt had ordered, they quit 
 the road and got into a marshy field on the left side; after 
 some time finding the enemy's fire had ceased, the panic 
 began to subside, though we did not know at the time 
 that the enemy had retreated. However we rallied again 
 on the road, when it was thought more prudent to return 
 to Glenmalure, fearing that we might meet other moving 
 columns of the enemy if we continued our night march ; 
 having only three men who had received slight wounds 
 from the first volley fired, we thought ourselves very for- 
 tunate to have escaped so well. The darkness of the night, 
 with the noise of our "horses in front contributed to this; 
 the enemy taking too high aim, thinking we were all 
 mounted. — When w^e returned to the glen, w^e met 
 Dwyer, w^ho told us we might repose ourselves during 
 the night in perfect safety ; that he would take care that 
 the pass should be well guarded. 
 
 Holt went to Pierce Harney's house at the head of 
 the glen, where his wife still remained, and strange 
 enough, notwithstanding his recent brilliant conduct, 
 several of those men who knew him well, thought he 
 would go away wdth his wife, and in consequence, they 
 kept a close watch round the house all night, to prevent 
 him. Holt however sent his wife away next day, and 
 
298 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 thereby removed the cause of suspicion. How fortunate it 
 was for him that it was not at his suggestion that we' 
 marched on the Rathdrum road ; for if it had been his 
 plan, he would have been accused of bringing us into thei 
 enemy's ambuscade ; whereas he had now all the merit 
 of getting us safely out of it : and justly does he deserve i 
 this praise. 
 
 I went with a small reconnoitering party next day, to 
 view our field of action of the night before. "We found 
 several pikes in the marshy swamp beside the road, and at' 
 the other side of the bridge, we got several foraging caps i 
 and bayonets, which the enemy lost in their hurry to es- 
 cape. Before returning with these trophies, we saw the' 
 Rathdrum cavalry at a distance, halted on the road ; but 
 they did not advance, so we reached the glen this time 
 without any skirmishing with the enemy. 
 
 The chiefs and men of influence held a meeting, at) 
 which it was resolved, that we should now defend thei 
 glen more carefully than ever, in consequence of the sad 
 tidings just arrived, of the disasters and complete dis- 
 persion of our main body, commanded by Fitzgerald, 
 Garrett Byrne, Kearns, Esmond Kyan, etc., which had 
 marched into the counties of Meath, Louth and Dublin. 
 — This news unfortunately was soon ascertained to be 
 but too true. 
 
 Amongst the brave fellows who escaped and arrived 
 from the Boyne, w^as, ray poor brother Hugh. Of course 
 through him I became immediately acquainted with all 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 299 
 
 the particulars of this woful incursion into Meath and 
 Louth, and also of the gallant resistance made to the 
 enemy's cavalry, after they had passed the Boyne at 
 Duleeh and near the town of Ardee, where my poor uncle 
 John Byrne was killed in a charge of cavalry, by my 
 brother Hugh's side, who though he was knocked down, 
 recovered himself and had time to cross a ditch before 
 the cavalry could draw up to make another charge. 
 
 My dear uncle was the youngest of my father's family; 
 he was not married. There never was a more affectionate, 
 nor a braver being on the face of the earth. He feared no 
 danger, and indeed it was wonderful, as was often re- 
 marked, how he escaped so long. — My brother Hugh 
 told me also of the extraordinary bravery displayed on 
 the same occasion by the two Finns, Laurence and Luke : 
 the latter being knocked down in the charge, and ridden 
 over and trampled down by all the cavalry, kept his mus- 
 ket notwithstanding, close by his side ; when two of these 
 cavalry men returning perceived he was not dead, they 
 rode up to finish him ; Luke sat up, let them approach, 
 deliberately took aim, and shot one of them, whilst his 
 brother Laurence, who was looking on from behind the 
 hedge, shot the other, and thus relieved Luke, who now 
 completely recovered from the trance he had had, got up, 
 and escaped over the ditch to his brother and the other 
 gunsmen. Those two Finns distinguished themselves in 
 every battle and combat that was fought against the 
 english in the county of Wexford. They made part of sir 
 
300 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 Jarvis White's corps of yeomen infantry of Bally Ellis, 
 which corps was one of the first organized in the country 
 and as White boasted, was one of the first ready to march 
 against general Hoche, when he came to Bantry Bay in 
 the month of december 1796. It was also one of the first 
 corps of yeomen which the government ordered to be dis- 
 banded and disarmed, fearing that it was composed 
 of united Irishmen wishing for the independence of 
 Ireland. 
 
 My brother's wound was nearly healed, but still he re- 
 quired great care and repose for some days, to bring him 
 about, and Glenmalure proved on that account a blessing, 
 which I shall always remember with the greatest plea- 
 sure. It afforded a temporary and sure resting place to 
 those brave men returning after their defeat and disper- 
 sion at the Boyne. 
 
 Poor Esmond Kyan who arrived about the same time, 
 could not be prevailed upon to stop with us; he would * 
 return to Wexford, where he said he was sure to get a 
 safe hiding place to remain in, until he recovered his 
 health, which was much impaired by the fatigues he had 
 undergone. With only one ar m , and the stump of the other 
 not yet healed, he feared he would not be equal to the 
 task of crossing the mountains, which he knew he would 
 frequently have to do. Had he consented to pass a few 
 days in those mountains, he might have escaped the 
 wrath of the cruel high-church ascendency monsters of 
 
 r 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 301 
 
 iiVexford, who longed to have him hanged and gibbeted, 
 ,vith the other ^Jatriots whose heads already decorated 
 he public buildings there. He was of all the chief§ of our 
 itfle irish army, the one who merited the most good 
 erms from the English. Throughout the war, he had 
 ihewn the greatest humanity, and made unceasing exer- 
 ions to save the lives of the prisoners, even of those 
 >vhose hands were steeped in the blood of the inhabitants 
 )f the county of Wexford, — But fate decided other- 
 ;vise. 
 
 It was a great pity that Father Kearns and Anthony 
 Perry did not reach Glenmalure; they would have had 
 Strength enough to wait and to avail themselves of the 
 great advantages these Wicklow mountains afforded at 
 this moment, against the enemy's cavalry, and even 
 against their infantry. — But alas! they were not doo- 
 med to die the death of soldiers. They were both hanged 
 at Edenderry. 
 
 One day about the 14th of July 1798, a countryman 
 came as a messenger from the english camp of the glen 
 of Imail ; he was the bearer of a letter, addressed to Mur- 
 tough Byrne of little A.nghram; this honourable man be- 
 fore opening the letter, wished to have as many of us 
 present as could be assembled ; when we met and formed 
 a circle, he took the letter from the peasant, entered 
 the circle, saying that he well knew the handwriting 
 of the direction, that it was Garrett Byrne's : he then 
 
302 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 opened the letter and read the following contents : 
 
 ^ ^j^% « My dear Murtough, 
 
 « I have this day surrendered myself to general sir 
 John Moore, who has engaged to obtain my pardon, and 
 permission to quit Ireland and go to reside in a foreign 
 country. It is at the general's request I now write; he 
 promises to obtain the same terms for you or any of the 
 other chiefs who will immediately avail themselves of 
 this opportunity. 
 
 « Yours : Gaekett Bybne. » 
 
 As soon as the letter was read, the countryman, or. 
 messenger, was brought into the circle where we were 
 assembled in a field, near the smelting house : he wasn 
 asked if the person who gave him the letter in the pre- 
 sence of the english general was a prisoner? he replied 
 he was, and that he thought he was Mr Garrett Byrne of 
 Ballymanus, though he added, he never saw that gentle- 
 man before. Well then, wer eplied, you will never see him 
 again, for he was shot before you were half a mile from 
 the english camp; they forced the unhappy man to write 
 that letter of which you were the bearer, before they put 
 him to death. You can now return and receive your wa- 
 ges. He was then escorted some distance on the way, 
 and before quitting the glen, he could see Antrim John, 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 303 
 
 the sergeant marching* and drilling platoons of our men 
 in the meadows on the river side. The messenger could 
 thereby make out news of his own, to add to our answer 
 respecting our disbelief of english magnanimity. 
 
 It was now only eight or ten days since the battle of 
 [BallyguUen, the last pitched battle we fought in the 
 county of Wexford, and already all those brave leaders 
 who displayed so much talent and generalship there, had, 
 from one cause or another disappeared from the scene of 
 action. — The brave and beloved of the county of Wex- 
 ford people, Edward Fitzgerald of New-Park, he also, 
 fearing there was no further chance of making head 
 against the english army, surrendered on the 12th of July 
 to general Dundas. I never could learn the real motive 
 which induced these leaders to quit the Wicklow moun- 
 tains and march with the Wexford division, which had 
 fought so gallantly, and in so many battles, into an open 
 country (without cavalry), like Kildare, Meath, Louth, 
 etc., and in which counties, the enemy's cavalry enjoyed 
 every possible advantage ; whilst neither their artillery 
 nor cavalry could be brought to bear against us in the 
 Wicklow mountains. Had our forces remained there, 
 where we might have mustered easily from fifteen to 
 twenty thousand resolute, fine fellows, a force quite ade- 
 quate to have defended these defiles and passes for months, 
 and then general Humbert's army, such as it was, arri- 
 ving in the month of august, might have found but trifling 
 
304 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 obstacles in the parts of Ireland whicli it would have had 
 to pass through on its way to the capital. 
 
 I shall not descant more on this melancholy subject, 
 which however I could never cease thinking- of, but had 
 we persevered a little longer, and not undertaken that 
 unfortunate and foolish march to the Boyne, we should 
 have succeeded. It is well known, that had we been as- 
 sembled in an imposing force in the Wicklow mountains, 
 as we might have been at the time the French landed in 
 the west, the greater part of the Irish militia regiments 
 would have joined us. The fine young sergeant whom we 
 called Antrim John, and who brought away with him a 
 section of his company, assured us, that his regiment 
 only waited to ascertain if we could rally a sufficient force 
 to receive them, so that they should not be under the 
 necessity of disguising themselves, but fight in the mili- 
 tia uniform for the independence of Ireland and against 
 her real enemies the english. Whereas at present, from 
 our not having an army strong enough to take the field, 
 those brave Irish militia men who joined us, were obliged 
 to change their uniforms for coloured clothes. 
 
 On Antrim John being asked, why he did not come to 
 our standard at Arklow, when we were in great force; 
 he replied, that according to a prophecy they had in the 
 north, Ireland could not be free before the autumn of 98, 
 when the French were to land, and then the english yoke 
 was to be shook oflf for ever, and Ireland once more be- 
 come a nation, governing herself, and trading with all 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 305 
 
 tlie world as a free country is entitled to do. This con- 
 versation about the prophecy with the sergeant Antrim 
 Jiihn, took place a few days before we heard of the land- 
 ing- of general Humbert, with his eleven hundred french 
 soldiers at Killalo. But unfortunately we heard of the 
 surrender of the french army tn lord Cornwallis nearly 
 at the same time, so our joy was of short duration. 
 
 To make up for this misfortune we learned from those 
 Antrim militia men, who came to join us at Glenrnalure, 
 that it was not true, as was generally believed, that the 
 militia regiments were composed either of roman Catho- 
 lics or Orangemen. No doubt the propagation of the 
 orange lodges was encouraged in every militia regiment 
 both by the colonels and the government; but still in 
 s])ite of their exertions and persecutions, the majority of 
 the northern counties militia, tho' not catholics, were 
 united irishmen, and consequently ready to join our 
 standard whenever we could muster sufficiently strong 
 to make a stand for any time in a military position to re- 
 ceive them. ^ 
 
 Mr Paul Murray from neai^e town of Wicklow arrived 
 
 here one night accompanied by a number of men from 
 
 his neighbourhood. I had to wait on him in the morning 
 
 respecting prisoners who were escorted to the glen by 
 
 liis party. I found him at Pierce Harney's : he was lying 
 
 on a bed in his clothes, well dressed, with new topped 
 
 boots, etc., all which formed a singular contrast with 
 
 our tattered, worn out coats, but poor fellow, he was 
 
 02 
 
306 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 just escaping from his liiding- place, to take the field for 
 the first time. 
 
 I never saw Paul Murray before this morning. I little 
 thought that we should become afterwards so well ac- 
 quainted in a foreign land. One day in 1803 coming out 
 of the London coffee house, rue Jacob, at Paris, I saw a 
 man dressed in a snuff coloured coat and top boots; on 
 coming near, I said to the person who was with me « how 
 like that man is to poor Paul Murray whom I met in the 
 Wicklow mountains in 98! But Murray was arrested in 
 Dublin by Major Sir, and of course was transported, so 
 it cannot be him. » But it was the very same P. Murray 
 and we soon recognized each other and spoke of our ad- 
 ventures in the Wicklow mountains. 
 
 I introduced him next day to Mr Thomas Addis Em- 
 mett who obtained a commission for him in the Irish 
 legion at its formation, and we made several campaigns 
 in Spain and Portugal in the same baiallions. He retired 
 afterwards on a pension and died at Dunkirk at an 
 advanced age. There never was^i^^ruer or better friend 
 and comrade than Paul Murray of Kilmurry near 
 Wicklow. 
 
 We were now threatened to be driven from Glenmalure 
 which we had defended so long, and which had been an 
 asylum for sonie time to many families escaping the 
 tortures and other abominations not to be mentioned, of 
 the cruel orange yeomen ry. 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 307 
 
 According to the information received, we were to be 
 surrounded in every direction, by highlanders, hessians, 
 and all the other foreign troops that England could dis- 
 pose of. We expected this attack, and we resolved to fight 
 our way in one direction at least, against whatever forces 
 we should meet. 
 
 Whilst preparing for this event, I was not a little sur- 
 prised to be sent for to go and see a lady who had arrived 
 in the night with her three children, the eldest of them 
 eight years of age : Mrs Betty MuUoy, whose husband 
 was killed at the battle of Vinegar hill, and whose sister 
 Was married to my first cousin Patt Bruslawn, who was 
 murdered in his bed by that monster Hunter Gowau. 
 This poor woman entered into all the details of her es- 
 cape from her home, and said, she was sure that by that 
 time, all she had in the world, except her children, was 
 burnt and destroyed; and hearing that I had a command 
 in these mountains, she had come to put herself under 
 my protection. — Instead of being able to afford her any 
 protection, I could onl}' entreat her to quit the glen and 
 return home with her children ; that by the time she ar- 
 rived there, things might probably be changed for the 
 better ; that at the moment I was speaking to her, the 
 enemy could be seen in great force, on the tops of the 
 mountains, where they had been encamped for the night 
 and ready to march down upon us. It was not only this 
 poor woman and her children, but the sick and wounded 
 that were now obliged to seek a place of refuge, and 
 
308 ' MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 shelter, or places to hide in, in the neighbouring' villages ; 
 for none but the most vigorous and robust men would be 
 equal to undergo the fatigue of continually crossing 
 these high mountains. Poor Mrs MuUoy resolved to re- 
 turn home, and many brave men from the county of 
 Wexford whose health was impaired to such a degree as 
 to render them scarcely able to walk, asked me what they 
 should do. Of course, as we had no means of carrying, 
 our sick and wounded, I could only tell them to endea- 
 vour to escape and hide, the best way they could for the 
 present, until the enemy had marched away. — My poor 
 brother Hugh, though far from being recovered, would not 
 consent to remain behind and be separated from me again. 
 
 We were under arms and on the alert all night, ex- 
 pecting to be attacked. However it was only at day light 
 iiext morning, that the division of the highlanders began 
 their march and to descend from the mountain, leading 
 from the Seven Churches ; whilst the english forces from 
 Rathdrum, entered by the mouth of the glen. 
 
 On seeing these different movements of the enemy, we 
 assembled all our men and marched up the opposite 
 mountain leading to the glen of Imale, and after getting 
 some distance up tlie mountain, we formed our line of 
 battle and halted there for some time. But the enemy did 
 not choose to follow us, which was indeed very extraor- 
 dinary, for instead of the thousands we were so often 
 reported to muster in Glenmalure, they might now see 
 plainly, and no doubt, with astonishment, the small- 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 309 
 
 ness of our body, which had caused so much terror in all 
 their garrison towns, we were so reduced ; still they did 
 not march to attack us; they seemed for the present, to 
 confine their operations to burning- the houses in the 
 glen, and driving the unfortunate women with their 
 children, to perish in the fields from cold and hunger. — 
 As we went up the hills, on the opposite side, w^e could 
 see the flames from the dwellings of these unhappy 
 creatures, and where so many of our sick and wounded , 
 returning from the disastrous campaign of the Boyne, 
 had stopped to recover, — The brave Dwyer was now 
 obliged to abandon this strong hold, which he had so 
 long defended, and to march with us. As he, and most 
 of the men he commanded, were natives of these moun- 
 tains and glens," we were sure to be safely guided through 
 them. After reposing for some time, finding that we were 
 not followed by the enemy, Holt proposed crossing the 
 mountain and marching to the glen of Imale, to ascertain 
 whether or not General sir J. Moore was still encamped 
 there with his division. When we arrived on the moun- 
 tain in sight of the glen, we could perceive only one 
 tent, which immediately disappeared on seeing our forces 
 drawing up on the adjacent hill. But General Moore and 
 his army had left the Glen of Imale, some time before 
 and we could not learn where he had marched to : but 
 our plan now became imperative, to avoid as much as 
 possible any engagement with the enemy, except small 
 detachments which we could easily defeat, and from 
 
310 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 whom we could procure arms and ammunition, without 
 which we could not even make head against those small 
 detachments. 
 
 We resolved not to stop long- in any one place, and by 
 our continual marching and counter-marching, to shew 
 the enemy by this kind of manoeuvering how difficult it 
 would be to come in contact with us in those mountains, 
 where we were so well guided by the brave Dwyer and 
 his followers. But unfortunately, this intrepid chief left 
 us again, on hearing that we intended to march towards 
 the county of Wexford. He could never be brought to 
 consent to march us any distance from his native moun- 
 tains. Whilst Holt, though he might perceive that he was 
 not always consulted about our excursions in quest of pro- 
 visions, was ever ready to march with us, and even to as- 
 sume to himself the responsibility of the expedition ; and 
 he did all with such good humour that we were deligh- 
 ted, and now cheerfully marched with him from the Glen 
 of Iraale to Aghavannagh, and from thence to Croaghan 
 mountain, to try to get some news of what was going on 
 in the counties of Carlow and Wexford ; and when we 
 came in sight of the high road leading from Shillelah 
 to Arklow, we perceived a number of military waggons es- 
 corted by cavalry, on their way to the latter town. Holt 
 instantly ordered our little column to march down rapid- 
 ly in an oblique direction, and to get out on the road, 
 and to stop and attack the convoy. The escort composed 
 of dragoons, seeing this manoeuvre, escaped in great 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 311 
 
 speed, leaving the waggons and their drivers to get out 
 of the fight the best way they could. The drivers or con- 
 ductors were soon captured, and unluckily some of them 
 were killed in the fray. — Holt ordered a great pile to be 
 made of the waggons and the provisions of corn, forage, 
 etc., and fire to be put to this pile on every side, so in a 
 short time the flames from it could be seen at a great 
 distance, as the day was ver}' bright. As we knew that 
 the garrison towns on seeing these flames, or on hearing 
 of the disasters of their convoy, would immediately dis- 
 patch great forces of foot and horse against us, we has- 
 tened to repair to Croaghan mountain to avoid meeting 
 the enemy, as we did not muster very strong; and here 
 we learned for the first time, that a relaxation of the cruel, 
 cold-blooded murders was taking place, in many of the 
 county of Wexford districts. Lord Cornwallis proclama- 
 tion there inviting all those who had taken part in the 
 war, « except the chiefs, » to return to their homes where 
 they should receive his formal protection. Whether this 
 was on account of the landing of the French at Killalo, 
 and the marching of the english troops out of the county, 
 or for any other reason, a stop seemed to be put for the 
 present, to the murderous career of the monster magis- 
 trates James Boyd, Hawtry White, Hunter Gowan, Ar- 
 chibald Hamilton, Jacob, and their cruel orange asso- 
 ciates. Besides, the corn being now ripe, thousands 
 ventured to return home, hoping to save it for their fam- 
 ishing families. In consequence of this, our small corps 
 
312 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 was reduced to a mere band. Still we resolved to keep 
 our position in the Wicklow mountains. Forthoug'h vast 
 numbers left us to return to their dwelling's, others, af- 
 ter having- remained concealed some days in their houses, 
 had to escape and come back to us. The protection they 
 obtained was of no use to them, if it was ascertained that 
 they had ever been present when houses were burned 
 or if they had assisted at the battle of Bally Ellis, where 
 the ancient Britons were killed. No protection under 
 these circumstances could save them. Such rigourous 
 requisites and formalities or conditions, brought back to 
 our standard many fine fellows who had intended to re- 
 main at their homes quietly with their families 
 
 About tliis time I received a letter from Nick Murphy 
 of Monaseed, who had escaped from the Boyne and got 
 into Dublin, where he was hiding, as well as hundreds 
 of our comrades. Their escape, as well as his, seemed 
 miraculous. 
 
 When the news of the landing of the french army 
 was known in the capital. Murphy was commissioned 
 to find out some sure means of conveying intelligence 
 to me of this fortunate event. A poor woman, the daugh- 
 ter of one of our tenants, a Mrs Keogh, volunteered to be 
 the bearer of this letter, which she sewed in the hem of 
 her petticoat. She was returning to her home, after taking- 
 farewell of her unfortunate husband, who was condem- 
 ned to transportation for life, and just put aboard a 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 3J3 
 
 vessel in the river waiting to sail. When I thanked this 
 worthy creature, and ohserved what a dangerous mission 
 she had undertaken, she replied : « that it was a great 
 « consolation to her in her misfortun(> to be intrusted with 
 « such a commission, and to be the bearer of such good 
 (. news as that of the French landing, though she was 
 « doomed never to see her dear husband more. » 
 
 Though Nick Murphy's letter was very short and cir- 
 cumspect, still it was cheering and delightful to us. He 
 said it was expected that there would be a general rising 
 in Dublin of the people, if the French were in sufficient 
 force to make head against the english army. That many 
 persons came forward now, who had remained in the 
 back-ground before, and said, they were ready to act. 
 Besides, such was the enthusiasm prevailing all 
 through the city at seeing the troops march away, that 
 the Orange yeomeu could not help observing it, and 
 trembled for their own safety. That at all events, our 
 forces in the mountains would be the rallying point, and 
 from all he could learn and see himself, there was now 
 every hope of success from the aid of the french army. 
 He added likewise, how very anxious our friends in 
 Dublin were that we should be able to keep ourselves 
 in any thing like a respectable force in the Wicklow 
 mountains for some time. 
 
 Though we had heard of the landing of the French, 
 previous to Murphy's letter, yet it afforded us great 
 
314 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 satisfaction to see by it, that our friends approveo 
 of our conduct and our perseverance in keeping oui 
 ground. 
 
 "We did persevere and kept our ground the best way we 
 could, crossing from one mountain to another, defyino 
 the enemy to follow us; and this for weeks, until we 
 heard of the surrender of general Humbert and his 
 small army of eight hundred men, to lord Cornwallis, 
 who, it was said, was at the head of thirty thousand 
 english troops. — Under such melancholy circumstances, 
 could it be expected that Holt could have had sufficient 
 influence to persuade any to remain with him who could 
 escape to their homes, and hiding there in the most wret- 
 ched manner? In fact, he never took any trouble one 
 way or another about them, but said, all those who 
 could not remain at their houses might return to us, 
 where they would meet a kind reception. — In the worst 
 times he appeared gay, never desponding. I have mar- 
 ched with him, when on setting out, we were not able to 
 muster a hundred men, and not twenty amongst them 
 ever had their fire-arms fit for use; yet Holt would have 
 his plans for some great undertaking as if he were at 
 the head of thousands of the best disciplined troops. In 
 short, he had qualities which quite fitted him for the 
 kind of warfare we were obliged to make in the Wicklow 
 mountains; and often did he boast, that we were the 
 only troops under arms in all Ireland, fighting for its 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 315 
 
 independence at the time the French landed at Killalo. 
 — I think it but justice to say so much of Holt, 
 from the many strang-e stories that have been told of 
 him. 
 
 ? V 
 
 My brother Hugh and I not having heard from home 
 for a long time, began to be very anxious about our dear 
 mother and sister, whom we saw for the last time at 
 Buckstown house, the night of the battle of Bally- 
 gullen. We resolved therefore, at all hazard, to go and 
 see them, and to learn also the state of the country there. 
 To accomplish this, we had two or three night marches 
 to make before us, ere we could reach our place, for we 
 were obliged to remain concealed during the day. The 
 last night's march was from the Gold mines, and by the 
 White Heaps, a country I knew well, and through 
 which, of course, we needed no guide. The distance was 
 more than eight miles, besides we followed the high 
 road as little as possible, in order to avoid meeting with 
 the enemy's patrols. All this made the march long and 
 fatiguing, however we arrived before daylight at the 
 house of one of our tenants, at the Fox cover farm. I 
 Jcnocked at the door and poor Macguire knowing- my 
 voice, opened it immediately. He told me that my mother 
 and sister, with their faithful servant Biddy Cosker had 
 returned to our house and had been residing there for 
 some time, but that it would not be safe for us to go and 
 see them. That his wife would go in the morning and 
 
316 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 let them know we were arrived. This worthy couple! 
 kept watching- whilst we reposed ourselves. — Next day 
 my molher and sister came to see us. They had alreadj 
 arranged with Mr Fennell that we should g-o and join 
 his son Matt at his hiding place /*n a^ hay loft, ai 
 Buckstown house, belonging to Ralph Blaney of Carnew.' 
 After remaining there some days, we were obliged 
 to leave it. An English infantry regiment came and 
 encamped on the lawn, and the general and staf 
 officers lodged in the dwelling house. A married 
 captain of the regiment took lodging for himself and 
 his wife at Mr Fennell's house, which the latter regarded 
 as a fortunate circumstance, as through the influence 
 of this captain, he expected protection for himself and hie 
 family. Mr Fennell was not deceived; this captain proved 
 himself a kind friend to the family when they stood in 
 need of it afterwards. 
 
 My brother Hugh got an opportunity to return tc 
 Dublin, with some carmen, or carriers of the neighbour 
 hood ; most fortunately he arrived there safely. — My 
 poor mother and sister were in some measure reconciledi 
 to his quitting them, as they hoped I should be able to 
 remain at home (when the covintry became more settled), 
 and that I should continue to manage the land, etc., as I 
 had been accustomed to do, before the war broke out. 
 Unhappily they soon found, this could not be. 
 
 Mr Fennell having given up a part of his house to the 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 317 
 
 mtilish captain and his lady, had beds put up in his 
 jarn, where his young sons slept, and where a bed had 
 jeen placed for me; of this I availed myself with infinite 
 pleasurfe. 
 
 My mother and sister wishing- me to spend an hour 
 jr two with them on All-Hallows eve, I set off from 
 Mr Fennell's house, as soon as the night became dark ; 
 I had been sitting with them about ten minutes, when 
 one of Mr Fennell's sons, a lad of ten or twelve 
 years old, came running in out of breath, to tell me, that 
 his brother Matt was taken prisoner by the Orangemen, 
 and that they were searching every place for me. — My 
 dear sister, who had shewn a great deal of self posses- 
 sion and good sense all through those terrible times, 
 thanked young Fennell and bid him return quickly 
 through the fields, to avoid meeting the yeomen. She 
 did not wish the poor young boy to be in the secret of the 
 place where I was to take refuge, lest, if he were met and 
 tortured by those monsters, he might be forced to tell all 
 he knew about me. As soon as he was gone away, she 
 told me that Ned Cane, a worthy man who lived a few 
 fields distance, at the other side of the road from our 
 house, told her some days before, that if I should be at 
 iiny time in danger, to come to his house, where he had 
 made a cave, or cavern, in which I could remain for days 
 in perfect safety, without the least danger of being dis- 
 covered. Of course I went instantly and took up my new 
 abode at this worthy man's house. The entrance into his 
 
?I8 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 cave was behind the fire-place on the ground floor, and 
 so contrived that if the house was burned, the persons 
 hiding there had the means of escaping by another issue 
 leading into the fields. 
 
 My sister though satisfied that Iwas in no danger for the 
 moment, knew well there was no time to be lost to find 
 out some means or other, to get me out of the reach of 
 the cruel Orangemen, whose Ihirt for blood seemed to be 
 daily increasing. She therefore exerted herself beyond 
 measure till at length she had the good fortune to meet 
 with a worthy lady, who entered into all her views, and 
 sympathized with her in all her sorrows. Mrs Ricards of 
 Coolafancy, kindly volunteered to assist my sister in 
 every way to get me safely out of the country. She pro- 
 posed to -go to Dublin under pretext of taking one of her 
 children, a boy of ten years of age, to place at school there, 
 and that I should drive the car for her ; but she feared 
 that none of her horses were in a state to make the jour- 
 ney in one day (40 miles), and that it w^ould be unsafe 
 foi* me to stop on the way. My sister told her, she should 
 have one of ours, quite equal to the task, and accordingly 
 the horse was sent to Mrs Ricards' who had every thing 
 ready, and only waited my arrival to set out on our 
 journey. On learning these arrangements, I left my cave, 
 where 1 had been concealed for about seven or eight days 
 and took leave of Cane. I thanked hira with gratitude for 
 his kind hospitality and I then went for an instant to 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 319 
 
 ;ake a parting farewell of my dear mother and sister, and 
 rom thence I hurried to Mrs Ricards, a distance of two 
 )r three miles, and this lady having every thing prepa- 
 red, we set off on our journey at day light, and we 
 nearly reached the town of Bray without meeting with 
 any impediment, when all at once, we saw numbers of 
 sarmen escaping in every direction out of the town, from 
 the english soldiers, who were pressing horses and cars 
 to transport their baggage, being under orders to march 
 to the north of Ireland. 
 
 Mrs Ricards at once decided to turn off the road, and 
 to go as quickly as possible to Enniskerry, where she 
 hoped we could pass the night, at the house of a lady who 
 had been her school fellow and friend before they were 
 married, and with whom she still kept up an intimacy. 
 Fortunately the husband was absent with his corps of 
 yeomen cavalry, for he was not only a Tory, but a bitter 
 Orangeman. 
 
 When we arrived, Mrs Ricards and her little son John, 
 received the kindest welcome from this lady, who thought 
 she could never do half enough for her former school fel- 
 low and playmate, « miss Slater; » whilst I did not 
 fare badly in the kitchen, little Ricards thought I was 
 slighted, and cried out, « mamma, wont Mr Byrne 
 come to tea? » — this exclamation was rather awkward, 
 as his mother had said my name was Doyle. However 
 the lady of the house was too well bred to take notice of 
 what the child had said. - The next morning we set out 
 
320 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 at daylight, and arrived in Dublin on the 10th of novom- 
 ber 1798 at an early hour, and put up at a carman's inn 
 in Keven street where my step brother Ned Kennedy 
 came and brought me away with him to a hiding place ; 
 for arrests of those coming from the counties of Wexford 
 and Wicklow were every instant taking place throughout 
 the city. 
 
 Before I conclude this chapter. I must express my last- 
 ing gratitude to Mrs Ricards for her generous and spirit- 
 ed conduct in thus getting me away from the impending- 
 danger ; indeed I feel I can never be suflficiently grateful 
 towards her. 
 
 The next chapter will contain the account of the way 
 I escaped in Dublin ; my acquaintance with poor Robert 
 Emmett and the part I took in his unlucky attempt; 
 my escape from Dublin, and my arrival in Paris, etc. 
 
CHAPTER VIII 
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 My step brother Kennedy's exertions on my arrival in Dublin, and his ge- 
 nerous attentions to the brave men who escaped into Dublin from the 
 counties of Wexford and Wicklow: amongst -^hom \vcre, the lamented 
 Billy Byrjie of Ballymanus ; my last interview with him in New Street. — 
 My continual apprehension of being discovered and arrested, and chan- 
 ging and hiding, from place to place Go to Lucau to remain some time 
 at the reverend John Barrett's academy. — Hiding at Maynooth. — George 
 Xowlan. — An invitation to hide in the college. — My residence at But- 
 lerstown lane and occupation there. Mr Burnet at whose house I boarded 
 and lodged. — The county of AVexford men. Murray and John Purcell's 
 visits at Butterstown lane. Neddy Byrne's interview with the rich mer- 
 chant Macguire. The peace of Amiens. Dinner at Mr Hugli Byrne of Town 
 end's street. Illuminations at night. — Miss Lawless and I go to see 
 ihem. — My occupation at my brother's during the peace. — My acquain- 
 tance with Mr Norris, who introduces me to poor Robert Emmett. — Our 
 tirst interview" ar.:d the agreement we make to meet as frequently as 
 possible provided I was put by it to no inconvenience. — Ned Conden 
 introduced as a man in whom confidence might be put. — Mr M... the 
 gunsmith promises to furnish the lire-arms. — Mr Macintosh volunteers 
 to take the house in Patrick Street. Mr Emmett gives him money to pay 
 six months in advance, and makes liim take a lease. ~ Quigley returns 
 from France: an active, ingenious man — - James Hope, the northern pa- 
 triot of '98 and the friend of Sam Nelson, employed to organize the liberty 
 men. — Mathew Doyle, his knowledge of organization acquired during 
 the united irish system — his campaign in Egy]it, etc. — Mr Brangan of 
 Irishtown. — General Cloney's lirst interview with Robert Emmett ; the 
 ingenious system of organizing the counties, planned by Uie latter. — 
 Thomas Russell and Hamilton arrive from France. A house taken in But- 
 terOcld lane to lodge them at great espence. — William Dowdall goes to 
 reside with tiiem there; frequent meetings and dinner parties there.— 
 Michael Bearney chosen to accompany Hope to the north of Ireland on a 
 mission : his report. — Johnstone trying the rocket in the fields near 
 
 21 
 
322 MEAIOIllS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 Rathfarnem.— Explosion at Ihe « depot « in Patrirk Street.— Darby 
 Byrne and Keenan wounded there. — Denis Lambert Redmond lending 
 his house on the coal quay. 1o serve as a depot, at (he re([ucst of his cou- 
 sin Michael Bearney. — Kick Murphy and the cask of ball cartridges. Pat 
 Forde's mission, and Terence Kavanagh's. — William Darcys assistance 
 and counsel. — Mrs Tool Sheriff Casli's conduct at her lodgings. ~ Philip 
 Long's generosity, sending money to Mrs Mac Cabe and retaining counsel 
 for the prisoners. — My last interview with Robert Emmelt. — Davy 
 Fitzgerald Mrs Long's nephew. — Captain O'Connor and doctor Horner. 
 — Miss Biddy Palmer and her father. — Hugh Wilson, and Thomas Mar- 
 key, exiles at Bordeaux. — O'Finn. — Xapper Tandy's death. — M. Ber- 
 riere commissary general of police. — Pat Mac Can, Hugh Kellegher, 
 young Hampden Evans. Doctor Mac Neven. — General Dalton,the con- 
 ductor of the diligence. - Mr Thomas Addis Emmett,and the grand judge 
 Reignier. 
 
 In concluding- the last chapter, I mentioned that my 
 step brother Edward Kennedy met me at the carman's 
 inn, in Cavin street, on my arrival in Dublin ; he haste- 
 ned to bring' me home with him, and to have me meta- 
 morpiiosed from appearing a car driver into a respect- 
 able Dublin citizen. — Altho' he was rather larger and 
 taller than me, yet all his clothes fitted me tolerably 
 well, particularly a long brown great coat with a black 
 velvet cape, so that in a few minutes I was completely 
 disguised and ready to walk the streets arm-in-arm with 
 him to my new abode; on our way 1 was saluted as Mr 
 Kennedy; no doubt on account of the long great coat 
 which he generally wore at that season when going out 
 on business. He thought his house might be suspected 
 on account of the great number of those who escaped to 
 Dublin coming to it, not only to dine with him, but so-, 
 metimes to remain many days at a time. — My brother 
 was very generous, and thought he could never do half 
 enough for the brave men who escaped the english ty- 
 
MEMOIIIS OF MILES RYRNE 323 
 
 rants. — Unfortunately his means were inadequate to 
 keep open house for all those who frequented it, he being* 
 a county of Wexford man. — I should not mention these 
 circumstances, which possibly may not interest the a;e- 
 neral reader, bnt on account of those lamented sufferers 
 in the sacred cause whom my brother was in the habit of 
 entertaining'. 
 
 Poor Billy Byrne of Ballymanus dined with him in 
 New street the day before he was arrested. I sat beside 
 him at dinner. — Alas ! it was the last time we ever met. 
 — Of course we talked over our misfortunes, and the sad 
 result of our campaign. He had not the most distant idea 
 that any danger awaited him, having" general Lake's 
 protection, whi(;h brigade major Fitzgerald so kindly ob- 
 tained for him at Wexford, and in virtue of which, and 
 on its guarantee he had for months walked about the 
 streets of Dublin almost daily, without the least appre- 
 hension that any charge could be brought against him, so 
 conscious was he of the rectitude of his conduct and the 
 magnanimity of his exertions to save the lives of priso- 
 ners, in every instance where he possessed influence 
 during the insurrection, and very often at the risk ol 
 his owai life ; for it was no easy matter to persuade those 
 unfortunate men who had had their nearest and dearest 
 relations murdered in cold blood by the Orange men, 
 that retaliation could not serve their cause. Still poor 
 Billy Byrne would persevere in his humane task, and 
 succeeded in saving many Orange prisoners; some of 
 
324 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 these very men were brought to Wicklow to swear his 
 life away ; it sufficed that he had enjoyed sufficient in- 
 fluence to save these Orange prisoners, to shew that he 
 must have been a chief. — So according to the « justice 
 of England » which then prevailed in Ireland, poor Byrne 
 was tried and condemned to death, and executed forth- 
 with ; whilst his brother Garrett Byrne, who was a real 
 and distinguished chief, all through the insurrection, 
 escaped, because he applied to a man of honour and high 
 reputation, general sir John Moore, and not to Lake, or 
 to that old hypocrite lord Cornwallis. 
 
 After poor Billy Byrne's arrest, my brother thought it 
 advisable that I should leave the city for some time, and 
 go and hide in the country or in the vicinity of Dublin. 
 — A worthy clergyman, a catholic priest, the reverend 
 John Barret, who had set up a little academy at Lucan. 
 after he got out of prison, kindly invited me to his house; 
 there I passed several days very agreeably with him and 
 the little boys his pupils. — It was during my stay with 
 Mr Barret that he told me of many strange and melan- 
 choly occurrences, which took place almost daily amongst 
 the state prisoners, with all of whom he was on the most 
 intimate footing — such as, Emmett, Bond, Mac Neven, 
 Sampson, O'Connor, etc., but particularly the brave and 
 unfortunate William Michael Byrne, whom he accomj.m- 
 nied in his last moments. This heroic martyr to his 
 country's cause was one of the tirst to be sacrificed for the 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 325 
 
 eflbrts he made for its liberty and redemption. — With 
 the rope about his neck, going to the place of execution 
 from his cell, knowing- lie should pass by the window 
 where Mrs Bond was with her husband, and lest she 
 should see him, and be overwhelmed by the sight, as it 
 was her husband's turn next to be executed, he stooped 
 so low under the window, going nearly on his hands and 
 feet, as not to be seen by her. The presence of mind of 
 this truly great man, an instant before being launched 
 into eternity, is extraordinary indeed, and worthy of 
 being recorded in a history of the sufferings of Ireland. 
 
 Being informed that the searching for the men of the 
 counties of Wexford and Wicklow, supposed to be hid- 
 ing in Dublin, had ceased, I took ray leave of the wor- 
 thy priest Mr Barrett, thanking him for his kind hospi- 
 tality, and returned to the city; but when I arrived at 
 my brother's in New street, I was told that Hunter 
 Gowan, with several of his yeomen, were in town, and 
 that he had already caused many men to be arrested in 
 Kevin street. The poor fellows having left their hiding 
 places and gone to the carmen's inn, there to endeavour 
 to get news from their homes and families, and thus met 
 their most cruel foes, and before they had an opportunity 
 of seeing those county of Wexford carriers, who arrived 
 in Dublin or»Bunday, to be in time for the markets which 
 were held on mondays. 
 
 As soon as I learned this news, and that a general 
 
326 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 search was likely to be made throughout those districts 
 or houses frequented by the county of Wexford people, 
 I made haste ag-ain to leave the town. Mr George Newton 
 who kept a hotel at Maynooth invited me to spend a few- 
 days there; I had also an invitation to the lay college, 
 but I did not think it right to avail mj'self of it, fearing 
 a student might be expelled for harbouring me there : 
 so after passing a few days at Maynooth, I returned to 
 my brother's, resolved to run any risk rather than quit 
 the city, which offered a better chance for escaping than 
 I could expect in the country, or near Dublin. But I had 
 to remain concealed on Sundays nnd mondays, and not to 
 sleep at my brother's house, in order to avoid meeting 
 the counties of Wexford and Wicklow Orangemen, who 
 "were generally seen parading the streets during those 
 days. - — After passing a month in this melancholy, un- 
 certain way, my health unfortunately failed, though my 
 courage never did. I fell sick, and had so severe an illness, 
 that it was thought I could not recover. But my dear 
 brother had every care taken of me, and as soon as I be- 
 came convalescent, being ordered change of air, he took 
 lodgings for me at Butterstown Lane, near a place where 
 he was going to build two houses. I w^as to be the over- 
 seer or SLiperintendant, and to book dowMi the materials, 
 the bricks, the lime, sand, etc., and to give receipts for 
 them, when delivered, and to pay all the workmen on 
 the Saturday evenings. — I felt the greatest pleasure in 
 being thus employed, because it afforded me an opportu- 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 327 
 
 nity of making- myself in some way useful to him N\'ho 
 had already been at such expense and taken so much 
 trouble to prewnt my falling- inio the hands of those 
 relentless villains, whom nothing could satisfy but 
 blood. 
 
 This occupation, besides being useful to my brother, 
 was conducive to my recovery. — I generally went to 
 town late on Saturday evening, and returned late on 
 Sunday evening, to be at my post early on monday mor- 
 ning, to see that the workmen were arrived and had re- 
 sumed their laljour. This regular occupation, and Ihe sea 
 air and tolerably good living, restored my health, which 
 had been so much injured, to its natural state. My spirits 
 also got better. The war with France was going on, and 
 I hoped conscc[uently, that therewas still something good 
 in store for poor Ireland. — The worthy Father Connelly, 
 who had suffered imprisonment in the cause, was the 
 Parish priest at Butterstown Lane. I spent many ins- 
 tructive evenings with him, talking over the state of the 
 country after the union. He was an extremely well-in- 
 formed, enlightened man, and I listened to his conversa- 
 tion with delight; and I mui-t say, I felt not a little vain 
 of the confidence he seemed to place in me. He wished 
 me to be acquainted with his friend counsellor Mac 
 Canna, who he said, would soon publish a narrative of 
 the cold-blooded murders perpetrated at Carnew and other 
 places, previous to the insurrection. This work never ap- 
 peared; the counsellor having got a pension, thought it 
 
328 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 would answer no purpose to publish such things. — 
 Very likely Father Coiftielly never knew the reason why 
 the work did not come out. 
 
 I have already mentioned in this memoir the result of 
 ray interview with this gentleman Mr Mac Canna; he 
 being a roman catholic, and considered a good lawyer, 
 was expected to expose to the word the foul deeds of the 
 cruel ascendency of that period, having collected the 
 necessary documents for such a publication. 
 
 Many of the brave county of Wexford men who esca- 
 ped from the disasters of the Boyne, took refuge in But- 
 terstown Lane, and were living in wretched little cabins, 
 in the back allies, with their female relations, mothers, 
 sisters, wives, etc., all having abandoned their homes. 
 — Amongst them were Stephen and Patt Murray of 
 Crome; the latter was our standard bearer of the Mona- 
 seed corps; he was a determined fine fellow who guarded 
 our beautiful green colours throughout all the battles of 
 the counties of Wexford and Wicklow, and John Purcel, 
 the son of a respectable mill owner near Craneford, an 
 intrepid, fine young man, whom I had occasion to see in 
 the most perilous situations, and who distinguished 
 himself to the admiration of all who shared the same 
 danger. 
 
 I felt the greatest satisfaction at having it in my power 
 to render some service to these unfortunate and brave 
 men. My brother allowed me to employ them at any 
 work they were capable of performing : so they riddled 
 
MEMOmS OF MILES BYRNE •>^- 
 
 sand, mixed mortar, etc., etc., and were paid like the 
 others, and this occupation kept them out of harm's way, 
 and enabled them to support their families until some- 
 thing belter offered. 
 
 I boarded and lodged xvith an honest, blunt man, of 
 the name of Burnet : he was from the north of Ireland. 
 He kept a huckester's shop, and sold all kinds of groce- 
 ,ies. Of course the men employed at the buildings dealt 
 with him, and they found it convenient to have such 
 good things so near, and credit to the end of the 
 
 My punctuality in returning on Sunday night, impres- 
 sed Burnet for some time with the idea, that <. creditors . 
 might contribute to my exactness, and I was not sorry 
 
 he should think so. 
 
 I had frequently visits from my friends during the 
 week, viz : the reverend Father Barrett, who had given 
 up his school at Lucan, and returned to Francis street 
 Chapel, - Neddy Byrne of Ballymanus. and many 
 others. - I accompanied Neddy Byrne one day to call 
 on a rich merchant at his counting house, of the name of 
 Macguire, who traded with Hamburgh, and had just re- 
 turned from that city, where he had seen Garrett Byrne. 
 _ Wishing to let the family hear of their relative, Mr 
 Macguire sent word to Needy Byrne to call on him. The 
 latter of course ex]^ected to have some agreeable con- 
 versation about his brother, with this wealthy hemp and 
 
^^^ JIEiMOIRS OF WILES BYIJ.NE 
 
 flax merchant; but on the contrary, Macguire told him 
 at once, that it would be necessary for him and his two 
 sisters Nelly and Fanny Byrne to sign a deed giving up 
 all claim to the Ballymanus estate, before any thing could 
 be done for their brother Garrett, then an exile at Ham- 
 burgh and in great want of money. 
 
 I cannot forget Byrne's exclamation when he came out 
 to join me. « How could I have expected any thing good 
 from a fellow covered with . borrough! » — the Irish 
 term for tow . 
 
 My time passed on at Butterstown Lane well enough, 
 till the news came of the peace of Amiens in march 1802; 
 which to me, were sad tidings indeed. — I had an invi- 
 tation to dine that same day with a very worthy couple, 
 a Mr and Mrs Byrne of Towns End street. After dinner 
 Mrs Byrne asked me to accompany a young lady, miss 
 Lawless, a cousin of hers (and whom I believe, she and 
 her husband had adopted, having uo children of their 
 own), to see the illuminations through the city of Du- 
 blin. Of course I could not refuse. Although miss Law- 
 uess was a nice sprightly young girl, who took every 
 pains to shew me all the magnificient public buildings, 
 blazing with lights, and quite surpassing any thing of 
 the kind I had ever witnessed, I felt completely cast 
 down and dull. — My spirits sunk, my hopes vanished. 
 — I felt quite ashamed of being in this state reconduct- 
 ing miss Lawless home, but I could not help it. 
 
 3 
 
MEMOIUS OF MILES I5YRNE 331 
 
 Mrs Byrne rallied me and said she was sorry to see 
 ;hat the rejoicings did not seem to amuse me much. — 
 \fter taking- some refreshments, I took my leave of them. 
 - The next time I called, I was finely joked for being 
 such a dull company to a young lady ! — 
 
 I felt unnerved and disappointed at the news of the 
 peace. I had been living in hopes that ere the war ter- 
 minated, something good would be done for poor Ireland, 
 but now alas ! all that ceased, and for the first time, I 
 began to think seriously about my own situation. Having 
 no possession by which I could make a livelihood except 
 fiu'miug, or agriculture, in which I had acquired some 
 knowledge on our own land, previous to the insurrection, 
 I often thought of going to America — but what could I 
 do there without capital, and I was not master of any.— 
 
 A very worthy man, a Mr Daniel Keagh, a school mas- 
 ter, from whom I had learned the little I knew of arith- 
 metic , mensuration , etc. , being obliged to reside in 
 Dublin, and being an excellent professor of book-keep- 
 ing, cheerfully came to give me lessons in that branch 
 of learning. My step brother now thought that with the 
 instructions he could himself give me, I might replace 
 the clerk who kept his books, who sold and measured 
 the timber, etc. 
 
 In a very short time I was quite equal to the business, 
 which afforded great pleasure to my dear brother, and 
 o'uve me rather an agreeable occupation. Though often 
 
'3^ MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 busily employed in the timber yard, I could see my 
 friends, and know something of what was then going on 
 in the public world, during this short peace, which I 
 trusted would not last long, and indeed I was not decei- 
 ved, for in the spring of 1803, the hostilities recommen- 
 ced between England and France. 
 
 f 
 
 It was about this time that I became acquainted with a^ 
 Mr Norris, a young man of very pleasing manners, who 
 had been set up in a tannery concern at Dolphin's Barn, 
 by Mr John Patten, the brother-in-law of Thomas Addis 
 Emmett. Of course Mr Norris and I had many conversa- 
 tions about that truly patriotic, irish family; I telling ' 
 him the kind and disinterested part Mr T. A. Emmett 
 took, to obtain justice for the Bally Ellis yeomenry dis- 
 banded and disarmed by their chief sir John Jervis White, 
 previous to the insurrection, on the pretext and suspicion 
 of their being united Irishmen. On this Mr Norris asked 
 me, if I should not like to know the youngest brother 
 Robert Emmett , who had just returned from France, 
 having parted with his brother Thomas at Paris. — I 
 need not say how delighted I was at the prospect of being 
 introduced to a young patriot of whom I had heard al- 
 ready so much, that I was quite prepossessed in his favour 
 and longed much to see him. — Next day we met at Mr 
 Norris's, who after introducing us to each other, left us 
 and went away on his own business. —Mr Emmett soon ; 
 told me his plans; he said he wished to be acquainted 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 333 
 
 \^ith all those who had escaped in the war of '98, and 
 s'ho continued still to enjoy the confidence of the people; 
 ;hat he had been enquiring- since his return, and even at 
 Paris ; — he was pleased to add that he had heard my 
 lame mentioned among-st them, etc. He entered into 
 33any details of what Ireland had to expect from France, 
 in the way of assistance, now that that country was so 
 3nergetically g-overned by the first consul Buonaparte, 
 but who feared ( he Buonaparte ) that the Irish people 
 might be changed, and careless about their indepen- 
 dence, in consequence of the union with England. It be- 
 came obvious therefore that this impression should be 
 removed as soon as possible. Mr R. Emmett told me the 
 station his brother held in Paris, and that the different 
 members of the government there frequently consulted 
 him; all of them were of opinion that a demonstration 
 should be made by the irish patriots to prove that they 
 were as ready as ever to shake off" the english yoke. To 
 which Mr Thomas Addis Emmett replied, it would be 
 cruel to commit the poor Irish people again, and to drive 
 them into another rebellion before they received assis- 
 tance from France, but at the same time he could assure 
 the french government, that a secret organization was 
 then going on throughout Ireland, but more particularly 
 in the city of Dublin, where large depots of arms, and of 
 every kind of ammunition were preparing with the great- 
 est secrecy, as none but the tried men of 1798 were en- 
 trusted with the management of those stores and 
 depots. — 
 
334 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 After giving me this explanation, Mr Robert Emmett 
 added, « if the brave and unfortunate lord Edward Fiiz- 
 « gerald and his associates felt themselves justified \\ 
 « seeking- to redress Ireland's grievances by taking tl 
 « field, what must not be our justification, now that not 
 « a vestige of self government exists, in consequence of j 
 « the accursed union; that until this most barbarous, 
 « fraudulent act or transaction took place, from time to 
 « time, in spite of corruption, useful local laws were 
 « enacted for Ireland. Now seven eighths of the population 
 « have no right to send a member of their body to repre-' 
 « sent them, even in a foreign parliament, and the other. 
 « eighth part of the population are the tools and task 
 « masters, acting for the cruel english government and: 
 « its irish ascendency ; — a monster still worse if possi- 
 « ble, than foreign tyranny. » 
 
 Mr Emmett mentioned again the promises obtained 
 from the chief of the french government, given to himself, , 
 his brother, and other leaders, that in the event of a 
 french army landing in Ireland, it should be considered 
 as an auxiliary one, and received on the same principle 
 as general Rochambeau and his army were received by 
 the american people, when fighting for their indepen- 
 dence. He added, <- that though no one could abhor more 
 « tlian he did the means by which the first consul came 
 « to be at the head of the french nation, still he was con- 
 « vinced, that this great military chief would find it his 
 « interest to deal fairly by the irish nation, as the best 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNR 335 
 
 and surest way to obtain his ends with England : he 
 therefore thought the country should bf organized and 
 prepared for those great events, which were now 
 inevitable. That as for himself, he was resolved to 
 risk his life, and to stake the little fortune he posses- 
 sed, for the accomplishment of those preparations so 
 necessary for the redemption of our unfortunate coun- 
 try from the hands of a cruel enemy. « — ■ 
 
 yiv Emmett's powerful , persuasive language , and 
 ;ound reason — all coming from the heart, left it im- 
 )ossible for any Irishman, impressed with a desire for 
 lis country's independence, to make any objection to his 
 )lans (particularly, as Ireland's great opportunity seem- 
 ed now to have arrived for her freedom), save to bide the 
 iroper time; and wait for French aid- For my own part, 
 - had no objections to make ; I merely observed, that I 
 rusted the poor county of Wexford, and the other parts 
 vvhich sutTered in 1798 would be spared until Dublin was 
 •t'ady to begin and take the lead in the struggle : that 
 or the accomplishment of this enterprize there were 
 nore than three hundred brave county of Wexford fellows 
 who escaped in '98 and who took refuge in Dublin and 
 lio environs, on whom we could count when the time 
 ;'or action arrived, and that with the aid of those tried 
 men, and with the brave Kildare men aiid Dublin citizens, 
 [ trusted success was certain 
 
 We settled in this first interview how we were to meet, 
 
3^ MEMOIRS OP MILES BYRNE i 
 
 without inconvenience to me , as I was a good deal occu' 
 pied in the office and timber-yard ; at the bottom of thia 
 yard there was a small garden, and instead of enquiring 
 for me at the office, Mr Emmett, when he called, walked 
 into this garden, where I immediately joined him. 
 If I happened to be out on business, he w^ent to Mr John 
 Palmer's New Road, on the Pottle, where he left any 
 message he might have for me with miss Biddy Palmer 
 in whom he placed implicit confidence : and indeed, no 
 one was ever more worthy of such trust than this young 
 lady, who had suffered severely in 1798, by her father'j^ 
 imprisonment, and the ruin of his afi'airs, her brother's 
 exile, and death on the continent. Still she bore up undei( 
 all her misfortunes like a heroine of the olden times, anc 
 was a comfort and a consolation to her family and friends 
 — I did not introduce my brother to Mr Emmett, but h( 
 knew who he was, and when he called in my absence^ 
 Mr Kennedy merely told him that I was out, and the tim« 
 when I should be returned. Nothing more was to pasf 
 between them. When 1 came back and heard that Mr Em 
 raett had called, I went to miss Palmer's where I either me" 
 him, or got the message he left for me with this youngi 
 lady. — As to the secrecy to be observed on the vast pre 
 parations now making, Mr Emmett said he was satisfieol 
 we had nothing to dread, as none but those who werd 
 already well known to have suffered in the cause of Ire- 
 land would be employed, and consequently every confi- 
 dence was placed in them. For this reason, no test, n( 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 337 
 
 ,oatli was taken by any one during those preparations 
 and org-anization, which was to extend throughout the 
 country. 
 
 At our next meeting Mr Emmett told me of the house 
 he had taken in the lane near Thomas street, where he 
 intended to establish a large depot of ammunition, fire- 
 arms of every description, pikes, etc., etc., and from 
 which the Kildare men would be armed to take the city. 
 He also told me of his intention to take a house in Patrick 
 street, as a depot, where war stores of various kinds would 
 be prepared, and from which stores, the counties of Wex- 
 .ford and Wicklow men would be supplied, when the time 
 for action arrived. — Mr Emmett wished to know, on 
 account of the experience I must have had in the insur- 
 rection of '98, my opinion about pike handles, I advised 
 him to have them made of red deal, as it would be te- ' 
 dioiis and difficult to procure the quantity necessary of 
 ash wood. I told him that by choosing boards three inches 
 thick, without knots, and eight or nine feet long, a deep 
 cut in the centre and five flat cuts, each board would 
 produce twelve handles. He being satisfied with this ex- 
 planation, gave me an order to have seven or eight thou- 
 sand got ready as soon as possible. A trust-worthy man 
 of the name of Ned Conden, to whom he introduced me, 
 came regularly to the timber-yard, dressed as a carman, 
 and took away those boards to the depot in the lane in 
 Thomas street. 
 
338 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 Mr Emmett then devised, what was called the hollow 
 beams, for the purpose of conveying- with safetj', the 
 pikes when mounted at the Thomas street depot, to the 
 smaller ones throug-h the town. A piece of timber eigh- 
 teen inches square, ten feet long, had its out-side slabs 
 sawed off about an inch and a half thick; then one foot 
 long of each end of this beam was cut off, and on those 
 two blocks, three of the slabs were nailed or spiked 
 firmly, whilst the fourth slab, serving as the lid, was 
 screwed on. When mud was carelessly spattered on the 
 joints, no one could think that the beam was hollow, 
 though eight feet long of it was a complete case in 
 which the mounted pikes were packed. 
 
 After we had settled all things respecting the pike 
 handles, Mr Emmett told me he should want a number 
 of pocket pistols, the barrels of which must only be four 
 inches long, and the caliber to admit a soldier's musket i 
 cartridge. He also said, he would want a vast number of 
 short blunderbusses; he asked me if I knew a gunsmith 
 to whom we could apply with safety, to furnish those 
 articles; I answered that I happened to know one in 
 whom Pcould place the greatest confidence, and whose ' 
 curiosity would never lead him to enquire whether the- 
 fire arms were destined for smugglers or privateers. We 
 then agreed, that I should get Mr M..., the gunsmith to 
 make a pair of pistols and a blunderbuss of the kind we 
 described, and when finished he was to leave them with 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 339 
 
 me. As I kept the key of the oat binn in the stable, I lock- 
 ed these arms there till Mr Emmett called; when he 
 examined them and heard the low price, he was delighted 
 to know that such articles could be made so cheap with 
 locks and barrels perfect, and thoug'h the workmanship 
 might have been better, and the polish higher, still they 
 were all that could be required for the use to which they 
 were destined, 
 
 Mr Emmett being quite satisfied, desired me to order 
 one hundred pair of the pocket pistols, and three hun- 
 dred of the blunderbusses; the barrels of the latter to be 
 of the same iron or metal as the pistols, which would 
 cost less than brass ones; and seeing the promptitude 
 with which those first fire arms were made and delivered, 
 he bid me tell Mr M... the gunsmith to continue getting 
 the blunderbusses made, and to sa^^, that any money he 
 wanted should be advanced to him ; but this worthy man 
 would accept none till his merchandise was safely deli- 
 vered. These details may not interest the reader, but they 
 will shew, that when one individual out of the many 
 engaged in this enterprise, could contribute as I did, 
 that the plan was extensive and carefully carried on, so 
 as to offer every chance of success. 
 
 As Mr Emmett on coming to town from Harold's cross, 
 passed by our house, we met almost everyday, and every 
 day he had something new to tell me about the prepara- 
 
340 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 tions, which he said were progressing rapidly, thanks he 
 added, to the exertions of those true patriots who did not 
 fear to identify themselves with him, if they could re- 
 deem their country, and throw off the foreign yoke. 
 
 One morning he called earlier than usual, to tell me 
 that there was then a house to let in Patrick street, which 
 was sufficiently extensive for the depot and military 
 stores which we wanted ; that he was going into town to 
 try to get a person to go at once and secure it, but lest 
 he should fail, he bid me be on the look out for some one; 
 that a married man would be preferable. In a few minutes 
 after he left me, Mr Macintosh, a worthy scotch patriot, 
 who had been settled in Dublin for some years, and who 
 was married to an Irish woman, a miss Keenan, called 
 to buy timber. — I told him that Mr Emmett wanted 
 some one of our friends to take a lease of a house in Pa- 
 trick street. — He immediately volunteered to go about 
 it. 
 
 * 
 
 A short explanation is necessary to shew why scotch- 
 men were concerned in our preparations. 
 
 Previous to his leaving France, Mr Robert Emmett 
 became acquainted with a young scotchm&u, of the name 
 of Campbell who resided in a town in Normandy, on the 
 sea coast; this young man had it in his power not only 
 to render a service to Mr Emmett in getting him a « pas- 
 sage, » but he gave him introductions and a clew to the 
 scotch patriots of the Muir standing, and consequently 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 341 
 
 to all of them residing in Ireland. Macintosh being 
 amongst the latter, rejoiced to have it in his power to 
 contribute to the freedom of Ireland. But alas! his fate 
 differed widely from that of young Campbell; the latter 
 by the interest of Thomas Addis Emmett with the first 
 consul and the french government, got the rank of offi- 
 cer in the irish legion on its formation in 1803. Though 
 these grades were to be exclusively for irish men, or their 
 sons born in France , recompensing Campbell in this 
 manner, shewed the respect paid to the memory of poor 
 Robert Emmett, and the high consideration his brother 
 enjoyed in France. 
 
 Mr Emmett gave the money necessary to Macintosh, 
 who went immediately and took the house in Patrick 
 street, paid six month's in advance, got the lease in his 
 own name, and then set to work to make the changes in 
 the house according to Mr Emmett's instructions. — 
 About this time Michael Quigley who had gone to France 
 after the peace of Amiens, returned to Dublin : he being 
 a skilful bricklayer, and Macintosh an ingenious car- 
 penter, they contrived and made secret closets from the 
 ground floor to the garret, which could never be suspected 
 or discovered, except by those who were in the secret. 
 These secret closets were large enough to hold pikes, fire 
 arms and ammunition for ten thousand men. 
 
 Mr Emmett prayed me to get six hundred jointed pike 
 handles prepared by a turner , one half to be three feet 
 
342 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 long, the other half two feet and a half long; on 
 the end of this last, was to be placed a small cara 
 bine bayonet, or a small pike head, not exceeding six 
 inches in length. This handle extended and stretched out 
 was six feet long; when doubled up, it was only three 
 feet long, which made it easy to be carried and conceal- 
 ed under a great coat. These handles were on the prin- 
 ciple of a parasol handle that doubled up, joined together 
 by a small hinge. A tube six inches long covered the 
 joint, pressed forward three inches and then was stop- 
 ped by a pin. A small spring started up behind to keep i1 
 on the joint equal on both sides. Thus it became quite 
 solid, and easier managed than a soldier's musket and 
 bayonet. With this weapon and a blunderbuss slung witt 
 a belt from a man's shoulder, he had great advantage ir 
 close quarters with the enemy, as it was much easier tc 
 charge the blunderbuss than the musket. 
 
 Mr Emmetl had several square beams twelve feet long, 
 sent to the depot at Thomas street, which he intended tc 
 have got bored with a small pump auger, not in the cen- 
 tre, but nearer one side, and the hole was to be perforated 
 to within one foot of the end, and then filled with powdei 
 till it came to a foot from the mouth. The hole was then 
 stopped with a plug, a foot long, of the same diameter, 
 well spiked to prevent it from coming out. A touch-hole 
 perforated in the middle of the beam on the side w'hich 
 the bore approached the nearest. A pivot on each end on 
 which common car wheels were placed and turned. Two 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 343 
 
 cases five feet long- eacli, filled with small stones and 
 combustibles were to be placed on the top of the beam . 
 The explosion of this machine placed as an obstacle be- 
 fore the enemy must have a terrible effect. 
 
 Scientific experiments of various kinds were to be tried 
 at the depot at Patrick street. In consequence of the con- 
 tinual passage there, it was thought advisable not to em- 
 ploy too many at this depot, lest their going in and out 
 from so populous a street might cause suspicions. The 
 two Keenans, Macintosh's brothers-in-law were to be 
 among those who were to be employed and intrusted 
 with the secret. A man of the name of Derby Byrne who 
 had been condemned to be shot after the insurrection of 
 the county of Wexford, saved himself by inlisting into 
 the english service. He was discharged after the peace of 
 Amiens, and being afraid to return to his own home 
 amongst the Orangemen of his neighbourhood, he applied 
 to me to see if I could get him any thing to do. He had 
 no trade; he said he had sometimes been employed mak- 
 ing ball cartridges. He was sober and well behaved, and 
 as a proof that the contact with the mercenary soldiers 
 did not affect his morals, he had money which he had 
 saved in the service. Mr Emmett was quite pleased to 
 have such a worthy person placed as an inmate at the 
 depot. 
 
 There was a man who went by the name of Johnstone, 
 who had spe:it several years in the East India service, 
 where he had frequently been employed in preparing 
 
344 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYUNE 
 
 fire-works. Perhaps this man with Robert Emmett were 
 the real inventors of those roclcets, latterly universally 
 known under the appellation of Congreve rockets — be 
 that as it may, I think it only right to relate here all I 
 know of the matter. At Mr Emmett's request I called on 
 M. M... the g-unsmith, and shewed him a strong piece of 
 paper shaped in a certain way, which was to serve as a 
 model to have tubes twenty inches long, two and a half 
 inches diameter, cut out of strong sheet iron; as solder- 
 ing would be liable to melt with the fire, they were to be 
 clasped and well hammered on the joints, which would 
 render them quite solid. The sloped shape at one end 
 formed a point like an arrow. The gunsmith soon brought 
 me a tube made after the model with which both Mr Em- 
 mett and Johnstone were well pleased. — Consequently 
 I had to tell him to have several hundreds of the same 
 description made as soon as possible. 
 
 Johnstone set to work mixing the ingredients to fill 
 those tubes, composed of powder, nitre, sulphur, etc., 
 and when this stuff was prepared, it had the appearance 
 of wet mortar. But every thing was done according to 
 Mr Emmett's instructions; he consulted a scientific work 
 respecting the way such materials should be prepared, 
 and even the way the tubes were to be filled, the size of 
 each portion to be put in at a time, the weight of the 
 hammer, the plug to drive it down, the number of strokes 
 to be given before another portion was put in. 
 
 An iron needle was placed in the centre of the tube 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 345 
 
 around which the mortar was tempered, and when the 
 needle was drawn out, the hole was then filled with pow- 
 der. Thus prepared, they were to be fastened with strong 
 wire to a slight pole about eight feet long-; at one end, 
 and from the other end a card prepared as a fusee would 
 convey the fire to the mouth of the tube. A small trestle 
 four feet high on which the pole was to rest to be poised 
 and set oif in the direction of the enemy, — Hand gre- 
 nades and other such missiles were g'etting ready as ra- 
 pidly as could be expected, as well as the pikes, at the 
 Thomas street depot. — Besides the two depots, four 
 houses were procured in different parts of the town, the 
 most convenient to have pikes and arms deposited safely 
 in them. — It may be seen by these arrangements, that 
 ample means could be counted on for arming the citizens 
 who intended taking a part in the struggle. It is neces- 
 sary also to mention the manner they were organized for 
 this event, and which I shall endeavour to relate here as 
 briefly as possible. — In the first place, chiefs who could 
 mix with the people without causing suspicion, were 
 generally chosen in preference to men holding a higher 
 station, though the latter were equally devoted and ready 
 to risk their lives and fortunes 
 
 A man of the name of James Hope, who had been ad- 
 vantageously known to Sam Nelson, and many other 
 Northern [patriots of 1798, by trade a linen weaver, took 
 a ground floor on the Comb; his loom and the web 
 
346 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 which was mounted on it could be seen from the street. 
 This man was without exception the best person that could 
 be intrusted with the organization of his own class in 
 the Liberty of Dublin, from wbich class, tbe fighting men 
 were expected to come. Hope was sober, prudent and un- 
 assuming; he spoke and reasoned justly. — He soon made 
 acquaintance with the persons of his own trade who had 
 acquired reputation as good, honest patriots, and to them 
 he communicated the general plan. He promised them 
 nothing which he could not prove to them would be rea- 
 lized when the time for action arrived. Those brave fellows 
 set to work to assist him, and in less than tw'o months 
 after, James Hope reported that five thousand were orga- 
 nized and ready. — Another man whose brilliant conduct 
 during the insurrection, I have already mentioned, in the 
 beginning of these memoirs, was Mathew Doyle who lived 
 near Arklow. After the battle of Vinegar hill he had the | 
 misfortune to be taken prisoner by the english. He had 
 no alternative between enlisting as a mercenary soldier 
 or being shot. He was in the prime of life and was very 
 intelligent. His regiment made part of sir Ralph Aber- 
 crombie's army in Egypt. Though quitting his wife, and 
 all that was dear to him, Doyle did not despond, nor re- 
 linquish the hope of being one day able to serve again 
 his ow^n country. He therefore began to study military 
 tactics in the most assiduous manner, and he soon suc- 
 ceeded in acquiring great knowledge of the subject. This, 
 ■with his gentlemanlike conduct could not fail to attract 
 
MEMOIHS OF MILES BYRNE 347 
 
 the notice of the officers of his regiment. They had hira 
 named « sergeant; » it was all they could obtain for an 
 irish rebel chief, though he had displayed both skill and 
 bravery fighting against the french in Egypt 
 
 The regiment Doyle belonged to being disbanded at the 
 peace of Amiens, he was discharged; but as he could not 
 venture to return to his home, amongst the vindictive 
 Orangemen of Arklow, he stopped in Dublin, in hopes of 
 finding some honourable occupation. — I mentioned 
 Doyle's situation to Mr Emmett and all the particulars 
 about the active way he had been employed by some of 
 the principal heads of the united Irishmen in organizing 
 that system in the years 1797 and 1798. « Oh! he is just 
 the man we want » he replied « let me be introduced to 
 him immediately. » Doyle soon became what he had been 
 formerly, a safe agent and an indefatigable organizer, 
 preparing his countrymen residing in Dublin and its 
 vicinity, as well as the citizens, to hold themselves in 
 readiness to take arms when called on. His military ex- 
 perience added weight to the influence he had amongst 
 the men of '98 who recollected him as an intrepid leader. 
 — Mr Emmett considered Doyle a great acquisition, and 
 he received him most kindly and frankly, taking pains 
 to initiate him into the preparations then going on, and 
 telling him all his hopes and plans; all in such powerful 
 and eloquent language, that poor Doyle felt highly ho- 
 noured and flattered ; but he could not conceive how so 
 young a man could possess such uncommon intellect; — 
 
^'^^ MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 he was not the only one who admired Robert Emmett's 
 extraordinary « persuasive » talent. I shall relate ano- 
 ther instance of it. — A Mr Butler, a county of Wexford 
 gentleman residing in Dublin, invited me one sunday to 
 a dinner party he was giving at George Nowlan's Hotel 
 at Maynooth, in honour of the brave Thomas Cloney, who 
 had just returned from England, where he had been exil- 
 ed after his trial and imprisonment in 1798. — Mr Clo- 
 ney and I took a walk after dinner. Of course our first 
 conversation turned on the failure of the insurrection and 
 its disastrous consequences in the county of Wexford; 
 his own long sufferings, etc., etc. After which he asked 
 me, if I had heard that young Emmett, the brother of 
 Thomas Addis Emmett, was then organizing the country, 
 to be ready to rise when a french army should land. I 
 replied that I had ; he then asked me if I knew any one 
 who was acquainted with young Emmett. I told him I 
 did. He then expressed a desire to be introduced to Mr 
 Emmett, in order to « dissuade » him from his rash 
 scheme. I promised to let him know next day, when he 
 could have the interview he desired. — Being joined by 
 the rest of the company, we all returned to Dublin by the 
 canal boat. 
 
 Mr Cloney not wishing to bs committed to people he 
 did not know, called on me early in the morning to as- 
 certain the name of the person through whose means an 
 interview with Robert Emmett was to be procured to him. 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 349 
 
 1 told him, that on that head he need have uo apprehen- 
 sion, for I was that person; that I had seen Mr Emmett 
 the uig-ht before, after I had come to town ; and that he 
 seemed delighted at the prospect of becoming- acquainted 
 with so true a patriot as Mr Cloney. — He fixed with me, 
 to have a rendez vous at Harold's Cross g-reen, about dusk. 
 — Mr Cloney returned in the evening, and we walked 
 out to the green at Harold's Cross. I sooi perceived at 
 some distance Robert Emmett, walking along and mus- 
 ing, and tapping the ground with his little cane, in his / 
 accustomed way. — After I introduced them, I retired to 
 a distance and walked up and down, as they did, for 
 three quarters of an hour. 
 
 I can never forget the ini} ression this meeting made 
 on me at the time — to see two heroic patriots, equally 
 devoted to poor Ireland, discussing the best means of ob- 
 tuiniug her freedom. — The contrast in the appearance 
 of the two was very great. — Emmett slight, and under 
 the middle size; Cloney almost gigantic, being six feet 
 three or four inches high, and well-proportioned. 
 
 When their long conversation was ended, they came 
 and joined me. On taking leave of us, Mr Emmett said 
 in a familiar manner tome, « Miles, I shall call on you in 
 the morning. » He then left us and went to his lodgings, 
 and we returned to town. On the way, Mr Cloney asked 
 me why I did not tell him the day before at Maynooth, 
 that I was personally acquainted with Mr Emmett, and 
 on such intimate terms with him. I answered : « I could 
 
 :l 
 
350 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 not tell you more than I did, until I had his permission 
 to do so. » — « It is very true » he replied, « you would 
 have been wrong to have acted otherwise. « He then ex- 
 claimed, « I have heard a great deal about that young 
 ; « man's talents, but certainly he far surpasses any thing 
 \ « one can imagine. His powers of reasoning and persua- 
 i « sion are such, that an objection can scarcely be made 
 I « to any of his plans; which indeed, if judiciously car- 
 \ <' ried on, and put into execution by determined, honest 
 « and devoted patriots, must succeed, as soon as a french 
 « army is landed in any part of the country. As soon as 
 I « the english garrison is ordered off to meet the french, 
 I « Dublin will be easily taken, if the citizens shew bra- 
 I « very, and do their duty, as it may be expected they 
 |« will, from the organization which Mr Emmett tells me 
 I is in progress through the city. As to the counties, 
 4 though it is pretty certain they will rise, when it is 
 «; known that the metropolis is in the hands of the peo- 
 «lple, still he told me, a judicious organization is going 
 « ion in nineteen counties of Ireland, and which I wasvery 
 «;;glad to learn. » — Arriving in town, Mr Cloney and I 
 separated, well-pleased with the way we had spent the 
 evening, and agreeing to meet often on the same im- 
 portant business. 
 
 Mr Emmett's plan for the organization of the counties 
 was simjde, and easily executed. — It consisted in pro- 
 curing the names and places of abode of those brave fel- 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 351 
 
 lows in each district, who had acquired the reputation of 
 being- g-ood patriots in 1798, and who still enjoyed the 
 confidence of the people. As numbers of this class came 
 frequently to Dublin on business, where I met those to 
 whom I was personnally known, and through them got 
 introduced to many others, in a short time I was ena- 
 bled to make out a list of them for three counties — viz : 
 Carlow, Wicklow and Wexford. Mr Emmett saw these 
 men individually, fixed with them the manner they were 
 to hear from him without any risk. He defrayed the ex- 
 pences of those who could not afford to stop in town ; he 
 told them of all things to advise the people not to pretend 
 to be occupied about the war, and never on any account 
 to allow them to plunder fire arms from the enemy, which 
 would only serve to have martial law proclaimed in the 
 country. 
 
 Previous to the departure of these countrymen, Mr Em- 
 mett gave to each of them, three small ivory counters. — 
 On one side of which were t hree peculiar marks engraved, 
 or rather « branded, » for it was with red hot iron they 
 had been marked. Another of the counters had two marks, 
 and the third had but one. They were recommended ne- 
 ver to shew these counters, except to persons who could 
 produce similar ones. — A messenger would be sent 
 from the provisional government to report on the situa- 
 tion of the counties, and would get the counter wath one 
 mark, and when he shewed it to the men who he was 
 
352 MEMOIRS OF MII.ES BYRNE 
 
 told held the counterpart, they shewed him theirs, and 
 would then give him all the informatiou in their power 
 about men and things. — The messenger or bearer of the 
 counter with the two marks, was to have more extensive 
 instructions than the others; he, in conjunction with the 
 patriots of the districts were to devise the safest and best 
 means of procuring arms, and he was to be instructed 
 with the money necessary to defray all the expences. — 
 The person who presented the ivory counter bearing the 
 three brands, would come directly from the provisional 
 government, with final instructions and orders to begin 
 the fight, and for the general rising « en masse » of the 
 districts organized for that purpose. Thus it may be seen 
 that Mr Emmett's plans were going on quietly and pro- 
 gressively in many of the counties, as well as in the city 
 of Dublin. The brave and gallant Thomas Russell found 
 the preparations in this forward state, when he arrived 
 from France, accompanied by his niece's husband Mr Ha- 
 milton. Some persons thought it was very injudicious 
 to bring over these gentlemen so soon. First, on account 
 of the large sum of money that had to be sent to Paris to 
 defray their expences there, and the exorbitant price 
 which bad to be paid for a vessel to bring them, and this 
 at a time when money was so much required to purchase 
 fire-arms In the next place, the great diflaculty and dan- 
 ger which would occur in preparing them a safe dwell- 
 ing- to reside in, both being proscribed men. But Rus- 
 sell's name and great reputation in the North of Ireland 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 3r)3 
 
 out-weig-lied all other considerations. Therefore Robert 
 Emraetthad to take a house in Butterfield Lane, to change 
 completely his simple mode of living-, and to go and re- _ 
 side in that house, with Russell, Hamilton and Dowdall: / 
 the latter got his liberty at the peace of Amiens, when 
 his fellow-prisoners at fort George in Scotland, had to 
 expatriate themselves for ever. — This new establish- 
 ment became very expensive, tho' the inmates slept on 
 mattrasses laid on the floors, and though they lived very 
 ])lainly. The trusty attendants of the family of Michel 
 Dwyer, the brave Wicklow mountain chief, added not a 
 little to the expence. — Still they were honest and frugal 
 and their service was considered a safe-guard and an ac- 
 quisition, on account of their connexion with the famous 
 Dwyer. — Mr John Palmer who had all the provisions 
 bought in Dublin, and sent to the country, often com- 
 plained of the enormous waste and extravagance going 
 on at « the Palace, ^> as he called the house in Butterfield 
 Lane. But the inconvenience and danger of having such 
 numbers of persons frequently assembled there, was still 
 worse. One day I am sure we were thirty at dinner. The 
 fact was, we were all anxious to meet Mr Russell, and to 
 hear from him, who had left Paris so recently, what was 
 to be expected from the french government. His explan- 
 ation on this point did not afford much satisfaction. He 
 however expressed his own decided opinion that the Irish 
 people should begin at once and free themselves. He add- 
 ed, that he was sure the north would rise to a man ; and 
 
 23 
 
354 MEMOIRS OF MILKS BYRNE 
 
 he dwelt so long on this subject, and appeared so enthu- 
 siastic and serious in his belief about what he advanced 
 respecting the rising of the north of Ireland, that several 
 of those present, particularly Cloney, Phill Long, Gray, 
 Allan, Hughes, etc., consulted Mr Emmett about the ne- 
 cessity of ascertaining how far the citizens of the nor- 
 thern districts could be relied on in the present situation 
 of the country ; as it had often been said of them that 
 their polities had greatly changed since 1798. — After 
 some discussion they decided that a county of Wexford 
 man of intelligence should be got to accompany James 
 Hope in a tour through the north of Ireland, and the}' 
 also decided that the man should be chosen by me. I 
 knew many amongst the brave fellows who fought beside 
 me in the insurrection, in whom I could place every con- 
 fidence, but a mission of this nature required an obser- 
 ving man of discretion and sound judgment who would 
 be able to report on all he saw and learned in his tour 
 when he returned. Michel Berney who resided in Dublin 
 after his escape from the county of Wexford, consented 
 to accompany Hope. I presented him to M^I. Emmett and 
 Russell, They seemed quite pleased with him, and gave 
 him the necessary instructions how he wtis to act at the 
 niglit meetings, where he would have to attend during 
 his mission to the north. — Mr Berney had a large con- 
 nexion and many relatives in Dublin; he was first cousin 
 to the unfortunate Denis Redmond, of whom I shall have 
 to speak hereafter. — Hope and Berney spent fifreen days 
 
MEMOIKS OF MILES liYRNK -555 
 
 g'oing" through the different districts of the north; and 
 their report on returning- to Dublin, was certainly more 
 favourable than was expected. At every meeting- the 
 greatest veneration and admiration was expressed for the 
 honourable part that Thomas Russell had acted in the 
 years '97 and '98, and those present seemed proud to have 
 him once more at their head to lead them to victory: and 
 when they were told by Berney and Hope, that Dublin 
 should be taken, which would be the signal for all Ire- 
 land to rise, « oh I then » they cried, « we pledge oursel- 
 ves not to be the last ». Indeed this was the general 
 feeling and opinion manifested in the other provinces, as 
 well as in the north. Let the capital once be in possession 
 of the citizens, then the counties would soon rise, and 
 disarm the few english soldiers dispersed through the 
 country. It was in consequence of the certainty of this 
 general belief respecting the metropolis, that Robert Em- 
 luett employed all the resources in his power for the 
 preparations and organization of the city of Dublin. Un- 
 fortunately one of the most active agents, Mathew Doyle, 
 fell sick at this time, the beginning of July ; he was seized 
 with rheumatic gout and lost the use of his limbs. — I 
 ufien called on him, and it made me melancholy to see 
 so fine a fellow rendered useless. He however kept up his 
 spirits and he bid me tell Mr Emmett, that he hoped to 
 be recovered ere we should be obliged to take the 
 field. 
 
356 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 A determined man whose eagerness to forward and j 
 serve the sacred cause of freedom, and the independence 
 of his country, and whose daring, resolute designs for 
 this purpose coukl not be surpassed, was, Mr Brangan of 
 Irishtown : he possessed all these qualities. — He had a 
 wife and several children whom he tenderly loved, yet no 
 consideration could prevent him sharing the dangers of 
 our struggle. He requested me to introduce to him some 
 of the counties of Wexford and Wicklow men who resi- 
 ded in his neighbourhood ; he wished particularly to 
 know those who were employed at Mr Haig's distillery. 
 In a short time he had those intrepid refugees organized 
 and ready for action. In consequence, he made a proposal 
 to Mr Emmett to surprise and take the Pigeon house, 
 when the signal from the city should be given. Mr Em- 
 mett cheerfully accepted Mr Brangau's bold offer, and 
 promised him to have small depots of arms placed at his 
 disposition as soon as possible. 
 
 Mr Brangan's conduct and services as an officer of the 
 irish legion, could ofton be cited to prove that he was 
 ever ready to undertake the most perilous missions 
 could mention many instances myself where he was un- 
 happy because it was the turn of the other officers and 
 not his, to be ordered to attack a strong position or mount 
 a breach. Though all this could only be known subse- 
 quently to Brangan's volunteering to take the Pigeon 
 house, it suffices to shew that at that period, he had the , 
 love of distinction, as well as the love of country at heart 
 
 IS 
 
MEMOIRS or MILES RYRNE 357 
 
 When Robert Emmett appointed him to the command, he 
 immediately boug-ht general's epaulets, fully determined 
 to prove that he was worthy of wearing- them. Such men 
 are precious and wanted at the commencement of every 
 dangerous enterprise. 
 
 3d of July. — Our preparations progressing rapidly in 
 every part of the city ; with the greatest caution however 
 and circumspection : no one meddling with the concerns 
 of others, solely occupied with his own part. The Kildare 
 men working day and night at the depot in the lane of 
 Thomas street, mounting pikes, and preparing other war 
 implements; houses getting ready to serve as small de- 
 pots to receive them. 
 
 An incident which took place about this time, the be- 
 ginning of July, will shew how much the honest James 
 Hope was thought of both by the leaders and others. One 
 day several county of Wexford men came to tell me, with 
 sorrow, that they had met James Hope who told them, 
 that he was going to the north with Mr Russell. I saw 
 Mr Emmett next clay at Butterfield lane when I mentioned 
 to him in Mr Russell's presence, how sorry the Wexford 
 men, were to learn that Hope would not remain to act 
 with them in Dublin. I had scarcely uttered the last 
 word, when Mr Russell said, « you may ke^ep him, you 
 " certainly take off my right arm, but I shall march 
 « myself with an imposing force from the north on Du- 
 « blin. » Mr Emmett smiled, and we began to speak of 
 
358 ■ MKMOIUS OK MILES BYHNE 
 
 other matters; of those concerning the tubes and rockets 
 getting ready at the depot at Patrick street; he said he 
 wished to try one of them, and lie appointed me to come 
 out next evening that we might go into the country 
 a little distance, that this experiment might not attract 
 any notice. 
 
 Johnstone who was making the rockets, brought one 
 of them ready prepared, so we all went into the fields ; 
 that is, Mr Emmett, Russell, Dowdell, Hamilton, etc. 
 The rocket was made fast to a pole with wire, and rested 
 on a trestle; the match being put to it, it went off like a 
 thunderbolt, carrying the pole along with it, and throw- 
 ing flames and fire behind, as it advanced, and when it 
 fell, it went on tearing up the ground till the last of the 
 matter with which it was filled was completely consumed. 
 Mr Emmett and Johnstone were quite satisfied with the 
 effect it produced, and they decided that all the rockets 
 or tubes should be prepared and filled in the same man- 
 ner ; the card which was placed along the pole to serve 
 as a train or match did not communicate the fire quick 
 enough, but that was easily remedied at the depot by 
 preparing others with stronger liquid, etc. 
 
 Though Mr Cloney and others whose experience in the 
 insurrection of 1798 had taught them to appreciate the 
 best and cheapest way of arming the people, in the event 
 of a general rising, could not entirely approve Robert 
 Emmett's learned and scientific experiments, solely on 
 account of the expence incurred ait a moment when mo- 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 35?) 
 
 ney was so much wanted to buy fire-arms and ammu- 
 nition; yet they little thought how the preparations of 
 these tubes and rockets would cause the accident and 
 explosion in the depot at Patrick street, which brought 
 on the premature and untimely rising-, and thus all Mr 
 Emmett's vast and well combined plans be frustrated. — 
 Alas! fate decided against him. 
 
 From the time the de})ot was established in Patrick 
 street, I made it a point whenever I went out on business, 
 to return that way, to see that all was right there. On 
 Saturday the 16th of July, I had been at a funeral in Bish- 
 op street, and in coming back by the depot, I saw- a 
 number of people assembled before the house. The first 
 person I addressed told me, that an explosion of some 
 kind of combustible ingredients had taken place inside, 
 and three men were desperately wounded and carried off 
 to the hospital. Poor Macintosh coming out of the house 
 confirmed all I had heard. His brother-in-law, young 
 Keenan, Derby Byrne, and Johnstone were taken to the 
 hospital before he arrived. The men who escaped and re- 
 mained in the depot, told us, that wh;it they thought 
 caused the explosion, was, Johnstone had been trying a 
 fusee or match, in an inner room, and came out into the 
 one where the composition matter for filling the rocket 
 tubes was placed in a corner, and that a spark of fire 
 must have been brought on his shoe, w4iich communica- 
 ted with the pile in the corner. That the explosion took 
 
360 .MEMOIRS OF MILF.S BYHNE 
 
 place the instant he entered the room ; the windows were 
 broken, the poor men thrown throug-h them into the 
 street, etc., this was all the;,- were able to tell as. 
 
 Our situation can be more easily imagined than des- 
 cribed. It was dreadful to think of three of our men being 
 in the hospital, at the disposition of the government, 
 whose agents by torture and other means could extort 
 from them all our plans and secrets. — Macintosh had 
 the window and the other things deranged by the explo- 
 sion, put in the best order possible, to prevent suspicion. 
 Both he and I wondered that the police had not taken pos- 
 session of the depot, and we feared that they were only 
 waiting for the purpose of seeing the persons who would 
 frequent the house, in order to have them arrested. 
 
 Mr Emmett on being apprized of this unfortunate ex- 
 plosion naturally enough conjectured that all his plans 
 and preparations would soon become known to the go- 
 vernment. He resolved in consequence, to hold a council 
 of the principal leaders then in Dublin, at which council 
 it was decided, if not forced to act sooner, Saturday even- 
 ing following, the 23'' July, was finally fixed for the ge- 
 neral attack on the city and castle, and that every means 
 should be taken to apprize the counties, to follow the 
 example of Dublin. 
 
 Mr Russell and Hamilton set off for the north, and un- 
 luckily James Hope accompanied them. His presence at 
 
MEMOinS (W MILKS IIY15XK 361 
 
 this critical moment in Dublin, would have been inva- 
 luable; he was so devoted to the cause, so active, and so 
 well known to all those employed in the difTerent depots. 
 He would have been useful beyond measure, carrying 
 the despatches and giving the verbal orders of the chiefs; 
 besides, there was no one appointed to replace him with 
 the Liberty people, whom he had organized for action. 
 However the other leaders who remained in town, had 
 still seven days more before them to prepare for this im- 
 mediate struggle to shake off for ever the yoke of 
 
 England. 
 
 Mr Emmett confiding in me to procure a house to re- 
 place the depot in Patrick street, from which the arms 
 and ammunition should be instantly removed, if the go- 
 vernment did not take possession of it, I consulted Michel 
 .Berney, who told me, he was sure his cousin Denis Red- 
 mond would lend a house he was getting repaired, and 
 where he intended to reside when he got married : it was 
 on the coal quay, and not far from the castle. The situa- 
 tion was the one Mr Emmett desired so much on account 
 of its proximity to the seat of the government. Young 
 Redmond at once consented, and gave the keys of his 
 house to his cousin, and seemed highly flattered at the 
 confidence put in him, and bid us tell Mr Emmett that he 
 might reckon on his aid in every way to forward the 
 cause of freedom. It was the more meritorious on the part 
 of this brave fine young fellow, who only heard for the 
 first time of Mr Emmett's plans, when asked to lend his 
 
36? MEMOIRS OF MILES BYHNE 
 
 house; his cousin did not like he should be initiated 
 sooner, lest he should neglect his business, and par- 
 ticularly his marriage, 
 
 Mr Emmett was quit« conscious of the perilous situa- 
 tion of those who would be employed in removing' the 
 arms and ammunition from the depot to the coal quay ; 
 in short, he considered it a forlorn hope ; he feared that 
 ere then, all was discovered to the agents of the govern- 
 ment. I promised him, that notwithstanding all the risk, 
 I would undertake the task, and we then agreed on the 
 safest way of carrying it into effect. — I engaged a suf- 
 ficient number of men in whom I could confide, to meet 
 me at dusk, dressed in thtii- great coats, under which 
 they could easily carry concealed, blunderbusses, jointed 
 pikes, ammunition, etc.; we walked two and two, and at 
 a certain distance from one another, so as to attract no 
 notice, and after making many journeys in this way 
 during the night without meeting any serious obstacle, 
 at the point of day, we had every article fit for use re- 
 moved to Redmond's house on the coal quay, and those 
 not finished, put into the secret closets. — One barrel or 
 cask of ball cartridges and flints however still remained, 
 but it was to be brought to Mr Palmer's on the Poddle, 
 who was to have it sent to the country for Dwyer's use in 
 the Wicklow mountains. — I desired two men to carry 
 the cask between them, but finding it not too heavy, one 
 of them, a stout young man of the name of Murphy, pre- 
 ferred taking it on his shoulder. Just as he knocked at 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES RYRNE 363 
 
 Mr Palmer's hall door, he was surrounded by several 
 watchmen who seized the barrel and carried it off with 
 them. I only stopped an instant behind to send one of the 
 men to the depot at Thomas street to tell them there how 
 we had succeeded, and when I resumed my march, I met 
 poor Murphy coming- back to tell me what had happened. 
 Fortunately all the men were not gone away, six or eight 
 of them lodged close by and w^ere still with me, so we 
 instantly pursued the watchmen and overtook them near 
 Coulan's brewery, in New Row. Here a regular combat 
 ensued; two of the watchmen were carrying the cask, 
 and the others guarding them ; I told our men by no 
 means to use their fire-arms, so the poor watchmen w-ere 
 knocked down with paving stones, and the cask retaken 
 and carried off this time by two men. But w^e now^ had 
 to shew the other watchmen, who attempted to follow^ 
 us, that we were well armed and determined to defend 
 our property, calling- them robbers, and telling them on 
 "their peril to advance a step. The fact was, they took us 
 for smugglers. Let that be as it may, it was fortunate no 
 shot was fired, as the Coomb Guard house was hard by, 
 and the sentry was walking before the door, now broad 
 day light. — Whilst we were keeping back the watch- 
 men, Michael Berney had the barrel safely deposited with 
 a dairy man whom he knew in New street, and in the 
 course of the day, Arthur Develin, Dwyer's cousin took 
 it to the country. The messenger whom I sent to report 
 our success in getting the stores removed to the coal 
 
364 MEMOIRS 01' MILES ItYRNE 
 
 quay, learned on liis way about the cask of ammunition 
 having' been seized : so ]\Ir Emniett heard the good and 
 the bad report at the same time He instantly sallied out 
 from the depot at Thomas street (where he had spent the 
 night), at the head of several men well armed, to come to 
 my assistance, and he had advanced as far as Francis 
 street, when he was told that we had retaken the ammu- 
 nition cask, and that all was right again. He then re- 
 turned with his men to the depot; fortunately they at- 
 tracted no notice, it was so early in the day, and they 
 were enchanted with his decision and courage on this 
 occasion. — 
 
 Having spent the w^hole of Saturday night in the most 
 agitated state that ever human being could experience, I 
 stood in the greatest need of repose and sleep, but I found 
 it impossible to have either. It being Sunday, and the 
 last -Sunday that would intervene before the rising, I had 
 to go through the town and endeavour to see the men on 
 whom I counted, at their respective lodgings, to tell 
 them to hold themselves in readiness and well prepared; 
 that the die was cast, the day and the hour fixed for the 
 general attack on the cit^-. Had all the « leaders » who 
 promised to be at the posts assigned them, been exact and 
 done their duty, or even had they come to the depot to 
 assist Mr Emmett in the first bustle, their presence then 
 would have caused more discipline, and in spite cf mis- 
 takes and accidents, we should have taken the castle; 
 
MEMOIRS OF M[LES BYRNE 365 
 
 und once in possession of it, the englisli had not sufficient 
 forces to retake it, and make head ag-ainst the thousand 
 armed citizens who would meet in the morninp:, and the 
 thousands of armed men pouring in from all parts of the 
 country. — Alas! fate decided it otherwise. The ever-to- 
 be-lamented Robert Emmett desired* that his epitaph 
 should regain uninscribed till better times. — His will 
 in that respect should be adhered to by every true Irish 
 patriot; and now, were I not finishing my notes which 
 commence with the memorable epoch of 1798 in the 
 county of Wexford, and finish in Ireland at Dublin 1803, 
 I might omit making any allusion to Mr Emmett, but as / 
 I glory in my participation with him, I cannot here 
 avoid giving a short, simple, accurate sketch of Mr Em- 
 mett's extensive plan for the independence of Ireland, and 
 mentioning at the same time, the part I took to forward 
 all his views. In short, from the day I became acquainted 
 with him until I sailed from Dublin and arrived in Paris, 
 to terminate my mission from him to his brother Mr Tho- 
 mas Addis Emmett. 
 
 On m#day the 18th of July, I went to all the public 
 houses usually frequented by the working classes that 
 day; there I met many of those I wanted to see, and 
 fixed with them the rendez-vous for Saturday evening the 
 23'! of July ; going through the city in every direction, I 
 often met my acquaintances who were employed on the 
 same business; such as, John Allen, Eelix Roorke, etc., 
 the latter dined sometimes at my brother's in New street. 
 
3B6 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 I considered him a very discreet, safe man. He seemed 
 to have great influence amongst the Kildare men. — Of 
 those Kildare men I only was in the habit of seeing on 
 business Quigley, Ned Conden and one or two others, but 
 I was well satisfied with regard to their experience and 
 devotion to the cause we were engaged in. — Poor Ma- 
 thew Doyle of whom I have already spoken, Iji^ was still 
 sick, and his absence was much felt : however all those 
 whom he knew in Dublin and its environs, promised to 
 come and join me at the Coal quay or in Ship street and 
 they kept their word like undaunted men. 
 
 A man of the name of Mac Cabe, kept a public house 
 in Francis street. He had gained a certain reputation for 
 patriotism and bravery in the insurrection of 1798. This 
 sufficed to make his house be much frequented by many 
 who had escaped to Dublin at that period. One day in 
 the beginning of July, I met Mac Cabe, he told me, 
 knowing as he did so many of the brave county of Wex- 
 ford men, whenever the rising took place, he would like 
 to act with us. Of course I replied how happy we should 
 be to have such distinguished patriots as hwe in our 
 ranks. — When the day was fixed, 1 reminded Mac Cabe 
 of our previous conversation, to which he answered, that 
 by a subsequent arrangement, he was to act with John 
 Allen of College Green, and other Dublin leaders of his 
 acquaintance ; he hoped however that we should often 
 meet, once our sacred enterprise was crowned with suc- 
 cess. Mac Cabe was rather well-looking; he had a frank- 
 
MEMOIRS OF Mll.ES BYRNK 367 
 
 ness of manner, an earnestness about our cause, which 
 prepossessed one in his favour. For my own part I had 
 every confidence in him, and if he had not had the mis- 
 fortune to he arrested at his own door, armed with a 
 blunderbuss, endeavouring to get into his house, at the 
 dawn of day, the morning after the sad failure in Thomas 
 street, Ihe government never would have had his services 
 as a vile informer at the castle of Dublin. 
 
 The hollow beams I have already described were now 
 invaluable; as in them the long mounted pikes were con- 
 veyed ever}^ day through the city to different houses, 
 where they w^ere safely deposited. — Ammunition and 
 fire-arms were brought by confidential persons, concealed 
 under their great coats, late in the evening : in short all 
 that was possible to be done in so short a time, was ea- 
 gerly executed; so that the leaders on Saturday morning 
 were satisfied that they could arm the men who pro- 
 mised to meet them in the evening with pikes and fire- 
 arms. 
 
 Now the final plan to be executed, consisted principally 
 in taking the castle, whilst the Pigeon house. Island 
 Bridge, the royal barracks, and the old custom house 
 barracks were to be attacked, and if not surprized and 
 taken, they were to be blockaded, and intrenchments 
 thrown up before them. Obstacles of every kind to be 
 created through streets, to prevent the english cavalry 
 from charging. The castle once taken, undaunted men, 
 materials, implements of every description would be 
 
368 MEMOIRS OK MILES BYRNE 
 
 easily found in all the streets in the city, not only to im- 
 pede the cavalry, but to prevent infantry from passing- 
 through them- 
 
 As I was to be one of those persons designed to co- 
 operate with Robert Emmett in taking the castle of Du- 
 blin, I shall here relate precisely the part which was 
 allotted to me in this daring enterprize. — I was to have 
 assembled early in the evening of Saturday the 23'i of 
 July 1803, at the house of Denis Lambert Redmond on the 
 Coal quay, the Wexford and Wicklow men, to whom I 
 was to distribute pikes, arms and ammunition, and then 
 a little before dusk, I was to send one of the men w^ell 
 known to Mr Emmett, to tell him that we were at our 
 post, armed and ready to follow him ; — that men were 
 placed in the house in Ship street read}' to seize on the 
 entrance to the castle on that side, at the same moment 
 the principal gate would be taken. 
 
 Mr Emmett was to leave the depot at Thomas street at 
 dusk, W'ith six hackney coaches, in each of which, six 
 men were to be placed, armed with jointed pikes and 
 blunderbusses, concealed under their coats. The moment 
 the last of these coaches had passed Redmond's house 
 where we were to be assembled, we w"ere to sally forth 
 and follow them quickly into the castle court yard, and 
 there to seize and disarm all the sentries and to replace 
 them instantly with our own men, etc. 
 
 Now having had a perfect understanding with Robert 
 Emmett on the different points intrusted to my care, I 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 369 
 
 waited with patience and fortitude the moment agreed 
 on between us for the attack on the castle, and so early 
 as seven o'clock, the brave men who promised me began 
 to arrive at Redmond's house, coal quay, and before eight 
 o'clock, they numbered more than I counted on, because 
 William Darcy and many Dublin citizens came to join 
 us here; and I must say, that this brave young man was 
 of infinite service and comfort to me on this momentous 
 occas'ion. 
 
 It was now the time to send the confidential person to 
 the depot at Thomas street; I chose Patt Ford, a county 
 of Wexford man, who had distinguished himself very 
 much in the insurrection of '98, and he being acquainted 
 with Mr Eramett and knowing many of the men employed 
 at the depot, I could not have made a better choice. Ford 
 had for instructions, the moment he saw Mr Emmett and 
 his men in the hackney coaches, to precede them as 
 quickly as he could, to let us know that they were com- 
 ing, and as they were to drive in their slow- ordinary 
 way, so as not to attract notice, he would thus have easily 
 had time to rejoin us at the coal quay, and the distance 
 from thence to the castle being so short, w-e hoped we 
 should be in possession of the seat of government in a 
 very few minutes afterwards Patt Ford must have told 
 Mr Emmett how we w^ere ready, anxiously waiting 
 his arrival. 
 
 Great silence and quietness jjrevailed on the quays on 
 both sides of the river, and not the least movement of 
 
 24 
 
370 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYUNE 
 
 troops was to be perceived at either the old custom house 
 barracks or the castle. I had three of our men continually 
 passing' before those places and returning to tell us ^Yhat 
 they saw, and one of them passed through the castle 
 yard from Ship street at a quarter before nine o'clock. 
 
 Our situation became every moment more distressino- 
 and perilous. The time passed that Mr Emmett was to 
 have joined us. We naturally conjectured that something- 
 extraordinary had occurred which prevented him appriz- 
 ing- us of the cause of the delay, and as to Patt Ford, we 
 feared he was arrested, for otherwise he would have come 
 back to us ; under these afflicting surmises, I hastened 
 to send another trust worthy person who knew also about 
 the depot in the lane off Thomas street; Mr Terence Ka- 
 vanagh of Anagh, county of Wexford, was my messen- 
 ger this time. He soon returned with the sad intelligence 
 of the disasters. He went first to the depot, and there, 
 outside the door, saw pikes strewed about the street, and 
 from thence he went to the market house at Thomas 
 street, where he saw other proofs of the failure, and of 
 the unfortunate events which took place there. — By the 
 time Kavanagh got back to us we could hear the patrole 
 on the quay at the other side, which an instant before 
 was so silent. And now the gates of the castle were closed 
 and artillery was brought to defend them. — We decided 
 on quittiug the house, which poor Redmond locked up. 
 We then marched through Nicholas street, Patrick 
 
MEMOIRS OF MFLES BYRNE 371 
 
 street, New street, etc., meeting- nothing to impede our 
 march except the watchmen who were easily put aside. 
 We were in hopes every moment to meet Mr Emmett and 
 the Kildare men W'ho left the depot wath him ; but g-etting 
 no intelligence whatever about the place he had retired 
 to, after marching and countermarching nearly the whole 
 night about the streets of the Liberty, we agreed to sepa- 
 rate, each to go to his home, or to some friend's house, 
 so as not to be seen in the streets when the day appeared. 
 — Fearing it might compromise my step-brother Edward' 
 Kennedy, I did not go to his house in New street. I re- 
 collected a worthy man Mr M... who kept limekilns in the 
 Liberty, and who furnished lime to my brother. Reopen- 
 ed his door when I knocked and told him how I did not 
 wish to be seen in the street at so early an hour in the 
 morning. Michael Berney , my steady companion , was with 
 me, and we were shewn up to a garret loft, from which 
 we could get out on the roofs of the neighbouring 
 houses, and thereby have a chance of escaping, if the 
 premises were searched. — We spent all Sunday the 24th 
 of July on this loft; not wishing further to endanger our 
 hospitable host, when it became dark, we quit our re- 
 treat and went along the circular road to a lane off Sack- 
 ville street, to a Mrs Tool's lodgings ; she was a widow, 
 and a county of Wexford woman ; she had her nephew 
 John Sheridan, and his comrade Sawyers, boarding and 
 lodging with her. This good woman readily consented 
 to let Berney and me pass the night in her house. A small 
 
372 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 closet, with a bed belonging to her nephew was given up 
 to us, whilst he and his comrade slept on a mattrass in 
 the outer room. Berney and I lay on the bed inside, in 
 our clothes Between ten and eleven o'clock, Sheriff Cash, 
 at the head of several armed yeomen, came to Mrs Tool's, 
 to know from her, if she had not strangers lodging in 
 her house ; she with great composure answered, you see 
 Mr Sheriff, I have only my nephew and his comrade, both 
 you know work for your honour; pointing at the same 
 time to where they were lying. Sheriff Cash kept a tim- 
 ber yard, and fortunately he knew Mrs Tool, and seemed 
 satisfied that she told him the truth ; for going away, he 
 bid her a very good night, calling her by her name in a 
 friendly manner. — I must say that Berney and I heard 
 the last words of the Sheriff with delight; our situation 
 being so perilous, having no means left us for escape, had 
 a search been made by the Orange yeomen ; we were 
 only armed with the short pocket pistols w^hich I have 
 already described, of musket caliber, four inch barrels. 
 Indeed it is only justice to say that Sheriff Cash was really 
 « gallant » on this occasion ; he left his guards at the 
 door, and did not allow them to enter the « lady's » 
 apartment whilst he was question ing her about the per- 
 sons she lodged, etc. 
 
 Good Mrs Tool went eai-ly in the morning to apprize 
 my brother of our situation ; she returned quickly to tell 
 me, that the timber yard was as usual open, and busi- 
 ness seemingly going on as before, which delighted me. 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 373 
 
 as I feared my brother might be arrested and thrown into 
 prison, on account of his place being so much frequented 
 by the persons now involved in our unlucky attempt. — 
 Berney and I spent monday the 25th of July in our closet, 
 anxiously waiting my brother's arrival. When he came 
 at dusk, we both walked out with him. Michael Berney 
 leaving us to go to his sister Mrs Murphy's whom 
 Mr Kennedy had had the precaution to inform that she 
 might expect her brother that evening. 
 
 As the names of all persons lodging in each house was 
 ordered by the municipal authorities to be pasted up on 
 the outside door, no alternative was left but to remain at /' 
 our dwellings, or be liable to be out-lawed. I chose the 
 former, and on tnesday morning the 26th I had the yard 
 opened, and I endeavoured to assume a business-like air, 
 as if nothing had happened. God only knew my afflicted 
 state, at every inoment expecting to be arrested, and then 
 not hearing anything of what had become of dear Robert J 
 Emmett augmented the sadness of my situation beyond 
 description. — Fortunately in the midst of my perplexi- 
 ties, the truest and most generous of our associates, 
 Mr Phil Long, sent word to me to meet him at Stephens 
 Green, and after we had spoken over the failure and di- 
 saster at Thomas street, he nobly told me, that as long 
 as he had the means, and he was then rich, that the 
 brave men who should have the misfortune to be arrested 
 and committed to prison, should not be abandoned; that 
 the best lawyers should be retained to defend them, etc., 
 
374 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 and he begged me to be the bearer of his intentions on the 
 matter to the respective families when any of their mem- 
 oers had the misfortune to be imprisoned : but his name 
 was not to be mentioned in those transactions. As one 
 could not be too cautious to avoid being committed un- 
 necessarily in those dangerous times, Mr Long arranged 
 with me to meet him every morning at a certain hour at 
 Stephens Green ; he did not like to call on me, lest he 
 might be followed by a spy, and for the same reason, he 
 did not wish me to call on him at his house in Crow 
 street. 
 
 Mr Phil Long thought it would be advisable and politic 
 to give some money to Mrs Mac Cabe, the wife of the un- 
 fortunate man who had been arrested on Sunday morning 
 the 24th at his own door, armed with a blunderbuss, 
 and brought from thence to the castle, where no doubt 
 he had been put to the torture in order to extort from him 
 all he knew respecting our organization. 
 
 I called on Mrs Mac Cabe; her house in Francis stree^ 
 being shut up, she was lodging with a friend in the same 
 street, when I gave her the ten pound note and told her 
 that the gentleman who sent her the money bid me tell 
 her, that neither she nor her husband should ever want, 
 as long as he lived ; the unfortunate woman burst into a 
 flood of tears, and it was some time before she could answer 
 me, apparently conscious that her husband did not merit 
 such kindness. She told me she was not allowed to speak 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 375 
 
 to him, but in the presence of two keepers of the castle; 
 but she thought that even in their presence she could 
 say to him that she had kind friends who promised not 
 to neglect her. I told Mrs Mac Cabe to be careful never 
 to mention any names and I promised to return again 
 to see her. 
 
 Every time Mr Long and I met, we had to communi- 
 cate to each other something sad respecting persons ar- 
 rested. Still we hoped that there would be no informers, 
 as the men in the secret were sober and prudent, and 
 being now put on their guard against the spies which no 
 doubt would be sent amongst them hereafter, there was 
 less to be dreaded on that score ; and it must be said to 
 the honour of all those concerned, that up to the break- 
 ing out at Thomas street, the government spies were 
 completely baffled in the city as well as in the country. 
 As to the arrest of poor Mac Intosh, it could only be at- 
 tributed to his having taken out the lease in his own 
 name of the house in Patrick street, which served as the 
 depot, and where the unfortunate explosion took place on 
 Saturday the 16th of July, and which was the cause of 
 the premature rising, and all the misfortunes which fol- 
 lowed. Thomas Keenan, Mac Intosh's brother-in-law, 
 was arrested at the same time and committed to prison. 
 — Poor Denis Eedmond might have had a chance of es- 
 caping, only for his own imprudence ; indeed his cousin 
 Michael Berney alway feared he would do something 
 
376 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 flighty. When we were walking outside Black pitts, on 
 Saturday the 23'i of July, he discharged his blunderbuss 
 across a hedge where a horse made some noise. He how- 
 ever got safe back to his house on the coal quay, and 
 there instead of endeavouring to hide the pikes in his 
 own premises, he began to throw them over a wall into a 
 court yard belonging to another house ; by this act of 
 folly all was discovered in the morning. Notwithstanding- 
 all this, he escaped to Newry, and was on the point of 
 getting a passage on board a vessel, when he was arres- 
 ted and brought back a prisoner to Dublin. In the various 
 other houses where pikes, and fire-arms had been depo- 
 sited, they were so carefully concealed, that they were 
 never discovered; consequently no one suffered. Had poor 
 Redmond concealed in like manner in his own house the 
 pikes left there, he might be alive and well to this day, 
 for he was not otherwise implicated than by lending his 
 house on the occasion. 
 
 Mr Phil Long hearing of those arrests bid me go at 
 once and retain counsellor Beunet and tell him at the 
 same time to be good enough to point out, or name otl.er 
 law^yers who should be retained immediately, to assist 
 him in defending the unfortunate prisoners. Mr Benuet 
 promised to get every thing possible ready by the time 
 the trials came on. It was now necessary to apprize the 
 poor fellows immured in their dungeons, through their 
 families, that every thing was doing, that could be done 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 377 
 
 for their defence. I being- charg-ed with this commission felt 
 much indeed that I was not at liberty to mention the 
 name of the worthy man who came forward at this awful j 
 moment to render such services. In my mind, Phil Long I 
 was, of all the leaders, the one who was most entitled to | 
 the praise and g-ratitude of the people. Other leaders j 
 might perhaps excell him in the field, but could never ? 
 surpass him in generosity and true patriotism and in his 
 exertions for the independence of Ireland. 
 
 Several days elapsed after the disasters of Thomas 
 
 street, before Robert Emmett came back to his former ^ 
 
 lodgings at Mrs Palmer's outside the canal at Harold's / 
 
 cross. — Both Mr John Patten and Mr Phil Long endea- t 
 
 voured to persuade him of the urgent necessity of his I 
 
 I 
 going at once to France, to which he replied, that it | 
 
 should never be said of him that he had abandoned the | 
 
 brave people implicated through his means. He wished 
 
 much however that some fit person was sent immediately 
 
 to Paris, to communicate to the french government 
 
 through his brother, the situation of things in Ireland. 
 
 The second day after dear Robert Emmett returned 
 
 from the mountains, I had my last melancholy interview j 
 
 I 
 with him. He seemed much afi'ected and cast down; he | 
 
 however began at once to explain to me the causes which j 
 
 prevented him from coming to join me at the coal quay | 
 
 on Saturday night the 23'' of July, as had been agreed 
 
 upon between us. « The trust-worthy Ned Condon » he 
 
378 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 said « was coraiug with six hackney coaches to the depot; 
 « walking beside the first coach, an oflS.cer rode up to 
 « him and asked hira wliere he was going with so many 
 « coaches. Ned Condon replied « Sir, I am hard of hear- 
 « ing » getting at the same time nearer to him. The 
 « officer then repeated the question in a menacing tone ; 
 « on which Condon discharged his pistol at him. The 
 « coachmen witnessing this act, escaped with their coa- 
 « ches, and Condon seeing them drive oflF, returned to 
 « tell me what had happened to him. I then decided, that 
 « the men who were to be conveyed in the coaches, should 
 « go on foot to the castle, and whilst preparing for this 
 « march, a false alarm was given that troops were sur- 
 « rounding the depot, and in consequence our men there 
 « began to rush out, too hurriedly no doubt, to fight in 
 « the open street, and by the time they got to Thomas 
 <f street, disorder and confusion got amongst them. You 
 « heard of course what occurred there, after which an 
 « attack on the castle could not be thought of, conse- 
 « quently the signal rockets were not made use of. » 
 
 I could see plainly how he was overwhelmed with sor- 
 row whilst speaking on this sad subject. He thought the 
 person to be sent to Paris should be one of those who had 
 a perfect knowledge of the organization, and the vast 
 \ preparations which had been so successfully carried on 
 j until the fatal explosion took place at the Patrick street 
 depot. « As you are » he added, « fully in possession of 
 « all the circumstances, it will be agreeably felt, when it 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 379 
 
 « is known that you are the messenger to my brother. » 
 I could only promise that I should do my utmost to exe- ^ 
 cute the commission intrusted to my care. On which I j 
 took my last farewell of this magnanimous young man, | 
 who during this interview never uttered a word of blame >, 
 against any of those leaders who were assembled at 1 
 Mr John Hevey's and whose presence with him might \ 
 have preserved discipline and prevented the disasters and 
 false alarm which produced such bad effects on the men 
 in Thames street. One of these leaders at least was bla- 
 meable ; William Dowdall should have come at once to 
 Robert Emmett's assistance at this critical moment, he 
 being his confident, and inmate all the time they were at 
 Butterfield lane. He could have no excuse to offer for his 
 conduct on this occasion. I cani;iot give any opinion as to 
 the others w'ho were at Mr Hevey's, not knowing their 
 engagements with Mr Emmett, but their absence was a 
 cruel loss, for amongst them were the bravest of the brave 
 who would have made the men observe order in their 
 march to the castle, which would have been surprized 
 and taken ; the government being then completely off its 
 guard ; once in possession of it, the citizens « en masse » 
 would have flocked to the standard of independence hois- 
 ted on this monument, the emblem of Ireland's degrada- 
 tion for centuries, and the eminent statesmen alluded to 
 in Robert Emmett's speech, would have been hastening i 
 to the castle; there to take their seat in the provisional 
 government. A few hours would have sufficed to dislodge 
 
380 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 the english garrison of Dublin, -^"hich mustered weaker 
 than at any other time, and by threatening- to set fire to 
 those quarters where resistance was made, the troops de- 
 fending- them would have been soon forced to capitulate. 
 Not for centuries had Ireland had so favourable an oppor- 
 tunity of getting rid of the cruel english yoke. Every 
 one in the country disaffected or discontented, except the 
 contemptible place-hunters and the vile Orangemen ; 
 France the most powerful military nation in the world, 
 then at war with England, anxiously waiting for an oc- 
 casion to attack her in her weak and mosl vulnerable part 
 Ireland — Under all these considerations, was it to be 
 wondered at, that the men of 1798, as well as the Irish 
 1 patriots in general, thought it both wise and prudent to 
 i be prepared with arms and ammunition for those events 
 1 hourly expected, the landing of a french army on the 
 coast of Ireland? — Notwithstanding all this, there are 
 many w^ho think it would be ridiculous for the irish un- 
 der any contingency to be looking for their indepen- 
 dence. To ?uch lukewarm patriots I would say, it would 
 be more ridiculous and absurd to think, that the inhabi- 
 tants of Ireland will ever cease declaring that they have 
 a right to govern themselves, and that they will ever be 
 ready to embrace any favourable occasion to get rid of 
 their task masters ; and more, that the memory of the 
 ever-to-be-lamented Robert Emmett will never cease to 
 be revered, down to the latest posterity, and his plans 
 will ever be considered and consulted by all those wish- 
 ing for the independence of poor Ireland. 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 381 
 
 I was daily waiting in the most cruel anxiety to hear 
 of some means of getting to France, thinking my pre- 
 sence at Paris with Thomas Addis Emmett might he of 
 use in obtaining relief from the french government, when 
 one evening, the good Phil Long sent his nephew, a 
 young lad, Davie Fitzgerald to tell me that an American 
 vessel would he sailing from Dublin direct to Bordeaux 
 in two or three days at furthest; he gave me at the same 
 time forty pounds, to pay the preparatory expences; tho 
 remainder of one hundred pounds, the sum considered 
 absolutely necessary for the journey, I v>as to receive 
 later. Next day I met captain O'Connor by appointment. 
 It was this worthy country man who arranged with the 
 yankee captain to take me as a passenger on board his 
 vessel, where I was to act in the capacity of steward, 
 Mr O'Connor's own vessel was lying also in the custom 
 house dock at the time. He traded between New York (his 
 home) and Dublin : he was originally from "Wexford, 
 but now a citizen of the United States. The doctor of his 
 vessel, a nice young man of the name of Horner, from 
 the county of Wicklow, was with him. 
 
 Captain O'Connor advised me to go at once and buy my 
 sailor's dress and a mattrass. He sent doctor Horner 
 with me to make purchases, whilst he went to endea- 
 vour to procure for me a passport. We then separated. 
 Horner and I after buying my jacket, trowsors, bedding 
 etc., and paying for those articles which were to be sent 
 in the evening to ca[)tain O'Connor's vessel, were return- 
 
382 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 ing, when we met captain O'Connor coming in haste to 
 look for us. He said, « I have just quit the yankee cap- 
 « tain, who told me, as the wind had changed and be- 
 « come favourable, he was determined to sail immedia- 
 « tely ; you must therefore come at once to my vessel, 
 « there is no time to be lost. » — On which doctor Hor- 
 ner and I went to High street to get guineas for my bank 
 notes, at a watch maker's, where I was known, having 
 sometimes brought customers to the house. I asked the 
 young man in the shop, if he could get me the gold. He 
 replied, no, but said when his brother came back he could 
 give me the guineas I wanted. — « But if you are in a 
 « hurry and cannot wait till my brother returns, I will 
 « pick the lock of his desk. » No sooner was this said, 
 then it was done. He no doubt saw I was in a « hurry ». 
 1 paid him at the rate of two shillings and six pence for 
 each guinea, and when I got them, doctor Horner and I 
 returned quickly to the vessel, where captain O'Connor 
 was anxiously waiting for us. This excellent man, to 
 whom I could never be grateful enough for his exertions 
 to aid me at this critical moment, told me he had succee- 
 ded in persuading one of his sailors to sell me his pass- 
 port for 20 dollars. This man was the only one of his 
 crew whose size and age corresponded with mine; his 
 name was Ephraim Brownall, from the state of Missis- 
 sipi. 
 
 I asked captain O'Connor what I should have to pay 
 for my passage. He replied, « I dont like to have the ap- 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 383 
 
 « pearance of making- a bargain with the fellow; he 
 
 « might refuse at once to take you, but when you are 
 
 a out at sea to nig-ht, pay him whatever he demands. You 
 
 u know he can render you great service, which I am 
 
 « confident he will on my account; he knows nothing 
 
 « about your mission, and of course you will have no 
 
 « conversation with him on that subject. » 
 
 It was getting late, the yankee vessel was preparing 
 to be off, the anchor was raised, and as yet none of the 
 articles which doctor Horner and I had purchased, were 
 sent; to remedy this neglect of the slop merchant, as 
 there was no time to be lost, the excellent captain O'Con- 
 nor gave me his own jacket and trowsers, neck hand- 
 kerchief, etc., and every thing necessary, all fitting me 
 tolerably well. "When attired in my sailor's dress, he ac- 
 companied me on board the American vessel and introdu- 
 ced me to the captain. He then took leave of me, and in 
 an instant we sailed out of the custom house dock. I per- 
 ceived my dear brother on the quay : we could only take 
 our last farewell with salutes of the hands. 
 
 My sorrow at this moment, quitting all that was dear 
 to me, was great indeed. How much more would it not 
 have been, but for the hope I entertained of soon coming 
 back, and making part of an army destined to render my 
 beloved country happy and independent : — but alas ! 
 poor Ireland was doomed to be again disappointed. The 
 
384 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 plans of the great captain then at the head of the french 
 government were deranged and frustrated, by the povrer- 
 ful effect of the english subsidies lavished in such pro- 
 fusion on ttie mercenary soldiers and governments of the 
 continent. 
 
 In counting my money I found I had still thirty nine 
 pounds and some shillings, besides three french pieces 
 in silver of five shillings value each ; these miss Biddy 
 Palmer gave me the night before, when taking leave of 
 her and her respected father. 
 
 After I had reckoned my money, I went down to the 
 captain's cabin, and told him I wished to pay him for 
 my passage, and asked the amount. « Well, » he replied 
 « it is only about nineteen guineas and a half. « On 
 which, I handed him that sum. He seemed in great good 
 humour and high spirits; he shewed me his small provi- 
 sion stores, telling me, as steward of the vessel I ought 
 to know about all these matters. He assured me that if 
 the wind continued as it was then, we should be in Bor- 
 deaux in less than four days; this indeed was cheering 
 for me to hear, in my melancholy situation. The mate of 
 the ship was a very nice young man, and I was glad to 
 see his hair cut short like my own; but his face being- 
 sunburnt, he had the appearance of a sailor who bad 
 seen service, whilst I had to Tollow captain O'Connor's 
 advice, and make up for my want of c browning » ; be- 
 fore I left his ship, he made me rub my hands on the 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 377 
 
 deck, and then my face several times, so that with not 
 washing- it, I soon got the weather beaten hue. The crew 
 of the vessel was composed of the captain, a cabin boy, 
 the mate and six sailors ; rather few for a long- voyage. 
 Three of the sailors had been lately inoculated, and the 
 pock appeared on their faces as if it were the natural 
 small pox which they had. Our first day passed on very 
 cheerfully, as we were making five or six knots an hour, 
 but early in the morning of the second day, we were 
 hailed by an english cruizer. We had to reef our sail 
 and lie to, whilst an officer from this cruizer came to 
 question our captain and inspect his little ship. Fortun- 
 ately the english ship was returning from some distant 
 voyage, and consequently had no knowledge of what had 
 taken place recently at Dublin. The yankee captain how- 
 ever seemed much alarmed — no doubt on my account, 
 for he could have nothing to dread for himself or his crew; 
 still he acted with great circumspection and ordered the 
 three sailors who had the pretended small pox to go to 
 their beds or hammocks, and there to remain, feigning 
 to be suffering, till the inspection finished. Tne english 
 officer from the cruizer passing through the different 
 parts of the vessel, remarked those men in the small pox, 
 and asked the yankee captain, how he could have thought 
 of sailing with such a crew. To which he replied, that a 
 doctor wdiom he consulted, told him, that his men would 
 have a better chance of recovering at sea, than in remain- 
 ing longer in the custom house docks at Dublin, where 
 
 25 
 
378 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 contagion of some kind seemed to reign at this moment; 
 besides, the climate of Lisbon, to which port he was 
 bound, would be more favourable for that disease. He 
 then asked the english officer to have the goodness to let 
 the doctor of his ship come and visit his sick sailors. The 
 officer answered drily, that their doctor had other things 
 to mind than waiting on Americans. — He being invited 
 to accept a glass of good Dublin porter, and I beckoned 
 to bring a bottle, he declined, in an equally ungracious 
 manner; evidently he was in a hurry to get away from j 
 a vessel where sickness so prevailed. To my great delight, 
 I soon saw him step into his boat to regain his ship, for 
 certainly I was far from being at my ease whilst he re- 
 mained in our vessel. 
 
 After his departure, I could not help expressing my 
 surprise to the yankee captain, that he should wish the 
 english doctor to come and visit his sailors, as it would 
 then be soon discovered they were not sick, only inocu- 
 lated — « "Well » he said, « it was because I made that 
 « request, which I knew would not be complied with, 
 « that the officer placed confidence in me and believed 
 « every thing I told him, to be true. « Of course after 
 this I was satisfied, 'and began to think that he had more 
 cleverness than I suspected at first. I asked him if he 
 thought we should be often visited before we arrived ; he 
 said, that as long as we were sailing in the direct line to 
 Lisbon, he did not mind, but once quitting that direction 
 to get to the mouth of the river Gironde, we might expect 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 379 
 
 to be visited again by euglish cruizers, and certainly on 
 the third day we could perceive several, but they were a 
 good distance off, and fortunately, we got on tolerably 
 well all that day and night; the next morning early, the 
 fourth da}', the captain took a french pilot on board his 
 vessel to steer lier up the river to Bordeaux. The wind 
 failing, the day w^as far advanced before we reached the 
 station where the french squadron lay at anchor, guard- 
 ing the month of the river. Here our yankee captain was 
 signaled to go on board the commodore's frigate. He 
 went there in haste, without letting me know he was 
 going, which displeased me much, for I should have ac- 
 companied him and put myself at once at the disposition 
 of "Ihe french officer in command there, whom I should 
 have prayed, as a favour, to have me sent in custody to 
 Bordeaux, and from thence to Paris, where Mr Thomas 
 Addis Emmett would explain to the french government 
 the nature of my mission. — I w-as grievously disappoint- 
 ed and annoyed when I saw the captain return with a 
 Serjeant and eight marine soldiers in his little boat ; 
 they had come to guard the vessel during the night, and 
 to prevent any communication with the shore, as the 
 vessel Avas not allowed to proceed further. The captain 
 returning on board, saw I was not satisfied, because he 
 had not mentioned to the french commodore any thing 
 about me. He said, « how could I have thought that an 
 « American ship would have been prevented sailing up 
 « the river to Bordeaux? It is a damned new regulation, 
 
I 
 
 380 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 « which says that vessels coming- from a country in war 
 II with France wont be admitted. But never mind, dont 
 « be uneasy ; 1 shall sail in the morning- for Lisbon, and 
 « it being a neutral port, clearing out there, and return- 
 « ing here immediately, we will then land at Bordeaux 
 « without any hinderance. » — To all this I made no 
 reply ; I was vexed, and began to think very badly of 
 him, for had he mentioned to the french commodore, as 
 he should have done, that he had a pas.-enger on board 
 who wished to land at Bordeaux, I should have been 
 brought forthwith to the french frigate to be examined. 
 Fortunately for me, he was allowed to pass the night at 
 anchor in the bay, otherwise I sliould have run the risk 
 of being taken by the english cruizers, had he been or- 
 dered to sail away -without stopping. I knew the guard 
 of marine soldiers would return to their ship in the 
 morning, and I resolved to go with them at the risk of 
 my life. The cabin boy understanding a little french, 
 came to tell me that the french pilot promised to land me 
 safely next night on the french coast, and that I had no 
 occasion to try any other means. I gave no answer to 
 this proposal, determined to act on my own plan in the 
 morning. As soon as it was day, I dressed; I put on my 
 black coat, black pantaloons, a white waistcoat and Hes- 
 sian boots. I then began to walk up and down the deck, 
 in hopes that I might attract the notice of the guard 
 ships, but a kind of mist or fog prevailed, which no doubt 
 prevented them seeing me for some time. However the 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 381 
 
 fog- soon cleared np, and the yankee vessel was signaled 
 to be off. Her anchor was raised, and she under weigh, 
 when to my great joy, I saw the boat coming from the 
 French squadron to take back the marine soldiers to their 
 ship. I made a small bundle of good captain O'Connor's 
 jacket and trowsers, the only luggage I possessed, and 
 the moment I saw the last of those soldiers and the Ser- 
 jeant who commanded them, get into the boat, I threw 
 my bundle down into it: then taking hold of a rope, I 
 leapt after it, not liking to go the regular way by the 
 ladder, fearing the brute of a captain might be capable 
 of stopping me. I was so disgusted, that I left the vessel 
 without speaking to him, or even to the mate whom I 
 had rather thought well of. When I got into the boat, 
 looking back to the deck, I could perceive that the french 
 pilot was holding some conversation with the soldiers, 
 and one of them had the audacity to take hold of me, and 
 as I thought, wanted to force me back to the vessel. — 
 However 1 soon loosened his hand from my collar, and 
 threw him on his back, when I went and placed myself 
 beside the serjeant, making signs to him, the best way 
 I could, that I was under his care 'till we reached the 
 ■ commodore's vessel. - Seeing a person in coloured clo- 
 thes in the boat with the soldiers coming from the Ame- 
 rican ship, made the otBcers of the french squadron cu- 
 rious to see what kind of being he was ; I could perceive 
 their telescopes all pointed to the boat, as we approached 
 the frigate : but I was soon relieved from their curiosity. 
 
382 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 The officer in command met me on the stairs, took me by 
 the hand, conducted me to his cabin, and made me sit 
 do^Yn beside him. 
 
 When his interpreter came, I explained briefly the 
 object of my mission to Paris, told him it was immaterial 
 to me how I was sent, provided I went there quickly ; he 
 promised me I should be sent off to Bordeaux immedia- 
 tely, and that once there, I should be at the disposition 
 of the marine prefect, who he was sure would comply 
 with my request, and have me sent without delay to Pa- 
 ris. He then asked me some questions about the yankee 
 captain, and the sum I paid him for my passage. I had 
 scarcely time to answer, when I saw the fellow ushered 
 into the cabin, where we were sitting. He was not asked 
 to sit down, but received instantly a severe reprimand 
 from the commander, in the following terms : « You told 
 « me nothing about this gentleman yesterday, though 
 « you knew he wanted to go in haste to Bordeaux. I dont 
 « say you are in the pay of England, but j^our conduct 
 (f on this occasion shews, you are not friendly to France. 
 « Your God is traffic, you intended to make nineteen 
 « guineas and a half more of your passenger, before you 
 « put him at liberty. You know well that the fare from 
 « Dublin to Bordeaux, is only five pounds at most; there- 
 « fore, refund the balance at once. » On which the poor 
 yankee laid the nineteen g'uineas and a half on the table. 
 The commander bid him keep five, and hand the remain- 
 der to me. Then ensued a scene I can never forget. I 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 383 
 
 thought that if I took back this money, it would be acting 
 unhandsomely towards a man, who three days previous, 
 by his manoeuvring- with his pretended sick sailors, when 
 we were boarded by the english cruizer, had probably 
 saved my life. I felt overcome with emotion in mentioning 
 the circumstances to the french commander, and I told 
 him, at the same time, that I could not on any account 
 think of taking back the money. « That is your own af- 
 fair, » he replied, I thought, rather dryly ; he then pointed 
 to the yankee captain to take up his money, when he dis- 
 missed him. The poor fellow came wuth tears in his eyes 
 to bid me farewell; so we parted this time better friends 
 than when I was leaving his vessel an hour before, 
 
 A nice decked boat was getting ready to take me up to 
 Bordeaux as soon as the crew should have breakfasted; I 
 took a wa^von the deck, waiting the breakfast hour, and 
 there I met the interpreter. I was anxious to know from 
 him, if I had displeased thecommodore bynot taking back, 
 from the yankee captain, the money he over-charged for 
 my passage. « On the contrary, » he said, « the whole 
 « transaction did you great honour : it shewed you were 
 « disinterested, and forgiving at the same time; » and 
 not having mentioned any thir.g about the conduct of the 
 marine soldiers, the serjeant who commanded them bid 
 him thank me for it, as he would have been blamed, had 
 I made complaint against the soldier who wanted to force 
 me back to the vessel. 
 
 I was satisfied that all I wished to have explained 
 
384 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 would be well-translated by the sailor interpreter, who 
 was an irishman, of the name of Brown, from Bagg"ot 
 street, Dublin. He spoke french fluently; having been 
 several years in the service. — I thought it augured well 
 to meet a countryman under such circumstances; and 
 though Brown was only a simple sailor, he knew a great 
 deal then about the state of France. « You must know » 
 he said to me, « it is no more a Republic, and that is the 
 « reason, when you mentioned a merchant, I translated 
 « negociant en grand. » He told me that the officers were 
 very kind to him; and he seemed quite contented with 
 his situation. I left him my jacket and trowsers, and I 
 gave him one of the six livres pieces I got from miss Biddy 
 Palmer,- previous to my leaving Dublin. The commodore 
 coming to invite rae down to breakfast, I took my leave 
 of poor Brown and followed the oflicer who i^on placed 
 me beside him at the breakfast table, which was most 
 splendidly^served with all kinds of viands, fruits, etc., 
 every thing the season could afford. — It was the first 
 french repast I had seen, and I cannot forget the favour- 
 able impression it made on me respecting the french living 
 and manners. We were eight at table; six officers were 
 invited; some of them were from the two war brigs at 
 anchor beside the frigate. 1 was agreeably surprised 
 when the commander began to speak to rae in english, 
 and I could not help saying, that he had no need of an 
 interpreter. « Oh! you flatter me; I am quite at a loss 
 « sometimes for words; besides, it is a good lesson for me 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 385 
 
 to hear your countryman Brown translating into en- 
 
 g-lish what I tell him in french. I have great confidence 
 
 ;( in him; he is well-hehaved, and much liked on board 
 
 « this vessel. » — I was very glad to hear this good ac- 
 
 ount of Brown. 
 
 The commodore told me, he had been a prisoner of war 
 in England, and he seemed well versed in politics, and 
 knew a great deal about the history of english states- 
 men, particularly that of Fox, Sheridan and Pitt, I spent 
 a most agreeable hour at this breakfast table, and after 
 the coffee and liqueurs were served, the commodore con- 
 ducted me to the little vessel which was ready to sail for 
 Bordeaux; he introduced me to the officer who had the 
 command of it, and then took his leave of me, in an affec- 
 tionate manner, as if we had been old friends. The wind 
 being favourable, the little vessel was under full sail and 
 steered off. In a very short time we lost sight of the squa- 
 dron. However we had to pass the night on the river, and 
 only reached Bordeaux in the morning at half past eight 
 o'clock, when the officer conducted me in a coach to the 
 prison. There I got a messenger and sent a note by him 
 to Mr Hugh Wilson the intimate friend of the messieurs 
 Emmett, praying him to come and see me immediately. 
 Mr Wilson being engaged in business in a mercantile 
 house and very busy at the time, sent me his great friend 
 and fellow prisoner in Dublin, Mr Thomas Markey, by 
 whom he wrote in answer to my note, to say, that he 
 could not be with me before two o'clock, but that I might 
 
386 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 place every confidence in his friend Markey, who would 
 do every thing- for me till he could come himself. After 
 I read Mr Wilson's answer to me, Mr Markey and I shook 
 hands most cordially; but he was extremely displeased 
 to see in my room a county of Cork man of the name of 
 O'Finn who resided in Bordeaux, and said at once : 
 " O'Finn you are very wrong to intrude yourself on this 
 « gentleman to whom you have no Introduction; you 
 « may see he has no want of your services. » On w^hich 
 O'Finn went away. ISIarkev^ was anxious to know what 
 O'Finn had been telling me, to w'hich I readily replied, 
 « he had only been a few minutes with me, that he told 
 « me he was on the quay wdien I landed, and seeing that 
 « I had no luggage he came to offer me his services, that 
 « he would send me shirts and eve^-y thing else I stood 
 « in need of; remarking at the same time, he was sure 
 « they would fit me, as we were about the same size.v> 
 He was very well dressed in black, with crape on his 
 hat. And he observed to me, that he was the only irish- 
 man at Bordeaux who had had the spirit to go in mourn- 
 ing for general Napper Tandy, who died a short time 
 before in that town. — Markey merely remarked that 
 O'Finn should not have boasted of his intimacy with poor 
 Tandy, the Irish refugees not regarding him (O'Finn) as 
 one of themselves ; for he had not left Ireland on account 
 of politics. 
 
 Mr Markey left me, after ordering the jailer to get me 
 some breakfast. He soon returned to tell me, that Mr Hugh 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 387 
 
 Jid Wilson had been to wait on the commissary general of 
 k police, M. Berriere, who was a great friend to the irish 
 patriots, to beg- of him to have me sent off forthwith to 
 Paris. This gentleman had a large dinner party at his 
 villa, or country house, just near the town, and to which 
 ; several irish were invited. He told Mr Wilson, he would 
 s send his carriage for me to the prison at three o'clock to 
 bring me out to dinner. Both Markey and Wilson were 
 with me in the prison when the order and the carriage 
 came to the door. They availed themselves of the carriage 
 and accompanied me to the commissary general's house 
 where I met pther worthy irish patriots, such as Mr Pat 
 Mac Cann, Hugh Kellegher, j^oung Hampden Evans, etc. 
 I spent a delightful day with them at the commissary 
 general's villa. As this gentleman only invited me out to 
 dinner, he wrote to the maritime prefect to know if I 
 should be sent back to prison. He got an answer to his 
 letter whilst we were still at table, the purport of which 
 was, that I was not to be sent back, that I was at his. 
 the commissary's, disposition, who he hoped would have 
 me sent to Paris without delay, as he had reported to the 
 government all the circumstances concerning me, from 
 the time I was received on board the french squadron at 
 the mouth of the river. — Mr Mac Carm had a room pre- 
 pared for me at his house on the quay, where I slept in 
 a clean bed, for the first time since I left Dublin. 
 
 I intended to setoff in tlie morning for Paris, but young 
 Evans, who was to accompany me, had friends engaged 
 
388 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 for dinner on that day Saturday. So I liad to pass another 
 cheerful day with the true irish patriots, Hugh Wilson, 
 Thomas Markey, etc. 
 
 Next morning sunday, I started for Paris. The coach 
 in which I went, set out from the opposite side of the 
 river. — Hampden Evans'guestsof the day before, crossed 
 the river, and v/e breakfasted together and they saw us 
 into tlie coach and bade us farewell. I might have travel- 
 led at the exporce of the government, but it was consi- 
 dered mere respectable for me to pa}^ my own place and 
 expences, than for government to be answerable for them. 
 
 Mr Wilson told me that he wrote to Mr Thomas Addis 
 Eramett the morning I landed in Bordeaux, and that he 
 should now write to him again, to let him know the day 
 and hour I should arrive in Paris. Mr Evans speaking 
 frcnch well, made the journey very pleasant; otherwise it 
 might have been dull enough to be shutupfor four nights 
 and five days in a coach before we reached Paris. It would 
 have been particularly so to me, who thought every mi- 
 nute an hour till my mission was terminated, thinking 
 then that assist 'nee would be obtained from the french 
 government by Mr Emmett. 
 
 We arrived at the coach-office rue Montmartre at three 
 o'clock p. m. where we met doctor Mac Neven and adju- 
 tant general Dalton; this officer belonged to the staff of 
 
 the minister of war general Berthier, who sent him to 
 receive me at the diligence office. His coach being ready. 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 389 
 
 he made the conductor of the diligence get into it, witli 
 himself, doctor Mac Nevan and me. Hampden Evans re- 
 mained to look after his lug-gage, and as I had none, 
 general Dalton ordered his coachman to drive to the grand 
 judge Regnier's hotel, place Vendome, in whose study 
 Mr Thomas Addis Emmett was waiting our arrival. On 
 being asked by the minister if he knew me, Mr Emmett 
 replied, lie had never seen me before. The grand judge 
 then handed to him a paper containing the impression of 
 the seal-ring which I had been the bearer of from his 
 brother Robert Emmett, and which the commodore com- 
 manding the squadron at the mouth of the river at Bor- 
 deaux thought proper to take from me, and have forwar- 
 ded to his government, after I had written my name on 
 the back of the paper on which the impression was made. 
 — As soon as Mr Emmett had compared this impression 
 with his own seal-ring, he crossed the room, took me in 
 his arms and embraced me with affection. The grand judge 
 witnessing this, seemed quite satisfied. He then told 
 Mr Emmett that the first consul, required from him, as 
 soon as possible, a detailed report on the present state of 
 Ireland, and that it would be well if this document were 
 I furnished next morning early. A « carte de surete » being 
 I then handed to me, we all retired from the grand judge's 
 hotel. I, a « freeman, » going with Mr Emmett to his lod- 
 gings rue du Cherche-Midi, where he presented me to his 
 lady and children. We then went and hired a small cheap 
 room for me, petite rue du Bac, C[uite near his house. 
 
390 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 Doctor Mac Neven was to dine with us, and Avhilst wait 
 iiig- for dinner, Mr Emmett had the kindness to let me 
 make use of his dressing- room, of which I stood in the 
 greatest need. Immediately after dinner we three retired 
 to Mr Emmett's study, to commence the report required 
 by the first consul : doctor Mac Nevan writing with great 
 facility, and I explaining and answering the best way I 
 could, all their queries about men and things in Ireland. 
 A rough-draft was soon drawn up, — Mr Emmett having 
 been lately chosen by the irish refugees in France to re- 
 present them with the first consul, he was the more 
 anxious to have this document carefully made out, and 
 as it was to be copied in the morning we retired each to 
 bed late at night. 
 
 And now this account of my mission being ended, I 
 must say before concluding this chapter, that I shall ever 
 feel proud of the part I took w'ith the lamented Robert 
 Emmett. — I have often asked myself, how could I have 
 acted otherwise, seeing all his views and plans for the 
 independence of my country so much superior to any 
 thing ever imagined before on the subject? — They were 
 only frustrated by accident and the explosion of a depot, 
 and as I have always said, whenever irishmen think of 
 obtaining freedom, Robert Emmett's plans will be their 
 best guide. First, to take the capital, and then the pro- 
 vinces will burst out and raise the same standard imme- 
 diately. 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES RYRNE 391 
 
 The consciousness that I bad executed to the best of 
 my abilities every thing- I undertook to perform, and the 
 hope that I should soon be returning- to my unfortunate 
 country served to cheer my spirits; otherwise I should 
 have been sad indeed. 
 
 END OF VOL. 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 THE FIRST VOLUME 
 
 To THE READER ^ 
 
 CuAPTEn I. . . 
 
 • • 
 
 " 71 
 
 — Ill 
 
 IV. 
 
 V. 
 
 VI. 
 
 VII. 
 
 VIII. 
 
 85 
 
 145 
 
 200 
 
 249 
 
 286 
 321 
 
 13,21S — AbLevillp, imji, K.- Hi.usse. 
 
MEMOIRS 
 
 MILES BYRNE 
 
13, SIS— ABBEVILLE. PULNTINi-, R. HOUSSE 
 
MEMOIRS 
 
 MILES BYRNE 
 
 CHEF DE r.ATAILLON IN TFIE SERVICE OF FRANCE 
 oriirer of the l.cg;ioii of lionoiir, Knight of Saint-EiOiiis, etc. 
 
 EDITED BY III S ^YIDO\Y 
 
 VOL. II 
 
 PARIS 
 
 G U S T A V E B S S A N G E E T C" 
 
 ~a, QUAI VOLTAinii 
 
 NEW-YORK 
 
 iO. WALTER STUIiUT 
 
 1863 
 
INTRODUCTORY NOTICE 
 
 PREVIOUS TO GIVING MY NOTES TO COLONEL NEILL 
 
 When I returned with the 56th regiment in 1835 to 
 keep g-arrison at Paris, after an absence of nearly seven 
 years, I met with the kindest attention from my friends 
 there, and particularly so from colonel O'ISeill. — He 
 told me he was then occupied collecting materials to 
 write the history of the irish brigades in the french ser- 
 vice, under the monarchy of the Bourbons down to 1792, 
 and that he intended also to wTito the history of the irish 
 legion under the government of the Consulate and the 
 Empire; and as I had served in this legion from its for- 
 mation in 1803, till it was disbanded in September 1815, 
 he hoi)ed I would assist him and write out notes on the 
 services and campaigns of the legion, etc. I told him to 
 explain in writing what he w^anted me to do. The fol- 
 lowing is the letter I received from him on the subject. 
 ,. ■■ 1 
 
II IMRODUCTORY NOTICE 
 
 TRANSLATION FROM THE FRENCH OF A LETTER FROM 
 COLONEL O'nEILL TO MILES BYRNE, WRITTEN IN 
 1837, AT PARIS. 
 
 « My dear commandant, 
 
 « Having been engaged for some years past in collect- 
 ing materials for a biographical history of the irish, who 
 have in any way distinguished themselves in foreign 
 countries, and as that work ought to be preceded by an 
 historical sketch concerning the regiments of the old irish 
 brigade, and of the irish legion whose conduct has been 
 so brilliant at Astovga, Antwerp, and other fields, where 
 it was called into action, I apply to you to aid me to ful- 
 fil my task, informing me : 
 
 « Whatwerethemotives generally which led the united 
 irish to take up arms on the landing of general Humbert 
 in Ireland ; what was the epoch of the formation of the 
 irish legion in the service of France, as well as the diffe- 
 rent circumstances connected with that formation ; 
 
 The number of campaigns it made ; 
 
 The battles, combats, affairs of advance posts, skir- 
 mishes, and sieges where it was engaged; 
 
 « The names of the officers, irish by birth or descent, 
 who were in the legion, and of those who distinguished 
 themselves by actions worthy of record ; 
 
INTRODUCTORY NOTICE III 
 
 « The date of the fusion of the leg-ion into that of the 
 3fJ foreign regiment, and that of its being disbanded. 
 
 « I beg you ^vill also have the kindness to add to this 
 information, any reflexions or observations that may 
 make the position and prospects of the irish officers in the 
 service of France known, and shew how much they have 
 suffered by the various changes of government which 
 have taken place in this country, from the elevation of 
 Napoleon to the imperial throne, down to the present 
 day. 
 
 « In complying wdth my request, you will infinitely 
 oblige, my dear commandant, him who has the honour 
 to be your affectionate friend and very humble servant. 
 
 « C. o'nEIL. I) 
 
NOTES 
 
 OF AN IRISH EXILE 
 
 OF 1798 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 Observations on general Heche's expedition to Ireland in december 1796, and 
 on general Humbert's expedition in august 1798, with some reflections on 
 their failure. The cruel state of the country after general Humbert's ca- 
 pitulation to lord Cornwallis ; the had effects of the union Avith England 
 on the public spirit of the Irish patriots in 1800 greatly increased by the 
 peace made between the french and englisli governments at Amiens in 
 1802. - The hostilities however, and the declaration of war proclaimed 
 by those two nations against each other in march 1803, soon rouse the 
 prostrate Irish from their desponding situation and make them hope in- 
 dependence would be obtained ere this war terminated. —Robert Em- 
 mett returning from the continent to DubUn rejoiced to witness this 
 cheering change for llie better amongst all classes of the Irish patriots, 
 and after having interviews with many distinguished chiefs and leaders 
 of those who had escaped through the disasters of the insurrection, he 
 agrees with them that a safe mode of organization should commence 
 forthwith throughout Ireland, to be ready to take part with the french 
 aid that could not fail to be obtained from the hrst consul to shake off the 
 english yoke; as to himself, he determines to begin the preparations 
 necessary to get possession of the castle and city of Dublin which he 
 considered as the surest way to cause a general rising in Ireland, and to 
 accomplish this, he resolves to spend the last shilling of his fortune. — 
 
b MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 Decree of the first cousul for the formation of an irish legion in the 
 service of France. — Reunion of the irish olTicers at Morlaix under the 
 command of adjutant general Mac Sheehy charged witli the organization 
 of the legion. — The legion ordered to Quimper and froifl thence to Car- 
 haix, where it was when the empire was proclaimed ; Captains Corhet 
 and Sweeny's dispute and duel on the occasion. — The legion ordered to 
 Brest and reviewed there by marshal Augereau, and marched hack 
 to Carhaix, and afterwards to Lesneven where the command is taken 
 from adjutant general Mac Sheehy. 
 
 The irish patriots disappointed by general Hoche not 
 landing in december 1796 as they expected, were driven 
 into partial insurrection by the persecution of the english 
 government, which was irritated at their attempt to 
 throw off its yoke and at their calling in the aid of 
 France. 
 
 The general rising that was intended in 1798, after the 
 system of the united irishmen had been organized, failed 
 in consequence of lord Edward Fitzgerald and several 
 other leading men being betrayed and arrested. However, 
 three or four counties made great efforts ; viz : Kildare, 
 "Wicklow, Carlow and Wexford. The latter county alone 
 occupied the english forces and was successful io many 
 engagements. Had general Humbert landed with his 
 eleven hundred men in the month of June 1798 whilst the 
 people of "Wexford were in full force, instead of august 
 1798, when they were dispersed and discouraged, every 
 county in Ireland would have taken up arms, as they 
 only wanted a rallying point, and their independence 
 would have been immediately proclaimed, and conse- 
 quently, every thing like an english faction, or vestige 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 7 
 
 of government would have been obliged to surrender. 
 Though general Humbert arrived too late and only 
 when the spirits of the Irish patriots were much broken, 
 fcitill as he advanced into the country, he found the people 
 every where ready to join him — but they were unarmed, 
 and he had not brought the arms that were promised. 
 He capitulated to lord Cornwallis who was at the head of 
 a force of more than thirty thousand men, leaving the 
 unfortunate Irish to their fate, who were butchered by 
 the soldiery for several days throughout the country. — 
 
 In 1803 as soon as hostilities commenced between France 
 and England, after the short peace of Amiens, the pa- 
 triotic Irish who wished for the independence of their 
 country, began to hope for assistance from France, as 
 general Buonaparte, on whose aid they could reckon, 
 was at the head of the government as First Consul. 
 
 Many of those exiled Irish were at this time in diffe- 
 rent parts of France, and particularly at Paris. They 
 chose Mr Thomas Addis Emmett as their agent or repre- 
 sentative to the First Consul, who consulted with him and 
 Mr Arthur O'Connor on the matter. They informed him 
 that the irish patriots in France were ready to go as vo- 
 lunteers in any expedition which had for its object the 
 emancipation of their country. 
 
 Although Robert Emmett's plan and preparations for 
 the organization of Ireland became known to the englisb 
 
8 mi:moii!S of miles byp.ne 
 
 government after the explosion of the depot in Patrick 
 street, Dublin, and the final fate of this ever-to-be-la- 
 mented martyr, yet all tended to shew the First Consul 
 the great resources of the Irish patriots, and he eagerly 
 entered into all the details related in the report on the 
 state of Ireland, given to him by Mr Thomas Addis Em- 
 mett on the arrival at Paris of the confidential agent sent 
 from Dublin in august 1803; and in consequence, it was 
 stipulated, that a french army should be sent to assist 
 the Irish to get rid of the english yoke; and the First 
 Consul understanding from Mr Emmett that Augereau 
 was a favorite with the irish nation, had him appointed 
 general in chief to command the expedition; and imme- 
 diately ordered the formation of an irish legion in the 
 service of France. He gave to all those pentlemen who 
 volunteered to enter the irish legion, commissions as 
 french officers, so that in the event of their falling into 
 the hands of the english they should be protected; or, 
 should any violence be offered them, he should have the 
 right to retaliate on the English prisoners in France. 
 
 The decree of the first consul for the formation of this 
 irish legion was dated november 1803; by it, the oflScers 
 were all to be irishmen, or irishmen's sons born in France. 
 The pay was to be the same as that given to officers and 
 soldiers of the line of the french army. No rank was to be 
 given higher than captain till they should land with the 
 expedition in Ireland. — There were two exceptions : 
 captain Blackwell, whose long services and campaigns 
 
MEMOiUS OF MILES BYUNE \) 
 
 with the french armies entitled him to promotion ; he 
 received his commission as chef de bataillon to the irish 
 leg-ion. 
 
 Arthur O'Connor whose renown began when he was 
 high Sheriff of the county of Cork, and wl.o, when a 
 member of the irish house of Commons, made the ablest 
 speech in favour of catholic emancipation that ever was 
 pronounced in the irish parliament, and who immediately 
 after this speech retired from parliament, accepting the 
 Chilteru Hundreds. He was the friend and companion of 
 lord Edward Fitzgerald ; the delegate to general Hoche ; 
 the a disinherited » nephew of the tory lord Longueville; 
 the prisoner tried at Maidstone, which attracted the at- 
 tention of the english nobility; the « long imprisoned » 
 in the jail of Dublin, and at fort George in Scotland : he 
 received his commission of general of division in the ser- 
 vice of France, dated the 24th of february 1804, with or- 
 ders to repair to Brest to make part of the general in 
 chief An gereau's staff, composed of many officers of great 
 distinction such as « Lamarque, » w'ho had then the rank 
 of chef d'escadron, or lieutenant-colonel, and afterwards 
 was the great general Lamarque who took « Capri » in 
 .1808 and pacified la Vendee in the hundred days of 
 1815; — General Donzelot, ciiief of the staff, highly ta- 
 lented. — The three generals who had the command of 
 the divisions under Augereau were men of the greatest 
 military experience; general Mathieu Uumas, De Jardin, 
 
10 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 and the enterprizing general Bonnet, so much distinguis- 
 hed in Spain. 
 
 It was however stipulated that on leaving Brest, a cer- 
 tain number of captains were to get the rank of colonel, 
 and also a certain number of lieutenants that of lieute- 
 nant colonel; which rank was to be confirmed to them 
 even in the event of the expedition failing and their get- 
 ting backto France. In naming these captains and lieute- 
 nants, the preference was to be given to those who had 
 been obliged to expatriate themselves for their exertions 
 in Ireland to effect its independence. 
 
 Adjutant general Mac Sheehy, an irishman by birth, 
 but in the freneh service, was charged with the organiza- 
 tion of the legion, and for that purpose was commanded 
 to repair to Morlaix where the irish exiles were assem- 
 bled. 
 
 Adj utant general Mac Sheehy received unlimited powers 
 at Morlaix to propose officers for advancement up to the 
 rank of captain ; all he named were confirmed by the mi- 
 nister of war general Berthier. 
 
 The greatest exertions were made to have the officers 
 splendidly equipped and ready for sailing. They received 
 the same outfit given to freneh officers entering on 
 campaign ; no expence being spared by the freneh go- 
 vernment. 
 
 The best freneh instructors both for the infantry and 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE H 
 
 rtillery were sent to teach the officers the french mili- 
 u-y tactics, and when the legion was reviewed at Brest 
 y marshal Angereau, previous to their intended embar- 
 ation, he put a french regiment under their orders and 
 lade each officer command in turn. He was much plea- 
 ed with their knowledge of manoeuvring the infantry, 
 ,.nd also with the way they exercised the artillery. He 
 'ound the officers capable of instructing companies of ar- 
 illery on arriving in Ireland '. On this occasion each of- 
 icer received 400 frs more in addition to his outfit, or 
 j^hat is called in french « une gratification extraordinaire 
 i'entree en campagne. » This gratification of 400 frs was 
 2:iven to every officer afterwards who entered the 
 irish legion : — a favour granted to no other regi- 
 ment. 
 
 ■After marshal Augereau's review and inspection oftheinsli legion at 
 Brest in ISO^i, we went in the evening to the military coffee house, which 
 was verv crowded, with naval officers, as well as those of the army. Our 
 officers wondered much to see a lieutenant of one of the ships of war, com- 
 ing to the table where we were taking our coffee and shake hands with 
 me He was the officer who had been ordered by the commodore to escort 
 me up the river to Bordeaux in 1803, when I escaped from Ireland, and who 
 treated me so well during the night I spent on the passage, m his little 
 war-sloop. He had made great progress in speaking english. taking lessons, 
 he said, every day, from my countrpnan Brown, of Baggot street, Dublin, 
 who was a sailor on board the commodore's vessel, and who had been so 
 useful to me also. He told me that Brown had got promotion and was then 
 on board one of the admiral's vessels as interpreter and that he was a 
 well-behaved, sober man, which I was very glad to learn, as sailors in ge- 
 neral are too apt to take a hearty glass. I regretted not having more chat 
 with this young officer who had been so kind to me at Bordeaux ; but we 
 had to separate: he to return to sleep on board his vessel, I to go to my 
 lodgings and prepare to march back to Carhais in the morning. 
 
ff 
 
 12 MEMOIRS OF MILKS BYl'.NE 
 
 The legion assembled at Morlaix was marched tc -' 
 Quimper in march 1804, where all those officers who hac 
 been proposed for advancement by adjutant general Mac I 
 sheehy received their brevets. — From Quimper the legior | %\ 
 was ordered to Carhaix, in Finistere, a small town (tht 
 native place of Latour d'Auvergne, premier grenadier d( 
 France), which from being more inland and less frequent 
 ed, was better suited for manoeuvring, and where th( 
 best results were obtained. — Two officers, captain Ten 
 nant and captain William Corbet, were deputed frorr 
 thence by the legion to go to Paris to be present at tht 
 coronation of the emperor (may 1804), who on that occa- 
 sion presented it, as well as the french regiments, witn 
 colours and an eagle. — On one side of the colours was* 
 written « Napoleon I, empereur des Francais, 6, la legior 
 irlandaise, » on the reverse was, a harp (without i 
 crown), with the inscription : « L'independance d'Ir-| 
 lande. » 
 
 The irish legion was the only foreign corps in thej 
 french service to whom Napoleon ever intrusted ar 
 eagle. 
 
 Rejoicings took place at Carhaix, as in the other towns 
 of France, in honour of the coronation, by order of thel 
 authorities. 
 
 An unhappy dispute took place there between two of- 
 ficers of the legion, captain Sweeny and captain Thomas 
 Corbet, which disagreement ended in a duel after the le- 
 gion marched to Lesneven. They fought with pistols, 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE ^3 
 
 ,0th were wounded, but captain Corbet died of his wounds 
 he same night. 
 
 When marshal Augereau who commanded the army 
 tt Brest, heard of the dispute, he ordered the chief 
 )f his stafif general Donzelot, with lieutenant general 
 3'Connor to repair to Carhaix to inspet^t the Irish le- 
 gion; and in consequence of their report, it was ordered 
 hi august 1804toLesneven, where the command of the 
 legion was taken from adjutant general Mac Sheehy. 
 Unfortunately for the irish officers, he proved himself 
 quite unfit to remain at their head. He was capricious, 
 passionate and vindictive; consequently, not impartial as 
 a chief should be. One instance which I shall relate, will 
 suffice to .shew how he used, or abused, the confidence 
 with which the war minister intrusted him. 
 
 Being at exercise one day at Carhaix, the lieutenant 
 adjutant major Caugnan made use of some expression 
 Nvhich displeased captain O'Meally. The latter, when the 
 exercise finished, asked the adjutant major, who tho' a 
 french man knew english well, if he would apologize to 
 him for the expression « you are a « Uie, » stupid, etc.,.) 
 which he had used during the manceuvres. He replied he 
 had no apology to offer. - Captain O'Meally then told 
 him he was a coward, and unworthy to be admitted 
 amongst gentlemen, etc. Though O'Meally might not be 
 as expert as other officers in the manoeuvres, none could 
 
I" 
 
 14 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 surpass him in his knowledge of the etiquette of duell 
 ing", his native laud of Connaught, uever produced a cool 
 er, nor a braver, nor a more honourable antagonist that 
 he was ; and on the ground, his amiable manners anc 
 daring courage was the wonder of the seconds, and fur- 
 nished a theme of gay conversation. — He gloried in th( 
 part he had taken with general Humbert in Ireland ir 
 1798; and the great sacrifices his family suffered and 
 went through, in the loss of property of every kind, was 
 his pride. — 
 
 Adjutant general Mac Sheehy as soon as he heard the 
 adjutant major Caiignan's complaint against 0'Meally,i 
 told him at once he should challenge him, and he sent 
 for captain William O'Mara and bid him be second to 
 Caugnan. Captain "Ware was O'Meally's second. They 
 fought with pistols; the adjutant major was wounded, 
 and captain G'Meallj' was put into the town prison, and 
 next morning he was escorted by gendarmes to thei 
 chateau of Brest, to which prison he was condemned for 
 fifteen days, by the chief who ordered the duel 1 
 
 How far was I from thinking that this duel would re- 
 tard my military career 1 — Being with several officers 
 in the street when the gendarmes were conducting 
 O'Meally to prison, I said, if he had been wounded, Cau- 
 gnan would no doubt have been put into prison, but as 
 they fought honourably, it was strange that there should 
 be any question of imprisonment. — Captain Patt Mac" 
 Sheehy, the general's cousin, went and told him that I 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 15 
 
 ,vas speaking against him. On which, he took and tore in 
 ■)ieces a proposition he had made to the minister of war 
 ■or my commission of captain, and wdiich I should have 
 received in eight days, instead of years, which I had to 
 wait ere I obtained that rank. 
 
 Nothing could be more wicked and more unv^orthy of 
 a chief than adjutant general Mac Sheehy's telling cap- 
 tain Sweeny that he had been denounced at the munici- 
 pality in the presence of the mayor and his a(ijoints,as not 
 having raised his hand at the ceremony of swearing al- 
 legiance to the emperor Napoleon at Carhaix in may 1804, 
 liy captain Thomas Corbet, and which caused the duel 
 and the death of the latter, and which did so much harm 
 to the irish cause with the french government. But Mac 
 Sheehy seemed to care very little about the martyrs who 
 had suffered for Ireland. Commandant Blackwell was de- 
 prived of his rank for some time, in consequence of Mac 
 Shet'hy's reports against him to the War ofSce. They 
 both quit the legion at Lesneven in 1804, and w-ere soon 
 afterwards employed at the grand arm.y. — But they 
 were not soon forgotten by their countrymen, who had 
 to remain in the legion and to suffer from having had 
 chiefs so incapable of commanding even respect for them- 
 selves. 
 
 Captain Sweeny resigned when his wound got well, 
 and retired to Morlaix w'here he married a relation of 
 general Moreau. — Captain Mac Neven gave in his re- 
 
16 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 sig-nation and went to New York, America. Captain Gol 
 logher resigned and went to reside at Bordeaux. 
 
 f 
 
 The legion being at Lesneven, Mr Peterzelli a chef de 
 bataillon of the 16th regiment leger, was appointed provi- 
 sionally, to the command of the irish legion, under the 
 
 control of general Harty, who was ordered to Lander- If- 
 
 I 
 nau, where a part of the legion was sent from Lesneveni 
 
 to be under his command, waiting for the expedition that 
 was expected to sail for Ireland. He was an irishman by 
 birth, and had acquired a military reputation for his 
 brave and decided conduct in preventing Berwick's regi- 
 ment in garrison at Landau in 1792 from marching across 
 the Ellin e to join the enemy's camp at the other side. 
 Harty was captain of the grenadiers company, and seeing^ 
 the regiment marching on the direction of the Rhine, he 
 asked his lieutenant colonel O'Mahony where he intended! 
 going to? the answer was, « to join our princes on the< 
 other side. » Captain Harty said he \\ould not desert the 
 country he had adopted. He harangued the regiment and ' 
 returned with it to Landau, leaving lieutenant colonel 
 O'Mahony and three officers who followed him to go away 
 and cross the Rhine to the enemy's camp. Harty received 
 the grateful thanks of the governor and the inhabitants 
 of Landau, when he returned there triumphantly at the 
 head of Berwick's regiment, which he had saved from the 
 foul crime of desertion to the enemy with arms and bag- 
 gage. With tlie antecedents and what 1 knew of general 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 17 
 
 Harty's patriotism and great desire to see Ireland inde- 
 pendent, his private and public character as a man of 
 honour and a brave soldier made me glad to be of the de- 
 tachment to Landernau where he commanded; besides, 
 several of the officers who composed it were my best 
 fi'iends and comrades, such as, captains Ware, Barker, 
 Fitzhenry, Masterson, Saint-Leger, Murray, Mac Mahon, 
 etc.; we were happy and united, and rejoiced much to be 
 under general Harty's orders ; nearer to Brest than we 
 were at Lesneven, and from a little hill just over Lander- 
 nau, we could see the masts of the ships in the bay of 
 Brest, from whence we expected soon to sail with an 
 army to liberate our beloved country ; this view caused 
 sensations that exiles alone can feel and appreciate, — 
 General Harty being himself an infantry officer, kept us 
 busily employed at exercise and studying the evolutions 
 and tactics of that arm. He had some of the officers to dine 
 with him every day, and did the honours of his rank 
 and command in the most agreeable manner to them. 
 
 Eight irishmen, soldiers in an english regiment at 
 Jersey, escaped in a boat to the french coast and were 
 sent to the legion . They told general Harty that they had 
 heard of the Irish legion in the french service, and that 
 all their countrymen in the english regiments were dispo- 
 sed to do as they had done, whenever an opportunity was 
 offered, etc. They were very w^ell -behaved men for english 
 soldiers. One of them being from the county of Kilkenny 
 
 T. II 2 
 
18 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 gave general Harty news about many of his friends there. 
 — The generals Fontaine and Sarazan who had been 
 with Humbert in Ireland, were attached to marshal Au- 
 gereau's staff, waiting to accompany the expedition. 
 General Sarazan was not liked by the generals. It was 
 said of him that he had written reports against them to 
 the emperor. It would appear he was capable of doing 
 bad things; for in 1813 he had a command at Boulogne- 
 sur-Mer when he deserted to an english frigate off the 
 coast, and it was suspected that he had been in the pay 
 of England from the time of general Humbert's capitula- 
 tion in 1798. At the passage of the prisoners through 
 Dublin, he was allowed to walk about the city on parole, 
 whilst Humbert and the other french officers were in 
 prison. After the restoration of the Bourbons general Sa- 
 razan came back to France, and some time after, he was 
 tried and condemned to the galleys for bigamy. 
 
 In the spring of 1805 the detachment at Landernau was 
 ordered to rejoin the legion at Lesneven, and although 
 this latter town had a choice society, in which the offi- 
 cers were w'ell received, we who were of the detachment 
 regretted leaving Landernau where we had spent our 
 time so profitably and agreeably. However we were well 
 received and on the most friendly terms with the inha- 
 bitants of Lesneven ; concerts were organized by the 
 officers, who played on different instruments, with the 
 young men of the town, who were musicians. Captain 
 Lawless and the two Saint-Leorers arranged those musi- 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 19 
 
 cal meeting's. — At a ball given by the officers of the 
 le2'iou, I was appointed one of the stewards, and I had 
 the mission of being' bearer of the invitations to the so- 
 ciety of Landernau, which flattered me very much. 
 Captain Markey accompanied me, and we spent a plea- 
 sant day amongst onr acquaintances there; indeed our 
 time passed cheerfully enough at Lesneven. "We used 
 sometimes to hire horses and ride to Brest, to visit our 
 friend captain Murphy, who was on board the admiral's 
 vessel, as head pilot of the fleet, with the rank of captain 
 of a frigate; from him we learned that all the prepara- 
 tions were completed, and on a vast scale, for the expe- 
 dition : twenty one ships of the line, with frigates and 
 transport vessels sufficient to carry twenty five thousand 
 troops, artillery, arms, etc. We always returned in high 
 spirits and full of hope, to our garrison, after our visit 
 to captain Murphy at Brest. He was much respected there 
 by the officers of the fleet : his reputation as the bearer 
 of general Humbert's despatches to the french govern- 
 ment in 1798 was well known, and he had been presented 
 with pistols of honour by the Directory, for his brilliant 
 conduct on the occasion. 
 
 Captain Patt Mac Sheehy had a dispute with the mayor's 
 son of Lesneven, young Carrandra; after firing their 
 pistols, the mayor's son wanted to fight with swords; the 
 seconds prevailed and settled the matter. Unfortunately 
 the mayor's son on returning to town, said to some of 
 
20 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 his friends, whom he met, « those irish officers wont 
 fig'ht but with pistols. » Lieutenant Ooinond happening 
 to be present said to him « I am one of those irish offi- 
 ce cers, and I am ready to prove to you the contrary. » U 
 They went to the field and fought with small swords. 
 The mayor's son received a desperate wound and was 
 carried, in what appeared, a dying- state to his father's 
 house. This caused a painful sensation. An order came 
 in the night from the general in chief at Brest, for the 
 legion to quit Lesnevan forthwith and march to Quim- 
 per. Thus by the folly of a half crazy fellow, like Patt 
 Mac Sheehy, were the officers obliged to take leave of a 
 charming society, in which they had spent more than a 
 year most agreeably. To be sure they were not likely to 
 lose by a change of garrison. Quimper being the chief 
 town of the department, greater advantages in every way 
 were to be had there ; a very choice society composed of 
 many elegant and handsome ladies of the ancient families 
 in that country, frequented the balls and evening enter- 
 tainments given by the prefet of Finistere, M. Miolis, 
 brother to the general who acquired such notoriety af- 
 terwards at Rome, by the arrest of pope Pius the VII. 
 
 In the beginning of the summer of 1805 general Harty 
 was named inspector general and ordered to Quimper, to 
 inspect the irish legion. This inspection cheered the spi- 
 rits of the officers and made them still hope that the ex- 
 pedition would soon sail, to free their country from the 
 foreign yoke. 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 21 
 
 Jerome Buonaparte on his way to Brest passed by 
 Quimper. He stopped at the prefet's hotel, a short time. 
 Lieutenant Saint-Leger and thirty men were on g-uard 
 there : he sent them awa}^, saying, that a captain of a 
 vessel was not entitled to a guard of honour; he thanked 
 Saint-Leger, and begged him to leave one of his Ser- 
 jeants as platoon or orderly at his disposition while he 
 remained, 
 
 A few days after, we learned, that Jerome Buonaparte 
 and a ])art of the french fleet had sailed from Brest, which 
 omened badly for poor Ireland; indeed from that moment 
 we could see plainly that there were little hopes of any 
 thing being done, till the fleet was again re-united. 
 
 Captain Derry resigned, to go to America; those offi- 
 cers who were determined to remain in the french service, 
 to learn their profession, regretted much seeing Derry 
 quit them; he was a kind, good friend and comrade, and 
 highly honourable in every respect. The morning he set 
 off from Quimper, we escorted him some distance on the 
 road, when we met an irish man of the name of Mullen, 
 who had just escaped from Ireland, to join the legion ; he 
 said that he feared the expedition would have sailed be- 
 fore he arrived. We could learn from him how earnestly 
 the irish were still looking to France for relief. Mr Derry 
 observed to him « I am quitting the legion and my dear 
 « friends here, because I see no chance of an expedition 
 « for Ireland. » Mr Mullen was from the county of Down, 
 
22 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 Mr Derry'rf native country, and he had time to get a great 
 deal of news about their common friends, before the coach 
 started, and particularly about his brother, the catholic 
 bishop, whose diocese was in the county. Mr Mullen was 
 the nephew of our worthy friend Mac Canna, who saved 
 the Irish college in the days of terror. 
 
 When marshal Augereau's corps marched from Brest 
 in 1805, to join the grand army, general Arthur O'Connor 
 who was attached to its staff, came to Paris and married 
 the daughter and only child of the celebrated and un- 
 fortunate Condorcet; this union was his great ambition, 
 and indeed it proved a happy one. Mademoiselle Condor- 
 cet had the advantage being brought up by her high- 
 minded and accomplished mother, the marquise de Con- 
 dorcet, whose courage and fortitude during the cruel 
 terror and persecution of 1793 acquired for her the great- 
 est consideration from the true patriots of every country; 
 she knew well how to appreciate the sacrifices and suf- 
 ferings, and imprisonments which Arthur O'Connor had 
 undergone, endeavouring to obtain the freedom of his 
 native country : her brother general Grouchy highly 
 approved of his niece's marriage with his friend genenJ 
 O'Connor; they were considered a very handsome pair; 
 mademoiselle Condorcet w.is a fine, sprightly, animated 
 young girl, scarcely twenty; general O'Connor nearly 
 forty, with very distinguished manners. He soon pur- 
 chased the estate and chateau de Bignon in the depart- 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRXE 23 
 
 meut of the Loiret, where he spent the greater part of his 
 time, waiting: the minister's orders to be actively em- 
 ployed. — As nothing was done or attempted by the 
 french government to better the situation of poor Ireland, 
 during that long war with England, general O'Connor 
 was allowed the full appointments of a general of division 
 though not in command, till the restoration of the Bour- 
 bons, in 1814, when he got a retiring pension of six thou. 
 [ i sand francs per annum. 
 
 Several officers of the irish legion at Quimper in 1805 
 were ordered to command detachments to conduct cons- 
 cripts to Strasbourg : these were captain Tennant, cap- 
 tain William Corbet, lieutenants O'Reilly, Allen, Burgess, 
 O'Morin, etc. At Strasbourg the men were all armed and 
 organized into brigades and columns, to march with all 
 the military preparations and precautions through the 
 country of the Tyrol, to the city of Venice, where the 
 men were drafted into their respective regiments, and 
 the irish officers got separate feuilles de route to return 
 by ;< etapes, » or regular day's marches to rejoin the le- 
 gion at Quimper; besides their pay, they received a 
 marching indemnity, which quite sufficed for them to 
 take the coach occasionally and to visit many places in 
 Italy. This pleasure compensated in a great measure for 
 the painful marches they had to make through the Tyrol 
 mountains. Allen wrote to me frequently during the three 
 months he spent travelling. 
 
24 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 In the spring- of 1806 during the stay of the legion at 
 Quimper, the english having landed some troops near 
 Concarueau in the night time, commandant Peterzelli 
 marched with a detachment against them. As he took 
 none of the officers who were irishmen by birth, and 
 whose turn it was to march, they felt highly indignant 
 at the insultof not being sent against the common enemy; 
 on his return next day, after the english had re-embarked, 
 they went all without exception, but individually, and 
 deposited their swords with him, declaring, they would 
 not resume them till they got satisfaction. They remained 
 eight days for this under forced arrest, when the empe- 
 ror hearing of their conduct and highly approving it, 
 ordered them back their swords, and assured them of his 
 resolution to do them justice. 
 
 It was on this occasion we could see that captain Wil- 
 liam Lawless possessed great powers of extemporary 
 speaking. He recapitulated in the strongest terms that 
 Peterzelli's neglect, whether intentional or' otherwise 
 mattered little, that as officers and men of honour, born 
 in Ireland, we should forthwith seek redress, and surren- 
 der our swords till we obtained it. Being under forced 
 arrest, we feared difficulties might occur to prevent our 
 sending off our despatches to the Emperor and the minis- 
 ter of war ; but Mrs Barker soon surmounted them ; 
 this excellent woman went, by her husband captain Bar- 
 ker's orders, and got the document signed by all the Irish 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE -"^ 
 
 officers, and then went three leagues from Quimper and 
 had it put into the post office of a small town on the 
 road to Paris. This precaution was thought adviseable. 
 
 During the stay of the legion at Quimper, in the spring 
 of 1806, two officers were married there ; captain Mas- 
 terson, to the daughter of the marquis de Castratt, and 
 captain Lacy to mademoiselle Amolie de Guilmar, of a 
 noble family. These marriages created a good deal of 
 amusement, which we needed at the time. Captain Mas- 
 terson invited several of his comrades to his wedding; 
 and as the marquis do Castratt had spent some time in 
 the county of Wexford, during his stay in Ireland, at 
 the time of the emigration, we received the kindest hos- 
 pitality from this elderly nobleman and his daughter 
 madame la comtesse de Beauvoir, a widow lady of 
 great talents and vivacity. When they had spent the 
 money they brought with them to Ireland, not having 
 the means of getting more from France, madame de Beau- 
 voir, to support her father, went at once to be governess 
 to the children of Doctor a;id Mrs Purcell of Dublin ; the 
 parents of the well known Peter Purcell, who took an 
 active part in the catholic association and precursor 
 society. 
 
 Madame de Beauvoir had only been a short time mar- 
 ried, when she and her father's family were forced to 
 emigrate ; the day they left the chateau to escape to the 
 
-6 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 coast, her husband the count de Beauvoir, after going a 
 few hundred yards, returned to the chateau for something 
 he had forgotten ; when coming away, the second time, 
 he was met by the gendarmes in the court, arrested 
 and shortly after, tried and executed. 
 
 The marquis de Castratt had, besides madame de 
 Beauvoir, four daughters and a son. Fortunately for 
 those young people in their father's absence, their uncle 
 the marquis de Gregoire had his daughter married to the 
 first aide-de-camp of general Hoche, colonel Bonte, after 
 thetreatyofpcacehadbeen concluded with the chiefs of the 
 army of la Vendee. Those chiefs having chosen mademoi- 
 selle de Gregoire to be their negociatrice at the head quar- 
 ters of the french army, the general in chief Hoche, 
 was much taken with her highly accomplished manners, 
 and his aide-de-camp colonel Bont^ with her person and 
 great beauty. Her name will never be forgotten in Lower 
 Brittany, for the service she rendered, in having had the 
 courage to accept this mission in the midst of the cruel 
 civil war then raging there. Colonel Bonte after his mar- 
 riage, was soon raised to the rank of general, and got a 
 command in Italy, ~ Lieutenant O'Reilly on his way 
 back from Venice, waited on general Bontd to whose 
 lady he brought a letter from her cousin and former com- 
 panion, mademoiselle de Castratt, now madame Master- 
 son. — General Bont(5 finding O'Reilly speaking french 
 so fluently, told him he would ask the emperor to have 
 him appointed his aide-de-camp, with the rank of cap- 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE -"7 
 
 tain. But O'Reilly could not be persuaded, that an expe- 
 dition would not be sent sooner or later to Ireland, there- 
 fore he declined the general's friendly offer, which no 
 doubt must afterwards have vexed him, when he was 
 fighting against the english at Flushing in 1809, « still a 
 lieutenant. » 
 
 Captain Masterson's brother Mr John Masterson, who 
 served in the Irish brigades before 1792 and was married 
 to a West India lady, by whom he acquired property in 
 Antigua, was residing at Brussells with his wife and 
 family in 1806. Knowing the marquis de Castratt in the 
 county of Wexford as a french emigrant, he highly ap- 
 proved his brother's alliance with that noble man, and 
 settled sixty pounds a year on his sister-in-law, which 
 annuity was paid to her after his death by his daughter 
 Miss Sally Masterson, who inheritel her father's estate 
 in Antigua. 
 
 ' We spent si delightful days with the marquis de 
 Castratt and his amiable family. In the evenings there 
 was music, and dancing on the lawn before the chateau 
 for the country people of the neighbourhood. After sup- 
 per little plays were got up, of various kinds, by madame 
 de Beauvoir and her uncle the marquis de Gregoire, vho 
 had great taste for all such amusements, having learned 
 them when a page to Louis the XV; indeed he possessed 
 much of the polished manners of the old french noblesse. 
 
-^ MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRXE 
 
 What struck us much the day of the wedding, returning 
 from the church, trough the great hall of the chateau, 
 was, to see a number of peasants waiting there to offer 
 presents to the new married pair as they passed. These 
 presents consisted of lambs, kids, calves, rabbits, pigeons, 
 poultry, butter made up in the form of saints, etc., all 
 being voluntary, the peasantry being no longer serfs, 
 told well for the marquis de Castratt, when he returned 
 home from the emigration, he had no power over these 
 peasants, his former tenants or serfs, they had become 
 n proprietors » of the national lands or property. He got 
 back however his chateau and gardens, which happened 
 not to have been sold, though plundered and empty. The 
 family had a mansion on the land oftheir birth, where 
 they were much respected by the country people. 
 
 Captain Lacy's marriage with mademoiselle de Guil- 
 mar could not afford us as much amusements, for her 
 uncle monsieur de Malesherbes refused his consent. She 
 had to quit his residence in the country and come to a 
 relation's house at Quimjer, who handed her to the 
 altar. When the brave Lacy took her for better for worse, 
 he never enquired whether she had any fortune or not; 
 she was young, and handsome and sweet-tempered, that 
 was all he required. He gave a splendid supper on the 
 occasion to his comrades and friends. He was born in Spain, 
 and was a real soldier. No irishman lamented more than 
 he did, that the expedition to Ireland did not take place. 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 29 
 
 A few days after the wedding, we heard that Jerome 
 Buonaparte had returned from America, not accompanied 
 by the ships of the line that sailed from Brest with 
 him, but in a frigate, closely pursued by several 
 eng-lish war ships. From these he narrowly escaped into 
 the bay of Concarneau, four leagues from Quimper. This 
 little town g-ave a ball and splendid entertainments to 
 him and the officers of the frigate, whilst he had to wait 
 for orders from the minister of marine at Paris, A bat- 
 talion of infantry was placed on board his frigate to re- 
 inforce the crew, lest the english should cut the cable in 
 the night and take her off. 
 
 Though w^e had made no demand collectively to the 
 war office, yet we heard from our friends at Paris, that 
 we might soon expect to change our garrison; and in 
 June 1806 the legion received orders to march from Quim- 
 per to Alencon, there to wait another destination. Before 
 SQtting out, we heard of poor lieutenant Mac Henry's death 
 at the hospital of Lauderuau, where he had stopped to be 
 treated for a swelled knee. The surgeon opened it and he 
 died during the operation. He was an honest presbyteriau 
 From the north of Ireland, and a true patriot. He and I 
 were one day in march 1804, taking a walk at Quimper, 
 downtjie river. Thinking we might meet wolves we char- 
 ged our muskets, with ball cartridges. Returning, he saw 
 a wild duck dive in the river, and when it put its head 
 up over the water, he fired and killed it ; when we exa- 
 mined the duck, we found the ball had split the head in 
 
30 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 two. So enchanted was he with this musket that he de- 
 termined at once to lay out two or three guineas in get- 
 ting- it newly stocked and polished, in the best style. I 
 told him he should try it again before going to anj^ ex- 
 pence, so we went next day to the ruins of an old wind- 
 milla, league from the town, and we placed a sheet of paper 
 on the wall. He said he would go about the same dis- 
 tance from the mill that he was from the duck. After 
 firing three rounds, without once hitting the target, he 
 flungthemusketontheground,swearingatit.He was very 
 good humoured, and made the officers of the mess laugh 
 at his failure, saying by it he had saved a hundred francs. 
 
 Mr Mullen at once had himself enrolled on the books of 
 the irish legion, determined to stick by it in any rank he 
 could fill. He was not like one of his countrymen Mr Mac 
 Gurken brother to the catholic attorney or sollicitor of Bel- 
 fast who had been so actively employed in the years 1797, 
 and 98 defending the united irishmen then charged with 
 treason. Mac Gurken thought that the great sacrifices 
 made by his brother at that period entitled him to the 
 rank of officer, and was resolved to accept nothing less. 
 His appearance was greatly against him ; he was deeply 
 marked with the small pox, very ugly in consequence, 
 and along with his disagreeable looks, he was impudent 
 and presumptuous to a degree. He had been a month at 
 Quimper, waiting, as he said, for an answer to an appli- 
 cation that had been made in his favour. The non-com- 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 31 
 
 missioned officers of the leg-ion were delighted when he 
 went away; they only feared he might change his mind, 
 and be one day enrolled amongst them. 
 
 Our march from Quimper could not be agreeable, turn- 
 ing our backs to the coast, and relinquishing, at least 
 for the present, all hopes for Irelaud. — The married 
 officers were allowed to take the coach as far as Rennes, 
 except captain Lacy, who was doing the functions of ad- 
 jutant major. He had to walk and make the regular day's 
 march. His lady on horseback, accompanied him. We 
 had a « sejour » or resting day at the little town of Pon- 
 tivy, and another at Rennes, where the legion was re- 
 viewed by general Delaborde, who commanded there, and 
 who on this occasion took the privilege to admonish 
 the irish officers on their too great susceptibility at Quim- 
 per v\'ith commandant Peterzelli, who meant nothing, only 
 being in great haste to march against the english inva- 
 ders, took with him the first officers he met belonging to 
 the legion; never thinking of the place of their birth. 
 This formidable invasion consisted of an english mid- 
 shipman and ten marine soldiers, who lauded in the night 
 and carried ofif with them two peasants, whom they obli- 
 ged to dress in their Sunday cloaths, who, after sitting all 
 day on board the english frigate as models for the young 
 artists and officers to take their portraits, W'cre landed the 
 night after on the coast, having been well-treated during 
 the twenty four hours of captivity, as prisoners of war 
 should be. 
 
32 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 These details, though satirical, served to reconcile the 
 officers with commandant Peterzelli. 
 
 General Humbert was residing at Rennes at the time 
 of our passing there, not in favour since his unfortunate 
 failure in Ireland in 1798. Captain Barker and other offi- 
 cers who knew him at Paris after he returned from prison, 
 waited on him, and found him looking well; he assured 
 them that whenever the french government was serious 
 about an expedition to Ireland, he would be employed 
 in it. 
 
 Admiral Villeneuve who was taken prisoner at the bat- 
 tle of Trafalgar, where Nelson fell, in October 1805, being 
 exchanged and on his way to Paris, stopped at Rennes, 
 and shot himself in the hotel, a few days before the legion 
 arrived there. 
 
 Our march from Rennes to Alencon was agreeable 
 enough, and as we expected on arriving there to have 
 further orders, we were in great spirits; however being 
 told that we might hire lodgings, as it was probable that 
 the legion would stop some time; it was thought advise- 
 able to send a memorial to the emperor, signed by the 
 officers praying to be employed on active service, to 
 which the minister of war answered that his imperial 
 majesty w^ould take our demand into consideration; so 
 we made up our minds to be satisfied with the garrison 
 of Alencon. 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 33 
 
 I can never forg-et that it was at this town I receivep 
 the first letter and news from my dear half brother, Ed- 
 ward Kennedy, who had suffered three years imprison- 
 ment and only got liberated under Mr Fox's administra- 
 tion ; he was arrested in august 1803, a few days after I 
 escaped from Dublin, and the same day, he told me, a 
 general and a minute search was made for me at my 
 mother's residence in the county of AVexford, and at 
 every house in the neighbourhood, where the Orange 
 men thought I might get shelter. 
 
 My brother's letter contained the principal occurrences 
 which took place during his imprisonment, and from the 
 day we separated till his liberation. He never could learn 
 whether or not I had got safe to France, to execute my 
 mission there. Such were the privations the state priso- 
 ners had to suffer in the Dublin jails, and no friend was 
 allowed to see them. — His melancholy account of poor 
 Robert Emmett's execution made me sad indeed: the 
 body, with the head severed from it, was brought and 
 left for some time in the court of the prison, where the 
 prisoners might view it from their cells. — My brother's 
 greatest comfort was to meet his fellow prisoners, when 
 they were allowed to w^alk in the yard ; particularly the 
 worthy Philip Long, who proved himself to the last his 
 kind friend : they were liberated the same day; messrs 
 Cluny, Hughes, Gray and Hickson got out some time 
 before. He spoke to me of William Parrott in the highest 
 terms, which I was very glad of, as his brother Joseph 
 
 T. II 3 
 
34 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 was one of our distinguished officers, and the cousin of 
 my friend and comrade Hugh Ware; in short, this letter 
 was a complete journal of that sad time : it was brought 
 by some friend of Philip Long's to the continent, and 
 put into the pogt office at Amsterdam. I never paid mo- 
 ney with such pleasure as I did the four francs postage of 
 this letter, which with my brother's large wax seal un- 
 broken, and coming to me through an enemy's country, 
 in the time of war, no doubt caused an emotion which 
 can readily be accounted for by the exiles of Erin. — 
 
 General Bonnet who commanded the first division of 
 marshal Augereau's army at Brest, which had been des- 
 tined for Ireland, was at Ale neon on leave of absence 
 when we arrived there. It was said that his dispute with 
 admiral Ganteaume about preventing the grenadiers of 
 his division sweeping the decks, did not serve him with 
 the emperor. But he was too brave a soldier, and posses- 
 sed of too much talent, to be left any time in disgrace by 
 Napoleon, who knew so well how to appreciate the worth 
 of such officers. General Bonnet married a young lady of 
 Alencon whilst we were there. His brother was the post 
 master general and enjoyed great influence in the de- 
 partment « de rOrne. » Colonel Cavallier, a very hand- 
 some man, commanded the gendarmes of that country ; 
 he and the prefet had reception nights, which made the 
 garrison very agreeable. It was at Alencon that the fol- 
 lowing five officers left the legion in 1806, captain Wil- 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 35 
 
 liam Corbet, captain Bernard Mac Sheeliy, lieutenant 
 Austin Gibbons, and the sub lieutenants Swanton and 
 Manffinean. 
 
CHAPTER II 
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 1806. The legion ordered to march to Berlin. — Pass by Paris, my visits 
 there. — Captain Barlier, Mrs Tone.— The town of Verdun and the english 
 prisoners there. — Metz and captain O'Heron. — Sarrebruck, Pitt's depot of 
 falseassignats. — Mayence. — Polish and Irish prisoners. — Marshal Keller- 
 man. — The empress Josejjhine and the queen Hortense. — The concert 
 and young Flechy. — 1807. March to Landau. —Visit to Manheim. General 
 Harty's conduct in '92 not forgotten.— The tambour major admired.— The 
 church at Landau serving as a place of worship for catholics and protes- 
 tants. —Order to march to the camp at Boulogne-sur-Mer. — The march 
 by Verdun. — The english prisoners. — The governor of Arras. — The 
 depot of english prisoners. — The camp at Boulogne. — Colonel gene- 
 ral Gouviou Paiut-Cyr. — The prussian captain Delorme. — Lieutenant 
 Powell's dispute. — Allen and O'Beiily ; Mr Mac Canna, general Dufour ; 
 the council of war. — Sis offlcers ordered to Brest. — The legion march 
 to Antwerp ; general Ilarty and the governor. — Charles Ryan and captain 
 Ware. —Miss Sally Masterson and the parties of pleasure. — The Master- 
 sons of Bruges and Mr Johnstone the Austrian consul.— Putenhara Mac 
 Cabe and Mrs Berthemy. — The Irish legion ordered to the Island of 
 Walcheren. — Camp at West Capell. — General Harty in command. — 
 Terveere. -The hospital of Middleburg. — A battalion ordered toSpain. 
 captain Lacy commands it. — Flushing annexed to France. The inunda- 
 tion there. My permission to go to Brussels. Mr Corr. — Father Cowan, 
 etc. The french captain of the port. — The english newspapers. — Trans- 
 actions at Bayonue with the Spanish kings. — News from Spain by lieu- 
 tenant O'Morin. 
 
 We were anxiously following the movements of the 
 french army in that memorable and short campaign of 
 October 180G, which decided the fate of the prussian mo- 
 narchy at the battle of leua on the 14th of the same 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 37 
 
 month; and on the 28th Napoleon after he had made his 
 triumphal entrance into the capital of that monarchy, 
 gave orders that the irish leg-ion should march forthwith 
 to Berlin, there to be completed with men. — We now 
 felt that our memorial had succeeded, and we were en- 
 chanted at the prospect of seeing real military service. 
 The order for the march sent to the legion at Alencon 
 mentioned the different towns where it was to halt for 
 the night, as far as Ma^^ence. — The married officers as 
 usual got permission to take the coach with their fami- 
 lies, on condition to be present every fifth day, at the 
 general inspection. — Captain Barker availed himself of 
 it to place his son Arthur, then nine years of age, in the 
 irish college at Paris ; as the superior required a minis- 
 terial order, and it required some days before that could 
 be obtained, the kind Mrs Tone took charge of little Bar- 
 ker and brought him to her house, to be a play mate for 
 her children, until all the formalities were complied with. 
 I got permission to stop a few days at Paris, to see some 
 of my friends who were still there : Mr John Sweetman, 
 Lewins , Mac Cormach, etc. By taking the coach to 
 Chateau-Thierry, I rejoined the legion there at the ins- 
 pection. — Although we didnot muster very strong, still 
 we were organized as completely as the french regiments ; 
 each company having it's captain, lieutenant sub-lieute- 
 nant, Serjeant major, Serjeants, corporals and drummers ; 
 and besides the eagle bearer, who had the rank of offi- 
 cer, the ensign bearer with the green colours, on which 
 
38 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 was « The independence of Ireland » inscribed in gold 
 letters. And on the other side of the green colours was 
 the « Harp without the crown. » With our eagle unco- 
 vered and colours flying, we marched in perfect military 
 order through every town and excited great interest 
 amongst the inhabitants, who used to exclaim : « The Irish 
 and the Poles, were their faithful allies. » — The town of 
 Verdun, where we should have halted one night, being 
 the depot of the english prisoners of war, the governor 
 took upon himself to lodge the irish legion in a suburb, 
 lest its presence might be disagreeable to those priso- 
 ners; at day-break he had the draw bridge let down and 
 the gates opened to let the legion march through, before 
 the english prisoners could have light to see and con- 
 template our green flag, and its beautiful inscription, so 
 obnoxious to them, « The independence of Ireland! » — 
 Our march however through the town at that early hour 
 attracted great notice ; as our band played up our natio- 
 nal air of t Patrick's day in the morning, « we could see 
 many windows opened and gentlemen in their shirts en- 
 quiring across the street, in good english, what was 
 meant by this music at such an early hour. « Why damn 
 « it Burke, you ought to know that air » was answered 
 from one window to another. This caused much conver- 
 sation. 
 
 Altho' we were not very well lodged in the faubourg 
 of Verdun, we had a capital dinner in one of the little 
 inns there. I sat at table next to captain O'Heren, who 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 39 
 
 entertained us with many anecdotes of what occurred in 
 1792, when the place was garrisoned by the prussiau 
 army. — 
 
 At four leagues from Verdun, on the road to Metz, we 
 halted in a village to breakfast, and it was amusing 
 enough to hear all the news that the officers had learned 
 at their lodgings the night before, respecting the english 
 prisoners, and their rambles through the country, every 
 day till sunset, when they had to be in town to answer 
 the roll call. 
 
 Captain O'Heren got permission at the village to take 
 the coach as far as Metz, and we were greatly shocked on 
 arriving there next day, to learn that he had died sud- 
 denly in the night at the hotel where he stopped. — 
 O'Heren was studying in France at the time of the re- 
 volution, and took an active part in it : he had talent, 
 and would have filled a diplomatic situation with credit. 
 He and I were lodged in the same house at Lesnevan, 
 where he was a great favorite with the family, who re- 
 ceived a good deal of company in the evening. O'Heren's 
 society they considered a great acquisition; he spoke 
 french fluently, and had the gay manners of a well bred 
 irish man; he was a good patriot, and could not fail to 
 be well received wherever he went. 
 
 Our march continued to be agreeable enough, the wea- 
 ther being very fine, though at the end of november. — 
 Arriving at Sarrebrouk, we halted to breakfast there. — 
 
^^ MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 The town had been burnt and suffered much from the 
 disasters of the war. — It was in this place that Pitt had 
 established a manufactory of forged assignats, as one of 
 his famous stratagems for ruining and conquering the 
 french nation I — 
 
 On arriving at Mayence, the legion received orders to 
 halt there, where 1500 Poles who had been in th3 prus- 
 sian service volunteered to inter into the french service 
 after the battle of lena. They were incorporated into the 
 Irish legion at Mayence, as were a great number of irish. 
 These irish had been engaged in the rebellion, and whilst 
 imprisoned in Ireland were sold by the english govern- 
 ment in 1798 and 1799 to the king of Prussia, to work in 
 his mines; his agent going through the prisons in Ire- 
 land and choosing the best and ablest 3'oung men. Pre- 
 vious to the hostilities with France, the king of Prussia 
 obliged these brave and unfortunate men to enter his 
 army. — It may easily be imagined they rejoiced to join 
 the irish soldiery in the service of France; holding out 
 a hope, as it then did, that they would one day see their 
 country liberated. 
 
 Those « irish prussian prisoners » speaking german, so 
 as to make themselves understood, and at least as well as 
 their comrades the polish prisoners, rendered vast service 
 to their officers in the beginning. We met amongst them, 
 many whom we knew in the insurrection of 1798; cap- 
 tain Ware met several who had fought beside him in the 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 41 
 
 county of Kildare; viz : Foster, Gunning, etc., fine young- 
 fellows. — And Dalton, Cane, Doyle, O'Brien, and many 
 others from the counties of Wexford and Wicklow, who 
 knew me from my childhood. 
 
 Mullowney who had been wounded at Castlebar and 
 condemned to be transported, had the rank of serjeant- 
 major in the prussian army ; he soon obtained that of 
 officer in the irish legion, and became one of the distin- 
 guished captains of the irish regiment in the campaigns 
 of 1813, — The french pay, the soldier's rations, and the 
 way of living with the discipline, was so much superior 
 to that of the Prussian army, that both Poles and Irish 
 were delighted with the french service. — Marshal Kel- 
 lerman, who commanded the army of reserve atMayence, 
 gave orders that great coats, shirts, shoes, etc., should 
 be furnished forthwith to the captains of the irish legion 
 for their soldiers, and in a few days after, on passing the 
 review, he was quite pleased to see the legion so well 
 equipped and so formidable. He paid us some handsome 
 compliments on this occasion, saying*, that the irish 
 bravery was proverbial, and their attachment to France 
 well known, etc. He also told us that he had been a cadet 
 in one of the irish brigades when a boy, for a short time; 
 his manners were simple, and those of a well-bred gent- 
 leman; his military career long and glorious; but he" 
 prided himself more on his victory at Valmy, than on all 
 the others, because, he said, it put an end for ever to 
 the Prussian ambition of making conquests in France. 
 
42 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 We found Mayence a delightful garrison, though on 
 account of the continual passage of troops there, and its 
 being the great depot of the grand army, we could not 
 expect to remain longer than the time necessary to get 
 our men armed. We used to meet on the public walk, the 
 empress Josephine and her daughter Hortense queen oi 
 Holland, both looking young and handsome. 
 
 At a concert given to them, the son of our master tailor,i 
 young Flechy, a lad of fourteen years of age, played on 
 the violin, to the surprise and admiration of the other 
 musicians, who considered him quite a prodigy . Thei 
 empress next day, sent him a handsome present. 
 
 At the end of december the legion was ordered to march 
 to Landau ; this town being a strong fortress, where the 
 service of the place was executed with as much punctua- 
 lity and rigor as if the enemy were at its gates, was off 
 the greatest service to both officers and men. 
 
 On this march to Landau, captain Ware and I got per 
 mission to cross the Rhine and visit the town of Man- 
 heim, of which there has been so much said of its beauty 
 and regularity. Having to recross the river early next 
 morning, to join our companies that were lodged in a 
 village on the road, we were not a little surprised to hear 
 vollies of musket shots in every direction ; on enquiring, 
 we were told that it was the custom of the country to 
 celebrate the new year with this kind of rejoicing at day 
 break : so our march to Landau on the first of January 
 1807 accompanied by rejoicing and firing, announced 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 43 
 
 that we should see, ere the war terminated plenty of that 
 kind of amusement. 
 
 The Irish legion was well received by the inhabitants 
 of Landau ; they recollected the noble conduct of captain 
 Harty in 1792, when he, in spite of his lieutenant colonel 
 O'Mahony, prevented Berwick's regiment from crossing 
 the Rhine to the enemy's camp, and marched back with 
 it in triumph. He received the grateful thanks of the go- 
 vernor, and of the people of the town. Is not this cir- 
 cumstance one of the instances which shew how difficult 
 it is to define what is called passive obedience to military 
 chiefs and tyrants?^ Had captain Harty obeyed his chief, 
 the french army would have been deprived of the splendid 
 services of the 70th demi-brigade, and the Irish compos- 
 ing it, would have been driven to the cruel and disho- 
 nourable necessity of soliciting employment from the 
 british government ! — 
 
 No garrison could be more suitable for the completion 
 of the legion than Landau; provisions there were cheap 
 and abundant, particularly potatoes, which the polish 
 soldiers relished fully as much as the irish did. Their 
 manner of preparing this food was excellent. The pota- 
 toes were grated, then half boiled, into a sort of soup; a 
 quantity of bacon being cut very small and half fried, 
 ^\ as put into the potatoe soup, and boiled until it became 
 quite thick, then it was turned out into the soldier's 
 dishes or pans. They enjoyed this pudding very much, 
 though it did not contain any currants or raisins. — With 
 
44 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRXE 
 
 such substantial diet, our soldiers were able to bear up 
 against fatigue and the cold frosty weather, and accord 
 ing'ly we had exercise and manoeuvring every day, thoughi 
 in the depth of winter. 
 
 Hearing that there were prussian prisoners arrived at 
 the town of Spires, and that one of them, a man seven 
 feet high, wished to engage in a french regiment as 
 n drum m.'ijor, » I was sent there, and my instructions 
 were, not to engage any of them but Poles, except how- 
 ever the tambour-major (drum-major), whose birth place 
 mattered not, provided he could march upright at the 
 head of the legion. The commander of the town of Spires 
 gave me the best assistance he could ; I dined with him , and 
 after dinner he sent for the giant, as he called him, and 
 asked him what was the amount of the prussian pay he 
 received. We found that the french pay would be double; 
 besides, the officers consented to add forty franks a month 
 to it; so with all this, and the double rations he was en- 
 titled to, the tambour-major was enchanted, and he told 
 me he would be ready to march when I pleased. He had 
 got a slight wound, but the surgeon of the hospital who 
 visited him assured me that it would never prevent him 
 from marching and doing his service. Forty of the Poles 
 volunteered; only thirty of them were fit for marching ; 
 I engaged ^these, gave each a day's pay, and ordered 
 them to assemble at eight o'clock next morning, when 
 we started for Landau and after marching more than 
 three leagues, I halted in a village for an hour to let the 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 45 
 
 men breakfast, and when the drum beat to march again, 
 all were present, but the frost was so intense, twelve de- 
 grees under zero, that half of the men were seized with 
 the cold and unable to proceed, in consequence of having- 
 quitted the red hot stoves in the houses where they had 
 breakfasted. By the time I arrived at the gates of Landau 
 in the evening, only ten of the thirty were present; the 
 other twenty being so weak, they took two days to come 
 to Landau. The chief and all the officers were delighted 
 to see the « superbe » tambour-major, and paid me many 
 compliments for the care I had taken of him on the march, 
 keeping him away from the hot stoves and only allowing 
 him to drink what was necessary to bear up against the 
 desperate cold, otherwise he also would have remained 
 sick on the road. The inhabitants admired the tambour- 
 major, as they did every thing that added splendour 
 to the troops of the garrison, on whom depended a good 
 deal of the commerce of Landau, furnishing the orna- 
 ments, and every thing in the way of provisions. The 
 apartments let to the officers insured a small rent to the 
 house keepers, who were attentive and careful to make 
 every thing comfortable in the lodgings. It was edifying 
 to witness the tolerance amongst these good people with 
 regard to religion. In the same church every Sunday the 
 catholics and the protestants had at different hours, their 
 respective religious services. We went to the nine o'clock 
 mass, and leaving the church, we used to meet at the 
 door, the protestants entering for their worship, which 
 
46 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 began at ten. This was an agreeable sight to us, who 
 were brought up with a horror of the protestant ascen- 
 dency in Ireland. We spent the gay time of carnaval at 
 Landau and were very happy there; but we were rejoiced 
 when the order arrived for the legion to march to the 
 camp atBoulogne-sur-Mer, as this march to the coast in- 
 dicated that Napoleon had not relinquished his former 
 great plan of invading England and Ireland, and that he 
 would resume it on a larger scale, when he concluded 
 peace with Russia and Prussia. The camp at Boulogne 
 was then commanded by one of the illustrious captains 
 of the age, the colonel general « Gouvion Saint-Cyr, » 
 afterwards a marshal of France. 
 
 The army of reserve under his orders was principally 
 composed of the fourth or fifth battalions of the regiments 
 of the grand army which left their depots at the different 
 camps on the coast to receive the young soldiers, and 
 there to have them instructed and prepared for campai- 
 gning. To make part of an army commanded by one of 
 the ablest generals of the time delighted us, and we were 
 gay and cheerful on the way. 
 
 At Metz we had a resting day where the council of ad- 
 ministration ordered two thousand feathers and other 
 ornaments to be made, and forwarded to the camp at 
 Boulogne. On « this » march the legion was not lodged 
 in the suburbs of Verdun ; but the english prisoners there 
 could behold from the ramparts at half a league off, a 
 little army on march, clothed in green, commanded by 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 47 
 
 rish officers, with the eagle uncovered, and the banners 
 flying-, on which was inscribed in large letters of gold 
 :( Independence of Ireland. » 
 
 At Arras tho' there was a depot of english prisoners 
 there, we were lodged in the town, because the governor 
 had the good sense to make the english sleep one night 
 in the citadel, until we marched out in the morning. 
 
 We found every thing in perfect order on arriving at 
 our camp at Boulogne sur-Mer : the soldiers barracks, as 
 well as those of the officers were clean and airy. A few 
 hours sufficed for us to be completely installed in our 
 new abode ; the inhabitants at Boulogne being so well 
 accustomed to furnish every necessary for the military, 
 we had no trouble, and for the sum of twelve francs a 
 month, an officer's barrack was furnished with bed, table, 
 chairs, etc. 
 
 On the third day after our arrival we were reviewed 
 by the general in chief, Gouvion Saint-Cyr ; it was the 
 first time I had seen him. And now transcribing these 
 notes, I am reminded of a short conversation he honou- 
 red me with in 1819, when he was minister of war to 
 Louis XVIII. 
 
 The inspector general Claperode had the half pay offi- 
 cers of the department of the Seine assembled at his house 
 ' in the rue Ville-l'Eveque, when he conducted them across 
 the Place de la Concorde to the minister of war's hotel 
 in the rue Saint-Dominique to pay their respects to his 
 excellency ; the officers in the different uniforms of the 
 
48 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 empire formed a motley group and caused a sensation ; 
 mine being* green, attracted notice, as well as the others. 
 The minister asked me if I had obtained my letters of 
 naturalization. I said to him I had. Then other questions 
 about my campaigns. He then wished to know if I pos- 
 sessed any fortune : « None but my sword, monsieur le 
 mar^chal » was my reply ; on which he bowed to me. 
 Twelve days after I received my commission for the second 
 battalion of the second legion de I'lUe-et-Vilaine, then 
 forming at Rennes. Unfortunately before the second bat- 
 talion had time to be assembled, a re-organization of the 
 french army into regiments took place, by which change, 
 I had still to remain on half pay. 
 
 I was far then indeed from imagining that english in- 
 fluence could be used against my advancement, and it 
 was only when I returned from Greece in 1830, that I 
 learned, that sir Charles Stuart the english ambassador 
 at Paris, went to the minister of war general de Caux in 
 1828 to ask him to have my name and colonel Corbet's 
 struck off the list of staff officers employed on the expe- 
 dition to Moree. The minister refused, saying we were 
 french officers, employed in our turn. He however fear- 
 ing that the ambassador might go to Saint-Cloud, to I 
 ask the king Charles X, who could refuse him noth- 
 ing, ordered us to repair to Toulon without delay to em- , 
 bark with the division ready to sail, and commanded by 
 the generals Maison, Higonet, Schneider, etc. 
 
 To return to Boulogne, our men being mostly soldiers 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 49 
 
 who had served, it only required some drilling and exer- 
 cise, to make them understand the french word of com- 
 mand, to enable us to mauoeuvre in line with the fi-eneh 
 regiments. One month busily and well employed at the 
 camp of Boulogne sufficed to accomplish this : and at a 
 grand review passed there by the general in chief Gou- 
 vion Saint-Cy r, he testified his satisfaction on the progress 
 which the irish legion had made in manoeuvring; and 
 the brilliancy of its « tenue » pleased him much; indeed 
 it appeared to great advantage at the review, having got 
 in time from Metz, the feathers and the other ornaments 
 for the soldiers; altogether their uniform was splendid. 
 
 A very disagreeable circumstance occurred this day; 
 the following is a true version of it; a vain prussian cap- 
 tain of the name of Delorme in whom marshal Kellerman 
 had taken some interest at Mayence, was attached to the 
 legion and followed it to the camp at Boulogne-sur-Mer. 
 At a general review passed by general Saint-Cyr, when 
 the legion in column by companies, was marching to 
 defile before the general in chief, captain Delorme, who 
 had no company in the legion, wishing to shew himself 
 by defiling before the general, and perceiving lieutenant 
 Powell commanding a company in the absence of his 
 captain, who was sick, insisted on taking the command 
 from the lieutenant who refused, stating, he saw no or- 
 der from the chief to give up the command of his company 
 at that time, and having passed the review and inspec- 
 
 T. II 4 
 
50 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 tion all day, he wished to have the honour of defiling 
 before the general; but the captain persevering, the lieu- 
 tenant pushed him rudely from before the company and 
 continued to defile. As soon as the review was over, cap- 
 tain Delorme complained to commandant Peterzelli, who 
 had lieutenant Powell sent to the town prison, where he 
 was to remain 'till he was tried by a court martial. Upon 
 this, all the otiier lieutenants of the legion resolved to 
 force captain Delorme to fight them, and drew lots; lieu- 
 tenant Allen who spoke to him first on the subject, and 
 whom he refused to fight, was immediately sent to the 
 town prison. 
 
 Lieutenant O'Reilly meeting Delorme in the fields, co- 
 ming from the chiefs lodgings, after having had lieute- 
 nant Allen sent to prison, told him he must fight on the 
 spot, or give him his word of honour that he would fight 
 as soon as he could procure a second. — He complied 
 with the latter demand and went to Boulogne, to get a 
 captain of a swiss regiment to be his second. They fought 
 with swords, and lieutenant O'Reilly might have easily 
 killed or wounded him, as he asked several times to re- 
 pose himself, and finally said, he would fight no more. 
 
 Lieutenant Powell was tried by the court martial at the 
 camp at Ambletcuse. The court was presided by general 
 Dufour, who had been in the expedition to Ireland, and 
 who felt for the persecuted irish. 
 
 Mr Mac Canna, a worthy irish patriot established at 
 Boulogne got a friend of his, a major in one of the regi- 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 51 
 
 ments, to defend lieutenant Powell, and never was a de- 
 fence more ably conducted. The comparison between the 
 irish and the prussians, and the devotion of the former 
 to the french cause, was so forcibly stated, that it appear- 
 ed a shame to have let the trial take place. Lieutenant 
 Powell was accordingly acquitted with g-reat eclat. 
 
 Lieutenant Allen on coming- out of prison sent a chal- 
 lenge by captain Dowdell to captain Delorme, who how- 
 ever preferred signing a paper, saying, that if he could 
 not obtain an exchange into some other regiment in the 
 course of six months, he would give in his resigna- 
 tion. 
 
 After this, he lived on good terms with the officers. 
 
 During the stay of the legion at the camp the six fol- 
 lowing officers were ordered to Brest, where still hopes 
 were held out of an expedition to Ireland; these officers 
 were captains Lawless, Markey,and Broughan, and lieu- 
 tenants Murray, O'Reilly, and Devereux. 
 
 In June 1807 the legion was ordered to march from 
 Boulogne to Antwerp. This town being declared in a state 
 of siege, the garrison duty was severe, and strictly exe- 
 cuted ; much to the advantage of the young officers, — 
 General Harty had the command of the brigade, of which 
 the legion made a part. The senator Lefebvro was the 
 governor general of Antwerp. 
 
 Many ships of the line were launched at this time at 
 Antwerp. 
 
52 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 Charles Ryan who came from Duhlin, joined the leg-ion 
 at Antwerp, but not being- personally known to any of 
 the officers, and having no papers with him to prove his 
 identity, he found some difficulty on arriving, especially 
 as the governor had no instruclions from the minister of 
 war respecting him. — Captain Ware knowing his father 
 in Dublin, volunteered to be responsible for him, and he 
 was accordingly allowed to follow the legion till he re- 
 ceived his commission as sub-lieutenant from the minis- 
 ter at war in July 1808. 
 
 Putting Antwerp in a state of siege was necessary no 
 doubt, and where there were such vast naval stores, the 
 military service required to be rigorously executed, in 
 order to be always guarded against an enemy so power- 
 ful at sea as the english were at that period. Najioleon's 
 great victories, and the peace he concluded at Tilsit in 
 July 1807 with the Prussian and Russian monarchs, did 
 not save the poor king of Denmark, who was in profound 
 peace with all the world, from having his capital, Co- 
 penhagen, bombarded, hisfleet, consisting of twenty eight 
 sails of the line, sixteen frigates, nine brigs, and a jium- 
 ber of small vessels being seized, and all his naval and mi- 
 litary stores being taken or destroyed, a month after that 
 peace of Tilsit, by the english robbers, who felt no shame 
 at so foul a deed. 
 
 At Antwerp four officers of the irish legion mounted 
 
MEMOmS OF MILES BYRNE 53 
 
 guard every clny, besides those making the rounds at 
 nig-ht. My post was g-enerally at the arsenal every 
 eight or ten days, where I did not find the twenty 
 four hours of guard dull, having so much to see and ad- 
 mire in the construction of those ships of the line, so 
 ra[)idly completed, three of which were launched whilst 
 we were in garrison at Antwerp, the Austerlitz, the 
 lena, and the Friedland. 
 
 General Chamberlac who commanded the military di- 
 vision at Brussels, was appointed to inspect the troops 
 comprising the garrison and forts of Antwerp. His in- 
 spection lasted eight days, during which time we were 
 busily occupied with the theory, exercise and evolutions. 
 — His report on the state of the instruction and discipline 
 of the Irish legion was very favorable, and highly flatter- 
 ing to the ofiicers ; so much so, that the brave general 
 Harty, who commanded our brigade, promised us, that 
 he would have no manoeuvres for some time, in order 
 that we might have a little recreation after our fatigues. 
 AVe eagerly availed ourselves of his politeness, and or- 
 ganized country excursions to off'er amusements to the 
 married officer's ladies of the regiment. Captain Master- 
 son's niece, miss Sally ^Tasterson was on a visit with him 
 and his wife at the time, and she being very handsome, 
 highly educated, sprightly and amiable in her manners, 
 attracted much attention. She soon became the delight of 
 all who knew her. 
 
54 MEMOIIiS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 Captain Dowdall and other officers decided on spending 
 adayat the fort of « Lillo, « four leagues down the river, 
 and they hired a large sloop to bring the guests, with the 
 band of music of the legion, wines, and every thing ne- 
 cessary for a splendid dinner, to which the governor of 
 the fort was invited, along with the mayor of the village 
 ofLillo. — The weather was bright and warm, and the 
 table was laid out in a shady garden belonging to the 
 hotel. After seeing all that was curious in the fort, we sat 
 down to dinner. The ladies being placed at table between 
 the french gentlemen, gave great assistance in doing the 
 honours. The conversation turning on the beautiful effect 
 of the music, as we sailed into Lillo, captain Ware asked 
 captain Dowdall « if commandant Peterzelli appeared dis- 
 « pleased at not being invited to be of the party, when 
 « he called on him to ask permission to bring the band 
 « of music of the regiment on board? » Poor Dowdall ex- 
 claimed « I entirely forgot to get it, I had so many other 
 « things to think of. » On which there was a general 
 laugh, and he blushed still more deeply, when some one 
 said : « A man in love cannot have all his wits about 
 « himi « — The fact was, Dowdall took charge of all, and 
 he even had the precaution to bring several of our soldiers 
 who were first rate seamen also, to aid the sailors of the 
 vessel ; unfortunately he forgot the precaution of limiting 
 the quantity they were to drink, so that, altho' Regan, 
 GoUagher, Harison, etc., were well behaved, sober sol- 
 diers, they were this day, like the rest of the company 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 55 
 
 half seas over on leaving Lillo, and could neither steer 
 nor row a boat to tow on our sloop ; so that before we 
 had got half way up the river to Antwerp, some of the 
 ladies became alarmed and screamed out begging- to be 
 put on shore. It being also the wish of Father Cowan, who 
 had the charge of miss Sally Masterson, we had the ves- 
 sel brought as near to the banks as possible, when almos 
 all the company landed. Captain and Mrs Barker, captain 
 Ware and a few others preferred remaining on board all 
 night. But luckily for them, the wind changed and they 
 reached Antwerp before the gates where shut; whilst all 
 of us who had landed, passed a wretched enough night 
 in a farm house half a league from the river, and early 
 in the morning made the best of our way to Antwerp on 
 foot; we however procur^'dalarge waggon for the ladies, 
 before we started. — We officers, not having had permis- 
 sion to be absent for a night from a town in a state of 
 siege, were put under arrest for four days, when we ar- 
 rived at Antwerp. — Miss Sally Masterson hearing this, 
 went at once to general Harty, and brought him with 
 her to the governor, whom she prayed to raise our arrests, 
 declaring that she was the cause of our not returning 
 befoie night to Antwerp, as she had become so alarmed 
 in the ship. Of course the governor could not refuse the 
 petition of so fair a lady, and so our arrests were imme- 
 diately raised. 
 
 Miss Sally Masterson did not return home, till she had 
 the pleasure herself of visiting and announcing to the 
 
56 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 various officers her success with the governor. She said 
 to the governor, when asking him to raise our arrests, 
 that she was emboldened to do so, from being the daugh- 
 ter of an officer who had served in France, and the niece 
 of a captain of the irish legion, and particularly as she 
 had been the cause of the vessel being delayed in sailing 
 up the river, for from her delicate health she was easily 
 alarmed, etc.; indeed miss Masterson did look very deli- 
 cate and the more so from being in deep mourning for 
 her father, who had died a short time before at Brussels. 
 — Her mother and her younger sister came to join her 
 at Antwerp, where they took an « appartement » on the 
 Place Verte; and where they gave very agreeable evening 
 tea parties, — We met there sometimes Mrs Masterson 
 of Bruges and her two daughters miss Mary and miss 
 Martha. In marching through Bruges I had the pleasure 
 ^41^ dining with them, on our way to Antwerp, and they 
 introduced us to a very worthy scotch gentleman a friend 
 of theirs, a Mr Johnstone, who was the austrian consul 
 at Antwerp. Mrs Masterson and her daughters were at 
 this time on a visit to Mr and Mrs Johnstone. They were 
 english, and no relation to the other Masterson family. 
 Miss ^Martha Masterson little thought then that two years 
 . later, she would have it in her power to succour, and 
 save the life of an irish exile. — In 1808 she married an 
 eminent physician at Flushing, a doctor Moke, and on the 
 15th of august 1809 whilst the french general Monet was 
 negociatingto obtain good terms from lord Chatham, but 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 57 
 
 before the capitulation was signed, commandant William 
 Lawless was brought desperately wounded to madame 
 I Moke's house. She had him immediately carefully placed 
 in her cellar on a mattrass, when she gave him refresh- 
 ments herself, until her husband returned at night, and 
 had time to examine and dress his wound. Nothing could 
 exceed their kind attention to Lawless, and to lieutenant 
 O'Reilly his fellow sufferer, until they procured them the 
 means of escaping from the isle of Walcheren to Antwerp, 
 nearly three months after. 
 
 When miss Sally Masterson and her mother and sister 
 were going to return to Brussels, we agreed to conduct 
 them as far as Malines, which is half-way, and there 
 to have a farewell dinner. Mrs and miss Masterson of 
 Bruges were going at the same time to spend some time 
 at Brussels, so we had the pleasure of their company also 
 at the « parting « dinner at Malines. 
 
 Captain Dowdall had an elegant « char-a-banc » of 
 his own, with a very fine horse; this carriage was quite 
 adapted for little country parties in fine weather; it had 
 three seats wdiich held three persons each, and one on the 
 coach box drove. This time Mr Allen drove the char-a- 
 banc. — Nothing could be more agreeable than our din- 
 ner party at Malines, till the « doleful » moment of part- 
 ing arrived; then Dowdall, on taking leave made a great 
 harangue or speech, which he concluded by saying, 
 « may God forget us, if we ever forget you! » — This of 
 course w^as addressed to miss Sally. 
 
58 MEMOIRS OF MILES DYP.NE 
 
 After seeing the two families of Masterson into theii 
 'carriages and set off for Brussels, captains Dowdall and 
 Allen, with seven or eight Indies (of the Irish legion) gol 
 up into the char-a-banc. Allen volunteering again tc 
 drive, got up on the box and fearing that the gates o) 
 Antwerp might be shut, before they could get there, 
 they drove off at a prodigiously rapid rate. 
 , Lieutenant Gillmor and I had a carriage for ourselves, 
 and he having taken the precaution to get a permission 
 in the morning before leaving town, to have the gates 
 opened for us till 12 o'clock, we were in no hurry, and 
 were the last on the road After making three leagues, 
 we perceived three of our party, who had been thrown 
 from the char-a-banc on the high way ; captain Master- 
 son's wife endeavouring to carry one of the wheels, ano 
 ther lady something else- The horse had escaped into e 
 field, and Allen and Dowdall were in pursuit of him. As 
 to the char a banc, it was smashed in pieces, and they 
 were only trying to save the horse. Tso one was hurt, and 
 Gillmor and I hastened to stow all the ladies into our car 
 riage, and followed them close on foot to have the gates 
 opened. 
 
 After conducting them to their houses, we repaired to 
 our homes; we were very wet, as it had rained the whole 
 way This party concluded the fetes got up for miss Sally 
 Masterson while she was on the visit to her uncle and 
 aunt. However on hearing of our misadventures, and 
 fearing that some of her friends might have been injured 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 59 
 
 vheu the char-a-baiic broke down, she came hack to 
 ^^ k.ntwerp to ascertain the particulars. She was accompa- 
 ^ lied this time by a miss Stanhope, a friend of hers, a 
 ti /ery handsome young lady, whose family resided at 
 ' wussels. 
 
 After visiting all her friends, miss Sally Masterson re- 
 turned the next day to Brussels ; it was the last time 
 that any of us had the pleasure of seeing- her. 
 Although in time of war, many found means of getting 
 '** away from Ireland and came to France through Holland, 
 or by Hamburgh. Mr Putenham Mac Cabe w"hom w^e left 
 at Paris in 1803, when w^e were hurrying off to the coast 
 to embark as we thought in an expedition to liberate our 
 country from a foreign yoke, arrived one morning at 
 Antwerp, in the month of august 1807 from Amsterdam. 
 He was accompanied by two ladies whom he had taken 
 charge of in London, Mrs Berthemy and her daughter ; 
 they were, the sister and the niece of the celebrated Irish 
 orator, « Henry Flood, » the contemporary of Grattan. — 
 Mac Cabe being well known to many of the officers, we 
 invited him and the two ladies, his fellow travellers, to 
 dine at our mess at the Lion-d'Or; they accepted our in- 
 vitation and we spent a very pleasant evening. — Mac 
 Cabe shewed us a beautiful case of duelling pistols, which 
 he was taking to ofTer as a present to his friend general 
 Arthur O'Connor, then at Paris. 
 
 A few days after, an officer of the former Irish brigade, 
 
60 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 captain Wall, arrived at Antwerp, with his wife, tw( 
 sons and thre daiig-hters; they had passed the time of th( 
 emig-ration at Wexford, where he carried on some kinc 
 of business in the salt trade. Arriving- at Paris he go 
 his sons into the irish college to finish their studies, anc 
 he himself got placed as a captain at the depot of tht 
 irish legion. His wife was a miss Walsh, born ir 
 France and cousin to thS* count de Leran Walsh, se- 
 nator. 
 
 In September 1(S07 the irish legion was ordered to the 
 isle of Walcheren, and encamped at West Capelle, twc 
 leagues from Flushing. The legion at this time was con- 
 siderably augmented by polish and irish recruits arriv- 
 ing daily; but it suffered dreadfully from the effects oi 
 the climate. General Harty who commanded the brigade, 
 with half the officers and men being sick at one time. In 
 consequence of which, the camp was raised and the le- 
 gion w^as ordered to Ter Verre and Middleburg in no- 
 vember, as being more healthy quarters; the hospitals in 
 those towns w^ere soon crowded with officers as well as 
 men. 
 
 A battalion of eight hundred men being ordered to 
 Spain, captain Lacy got the command, being the senior 
 officer of those who were not sick. This battalion made 
 part of the army that went into Spain with prince Murat. 
 They followed him to Madrid and encamped in its vici- 
 nity in the winter of 1807 and 1808, remaining there 'till 
 
MEMOIRS OF MIF.ES BYRNE 61 
 
 the revolt of the 2^i of may 1808, when it was ordered 
 into Madrid to make part of the garrison of that capital. 
 From thence it retreated back behind the Ebro with king- 
 Joseph in the summer of 1808, and being continually 
 employed at the advanced posts, suffered much. 
 I Before the battalion received orders to march from Ma- 
 !drid, captain Lacy disappeared. Being a Spaniard by 
 birth, he had numerous acquaintances in Madrid, and it 
 was thought at first that he had fallen a victim to some 
 jealous rival, particularly as his horse, money and effects 
 of every kind were found at his lodgings, and his ser- 
 vant could give no clew where he might be found. It was 
 only at the battle of Ocano the year after, that it was 
 rightly known what had become of him : there he com- 
 manded a brigade of Spanish cavalry against the freuch 
 and escaped amongst the last from the field of battle. — 
 He was afterwards named captain general of Catalonia 
 by the Cortes of Cadiz, and was one of their devoted sup- 
 porters : but after the return of king Ferdinand from 
 imprisonment in France, Lacy being considered too libe- 
 ral, soon fell into disgrace with his majesty, who sus- 
 pected him to be at the head of a conspiracy in favour of 
 the constitution of 1812. He was tried by a court martial, 
 condemned to death, and sent to the island of Majorca, 
 where his guards shot him as soon as he landed. 
 
 The remainder of the irish legion that was left in Hol- 
 land returned from Ter Verre and Middlebura" to Flush- 
 
62 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 ing in december 1807, to be under the orders of genera 
 Monet, governor general of the isie of Walcheren. 
 
 Flushing was at this time, by a decree of the emperor 
 separated from Holland and annexed to France. It wa.' 
 inundated in 1808, from the dykes giving way in agrea 
 storm, when numbers lost their lives. The Irish officer; 
 received great praise for their active exertions on thit 
 melancholy occasion, by which many lives were saved 
 and indeed on this as on all such, where the lives of hu- 
 man beings were in danger, Allen was one of those offi 
 cers sure to be found ready to risk his own life to save 
 tliat of others. 
 
 He and I were lodged at a hotel on the most elevated 
 part of Flushing. The evening before this disastrous 
 inundation took place, we went to call on captain Barker 
 and his wife ; they had just arrived from Middleburg. 
 and were lodged on a ground floor of a private house, hy 
 billet. They promised to come and breakfast with uf 
 early the next morning, and we were to assist them in 
 looking out for comfortable lodgings. — In the morning 
 Allen remained at our hotel to see that the breakfast was 
 properly prepared, whilst I went to conduct the Barkers 
 to our hotel, as they did not know the town. — I had 
 hardly gone fifty steps from the hall door, when I saw 
 the sea rolling mountains high, and the quays covered 
 with eight feet of water. The floods had risen and were 
 more than fifteen feet deep in the street where the Bar- 
 kers were lodc-ed. 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 63 
 
 'ft Boats were getting ready, and Allen and I hired one, 
 'and pointed to the sailors to row to the street where cap- 
 tain Barker was lodged. Seeing that the water had rea- 
 ched the first storey of his house, where captains Ware 
 and Parrot were both lying sick in bed of the Flushing 
 fever, we of course thought they were drowned. However 
 on sailing under the windows of the house we saw cap- 
 tain Barker at one of them on the third floor ; he told us 
 their escape was a mere chance, and owing to their little 
 child Alice, sleeping in a cradle bed beside them. She 
 was awoke by the water flowing upon her, and called out 
 loudly « mamma, mamma, salt water, salt water 1 « — 
 They had just time to rush to the stairs, carrying the 
 child. One minute more, and it would have been too late, 
 iis the sea soon invaded the first storey, where Ware and 
 liis cousin were. They had time to get out of bed, carry 
 up their deaths and get to the garret to dress them- 
 selves. 
 
 We soon brought them a small basket of provisions, 
 enough for the day, and which they pulled up by a 
 rope. 
 
 We then went to one of the lowest streets of the town, 
 where the magazine of the legion was stowed. There we 
 found the front of the house thrown down by the flood, 
 and the master tailor Flecher and several men holding by 
 the rafters of the third storey. We procured a ladder, and 
 got them safe into our boat. —But all the cloth and arms, 
 
^^ MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 and every thing- in the house was carried away into the ^ 
 
 sea, by the flood and returning tide. — Allen and I con- f 
 tinued going from street to street enquiring about the 
 officers who were blockaded by the inundation. — Arthur 
 Mac Mahon's account of the way his landlady and her 
 family perished, was lamentable indeed. He lodged ou 
 the first floor, and the family und'er him on the gTound 
 one. The unfortunate woman's cries awakened him, and 
 he ran down stairs to try to get her out of the water, 
 when he liimself narrowly escaped being drowned. \<. 
 mountain of water flowed in, and the cries ceased! —Ne- 
 ver to his last moments could Mac Mahon forget these 
 cries. 
 
 I had unfortunately to quit Allen suddenly, and re- 
 pair to bed, there to pass five or six hours in cold and hot 
 fits, knocked down with the terrible fever, whilst he re- 
 mained at the great guard house all night, givingorders, 
 or going with relief to the unfortunate inhabitants, many 
 of whom were saved by his timely exertions at that pe- 
 rilous moment; a report of which was published next 
 day, and a complimentary letter, signed by the civil au- 
 thorities of Flushing, was addressed to him. I must add, 
 he prized this letter, as equal to any brevet he ever ob- 
 tained afterwards in campaign. 
 
 In all kind of danger, even in sickness, Allen was luc- 
 ky. I recollect when he, Ware, Parrot, Eager, Gillmor, 
 O'Reilly and I were in the officer's ward in the military 
 hospital at Middleburg, that he got rid of his fever in 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 65 
 
 eight days, and had scarcely ever any relapse ; whereas 
 we had it returning continually, until we left the 
 Island. 
 
 Although the inhabitants of Flushing at the time of 
 the disastrous inundation, were no more the subjects of 
 the king of Holland, Louis Buonaparte, yet his human 
 compassion was no way wanting towards them in their 
 misfortunes. He sent large sums of money to be dis- 
 tributed amongst the people who had lost their all. — 
 Few monarchs at that period, 1808, could boast of being' 
 so beloved as he was by his dutch subjects. 
 
 This fearful inundation took place in the month of 
 January, 1808. 
 
 The french troops in garrisoif at Flushing, always re- 
 ceived the same pay and rations, as the dutch army; and 
 which was equal to double that of the french pay, until 
 the annexation of the town to the french empire took 
 place, when they were paid only according to the french 
 tarifiF, which was a great privation in that bad climate 
 and where everything was so dear. The soldiers however 
 continued to receive rations of wine. 
 
 Captain Ware never could have recovered had he re- 
 mained at Flushing, he was so reduced by the fever, but 
 fortunately for him, he got an order to join the battalion 
 of the legion then encamped at Madrid, with prince Mu- 
 rat, a captain's place being vacant in it. 
 
 T. II 5 
 
66 MEMOIRS OF MILES I4YKXE 
 
 Our surgeon major Saint-Leger being in a dying state, 
 I had to call on doctor Moke, one of the first physicians 
 in Flushing. He seeing the worst symptoms, my fee^ 
 greatly swelled, and that the great quantity of bark 
 that I had taken did not stop the fever, he advised me of 
 all things to change the air. — I obtained, inconsequence 
 of his certificate a leave of absence for a month. — I took 
 my passage in a vessel going up to Antwerp, and I en- 
 gaged two of the sailors to come to my hotel, to help me 
 to get on board in time, as the vessel sailed at break of 
 day* — We reached Antwerp that same evening, time 
 enough for me to take the coach for Brussels. I stopped 
 at the Hotel de FUmdre in that town, and nest day had 
 a visit of a worthy Irish patriot, Mr Corr, who had been 
 established a considerable time in business in Brussels : 
 he told me that hearing that one of the ofiicers of the irish 
 legion in garrison at Flushing had arrived sick at the 
 hotel, he called to ofi'er his services, and to see if there 
 was any thing he could do for him. He wished to know 
 if I found the hotel to my liking; I answered that it was 
 every thing I could desire, and the charges very reason- 
 able ; the only thing I could object to was, the dinner 
 hour, half past one o'clock, which was too soon for me. 
 — On this he said, that he and Mrs Corr dined always at 
 half past four, or five o'clock at the latest, and that he 
 was sure the hour and their dinner would suit my taste, 
 and that T could pay them the same price I was to give 
 at the Hotel de Flandre. Not knowing* Mr Corr's circum- 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 67 
 
 stances, and thinking that it might be of use to him, I 
 consented, and the same day, I began to dine with him 
 and his amiable wife. He hired a lodging for me two 
 doors from his own house, with very obliging people, 
 W'ho prepared my breakfast for me, quite to my mind; 
 so I was most comfortably settled. Every day I felt im- 
 proving and the fever nearly subsided. It being carnaval 
 time, Brussels as usual kept up its renown for all kinds 
 of merriment during that period. There were plays, mask 
 balls, etc. I think these amusements with the good fare 
 I had at Mr Corr's roused me after the irksome, despond- 
 ing life I had led at Middlebourg and Flushing, The for- 
 mer place is a most beautiful town : its cleanliness and 
 neatness beyond all description, but to spend a Sunday 
 there would sufS.ce to throw one into the lowest spirits. 
 Such are the religious habits of the puritans who inhabit 
 that pretty town, that they scruple even to open their 
 doors on a Sunday to give directions to a stranger how to 
 find his way. I have experienced this inconvenience; 
 meeting no one in the street, I had to ring at two or three 
 houses, before any one would condescend to open the 
 door and speak to me, yet at every house there were peo- 
 ple at the windows. 
 
 To add to my comfort during the three weeks and four 
 days which I was allowed to remain at Brussels, the 
 worthy Father Cowan whom I had had the pleasure of 
 knowing at Antwerp the year before was there; he 
 
B8 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 used to call on me to take me out to walk with him in 
 the park, and as he belonged to the cathedral, he knew 
 the town well. — We used to stop at a cake shop, 
 eat some cakes and take a g-lass of good sherry wine be- 
 fore separating. I told him on what conditions I had ac- 
 cepted Mr Corr's table. He laughed and said, I see you 
 dont know Corr; but dout mind him, there is a way of 
 being up to him. His hospitality is well known to his 
 countrymen ; as to his wife, she is a woman of the great- 
 est merit, and a lady in every sense of the word ; they 
 are both much respected, and deservedly so. 
 
 Father Cowan used to dine occasionally on Sundays at 
 Mr Corr's, and he was most agreeable and fall of amusing 
 anecdotes. He had travelled much and studied and passed 
 many years at Prague ; he spoke german, Italian and 
 french as well as english : No « Patt » ever regretted 
 more than he did, not to be able to speak his native ton- 
 gue « irish. » 
 
 My leave of absence being expired, I had to quit in 
 haste and take leave of my good friends, whom I can ne- 
 ver forget; for it was to their kind attention in a great 
 measure that I owed my recovery at Brussels, in so short 
 a time. — I had to stop a day at Antwerp for a vessel 
 going to Flushing, and next evening I rejoined my com- 
 rades in that town. I need not say they were agreeably 
 surprised to see me so well recovered. 
 
 I returned very a-propos, as one of the emperor's aides- 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 69 
 
 de-camp, general Bertrand, came shortly after to inspect 
 the troops of the garrison and to give instructions to ge- 
 neral Monet governor of the island, respecting the forti- 
 fications, defence to be made, etc., etc. 
 
 We had for several days, reviews, inspections, and ma- 
 noeuvres, and as I belonged to the grenadiers's company 
 it Avas lucky for me that I had got rid of my fever, at 
 least for some time; and I resolved for the future to re- 
 main at my post, at all hasards, until an order to send 
 troops to re-inforce the battalion in Spain should arrive, 
 and not to be absent, either at the hospital, or on leave of 
 absence. The year before, had I only been sick in my 
 room, instead of being at the hospital, I should have 
 marched with the battalion commanded by captain Lacy 
 to Madrid. 
 
 At Flushing an excellent table d'h6te was kept by an 
 
 englishman of the name of Holder, where several of our 
 
 officers dined at five o'clock. I went to dine there for some 
 
 time; we had very agreeable company. General Clement 
 
 lodged in the hotel, and his aides-de-camp dined with us, 
 
 and occasionally the naval officers of the men of war 
 
 ships, lying in the road. From the too frequent night 
 
 service, making rounds in the damp air and fogs, I felt I 
 
 should have a relapse of the horrid fever and ague. I had 
 
 to quit the good table and begin again to take the Jesuit's 
 
 bark, the only remedy doctor Moke could prescribe. He 
 
 was good enough to give me some he had in reserve for 
 
 himself of a superior quality, and which could not be 
 
70 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 had at the pharmacien's ; taking this red bark with strong 
 port wine, I used to keep off the fever for a few days. 
 
 The newly appointed french captain of the port of 
 Flushing lodged in the same hotel with me, and as the 
 smugglers were sure to bring english newspapers,hehad 
 orders to send them forthwith to Paris. 
 
 He frequently asked me to look over these newspapers, 
 as he did not know english, before he prepared his par- 
 cel for the post. He used to ask me « what does « Fox's » 
 « paper, the Morning Chronicle, say of our emperor? » 
 — The last time I had to translate news for this officer 
 from the english newspapers, was, about the beginning 
 of July ] 808, a period when the attention of all Europe 
 was attracted to the transactions taking place at Bayonne. 
 I told him, not literally, but the principal facts; that ge- 
 neral Savary had orders to bring Ferdinand VH.. then 
 the king of Spain, to Bayonne, there to be repriman- 
 ded by Napoleon in the presence of his father, king 
 Charles the fourth, for having usurped and robbed his 
 parent, this venerable monarch of his crown. He was or- 
 dered by Napoleon to restore it forthwith, or « else. » No 
 sooner said than done. Charles got back his crown, and 
 feeling himself too feeble to bear the burthen, he imme- 
 diately abdicated in favour of the king of Naples; not the 
 Bourbon branch, but the king Joseph Buonaparte. The 
 newspaper I was translating added, Spain has now three 
 kings, all absent ; but the real sovereign of the country 
 is reigning either at Seville or Cadiz ; meaning the Junta, 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE '^^ 
 
 Chosen by the people. - Those papers contained also ar- 
 ticles about the queen of Spain and Godoy the prince of 
 the Peace. 
 
 It may be fairly asserted, that ^-ith the mutations of 
 those kings, and the transfer of their realms,began Napo- 
 leon's xvorst difhculties. - Soon after could be seen his 
 grand army on its march to Spain, scarcely reposed from 
 its fatigues and great victories in Germany and the 
 peace of Tilsitt, to keep his brother Joseph on the throne 
 of Spain in spite of a nation composed of heroes and a 
 determined people. 
 
 We ^vere a long time ^^nthout having any account of 
 
 the Irish battalion at Madrid, when a sous-lieutenant 
 
 O'Morin, belonging to it, arrived at Flushing; he was 
 
 threatened with insanity and was ordered to the depot to 
 
 repose himself. From him we learned a great deal that 
 
 did not transpire before. Captain Fitzhenry was now the 
 
 senior officer to have a command when a detachment of 
 
 troops from the legion should be ordered to Spain, which 
 
 was hourly expected. We resolved if possible, not to be 
 
 sick when^t came, at least not to be absent, either on 
 
 leave or at the hospital. 
 
 Captains O'Meally, Allen, Parrott and I agreed with 
 Fitzhenry to hold ourselves ready to march at a minute's 
 
^'^ MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 notice; we were all so desirous to get away from the bad 
 climate of the isle of Walcheren, and to see more active 
 service. 
 
CHAPTER III 
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 July 1808. - A battalion of the Irish legion ordered from Flushing to Spain 
 arrive at Pampelune in September. Incorporated with the hattahon that 
 had retreated from Madrid with king Joseph, marshal Moncey and gene- 
 ral de Buisson. -Prince Berthier the war minister sents the commissions 
 dated 16th december 1808. - The battalion ordered to make part of the 
 army sent against the english general sir John Moore. — Stops at Bur- 
 gos under the orders of general Darminac. — Passage of the emperor 
 Napoleon at Burgos 17th January 1809. - Colonel Daniel O'Meara, serjeaut 
 Mooney. — Baron Thiubault general of division takes the command at 
 Burgos as governor of Old Gastille. — General Morin's protege. — Duclos 
 colonel of the 48th. —Prince of Isenberg general of brigade ; his aide-de- 
 camp Osmond.— Adjutant general Fontaine.— Spanish colonel Murphy.— 
 Marshal Lefebvre, marshal Lannes, and their staff officers. — Colonel 
 •William O'Meara.- Saint Patrick's day 17th march 1800 ; our dinner at Bur- 
 gos. — The irish battalion ordered to the town of Leon, to make part 
 of general Kellerman's division, to co-operate with marshal Ney against 
 
 ■ the martiuis de Romana's army in the Asturias. — Oviedo. — Gijon. — 
 Aguilar del Campo. — The battalion return to Burgos to be again un- 
 der the command of general Thiebault, June 1809. - The imperial decree 
 ibr the organization of the first irish regiment of the legion, composed of 
 four war battalions and a depot at Landau. — First battalion at Flushing, 
 2d at Burgos, the 3d and 4th at Landau, with colonel O'Meara. —Captain 
 Lawless named chef de bataillon and ordered to repair to Flushing, to 
 take the command of the first battalion from commandant Peterzelli. — 
 Siege of Flushing and capitulation to the english 15th of august 1809. — 
 Commandant Lawless wounded : his escape. He saves the Eagle and co- 
 lours ofthe irish regiment and arrives at Paris november 1809.— General 
 Monet governor; marshal Bernadotte sent to Antwerp to defend it against 
 the english. — Captain Markey and other officers sent to recruit the irish 
 soldiers from amongst the english in the dilTerent depots of the prisoners. 
 — The 3d irish battalion, commanded by John Francis Mahony, ordered 
 to Spain. — Commandant Fitzhenry greatly esteemed after our campaign 
 
74 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRXE 
 
 in the Asturias, by general Thiebault, ^\iien the battalion return to 
 Burgos, on account of the '^•ay the battalion served with general Keller- 
 man. — Our council at the old priest's house in a poor village. — My con- 
 troversy with another Spanish priest about the dilTerence of the bad 
 governments of Spain, compared to those of Ireland, etc. 
 
 In July 1808 another battalion of the irish legion, con- 
 sisting of 600 men, left Flushing for Spain. — Captain 
 Fitzhenry being the senior officer present, had the com- 
 mand, and joined at Pampeluna in September 1808 the 
 battalion which had retreated from Madrid with king 
 Joseph, and which being much reduced, the two batta- 
 lions were incorporated into one under Fitzhenry, who 
 was extremely active on this occasion ; being recommen- 
 ded by lAarshal Moncey and other generals,knowiug well 
 how to command, riding well, indeed few could equal 
 him in horsemanship, and he had two beautiful char- 
 gers, when he was named chef de bataillon by a decree 
 of the emperor dated 16th december 1808. Several other 
 promotions were obtained at the same time : Edmond 
 Saint-Leger, « the author » Miles Byrne, John Allen, got 
 their brevets as captains ; — A.rmand Parrott, Sheridan, 
 Dowlan, Malowney as lieutenants ; Perry, Mac Egan, 
 Keller, and Russel, as sous-lieutenants; these nomina- 
 tions completed the battalion in officers, which soon gain- 
 ed great praise for its instruction and discipline, from 
 lieutenant general count de Buisson, governor of Pam- 
 peluna. Prince Berthier who had been minister of war, 
 was then with the emperor at Madrid, as chief of the 
 staff ; hearing the battalion so highly noted, and knowing 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 75 
 
 the officers to be irish exiled patriots, he ordered the bat- 
 talion to make part of the army which marched against 
 the english, then advancing into Spain, under the orders 
 of general sir John Moore ; but after the defeat and death 
 !of this gallant general at Corunna, the battalion got or- 
 ders to stop at Burgos, January 1809, under the command 
 of general Darminac. The officers of that irish battalion 
 were much disappointed at not having been brought in 
 contact with g-eneral Moore's army ; many of them had 
 fought against him in 1798, in the counties of Wexford and 
 Wicklow in Ireland, when they were risking every thing 
 dear to them on earth, to get rid of the cruel foreign yoke, 
 by which the irish were murdered and tortured beyond 
 any thing that ever took place in the most barbarous 
 states of the world ; yet general Moore had acquired a far 
 higher reputation for humanity than different other ge- 
 nerals of the english, — « Lake » for instance who was 
 commander in chief of the english at the battle of Vine- 
 gar hill. 
 
 When Garrett Byrne of Ballymanus, on general Moore's 
 word of honour, surrendered on condition to be allowed 
 to expatriate himself for ever, this contract was faithfully 
 executed, though Byrne was one of the principal leaders 
 and chiefs throughout the insurrection; whilst his youn- 
 ger brother William, against whom no charge could be 
 made, save that of using his influence to protect the en- 
 glish prisoners from bad treatment, was hanged and 
 executed at Wicklow. Yet he had a « written » protec- 
 
76 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 tion from general Lake, given to him by order of lore 
 Cornwallis. He was residing quietly at Dublin, for mori 
 than three months previous to his arrest, being consciou 
 he had nothing to dread. Having the vice-roy's, or lor( 
 lieutenant's protection in his pocket, he, every day, walk 
 ed publicly about the city. His poor sister Fanny Byr 
 ne's supplications to that cold hearted monster Cornwallist 
 to have her brother's punishment commuted to transpor- 
 tation for life, was not listened to; thus then her unfor- 
 tunate brother perished, a martyr and a victim tothei: 
 blood thirsty english task masters. He was one of tht 
 most splendid-looking men, Ireland ever produced. 
 
 Napoleon seeing that general Moore's rapid retreat oii 
 Corunna would deprive him of an opportunity of defeat' 
 ing an english army, resolved to leave the further pacii 
 fication to his brother king Joseph and the french mars 
 hals; he hastened back to Valladolid, and from thence t' 
 Burgos, where he arrived about eleven or twelve in thi 
 morning on the 17th of January 1809, after making al 
 the way on horseback, 25 leagues. The irish battalioi 
 doing garrison duty at Burgos, was apprized of the em- 
 peror's passage there, and was under arms at an earlj 
 hour on the bridge to escort him to the bishop's palacei 
 where he reposed himself for an hour and a half, anc 
 during his stay, the irish battalion mounted guard or 
 him. Colonel Daniel O'Meara who commanded the towD 
 of Burgos at the time under general Darminac, was highly 
 
MK.MOIHS OF MILES BYRNE 77 
 
 lelig'lited that Napoleon had the Irish troops as his guard 
 jf honour : yet colonel O'Meara was then unconnected 
 with the Irish legion. ^ 
 
 The emperor gave an audience and a good reception to 
 the Spanish civil authorities at Burgos, whilst he refused 
 to receive the ecclesiastical corps, which was very nume- 
 rous, because they had no chief at their head to present 
 them, their bishop being absent, and thought to be wuth 
 the junta. 
 
 The emperor started from Burgos in an open caleche, 
 with general Savary, for Bayonne, where he arrived the 
 same night : he was looking extremely well. It was the 
 first time I had seen him since 1803, when he was First 
 Consul, and he appeared to have become much stouter. 
 We were gratified to have been the only troops on guard 
 during his short stay, and being conspicuously placed, 
 and our uniforms tolerably good, we appeared to advan- 
 tage. 
 
 It w^as the first time that Napoleon had seen any part 
 of that legion, which he so anxiously had organized in 
 1803, for the destined expedition to obtain the indepen- 
 dence of Ireland, and to which he entrusted the honour 
 of bearing his eagles, as he did to the french regiments 
 of his guards, — His subsequent decrees to have the first 
 Irish regiment of the legion organized into four war bat- 
 talions and a depot, is a proof of the good impression 
 
78 MEMOIRS OF MILES ItYRNE 
 
 made on him by the battalion at Burgos, commanded by 
 Fitzhenry. 
 
 A small advanced po^ on the road to Valladolid, wasls^ 
 commanded that day by an irishman, serjeant Mooney; 
 the emperor attracted by the green uniform of the sol- 
 diers, pulled up his horse to speak to the serjeant to en- 
 quire what regiment he belonged to, etc. Serjeant Mooney 
 and his twelve men and a corporal were exceedingly vain i 
 of this interview, and used to boast of having been ins^ 
 pected by Napoleon himself in person. 
 
 General Darminac was replaced in the command at 
 Burgos, soon after the emperor's passage there, by baron 
 Thiebault, general of division, who was appointed also 
 to be governor of Old Castile. We were very glad to be 
 under his orders, because he expressed himself on every 
 occasion to be the friend of the exiled Irish, and he would 
 often say to us : « if I am a general today,! owe, in a great 
 * « measure, that rank and my rapid advancement to an 
 « irishman, the unfortunate general O'Morin, who took 
 ft me from the ranks of the volunteers in 1792, and had 
 « me named captain. » 
 
 General Thiebault was highly educated and very well 
 mannered, which was a great advantage to the troops 
 under his command. He was the chief of the staff of that 
 undaunted general, « Junot, » in Portugal, in 1808, and 
 acquired great renown in his difficult situation; particu- 
 larly at Lisbon, where he caused such improvements in 
 
 f 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYIINE 79 
 
 a very short space of time, by the sanitary changes which 
 he obliged the inhabitants to make in their unclean 
 
 city. 
 
 At Burgos he took great care to have the hospitals well 
 provided with every necessary requisite for the convales- 
 cent. He took pleasure also in adding to the embellish- 
 ment of a public walk, by the erection of a monument to 
 the Cid. — He had orders to commence the fort at Bur- 
 gos, which became so famous in 1812, resisting all the 
 assaults of the english army commanded by Wellington. 
 Our soldiers were employed at the construction of that fort 
 for a short time, in January 1809, but the guerilla war 
 soon gave them other occupation, and the service became 
 quite different to that we had to perform at Pampeluna, 
 where we had to escort prisoners to Bayonne and to visit 
 hospitals containing thousands of young soldiers sick 
 with the « maladie da pays. » Here at Burgos, we had to 
 escort the mail or courrier, coming from France to Ma- 
 drid and returning; continually fighting with guerillas, 
 besides frequent disagreeable expeditions through the 
 interior of the country. 1 shall mention a few of those 
 that fell to my lot; and as every officer marched in his 
 turn, it will shew the busy service the battalion had to 
 perform. 
 
 One night I was ordered to march with a hundred and 
 fifty men, two officers, Osmond and Mullowney, under 
 the orders of the colonel of the 118th regiment, « Duclos,« 
 who had an equal number of his own men ; just as we 
 
80 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 were setting* out lieutenant Osmond was told that he was 
 named to do the functions of aide-de-camp to the prince 
 of Isenberg, lately made general of brigade in the french 
 army and arrived at Burgos, to get a command. I was 
 sorr}^ not to have Osmond with us, but I was glad he got 
 a more agreeable situation ; he was a good comrade and j 
 a distinguished officer. Our sudden march was in conse- 
 quence of a detachment of soldiers who were sent to es- 
 cort a number of cars loaded with bullets and ammunition 
 from Valladolid to Aguilar-del-Campo, not arriving in 
 this town in due time; and no news whatever of them, 
 colonel Duclos was ordered to go in that direction to dis- 
 cover the reason. The serjeant who commanded the de- 
 tachment seeing the oxen not able to go further, went to 
 a small village off the road, to lodge his men, and stop 
 for the night. When we came to that village, there was 
 not a living being to be found to give any information, all 
 had fled. We however soon discovered by the traces 
 of blood through a field, where the eighteen bodies of the 
 unfortunate french soldiers were buried, and in another 
 field a little distance off, where the cannon balls were 
 sunk in a kind of marshy ground. Colonel Duclos gave 
 me an order to stop in a village near the one where the 
 murders were perpetrated, till he could procure me cars 
 to transport the bullets to the fort at Burgos. The second 
 day I had sufficient, and I escorted the bullets and am- 
 munition to Burgos, when general Thi^bault told me 
 that colonel Duclos being called back to the command of 
 
MlvMOIRS OF iMILES BYUNR SI 
 
 his reg-iment, and the adjutant general Fontaine who 
 had been in Ireland with general Humbert, and whom I 
 knew at Landernau in 1804 was appointed to replace 
 him, that he wished me to command the troops of this 
 moving column, as I had already a knowledge of the 
 country. After ten days marching and counter-marching 
 under the orders of adjutant general Fontaine, I was re- 
 lieved by other troops and I returned to Burgos to rejoin 
 my battalion, and a few days after it was my turn to 
 escort the mail to Lerma on the road to Madrid. 
 
 A Mr Murphy of the House of Gordon and Murphy of 
 Madrid, availed himself of the escort to return to his 
 home there ; he was coming from France where he had 
 been detained as a prisoner of war, and he had an officer 
 of gendarmes travelling in his coach with him to Ma- 
 drid, where his presence was required to settle commer- 
 cial business of the firm. 
 
 After king Joseph retreated from his capital in 1808, 
 Mr Murphy raised a regiment of cavalry at his own ex- 
 pence, and when colonel at the head of it, fighting 
 gallantly against Napoleon, he was taken prisoner and 
 sent to France 
 
 Mr Murphy was a very splendid looking man, very 
 handsome, and a good Spanish patriot. Some of our offi- 
 cers experienced great kindness from him in 1807 at their 
 camp at « Madrid. » 
 
 During our stay at Burgos we had occasion to see se- 
 
 T.ll 6 
 
1 
 
 82 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRXK 
 
 veral of the distinguished generals of the Republic and 
 the Empire. One night I got an order to be on guard 
 with my company on marshal Lefebvre, duke of Dantzic, 
 who was returning to France. And after the siege of Sa- 
 ragossain february 1809 the duke of Montebello, marshal 
 Lannes, arrived with his staff, ;ind his first aide-de-camp 
 was colonel William O'Meara who had been a captain 
 and our comrade in the irish legion in 1804 when we 
 were on the coast near Brest, expecting to be sent to Ire- 
 land. William O'Meara met there his twin brother colo- 
 nel Daniel O'Meara who was the commander of the town 
 of Burgos at the time. The meeting of the brothers in a 
 foreign land, is another instance of the misfortunes of 
 poor Ireland; had she been allowed to govern herself, 
 those brave officers would have been an ornament to her 
 commonwealth, in place of wandering abroad to seek 
 their fortunes. — Colonel William O'Meara was wounded 
 beside marshal Lannes, the day that hero was killed at 
 the battle of Essling 1809. O'Meara was named baron of 
 the Empire and general of brigade some time after. 
 
 The Irish abroad, and particularly the exiles banished 
 from their homes, were often more enthusiastic about 
 celebrating Saint Patrick's day, than if they had been 
 living quietly in the green Island. This was the case 
 with the officers of the irish battalion at Burgos, on the 
 17th march 1809. We had a dinnerparty to which we 
 invited the commander of the place , colonel Daniel 
 
MEMOIUS OF MILES 15YHNE 83 
 
 O'Meara, colouel O'Neil, then a captain in the 47th regi- 
 ment formerly Walshes, and which had been commanded 
 by his father general O'Neil ; his battalion had still seve- 
 ral officers who had served in the brigades. A prussian 
 regiment newly formed, in the service of France, arrived 
 in Burgos, one of the officers of it, a Mr Plunkett, a very 
 nice man, told us, that his father was the son of an Irish 
 man born in the Austrian States. — We had also the 
 sons of irish men who had served in the Irish regiments 
 in tbe Spanish army, Dalton, Mac Nalty, Cantan, etc. 
 Thus the exiles of 1798 had the honour of entertaining at 
 the festival of their patron saint, « Patrick, » the des- 
 cendants of those of the different epochs of Ireland's 
 sad history. — What a picture an able hand might have 
 drawn of Ireland's misfortunes, inspired by the varied 
 and woful histories of the ancestors of our guests I What 
 a pity, that the author of « the exile of Erin » was not 
 present at our dinner on Saint Patrick's day! 
 
 Theguerillas atthis time (1809), though far from being 
 organized as they were afterwards, gave great occupation 
 to the french troops in the province of Old Castillo. It 
 became a very disagreeable servibe to be continually, 
 night and day marching to disperse those bands, and 
 quite repugnant to our feelings, and we w-ished much to 
 be broiight to fight against a regular army ; and I must 
 say, that commandant Fitzhenry exerted himself greatly 
 in this instance. He learning that general Kellerman {son 
 
8'l MEMOIRS OF MILKS BYRNE 
 
 of marshal Kellerman the hero of Marengo), was to have 
 the command of a corps of army, to co-operate with 
 marshal Soult and marshal Ney against sir Arthur Wel- 
 lesley and the English, then thought to be about landing 
 again in Portugal, and against the Spanish army under 
 the command of the marquis de Romana, Fitzhenry's 
 demand to have the honour for the irish battalion of 
 making part of the army was accorded. 
 
 The battalion was marched to Leon to make part of the 
 army assembling then under general Kellerman for the 
 expedition against the marquis de Romana in the As- 
 lurias, and formed the advanced guard of the first brigade 
 under general Chariot. On the 18th of may 1809 the 
 army left Leon and had for several days to fight and force 
 the passages in the mountains to Oviedo, until Romana's 
 army was thought completely beaten and dispersed. 
 
 The battalion was then ordered to Gijon a small sea- 
 port town, where we expected to stop for some time * ; 
 but in consequence of marshal Soult's retreat from Oporto, 
 and marshal Ney's from Galicia, general Kellerman had 
 to evacuate the Asturias. He ordered the irish battalion 
 on its way back to Burgos, to pursue the division of the 
 
 ' We "W'ere delighted at the prospect of reposing ourselves a few days in 
 the neat little town of Gijon. I Avas lodged at the house of a rich merchant 
 on the quay, and I only found there one servant, a very old woman, who 
 shewed me myroom. Her mistress hearing that the strictest discipline was 
 observed, sent me a message, to say, that she Avished me to go to where 
 she was hiding, at her gardener's house in the suburbs. I conducted this 
 lady and her three little children to their liome. Captain Macguire called 
 on me. and she politely invited him to come to dinner, Avhich he accepted 
 with pleasure and we spent an agreeable evening with this amiable lady. 
 The next morning she told me that her husband Avlio was at their country 
 
MFMOIRS OF MILES DYRNR 85 
 
 marquis de Romana's army, that had escaped into the 
 mountains, and for several days the battalion, not more 
 tlian six hundred strong-, was attacking- the rear guard 
 of a division of several thousand. At length the Spanish 
 general seeing- but a small force following- him, intended 
 to attack in his turn and to draw the Irish battalion into 
 an ambuscade : he was however soon put to flight again 
 when general Chovel and his brigade, that had left Leon 
 a few days before, came in sight. This general kept the 
 irish battalion with him in the mountains for some time, 
 and tliei^. it returned to Leon, where the officer payer and 
 the convalescents had remained; there they met general 
 Kellerman, who ordered them on another expedition 
 tlirough the mountains to Santandero, passing by Aguilar 
 delCampo. Finally, the battalion returned to Burgos after 
 a long absence, to be again under the orders of general 
 Thiebault, who informed the officers, that the emperor 
 was so well pleased with the conduct of the irish legion, 
 that he decreed it should take the title of First Irish Re- 
 giment of the legion in the service of France, and ordered 
 the duke of Feltre, who was then minister of war, to have 
 it organized with four war battalions, and a fifth with a 
 
 place a league or Iavo from the town ■wished her to bring a small escort 
 for him. as he feared if he returned alone, lie might fall into the hands of 
 Ihe patriots and Le badly treated. She asked me to accompany her. Com- 
 mandant Fitzhenry Ihought I could not refuse her and liidnie take a few 
 men to serve as an escort. This lady had her horse and mule both saddled, 
 and Ave were ready to start, when the drums beat to arms, fortunately 
 for me and in half an hour after, the town was evacuated, and was only 
 re-occupied the second day by a freni'h battalion. — I must say, that this 
 incident was a warning to me in all my future campaigns, never to quit 
 myiattalion on any account ! 
 
86 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 depot which was placed the same year, June 1809, at 
 Landau near the Rhine. 
 
 General Thiebault read at parade the new organization 
 which was as follows. 
 
 DANIEL O'mEAEA, COLONEL, 
 
 Peterzelli , chef de bataillon. bt battalion at Flushing. 
 
 J. Fitzhenry, d° 2 . . . in Spain. 
 
 J, F. Mahony, d° 3 ... at Landau. 
 
 . . . 4 not yet formed. 
 
 Colonel O'Meara was ordered to remain at Landau to 
 see the 3^ battalion completed and ready to march to 
 Spain. Captain Lawless and tbe other five officers who 
 were sent from the camp at Boulogne-sur-Mer to Brest in 
 1807 were ordered to Landau and placed in commandant 
 Mahony's battalion; Lawless as captain of grenadiers ; 
 but he soon received his brevet of « chef » of the first bat- 
 talion then at Flashing, and an order to repair there to 
 replace commandant Peterzelli, who was placed on ge- 
 neral Monet's staff, in the command of that battalion ; 
 but before Lawless's arrival, the town was completely 
 surrounded by sea and land, by the english. He gallant- 
 ly made his way through the enemy's fleet, in a small 
 open boat, and got safe into the town and took the com- 
 mand of the battalion There he distinguished himself in 
 every sortie made against the enemy, till he received a 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 87 
 
 dang'ftrous Nvouiid, and most of his men were killed or 
 wounded. 
 
 General Monet having capitulated at Flushing without 
 any sti[)ulation for the irish officers, commandant Law- 
 less thought it necessary to confide in the medical man 
 of the place, doctor Moke, in whose house he was, and 
 who dressed his wounds and kept him in concealment 
 till he was well enough, and found an opportunity of 
 making his escape to Antwerp, where he hrought the 
 Eagle of the regiment and was received hy marshal Ber- 
 nadotte (afterwards king of Sweden) with the highest . 
 marks of esteem and consideration for his brilliant con- 
 duct in the defence of Flushinp;. He w^as mentioned in 
 the order of the army at Antwerp. The marshal having 
 apprized the emperor of commandant Lawless's escape, he 
 ordered him to repair to Paris, where he conferred on 
 him the decoration of the legion of honour and the rank 
 of lieutenant-colonel. 
 
 Some of the officers of the irish regiment being made 
 prisoners at Flushing and being taken to England, 
 were there treated in every respect as french olficers. 
 No doubt from the fear of reprisals on the part of the 
 french government, had any violence been offered 
 them. 
 
 Amongst the officers of the regiment who escaped to 
 France and who were mentioned in the reports of the 
 siege as having distinguished themselves, were, captains 
 Barker, Mac Can, and Dowdel : the two latter died of 
 
°^ .MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 their wounds at Ghent. Lieutenant Martin died of his 
 wounds in some other town. 
 
 Lieutenant O'Reilly who escaped wi^h commandant 
 Lawless, received the decoration of the legion of honour 
 on arriving in France, for his brilliant conduct during- 
 the sieg-e, and was soon named a captain in the first bat- 
 talion, re-org-anized at Landau. Captain Tennant was 
 named commandant in the room of colonel Lawless. 
 
 The duke of Feltre receiving- daily applications from 
 irishmen detained in the different depots of english pri- 
 soners in France, to serve in the Irish regiment, thought 
 proper to send an intelligent officer to these depots, to 
 ascertain that none but irisli should be allowed to take 
 service. Captain Markey who had been sent to Brest in 
 1807 was chosen for this purpose : he executed his mis- 
 sion with so much skill and activity, that after sending 
 a great body of recruits to the Irish regiment, the duke of 
 Feltre took him for one of his aides-de-camp; in which 
 situation he remained until he obtained the rank of lieu- 
 tenant-colonel. 
 
 The 3d battalion being completely organized in 1809 at 
 Landau, was ordered to Spain under the command of 
 commandant Mahony ; but in consequence of the distur- 
 bed state of Germany in the war of the grand army, the 
 battalion had to make several marches down the right 
 bank of the Rhine before setting out for Spain, and only 
 arrived at Burgos in the month of January 1810, when it 
 was united to the 2^ battalion 
 
ME.MOII'.S OP MILES BYRNE 89 
 
 Commandant Fitzhenry rose much in the estimation 
 of tlie governor of Old Castille after he returned with his 
 battalion to Burc:os, when all the details of our cam- 
 paig-n in the Asturias under the command of general 
 Kellerman were known. The latter ordered a gratification 
 of one hundred francs to be given to each officer of his 
 division ; this money was the produce of a prize made at 
 Gijon of an english ship laden with coffee and spices and 
 which was seized there and sold for the benefit of the 
 hospitals. — General Thiebault was not pleased to learn 
 that the troops which were sent from his government of Old 
 Castille, to make part of general Kellerman's division did 
 not participate in the gratification accorded to the officers. 
 He asked commandant Fitzhenry the cause of this omis- 
 sion, to which the latter mentioned his conversation on 
 the subject with general Kellerman, which was simply 
 this, a Commandant, I have not comprised your officers 
 « for the gratification, knowing that they must have in- 
 n demnified themselves in thoir long marches after the 
 « marquis de Romana in the interior of the Asturuis. » 
 
 Commandant Fitzhenry replied: « General, the officers 
 « of the Irish battalion are men of high honour and prin- 
 '( ciple, and I challenge and defy any Spaniard to come 
 a forward and prove that a single article or object was 
 « ever taken, save the regular rations ordered to be fur- 
 « nished to troo['S in campaign, by the officers of my 
 « battalion, etc. » 
 
 It is true that general Kellerman did not pass for being 
 
90 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 the most agreeable chief to serve under, "We ^vere quit 
 ting' his command and returning- to Burgos. He wished 
 to employ us on our way back there, to disperse a part 
 of Romana's army again rallying in the mountains. He 
 could not have known the real force of the enemy we had 
 to fight against, or he would have ordered more troops 
 We however manoeuvred in this critical situation much 
 [letter than could have been expected. One night that we 
 had to stop in a poor village to give some repose to our 
 men, commandant Fitzhenry being lodged at the priesf s 
 house, got a great deal of important information from the 
 venerable old clergyman of this parish, all of which we 
 found to be quite accurate and of infinite service to us 
 next morning, and in consequence we avoided the am- 
 buscade prepared for us by the marquis de Romana; we 
 turned his position and soon put his troops to flight. — 
 Til is short campaign in the Asturias gave us an oppor- 
 tunity of judging the character of its inhabitants, and I 
 must say, that the' in the time of war, we were gene- 
 rally on friendly terms with them. I was one day order- 
 ed by general Chovel to command a detachment of troops 
 to escort a Spanish agent who was going to a village six 
 leagues off, to procure provisions for head quarters. We 
 arrived there in the night. The agent took his billet at 
 the Alcade's house, and I was lodged at the Parish 
 priest's. This clergyman was middle aged, and very well 
 looking. The next morning whilst the Spanish agent, 
 acting in the name of their king, « Joseph, » was regu- 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 91 
 
 lating with the senor Alcade about the quantity aud 
 nature of the provisions to be got ready, I hnd a long 
 and interesting conversation with my host : this worthy 
 patriotic ecclesiastic told me he had studied at Salamanca 
 and had been acquainted there with many of my coun- 
 trymen, both students of the. Irish college, and officers 
 of the irish regiment in the Spanish service; he added, 
 that he thought there was a great similitude in many 
 respects between the people of our respective countries, 
 their sufferings, etc. I answered there could be no com- 
 parison, as in his country, at that moment the inhabi- 
 tants were not persecuted and deprived of their civil rights 
 on accountof the religion they professed. I allowed how- 
 ever that the Spaniards had suffered in their disastrous 
 wars on account of the monarchs imposed on them : one 
 time from an Austrian branch, another from the house of 
 the Bourbons of France, and then from the Buonaparte 
 family : whilst in poor Ireland the millions of uneman- 
 cipati'd catholics serfs were kept in bondage by a protes- 
 tant ascendency of a few hundred thousand individuals, 
 acting there the part of the cruel task masters of England. 
 That in changing the Spanish dynasties, no religious 
 persecutions took place in Sixain. I perfectly agreed 
 with him that the Spaniards bad a right to govern 
 tliemselves and to choose the form of government they 
 wished ; whilst on the other hand I maintained that 
 no matter who the chief of the french government w^as, 
 he became responsible to the nation to take the best means 
 
^*~ MEMOIP.S OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 to secure the friendship of tlie neig-hbouring states, and 
 tlieir perfect neutrality in time of war; that it could never 
 be for o-otten, that after the revolution of 1789 when hosti- 
 lities began, protestant Prussia and catholic Spain were 
 the first powers to attack and invade France. To be sure 
 other powers soon followed the example, as protestant 
 England and catholic Austria; the latter on the Rhine 
 and on the Alps; the former got possession of Toulon by 
 treachery, and made a bold attempt to take Dunkirk, but 
 that town was commanded by an irishman O'Marra, and 
 the duke of York and the en-Hsh army under his orders 
 were forced to make a shameful retreat : and again in 
 1806, had the battle of lena been lost by France, your 
 king Charles the fourth was prepared to declare'^ war 
 against her. _ Now under all those circumstances, a 
 sure guarantee was required by the frencli government 
 fi-om the Spanish nation : I am far from pretending that 
 the right means were taken to secure it. — In the most 
 animated tone did this Spanish priest reply, not as I ex- 
 pected indeed to my observations : he said. Sir, don't 
 think that it is because we want Ferdinand more than 
 Joseph, that the war is carried on against you; it is be- 
 cause we want to remain a Spanish nation independent 
 of foreigners, and we hope it will never cease 'till the 
 last french soldier is driven from our country. You are 
 here in a province, the « Asturias, » which the -Aloors 
 could not conquer, and with God's help, you shall fail 
 also. — 
 
MKMOIUS OF MILES BYHNK 93 
 
 I could not help admiring- tile patriotism of this en- 
 thusiastic ecclesiastic : he reminded me of the virtuous 
 clerg'yraen who suffered torture and death, as martyrs, 
 both in the field and on the scaffold, in Ireland in 1798, 
 endeavouring- to set their country free from the cruel for- 
 eign yoke. Historians writing on the wars of that period 
 seem to disapprove the part some irish clergymen took 
 in them, whilst they admire the Spaniards fighting 
 against catholic France, — Be that as it may, the names 
 of the priests and monks who were buried under the ruins 
 of Saragossa in the month of february 1809, will be reve- 
 red and remembered in that country to the end of time ; 
 as sure as that the names of Father Roche, Father Red- 
 mond, the two Fathers Murphy, and Father Kearns will 
 never be forgotten in the county of Wexford « as long- 
 as the Slaney <i runs into the sea! » 
 
 One of the Fathers Murphy was killed at the battle of 
 Arklow on the 9th of June 1798. The other four were 
 hanged and quartered in the most disgusting and cruel 
 manner, and died martyrs to their country's cause. With 
 three of them 1 was on the most intimate terms, all 
 through the insurrection, viz : Fathers John Murphy, 
 Kearns and Roche. As to poor Father Redmond, he was 
 the curate of our parish, and it was he who attended my 
 dear father in his last moments in 1797. — Father Frank 
 Kavanagh was the parish priest and they had three cha- 
 pels in the parish, Clough, Crane and Monaseed, to attend 
 on Sundays. 
 
94 )IEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 Father Redmond took no part whatever in the war; he 
 resided quite retired, with his family in the neighbour- 
 hood of Earl Mountnorris' mansion. One day a detach- 
 ment from our camp being sent there to procure some 
 provisions, Father Redmond presented himself to them, 
 and in the most humble manner beseeched them not to 
 burn or plunder the concerns of the Earl, who was one of 
 the best of men. He succeeded in his request and retired 
 again to his home, where he remained 'till the war was 
 over, when lord Mountnorris had him arrested and es- 
 corted to the eng'lish camp at Gorey hill, with a rope 
 about his neck. There he had him hanged from the bough 
 of a tree; and whilst he was suspended, the noble Earl 
 had the courage to discharge his case of pistols through 
 the body of this innocent jiriest, whose only crime was 
 that of having contributed to save the premises of that 
 cowardly Earl, who wanted to redeem his lost reputation 
 by this cruel murder. He knew he was censured for not 
 being at the head of his corps of yeomen cavalry, when 
 they fought and were defeated on the 26th of may 1798. 
 His lieutenants Busky and Swan were killed, and almost 
 all the men. 
 
CHAPTER IV 
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 The emperor Napoleon's order to have another first irish battalion orga- 
 nized, to replace those killed or taken prisoners at Flushing in 1809. — 
 Captain John Tennant named lo the command, Commandant La\vles3 
 l.eing reported dead. — Captain Osmond quits the prince of Isenberg and 
 becomes adjutant major.— Captain Mac Carthy and the other distinguis- 
 hed ollicers of the first battalion. — General Clarke at Berlin. — Mr Fer. 
 guson made captain. — Commandant Mahony. — Captain Murray. — 
 Gabour lieutenant, nephew of general Foy. — Nugent. — Jackson. — 
 Bourke. — Delany, etc. — General Solignac at Burgos. — Commandant 
 Fitzhenry. — Allen at Naxara. —The Irish relieved by the young impe- 
 rial guards. — Formation of the 8th corps. — Generals Junot duke of 
 Abrantes, Clausel, Solignac, Lagrange, Thomier, etc. — Siege of Astorga 
 and details. — The prisoners escorted to Valladolid : on the march to 
 Toro,colonelO'Mearaand commandant Mahony quit the regiment. — 
 March to Salamanca. — Prince marshal Massenas head quarters as gene- 
 ral in chief. — Siege of Ciudad Rodrigo by marshal Ney. — 6th corps. — 
 The 8th corps at the advanced posts, June 1810. - Junot duke of Abrantes. 
 
 — General Saiute-Croix- — "Ware promoted and ordered to France. — 
 Byrne gets the command of the grenadiers. — Gamp at Saint-Felix-le- 
 Grand. - Siege of Almeida. — The '2d and 8th corps march into Portugal. 
 
 — Battle of Busaco. — General Thomier's speech. - The english retreat 
 from Coimbra to Torres Vedras. — The irish regiment at the advanced 
 posts.— The general in chief shead quarters atTorresnovas. January 1811. 
 
 The emperor Napoleon after the battle of Wagram and 
 his other victories in Germany, heard the unpleasant 
 news of the capitulation of the frencli garrison at Flush- 
 ing-, to the English on the 15th of august 1809, and 
 
% MEMOIRS OF MILES ItYRNE 
 
 knowing- that the first battalion of the irish regiment 
 commanded by William Lawless made part of that gar- 
 rison, he gave orders to have another first battalion forth- 
 with organized at Landau, the depot where the men and 
 officers were assembled for its formation. Captain John 
 Tennant was promoted to the command of it, with the | 
 rank of « chef de bataillon, )> in the room of commandant 
 Lawless, who was reported killed during the siege of 
 Fhishing. (It was in november he escaped to Antwerp.) 
 — Lieutenant Osmond who had been emplojed as aide- 
 de-camp for a short time in Spain, to the prince Isen- 
 berg, received his commission as captain adjutant major 
 to commandant Tennant's battalion ; and indeed a better 
 choice could not have been made. — Mac Carthy a volun- 
 teer in a french regiment at the camp of Boulogne-?ur- 
 Mer in 1804, got rapid promotion : he was a lieutenant 
 at the battle of Wagram, where he distinguished him- 
 self, and for which, he was named knight of the legion 
 of honour and captain of grenadiers to the first battalion 
 of the irish regiment at Landau, commanded by Tennant. 
 Mac Carthy was a fineoflicer; highly instructed, and the 
 best of comrades. Besides the captains O'Quin, Markey, 
 Magrath, de Meyers, etc., the first battalion was compo- 
 sed of lieutenants and sous lieutenants of worth, and all 
 were animated wuth a military spirit that could not be 
 surpassed in any regiment; — such were, the youngest 
 Saint-Leger, O'Brien, Berthemy, Lynch, Magrath ju- 
 nior, Young Osmond, nephew to the captain; Swanton, 
 
\ 
 
 MKMOinS ()1<- MILES BYIlXE 97 
 
 Wall junior, Glashau senior, Mac Auly, Markey's ne- 
 phew, etc., etc. 
 
 How disagreeable and discouraging; it must have 
 been to these young officers to witness the injudicious 
 manner the minister of war « Feltre » behaved towards 
 them. They at least expected that when the place of 
 captain became vacant in the regiment, it would be filled 
 by the senior lieutenant or by one chosen by the chiefs, 
 as is the case in the french regiments. One instance 
 will suffice to prove the contrary was the case in the 
 Irish regiment. — General Clark when he was governor 
 of Berlin in 1806 became acquainted there with a Mr Fer- 
 guson a scotch gentleman. In 1809 general Clark, then 
 duke of Feltre, and minister of war at Paris, was waited 
 on and solicited by his former acquaintance Mr Fergu- 
 son, for some situation under the french government. 
 The minister immediately granted him the commission 
 of captain in the irish regiment to the prejudice of all 
 those brave lieutenants before mentioned. No doubt 
 Mr Ferguson was a well bred gentleman, but he was 
 more than fifty years of age, and he had not the least 
 idea of the military profession, and which he candidly 
 owned himself to marshal Massena in Spain, who took 
 compassion on him, and gave him permission to go and 
 stop at Valladolid until an opportunity to return to the 
 depot of the irish regiment at Landau, should occur. 
 Many other instances of old captains (who should have 
 been retreated), being put at the head of companies in 
 
98 MEMOIRS OF MILKS nVKNE 
 
 the irish regiment by the duke of Feltre, who did not 
 seem to feel for the military spirit and emulation, which 
 is the life and soul of an army, by depriving those brave 
 young officers of the advancement they were so well 
 entitled to, by appointing men to situations, w'ho had no 
 claims as irish patriots, shewed that he, the duke of Feltre, 
 cared little aboutthe independence of Ireland ; and indeed 
 he could not have given abetter proof than that of having 
 named John Francis Mahony, chef de bataillon over the 
 heads of such captains as Lawless, Tennant ,Markey, 
 Brangan, O'Malley, Saint-Leger, Allen, Ware, etc. 
 
 Mahony had nothing to recommend him to hold a rank 
 in an irish regiment, in the french service ".he emigrated as 
 a sub-lieutenant in 1792 , took service in England and ser- 
 ved in Egypt against the French in 1799 ; after the peaceof 
 Amiens in 1802 he sold out his commission in the english 
 army and returned to France. He never asked to be em- 
 ployed so long as any hopes of an expedition to Ireland 
 was entertained. In 1809 he was named to command the 
 third battalion of the irish regiment, which was ordered 
 to Spain, to join the second battalion, at Burgos; but what 
 w^as still worse, was, not to have promoted the senior 
 superior officer of the regiment to the rank of colonel of 
 it. Had commandant Fitzhenry got the situation, captain 
 AVare would have replaced him, and the first lieutenant 
 would have been named captain in his place; and pro- 
 motion would thus have been obtained down ^^g^^tiie sol- 
 diers in the ranks. - 
 
MFJIOIRS OF WlLi:S liYHNK 99 
 
 Colonel Daniel O'Meara whom we knew in 1809 as 
 commander of the place at Burgos, was named colonel of 
 tlie first irish reg-iment the same year, and ordered to the 
 depot at Landau, to have the war battalions organized 
 and equipped, ready to march against Ihe enemies of 
 Fi-ance : unfortunately tho' a brave and an honourable 
 man, he was quite unfit for the task of commanding a 
 regiment ; having been mostly employed on the staflF, he 
 knew little of the evolutions or manoeuvres of infantry, 
 and he was getting too old to learn, and being adicted to 
 drinking, he was rendered not only useless but unsafe 
 at the head of his regiment. He remained at the depot, 
 waiting- 'till the third battalion arrived in Spain should 
 1) ■ united with the second, to go and take the command 
 of both : but as is mentioned in the third chapter, com- 
 mandant Mahony had to march with his battalion for 
 tonie time down the Rhine, to disperse guerrillas that 
 were attempting to make a diversion in the rear of the 
 french grand army, and which might have become for- 
 midable and dangerous, interrupting all small detach- 
 ments, had the Germans possessed the same kind of spirit 
 and talents for a guerrilla war, that the Spaniards had. 
 — In consequence of this short excursion on the Rhine, 
 the third battalion only reached Burgos in January 1810, 
 after its long march in winter. I was truly glad to see 
 it arrive, as I met amongst the ofiicers composing it se- 
 veral of my former friends and comrades ; first of all, 
 cai)tain Paul Murray, whose acquaintance I made in the 
 
100 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYHXE 
 
 mountains of the county of Wicklow in 1798, at a me- 
 morable period of Ireland's sad history ; next captain 
 Brang-an, who was destined to have taken an active part 
 inpoor Robert Emmett's unsuccessful undertaking in 1803. 
 My acquaintance with Jackson, Bourk, Delauy, Nugent, 
 Cabour de la Haye (the nephew of the illustrious general 
 Foy), only commenced at Burgos in 1810, and I must 
 say, for the latter, I never knew a more upright, belter, 
 or braver man than he was, all the time he remained inl 
 
 V 
 
 the irish regiment; and to his last moment, when he wa; 
 colonel of the staff, and enjoying influence, his greal 
 pleasure was, to ascertain how he could be useful to his 
 former comrades. All his acts were in perfect harmonj 
 with his uncle general Foy's. 
 
 As to Jackson and Bourk they were young men of abi 
 lity, for whom I had the sincerest friendship till deatl 
 and banishment separated us. — Captain Bourk was 
 killed on the 29th of august 1813, at Lowenberg on th( 
 Bober. 
 
 Captain Jackson was banished from France on a mi- 
 nisterial order, of the war minister the duke of Feltre ir 
 1815, as a « Buonapartist, » without any trial or proof 
 He went to South America where he soon obtained tht 
 rank of colonel, fighting for the independence of his 
 newly adopted country. 
 
 Young Delany was brother to the gentleman I met a1 
 Mr Emmett's in 1803, and the friend of poor Thomas 
 Russell and his nephew by marriage, William Hamilton. 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES UYRNE 101 
 
 Captain Ferguson looked rather conspicuous being 
 well mounted on a white poney, and riding every day 
 on the march beside his company, the command of which 
 he left to his lieutenant, as he had not yet had time to 
 learn the words of command before setting out from the 
 depot at Landau. At table however in the evening, he 
 was a perfect gentleman, and commandant Mahony see- 
 med to appreciate that military quality in one of his 
 captains, being an excellent judge himself of the etiquette 
 to be observed on such occasions, from his experience at 
 the mess tables of the english officers whilst he remained 
 in that service. 
 
 Commandant Mahony would have been rather well 
 looking but for a squint which he had, and which gave 
 him at times a mean air; particularly so on account of 
 the impediment he had in his speech : his stammer would 
 often prevent him uttering a word for half a minute and 
 then his face was distorted to a most extraordinary de- 
 gree. He however could command without stammering 
 and sing also with ease. 
 
 I need not say that we received at dinner and enter- 
 tained in the best way we could commandant Mahony 
 and his officers of the third battalion, the day they arri- 
 ved, and that we spent a very pleasant evening together, 
 talking over old times. 
 
 The two battalions being united, the sous intendant 
 railitaire inspected them and classed the officers. Captain 
 
102 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 O'Malley passed to the third battalion in the first class. 
 — Captain Murray replaced him in the second battalion. 
 — Joseph Parrott was named adjutant major to the third 
 battalion with commandant Mahony. At this review, in I 
 the absence of colonel O'Meara, commandant Fitzhenry, 
 as senior superior officer took the command of the Irish 
 regiment then at Burgos. 
 
 The general of division Solignac replaced general 
 Thi^bault as governor of Old Castille. He employed the 
 2'' battalion in all his expeditions against the marquis 
 Ceto Porlier and the other Spanish chiefs, which made a 
 great name for Fitzhenr}^ and the officers who composed 
 that battalion. Captain Allen with his company of volti- 
 geurs surprised near Najara in the night a squadron of 
 Spanish cavalry, consisting of four officers and 40 men. 
 After taking horses that were fit for service, general 
 Solignac had the rest sold and the money distributed 
 amongst captain Allen's voltigeurs, to reward them for 
 their activity. This had an excellent effect on the men 
 of the regiment. 
 
 The Irish regiment was relieved in Old Castille where 
 it had been constantly engaged in expeditions against the 
 guerrillas, by the young imperial guards arriving from 
 France in february 1810. — At this time orders were 
 given for the formation of the eighth corps, under ge- 
 neral Junot, duke of Abrantes. — It was composed of 
 three divisions commanded by lieutenants generals 
 Clausel, Solignac, and Lagrange. ■ 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILKS BYRNE 103 
 
 The irisli regiment made a part of the 2'' division, 
 general Solignac's, in the 2'' brigade commanded by 
 general Thornier. 
 
 On the first of march 1810 it left Burgos for Eio Seco, 
 where the division was united and formed the head quar- 
 ters for some days of generals Solignac and Thornier. 
 
 Colonel O'Meara arrived at Rio Seco from the depot at 
 Landau, with a detachement and took the command of 
 the regiments. — The duke of Abrantes had his head 
 quarters with the division Lagrange at Valladolid. 
 
 The division Clausel blockaded Astorga and began to 
 make a regular siege; but his division was relieved in 
 the trenches by general Solignac's, and he marched to 
 the advanced posts before the english to prevent them 
 raising the siege. The 2'' division encamped near the 
 town, and the Irish regiment was employed day and 
 night in the trenches during this memorable siege, 
 which lasted three weeks. 
 
 On the 19th of april 1810, the general in chief the duke 
 of Abrantes arrived, and as the Spanish garrison would 
 not surrender, he ordered the breach to be made, which 
 with great difficulty was effected on the 21st of april 1810. 
 A battalion of chosen troops was organized to mount the 
 breach, of which captain Allen's company of voltigeurs, 
 consisting of 150 men of the 2"^ battalion of the first irish 
 regiment, marched at its head. — After captain Allen 
 received his instructions as he passed the duke of Abrantes 
 in the trenches, he divided his company into two sec- 
 
104 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 tions, and at the head of the first he marched on to the 
 breach. At five o'clock P. M. when the signal was given, 
 he had to pass more than 200 yards uncovered before he 
 got to the bottom of the breach, under the fire of above 
 two thousand men ; he however mounted it with such 
 bravery and decision, that when he arrived at the top, he 
 turned round and saluted the general and the army of 
 above 30,000 men; then pointing to his men to fire on 
 the enemy that was on his flank, and to follow him into 
 the town, he took possession of a house near the rampart, 
 according to the instructions of the duke of Abrantes, in 
 order to keep up the communication between the breach 
 and the trenches, and this he defended the whole night. 
 In order to facilitate the mounting of the breach to the rest 
 of the battalion, he made a temporary rampart of the 
 men's sacks on his left flank, from behind which he 
 kept up a continual fire on the enemy that approached 
 the breach from the rampart, and whom he feared might 
 cut oft' his communication with the trenches. All the 
 officers senior to Allen of the battalion being killed or 
 wounded, all orders were given by him during the night 
 'till the arrival of captain Legrave aide-de-camp to the 
 duke of Abrantes, who had been designed to command 
 the battalion, but who did not join it 'till one in the 
 morning. 
 
 A drummer of captain Allen's in mounting the breach 
 had both his legs broken, but he kept his drum, sat down 
 and beat the charge as long as he was able, and indeed 
 
MKMOIRS OF MILKS DYRNE ^0^ 
 
 uutil all the battalion got up : for this, he received the 
 cross of the Legion of honour. - The rest of commandant 
 Fitzhenry's battalion remained all night near the breach, 
 ready to mount the first in the morning, and suffered 
 n,uch. - Every company had men killed and wounded, 
 currying ladders to the breach, which was scarcely 
 practicable. His adjutant major Perry, and his adjutant 
 Gougie were both wounded, the latter lost his arm. The 
 battalion received on this occasion great praise from the 
 duke of Abrantes and the other generals. Captain Allen's 
 conduct was so remarkable as to excite general admira- 
 tion throughout the army assembled there : indeed it 
 exceeded all praise that could be given him. - The duke 
 of Abrantes who was so brave himself and such an admi- 
 rer of heroic actions, was heard to exclaim, a Good 
 « heavens! I would give two thousand napoleons to see 
 « that brave man alive in the morning ; but it is impos- 
 « sible for him to escape under such a tremendous fire. » 
 The garrison seeing no chance of retaking the breach, 
 which was steadily defended by captain Allen during the 
 night, sent a flag of truce at day-light to the general in 
 chief and surrendered at discretion. Five thousand fine 
 troops marched out and laid down their arms on the 
 glacis, and the Irish regiment was ordered to escort them 
 to Valladolid, which was considered a very hard ser- 
 vice after all the fatigue they had endured day and 
 night in the trenches during the siege. 
 
 After the town surrendered, captain Allen was orde- 
 
106 M!;moi!'.s of 3iiL!;s isyhne 
 
 red to return by the breach, as an honour, with the re- 
 mains of the battalion which was reduced to about 150 
 men, out of UOO ; the rest being all killed or wounded. 
 
 The general in chief, Junot duke of Abrantes, accom- 
 panied by all the generals present, Solignac, Lagrange, 
 Thomier, Sainte-Croix, etc., came to review those brave 
 men who remained of the battalion that had mounted 
 the breach. Nothing could equal their expressions of 
 admiration and praise. — Each embraced captain Allen, 
 the only captain who had escaped. Captain Allen and the 
 remains of his company, was sent into Astorga after it had 
 surrendered, to wait the return of the rest of the irish re- 
 giment sent to escort the prisoners to Valladolid. — Colo- 
 nel O'Meara of the irish regiment was named to command 
 the place, and the greatest order and discipline was kept 
 up : no sort of plunder of any kind being allowed. 
 
 The irish regiment returned to Astorga after having 
 escorted the prisoners to Valladolid, and in the beginning 
 of may, being relieved by a swiss regiment at Astorga, 
 they joined thedivision of general Solignac and marched 
 to Toro. 
 
 It was during this march that the general in chief, the 
 duke of Abrantes, placed colonel O'Meara on the staff of 
 general Solignac, and gave the command of the irish 
 regiment to commandant Fitzhenry. At the same time 
 generals Solignac and Thomier having assembled the 
 officers of the 3"' battalion of the Ii-ish regiment in the 
 presence of commandant Mahony, and hearing their 
 
.MEMOIItS OF MILES HYItNE 107 
 
 complaints against him, he was attached to the duke's 
 iff and the command of the 3^ battalion given to cap- 
 tain Allen in his stead. 
 
 Commandant Mahony served as a sous-lieutenant in 
 the irish brigade ; he emigrated in 1792 and entered the 
 english service some time after; he made the campaign 
 of Egypt against the french army ; he returned to 
 France when the emigrants were allowed to come back, 
 after selling his commission in the english service; but 
 he was not employed by Napoleon 'till 1809. 
 
 Captain Allen felt on this occasion that he could not 
 command a battalion in which there were two captains 
 senior to him; but general Thornier told him, it was the 
 wish of the duke of Abrantes, and that he ought to com- 
 ply, as the duke expected by every courier, his (captain 
 Allen's), brevet as chef da battalion. 
 
 The regiment was ordered from Toro to Salamanca in 
 the beginning of June 1810, in which town prince 
 Massena had just arrived to take the command of the 
 three corps of army, destined to invade Portugal. — The 
 2^ corps was commanded by general Regnier; the 6th by 
 marshal Ney, and the 8th by Junot duke of Abrantes. The 
 latter assembled the Irish officers on their arriving at 
 Salamanca, to announce to them the promotions and de- 
 corations that were just arrived from Paris for the regi- 
 ment. He expressed great regret that captain Allen's 
 brevet as chef de bataillon was not amongst them, but 
 promised him he would never cease his endeavours 'till 
 
108 MEMOIRS OF MILKS DYRNE 
 
 he obtained his brevet from the duke of Feltre then mi- 
 nister of war. — Captain Allen resumed the command of 
 his company of voltigeurs in the2'i battalion, and captain 
 O'Malley the senior captain of the 3d battalion took the 
 command of it. 
 
 The 6th corps commanded by mars-hal Ney was em-, 
 ployed to make the siege of Ciudad Rodrigo, and the 8th 
 corps commanded by Junot duke of Abrantes marched 
 in the beginning of June 1810 from Salamanca to the 
 advanced posts before the english, and occupied the line 
 between Almeida and Ciudad Rodrigo. 
 
 A battalion d'elite, or chosen troops of the irish regi- 
 ment was assembled to act at the advanced posts during 
 the siege, and captain Ware of the grenadiers of the 2^ 
 battalion of the irish was named by the duke of Abrantes 
 to command it. In an attack made on a division of 
 advanced posts by general Sainte-Croix and his brigade 
 of cavalry, seconded by captain Ware, the english were 
 driven back under the walls of Almeida and the fort of 
 Conception. — Captain Ware was highly complimented 
 by all the generals for the brilliant conduct of his batta- 
 lion during this action. He received at this time his bre- 
 vet of chef de battalion for the 4th battalion of the irish 
 regiment, then forming at Landau in France, fo which 
 town he was ordered to repair without delay. He was 
 ordered to give up the command of his company of gre- 
 nadiers to captain Byrne of the 2^ battalion'. 
 
 ■ 
 
 ' The author. 
 
MEMOIHS Ol' MILES BYllNE 109 
 
 At the end of July 1810, as soon as Ciudad Rodrig-o 
 surrendered, the Irish regiment went with the duke of 
 Ahrantes to his head quarters at Ledesma : in which 
 place it remained until the camp was formed at Saint- 
 F61ix-le-Grand. From this camp it went to be employed 
 at the siege of Almeida until the town was blown up and 
 surrendered in the end of august the same year. After 
 this siege, Massena, with the three corps of army mar- 
 ched into Portugal, and the irish regiment being consi- 
 dered as light troops, always marched at the head of ge- 
 neral Thomier's brigade — This brave general seemed 
 happy to have them under his command in entering 
 Portugal, and in an energetic and eloquent speech which 
 he made to the officers of the irish regiment the morning 
 of the battle of Busaco, at the moment he expected the 
 order for attacking the English, he reminded them of all 
 the wrongs of unfortunate Ireland, and called also to 
 their recollection Fontenoy, where the irish brigade in 
 the service of France, decided the battle. 
 
 The day after the battle of Busaco the 8th corps mar- 
 ched on Coimbra and completely turned the left wing of 
 the english army, then in full retreat on Lisbon. 
 
 The irish regiment shared in the honour of this day, 
 and indeed in every place where the english attempted to 
 resist, until they were driven behind their intrenchments 
 at Torres Vedras near Lisbon. 
 
 The irish regiment encamped at the most advanced 
 
I 
 
 ^^^ MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 posts, within cannon shot of the enemy's line, and re- 
 mained in this position until the army was ordered to 
 fall Wtck on SantaremandTorres Novas indecember 1810. 
 It was detached with general Thomier in a small villag-e 
 called Praseras, where the companies of elite were con- 
 tinually employed endeavouring- to find provisions, which 
 now became very difficult to procure. It became necessary 
 to go out into the enemy's line and there to fight and 
 run the greatest dangers ; but the privations of this me- 
 morable campaign are too generally known for it to be 
 necessary to say more, than, that the Irish regiment 
 bore them with as much fortitude as any other regiment 
 m the army. - They were for nearly eight months 
 without pay or rations, except at Torres Vedras, where 
 the regiment came on the first of January 1811, to be on 
 service with the general in chief prince Massena. In this 
 place goat's flesh was distributed once a week ; an ounce 
 to each man, with some maize or Indian corn; but even 
 this scanty allowance ceased. 
 
 About the end of february 1811 several regiments were 
 ardered to send into France the officers, Serjeants and 
 corporals of their 3^ battalions, and to leave the private 
 men to be incorporated in the 1st and 2" battalions, or 
 war battalions. Captain Parrott conducted the officers and 
 Serjeants and corporals of the 3^ battalion of the Irish 
 regiment to Landau. 
 
 On the 1st of march, previous to the retreat, the duke of 
 Abranles marched forward to attack the english, or 
 
MKMOIltS OF MILKS HYUM-: 111 
 
 rather to mancBnvre on their line. The irish reg-iment 
 left Torres Novas and accompanied him on this expedi- 
 tion, during- wliich he was wounded. The regiment re- 
 turned from the advanced posts to Torres Novas on the 
 6th of march; on which day the retreat began on the 
 whole line. 
 
 General Solignac's division in which was the irish 
 regiment, covered the retreat for several days, until the 
 army was concentrated at Pombal , at which place 
 marshal Ney got the command of the rear guard of the 
 army; and as every regiment furnished a battalion for 
 the extreme rear guard, the irish battalion had this honor 
 frequently during the retreat, which lasted nearly a 
 month before the army reached the Spanish frontier; 
 never making more than three or four leagues a day, and 
 continually fighting. 
 
 The Irish battalion was reviewed ad Celerico near the 
 frontiers of Spain by the general, who was highly pleased 
 to see still so many men present. 
 
 At this town marshal Ney left the army and returned 
 to France. 
 
 By an order of the Division an officer from each regi- 
 ment was sent into Spain to provide shoes and other ar- 
 ticles to be ready for the men by the time they should 
 get to their cantonments in Spain. 
 
 Captain Allen wdio was sent from the irish regiment 
 on this mission, leftCiudad Rodrigoon the 26th of march 
 1811, accompanied by the colonel of the 22'^ regiment and 
 
112 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 several other officers. They were attacked by the guerillas 
 and the adjutant of the 22j, was taken prisoner, as was 
 captain Allen, after receiving two wounds on his head. 
 
 After enduring the most cruel treatment, they were 
 escorted to Cadiz, where they remained as prisoners for 
 eighteen months. The duke of Abrantes was quite enraged 
 when he heard of captain Allen's misfortune, and ex- 
 pressed the greatest sorrow on the occasion. 
 
 After marshal Ney left the army at Celerico, general 
 Loisau took the command of the 6th corps. The army ma- 
 noeuvred to the left by GuardaBellemonte. On the 1st of 
 april it heard of the birth of the king of Rome. The 2^ 
 corps commanded by general Regnier had to sustain a 
 desperate attack on the S^i of april, of the English and 
 Portuguese. 
 
 On the 5th of april the army arrived on the Spa- 
 nish frontier, passing Alfaetas and on the 6th and 7th 
 encamped near Rodrigo, 
 
 On the 8th the army passed by the town, took biscuit 
 for four days to bring them to the neighbourhood of Toro 
 and Salamanca and other cantonments, to recover the 
 fatigues and privations of the campaign. 
 
 The irisli battalion marched with the army for about 
 two leagues from Ciudad Rodrigo, on the road to Sala- 
 manca, when commandant Fitzhenry received an order 
 to return with his battalion to make part of the garrison 
 of Rodrigo. He desired the senior captain (OMalley), to 
 take the command and to return with the battalion, whilst 
 
MKMOIUS OK MILES BYRNE 113 
 
 he himself rode on to the head of the column to get per- 
 mission to go to Palamauca, wliicli was granted him by 
 tlie general. 
 
 The battalion returned immediately toRodrigo and was 
 inspected on the glacis by the governor, general Rheno, 
 who told the men that he had still plenty of provisions 
 for them, notwithstanding all that had been delivered to 
 the army passing by : and certainly he kept his word, 
 and did every thing that depended on him to console the 
 soldiers for their disappointment at not getting to the 
 fine cantonments at Toro. 
 
 On entering the town, every man got a loaf of fine 
 white bread, the first they had tasted for several months, 
 and a ration of meat and wine. — This, with being tole- 
 rably well lodged, made both officers and men soon forget 
 the miseries they had suffered in the severe campaign of 
 Portugal. 
 
 The service of the place was hard enough; there being 
 only two battalions, one of the 15th regiment and one of 
 the irish ; and the town being nearly blockaded hy the 
 enemy as soon as the army had gone to its canton- 
 ments. 
 
 The cattle which was for the provision of the garrison, 
 being sent to graze, was, with a number of the officer's 
 horses, servants, etc., taken by the Spanish cavalry and 
 marched off so suddenly, that the garrison was not able 
 to overtake them. 
 
 The governor, after firing a few cannon shots, to no 
 
 T. It ^ 
 
114 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRXE 
 
 purpose, ordered the drawbridges to be raised and the 
 gates to be shut, and at nine o'clock at night, 300 of the 
 irish battalion, and 300 of the 15th regiment were march- 
 ed out and ordered to surround a village about four lea- 
 gues off, where he suspected the enemy would halt for 
 the night with their booty. At day-light the village was 
 attacked and the cattle, horses, servants, etc., retaken, 
 with four Spanish officers and the principal part of the 
 detachment under their orders, all of whom were brought 
 to Rodrigo before twelve o'clock the following day. One 
 of these officers was allowed by the governor to write to 
 his chief, to say, that he and another would be exchan- 
 ged for captain Allen; but unfortunately the latter was 
 already sent off a prisoner to Cadiz. 
 
 The English and Portuguese forces being occupied 
 with the blockade of Almeida, and preparing to besiege 
 that town, which had but a feeble garrison of 1500 men 
 commanded by the brave general Brenier, the governor 
 of Rodrigo was enabled to send different detachments to 
 bring -in provisions for the troops of the garrison there. 
 In every excursion of the kind the irish were employed 
 in their turn, if not sometimes preferred by general 
 Rheno, under whose order they served with the utmost 
 zeal and fidelity. 
 
 On the 18tli of april 1811, commandant Fitzhenry,who 
 had obtained permission to remain a few days at Sala- 
 manca, received orders to return to Rodrigo to join his 
 battalion and to bring with him all the men of the irish 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 115 
 
 regiment who were convalescent, and able to march. He 
 set out on the 19th with about 70 men ; on the 22'^ of 
 april, after passing Ledesma, he and his detachment 
 were taken prisoners by Don Julian and his band, of 
 above a thousand strong. The wife of a soldier who made 
 part of the detachment, escaped and brought the news 
 to the battalion . 
 
 At the end of april the remains of the different corps 
 of prince Massena's army received orders to get provi- 
 sions for several days, and on the 30th of april and 1st of 
 may to march to Rodrigo On the 3<' of may, the 2^, 6th, 
 8th and 9th corps with a part of the imperial cavalry 
 under the orders of marshal Bessieres, duke of Istria, were 
 reviewed by the commander in chief Massena, on the 
 plain near Ciudad Rodrigo. The Irish battalion passed 
 the review with its brigade. 
 
 On the 4th of may the army marched in three columns 
 towards Almeida, and early on the 5th attacked the en- 
 glish and allied army. The battle continued all day with 
 various chances of success, until Massena found means 
 at night to give orders to the governor of Almeida gene- 
 ral Brenier, to blow vip the fortifications : after the exe- 
 cution of which he was to fight his way across the en- 
 glish armvThis brave general with his garrison of 1,500 
 men punctually performed his instructions and fought at 
 their head the whole night, through the english lines, 
 and at day-light he arrived in sight of the french line 
 and was soon supported liy llie second corps under the 
 
116 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 command of general Regnier, whose advancer! posts were 
 at Saint-Felix. 
 
 On the 6th and 7th the array was ordered to return to 
 their cantonments and a new organization was ordered 
 to take place. The different corps, then greatly reduced, 
 were to form six divisions to he called the army of Por- 
 tugal, and the command of it to be given to marshal 
 Marmont, duke of Ragusa, who had just come to replace 
 Mass^na in the command of the army. General Foy com- 
 manded the 1st division. 
 
 General Brenier for his brilliant conduct got his brevet 
 of lieutenant general and the command of the 6th division 
 of the army of Portugal. 
 
 The irish battalion made part of his division, with the 
 22'', 65th and 17th leger regiment and the Hanoverian 
 legion. 
 
 FURTHER DETAILS OF CAPTAIN ALLEN'S BRILLIANT AFFAIR, 
 MENTIONED PAGE 102. 
 
 General Solignac being in pursuit of the enemy at the 
 town of Najara in the beginning of february 1810, desi- 
 red commandant Fitzhenry to send him three captains 
 of his battalion ; "Ware, Allen and I were ordered : the 
 general told us we should have to march in the night 
 with our companies, on three separate roads to surround 
 a small town four or five leagues off, where a numerous 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYHNE 117 
 
 corps of the enemy's cavalry had taken up their quar- 
 ters. — We got three sure guides and at ten o'clock at 
 night marched on this fatiguing expedition. At day-light 
 Ware and I met, after our men had blockaded the ways 
 leading out of the town. We feared that Allen had met 
 impediments, as he was not arrived in sight of the place. 
 We apprized the authorities of our mission, and the al- 
 cade of the town hastened to come and inform us that 
 the corps of cavalry left his town at mid-night ; he shew- 
 ed us the street by which it took its departure; he could 
 not tell us more, except that it was formidable, to which 
 we paid little attention, knowing that their policy was 
 to exaggerate in such cases. 
 
 Ware and I hastened to get refreshments for our sol- 
 diers, and we then returned by the road, which Allen 
 should have come by, had he not met some obstacles by 
 the way; but before we marched two leagues, our anxiety 
 was relieved; we reached the village where he had made 
 the corps of cavalry prisoners, and he was on his way 
 back, escorting them to head quarters and had arrived 
 there several hours before we did. 
 
 In the trenches at the siege of Astorga, previous to 
 the breach being mounted, captain Ware seeing by the 
 order of the day, that his company of grenadiers was not 
 to march at the head of the battalion designed for the at- 
 tack, came to claim his right to that post. General Soli- 
 gnac whom he addressed on the subject, immediately 
 
118 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 said to the duke of Abrantes, who was just by « the cap- 
 « tain of grenadiers of the 2d battalion of the irish regi- 
 « ment claims as his right to be the first to mount the 
 « breach. » To which the duke mildly replied, « Captain 
 « have I not the right to order the dispositions for the 
 « attack? — You will be with your battalion and its 
 « chief Fitzhenry at the foot of the breach to assure our 
 « success. I have given this order knowing well I could 
 « count on you. » — Captain Ware retired, when the 
 duke said « It is cheering and augurs well to receive re- 
 clamations of that nature and at such a moment. I 
 suppose, general Solignac, you know that captain well. » 
 — « Certainly, monsieur le due, he accompanied me in 
 « all my expeditions night and day, in Old Castille, and 
 « I have recommanded him in consequence of his brilliant 
 « conduct in these affairs and combats, to the minister of 
 « war for advancement, to which he is so well entitled, 
 « as indeed I must say, all the officers of Fitzhenry's 
 « battalion are; unfortunately these brave men have to 
 « wait 'till vacancies for promotion occur in their own 
 a regiment. » As yet the second irish regiment was not 
 organized. 
 
 Our general of brigade Thomier was pleased to speak in 
 the highest terms of the regiment since it made part of his 
 brigade : he alluded to the coolness of the officers in the 
 moments of peril, as well as to their bravery and exacti- 
 tude in performing, and conforming to all military du- 
 ties, etc. 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 119 
 
 Three days previous to this conversation with the duke 
 of Abrantes, captain Allen returning to our camp from 
 the trenches where he had been on guard for twenty four 
 hours, with his company, crossing a field, considered 
 quite beyond the reach of the guns of the rampart, had 
 two of his soldiers killed by his side : their heads were 
 cut off by a cannon ball and Allen's uniform bespattered 
 with their blood and brains. He instantly gave the com- 
 mand to his voltigeurs to disperse as riflemen through 
 the fields ; and in this way, he reached the camp without 
 further loss, tho' several vol lies were instantly fired at 
 him and his men. General Thomier who witnessed Al- 
 len's prompt decision on this occasion in dispersing 
 his men, as the best way to save them from the 
 twenty four pounders of the rampart, mentioned this 
 circumstance to the general in chief Junot, which pro- 
 bably was the reason that he appointed Allen to lead and 
 mount the breach, seeing he was a man of character and 
 decision in perilous situations, and indeed hejudgedhim 
 rightly. 
 
 I never felt greater pleasure, or was more agreeably 
 surprised than when Allen's confidential soldier came to 
 me in the night at the foot of the breach to say that his 
 captain hoped I would be able to send him something to 
 drink, for there was no water to be had in the house 
 where they were. — It was the first news I had that 
 poor Allen had escaped. I brought this brave soldier im- 
 mediately to general Thomier, who was equally rejoiced; 
 
120 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 and he went himself to apprize the duke of Abrantes of 
 Allen's situation, and wonderful good luck in escaping 
 alive after such fighting. 
 
 When it was ascertained that captain Allen had taken 
 possession of a house in the town, near the rampart, 
 which he resolved to defend during the night, and that 
 he was able to preserve his communication open with 
 the breach, a detachment of our regiment was ordered to 
 bring him refreshments for his brave soldiers. Young 
 Delany, a sous-lieutenant, had the command of the men 
 carrying the provisions to captain Allen's troops. He suc- 
 ceeded in getting over the breach and in delivering care- 
 fully all the articles that were entrusted to his charge, 
 and he recrossed the breach at the head of his detach- 
 ment, to rejoin his battalion; but he had several of his 
 men killed and wounded, and he himself had a musket 
 ball through his arm. He went to the place in the tren- 
 ches where our surgeon was busy dressing the wounds 
 by candle light, and he sat down on a bank of clay, look- 
 ing on for some time : when surgeon Prevost happened 
 to turn his head and perceived him. — He said « lieute- 
 « nant Delany, I beg your pardon, but mj- instructions 
 « are, to oblige all those who come here conducting or 
 « carrying the wounded men, to return forthwith to their 
 « respective companies, and I am not to allow any one 
 « to remain here but those who want to have their wounds 
 « examined and dressed. » — « Well, I would thank 
 « you to examine my wound, » replied Delany. « How! » 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 121 
 
 exclaimed the surgeon, « my positive instructions are, to 
 « dress the officer's wounds first, and you have said noth- 
 « ing" to me, tho' you have been there looking on for 
 « more than half an hour. » « Oh! I am in no hurry; the 
 « poor soldiers, whose wounds you have been dressing, 
 « stood in more need of your assistance than I did. » — 
 As soon as lieutenant Delany had his arm dressed and 
 tied up, he rejoined his company, and would not avail 
 himself of his wound to retire to the camp. 
 
 In surgeon Provost's detailed report to the general in 
 chief of the different cases of the wounded he had been 
 dressing during the night, he mentioned the humane 
 forbearance of one of the Irish officers, which circum- 
 stance caused pleasure and delight to the brave and in- ^■^' 
 
 trepid general Junot, who used often, to speak of it and to /s^' 
 
 &Q.y, « what a pity such men have not a country of their 
 « own to fight for I » 
 
 A white flag, or flag oftruce, was perceived at day -break 
 on the ramparts, and immediately the firing ceased, and 
 the delegates sent by the Governor of Astorga to treat about 
 the capitulation of the garrison, were received in the 
 trenches by the duke of Abrantes, who required as a 
 preliminary article, that the french troops should get 
 possession of the great gate on the Valladolid road. 
 
 General Thomier accompanied by one of the Spanish 
 delegates, ordered captain Ware and me to follow him 
 with our companies through the trenches to the gate 
 above mentioned, and when he saw us properly installed 
 
122 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 there, and our sentinels placed inside the gate, he retir- 1^'^ 
 ed. Scarcely had he gone away, when colonel Coutard of I 
 thft 65th regiment came to claim the right of having the 
 gate occupied by his soldiers, as it was his regiment 
 which attacked the town on that side the day before, etc. 
 He ordered captain Ware to remove his sentinels and to 
 have his placed in their stead. — "Ware refused, saying 
 he was on guard and that he would only execute the or- 
 ders of general Thomier who placed him there, or those 
 of the generals higher in command, as general Solignac, 
 or Junot general in chief, etc. « I should refuse my own 
 « colonel if he were to give me orders, circumstanced as 
 « I am; then I trust, colonel, you cannot expect I will 
 « execute yours. » Some other words ensued between 
 them, when colonel Coutard said « 1 must put you under 
 « arrest » ; captain Ware replied, « colonel, I shall keep 
 « my arrest when I am off guard, but not 'till then ! » 
 
 We regretted having had any thing disagreeable with 
 the colonel of the 65th knowing as we did, from an offi- 
 cer in his regiment, our countryman captain O'Kean, 
 that he had the greatest respect for the Irish in the french 
 service. He obtained the cross of the legion of honour for 
 several of his officers after their brilliant defence of Ra- 
 tisbon in 1809. — Captain O'Kean was one of the first he 
 proposed, as having well merited to be a knight of the 
 legion of honour ; a distinction at that period not granted 
 except for real service. Our altercation with colonel Cou- 
 tard soon finished. 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 123 
 
 The Spanish garrison surrendered at discretion, and 
 the irish regiment was ordered to assemble and draw up 
 in line on the g-lacis of the town, to receive the prisoners 
 and to escort them to Valladolid. Five thousand brave 
 Spanish soldiers marched out with all the honours o^ 
 war, and laid down their arms on the glacis, in presence 
 of the 8th corps of the french army. Those prisoners had 
 the satisfaction to witness a specimen of french discipline 
 ere they marched away. The battalion of french troops 
 that entered with the Spanish civil authorities to keep 
 order and to furnish patroles and rounds through the 
 town, arrested a man who contrived to get in before 
 them, and was plundering a house; he was brought out 
 to the glacis, and hy order of the duke of Abrantes, shot 
 forthwith; as a warning to those ambulant speculators 
 and followers of armies, who never have any thing to sell 
 but trumpery of the worst sort; their object being to get 
 wealth by other means. 
 
 It was consolatory to seethe horrors of war mitigated by 
 a brave and humane chief; and indeed on this occasion 
 the duke of Abrantes was entitled to tlie greatest praise; 
 he required that the troops lodged in the place, should 
 observe the same order and discipline which they would 
 have been forced to maintain in a town in the interior of 
 France. — What a striking contrast compared to the 
 conduct of theEnglish at Badajoz in 1812, where "Welling- 
 ton allowed his army during twenty four hours to com- 
 mit all kinds of horrors on the innocent inhabitants, his 
 
124 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 allies, after the french garrison had capitulated and were 
 mar(hed off prisoners of war! — and again at Saint-Se- 
 bastien the crimes perpetrated there make one shudder 
 to hear them described. — Though indeed I should not 
 have been surprised at the want of english discipline, 
 from the knowledge I have had of the cruelties commit- 
 ted by the regiment of ancient Britons in my own unfor- 
 tunate country, Ireland, in 1798. 
 
 The 47th and 70th regiments of the line, formerly 
 (until 1792), Walsh's and Berwick's of the Irish briga- 
 des, made part of our army before Astorga : many of the 
 officers of those regiments where irishmen ; some born 
 in France, and others in Ireland. I was very intimate 
 with two of them, O'Neil, of the 47th and Brennan of the 
 70th. Those officers had often heard of the irish patriots of 
 '98, fighting, not for a pretender, but for the indepen- 
 dence of their beloved country. AVell, they had at Astorga 
 the satisfaction of seeing some of those patriots of '98 
 distinguish theaisejves so, as to be the admiration of the 
 army, and captain Brennan told me, that such was the 
 enthusiasm about the bravery of the Irish, that his regi- 
 ment would boast of having sprung from Berwick's. 
 
 An honourable trait of an irish officer in the Spanish 
 service. 
 
 On our march from Astorga to Toro, I got in the morn- 
 ing, before we came to that town, charge of several Span- 
 ish officers, prisoners of war, who were on their way to 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES FiYHNE 125 
 
 iFrance; general Thornier in giving- me the command of 
 [the escort, prayed me, as the march would be rather long, 
 (to render it as agreeable as possible to those officers, and 
 at the same time, he presented one of them to me, a major 
 Dorran, whose uncle I knew in Dublin, living in Francis 
 street. Mr Dorran told me, that his comrades in misfor- 
 tune were military men of distinction, and that they 
 were glad to be escorted by his countrymen. — After we 
 had breakfasted at the half way halt, I found major Dor- 
 ran a little indisposed. I wanted him to mount my horse, 
 but he preferred, if I would allow him, to get up on one 
 of the baggage waggons. I gave him in charge to the 
 Serjeant who had the care of our luggage. The rear guard 
 and baggage arrived in due time at Toro ; major Dorran 
 was not with them, and the poor serjeant could give me 
 no account of how he escaped. This was a very unplea- 
 sant circumstance for me, to have to report to the general 
 in the morning. However, just as I was preparing to go 
 to bed, about eleven o'clock at night, major Dorran came 
 to my room ; he wanted to apologize for having remained 
 behind. Seeing he was distressed lest I should think bad- 
 ly of him, I said : « Major you were not on parole, you 
 « had not pledged your word of honour. » — « No, » he 
 replied « but could any thing be more dishonourable than 
 « to have availed myself of my countryman's kindness to 
 « me to escape, and to have him censured and injured 
 « on my account. » — « Oh ! no ! » he repeated « a thous- 
 « and deaths before dishonour. » The feelings of this 
 
•'■^^ MOIOIUS OF MILKS BYRNK 
 
 brave man must have been painful indeed : separatee 
 from his ^vife and two young- children, whom he left ir 
 Galicia, near Corunna, in the care of her family. — ] 
 had a bed prepared for him and in the morning- I con- 
 ducted him to rejoin his comrades, who had spent the 
 night in prison, and they were marched off under a french 
 officer's command. We heard some days after, that twc 
 of these prisoners effected their escape on the road to 
 Burgos and that major Dorran was one of them. 
 
 The day our vanguard, commanded by general Sainte- 
 Croix, attacked the english general Stewart's advanced 
 posts, and beat them back, under the walls of the Fort of 
 Conception and Almeida, whilst waiting to let our men 
 repose them.^elves , general Sainte-Croix came and sat 
 down amongst us, and he began to praise our men, when 
 commandant Ware said : 
 
 « General, they are not contented with you. » a What 
 « then have I done to displease them? » replied the ge- 
 neral. — « Well, they say that in every instance where 
 « they expected to charge the enemy with their bayonets, 
 « you got before them with your cavalry, and left them 
 « very little share of the victory. » We all joined com- 
 mandant Ware, and repeated that it was but too true. 
 « Ohl gentlemen, you have a peculiar way of paying 
 « compliments. » He then shook hands with us. 
 
 Two months after, when we were marching along the 
 Tagus, down to Santarem, we were shocked indeed to 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILKS BYHN'E 1-27 
 
 see general Sainte-Croix killed by a cannon ball, from 
 one of the enemy's gun boats on the river. He was a 
 splendid officer of cavalry, and he had done much to re- 
 trieve the reputation of the drag-ons in Spain. Napoleon 
 had the highest opinion of his talents and worth, and 
 would have made him one of the marshals of France, had 
 he lived. I never heard of a general so universally re- 
 gretted as he was, so amiable and so brave, that it was a 
 pleasure to speak to him. 
 
 Although the 70th regiment in which captain William 
 Corbet was, belonged to our army, and had made the 
 campaigns in Spain and Portugal with us, I never met 
 him after he left the irish legion at Alencon in 1806, 
 though I frequently heard about him, from some of his 
 comrades. Captain Brennan who was badly wounded 
 beside captain Corbet on the 3^ of april, stopped a day 
 and a night at Ciudad Rodrigo, where we were in 
 garrison. He told me that their chef de bataillon, and 
 their colonel were both killed, and that captain Cor- 
 bet as senior officer took the command of the battalion, 
 and shewed the greatest coolness and bravery during the 
 action. On the 3<i of may 1811, when marshal Massena's 
 army was arriving in the plain before the town of Ro- 
 drigo, taking a walk through the camp, I came to the 
 bivouack of the 70th regiment, when I saw captain Cor- 
 bet very busy endeavouring to get something cooked for 
 his dinner. He had a very poor supply of provisions, and 
 
128 JIEMOIUS OF MILES BYRXE 
 
 as he could not come into town with me, I brought one 
 of his men and sent him out all I could procure; a loaf 
 of white bread, and a few bottles of wine. Though we 
 had many things to say to one another, after a lapse of 
 five years that we had not met, that pleasure was defer- 
 red to a more favourable occasion, I being in a hurry to 
 return to town. We however met frequently afterwards, 
 when he was on marshal Marmont's staff. — I must say, 
 that captain Corbet in his new situation was always 
 obliging and friendly to his former comrades, — of which 
 I shall speak in the next chapter. 
 
CHAPTER V 
 
 »%*» 
 
 Reorganization of the army of Portugal into 6 divisions, may 1811, under 
 marshal Marmont.— The generals Foy, Brenier, Mauguin, (Ilauzel, etc.— 
 The staff olllcers of the general in chief, Fahvier, Denys de Damremont, 
 Corbet, etc.— The regret of the Irish quitting general Thomier's brigade. 
 
 — His attention to the private soldiers at Prosscras in Portugal. — The 
 rapid march of the army from Salamanca in June 1811 to relieve Bada- 
 jos.hesieged by the english army. —llepairing the breaches and furnishing 
 provisions to the garrison. — Stay of the army in Estramadura.— The Irish 
 battalion at Truxillo. — Afterwards at Avilar. — The companies of grena- 
 diers and voltigeurs of that battalion ordered to general Brenier'sliead 
 quarters at Bexar — On the 19th September 1811 the army of Portugal 
 marches to form a junction with the army of the north, commanded by 
 general count Dorsenne, to relieve Giudad Rodrigo besieged by the En- 
 glish. — General Dejean lately promoted has the command of the brigade. 
 
 — The order of the day respecting the Irish companies at the combat near 
 Placencia. — The first news of captain Allen from bis prison, in a letter to 
 captain Byrne who sent him 1000 frs. — Captain Dillon named chief to the 
 2d battalion. — Court martial to try commandant Fitzhenry by contumacy. 
 
 — The battalion in garrison at Montbcltran.— Lieutenant Malowney's dis- 
 tinguished conduct.— The battalion marched to Naval Maral.— At this town 
 it get orders to return to France. -Painful separation from the private sol- 
 diers. —A Prussian regiment at Lugar Nueva march to Talavera de la Pieyna 
 Toledo and Madrid. — Unpleasant incident between commandant Dillon 
 and thecaptainof voltigeurs of the 47lh regiment.— March to Valladolid. 
 
 — Lieutenant Jackson at Segovia; visits the tower where Gil Bias was 
 confined, etc. — The battalion has to stop 18 days at Valladolid. — Ciudad 
 Rodrigo taken by the English. — The Irish regiment get at Valladolid 
 the splendid standards in green on which was written in gold letters 
 « independence of Ireland. » — Arrival of the 2d battalion at Bois-le-Duc 
 in Holland on the llth of april 1812.— The foreign regiments in the french 
 service take numbers. — Colonel Lawless commands the 3d el ranger, 
 Irlandais. — Lieutenant-colonel Mahony commands the depot of the 
 
 T. II 9 
 
130 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 regiment.— The germans and foreigners that had been in the dutch army, 
 drafted into the irish regiment at tlie depot. — Captain Hayne gets his 
 brevet of clief de bataUlon. — Captain Allen arrives at the depot from 
 Cadiz.— Advancement obtained for several officers arriving from Spain 
 and for those who escaped from the english prisons; viz : Ryan, Keller, 
 etc. — Captains O'Malley and Byrne proposed for the cross of the legion i 
 of honour. — Colonel Lawless conduct on their behalf. — His great exer- 
 tions preparing the battalions of his regiment to join the grand army. 
 
 The reorganization of the army of Portugal into six: 
 divisions under the command of marshal Marmont, on 
 cacount of the reduced state of the 2^^, 6th and 8th corps, 
 of which it was composed, was considered a wise mea- 
 sure; and the young generals put at the head of the di- 
 visions, such as Foy, Brenier, Mauguin, etc., and mar- 
 shal Clauzel,then general ofdivision commandant, created' 
 great emulation in the army; hesides the marshal himself 
 at that time had acquired a high reputation as general 
 in chief, and his staff was composed of several distin- 
 guished officers. General Fabvier, of such notoriety in 
 Greece, was then a captain, as was count Denys de Dam- 
 remont, afterwards the general in chief who was killed 
 in Africa at the siege of Constantino. — General Corbet 
 was another of the staff captains, and from the experience 
 he had acquired as an infantry officer of the 70th regi- 
 ment of the line, his perfect knowledge of the french aud 
 english languages, writing both equally well, he ren- 
 dered much service, and he was greatly esteemed by the 
 duke of Ragnsa (marshal Marmont), 
 
 Our general of division was the brave Brenier who 
 made the surprising march through the english army 
 after he had blown up the ramparts of Almeida. The irish 
 
 V 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 131 
 
 officers were delighted to be in his division; but they re- 
 gretted not to be still in general Thomier's brigade who 
 befriended them on all occasions, and who was so much 
 liked by all the soldiers of the regiment. During the re- 
 treat out of Portugal he shared in all their dangers and 
 miseries, and constantly bivouacked at the head of the 
 irish battalion. One instance will shew why the soldiers 
 took him into their consideration. "When the army fell 
 back from the line of Torres Vedras, the irish battalion 
 stopped with general Thornier in the village of Prosseras. 
 He ordered one day that I should make a reconnaissance 
 with my grenadiers on the enemy's line, to return when 
 I perceived them and to bring the cattle I met on the 
 way, and provisions of any kind. When I returned I had 
 to report to him that during my expedition I never saw 
 a human being or living animal of any sort; that I had 
 discovered a quantity of tanned leather in one place, hid- 
 den in the mountains; in another a room filled with 
 white wax for making candles; tbat two of my grena 
 diers were missing, and that I feared they had been taken 
 prisoners. He invited me to dinner, and just as we were 
 going to sit down to table, at half past six o'clock in the 
 evening, my Serjeant major came to tell me that the two 
 grenadiers who had remained behind, had arrived with 
 two head of horn cattle. — General Thomier exclaimed : 
 « send them here forthwith, they must dine with us. » 
 And he ordered his servant to prepare places for them at 
 the table. He was enchanted with these brave men. They 
 
132 MEMOIHS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 told him how they had contrived to procure the cattle ; 
 thfty said they had « extracted » them from the english 
 cattle grazing- in fields at a great distance. The expres- 
 sion made all the' company laugh, ai^d the general had a 
 bumper filled to drink to their health. 
 
 Whenever we were marching near where general Tho- 
 mier's division was stopping in the summer and autumn 
 of 1811, I availed myself of the occasion to go and visit 
 him, and have some conversation with him respecting 
 our not being yet known to our new generals, etc. « Ne- 
 « ver mind » he would reply. « You will be soon advan- 
 « tageously known to them. » 
 
 A few days after he gave me a certificate of my servi- 
 ces to present to these generals if I chose to do so. 
 
 Although I did not want to make use of that certificate 
 at the time, it was consoling to me to have a testimonial 
 from a general of worth and of high reputation, in whose 
 brigade the irish regiment was so actively employed at 
 the sieges of Astorga, Ciudad Rodrigo and Almeida, and 
 in the campaigns of Portugal. Besides, I was in very low 
 spirits on account of commandant Fitzhenry's sad afi'air, 
 and from being separated from some of my best friends 
 and comrades. — Captain Allen a prisoner of war. Com- 
 mandant Ware gone to Landau, and captain Murray from 
 ill health obliged to return to France. Although captains 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 133 
 
 O'Malley and Brangan who were equally my friends were 
 remaining", and that braver or more honourable men 
 could not be, still they did not possess the resources ne- 
 cessary to take advantage and get the situation left va- 
 cant of chef de bataillon. — They were senior to me, and 
 I feared that place would be filled by some « protdg^ « 
 sent from Paris, who had no claims on the Irish regi- 
 ment. 
 
 General Brenier's division marched back to Salamanca 
 and the neighbourhood of Toro : but on the first of June 
 1811 the army was united and reviewed by marshal 
 Marmont and on the 4th marched from Salamanca and 
 wt'nt through the province of Estramadura, passing by 
 Banos and Placentia, crossing the Tagus at Lugar Nueva 
 on a bridge of boats brought there by the army, to 
 Truxillo, Merida, and to Badajos to attack the english 
 and Portuguese army, then making the siege of that 
 town. 
 
 By the time the french army arrived there, they had 
 already made two breaches ; and only for this rapid march 
 of the french army of Portugal, combined with that of 
 marshal Soult from Seville, Badajos would have been ta- 
 ken by the english and Portuguese and Spaniards, who 
 were thus obliged to retire behind Elvas into Portugal. 
 This was from the 17th to the 20th of June 1811. 
 
 After sending provisions of every kind for six months 
 into Badajos, for the garrison, and getting the breaches 
 repaired, the army retired into difl'ereut cantonments in 
 
134 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 Estramadura. The irish battalion remained some time at 
 Truxillo and from thence marched to Avilar passing by 
 Naval Maral, the head quarters of marshal Marmont.| 
 They had pleasant quarters in the mountains during the 
 hot summer of the comet of 1811, the soldiers being 
 well fed and well lodged for the months of July and 
 august. 
 
 In the beginning of September the captain of grena- 
 diers, Byrne*, of the irish bittalion was ordered with 
 his company and the company of voltigeurs of the 
 irish regiment to general Brenier's head quarters at 
 Bexar. — On the 19th the army marched to form a. 
 junctic/n with the corps of army of the north com- 
 manded by general count Dorsenne, for the purpose of 
 relieving Rodrigo, at that time besieged and blockaded) ' 
 by the english, and of throwing provisions into it. The 
 two french armies met on the 24th and on the 2oth mar- 
 ched on Rodrigo. — During this expedition the irish 
 companies, commanded by the captain of grenadiers, 
 Byrne, were in the advance guard and took part in the 
 different actions that took place in raising the siege, and 
 in driving the English and Portuguese into Portugal on 
 the 27th, 2Sth and 29th of September at Fontelgenalgo 
 and Alfitas, 
 
 The irish companies of elite returned back to Rodrigo 
 on the 1st of October and from thence marched with ge- 
 neral Brouier to Placencia his head quarters. They were 
 
 ' The author of these " Memoirs ». 
 
MEMOIR* OF MILES BYRNE 135 
 
 :liere united with the centre companies to do garrison 
 duty and another of the 65th. 
 
 General Dejeau who had just got his brevet, got the 
 command of the brigade and replaced general Godar. 
 
 On the 13th of October 1811, the captain of grenadiers, 
 Byrne, of the irish battalion having his company, with 
 the company of voltigeurs of the same regiment assem- 
 bled to pass an inspection, heard the general beat and 
 was apprized that the enemy's cavalry to the number 
 of fifteen hundred was drawn up in line within gunshot 
 of the town : he immediately marched to attack them 
 with his two companies formed in column by section 
 ready to form a hollow square, and he succeeded in 
 dispersing and driving them a great distance off before 
 the rest of the troops of the garrison had time to be as- 
 sembled. — General Brenier soon joined him with his 
 aides-de-camp and staff officers all mounted, and when 
 night came on and the enemy had effected their retreat, 
 he was so delighted with the conduct of the soldiers, that 
 he gave them all the money he had on him to drink when 
 they returned to Placentia ; and the morning after, he 
 gave the following order of the division. 
 
 « Placentia, Icl 4 octobre 1811. 
 
 ORDKE DU JOUR DE LA DIVISION. 
 
 « Hier, lors de I'appel aux armes des compagnies d'(5- 
 lite de la garnison, Monsieur le general de division a 
 
136 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 remarqud que celles du bataillon irlandais se sont distin- 
 g'u^es particulierement par leur bravoure, leur zele et 
 leur exactitude h se rendre au point indiqu^. II leur en 
 temoigne sa satisfaction . 
 
 n Signe : 
 « Le general de division, 
 
 « BRENIER. 
 
 « Pour copie conforme, 
 
 1) L'adjudant commandant de I'elat-major do la 
 6" divisl-m, 
 
 « DUBANDEDIET. » 
 TRANSLATION OF THE FOREGOING ORDER OF THE DAY. 
 
 « Placencia, 14th October 1811. 
 
 ORDER OF THE DAY OF THE DIVISION. 
 
 « Yesterday when the call to arms was made of the 
 companies d'elite of the garrison, the general of division 
 observed that those of the Irish battalion particularly 
 distinguished themselves by their bravery and zeal, and 
 by their promptitude and exactness in repairing to the 
 point they were ordered to. He testifies to them his satis- 
 faction at their conduct. 
 
 « Signed : 
 « The general of division. 
 
 « BRENIER. B 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 137 
 
 It was whilst the battalion stopped at Placentia that 
 the first news of captain Allen being a prisoner of war in 
 a fort near Cadiz was received. After the exertions that 
 had been made to have him exchanged in the month of 
 april at Rodrigo failed as will be seen in the following 
 note made at the time, it was agreeable to know that he 
 was not given up to the English then at Cadiz. 
 
 As soon as the prisoners were escorted to Rodrigo, 
 captain Byrne waited on the governor, general Rheno, to 
 pray him to keep one of the officers, a nephew to don 
 Julian, the chief of the guerrilla band, which took cap- 
 tain Allen prisoner, in order to have them exchanged. 
 The general not only consented, but took the most lively 
 interest in having the exchange carried into effect imme- 
 diately, when he learned from captain Byrne the cruel 
 fate that awaited poor Allen if he were handed over to the 
 english general. He forthwith got the Spanish prefet to 
 procure a confidential person to carry a letter from the 
 Spanish officer to his uncle don Julian, supplicating him 
 to give up captain Allen, and saying that another officer 
 and himself would be exchanged for him. The messenger 
 returned after four day's absence with an answer, that 
 captain A^llen had been sent to a depot of prisoners of war, 
 without mentioning the name of the place. In conse- 
 quence the Spanish officer was sent off to join the other 
 prisoners at Salamanca on their way to France, and Al- 
 len's comrades were left to conjecture whether or not he 
 was still in existence. 
 
t 
 
 138 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 This took place about the end of april 1811, and until the 
 end of September the same year there was no news what- 
 ever of captain Allen, when captain Byrne being at Pla- 
 centia received a letter from him, dated the prison of Cadiz, 
 and containing all the details of what he had suffered, 
 the manner he had been taken a prisoner, etc., etc. The 
 same day captain Byrne inclosed to general Semel^, chief y. 
 of the staff to marshal Victor, then commanding the 
 french army before Cadiz, a treasury bill of a thousand 
 francs (un bon sur le tr^sor public k Paris), which he 
 fortunately happened to have at the time ; he begged the 
 general to have it changed into Spanish money and to 
 have it forwarded to captain Allen in his prison ; he also 
 prayed him to have the goodness to use influence to have 
 captain Allen exchanged, lest he should be given up to 
 the English. 
 
 Captain Byrne wrote immediately to major Lawless at 
 Bois-le-Uuc, where he had then the command of the Irish 
 regiment, and inclosed him a copy of captain Allen's 
 letter, requesting him also to use his influence with the 
 minister of M'ar to have captain Allen exchanged before 
 he could fall into the hands of the English. 
 
 When captain Byrne returned in October 1811 to Pla- 
 centia after the expedition to relieve Rodrigo terminated, 
 he waited on marshal Marmont about captain Allen's 
 unfortunate situation, gave him a detailed memoir on 
 the subject, which the marshal approved and promised 
 to have it forwarded immediately to marshal Victor, 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 139 
 
 ho commanded before Cadiz, and he added, that he 
 'would use his own influence, and when any prisoners 
 were made, he should propose an exchange for captain 
 Allen. 
 
 Captain Byrne availed himself of being at head quar- 
 ters to endeavour to get Allen exchanged, and neglected 
 I no opportunity that could tend to that end : indeed he 
 could not have acted otherwise, for they were always on 
 the most friendly terms and were the best comrades, — 
 Captain Allen's purse was ever at his disposition, there- 
 fore captain Byrne felt the greatest happiness to have had 
 the thousand francs to send to captain Allen. That sum 
 was paid to captain Byrne on the 30th of december 1811 
 at Talavera de la Reyna, by Giraud the officer paymaster 
 to the 2'^ battalion, when all arrears due to the officers 
 were paid up in full, previous to their returning to 
 France; and the appointments and arrears due to captain 
 Allen were received up to the 26th of march 1811, the 
 diiy he was made a prisoner, and deposited in the mili- 
 tary chest of the battalion, which was brought to the 
 depot at Bois-le-Duc in Holland, and there given up to 
 colonel Lawless and the council of administration of the 
 Irish regiment. 
 
 When captain Allen arrived at Bois-le-Duc in 1812, 
 after he had the good fortune to be exchanged, he found 
 all his accounts' and affairs properly settled to his liking 
 by the quarter master of the regiment, 
 
^^^ MEMOIRS OF JULES BYRXE 
 
 Captain Dillon, who had been one of the aides-de-camp 
 to the duke of Abrantes, got his brevet of chef de batail- 
 lon to the second battalion of the Irish regiment and joi- 
 ned it at Placentia in november 1811. 
 
 In the beginning of december 1811 marshal Marmont 
 ordered a court martial to be assembled to try comman- 
 dant Fitzhenry by contumacy, accused of desertion to 
 the enemy. It was presided by the colonel of the 17th le- 
 ger regiment, and composed of six other officers, from 
 the 22d and 65th regiments of the line. It met in a village 
 where the colonel of the 17th commanded, four leagues 
 from Placentia. 
 
 After hearing all the evidence that had been procured 
 from the 22ci of april 1811, the day on which he w.is ta- 
 ken prisoner, down to the assembling of the court martial, 
 four of the members of the court declared that he was 
 guilty, three that he was not. As it is necessary accord- 
 ing to the french military code, to have five out of the 
 seven members forming a court martial, to condemn, 
 Fitzhenry was acquitted. 
 
 On the 6th of december 1811, the Irish batWJion was 
 ordered to Casa de Cadas, and from thence to Montbel- 
 tran in the mountains to relieve the 28th regiment which 
 had been there some time. Lieutenant Malowney with 50 
 men of the irish battalion was ordered to go to a town 
 eight leagues from Montbeltran to escort back a convoy 
 of mules loaded with provisions. After he had passed a 
 
MEMOIUS OF MILES BYRNE lU 
 
 mountain four leagues off, he met a french battalion that 
 had been harrassed and attacked by the guerrillas in the 
 plain through which Malowney had to pass. The chief of 
 the french battalion wanted Malowney to return with 
 him, saying, he surely could not think of advancing with 
 so small a detachment against five hundred men all well 
 mounted ; but Malowney having a written order thought 
 he could not with honour return before he met the enemy, 
 and was forced to retreat. He accordingly proceeded, and 
 as the chief of the Imttalion led him to expect, soon met 
 the enemy and was obliged to take a position amongst 
 the rocks, on the side of a hill, to defend himself. The 
 guerrillas finding they could not bring Miilowney and 
 his men down into the plain, and night coming on, filed 
 off to a small village just by. 
 
 Lieutenant Malowney on this left his position and 
 pursued them into the village where they were scattered 
 in disorder : he beat them out of it, barricaded all the 
 outlets and defended himself all night and until eight 
 o'clock the next morning, when fortunately he was re- 
 lieved by a regiment that had marched several leagues, 
 having heard the day before of the fighting. — Mallow- 
 ney then continued his march and escorted back to Mont- 
 beltran his convoy with great eclat. This w^as not the 
 only time he distinguished himself in the like manner 
 — As soon as he returned to France, colonel Lawless 
 obtained for him his brevet of captain in the 2^ battalion 
 of the Irish regiment. He was one of those unfortunate 
 
i 
 i 
 i 
 
 142 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 f 
 
 irishmen given up to the king of Prussia by the english 
 government. He had been wounded and taken prisoner 
 in Ireland after general Humbert surrendered, and was 
 in the prussian army and taken a prisoner by the French 
 at the battle of lena, after which, he entered the Irish 
 regiment in the service of France, along with those other 
 irishmen who had been taken prisoners at lena, and who 
 had been given up in a like manner to the prussian gov- 
 ernment by England. 
 
 During the mouth of december 1811 marshal Marmont 
 ordered the different divisions of his army to manceuvre 
 and change cantonments. The 6th division commanded 
 by general Brenier was on march, when at Naval Maral 
 he received orders for all the officers, non-commissioned 
 officers, corporals and drummers of the 2^ irish battalion 
 to go into France, and to leave behind them all the pri- 
 vate soldiers, to be incorporated into the prussian regi- 
 ment in the French service and then in garrison at Lugar 
 Nueva and Almiras on the Tagus. 
 
 On the 25th of december 1811 general Brenier accom- 
 panied by the military inspector performed this very 
 painful duty, of separating the men from their officers, 
 under whose orders they had been serving for four years 
 in Spain, and to whom they were much attached. The 
 general declared, he never before witnessed so distressing 
 a scene, as three or four hundred men in the greatest grief 
 and weeping at taking leave of their officers : he added, 
 he thought it cruel and impolitic thus to separate them. 
 
MKMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 143 
 
 The officers, non-commissioned officers, corporals and 
 drummers, in all about 120, marched for France and ar- 
 rived at Talavera de la Reyna on the 27th of december. 
 They stopped there three days to receive all arrears, then 
 set out again and arrived at Toledo on the first of January 
 1812. From thence they proceeded to Madrid, where they 
 had to wait ten days, being too few in number to march 
 without a large convoy of troops. 
 
 A rather unpleasant incident took place at the gates of 
 Madrid in January 1812 between the sons of two distin- 
 guished irish men. — One, was the son of the unfortu- 
 nate « Theobald Dillon, » general of division, who was 
 murdered by his own soldiers in the Revolution, near 
 Lille. The other was the son of general O'Neil, who was 
 colonel of Walsh's regiment in 1792 when it took the 
 number of 47 of the french line. — These soiis of theirs 
 were captains in the army of Portugal: they had recently 
 been promoted to the superior rank of chef de bataillon ; 
 O'Neill to the 47th regiment and Dillon to the command 
 of the 2<^ battalion of the irish regiment. The latter mar- 
 ching out of Madrid at the head of the cadre of that bat- 
 talion, was accosted by commandant O'Neill who said to 
 him « commandant Dillon you cannot proceed far, as my 
 « company of voltigeurs is placed at half a league on the 
 « high road, to prevent any one passing, until the co- 
 « lumn of troops forming the convoy is organized by the 
 « general, and my battalion is ordered to be the van- 
 « guard. » 
 
144 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 « Very well » said commandant Dillon, still conti 
 nuing to march 'till he was stopped by the captain of 
 the voltig-eurs of the 47th to whom he shewed his order to 
 return to France. The captain very properly replied 
 « such orders, commandant, do not regard me, mine are 
 a to let no one pass here 'till the column is put on march 
 6 by the general's order, and I am determined to execute 
 « my cousigne, quoi qu'il en coute. » Commandant Dil- 
 lon being on horseback, and about twenty yards a head, 
 seeing his small column stopped by the men of the 47th 
 ordered it to advance, and the captain of grenadiers of 
 the Irish had the disagreeable task of pushing the volti- 
 geurs of the 47th aside, to open a passage to march for- 
 ward, and obey an unwise chief. 
 
 Notwithstanding the dangerous state of the country he 
 had to march through, owing to the guerrillas being 
 every day in sight, commandant Dillon made his way 
 to Yalladolid with his 120 men, but in this town he had 
 to wait 18 days. 
 
 It was on this march from Madrid, that passing by the 
 town of Segovia, lieutenant Jackson seized the occasion 
 to shew off his wit and turn for bantering. Seeing a 
 group of Spaniards, with their brown cloak thrown 
 over their shoulders, examining and counting the troops 
 that halted on the place, as was their custom on such 
 occasions, he addressed these solemn gentlemen, sa^-ing, 
 pointing to the tower, that he wished to know if it was 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES HYUN'E 145 
 
 here that Gil Bias was imprisoned. They replied, it was 
 he town prison. He then very politely begged one of them 
 to accompany him, that he wished to ascertain the precise 
 room which had been occupied by that truly enlightened 
 Spaniard during his confinement in the tower. « Ohl 
 sefior » one said, « Gil Bias is a mere romance » ; to 
 which Jackson replied, he was sorry to find they did not 
 know the history of their country better : that it was a 
 true narrative, and that only for the Inquisition Le Sage 
 would have published it in quite a different form and 
 given the real names of the persons alluded to. One of 
 the Spanish gentlemen seeing Jackson so serious and 
 bent upon visiting the tower, accompanied him through 
 every part of it; w^hilst Jackson made notes, and he fain 
 would have persuaded his comrades that the Spaniards 
 were delighted with the information he gave them. 
 
 This was only one of many instances when Jackson by 
 his humour and gaiety made his comrades often forget 
 their miseries and privations. — One morning at the bi- 
 vouack of the irish regiment at the lines of Torres Ve- 
 dras, whilst waiting for orders, the officers stood chatting 
 together, when general Thornier beckoned one of them 
 to come to him and tell him what the very animated 
 conversation was about which he observed going on. He 
 was told that it was lieutenant Jackson holding forth 
 and maintainii.g that there could be no comi arisen bet- 
 ween roast n.utton and roast beef, provided the latter was 
 
 « under-done » a Taiiglaise. « Oh! [ar exemple, c"e.'.t un 
 
 10 
 T.ir 
 
146 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 « peu trop fort. » a What » he asked « did captain 
 « O'Malley say on the matter? » — Oh, that it was crue 
 and inhuman to talk of roast meat of any kind to mer 
 who were starving-, and when none could be had for lov( 
 or money. Captain O'Malley is right, said the general, 
 Jackson bore up against adversity in the same gay man 
 ner. — Captain Hutteau, the mayor of Malesherbes whc 
 was a prisoner of war in Russia, along with Jackson, 
 takes infinite pleasure in talking to us about Jackson and 
 his courage and vivacity in very trying circumstances. 
 — Monsieur de Buisson also, a french magistrate, hasi 
 given some excellent articles to the Siecle newspaper on 
 his sufferings whilst a prisoner of war in Russia, when 
 a sous-lieutenant of only 19 years of age. He speaks ol 
 captain Jackson in every trial and hardsliip'they had tc 
 undergo, with the greatest admiration and gratitude 'till 
 they were exchanged in 1814. 
 
 During this time, January 1812, Ciudad Rodrigo was 
 taken by the English before marshal Marmont had time 
 to arrive with his army to relieve it. 
 
 Two splendid standards in green and on which was 
 written in gold letters : « Independence of Ireland » and 
 which were sent to the 2'^ and 3'^ irish battalions by or- 
 der of the emperor, and which had been at Valladolid 
 ^rom the year before, were brought back to the depot by 
 the officers of the 2'' battalion, who after a long and j 
 fatiguing march, arrived on the ilth of april 1812 at j 
 
 . 'I 
 
 1 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 147 
 
 Bois-le-Dnc in Holland, then the depot of the Irish regi- 
 ment instead of I.andau. 
 
 At the end of february 1812, lieutenant-colonel Law- 
 less got his brevet of colonel, and the command of the 
 regiment, which by a decree of the emperor, was now 
 called , « Troisieme regiment t'tranger, irlandais. » By 
 the same decree the other foreign regiments were num- 
 bered : 
 
 That of « Latour-d'Auvergne », n° 1 ; 
 
 That of « Isenberg », n''2; 
 
 The « Irish », n« 3; 
 
 The Prussian regiment, n° 4. 
 
 Commandant Mahony at the same time was named 
 gros-major, or lieutenant-colonel to the Irish regiment. 
 Commandant Tennant was with the first battalion of the 
 Irish regiment in the island of Goree in Holland. Com- 
 mandant Ware with the 3<i battalion at AVilliamstadt on 
 Ihe Meuse.The 4th battalion and depot received nearly fif- 
 teen hundred Germans and other foreigners, whohad been 
 in the dutch army, but who, in consequence of Holland 
 becoming a part of France, were sent to the foreign re- 
 giments in the French service. Eight hundred of these 
 brave men were drafted into the 2<^ battalion, just arrived 
 from Spain, which completed it, and on the IStli of april 
 it marched to Bergen-op-Zoom to form the garrison there 
 and to prepare for joining the grand army. 
 
 Captain Hayne who had served in the 20th regiment 
 
148 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 of the line in Italy, got liis brevet as commandant of 
 the 4th battalion and joined it at Bois-le-Duc in 1812. 
 
 Captain Allen who had been detained a prisoner at 
 Cadiz, had the good fortune to be exchanged and arrived 
 at the depot of the regiment at Bois-le-Duc at the end of 
 the year 1812. — But there was no chance then of his 
 obtaining the advancement he so well merited by his 
 brilliant conduct at Astorga in Spain. All vacancies that 
 had occurred in the regiment for superior officers were 
 filled up, and many of them by those who having been 
 born in France were entitled to advancement in french 
 regiments; which was not just to the Irish officers whose 
 promotion was confined to their own reghnent. Colonel 
 Lawless however promised captain Allen that in the event 
 of the regiment going into campaign, he should have 
 the command of his company of voltigeurs in the 2^ bat- 
 talion. 
 
 The duke of Feltre on the recommendation of colonel 
 Lawless, recompensed many of the subaltern officers co- 
 ming out of Spain. Lieutenants Malowney, Delany, 
 Bowling, Burk and Jackson received their brevets of 
 captains : and ensigns Mac Egan, Brelevet, etc., theirs 
 of lieutenants. Many non commissioned officers were also 
 promoted to the rank of ensign. 
 
 Ensign Keller who was taken prisoner in Portugal 
 by the English, escaped from England and joined the 
 depot at Bois-le-Duc. Ensign Eyan who was taken pri- 
 soner at Flushing in august 1809 also escaped from prison 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE I i9 
 
 and joined the regiment in 1812. — Colonel Lawless ob- 
 tained advancement for both these officers and they got 
 their brevets as lieutenants and were placed in the war 
 battalions. 
 
 Colonel Lawless obtained promotion for all the officers 
 of the 2'i battalion that were called into France from Spain 
 in 1812, except captains O'Malley and Byrne, and the 
 recompense these two officers coiisidered themselves en- 
 titled to after the four or five severe campaigns they had 
 just made, was, the decoration of the legion of Honour. 
 On their way through Paris in march 1812 they waited 
 on the minister of war and presented him a demand, 
 backed by several of the generals under whose orders 
 they had been serving. His reception was most favour- 
 able : so much so, that they left Paris for the depot in 
 the highest spirits. — The minister wrote to colonel 
 Lawless to know about their merits, conduct, etc., and 
 whether it was, that the demand had not been forwarded 
 by him to the minister as chief of the corps, or that he 
 wished to see his superior officers decorated before the 
 captains; it is probable, nay even certain, that he gave 
 the last reason to the minister, for he could not have gi- 
 ven any other; as neither of these captains had ever been 
 under his orders, he could not w^ell judge of their merits 
 to obtain the knighthood in the legion of honour. But let 
 that be as it may, it was very unfortunate that poor cap- 
 tain O'Malley did not obtain it at that epoch, for shortly 
 
150 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 after he became stone blind and had to retire on a small 
 pension with a wife and two children : 250 francs a year 
 was thus lost for the last 32 years, to as brave a man as 
 ever left Ireland. 
 
 As to captain Byrne, he had only to wait to make ano- 
 ther campaign, the year after, when he got it : but it is 
 not less true, that he felt much disappointed, and very 
 sore on the subject; particularly so, on account of being 
 on such friendly terms with colonel Lawless from the 
 first moment he became acquainted with him : and indeed 
 again at Berghen-op-Zoom in January 1813 previous to 
 leaving that town to join the grand army, he had to 
 complain of the want of decision in his favour on the part 
 of colonel Lawless, who was on the point of giving his 
 company of grenadiers to captain O'Reilly, who claimed 
 it as his right, he having commanded, he said, a grena- 
 diers company longer than captain Byrne, though the 
 latter was his senior as a captain for more than a year. 
 The third battalion to which O'Reilly belonged remain- 
 ing in Holland, he, very naturally wished to get into 
 one of the war battalions going into campaign. — Colo- 
 nel Lawless submitted captain O'Reilly's claim to the 
 minister of war, who decided against him, and in favour 
 of captain Byrne : but this decision of the minister only 
 arrived when the regiment was in presence of the enemy 
 on the Elbe, and kept captain Byrne in a disagreeable 
 state of suspence whilst waiting for the decision. 
 
 At the end of this memorable campaign of 1813, and 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 151 
 
 the beg-iniiing- of the next 1814, captain Byrne being ac- 
 tively employed in Holland and at Antwerp, command- 
 ing a battalion at the advanced posts before the enemy, 
 was quite sure of obtaining his brevet of chef de bataillon, 
 us he was proposed on the field of battle at Goldberg the 
 ^ 24th of august 1813, wuth three other captains by gene- 
 ral Puthod, and the demand was backed by general Lau- 
 riston, commander of the 5th corps of the army. 
 
 There seemed no doubt of these commissions being 
 granted, but still captain Byrne was doomed to be di- 
 sappointed, for as soon as the communication was opened 
 after the siege of Antwerp, the colonel of the regiment 
 « Mahony » received intelligence that captains Allen and 
 O'Reilly were promoted, and that captains Byrne and Saint- 
 Leger might expect their brevets also ; but from the 
 change of government and the vast number of claimants 
 he entertained little hopes. 
 
 Captain Byrne seeing two prussian captains in the 
 French service of the name of Geittes getting their com- 
 missions as chiefs of battalion, in the month of October 
 asked leave of absence for three months and came to Pa- 
 ris in december 1814. He saw marshal Soult (minister of 
 war), twice in february 1815, who received him very 
 well, and promised him the first place vacant in any of 
 the three foreign regiments as chief of battalion; but he 
 left the ministry and the Hundred Days came on before 
 captain Byrne could get his brevet. — It is only justice 
 to the memory of general Lawless to say, he did every 
 
152 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 thing- at « this » time to assist captain Byrne to obtain 
 his commission, but unfortunately it was too late, and 
 captain Byrne had in consequence to live on the miser- 
 able half pay of a captain for more than twelve years, 
 until his ever-to-be-lamented friend colonel O'Neill, chief 
 of the personal of the war office, got him employed ini 
 1828 on the staff of general Maison on the expedition to 
 Greece; and on the 4th of September 1830, being in 
 Greece, he received his brevet as chief of the 2<i battalion 
 of the 56th regiment of the line, then at Grenoble, com- 
 manded by colonel Bugeaud , afterwards marshal of 
 France. 
 
 Colonel Lawless shewed the greatest activity and talent 
 for the administration as well as the instruction and dis- 
 cipline of his regiment. He passed the summer months 
 of 1812 visiting and inspecting the different battalions 
 detached in Holland, and holding them ready to march 
 at a moment's notice. 
 
CHAPTER VI 
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 The disasters of the freueh army retreaUug from Mosco^v in 181-2 - The 
 Su bulletin of the grand army giving an aec-ount of tl-se d.sast..rs^ - 
 Colonel Lawless-s letter in the name of all the msh officer. ^ thenar 
 minister the duke of Feltre. - The flattering ans^^-er recened o that 
 euer - Orders tohave the war battalions completed to a thousand each, 
 -arch of those battalions from Holland. - Their reumon at the town 
 of Osnaburg.- The regiment continue its march by Mmden, Hanove . 
 BrunswicCetc., etc., to Magdeburg on the Elbe. - Formation of the fifth 
 coriS composed of four di^isions. under general Launstontlje comman^ 
 
 der in chief. - 1st division, general Maison; 2d, genera Puthod; 3d, 
 general Lagrange : 4th, general Rochambeau. - Colonel WUham Meara 
 ^o^Lndant of the place of Magdeburg. - Bad state of the ar„.y at 
 Dresden with prince Eugene Beauharnais. - The irish regiment ac n ely 
 employed defending the passages of the Elbe, from Magdeburg down- 
 ward - March from this town on tlie 3d of march to Stendal - The 
 gene al of brigade Monlbrun, being a cavalry offlcer, leaves the com- 
 mand of the infantry to colonel Lawless. - Combats at Verben and 
 Seehausen - Prince of Eclcmuhl marshal Davoust takes the command. - 
 mond leaves the regiment. - Commandant Ware's order to c.ptain 
 Malowney to march out of his turn. - The night march to Luneburg to 
 relieve general Morant. - Marshal Davousfs head quarters at t,l£^horn.- 
 H c uits to take the command at Hambourg and general Sebastiam re- 
 plays bin' in the command. - Attack and taking of the town of Lel.en. 
 -The russian easter sunday. - Colonel Lawless comn^ands Luneboug^ 
 ^ commandant ^X^ve. brilUant combat at Celles. - ^^l^f'^^l^'^^^^ 
 at the army. - Battle of Lutzen. - The insh regiment march from 
 Su^fswickt'Halberstadttojoin.hegrandarmy.-ColonelLaw^^^^^^^^^^^^^ 
 an offlcer to head quarters. -The regiment agam m gen ral Puthm 
 dWision.- Captain Perry appointed his aide-de-camp - March tojoin 
 tl e 5th corps. - Battles of Bautzen and Wurschen. - General Lauris on 
 to.ee his 2d division with the irish regiment at its head arrives on the 
 fleld of battle— The captain of grenadiers of theirish regiment on guard 
 S marshal Nev the night of the battle. - Discovery of Tokay wine by 
 Te colonel aide-de-camp. - The marshal's invitation to the generals and 
 
^^^ .MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 chiefs of regiments to come to liis head quarters to partake of the luckv 
 
 NeTDu'roTetc''" rZ '"''''" ^° "'" ""^^^"^^ ^'^"^ marshal Mortier^ 
 Aej Duroc, etc. - Tlie enemy retreating in good order, for the want of 
 avalry to pnrsne their. - The grand marshal Duroc. general ZTre 
 and general K.rganus killed.- The Irish regiment rejoins generalYa! 
 a'Tavnan " r°" "J^^^^'^^^^ ^ ^ressels at Bunglau.' - Th'e 5th corps 
 atHajnau. - General Ma.sou's division attacked hy the enemy's cavalry 
 and dispersed. - Arrival of Napoleon at daylight at our bfvouack - 
 He gives orders to place sentinels at Kewmark. - The Irish hear from 
 genera Laur.ston ho.- pleased the emperor .-as .-ith the regimen - 
 Combat at L,ssa. _ General Portal killed. - Lieutenant Osmond si ril- 
 lant conduct. - March on Breslau. - The enemy not crossing tVe Oder 
 
 consented to and signed on tlie-ith of June. - The stay of the Irish regi- 
 ment at Breslaw. - March to Goldberg to be encamped. - Several offi- 
 cers named kmghts of the legion of honour. - Colonel La. lels goes^o 
 
 e^rent" r n:',^^?"'"^ ^' ""''''''-^ °^*^-^ advancement for 1^ 
 regiment -General Lagrange's (the 3d) division, divided and incor 
 
 on?, rt "T, . '"''' ''^™'°* '''*'^™ *° ^^"^^^^ P-ithod-s. - Napo- 
 leon s 11. te on the loth of august : great preparations and amusements, 
 ^hp uJ I SrenachoTs company being on guard .-ith general Puthod on 
 the 14 h of august, the captain at dinner hears the conversation abou 
 Bernadotle and Davoust. 
 
 As soon as the 29th bulletin of the grand army appear- 
 ed in the newspapers and dated november 1812, with the 
 account of the disasters of the retreat from Moscow, colo- 
 nel Lawless wrote to the minister of war the duke of 
 Feltre, in the name of all the officers of the regiment, 
 soliciting in the most earnest terms to be employed in 
 the grand army. The minister answered colonel Lawless 
 immediately in the most friendly manner and acceded to 
 his demand; he ordered him to complete the 1st and 2J 
 battalions to a thousand each and to make every necessary 
 preparation for the ensuing campaign. 
 
 By the month of January 1813 all was ready. On the 
 30th of January orders arrived for the regiment to march 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE loo 
 
 Mogdeburo- and on the 1st of february, commandant 
 [ennant with the 1st battalion then in the island of Goree, 
 let out, going through Holland to Osnaburg. 
 
 The 2^1 battalion under commandant Ware began to 
 march also on the 1st of february for Magdeburg, quit- 
 ting Berghen-op-Zoom and going by Breda, Tilbury, 
 Bois-le-Duc, crossing the Meuse at Grave, the Waal at 
 Nimgun and the "Rhine at Wesel to Munster, and then 
 to Osnaburg, where it arrived the same day as the 1st 
 
 battalion. 
 
 This was the first time these two battalions had been 
 together since they separated at Flushing in 1808. The 
 2'i battalion having been more than four years in Spain. 
 The meeting of the officers of the two battalions which 
 belonged to the former irish legion, after so long a sepa- 
 ration, was very agreeable to them all. 
 
 Colonel Lawless, after inspecting the two united bat- 
 talions, marched at the head of his regiment by Minden, 
 where they crossed the Weser, to Hanover, Brunswick, 
 etc., to Magdeburg; where they arrived on the 2Sth of 
 february, and though in the depth of winter had but few 
 men in the hospitals, and left none behind ; for which 
 the colonel and officers were highly complimented by 
 general Lauriston when he passed the review of the re- 
 giment on the 1st of march 1813 at Magdeburg. He was 
 delighted to see two thousand men so well equipped and 
 having a splendid band of music and every thing else in 
 style and order. 
 
1^6 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 Colonel William O'Mara who had been a captain ir 
 the Irish legion at its formation in 1803, was now com- t 
 mandant superior of Magdeburg; he had been first aide- 
 de-camp to marshal Lannes and was wounded the daj? 
 the marshal was killed at the battle of Wagram in 1809 : 
 he was twin-brother to Daniel O'Mara who commanded, 
 the Irish regiment for a short time in Spain, and their 
 elder brother general O'Mara had the honour of comman- 
 ding the town of Dunkirk and to see the english army 
 under the duke of York forced to abandon the siege and 
 fly in disorder before the french citizens, armed for its 
 defence and their liberty. 
 
 The town of Magdeburg was at this time crowded 
 beyond measure with the cohorts of the first band of the 
 national guards arriving there to be organized into regi- 
 ments of the line and to be comprized in the new corps 
 about to be formed. General Lauriston was named com- 
 mander in chief of the fifth corps, to be composed of four 
 divisions. 
 
 The 1st division was commanded by general Maisou ; 
 the 2d by general Puthod ; the 3d by general Lagrange; 
 the 4th by general Rochambeau. The Irish regiment was 
 to make part of the 3^ division of the 5th corps, but 
 none of these divisions were yet assembled, and no 
 troops, or scarcely any to guard the line of the Elbe from 
 Magdeburg to Hamburg, the army which retreated with 
 the vice-roy, Eugene Beauharnais, being employed from 
 Magdeburg to Dresden. 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES HYRNE 1^7 
 
 On the 3a of march 1813 the irish regiments left 
 ,Ia-dehurg- and marched to Stendal, and from this town 
 Irtached several companies along the Elbe to guard the 
 )assages and then proceeded to Arandsee, Seehausen, etc. 
 
 The enemy by this time had a corps of army on the 
 )ther side of the Elbe near Werben . — Colonel Lawless got 
 )rders to call in all his detachments and to fall back on 
 Stendal where the regiment was again united on the 
 
 I7th of march. 
 
 The general of brigade, general Montbrun (brother 
 to the lieutenant general of the same name), had a brigade 
 of cavalry at Stendal; he gave orders for all the baggage 
 to be sent off to Magdeburg, and even thought that he 
 had not force enough to resist the enemy that had already 
 
 passed the river. 
 
 On the 18th et 19th their advanced posts approached 
 Stendal; on the 20th general Montbrun decided to attack 
 them. He gave the command of the infantry consisting 
 of two regiments, to colonel Lawless, who ordered the 
 two companies of voltigeurs commanded by captains 
 Allen and O'Reilly to flank the column, and the two com- 
 panies of grenadiers, commanded by captains Byrne and 
 Mac Carty, to make the vanguard and to begin the 
 
 attack. 
 
 The enemy was beaten back to Werben and driven 
 through the town in great disorder, as the grenadiers 
 with the French cavalry entered pell mell, with them into 
 the town. Several were lost repassing the river, and a 
 
i 
 
 ^•'^ MEiMOIliS OF .MILES BYP.XE 
 
 number of horses a})andoned : four officers and a great ' 
 many private soldiers were taken prisoners. Nothwith 
 standing this brilliant success, general Montbrunthougli 
 it prudent to return in the night to Stendal, and on the 
 second day after, the regiment marched, returned again 
 with general Russel by Werben. • 
 
 Commandant Tennant's battalion made a reconnais 
 sance on the road to Seehausen and met the enemy J^ 
 force. Theprince of Eckmuhl marshal Cavoust arrived and 
 took the command. The irish regiment with the cavalry 
 made the vanguard of his arn.y. On the 24th he attacked 
 and beat the enemy from Seehausen. The adjutant majo; 
 captain Osmond left the regiment to perform the func-- 
 tions ofchief of the staff with general Montbrun, and did ' 
 not again rejoin the regiment. 
 
 Whilst commandant Ware and his battalion were 
 at the chateau of Gartz and Schnakenburg, captaii. 
 Malowney, who with his company, had been the last on, 
 duty of the battalion, received orders to march; he flew 
 into a violent passion and remonstrated with the adjutant 
 major, saying he would not march out of his turn; but 
 when one of his comrades informed him he was chosen 
 by the commandant on account of the importance and i 
 danger of the mission, which was, to prevent the enemy 
 passing the Elbe in the night, they having a large boat 
 on the other side, a league down the river, Malowney 
 instantly exclaimed : « Ware was an excellent chief and 
 « shewed his discernment and judgment in the orders he 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE IT)'.) 
 
 « gave; » and repaired without delay to the place assi- 
 gned, just in time to have his men concealed and to allow 
 the enemy to approach in their boat within pistol shot, 
 when he gave orders to fire on them. This unexpected 
 attack made them instantly return to the other side, and 
 obliged them to abandon their plan for that night, 
 though they were in great force. — Captain Malowney 
 had thus the honour of defending all the night this pas- 
 sage with his company alone. 
 
 The Irish regiment with the cavalry making the van- 
 guard under marshal Davoust, after beating the enemy 
 from Seehausen on the 24th of march 1813, marched on 
 the 26th to relieve general Morant, who was attacked by 
 a superior force at Luneburg. They arrived in the night, 
 after making a forced march of eighteen leagues, but 
 unfortunately too late. The general had been alread}- 
 taken prisoner and the enemy retreated across the Elbe 
 with him and the other prisoners. 
 
 On the 28th of march commandant Ware was detached 
 with his battalion to Winsen on the Elbe, and on the 29th 
 colonel Lawless and the rest of the regiment marched to 
 Salzwedel and joined general Puthod's division at a 
 chateau that had belonged to the king of England. It bi- 
 vouacked and remained several days near Salzwedel and 
 from thence went to Giffhorn in the beginning of april,at 
 which place another bivouack was formed for a few days. 
 Marshal Davoust lodged in an old castle and had the gre- 
 nadiers of the Irish regiment to guard him. During his 
 
160 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 stay at this place, a young* j-ussian oflQcer was taken con- 
 cealed in the village, who owned that he intended to 
 carry the marshal away, if he could meet him w^alking 
 out alone as he was accustomed to do after dinner. 
 The marshal shewed during- the continual skirmishes 
 he had with the enemy in this neighbourhood, the 
 greatest activity, being always with the vanguard. 
 When he was replaced by general Sebastiani, he 
 spoke to him of the irish regiment in the highest 
 terms. 
 
 The enemy had taken possession of Uelzen and were in 
 great force, b'ussians and Prussians. General Sebastiani 
 decided to attack them. He told the colonels and officers, 
 when he received their visit, his intention to attack the 
 enemy the next day ; that they were ten thousand strong, 
 that he had three thousand infantry and fifteen hundred 
 cavalry, which he thought sufficient, and at the same 
 time told colonel Lawless he should have the honour of 
 making the advance guard. Accordingly on the 22^ of 
 april at day-light, the enemy's out posts were attacked 
 and all driven back on Uelzen, which town they en- 
 deavoured to defend for a short time; but fearing their 
 retreat might be cut off, they abandoned the place. No 
 doubt with great reluctance, for its being" caster sunday 
 (, according to the old style observed by the Eussians), 
 they had all their 'preparations made for the feast they 
 have on such occasions : and as they had observed lent 
 very strictly, it was a great disappointment to them to 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 161 
 
 be forced to leave their fine repast, consisting of meat 
 and other good things. 
 
 Colonel Lawless was a{)pointed to command the place, 
 and had commandant Tennant's battalion in the town to 
 furnish the different guards, which was considered a 
 great honour, as the rest of the jwmy bivouacked outside 
 the town. The greatest order was observed and no inha- 
 bitant had the least complaint to make. 
 
 A spy who had been detected two days before, was 
 j condemned by a court martial, in this town, to be shot; 
 but just as the gendarmes had placed him on his knees 
 and were about to fire, general Sebastiani ordered him 
 to be saved. The unfortunate man ought to have been 
 Yery grateful, for he had nothing to say in his defence. 
 
 After remaining two days at Uelzen, the army marched 
 on Luneburg, where the enemy were again concentrating 
 their forces, instead of re crossing the Elbe. The irish 
 grenadiers with the cavalry made the vanguard and 
 when the enemy was beat, colonel Lawless was ordered 
 by general Sebastiani to take the command of the town, 
 where, as at Uelzen, the best order was observed. 
 
 Commandant Ware, who had been detached with his 
 battalion on the 28th of march to Winsen on the Elbe, 
 was ordered to fall back on Celles, to join a french brigade, 
 in which town he had a brilliant combat with the Cos- 
 sacks. — The town being evacuated by order one night, 
 and the enemy allowed to take possession of it, in the 
 morning they were attacked in the town and driven 
 
 T.ll 11 
 
162 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 through it in great disorder. They set fire to a wooden 
 bridge over the Aller, to cover their retreat, but comman- 
 dant Ware passed it on horseback through the flames, 
 with his battalion and beat them a great distance from 
 the town, when he was ordered to return and had scar- 
 cely time to repass the bridge, before it was consumed. 
 It was on this occasion that general Aubert took a great 
 liking to the Irish regiment. He was colonel of the I'lSth 
 regiment and was present when Ware passed the bridge- 
 and when the general observed that Ware pursued the 
 enemy too far, colonel Aubert replied, he would wish 
 to be able to make the same reproach to his officers, 
 who were mostly dutch, newly organized at Magde- 
 burg. 
 
 On the 28th of april 1813 colonel Lawless heard at 
 Luneburg of the emperor's arrival at the army : no news 
 could haw afforded more pleasure than this gave to the 
 troops, as they all well knew that a general action would 
 soon take place, which would put an end to the con- 
 tinual marching and counter-marching they had had du- 
 ring the months of march and april : for the enemy 
 would, in the event of losing the battle, have to recross 
 the Elbe immediately and concentrate their forces, to 
 make head against Napoleon and his grand army. 
 
 On the first of may 1813 colonel Lawless received or- 
 ders to march to Brunswick with commandant Tennant's 
 battalion, to which town commandant Ware had orders 
 to repair from Ckjlles with his battalion, and from thence 
 
 ■ 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILKS BYRNE 16:> 
 
 ,he rog:iment was to proceed to Halberstadt, to wait for 
 urther orders from head quarters. 
 
 Nothing- could be more flattering" for the regiment 
 ;han the praises the officers received from general Sebas- 
 iani, when they were presented to him by colonel 
 Lawless, previous to their departure for the grand army. 
 He said that the good result of the different affairs on the 
 Elbe, from the beginning of the campaign, was due to 
 their activity and bravery. — The colonel and corps of 
 officers took leave also of general Puthod, as it was 
 Hiought the regiment would join general Lagrange's di- 
 vision, to which it belonged, according to the organi- 
 zation of the 5th corps. 
 
 i 
 
 I On the 5th of may 1813 the regiment was united at 
 
 I'Brunswick and from thence marched to Halberstadt. It 
 
 larrived at this town on the 8th where the news of the 
 
 ibattle of Lutzen was announced to the troops under arms. 
 
 The joy they expressed was great indeed. Every soldier 
 
 ,felt in this victory a recompense for all his fatigues. 
 
 Colonel Lawless fearing that the orders for him might 
 have been intercepted detached an officer to general Lau- 
 riston with a letter and a report of every thing concer- 
 ning the regiment from the time it marched from Magde- 
 burg on the 3^' of march, down to the present day. He 
 had to mention that the baggage of the officers had been 
 sent from Stendal on the 17th of march by order of gene- 
 
164 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 ral Montbrun, that it never returned, but had been sent 
 back to Munster, and that they were in great need of 
 their effects ; the colonel also hoped that the general 
 would have the regiment ordered immediately to join its 
 division at the grand army, — In a few days after, he 
 received the order so much wished, for the regiment to' 
 join in all haste the 5th corps. On the 15th of may theyj 
 marched to Bernburg and found this place occupied bj 
 marshal Victor's corps of army. On the 17th again thej 
 met general Puthod at Dessau; he had orders also to join 
 the 5th corps; so the Irish regiment took its place agair 
 at the head of his division, and marched under his orders. 
 They passed the Elbe at "Wittenburg. General Puthod 
 took Perry the adjutant major of the regiment to be his 
 aide-de-camp. 
 
 The division took the direction of Bautzen, always bi- 
 vouacking at night. On the 20th of may they slept on tht 
 field amongst the dead, where general Lauriston had at 
 tacked general York the day before, and forced him tc 
 retreat. On the 21st of may, after marching severa 
 leagues, general Puthod's division, consisting of ter 
 thousand men, arrived on the field of battle betweeE 
 Bautzen and Wurschen. The action had already begun on 
 the whole line and the 5th corps was completely engaged. 
 General Lauriston was rejoiced to see his 2'' division ar- 
 rive at so important a moment : indeed the arrival of 
 these fresh troops contributed to decide the battle. Ge- 
 neral Lauriston welcomed colonel Lawless in the most 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES 15YRNE 165 
 
 friendly manner, and was delighted to see the regiment 
 looking so well, after so much fatigue, and the fine band 
 of music enchanted him, which contrary to custom (at 
 their own request) preceded the regiment until the battle 
 began. But there was no time for compliments, the re- 
 giment was soon employed to attack the enemy, and 
 after passing in close column over a part of the field of 
 battle, strewed with the dead and wounded, under a tre- 
 mendous fire, colonel Lawless deployed it and sent the 
 o-renadiers in front and the voltigeurs on the flanks to 
 begin the attack, which proved successful ; routing the 
 enemy in every place and at last in the evening taking 
 the village of Wurschen, which gave the name of the 
 buttle of one of the two days fighting. 
 
 The grenadiers of the Irish were pursuing the Cossacks 
 through the court of the chateau of the village, when 
 marshal Ney arrived on horseback, and ordered the cap- 
 tain (Byrne, whom he recognized, having known him in 
 Portugal during the i etreat from Torres Novas ) to halt 
 tbere : he told him the battle was won; to remain on 
 guard with him for th- night, and to place sentinels to 
 prevent the place being plundered. He brought the cap- 
 tain with him into the chateau, and as soon as he found 
 a bed-room, he took a mattrass, placed it on the floor, on 
 which he flung himself down. He had his right foot 
 swathed up in a napkin, having received a slight wound 
 in it that day. He desired the captain to give the two 
 sentinels at the door of the bed-room, instructions not to 
 
166 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 allow any of his aides-de-camp when they arrived, to dis- 
 turb him if he happened to be asleep. — 
 
 A colonel aide-de-camp who had followed the marshal, 
 requested the captain of grenadiers to accompany him in 
 examining- the chateau, to see if the enemy had left pro- 
 visions of any kind, and though every part seemed ran- 
 sacked and destroyed, yet they by measuring and tracing 
 found out a secret compartment in the cellar, in which 
 were several hundred bottles of Tokay. The aide-de-camp 
 apprised the marshal as soon as he was awake of what 
 he had found, on which he ordered him to send for the 
 generals that were in the neighbourhood to come and 
 lodge there : he ordered also the captain of grenadiers of 
 the Irish regiment to send to his colonel to come to the 
 chateau to pass the night and to send for the other com- 
 pany of grenadiers to be on guard, as they would be 
 better there than at the bivouack. 
 
 Nothing could surpass his solicitude for the troops on 
 this occasion. Generals Puthod, Vacherau and Pastol 
 brought their provisions and accepted the marshal's kind 
 nvitation, as did colonel Lawless and some other chiefs • 
 but except the wine, nothing was left in the chateau. As 
 the head quarters of the prussian and russian armies had 
 been there for two days, of course every thing in the 
 way of provisions was consumed. However the generals 
 and colonels etc. spent a pleasant night in conversation on 
 the glorious victory just gained; but all, unfortunately, 
 were forced to own, that the want of cavalry would pre- 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 1^7 
 
 vent the great result tliat otherwise might have ensued, 
 and but for which the enemy's army would have been 
 completely destroyed. 
 
 The orders for another general attack were given in 
 the course of the night by the emperor for the ensuing 
 day. Of course all left the chateau before day, to repair to 
 their respective posts, and marshal Ney one of the first. 
 He desired the captain commanding the two irish com- 
 panies of grenadiers to rejoin his regiment which had 
 bivouacked on the side of the road leading from Bautzen. 
 _ At about four o'clock in the morning of the 22<i of may 
 1813 the emperor who had passed the night on the field 
 of battle, a league off, arrived with all his staff officers, 
 
 marshal M or tier, etc. 
 
 Marshal Ney who had general Lauriston's corps under 
 his orders, made the vanguard of the centre of the grand 
 army, and Napoleon himself marched at the head with it 
 
 to the attack. 
 
 During this day's manoeuvring and fighting, the irish 
 regiment was continually employed, and in the evening 
 routed the enemy out of several villages on the road to 
 Goerlitz, and only halted when night came on, at about 
 a league from the town. This battle is called « combat de 
 Reichenbach » ; in it the enemy had a vast number killed 
 and wounded and many taken prisoners. But Napoleon 
 lost his friend and favourite Duroc, grand marshal of the 
 palace. He was killed by his side late in the evening, as 
 
^^^ MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 were two other generals of distinction, lieutenant g-ene- 
 ral Bruy^res and the general of engineers Kirgemer 
 
 The stable in which commandant Tennant had his hor 
 ses took fire in the night and they were extricated with 
 much difficulty. 
 
 On the 23a „f „,y ^^3 Irish regiment left general 
 Puthod and joined the 3d division of the 5th corps com- 
 manded by general Lagrange to which it belonged Ha- 
 vmg been detached on the Elbe, this was the first time 
 they had joined the division and they made part of gene- 
 ral Suden's brigade. 
 
 The 23d was spent repairing the bridge over the Neisse 
 wh.ch had been damaged by the enemy, no^- in full re- 
 treat. After the three victories gained over them, they 
 seemed resolved not to risk another battle, but from the 
 want of old cavalry to pursue them, the infantry was 
 continually employed attacking their rear guard 
 
 On the 24th of may the army arrived at Bunzlaw and 
 had to wait -till a bridge was thrown on Tressells across 
 the Bober, and then bivouacked on the other side 
 
 On the 25th of may the four divisions of the 5th corps 
 making the vanguard, arrived at Haynau earlv in the 
 evening. The first division commanded by general Maison 
 passed through the town and bivouacked at about half a 
 m.le on the other side. The three other divisions took a 
 pos.hon before they came to the town. The 2-. division 
 commanded by general Puthod to the right of the road 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 169 
 
 leading to the town and about half a mile; the 3'i com- 
 manded by general Lagrange to the left of the road, and 
 the same distance from the town ; the 4th division com- 
 manded by general Rochambeau, at a certain distance 
 behind the others. All the dispositions to pass the night 
 being taken and several g-enerals and colonels iu the 
 town, a sudden attack was made by about twenty thou- 
 sand of the enemy's cavalry, which returned on general 
 Maison's division, which suffered greatly from this 
 unexpected charge, and would probably have been des- 
 troyed but for the 2'i and 3'i divisions commanded by ge- 
 nerals Puthod and Lagrange which marched immedia- 
 tely to their assistance. The Irish regiment fortunately 
 had nearly all its men present, as it only arrived the mo- 
 ment before the attack was made. Half an hour later, the 
 men might have been all dispersed looking for provisions. 
 The regiment formed a close column on the great road 
 and marched on the enemy and bivouacked on the field 
 where general Maison's division had been attacked, or 
 rather remained there all night under arms. The artillery 
 of the 2d and 3d divisions soon stoptthe enemy's progress. 
 A cossack officer being killed by the side of colonel 
 Lawless, he took the horse by the bridle and gave it to 
 one of the officers (captain Byrne) to carry his baggage. 
 
 "When the emperor Napoleon heard of the attack, and 
 that the king of Prussia was with the army, he hastened 
 to the advanced guard, and on the ^Gth at day light, after 
 
170 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYKNE 
 
 a very wet night, arrived at the bivouack of the irish re- 
 giment, and ordered colonel Lawless to form the hollow 
 square and designed the regiment to make the vanguard 
 in this order with flying artillery on each flank. He sat 
 on horseback at the head of the regiment for more than 
 half an hour, viewing the plain, covered with the 
 enemy's cavalry, and giving orders for the general 
 attack. 
 
 General Lauriston who expected to find the emperor 
 greatly displeased with him as well as with general 
 Maison on account of the disasters of the day before, told 
 colonel Lawless with admiration, how marshal Ney had, 
 the moment he met the emperor, taken the whole blame 
 on himself, by stating, that every disposition was made 
 after his orders and punctually executed. Of course the 
 emperor knew well how to appreciate this generous con- 
 duct : he replied, « Well marshal, we must give them 
 « (the enemy) another lesson this day, « and immedia- 
 tely the whole line marched forward to the attack. The 
 irish regiment in front, passing over hedges and ditches 
 and as soon as they had crossed, forming again a hollow 
 square, to be ready to receive the enemy, should they 
 venture to return to renew the charge. The voltigeurs of 
 the irish, as rifle men, were continually engaged driving 
 the enemy's cavalry before them. 
 
 The emperor during the whole day, was as much 
 exposed as any of his generals, and several times they 
 prayed him to re::)ain behind, seeing the cannon balls 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES bYRXE 171 
 
 passing over him like hail-stones. All were vying at 
 the same time who should he foremost in the danger. 
 
 Marshal Ney and generals Lauriston, Puthod and La- 
 grange shewed the greatest activity with the advanced 
 guards, giving orders every where that the enemy at- 
 tempted to resist. It was a glorious day for the Irish re- 
 giment to have the honour of making the vanguard of 
 such an army and under the eyes of Napoleon. 
 
 The enemy retreated through the town of Lignitz in 
 great disorder. Captain Allen at the head of his voltigeurs 
 entered the first into the town pursuing them. He was 
 hailed by the emperor, who asked him to what regiment 
 he belonged, and then ordered him to place sentinels at 
 his lodgings and to remain in town until he should be 
 relieved by the imperial guards who where following. 
 The army bivouacked before Lignitz, and each division 
 formed a hollow square and passed the night in this order 
 of battle. 
 
 During the day an Irish serjeant of the name of Cos- 
 tello being reprimanded by marshal Ney for not falling 
 back immediately to the rallying place, when the trumpet 
 sounded, replied « that a Cossack had fired twice at him 
 « and that he wanted to kill the fellow before quitting 
 « the field. » « And did you kill him? » asked the marshal, 
 f I hope so, said Costello, for I saw him fall from his 
 « horse. « « A la bonne hearel » said the marshal. 
 
 The enemy fearing to risk another battle, and retrea- 
 ting rapidly, the french army stopt in the same position 
 
172 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 before Lignitz the 27th and the 28th of may 1813, to re- 
 pose and to give time to the other corps which were 
 following, to arrive On the 29th of may the army marched I 
 to Newmarkt and rested there on the 30th, The 5th corps 
 bivouacking near a wind mill. It was here that general 
 Lauriston told colonel Lawless how pleased the emperor 
 was with the regiment. He asked him if the officers of 
 the battalions in Holland and at the depot were equally 
 good with those present, if so, that he thought they 
 would be ordered to come and join the regiment in cam- 
 paign. 
 
 On the 31st of may the army marched on Lissa. Gene- 
 ral Puthod's division attacked the rear guard of the ene- 
 my. The general of brigade Postell, w^as killed in this 
 affair. Lieutenant Osmond of the Irish regiment who was 
 doing the functions of aide-de-camp with general Va- 
 cherau, alighted from his horse and was the first to march 
 through the river under the enemy's fire, to encourage 
 the men by his example. For this action he was much 
 spoken of in the army, and was proposed in consequence 
 of it, for the cross of the legion of honour. 
 
 On the 1st of June 1813, the army marched upon Bres- 
 lau on the Oder. A deputation from the town came out to 
 meet the army at some distance. The 5th corps passed by 
 the town and bivouacked on the banks of the river. The 
 enemy, instead of crossing the river, retreated up the left 
 bank, in the direction of Schweidnitz, which movement 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 173 
 
 made it be thought that they reckoned on the interfe- 
 rence of Austria to obtain an armistice, which they 
 eagerly sought. 
 
 In the night of the 1st of June the 5th corps made a 
 move from Breslau and halted four leagues from it, when 
 in the morning following, news of the armistice was an- 
 nounced, and colonel Lawless received orders to return 
 to the camp before Breslau; in which place, the regiment 
 remained several days, until every thing was finally ar- 
 ranged with the russian and prussian armies respecting 
 the armistice which was signed on the 4th of June 
 1813. 
 
 During the stay at Breslau the post master of the army 
 arrived, and for the first time from the opening of the 
 campaign, the officers and soldiers received letters from 
 their friends in France : but the baggage of the irish of- 
 ficers was still behind. Many of them being in great need 
 made purchases at Breslau of linen for shirts, cloth for 
 uniforms, etc. 
 
 The cantonments being assigned to the different 
 corps of the grand army, which they were to occupy as 
 long as the armistice might last, each repaired to his des- 
 tination. The 5th corps commanded by general Lauris- 
 ton, had the neighbourhood of Goldberg : the 3'i division 
 commanded by general Lagrange, to which the irish re- 
 giment belonged, left Breslau on the 6th of June, passed 
 
174 MEMOIRS OF WILES BYRNE 
 
 by Jauer and arrived in a small village, Holberg-, half a 
 league from the town of Goldberg, where a camp for the 
 division was traced; each regiment sending men to cut 
 wood and bring it in, to make huts. In a few days all 
 were well lodged, and the camp of the Irish w^as much 
 admired. Captains Mac Carthy and Magrath left the re- 
 giment there, to be employed as aides-de-camp to general 
 Casterole, cousin of general Lauriston. Captain O'Reilly 
 took the command of Maccarthy's company of gre- 
 nadiers. 
 
 As soon as the four divisions of the 5th corps were pro- 
 perly encamped, general Lauriston reviewed them, and 
 as the baggage of the irish officers arrived the night be- 
 fore the review, they appeared to full advantage, in their 
 uniform and accoutrements, which had not been used 
 during the three months campaigning. 
 
 The six following officers of the irish regiment were 
 named knights of the legion of honour by the emperor 
 Napoleon on the 18th of June 1813 and received their bre- 
 vets at the camp at Goldberg. — Commandant Tennant, 
 commandant Ware, captain Byrne, captain Saint-Leger, 
 captain Parrott and lieutenant Osmond. 
 
 Colonel Lawless went to head quarters at Dresden in 
 the beginning of July, and obtained advancement for se- 
 veral officers and non-commissioned officers of his regi- 
 ment. — After he returned to the camp, he received cloth 
 to make pantaloons for the soldiers. 
 
 The interval of the armistice w^as employed in exerci- 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILKS BYRN'E 175 
 
 sing and manoeuvring; the troops twice a day. The for- 
 mation into hollow squares was particulary recommended 
 to the regiments. From the want of cavalry, this order 
 of battle became more urgent. The soldiers were also 
 employed digging entrenchments and filling them up, 
 to accustom them to this kind of work, and every day 
 something being done to embellish the camp, it soon be- 
 came quite a nice little town. From being so near Gold- 
 berg*, it was well supplied by the inhabitants with pro- 
 visions etc. The evenings were spent gaily, particularly 
 on Sunday, when there was dancing and various amuse- 
 ments carried on with the people of the town and country 
 and villages around. 
 
 During the month of July, a quantity of ball cartrid- 
 ges were distributed to each regiment that the soldiers 
 might practise firing at the target. 
 
 At the end of July, general Lagrange's division being 
 ' divided amongst the other divisions of the 5th corps, the 
 irish regiment returned to general Puthod's division and 
 joined it at his camp about two leagues from Goldberg. 
 They were glad to meet again those brave men with whom 
 they had begun the campaign, and with whom they ex- 
 pected soon to share the dangers and honours of new com- 
 bats, as the armistice was to cease on the 16th of august. 
 
 Napoleon's fete which fell on the 15th of august, was 
 celebrated by anticipation on the 10th of august 1813, in 
 order that they might have no chance of being surprized 
 by the enemy in the midst of their festivities. As no ex- 
 
176 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 pence was spared, and as the preparations began several 
 days before, it proved very splendid. — General Puthod 
 reviewed his division that morning, and made it perform 
 j'arious evolutions : manoeuvring in hollow squares, by 
 Echelons, firing blank cartridges, etc. 
 
 Ten thousand soldiers and four hundred officers dined 
 at the same table and each man having his glass filled, 
 drank to the health of the emperor, etc., the general gi- 
 ving the signal. — In the evening the camp was illumi- 
 nated, and many curious allegorical figures of victory 
 etc., with the emperor's effigy, were exhibited in trans- 
 parent paintings. — Between the dinner and the illumi- 
 nations, there were races and other amusements. 
 
 The armistice or cessation of hostilities was hailed with 
 joy by the army; though they might be recommenced, 
 it was consoling to be sure of having the prospect of real J\ 
 repose for a month, or perhaps two. I know that for my- 
 self, and all those who had made five campaigns in Spain 
 without ever having heard the word armistice mentioned, 
 it sounded like magic in our ears. I can never forget the 
 night when commandant Ware and I were sleeping at 
 our bivouack, in a corn field, four leagues from Breslau, 
 when an aide-de-camp came to tell him that an armistice 
 was concluded, and that the regiment was ordered to 
 return to its camp at Breslau. In the morning when I was 
 awake, I began to say, how sorry I was that my dream 
 about the armistice was not true. Such was my state of 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 177 
 
 ixhaustion from want of sleep, that I did not know what 
 ;o believe on the matter, thoug-h I was listening- to the 
 lide-de-camp's conversation with commandant Ware. 
 S^ext day returning to Breslau, we found many of our 
 joldiers still asleep on the road-side: this instance with 
 nany others which I have experienced, proved to me, 
 ;hat nig'ht marches should be avoided as much as pos- 
 lible. 
 
 Although the rejoicings at our camp and. every thing 
 n that way was cheering enough, and that the army had 
 ■eceived during the two month's armistice, reinforcements 
 from France, still it was not encouraging to recommence 
 liostilities with two additional powers against us; both 
 /Austria and Sw^eden had joined Russia and Prussia in 
 the coalition w^ith England against France. I well recol- 
 lect the conversation which took place at general Puthod's 
 table on the 14th of august 1813, previous to the hostili- 
 ties, on that subject. He said as no two men ever hated 
 each other as did marshal Davoust and marshal Berna- 
 dotte the prince of Sweden, « the war will be desperate 
 « if they are pitched against each other. » 
 
 12 
 
CHAPTER VII 
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 Recommencement of hostilities after the armistice, ended in august 1813.— 
 Austria declares war against France. — The prussian general Bluehen 
 marches his army into the neutral territory to the french advanced posts, 
 before the armistice terminated; a want of military honour never to ben 
 forgot. — Skirmishing, marching, and countermarcliiug ou the 17th and 
 18th of august, till tlie 19th when the enemy's cavalry and artillery arri- 
 ve near LowenNerg, in force and attack general Vacherau's brigade- 
 the regiments of which were formed in hollow squares, the Irish regi- 
 ment at the head. — Commandant Tennant and several officers killed 
 and wounded. — General Lauriston orders the regiment to fall hack on 
 a little wood, 'till general Rochambeau's division arrived. — Marshal Mac- 
 donald preparing for retrograde movement on the 20th when Napoleou 
 arrives the day after, nnd orders him to recross the river Bober at 
 Lowenberg and make a general attack on the enemy's line. — Colonel 
 Lawless's leg shot off at the passage of the river. — General Maison 
 wounded.— Commandan t Ware takes the command of Ihe regiment : Byrne 
 andSaint-Leger of the battalions. — 2-2d the fifth corps march to Goldberg. 
 
 — The next day the 23d of august general Laurislon attacks the enemy's 
 line and gains that battle, which gained for him great renown, as he 
 was alone with the 5th corps and separated from marshal Macdonald's. 
 
 — The Irish regiment at the head of the column take the hill of Goldberg. 
 
 — Captain Jackson thought to be one of the dead on the hill. — Com- 
 mandant Ware's horse killed under him. — The brave general Vacherau 
 killed at that battle — The colonels of the 147, and 148th regiments, 
 Cibie and Aubert named generals of brigade. — The latter wounded. — 
 The Irish regiment on guard at general Puthod's bivouac the night of the 
 battle. — The next day, the 24th of august, general Putliod orders com- 
 mandant Ware to give him a memoir and list of the oflicers for promo- 
 tion, — General Vacherau's funeral. — General Puthod's affecting speech 
 on the occasion. — On the 25th of august 1813 the fifth and eleventh corps 
 with marshal Macdonald and general Laurislon march to attack the 
 Prussians and luissiaus at Jauer. — Genera/ Puthod's division march into 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 179 
 
 the mountains to attack and turn the enemy's left flank and wing. — The 
 tremendous rain and inundations. — Hear of tlie disasters of marshal 
 Macdonald's army at Jauer. too late to be able to elTect the passage of the 
 river Bober completely overflowed. — March along the right back to 
 Lowenberg. — Puthod'sbrilahut defence on the banks of the river Bober 
 with his division reduced to four or five thousand against a russian 
 army of more than thirty thousand- — The Eagle and colours of the 
 irisli regiment saved by commandant Ware and a few officers and men 
 who escaped by swimmin,!:? over by the ruins of tlie mill and the beams 
 floating, etc.— Reach Lauben in the night, well nigh famished. — Stop 
 atGorlitz three days; then AVare and the few who escaped proceed to 
 Bautzen, where Napoleon had just arrived, and who orders commandant 
 Ware to return with the Eagle and his small detacliment to the depot of 
 the Irish regiment at Bois-le-Duc. by Dresden. — Met colonel Lawless and 
 the wounded at Leipzig. — March to Mersebourg, Garbin, the Herz moun- 
 tains, Paderborn, and Munster. — General Harty and the cossacks. — 
 March- by Wesel, Gleves and Graves to Bois-le-Duc the depot. — Major 
 I\Iahony and the oflicers there receive those who escaped. — Colonel 
 Lawless repairs to Paris to join his wife and children. — The war batta- 
 lions ordered to be completed forthwith. — Commandant Ware march 
 with the first to Grave on the Meuse. — Commandant Hayne sent to Ni- 
 meguen, where marshal Macdonald commanded. — Holland being inva- 
 ded, the battalions of the Irish regiment united at Antwerp, where it is 
 actively employed. — Napoleon's order to have the soldiers of the foreign 
 regiments drafted into the Irish regiment. — He placed the greatest 
 confidence in the valour of the Irish, and in their devotion to France, 
 their adopted country. — Mahony named colonel of the Irish regiment. 
 
 — A depot at Lille. — The Germans put in the pioneers. — General Au- 
 bert takes captain Saint-Leger to be employed on the staff. — Com- 
 mandant Dillon quits the regiment. — Captain Byrne detached to com- 
 mand the advanced posts on the road to Breda, with general Amberf. 
 
 — March on Bergen-op-Zoom. — General Decamp replaced at Antwerp by 
 general Lebrun duke of Plaisance ; the latter replaced by general Carnot, 
 who takes irish oflicers to be on his staff viz : lieutenant Saint-Leger. etc. 
 
 — General Avey killed ; several officers wounded. — Kenlan the son of a 
 Spanish general, named by the duke of Feltre to the rank of lieutenant- 
 colonel, the situation which commandant Ware should have had ; the bad 
 effect of this injustice. — The entrenched camp commanded by colonel, 
 Mahony. — The resources v.iuch the governor Carnot found at Antwerp, 
 to make head against the allied armies of Bernadotte, general Grahams 
 etc. —After the young guards and general Boguetleft the garrison, the 
 surprise of the inhabitants seeing the military workmen armed and cloth 
 ed, and the garrison augmented. — General Bighany's fine defence of 
 Bergen-op-Zoom. — The council of defence. — The Lad accounts from 
 France. — Colonel Mahony's letter intercepted. — Napoleon's abdication. 
 
 — An armistice signed with the English. — Louis XVIII proclaimed. — 
 The french troops evacuate the town of Bergen-op-Zoom, and join the 
 garrison at Antwerp, where the king, Louis XVIII orders the town to be 
 given up to the English with the fleet, etc. 
 
180 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 Napoleon's splendid fete and rejoicing-s continued 
 nearly all the night of the 10th of august. The five in- 
 tervening days were busily employed as every one knew 
 that hostilities were to begin on the 16th of august, and 
 that Austria had joined Russia and Prussia against 
 France. Marshal Macdonald who commanded the 11th 
 corps had also the 5th corps commanded by Lauriston 
 under his orders. According to the new dispositions his 
 army was to be opposed to Blucher and Langeron. The 
 sick men were sent with the heavy baggage back on 
 Torgau. On the 16th of august general Puthod marched 
 his division to the camp at Goldberg and remained there 
 on the 17th. — On the 18th before day, he left the camp 
 and fell back on Lowenberg with his division, which was 
 followed by the enemy's light cavalry, though not in 
 great force. There was skirmishing the whole of the way. 
 The division arrived in the evening on the Bober near 
 Lowenberg; the brigade to which the irish regiment be- 
 longed, commanded by general Vacherau, bivouacked on 
 the banks of the river, close by the town. General Puthod 
 and the other brigade with the artillery of his division 
 passed on the other side. On the 19th of august at day- 
 light, general Lauriston came to the bivouack and mar- 
 ched the brigade to an eminence about half a league from 
 the town ; he ordered the three regiments 134th, 143^, and 
 the irish to be placed by echelons and to form the hollow 
 square with the irish regiment in front. These disposi- 
 tions were scarcely effected when he perceived the enemy's 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYH.NE 181 
 
 Icavalry in great force, which rather surprised him, as he 
 did not know that Blucher (contrary to the treaty of the 
 armistice), had marched his army on the 14th of aug-ust 
 to Breslau and Jauer, neutral towns which were not to 
 be occupied until hostilities had recommenced. General 
 Lauriston immediately sent for Rochambeau's division 
 but before it had time to arrive, the enemy's cavalry char- 
 ged in the most furious manner the three hollow squares. 
 General Vacherau and his aide-de-camp came into the 
 hollow square formed by the irish regiment, which resis- 
 ted the different charges made on it by the cavalry, who 
 finding that they could not break it, brought a battery of 
 artillery to bear on it, with grape shot and cannon balls, 
 which no doubt made great havock, carrying oflF whole 
 ranks and files every discharge; but the openings were 
 instantly closed and the cavalry in spite of the aid of the 
 artillery were never able to break the hollow square, 
 when general Lauriston sent his aide-de-camp to tell co- 
 lonel Lawless to endeavour to effect his retreat on a small 
 wood and farm house half a mile in the rear. The regi- 
 ment executed this movement with the greatest coolness 
 and braver3^ observing the same order. The hollow square 
 halting and firing every two minutes, until they reached 
 the wood, which served to keep off the cavalry. 
 
 General Eocharabeau's division arrived on the field of 
 battle with artillery and cavalry, and beat the enemy 
 back two leagues. — The irish regiment suffered much 
 in this day's fighting. 
 
182 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 Three hundred men were killed and wounded. Four 
 officers were killed, viz : commandant Tennant, captain 
 Evans and lieutenants Osmond and Mac Cauley. — Eight 
 offi.cers were wounded, of whom commandant Ware re- 
 ceived three wounds and had his horse wounded under 
 him. The others were captains Parrott and Ecart, lieute- 
 nants O'Brien, Elliott, Brown, Wall and Fetters. — Co- 
 lonel Lawless had his horse wounded under him in the 
 hollow square. General Vacherau had his horse killed in 
 the same hollow square, and would have been taken or 
 killed, had not lieutenant Saint-Leger taken him in his 
 arms and flung him over a wall into the farm yard, and 
 had just time to follow him, when the cavalry arrived 
 and sabred lieutenant Elliott. 
 
 Commandant Tennant was cut completeh* in two; the 
 cannon ball striking a belt in which he carried his money 
 served as a knife to separate the body. The soldiers dug 
 his grave with their bayonets, and when burying 
 him, found several pieces of gold that fell out of his en- 
 trails and a part of his gold watch Serjeant Costello who 
 was remarked on the 26th of may by marshal Ney in the 
 attack before Lignitz, lost his arm in this affair. The 
 officers who escaped being wounded in this action, 
 had their uniforms bespattered with the blood and brains 
 of the men killed beside them, by the grape-shot from 
 the enemy's artillery : poorTennant was giving orders to 
 have the ranks closed and the gaps filled, which had been 
 opened by the artillery, when he fell; his horse feeling 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 183 
 
 he had lost his rider, dashed through the ranks and 
 caused a still greater opening in the hollow square. 
 
 The irish regiment returned and bivouacked that 
 night, the 19th of august 1813, on the same place it 
 had been, on the river side, on the night of the 18th. 
 
 On the morning of the 20th of august, a retrograde 
 movement being ordered, general Puthod kept the irish 
 regiment in a village with himself about half a league 
 from Lowenberg : the rest of his division bivouacking in 
 
 the fields . 
 
 On the 21st of august colonel Lawless was ordered to 
 hold his regiment in readiness to be reviewed by Napo- 
 leon, who was expected to arrive in the course of the 
 day. Not meeting the austrian army at Zittau on the 
 side of Bohemia, the emperor made a rapid march to sup- 
 port marshal Macdonald's army, and about one o'clock 
 he arrived at Lowenberg. He immediately ordered a ge- 
 neral attack, and the irish regiment to pass through a 
 mill, which stood in the centre of the river, the bridges 
 having been destroyed the day before; the town was 
 bombarded by the enemy's batteries. — Under this tre- 
 mendous fire colonel Lawless passed at the head of his 
 regiment, and saluted the emperor, who was on horseback 
 in the street leading to the river where the regiment had 
 to pass. The emperor was surrounded by his staff officers, 
 the king of Naples (Murat), etc. Colonel Lawless seeing 
 the grenadiers and the most part of his regiment had got 
 through the mill, immediately rode through the river 
 
^^^ MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRXE 
 
 and placed himself at the head of his regiment to attack 
 the enemy; he had hardly advanced a few steps, when 
 his leg- was carried off by a cannon ball from the enemy's 
 battery, which was placed on an eminence to defend the 
 passag-e of the river. - Colonel Lawless was brought 
 into town upon a door by six grenadiers of his regiment. 
 Napoleon saw him again as he returned wounded, and 
 sent his chief surgeon baron Larrey to perform the am- 
 putation, and afterwards sent one of his aides-de-camp to 
 visit him, as did the king of Naples. 
 
 After colonel Lawless was rendered unable to command, 
 commandant Ware had the command of the regiment^ 
 and captains Byrne and Saint-Leger the command of the 
 battalions as senior captains. The regiment continued at 
 the head of the division in every attack on the enemy, 
 till night put an end to the battle; they then remained in 
 a village four leagues from Lowenberg. 
 
 General Puthod was so well pleased with it that he 
 desired commandant Ware as soon as he should have 
 leisure to propose several officers for advancement and to 
 give him the demand, and that he should back it in such 
 strong terms that the emperor would grant them imme- 
 diately. As to Ware himself, he promised him he should 
 be the colonel to replace colonel Lawless ; he saw Ware's 
 wounds and wanted him to stay in some place quietlv 
 until they were healed. Commandant Ware thanked him 
 and said, they would not prevent him going on horseback 
 and that he wished to continue to command the regi- 
 
MEMOmS OV MILES MRNE iSo 
 
 ment. Of course the general could not help admiring- such 
 resolution. 
 
 The army that marched with the emperor took qo part 
 in the action : his own presence sufficed, with marshal 
 Macdonald and Lauristou's two corps, ahout sixty thou- 
 sand, to beat Blucher and Langeron, with a hundred 
 thousand infantry, and more than twenty thousand ca- 
 valry. — General Maison was wounded this day. 
 
 The imperial guards and marshal Marmont's corps of 
 army bivouacked on the Bober near Lowenberg and did 
 not proceed further, but had to return on the 22^^ in all 
 haste with the emperor by Bautzen to Dresden, and ar- 
 rived there on the 26th in time for the battle of that 
 town. 
 
 On the 22'' of august the 5th corps commanded by ge- 
 neral Lauriston pursued the enemy's army, which, com- 
 manded by Blucher, was concentrated at Goldberg and 
 prepared to give battle. 
 
 On the 23'i at day-light, their out posts were attacked 
 and immediately after, a general battle ensued on their 
 whole line. General Puthod's division, with the Irish 
 regiment in front, had orders to take the hill of Goldberg, 
 on which the enemy's left wing was principally suppor- 
 ted; this strong position was defended by the russian 
 infantry in the most brave and determined manner; the 
 hill was twice mounted by the French, and twice were 
 they repulsed; the third time general Puthod sent all 
 his reserve and the hill was taken after great slaughter. 
 
186 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 which might have been avoided, had Rochambeau's divi- 
 sion marched to turn the hill and left flank of the enemy; 
 but that would have taken too much time, and the moral 
 effect, which the taking of this hill so suddenly, produ- 
 ced on the whole line contributed considerably to the 
 gaining- of the battle : as the right wing and centre of 
 the enemy's army seeing their left wing forced to retreat, 
 soon followed the example : besides, the french line ad- 
 vanced with such rapidity after this hill was taken, that 
 the enemy could not resist; however, on account of the 
 superiority of their cavalry, they effected their retreat 
 in good order, until night, as usual, put an end to it. 
 
 The irish regiment lost some of its bravest soldiers, and 
 had several officers wounded in this action. — Captain 
 Jackson in the heat of it was taken prisoner on the top 
 of the hill and stript nearly naked; his pocket-book with 
 his brevet and papers were found beside several dead 
 bodies, which were naked and disfigured, with half their 
 faces shot off. It was thought that Jackson was amongst 
 them, and his comrades only knew the contrary a year 
 after, when he returned from the russian prisons. 
 
 Commandant Ware had another horse killed under 
 him at this battle. General Vacherau was killed in he 
 beginning of the action, at the head of the irish regi- 
 ment, attacking the hill. Colonel Scibie and colonel Au- 
 bert, both of general Puthod's division received their 
 brevetsof generals of brigade on the hill during the battle. 
 Colonel Aubert was wounded when he got his brevet. 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 187 
 
 General ^cibie received the new colonel who was to re- 
 place him, at the head of his regiment and was imme- 
 diately after received himself at the head of his brigade 
 by lieutenant-general Puthod. 
 
 After pursuing the enemy a league from the field of 
 battle, the division bivouacked in the plain. General Pu- 
 thod kept the irish regiment on guard with himself that 
 night, and next day the 24tn of august, he proposed 
 commandant Ware for the rank of colonel, and captains 
 Byrne, Saint-Leger, Allen and O'Reilly for that of chiefs 
 of battalion : he asked also eleven decorations of the le- 
 gion of honour for the regiment, and the cross of officer 
 of the legion for captain Parrott, who had already the 
 decoration of chevalier of the legion of honour. General 
 Lauriston backed these demands in the strongest manner 
 and assured the regiment that the emperor would grant 
 them immediately. 
 
 The division remained at this bivouack the 24th where 
 the melancholy ceremony of general Vacherau's funeral 
 took place : a grave having been dug in the morning and 
 the brigade he commanded under arms, general Puthod 
 made a very affecting speech, recapitulating all he knew 
 respecting the military career of his brave comrade, un- 
 der whom he had served as an adjutant sub-ofiicer. He 
 was the father of six children. 
 
 Marshal Macdonald knowing that Blucher had taken 
 a very strong position at Jauer, took the necessary dis- 
 
^^^ MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 positions to dislodge him and to risk another general 
 battle. - On the 25th of aug-ust his army began the mo- 
 vement forward, and on the 26th attacked the enemy's 
 line with great success, until the heavy rains that fell 
 during the action completely prevented the muskets 
 going off, Mdiich gave the enemy, from the superiority 
 of their cavalry great advantage. General Puthod w^ho 
 had orders to march into the mountains with his divi- 
 sion, to turn the enemy's left wing, met with the great- 
 est obstacles in bringing up his artillery, inconsequence 
 of the country being every where inundated. On the 27th 
 he heard of the disasters of marshal Macdonald's army 
 before Jauer and at Katzbach. He immediately fell back 
 on Hirschberg, where he found the Bober had over-flowed 
 the country for half a mile on each side, and with diiS- 
 culty found a place to pass the night. On the 28th he 
 continued his retrograde march towards Lowenberg, in 
 which town he expected to rejoin the 5th corps. He was 
 followed by the enemy's cavalry and often attacked in 
 front by them, but he forced them every where to fly 
 l)efoi-e him, and lost very few in this day's skirmishing. 
 Notwithstanding the bad roads and continual rains, the 
 artillery was always up in time to attack, whenever the 
 enemy attempted to stop the road; but both horses and 
 men were quite exhausted for want of rest and food. 
 When the general got a favourable position, he bivouacked 
 for the night, at about two leagues from Lowenberg, 
 and where he expected to get some news from marshal 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE IS'J 
 
 Macdonald's army in the course of the night; but the only 
 thing he heard was, explosions of ammunition chests 
 blown up, which indicated the distress of Macdonald's 
 troops. 
 
 Early in the morning of the 29th of august general 
 Puthod marched his division to Lowenberg, having tho 
 Bober which was overflowed, on his left. — On his right 
 was the enemy in great force. 
 
 Seeing all the bridges carried away, and no possibility 
 of constructing others, he took the best position he could 
 near the town, to wait till the torrents had ceased rolling 
 down from the mountains, or rather till they had in some 
 measure abated, and there with his division reduced to 
 six thousand men, with 12 pieces of artillery, they de- 
 fended themselves from eight o'clock in the morning till 
 half past four in the afternoon against more than forty 
 thousand russians and la-ussians. The Irish regiment 
 during this action was continually engaged, and captain 
 Burke who defended a village on the left flank of the 
 division during the whole day, in the- most brilliant 
 manner, and who received the highest praise from the 
 general for his bravery, was killed at the close of the 
 action, with almost all the men under his orders. 
 
 General Puthod shewed the greatest coolness and in- 
 trepidity in this critical and dangerous situation. The 
 river in his rear increasing instead of diminishing, no 
 prospect of assistance from the town of Lowenberg, where 
 there were Westphalian troops that seemed occupied 
 
^90 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 constructing a bridge; the enemy's army forming a com- 
 plete half-moon round his division, each of their flanks 
 joining the river, and no retreat possible, the general in 
 the centre of his division fought until the last cartridge 
 was fired, and even then, when the fire of his division 
 ceased, the enemy hesitated an instant before venturing 
 to advance. All of a sudden at last, thirty thousand men 
 ran forward on their pray, of whom none but those who 
 knew how to swim could attempt to escape. 
 
 General Scibie, who was mounted on a superb charger, 
 rode into the water, but the moment they got into the 
 current, both were drowned. 
 
 Commandant Ware's horse plunging and bringing 
 him into the river, he flung himself from the saddle, and 
 saved his life by swimming : the horse was drowned in 
 an instant, as were all the other horses that reached the 
 current. 
 
 Great numbers of men were drowned, endeavouring to 
 cross the torrent, however about 150 of the division es- 
 caped. Eight ofiicers and thirty men of the irish regiment 
 with commandant Ware and the ensign who saved the 
 Eagle of the regiment, had the good fortune to get out of 
 the bed of the river, but had to walk through a sheet of 
 water which covered the other side for more than half a 
 mile under the fire of the enemy, and many were wound- 
 ed in this passage ; had not the enemy been at this time 
 in such disorder plundering the unfortunate prisoners, it 
 would have been difficult for any one to have escaped. 
 
MEMOIUS OF MILES RYRNE 191 
 
 The brave general Puthod aud all his division except those 
 vfho escaped by sv^imming across the river, were taken 
 prisoners and sent into Russia. 
 
 Norvins says . 
 
 a D'un autre c6t6, la division Puthod, abandonneeseule 
 « dans les montagnes, apres notre revers de laKatzbach, 
 « a succomb6 sous la superiority du nombre, malgr(5 
 « une resistance heroique; et les flots du Bober ont ense- 
 « veli tout ce qui n'a pu se sauver a la nage. » 
 
 Tome IV, page 103. 
 
 The river Bober at Lowenberg proved indeed a most 
 unlucky place, for a part of the french army at least and 
 the irish r.^giment had its share of the disasters on the 
 19th, 21st and 29th of august 1813; many were the sad 
 and affecting scenes which occurred on those days. The 
 person who writes these lines was present when the 
 brave general Scibie asked his general of division Puthod, 
 if he would not endeavour to escape; getting for answer 
 that it was impossible; « well I shall try, and risk any 
 « thing sooner than go to Siberia; >. oh which he dashed 
 into the water, and in a few minutes was no more. He 
 was a splendid officer and a great loss. Six days only 
 before, he got his brevet of general of brigade, at the 
 battle of Goldberg, as is mentioned in a former page. 
 
^'■^'^ MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 Captain Saint-Leger feared tiiat his brother lieutenant 
 Saint-Leg-er, had been one of the officers who fell at the 
 advanced post, and indeed his fears, and his sorrow, ^Yere 
 shared by all young- Saiut-Leg.T's comrades, for he wns 
 a great favorite amongst them. Captahi Saint-Leger how- 
 ever bore up against his painful anxiety with the stoic 
 fortitude worthy of a hero ; but he could not bear up with 
 the scene that ensued : he, commandant Ware and cap- 
 tain Byrne after their escape across the river, came to the 
 street in the suburb leading to Laubau and Gorlitz, to 
 wait to rally the men of the Irish regiment who might 
 have crossed the river; when lieutenant Lynch was seen 
 coming along the street from the town. Commandant 
 Ware asked him if there were any more still in tbe town : 
 « yes, )) he replied « but I could not get Saint-Leger to 
 « come with me 'till he gotsomething to eat. « — « What! » 
 said poor captain Saint-Leger « my brother is not dead? » 
 and overwhelmed he flung himself down on the ground, 
 and was only relieved by a flood of tears. 
 
 Commandant Ware ordered Lynch to return, but Saint- 
 Leger and a few men w^ere soon perceived getting away 
 from the howitzer shells that were falling about them. 
 
 This disaster, added to that at Katzbach obtained for 
 Blucher the title of prince. 
 
 Commandant Ware with the few of the irish regiment 
 who had escaped by swimming, marched to Laubau the 
 same night, and on the 30th arrived at Goerlitz, where 
 they were detained two or three days, to give time for 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 193 
 
 the diflferent divisions of marshal Macdonald's army, 
 which had been so much harrassed for several days, to 
 assemble. 
 
 The 3'i of September the bridges were destroyed and the 
 army retrograded. ■ Commandant "Ware with the Eag-le 
 and the few who escaped, arrived at Bautzen on the 4th 
 of September. Napoleon was then in tlie town with the 
 imperial guards; he was on his way, coming to the re- 
 lief of his Silesian army. He heard there of the fate of 
 general Puthod's division, of which the Irish regiment 
 made part. He was glad to see the Irish had once more 
 saved their Eagle, 
 
 Commandant Ware waited on prince Berthier, who 
 ordered him, according to instructions from the emperor 
 to return with his detachment to the depot at Bois-le- 
 Duc, and to collect the sick and wounded of the regiment 
 in the hospitals, who might be able to march. The im- 
 perial guards returning to Dresden, commandant Ware 
 marched along with them. But the town being crowded 
 with troops, he marched two leagues further with his 
 small detachment and slept in a village, after he had re- 
 viewed the field of battle where on the 26th of august 
 1813 so many thousands were slain. 
 
 This was the battle of Dresden where Napoleon on the 
 first day, the'SC'eh, with sixty thousand men, and on the 
 second day with eighty thousand, beat Schwartzenberg 
 with two hundred thousand men, and where general Mo- 
 reau was killed. 
 
 T. II 13 
 
194 MEMOIKS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 Next day commandant "Ware proceeded to Leipzig 
 where he intended passing the night with his detachment. 
 Arriving on the place d'armes, he was informed that co- 
 lonel Lawless with a numher of the wounded men of the 
 regiment, who had come from Torgau the day hefore, 
 were on the point of setting out for Erfurth. Colonel Law- 
 less heing delighted to meet so many of the regiment 
 alive, after all the misfortunes of Silesia, preferred stop- 
 ping an hour or two longer in town until the men of 
 commandant Ware's detachment had rested themselves. 
 It was fortunate for him that he met commandant Ware, 
 for the detachment he was to have marched with, was 
 attacked on the road to Erfurth, ahout two leagues from 
 Leipzig and were nearly all taken prisoners hy the par- 
 tisans commanded by general Tillman. 
 
 Commandant Ware with his detachment got out as 
 soon as the men were refreshed, and had made about half 
 a league from Leipzig, when he met several retreating 
 back who had escaped : he was obliged to return and 
 remained several days in the suburbs of Leipzig before 
 he could venture to march; the roads being at this time 
 nearly all intercepted by Cossacks and partisans. How- 
 ever having recruited some wounded men of the Irish re- 
 giment, who were able to march and fight, commandant 
 Ware proceeded by Mersebourg, Garbin and the Herz 
 mountains, seldom knowing at night the road he should 
 follow the next day; being obliged to wait to ascertain 
 the direction not occupied by the enemy. 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRXE 195 
 
 Colonel Lawless suffered much in those bad roads, his 
 carriage being" often upset, and his wound opened in 
 consequence. 
 
 After many days marching and countermarching in 
 these mountains, to avoid the enemy, commandant Ware 
 and his little detachment arrived safe at Paderborn, in 
 which town he stopped two days to rest his men, and 
 from thence to Muuster, where general Harty com- 
 manded. 
 
 This brave officer entertained his countrymen in 
 the most friendly manner, and thinking the country 
 quite sure to the Rhine, invited colonel Lawless, who 
 was much exhausted by the journey, to stop with him 
 a few days to recover. Colonel Lawless accepted and the 
 detachment marched to Wasal, but the second day after, 
 the Cossaks appeared before tlie town of Munster. Fortu- 
 nately general Harty had troops sufficient to drive them 
 away, and colonel Lawless escaped once more being made 
 a prisoner. He overtook commandant Ware and his de- 
 tachment at Cleves and proceeded with them by Graves, 
 and arrived at the depot of the Irish regiment at Bois-le- 
 Duc in the beginning of October 1813, after a campaign of 
 eight months, in which the regiment had been conti- 
 nually employed in the vanguard and in the most dan- 
 gerous and conspicuous situations, and frequently under 
 the eyes of Napoleon himself, who mentioned to his mi- 
 nister of war, Clark the duke of Feltre, when he returned 
 
HJ6 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 to Paris, how well tlie Irish reg'iment had served, and 
 the duke told colonel Lawless all this, and concluded, 
 « This honour is all reflected upon UiC. » — « Tout ce 
 « que vous avez fait de bon rejaillit sur moi. » 
 
 The officers of the depot and major Mahony who com- 
 manded it, entertained the small number of their comra- 
 des who arrived there after the disasters of this campaign 
 with a dinner at Bois-le-Duc ; but colonel Lawless was 
 too ill to be present at it : he needed rest to prepare him 
 to undertake another journey. A few days after, he set 
 out to join his wife and children at Paris, and to have 
 his wound properly treated there. 
 
 When the minister of war was apprized that comman- 
 dant Ware and the officers who escaped with him at 
 Lowenberg' on the Bober, were arrived at the depot of 
 their regiment at Bois-le-Duc, he immediately gave or- 
 ders to have the first and second battalions of the Irish 
 regiment re-organized. Commandant Ware being then 
 the senior chef de battalion, got the command of the first 
 battalion, which was soon completed with the men who 
 were ready drilled and clothed at the depot. 
 
 Captain Byrne by a decision of the inspector of Wasal, 
 was named to command the grenadiers of the first bat- 
 talion, and captain O'Reilly the grenadiers of the 2«J 
 battalion. The latter obtained permission to go to Paris, 
 and did not rejoin the regiment any more, being named 
 
WEMOmS OF MILES BYRNE 197 
 
 the followiug" march, chef de bataillon in a french regi- 
 ment. 
 
 Captain Allen was named to command the company of 
 grenadiers in the 3<i battalion and went to join it at Wil- 
 helmstadt. 
 
 On the 2"^ of november 1813 commandant Ware march- 
 ed with the first battalion to Grave on the Meuse, to re- 
 inforce the garrison and to make head against the enemy 
 then invading Holland under the orders of the prussian 
 general Bulow. 
 
 Some days after, commandant Hayne and lieutenants 
 Saint-Leger and Brown were sent to Nimeguen to be em- 
 ployed by marshal Macdonald who arrived there to com- 
 mand the troops on that part of the line. The month of 
 november passed in slight skirmishing and at the end of 
 the month an order arriving for the regiment to be uni- 
 ted at Antwerp, the first battalion returned to Bois-le-Duc 
 and from thence marched to Antwerp. The depot of the 
 regiment being ordered to Lisle, on the 3^^ of december 
 the 3d battalion commanded by commandant Dillon eva- 
 cuated Wilhelmstadt and joined the regiment at Antwerp, 
 at which town the emperor ordered the four war batta- 
 lions of the irish regiment to be completed. Their conduct 
 in the last campaign proved to Napoleon how he might 
 count on these expatriated irish in the hour of danger. 
 
 The duke of Feltre named major Mahony colonel of the 
 regiment in the room of Col. Lawless who was to be na- 
 med general at the next promotion. 
 
198 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 Lieutenants Ryan and Brelevet got the rank of captains, 
 and several other promotions were obtained for non-com- 
 missioned officers and ensigns of the regiment. An order 
 came at the same time to send away any Germans that 
 might -be in the regiment to Lisle, to be drafted into the 
 company of pioneers. This order was no doubt given in 
 consequence of the general disaffection of the various 
 States of Germany to France in the last campaign. Cap- 
 tains Saint-Colomb and Keulan with several men belong- 
 ing to the 2'^ foreign regiment Isenberg, who had escap- 
 ed from Italy, were sent to Antwerp to be incorporated 
 into the irish regiment. General Aubert chief of the staff 
 to general Maison, who commanded the first corps of 
 army, took captain Saint Leger to be employed on the 
 staff as one of the officers the best suited for such a situa- 
 tion. Commandant Dillon left the regiment at Antwerp 
 to be employed in the staffof general Maison and did not 
 return to it. 
 
 The town of Breda being evacuated on the 12th de- 
 cember 1813, captain Byrne was sent with 500 men and 
 six officers to the advanced posts at Braeschot, a small 
 village on the great road to Breda from Antwerp, at 
 which place he arrived on the 14th late at night. 
 
 A company of engineers which was there cutting wood 
 and making fascines and gabions for the fortiFications,had 
 orders to return to Antwerp. The enemy had not as yet 
 made their appearance, but captain Byrne hearing that 
 they had several thousand cavalry at their advanced 
 
MEMOIUS OF MILES BYRNE 199 
 
 posts, spent the nig-ht M^ith his men barricading- the vil- 
 lage, and throwing- great trees across the road where he 
 had his out-posts. It was fortunate that he took these 
 precautions and kept his men at bivouack all nig-lit round 
 a great fire in the centre of the village, otherwise he could 
 not have resisted, for at day-light the enemy's cavalry 
 attacked in great force his advanced posts, which had 
 orders to allow ihem to approach as near as possible be- 
 fore they fired : in the mean time he sent some men 
 through a small wood to attack them in ihe rear, whilst 
 he sallied out with the principal part of his detachment to 
 attackthem in front. He hadsucceededinbeatingthemback 
 a league from the village, when general Ambert who 
 commanded the 2<i division of the first corps at Merxicum 
 arrived to his assistance with a part of his division. 
 
 The general returned at night to his head quarters at 
 Merxicum and every morning he sent a reinforcement to 
 captain B^^rne, who was continually engaged fighting 
 the enemy's advanced posts, until he was relieved on the 
 26tli of december by a battalion of the imperial young- 
 guards. 
 
 Captain Byrne with his detachment made the van- 
 guard of the division to escort a convoy of provisions to 
 Bergen-op-Zoom, then partly blockaded by the english. 
 He returned to Antwerp on the 28th of december, when 
 he received great praise f:-om the generals for his detach- 
 ment, of which sub-lieutenant Esmond and lieutenant 
 Plunket made a part. Both these officers shewed great 
 
200 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRXE 
 
 bravery. On the 1st of January 1814 commandant Ware 
 marched with the battalion to escort another large 
 convoy to Berg-en-op-Zoom with general Ambert, and 
 had to skirmish with the enemy before the town until 
 all .got in safe. This was the last detachment, the 
 comiuunication being completely intercepted. The en- 
 giish forces united to general Bulow^ drawing nearer 
 to Antwerp. At this time general Decamp was repla- 
 ced by the duke of Plaisance who commanded as 
 governor. General Fauconet commanded the place. Ge- 
 neral Maison was commands in chief of the 1 st corps. 
 General Roguet and the young guards attacked the 
 enemy's advanced posts and had great success for 
 several days. 
 
 On the 13th of January 1814, the english with 
 a superior force attacked « Merxicum. » General Ambert 
 had to return under, the cannon of the town. The Irish 
 regiment had many killed and wounded this day General 
 Avey was killed in this action. The garrison remained 
 under arms all night. Colonel Mahony was named this 
 day to command an intrenched camp between the citadel 
 and the town on the river side. 
 
 On the 14th of January 1814 at day-light, commandant 
 Ware at the head of his battalion retook Merxicum from 
 the English, who retired on the road to Breda. He bi- 
 vouacked with his battalion that night and returned next 
 dyy to Antwerp, where he heard, that the vacant place 
 of « gros-major, » or lieutenant-colonel, in the irish re- 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 201 
 
 3-iment had been given by the duke of Feltretoa Mr Ken- 
 an, the son of a Spanish general. He felt that he was 
 bound, not only by what he owed to himself, but to the 
 whole corps of Irish officers, to go to Paris to remonstrate 
 with the minister of war on the injustice of not leaving 
 the advancement in the regiment to those officers who 
 had so well merited it in the last campaign and who had 
 been so highly recommende 1 to the emperor by generals 
 Lauriston and Puthod. Unfortunately these two generals 
 were then prisoners of war. — However Ware, who had 
 permission from the governor to go to Paris, succeeded 
 with the duke of Feltre (but not 'till the march following) 
 in having Mr Kenlan sent to some other regiment and he 
 himself named instead, to the rank of lieutenant-colonel; 
 which left a vacancy of chief of battalion in the Irish re- 
 giment, to which place captain Allen was promoted by 
 a decree of the emperor in march 1814. 
 
 After commandant Ware's departure for Paris, captain 
 Byrne, as senior captain of the regiment commanded the 
 battalion ; he was chosen at the same time by the gover- 
 nor to do the functions of superior officer for the visits, 
 rounds, and all the other services of the place, which 
 should come to his turn in that rank during the siege. 
 Colonel Mahony being obliged to sleep in the intrenched 
 camp, commandant Hayne commanded the regiment in 
 his absence. 
 
 General Maison, after leaving a garrison of about 
 fourteen thousand men at Antwerp, retired with the 
 
^^2 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 rest of his corps d'armt^e by Louvain and Brussels 
 
 In the end of January Bernadotte the prince royal oli 
 Sweden, who commanded a larg-e body of Swedish and 
 Prussians troops, marched upon Antwerp to complete 
 the blockade of the town, with general Grahame who 
 commanded the english forces. 
 
 Fortunately general Carnot arrived on the 30th of Ja- 
 nuary, in time to complete the defence. A few hours after 
 his arrival, all communication between it and France was 
 cut off. He immediately took the command as governor 
 from the duke of Plaisance. There was no time to be lost, 
 as the English had already opened the trenches and were 
 preparing to begin the bombardment. But Carnot's pre- 
 sence alone was equal to a re-inforcement of troops; it 
 both encouraged the soldiery and imposed on the im- 
 mense population, which could not with safety be intrust- 
 ed at this critical moment : he soon proved by his genius 
 and firmness that the town could resist for more than six 
 months, and he accordingly desired that the inhabitants 
 should make provisions for that length of time, or leave 
 the town, whichever they liked best. A great many got 
 the provisions necessary; others chose to leave the town 
 and crossed the river. Several of the latter had sad reason 
 to repent of the step they had taken, as they were plun- 
 dered by the Cossacks encamped on the other side of the 
 river, and they found no protection from those pretended 
 liberators. 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYUNE -0-^ 
 
 The day after general Carnot's arrival the English cora- 
 nenced bombarding; the town. He saw they had attacked 
 the weakest part of the fortifications, but he soon had a 
 mattery of 36 pounders and several mortars erected on the 
 
 rampart. 
 
 On that part, by the aid of thousands of the inhabi- 
 Itants whom he put in requisition to make small sacks 
 and fill them with clay and carry them to the rampart, 
 the parapets of the hattery were all constructed during 
 the night. 
 
 On the 1st of februavy 1814 the English no doubt must 
 have been surprised to find from this weak point, as they 
 thought, a battery of 12 pieces of 36 pounders, and four 
 great mortars playing on their works, which prevented 
 them advancing : but they continued to bombard the 
 town, and particularly the quarter where the french fleet 
 was laid up in the basin ; how^ever without damaging the 
 ships of war, as the sailors kept the ice which surround- 
 ed the ships, continually broken and had the decks co- 
 vered with several feet of dung and clay, to prevent the 
 shells injuring them. 
 
 General Carnot seemed quite in his element having so 
 important a place to defend, and he gained new vigour 
 according as the danger increased. 
 
 Having brought only one aide-de-camp with him from 
 Paris, he took four ofiicers of the Irish regiment to be em- 
 ployed on his staff during the siege : lieutenant Saint- 
 Leger, who spoke french, german and english perfectly 
 
204 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 well, was one of those in whom the governor placed mos- 
 confidence. It was he who was intrusted to go to the ad- 
 vanced posts and to receive the enemy's flag of truce 
 whenever they had any thing to communicate to the go- 
 vernor and to bring them into the town when required, 
 blindfolded, according to the precautions taken in time 
 of war on such occasions. 
 
 Lieutenant Saint-Leger evinced the greatest activity 
 and bravery during the siege, for which the governor 
 jjroposed him to the minister of war for advancement. 
 
 When the communication with France became com- 
 pletely intercepted, general Carnot wished to ascertain 
 if he could raise money from the merchants, bankers and 
 other rich inhabitants of Antwerp to pay the troops They 
 refused to make any advancement, though he offered 
 them as a guarantee for the payment all the copper of the 
 arsenal, to the amount of several millions of francs. He 
 was then obliged to get money made of the copper, which 
 he called « siege money , monnaie obsidionale, » with 
 which the soldiers were paid, and as this coin contained 
 more weight than the extrinsic value, it passed readily 
 through the town. But general Carnot intended to try 
 other means to raise money, and not to waste the copper 
 which was so necessary in the construction of the ships. 
 He had an old dutch ship of the line filled with stones 
 lying in the river, which he intended sending down near 
 Lillo, to have her sunk in the narrow part of the river, 
 the moment an English fleet should attempt to sail up. 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 20o 
 
 This alarmed the commercial interest; and to add to that, 
 tie had three of the principal bankers arrested and put 
 on board this ship, which was to serve as their prison. 
 
 But the wives of these gentlemen soon waited on the 
 governor to know what was to be done to get their hus- 
 bands liberated. He shewed them a list of a hundred of 
 the richest inhabitants of the town, and asked them if 
 they thought the gentlemen whose names were there 
 inscribed could afford to lend him three thousand francs 
 each, for that was all he wanted. They exclaimed they 
 could and ten times as much, and offered to take the list 
 and get it signed : on which he immediately gave orders 
 for their husbands to be put at liberty. 
 
 After this transaction, general Carnot became a great 
 favourite at Antwerp. He invited the authorities to assist 
 him in organizing a city guard, or « garde urbaine, » 
 which was immediately executed and composed of the 
 most respectable inhabitants. They rendered the greatest 
 service, as they furnished guards and patroles every night 
 with the troops of the garrison, and by this means the 
 best order was observed during the different sorties which 
 were made against the enemy. 
 
 On the 6th of february,the governor took advantage of 
 a sudden thaw to order a sortie to be made on the ene- 
 my's intrenchments, which they were forced to abandon 
 in disorder, and they retired in the direction of Bergen- 
 
 op-Zoom, 
 
 Prince Bernadotte wrote to general Carnot inviting him 
 
206 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRXE 
 
 to give up the town and join, what he termed, the good 
 cause. The governor answered him, he thought it ill be- 
 came a french prince, who owed all his greatness to the 
 valour of the french army, to invite one of its generals, 
 to whom reputation and honour were dearer and of more 
 value than ought beside, to dishonour himself and be- 
 come a traitor. 
 
 Carnot published this correspondence in the daily 
 newspapers of Antwerp, and at the same time ordered a 
 sortie to be made to attack the advanced posts of Berna- 
 dotte's army in order to prove to him how much he des- 
 pised his offer. 
 
 Whilst general Carnot was the terror of the enemy 
 without, he acted with the greatest humanity towards 
 the inhabitants of the town; he preserved an entire out- 
 let, or village, or suburb, which the commissioner of 
 engineers thought for the defence of the place, necessary 
 to have rased. 
 
 These poor people were so grateful, that they gave the 
 name of « rue Carnot » to their principal street and had 
 the name put up in gold letters. 
 
 The english general Grahame after he had been obliged 
 to suspend his attack on Antwerp, was encouraged by 
 the offer of some of the inhabitants of Bergen-op-Zoom to 
 attempt to surprise the weak garrison of that town. Ac- 
 cordingly, on the night of the 8th of march 1814, from 
 three to four thousand english troops were conducted by 
 a dutch retired captain who lived there, through a sub- 
 
MEMOIKS OK MILES BYRNE 207 
 
 eraiieous passage, and got possession of almost all tlie 
 Dattei'ies on the ramparts before midnig-lit, meeting with 
 lardly any resistance. But general Bighany soon assem- 
 bled his little garrison of young conscripts and before 
 twelve the next day, the 9th, and after great slaughter, the 
 snglish were obliged to lay down their arms, and instead 
 of opening the gates of the town as they had expected, to 
 let in their general, had to surrender themselves priso- 
 ners of war. Two officers, one french, the other euglish, 
 were dispatched to Antwerp to have the capitulation con- 
 firmed by the governor Carnot; general Bighany being 
 under his orders, this formality was necessary. The en- 
 glish prisoners gave their parole that they Vv'oukl not 
 serve against France during the war; so they were set 
 
 i" at liberty, and sailed for America soon after. 
 The news of this victory had the best effect on the gar- 
 rison of Antwerp, which was greatly reduced a few days 
 after, as general Maison being obliged to manoeuvre and 
 open the communication with Antwerp on the french 
 side, in order to bring general Roguet's division, compo- 
 sed of about six or seven thousand young guards, to re- 
 inforce his corps of army. The irish regiment saw this 
 brave division quitting the town at so critical a moment 
 with regret, as the service of the place became harder ; 
 but the governor inspired such confidence, that every one 
 knew he would find means to supply the division that 
 marched away with general Maison. He immediately or- 
 dered that all the military workmen belonging to the 
 
208 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 arsenal, and all the frencb. employes, of every description, '- 
 should be armed and cloathed with the uniforms of the 
 different magazines of the hospitals to the number 1^. 
 of 6 or 7000 : ynd at the general review on the Sunday I|._ 
 following, the inhabitants (who thought that from [ 
 the garrison being lately so much reduced, it could ; 
 not resist much longer), were quite at a loss to know 
 how so many fine men could be armed and disciplined in 
 so short a time : they were made to know, that every 
 frenchman is a soldier. 
 
 By this last measure, general Carnot proved to the 
 people of Antwerp, as well as to the enemy without, that 
 his resources for the defence of the town were far from 
 being exhausted, and the more he learned of the reverses 
 in France, the more he was decided to hold out to the 
 last extremity; for Paris as an open town, might be taken 
 and retaken without deciding the war one way or an- 
 other, and he determined in no case to believe any thing 
 coming from the enemy's quarter. However on the 1st of 
 april, he assembled the council of defence, composed of 
 the prefet, the admiral commanding the fleet, the gene- 
 rals, etc , and they agreed that the chiefs of the different 
 regiments composing the garrison should be sent for, to 
 ascertain from them, the spirit of the troops, or in other 
 words, if they could be counted on to defend the-town to 
 the last. All these chiefs answered for their soldiers, saying, 
 that nothing could exceed the bold determined spirit 
 which animated them. In consequence of some corres- 
 
MEMOIHS OF MILES BYRNE 209 
 
 pondence of colonel Mahony's being intercepted, he was 
 jiut under forced arrest on leaving- the council, and the 
 cuuiniand of the irish regiment given to commandant 
 Hayne. General Carnot knew well that Mahony was a 
 french emigrant that had served in England. 
 
 On the 10th of april 181-4 a courier from Paris was allo- 
 wed to pass the enemy's line and to enter Antwerp with 
 the intelligence respecting the events which took place 
 in the capital on the 31st of march and the subsequent 
 al)dication of Napoleon. 
 
 The governor fearing to be the dupe of any deception, 
 and wishing to have accurate information on so impor- 
 tant a subject, despatched an officer to Lisle to ascertain 
 fi'om general Maison the truth, and all the particulars 
 relative to the change of government. 
 
 As soon as the officer returned, general Carnot signed 
 an armistice with the english general Grahame. The 
 hostilities ceased, but the service of the out-posts was 
 more strictly executed than ever, and the governor took 
 the greatest precautions to preserve to France this impor- 
 tant fortress with its military stores, arsenals, dock-yards 
 immense fleet, etc. 
 
 On the 18th of april another courier from the minister 
 of war, general Dupont, arrived at Antwerp with positive 
 orders to proclaim Louis XVI II. 
 
 The next day the 19th of april 1814 the governor and 
 all the troops of the garrison took the white cockade and 
 declared for Louis XVIII. 
 
 T. II 14 
 
210 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 Colonel Maliony's arrest being raised, before this cere- 
 mony took place, lie resumed the command of the Irish 
 regiment. 
 
 Commandant Allen received his brevet as chief of bat- 
 talion (which had been detained at the depot of the reg-i 
 ment at Lisle) by lieutenant-colonel Ware, who had 
 been waiting for the communication with Antwerp to be 
 opened. 
 
 General Carnot permitted a few english officers to come 
 into town, but they were obliged to be in coloured cloathes, 
 to avoid any disputes with the garrison. 
 
 The final instruction to evacuate and surrender Ant- 
 werp to the English having arrived, the governor Carnot 
 on the 2^1 of may passed the Scheldt with the first divi- 
 sion, and the brave garrison of Bergen-op-Zoom evacuated 
 that town : immediately after, the english army march- 
 ed in and took possession of it. 
 
 Thus finished the memorable defence of Antwerp, 
 which began in december 1813 and ended on the 4th of 
 may 1814, where the governor general Carnot displayed 
 the genius of a Vauban, the inventive resources and te- 
 nacity of a Hannibal, with the honesty and modesty of a 
 Cincinnatus. 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 211 
 
 NOTE 
 
 On the melancholy occasion of the death of Mr Byrne 
 in January 18G2, Mrs Byrne received a letter from colo- 
 nel d'Esmond, who had made his first campaign as a 
 sous-lieutenant under Mr Byrne at the siege of Antwerp 
 in 1814, in which there is the following- passage. 
 
 « Madame, 
 
 « Veuillez agreer I'expression de ma reconnaissance 
 « pour votre bienveillant souvenir, au moment de vos 
 « souffrances et de la perte de monsieur votre mari, mon 
 « brave et vaillant compatriote et frere d'armes. En 1814, 
 « il dut la vie a la croix de la Legion d'honneur contre 
 « laquelle vint s'amortir une halle et je n'oublierai ja- 
 « mais le sangfroid, aveclequel, lorsque je ramassai et 
 a lui pr^sentai le projectile, le heros me donna des 
 « or d res! » 
 
CHAPTER VIII 
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 The march of the irish regiment from Ant-^-erp in may 1814 to Lisle, passing 
 l)y Ghent, Bruges, Dunkirli.— Colonel Maliony goes to Paris to see the mi- 
 nister of war anil he returns "^"itli a turkisk order, and signs himself che- 
 valier de Maliony. — Lieutenant-colonel ^Va^e in command of the depot 
 of the irish regiment at Lisle. —The visit of captain ^Villiam Aylmer on 
 his way to present to the prince regent at London the austrian huzar and 
 horse. — The decision respecting captain Nugent by his comrades. — The 
 irish regiment march from Lisle to Avesnes. where it arrive at the end 
 of June 181-i. — Passage of the duke of Berry there, accompanied by mars- 
 hal Mortier.— Maliony gets the cross of Saint-Louis. —Lieutenant-general 
 Burke arrives at Avesnes to reorganize the irish regiment. — The fete of 
 Saint-Louis the 25th of august. — The ball and entertainment disturbed 
 by colonel ilahony's bad temper and ill manners towards captain Law- 
 less. —Lieutenant-colonel Ware remonstrates with colonel ilahony on 
 the matter ; their duel nest day in consequence. — The officers of the fo- 
 reign regiments Latour-d'Auvergne and Isenlierg arrive at Avesnes 
 in September to be organized by general Burke. — The regiments 
 march to Montreuil-sur-Mer in december and are organized there, 
 as 1st, 2d and 3d foreign regiments in the service of France ; the 1st and 
 2d regiments march to the south and south east of France : the 3d re- 
 mains in garrison at Montreuil-sur-Mer. — Captain Parrott claims the gre- 
 nadiers company given to Saint-Co' omb. — Colonel Maliony goes to Paris 
 to get married to miss Power. — Commandant Hayne unjustly put « en 
 retraite. » — Napoleon lands in France, coming from the isli? of Elba and 
 liis rapid march on Paris in the month of march 1815. — Colonel Maliony 
 returns to the regiment before he could get married- — Louis XVJII 
 iiuits Paris for Ghent. — On the 20th of march 1815 the emperor Napoleon 
 enters Paris, escorted by the half-pay ofQcers and the army. — The un- 
 pleasant situation of the Irish regiment, in having for its chief a man 
 like colonel Mahony at such a criticalmomeut.— The want of character on 
 his part a very great grievance to the officers who Avould have prefered 
 
MEMOIRS OK MILES BYRNE 213 
 
 dc'ilh sooner U.nu serve under his orders. - Though he signed himself 
 ouu oS ony .heu he returned to the regiment, the governor colonel 
 'iSf s .nx ety ahout Mahouy.s returning to resume the command ol the 
 iotmen he deserted. - Lieutenant-colonel Ware's manly determination 
 fniredbval the officers, who with him were resolved not to serve 
 mS a traito - General Pelletadvises Mahony to go away, seeing hm. 
 so ttested- Colonel Tobin replaced by the former governor colo e 
 Pel ter tt had under him Gallibert, a chef de bataillon to command he 
 , n.i .nnimandant Pillault to command the artillery. - A\are 
 
 £:;SlclSt"/emperor in may -^l^:-^!^-^:^ 
 Dcieau aide-de-camp to the emperor arrives =1^ Mo^^'^^^^' ^'"^ l^?!!' "' 1 
 office s of the second battalion, of the irish regiment who I'^d se ed 
 S him n Spain. -The irish officers who had been put <, en retraite . 
 V 1 Bou bon government, ordered to join the regiment viz : comma i- 
 lai LZ^^^^ Murray, etc. -^-apoleon allows the msh regime U 
 
 o esume i s former number and name. - The minister of war, marsha 
 ^Srnattenng letter to the Irish regiment ^f^^^X"^^!^ 
 orders - The officers not on guard or other service, continually learn 
 
 u artillery exercise.- Two ofliccrs suspected of correspondmg with 
 Ohent- Spt-ns Saint-Colomb and Thompson go to Ol-J; " ^apo - 
 irrivesatthearmyinjune. - Hostilities commence. -Batte ot Mearub 
 Tthe iOth and that of Waterloo on tl- 18^1. - Napoleo- ab«^^ 
 sad news for the irish exiles iu the french ««f ^^'^^ " ^^f ^, ^^,'"VX 
 claiming Kapoleon II.- The french army to be marched behind e 
 Lo i-^ The irish regiment do not get the order that was sent o the 
 g ernor of Montreuil-snr-Mer. - Louis XYIH proclaimed on the 12th of 
 fuly 1815. -Lieutenant Thulier killed. - The marquis de Bjyas named 
 governor of Montreuil. - Addresses s6nt to the king by 1 e 
 Xa "ussian officers. - Honourable conduct of the -rquis de^Bryas o 
 the Irish. -The regiment disbanded in September 1815. -The officers 
 sent oalf pay. - The members of the council of administration reman 
 .nioit m^l -Thepersecuti and bad treatment of many of the msh 
 at.uonuLuu. ji 1 ,, , , Aii„„ ti^-1pss Town, Jackson, 
 
 officers under the Bourbons. -such as Allen Lav^ less, low ' 
 etc - Colonel Wares report to the minister ot war. - A li^t ot some 
 the officers, and the mutations they underwent. 
 
 The irish reg-iment marched from Antwerp to Dunkirk 
 on the 4th of may 1814 by Ghent and Bruges. Colonel 
 Mahony left the command with commandant Hayne and 
 went himself to Paris, to see the minister of war general 
 
 Dupont. 
 
 The regiment stopped a few days at Dunkirk, to pay 
 .and settle with the polish soldiers that belonged to it, 
 
214 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 and then had them sent to Saint-Denis, near Paris, 
 where the emperor Alexander was assembling- all the 
 Poles that were in the French service, in order to send 
 them back to their own country. 
 
 The corps of Irish officers paid a visit at Dunkirk to 
 their countryman general F. O'Meara, who had so bravely 
 defended Dunkirk against the English under the duke of 
 York in 1793. 
 
 The Irish regiment marched from Dunkirk to Lisle to 
 join the depot commanded by lieutenant colonel Ware, 
 and arrived there on the 16th of may 1814. 
 
 General Gazan who had just come as inspector gene- 
 ral, told the officers of the regiments born in France, that 
 they could choose if they wished a french regiment in 
 which they would be placed to concur in the new orga- 
 nization of the army. 
 
 A few who w^ere not on good terms with colonel Ma- 
 hony availed themselves of this offer; viz : captain Bre- 
 velet, lieutenants Marshal, Saulard, Tumoral, Lagrange, 
 Kerthin, etc.. Colonel Ma^iony returned from Paris and 
 rejoined the regiment at Lisle. He was then decorated 
 with the Turkisk order of the crescent, and signed him- 
 self « chevalier de Mahony, » in the orders he gave to the 
 regiment. 
 
 Captain Nugent, the son of an irish-man, but born in 
 France, having drawai for money on a house at Paris 
 that did not exist, had to leave the regiment after a de- 
 cision of all the captains his comrades, who declared 
 
MEMOmS OF MILES BYRNE -'^ 
 
 him unworthy to serve with them after such a transac- 
 tion. 
 
 In a fit of drunkenness, he committed an act which 
 brought disgrace on his respectable family ; and though 
 he had squandered a handsome property left to him by 
 his father, still his pay as a captain ought to have suffi- 
 ced for him, as it did to his comrades. He was a fine well- 
 looking man, more than six feet high, brave, and well- 
 informed. 
 
 After a lapse of more than si:;teen years, lieutenant- 
 colonel Ware was agreeably surprised to receive at Lisle 
 a visit from his friend and old comrade William Aylmer; 
 they had been chiefs of the insurgents during the war of 
 1798, in the county of Kildare. Their plans not succeed- 
 ing, they were obliged to separate. 
 
 Aylmer went to Austria and got a commission in the 
 armv of that country. Hugh Ware was detained in the 
 prison of Kilmainham at Dublin, till the peace of Amiens 
 1802, in violation of the treaty he had signed, to expa- 
 triate himself for ever from the british dominions. 
 
 Aylmer had the rank of captain of cavalry in the aus- 
 trian service, and he was on his way to London, by the 
 orders of the emperor of Austria to conduct and present 
 in his name, to the Prince Eegent a Husard soldier and 
 horse, completely equipped and caparisoned, to serve as 
 models for the english cavalry. 
 
 Captain Aylmer's mission obtained for him the prince 
 
^^6 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 regent's pardon, and leave to return to his native country 
 Ireland, where he remained with his family and friends 
 'till he joined general Dever&ux at Dublin in recruiting 
 and organizing a legion for the Spanish south american 
 independence. As soon as the first battalion was complet- 
 ed, he sailed with it, and rendered much service both 
 morally and physically before he received the wound of 
 which he died. Had he survived, he would have been re- 
 warded by the president Bolivar and the government of 
 that country for which he fought so valiantly. How me- 
 lancholy it is to think of such brave men not having a 
 country of their own to fight for! 
 
 On the 24th of June 1814 the Irish regiment left Lisle 
 and marched to Avesnes, where it arrived on the 28th of 
 the same month and where it was expected the re-orga- 
 nization of it would soon take place; but it was still un- 
 decided whether the french government would keep Irish 
 regiments in its service : besides, the officers who had 
 had the misfortune to be taken prisoners in the last cam- 
 paign, were not all yet returned to the depot : several 
 arrived during the month of July from the russiau pri- 
 sons, and others were on their way back. 
 
 On the 3" of august the duke of Berry arrived at 
 Avesnes : he was accompanied by marshal Mortier.They 
 breakfasted at the sous-prefecture, and after breakfast 
 the duke received colonel Mahony c< chevalier de Saint- 
 
MEMOmS OF MILES BYllNE 217 
 
 Louis. » He set off immediately and did not review the 
 troops of the garrison that were w^aiting- under arms on 
 the place. He gave permission to the colonel to allow the 
 officers to wear the fleur de lys. On the 4th of august 
 lieutenant-general Burke arrived at Avesnes as inspector 
 general, to re-organize the regiment, but it appeared he 
 luid not as yet his final instructions to begin : so every 
 thing remained in suspeuce. The general however, after 
 inspecting the regiment encouraged the officers and as- 
 sured them of his solicitude for their welfare. 
 
 On the 25th of august 1814 the fete of Saint-Louis, the 
 king's birth-day, the corps of officers gave a dinner to 
 the general and the authorities at Avesnes, and a ball 
 and supper in the evening at the theatre, which was 
 splendidly decorated for the occasion. Unfortunately at 
 the opening of the ball, colonel Mahony insulted captain 
 Lawless with the grossest language andthen ordered him 
 away under arrest. On lieutenant-colonel Ware however 
 observing to the colonel, that on a day of rejoicing like 
 that they were then celebrating", it would be better if it 
 passed over without having any one punished, he con- 
 sented to raise the captain's arrest, and to allow him to 
 remain at the ball, for which lieutenant-colonel Ware 
 thanked him; but in less than fifteen minutes after, on 
 colonel Mahony meeting captain Lawless he again in- 
 sulted him worse than before, and ordered him to quit 
 the room immediately. Lieutenant-colonel Ware wishing 
 to remonstrate, the moment he spoke, colonel Mahony 
 
218 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 ordered liira also under arrest. Upon wliich lieutenant- 
 colonel Ware said to him : « I will go home and 
 « guard my arrest, but I must tell you, before I go, that 
 « your conduct this evening is unworthy of a gentle- 
 « man ; and it is both cowardh" and scoundrelly of you 
 « to insult an oflEicer like captain Lawless, whom you 
 « know cannot bring you out. » — Colonel Mahony went 
 to the box where general Burke was looking on at the 
 dance, to inform him no doubt of what had taken place, 
 and that he had put the lieutenant-colonel under arrest, 
 etc. The ball became rather dull in consequence of this 
 unpleasant affair, for almost all the Irish officers went 
 aw-ay when they heard of colonel Mahony 's insolent 
 conduct. The general could not approve of it, but he did 
 not wish to say so public \y. 
 
 The next morning the 26th of august lieutenant-colo- 
 nel Ware received a note, stating that his arrest was 
 raised; he immediately waited on colonel Mahony to 
 know with what arms he wished to fight, and said, that 
 for his part, sword or pistol were equal. They fought 
 with pistols and after exchanging shots, Mahony and his 
 second seeming satisfied left the ground, though lieute- 
 nant-colonel Ware refu.'-ed to make any apology for what 
 he had said the night before. Commandant Allen and 
 captain Parrott were the seconds to lieutenant colonel 
 Ware. Captain deTressau and a french colonel, who had 
 married miss Magrath, a cousin of Mahony's,acted as se- 
 conds to him. 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 219 
 
 The Sunday after this duel when the corps of officers 
 with colonel Mahony at their head, waited on general 
 Burke, he railed in the most violent manner against lieu- 
 tenant-colonel Ware for having- had the audacity to speak 
 as he did to his colonel the night of the ball, adding he 
 deserved to be tried by a court mnrtial. This speech sur- 
 prised the officers, as they knew well that the general was 
 acquainted with all the circumstances of the duel and of 
 colonel Mahony's conduct on the occasion, and they 
 thought all had been forgotten. 
 
 From that moment the Irish officers could perceive a 
 preference shewn to the prussian officers whose regiment 
 had been disbanded in Holland in 1813 by order of Na- 
 poleon. After the restoration all these germau officers 
 were sent to be incorporated in the irish regiment, and 
 two captains of them, of the name of Geith received 
 their brevets as chiefs of battalion from the minister of 
 war Dupont These with the great number of german 
 captains ordered to be comprised in the new organization 
 of the regiment, left little or no hopes to the brave irish 
 officers of obtaining the advancement they had so well 
 merited in the last campaigns of 1813 and 1814 (as well 
 as for their former services), and for which they had been 
 so strongly recommanded by generals Lauriston, Pu- 
 thod and Carnot. Many had to serve in the same rank 
 eight or ten years more before they could get promotion ; 
 lieutenants Saint-Leger, O'Brien, Swanton, etc., were of 
 this number. 
 
^~*^ MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 On the ]Oth of September 1814, the depots of the 1st 
 and 2^1 foreign reg-iraents, Latour-d'Auvergne and -Isen- 
 berg', with a great number of officers arrived at Avesues. 
 — General Burke was charged to organize these two re- 
 giments also, but he had still to wait for instructions till 
 the month of december, when the skeletons of the three 
 regiments were ordered to Montreuil-sur-Mer, where 
 they were definitively organized by general Burke, as 
 -1st, 2^1 and 3d foreign regiments in the french service, 
 leaving out the former appellation of 3« regiment stran- 
 ger « irlandais. « It was said at the time, that lord Cas- 
 tlereagh required this omission of the word « Irish, » and 
 objected to the re-organization^f tlie irish brigades, which 
 he supposed the government of the Bourbons might wish 
 to see re-established, as they were before the revolution 
 of 1789. 
 
 The 1st and 2d regiments marched to the south and 
 south-east of France, as scon as they were re-organized. 
 — The 3d regiment, « ci-devant » « troisieme regiment 
 etranger irlandais, « in which the irish were comprised, 
 remained at Montreuil-sur-Mer. It was organized into 
 three battalions and a depot, in which all the irish officers 
 not comprised in it were placed and allowed to follow 
 the regiment until places became vacant in it for them. 
 As these officers could not be tent to their homes, they 
 were to have the same pay, and to do garrison duty with 
 the other officers of the regiment. 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILRS RYRNK ,??1 
 
 The following' are the names of the superior officers 
 composing the 3'' foreign regiment ci-devant irlandais. 
 
 Mahony, colonel. 
 Ware, lieutenant-colonel. 
 Braune, chef de bataillon. 
 Hayne, d° 
 
 Allen, d° 
 
 Geith, d° 
 
 The battalions were very weak, but as the regiment 
 was allowed to recruit on the frontiers, it was expected 
 the}^ would soon be completed. Besides, the vast number 
 of discharged soldiers were generally ready to re-enter 
 the service. The non-commissioned officers were a very 
 good class of men, and much attached to their officers, 
 with whom they had served in the last campaigns; they 
 could not see with satisfaction other officers put to com- 
 mand them. 
 
 Captain Parrott who commanded a company of grena- 
 diers during the siege of Antwerp, and who had dist n- 
 guished himself in so many campaigns, particularly in 
 that of Silesia, where he was wounded and proposed for 
 the cross of officer of the Legion of honour on the field of 
 battle, saw his company of grenadiers given to captain 
 Saint-Golomb, who came from the regiment of Tsen- 
 berg, and who had never commanded a grenadier's com- 
 pany. But the latter pleased the colonel and general 
 
'2^2 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 Burke, who was charged with the organization of the 
 regiment. This was one of the many instances of injus- 
 tice which the irish officers had to submit to, after the 
 restoration, and captain Saint-Colomh felt it himself, for 
 he waited on the general accompanied by captain Parrott, 
 to request him to name captain Parrott to the grenadier's 
 company in his place, Parrott having the best right to it. 
 The general was enraged to hear of such a proposition 
 and would not undo what he had done. 
 
 Colonel Mahony having got the regiment organized 
 (as he thought) to his liking, obtained permission to go 
 to Paris in february 1815, where he intended to marry 
 miss Power, the daughter of one of his comrades in the 
 old irish brigade : but the marriage articles not being 
 ready when Napoleon landed, Maliony, like every other 
 officer on leave of absence at that time, was obliged to 
 return to his regiment and the ceremony of the marriage 
 was postponed. 
 
 Commandant Hayne who thought he was advanta- 
 geously known to the inspector general Burke, for many 
 years before, got his retreat without being consulted : 
 which was a crying injustice, as he would have been en 
 titled to the maximum the year after. He was in perfect 
 health and fit for service; but he had the misfortune, as 
 a member of the council of administration not to agree 
 with colonel Mahony about the accounts of the regi- 
 ment. 
 
 There could be no just reason for treating so worthy a 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 223 
 
 man as Hayne in so brutal a manner as to send him after 
 29 years honourable service and so many campaigns to 
 live on a pension of fourteen hundred francs a year, and 
 to deprive him obtaining- the cross of the Legion of ho- 
 nour, which he prized above rank or any tiling. 
 
 An irishman being thus treated, whilst the prussian 
 officers whose regiment was disbanded by Napoleon in 
 Holland in 1813, were kept in activity, shewed that the 
 irish had little to expect from the government of the 
 Bourbons, and made them fear subsequently, that lord 
 Castlereagh's influence w^ould become so great as to 
 require that no irish should be kept in the french ser- 
 vice. 
 
 Colonel Mahony returned to Moutreuil-sur-Mer on the 
 15th of march 1815, and retook the command of his regi- 
 ment, and in the first order of the day, that he gave, he 
 signed himself « count O'Mahouy. » This was the first 
 intelligence which the officers had of his being a count. 
 
 As the newspapers from Paris arrived regularly every 
 day at Montreuil-sur-Mer, Napoleon's rapid march on 
 Paris was no secret. Napoleon arrived at Paris on the 20th 
 of march 1815 
 
 The irish officers as men of honour knew what they 
 owed to themselves, and that as foreigners they should 
 not meddle in the change of government, but serve faith- 
 fully the one established, until they were absolved from 
 their oath of allegiance. 
 
 Under this impression, they exerted themselves for se- 
 
224 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 veral days, to keep the non-commissioned officers and 
 soldiers in order, which at such a crisis was no easy 
 matter, as all knew that the emperor was at Paris. 
 
 Colonel Tobin who commanded the to\\n, and who 
 knew the irish regiment at Antwerp, asked for comman- 
 dant Allen and his battalion to be lodged in the citadel 
 with him. Every precaution was taken to observe the 
 best discipline and order. 
 
 On the 25th of march 1815 colonel Mahony assembled 
 all the officers of the regiment at his lodgings, apparently 
 to consult with them on the events which had taken place 
 at Paris he mentioned that the king-, Louis XVIII was 
 on his way to Lisle, and he wished to ascertain what the 
 officers thought on the subject. Lieutenant-colonel Ware 
 replied « Colonel, give your orders and they w'ill be exe- 
 « cuted. If the king wants an escort to the frontiers, he 
 « may rely on the regiment doing its duty. But we irish 
 « patriots will never go to the enemy's camp, to fight 
 « against France, our adopted country. » 
 
 Colonel Mahony rejoined « for his part, he was decided 
 « to follow his king, which he considered « le chemin 
 « de riionneur. » — « Besides, » he added, « becouldnot 
 « think of ever again serving the emperor, after what 
 « had taken place at Antwerp, during the siege of 1814, 
 « when he was under the orders of general Carnot. He 
 '< therefore was resolved to go ofi'that same day. » — He 
 then gave up the command of the regiment to lieute- 
 nant colonel Ware, sending hini ttie military chest, etc. 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 225 
 
 After colonel Mabony's departure, lieutenant-colonel 
 Ware and the corps of officers determined to wait for or- 
 ders from the g-eneral commanding' the military division 
 at Lisle, before they should change the cockade; and in 
 consequence, the troops were consigned to their quar- 
 ters to prevent any collision with the inhabitants of the 
 town, many of wdiom had already put up the three co- 
 loured cockade. 
 
 Early next morning" the 26th of march, the sous-pre- 
 fect and civil authorities received orders from the prefect 
 of the department to declare for the emperor; but the 
 military instructions for the garrison, transmitted by 
 marshal Mortier, did not arrive 'till some hours later. 
 
 On receiving this order, by which all the military were 
 absolved from their oath of allegiance to Louis XVIII, 
 all the troops of the garrison under arms, with the na- 
 tional guards and civil authorities, repaired to the place 
 d'armes, where the emperor Napoleon was proclaimed 
 with the greatest expressions of satisfaction and joy. 
 
 The Irish regiment on this occasion displayed the 
 Eagle which they had so often defended from the enemy, 
 and which had remained in the military chest of the re- 
 giment during the eleven months of the restoration, and 
 which was now brought out. 
 
 The greatest harmony and good understanding existed 
 betw-een the inhabitants and the troops on this important 
 ceremony. — Lieutenant-colonel Ware thought proper to 
 tell such of the officers of the regiment who might have 
 
 T. II 15 
 
2'2() MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 any scruple in serving Napoleon, that they were at per 
 feet hberty to retire. — Three only availed themselves oi 
 this permission, and went away; viz • captain de Bonan, 
 captain Ferguson and lieutenant Gordon. All the other 
 officers swore allegiance to the emperor Napoleon and 
 signed an address expressing their devotion to him and 
 his dynasty. 
 
 Colonel Mahony returned next morning the 27th of 
 march, and told lieutenant-colonel Ware that he had 
 come back to resume the command of his regiment, and 
 ordered him to send the Eagle and military chest to his 
 lodgings. To which lieutenant-colonel "Ware replied. « He 
 « would never serve under him, nor acknowledge him 
 « for his colonel ; consequently, he had no orders to receive 
 « from him; that he was astonished to see him so mean 
 « after his fine declaration on the 25th in presence of the 
 « whole corps of officers; or that he could suppose that 
 « men of honour could overlook his conduct. >» 
 
 Colonel Muhony then applied to the governor of the 
 town, colonel Tobin, who immediately sent for lieute- 
 nant-colonel Ware and ordered him to execute the 
 orders of colonel IMahony, who, he said, had returned to 
 take the command of his regiment, and to serve the em- 
 peror faithfully. To this lieutenant-colonel Ware answe- 
 red « no power on earth should oblige him to serve under 
 « the orders of a traitor. » He then deposited his sword 
 with colonel Tobin and considered himself under arrest. 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 227 
 
 All the officers of the regiment, without one exception 
 went individually to colonel Tobin's lodging-s, and there 
 deposited their swords, declaring-, they would never take 
 them back to serve under Mahony, — Captain Magrath, 
 colonel Mahony's first cousin, deposited his sword like 
 the other officers, and seemed to disapprove of Mahony's 
 conduct as much as any of them. 
 
 The governor finding he could get no officer to execute 
 his orders, went himself and brought a detachment of 
 grenadiers from the barracks of the irish regiment and 
 escorted the Eagle and military chest to colonel Mahony's 
 lodgings, which was considered very unwise of him; it 
 incensed the officers more and more to see their Eagk 
 intrusted to a man they thought unworthy of command- 
 ing them. — The same evening, the 27th of march, ge- 
 neral Pellet, who arrived at Montreuil-sur-Mer, assem- 
 bled all the officers of the irish regiment, he begged of 
 them to take back their swords and to continue to serve 
 under colonel Mnhony, until the emperor should decide 
 on the question; but to this they all replied, no power on 
 earth would oblige them to serve one instant under his 
 orders. 
 
 Finding it useless to persevere further with men so de- 
 termined as the irish officers were, the general told Ma- 
 hony what he had to expect; the latter therefore deter- 
 mined a second time to follow le « chemin de I'honneur, « 
 but this last time it was to Paris he went, instead of fol- 
 lowing his king to Ghent; and it was feared, that through 
 
2-38 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 general Burke's influence with marshal Davoust, then 
 minister of war for Napoleon, that colonel Mahony might 
 be sent back to the irish reg-iment; but fortunately for 
 these brave men, general Carnot was also at that time 
 one of Napoleon's ministers, and of course he told him of 
 all Mahony's treasonable conduct at Antwerp, so there 
 was nothing more to be dreaded ou that subject. 
 
 Lieutenant colonel Ware and the other officers, though 
 unarmed, used all their exertions to keep the troops con- 
 signed, and as soon as Mahony left the town, the gene- 
 ral invited them to retake their swords and to continue 
 to serve as before. 
 
 Thus this change of government finished quietly, and 
 to the great satisfaction of the irish officers, who saw 
 with much joy the influence of England, w'ith that of lord 
 Castlereagh cease in France. They now felt assured that 
 their former campaigns and services would be recompen- 
 sed by the emperor. 
 
 Colonel Tobin who appeared so anxious to have Ma- 
 hony re-instated, in spite of the irish officers, was soon 
 replaced himself in the command of the town. 
 
 On the 6th of april 1815, Colonel Peltier took the com- 
 mand as governor, which situation he had before the res- 
 toration, under the emperor. Residing at Montreuil-sur- 
 Mer, and being there during the late events, he was able 
 to appreciate the conduct of the irish regiment on that 
 important occasion. He had also the advantage of being 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 229 
 
 known personally to the emperor of a long date, as one 
 of the representatives of the people who accompanied ge- 
 neral Buonaparte in Paris on the 13th venderaiaire (5th 
 October 1795), when the latter dispersed the sections 
 which were marching to attack the Convention and the 
 government. 
 
 Colonel Peltier had under him, to command the place, 
 commandant Gallibert; the latter wanted an arm; he had 
 been a long time employed at Genoa, before it was eva- 
 cuated by the french. The artillery was commanded by 
 the chefde bataillon « Pillault, » who had been in the 
 service of king Joachim (Murat) and returned to France 
 in 1814. The greatest harmony and friendship existed 
 between all these brave officers and the Irish regiment. 
 
 Commandant Hayne who had been so unjustly treated 
 in the month of march, being in Paris when the emperor 
 arrived, claimed, and was re-instated in the Irish regi- 
 ment with his rank as before. He remained in Paris with 
 permission, and did not return to the regiment till after 
 the second restoration. 
 
 Captain Parrott who had been so unjustly treated by 
 the inspector general Burke, got his company of gre- 
 nadiers, which had been given to captain Saint-Colomb; 
 the latter to do him justice, never wished to retain it, 
 and he requested lieutenant colonel Ware to give the 
 company to captain Parrott, who, he added, had the best 
 right to it. 
 
 In the beginning of may 1815, lieutenant colonel Ware 
 
230 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 received his brevet from the emperor, as colonel of the 
 irish reg'iment, which caused great pleasure to all the 
 irish; and even the g-erman officers seemed to be as much 
 pleased at his advancement as the irish officers themselves 
 could be ; in short, he was loved and esteemed by every 
 one who served under his orders ; and deservedly, for 
 he was brave and ready to promote the interest of all. 
 
 By anotlier decree, the emperor allowed the reg-iment 
 to resume its former number and name of « premier regi- 
 ment Irlandais, » which greatly gratified the irish offi- 
 cers, as they hoped by this last act, that Napoleon had 
 once more turned his thoughts towards their oppressed 
 country; and that the day might not be far distant, when 
 they should be sent on an expedition to Ireland, where 
 their military experience would powerfully contribute to 
 throw off the english yoke under which their country had 
 been suffering, and been degraded for centuries. 
 
 The minister of war marshal Davoust wrote by com- 
 mand of Napoleon to colonel Ware on this occasion, a 
 letter which contained the most flattering expressions for 
 the irish regiment. The emperor declared that he would 
 hereafter employ it in every circumstance and with the 
 same confidence as he would employ one of the imperial 
 regiments of his guards. The greatest union and emula- 
 tion subsisted in the regiment during the month of may, 
 and soldiers were arriving daily to complete the four 
 battalions which composed it on the war establishment. 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE -31 
 
 Several officers who were on half pay were sent to be at- 
 tached to the regiment and two Spanish officers who were 
 on half pay were allowed to join it, viz : captain Garido 
 and lieutenant Ferarie; captain Murray had been retrea- 
 ted and lived at Dunkirk; he rejoined his old comrades 
 
 with pleasure : 
 
 The commander of the artillery Pillault, invited all 
 the officers of the irish regiment who were not employed 
 in the instruction of the troops, to follow with him, the 
 exercise of the artillery, which they accepted with much 
 eag-erness; and this brave commander saw with pleasure 
 the rapid progress which they were making, passing 
 four hours every day on the ramparts at the manoeuvres 
 of the artillery. 
 
 In the beginning of June the governor of Montreuil- 
 sur-Mer received instructions from the minister of war, 
 informing him, that it was ascertained that the english 
 government, in the event of hostilities beginning on the 
 frontiers, intended landing five or six thousand men on 
 the coast, to make a diversion in the rear of the french 
 army; that the emperor thought the irish regiment, with 
 the national guards of the country would be quite suffi- 
 cient to destroy and disperse the expedition as soon as it 
 landed. - Napoleon judged well, for though the irish 
 regiment had not yet had time to have all the battalions 
 completed to the war establishment, the good spirit with 
 which the officers and men were animated, and the good 
 
9QC) 
 
 '^'^~ MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 under-stauding which subsisted between them and the 
 national g-uards, was a sure guarantee of success. The 
 prospect of being actively employed in this way against 
 the english, consoled the Irish regiment for not making 
 part of the french army in the low countries, where they 
 had hoped they might have had another opportunity of 
 proving their attachment to their adopted country, Ind 
 their devotion and gratitude to Napoleon for the confidence 
 lie honoured them with. One of the emperor's aides-de- 
 camp, lieutenant general Dejean, who arrived at Mon- 
 treuil-sur-Mer at this time, met there several of the Irish 
 officers who served under his orders in Spain, at the ad- 
 vanced posts, when the english army was driven into Por- 
 tugal in September 1811, at Fontelgenalgo, Alfitas, etc., 
 and by meeting these officers, general Dejean was enabled 
 to appreciate the good composition of the Irish regi- 
 ment, of which he made a most favourable report to 
 Napoleon, when he returned to Paris. 
 
 Soon after his departure, two emigrant captains of the 
 regiment, Magrath and Saint-Colomb, though they had 
 sworn allegiance to the emperor, began to correspond 
 with the enemy at Ghent. Captain Saint-Colomb deserted 
 on the 10th of June 1815, and was followed two days after 
 by captain Thompson. The latter was born in France and 
 had served in the prussian regiment before he joined the 
 irish regiment. -Though these officers were frenchmen, 
 yet the indignation of the irish was not the less. — In 
 consequence, eight captains of the regiment waited on 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE -S^: 
 
 captain Magratli and reproached him with his infamous 
 and dishonourable conduct. He could not deny that he 
 corresponded with the Bourbon party at Ghent, nor that 
 h(^ had accompanied captain Saint-Colomb on the road 
 tlie day he deserted. The eight captains told Magrath that 
 they were resolved not to serve with traitors, and said 
 he must resign. They also informed captain de La Roche, 
 another french emigrant, that he was accused of corres- 
 ponding with the enemy. Fortunately the irish officers 
 were not answerable for the dishonourable conduct of 
 men who broke that allegiance to which they had sworn 
 voluntarily. 
 
 Napoleon having joined the army in Flanders, and 
 news arriving of his having gained the battle of Fleurus 
 on the 16th of June, in so splendid a mannei', the highest 
 hopes were excited in the hearts of the expatriated irish. 
 Their feelings on this occasion cannot be described. They 
 imagined they were once more on the point of making 
 part of an expedition to liberate their unfortunate coun- 
 try from the cruel tyranny uf the english government. 
 But the loss of the battle of Waterloo on the 18th of June, 
 with the other unhappy circumstances which followed 
 Napoleon's abdication, put an end to their career, and to 
 all further hopes of aid from France to relieve Ireland 
 from her bondage. 
 
 The sous-prefect of Montreuil-sur-Mer received iustruc- 
 
234 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRXE 
 
 tions from the provisional government of Paris to pro- 
 claim Napoleon II, consequently, all the civil autho- 
 rities and the officers of the g-arrison were assembled at 
 the municipality to swear allegiance to him. — The sen- 
 sation this ceremony created w;is very great, and gave a 
 temporary hope that the nation might rally once more to 
 drive out the enemy. About the same time an order from 
 the minister of w^ar arrived at Montreuil-sur-Mer for the 
 irisli regiment to march immediately to join the army in 
 the neighbourhood of Paris; but colonel Peltier, who 
 commanded the town and district, and who received 
 the order, did not think proper to communicate it 
 to the commander of the regiment colonel Ware, wishing 
 no doubt, to keep the troops in the garrison to be ready 
 to proclaim Louis XVIII, when he shoud have orders for 
 that purpose from Paris, Accordingly on the llth of July 
 1815 the order arrived, and Louis XVIII was proclaimed 
 a second time on the 12th of July 1815. It was on the arri- 
 val of this last order, that lieutenant Thulier being on 
 guard, and going up to the top of the rampart to speak 
 to the courier before admitting him into the town, lost 
 his balance, fell over and was killed on the spot. 
 
 The marquis de Bryas who had been at Ghent with 
 the king, arrived at Montreuil-sur-Mer and took the com- 
 mand from colonel Peltier as governor of the district. 
 The same day several of the Irish officers with colonel 
 Ware at their head, expressed to him their hesitation at 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 235 
 
 continuing- in the service under so many changes. Tliis 
 i^entleman very properly observed to them, that they 
 slionld not rashly sacrifice their claims upon France, 
 their adopted country, where they had served with so 
 much distinction; having always done their duty as men 
 of honour, and having executed punctually the orders of 
 their chiefs. They might regret the sudden changes, he 
 said, but they were not answerable for them. — If any 
 thing could lessen the pain of their position, seeing an 
 english army in possession of Paris, and their own pros- 
 pects so changed, it was the friendly reception the irish 
 officers met with from the marquis de Bryas, whilst they 
 remained at Montreuil. 
 
 Colonel Ware drew up an address on the 13tli of July 
 to be forwarded to the King through the minister of war. 
 It was left a^ the quarter master's to be signed by all the 
 officers of the regiment. 
 
 Commandant Braune, a prussian, and several of his 
 countrymen, though they signed it, assembled immedia- 
 tely afterwards at his house and got lieutenant Wall, 
 the son of an irishman, to draw up another address, in 
 stronger terms, in wliich they styled themselves the 
 « true and real royalists » of the regiment. This second 
 address became of course, a kind of denunciation against 
 those officers who did not sign it, and a sure recommen- 
 dation in favour of all those who put their names to it, 
 as they were soon after employed, and even several were 
 
236 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRXE 
 
 placed in the royal guards. — Those officers who had 
 complied strictly with their colonel's orders were marked 
 out for persecution. — Such was the encouragement gi- 
 ven to insubordination at that melancholy period, that 
 the very worst officers were sure of employment and 
 advancement, provided they boasted of their devotion to 
 the Bourbons and spoke against their comrades. 
 
 Several disputes took place between the irish officers 
 and those prussian officers who had been put into tlie 
 regiment after the restoration. Cai)tains Jackson and 
 Town had duels with two of those prussians and woun- 
 ded them dangerously.— The marquis de Bryas fortuna- 
 tely listened to colonel Ware's advice and put an end to 
 all this, by refusing to receive any further denunciations 
 of these Germans against the Irish. 
 
 On the 15th of July the marquis de Bryas having heard 
 that a battalion of national guards from Rouen, which had 
 been stationed at Dunkirk and were returning to Rouen 
 to be disbanded there, were still wearing the tri-coloured 
 cockade, marching across the country, called on the irish 
 regiment with two pieces of artillery to go and meet 
 them. On arriving at Hesdin, the marquis met them co- 
 ming in by small detachments, having taken out their 
 cockades. About thirty or forty kept with their com- 
 mander and made their way into Normandy, — The next 
 day the marquis de Bryas returned with the irish regi- 
 
MKMOIKS OF MILKS BYKNE 237 
 
 inent from Hesdin, bring-ing- his wife with him to Mon- 
 treuil, she having been staying- at their residence at 
 llesdin. They gave some agreeable entertainments at 
 Montreuil, of which phice he gave up the command ir, 
 September 1815. 
 
 By this time the army of the Loire being completely 
 disbanded, the irish regiment could not expect to be bet- 
 ter treated than those brave and unfortunate men. — Ge- 
 neral Desnoyers was sent in quality of inspector general ; 
 lie was assisted by Mr le Pautre sous-inspecteur aux re- 
 vues and on the 28tli of September 1815 at Montreuil-sur- 
 Mer they finished their painful task of disbanding the 
 irish regiment that had served in all the campaigns of 
 (lermany, Spain, Portugal, etc., from 1803 down to the 
 present date 1815, for twelve years of continued cam- 
 paigns, without interruption; often and deservedly, re- 
 ceiving the highest encomiums from the different ge- 
 nerals in chief under whose orders they served during 
 those memorable campaigns. 
 
 According to the inspector general's instructions, the 
 officers were to choose and name the towns where they 
 wished to retire to on half pay : consequently they were 
 soon dispersed all over France. The Serjeants, corporals 
 and private soldiers of the regiment who wished to re- 
 main in the french service were marched off to be incor- 
 porated in the Legion of prince Hohenloe, then forming 
 at Toulon. Captain Town took the command of this deta- 
 chment and set out on the 29th September 1815. Colonel 
 
238 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 "Ware, captains Byrne and O'Vitzky, as members of th( 
 council of administration of the regiment, and lieutenanl 
 Wagner quarter master, and lieutenant Montague char- 
 ged with the cloathing, received orders from the minis- 
 ter of war Clark, duke of Feltre, to remain at Montreuil in 
 order to terminate, sign and give up the different ac- 
 counts of the regiment, and also to have the military 
 effects remaining in the magazine of the corps forwarded 
 to the Hohenloe legion. 
 
 Particular instructions were given on this occasion to 
 lieutenant Montague to have the ^ N, Eagles, » and all 
 other signs bearing allusion to the emperor, effaced from 
 the effects before they were sent off. 
 
 Two beautiful standards were sent to Spain l)y the 
 emperor in 1810 for the second and 3^ battalions of the 
 Irish regiment, but they were left at Valladolid, as those 
 battalions were then in Portugal. These standards were 
 brought to the depot of the regiment and were destroyed 
 by lieutenant Montague at Montreuil. They were green 
 with a large harp in the centre. On one side in gold let- 
 ters « Napoleon P'^to the 2'' Irish battalion. » And on the 
 other « The independence of Ireland. » — The 3d the same. 
 The Eagle was carried by the first battalion, which of 
 course had its colours like the others. 
 
 The officers of the council left at Montreuil received 
 two thirds of their pay until the february following, and 
 when all was finished, they retired on half pay like the 
 
Mlv>l(»IKS OF MILKS BYRNE 239 
 
 other officers, hoping- at least to remain unmolested. But 
 soon after the battle of Waterloo, the brave regiment was 
 disbanded by Louis XVIII and the Irish officers were 
 made to feel that lord Castlereagh and english influence 
 prevailed in the freneh councils. 
 
 Commandant Allen who had retired to Melun was or- 
 dered from that town to Rouen, and passing by Paris, 
 was there arrested by order of the duke of Feltre, and in- 
 formed he must quit the freneh territory without delay. 
 Thus, without trial or judgment, one of those officers 
 whose gallant actions had gained such renown for the 
 irish regiment, both in Spain and Silesia, was to be ba- 
 nished from his adopted country by the orders of general 
 Clark, the son of an irishman. 
 
 Lieutenant-general Arthur O'Connor waited on the 
 duke of Feltre, and insisted that commandant Allen 
 should be brought to trial, saying. « It was too bad to 
 a see him worse treated here than he had been, when 
 « tried and acquitted with him at Maidstone » The duke 
 knowing well that no charge whatever could be brought 
 against Mr Allen, before a court martial, had no idea of 
 having him tried, but seeing that general O'Connor took 
 up the matter so warmly, and fearing no doubt that he 
 might have it published in the english and irish news- 
 papers, after much hesitation, consented to have Allen set 
 at liberty, and allowed him to retire to Tours on half pay 
 where he remained a prisoner at large until 1830. 
 
240 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 Captain Jackson was also banished by order of the 
 duke of Feltre, without any trial or charge whatever 
 being- brought against him ; and yet this brave officer had 
 distinguished himself on every occasion where the regi- 
 ment had been engaged, either in Spain or Germany. 
 He was wounded and taken prisoner at the battle of 
 Goldberg in Silesia on the 23'^ of august 1813, and had 
 only returned from the russian prisons of Siberia a fe-w 
 days before the emperor's return from Elba. 
 
 Captain Jackson sailed from Havre in november 1815 
 for south America, where he had a further opportunity 
 of shewing his military talents, fighting for the indepen- 
 dence of that country. 
 
 Captain Town, a brave and most distinguishedofficer, full 
 of information andlearning,and military genius, was, like 
 .Jackson, banished by the order of the duke of Feltre, 
 without trial or appeal to any military tribunal. — A 
 sad recompense for all his gallant services II — He being 
 in the neighbourhood of Marseilles, sailed for Italy, 
 where he found great difficulty in being allowed to 
 remain. 
 
 Another victim, still more remarkable, of the duke of 
 Feltre's vindictive feeling towards the irish regiment, 
 was captain Lawless, who was ordered to quit France 
 forthwith, although he was personally and advanta- 
 geously known to him, lia\ing been for more than two 
 years attached to his staff in Paris, in 1812 and 1813. 
 Notwithstandini>' this, and all the iniiueuce and exertions 
 
MOOir.S OK MII.F.S BYRNE "-'l I 
 
 of his uncle o-eneral Lnwless, he could not obtain the 
 favour of a trial by a court martial which indeed would 
 at once have put him at liberty, as no charg-e whatever 
 could have been broug'ht against him. He was obliged to 
 leave France, and went to New-York.— General Lawless 
 must have felt this most keenly, when he recollected the 
 many flattering letters he had received from the duke of 
 F.'lti-e, respecting- the brilliant services rendered by the 
 irish regiment in Germany, at Flushing etc., saying « He 
 H « gloried in them as an Irishman! « 
 
 This system of persecution appeared the more extraor- 
 dinary, from the colonel Ware being exempted, who should 
 have l)een the first to incur blame, if any could be atta- 
 ched to the corps. 
 
 On this occasion it is only justice to colonel Ware to 
 say, that he gave in to the minister of war, a very long 
 and detailed report after the regiment was disbanded, 
 specifying every occurrence that took place during the 
 hundred days, and for which, he himself, as « chef de 
 corps, » felt, he was alone responsible. 
 
 NOTE TO THE 8tH CHAPTER. 
 
 Having related the brutal treatment which comman- 
 dant Allen, captains Lawless, Jackson and Town recei- 
 ved from the duke of Feltr -, I ought to mention my own 
 
'2^2 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYP.XE 
 
 \Yliicb was still worse, on account of the time allowed to 
 intervene before it was perpetrated. Thev received the or- 
 der to quit France in 1815, and I only received on the 2d 
 of January 1817 the order to quit Tours in twenty four 
 hours, and France in fifteen days. Whether this postpo- 
 nement was on account of my being- one of the members 
 of the council of administration charged with rendering 
 finally the accounts of the regiment, or for other motives, 
 I never could learn ; yet it was well known at the war 
 oflSce that the ministerial decision was taken against me 
 at the same time as that against Allen and the other offi- 
 cers. As to my sufferings, and the way I obtained jus- 
 tice, they would be too long to insert in a note. 1 must 
 refer the reader to the biographical article in the 3d vol., 
 on general Clark, duke of Feltre, minister of war, where 
 all the particulars are given accurately. 
 
TABLE OF CONTENTS 
 
 I'ages 
 
 Introductory notice i 
 
 Chapter I 5 
 
 II 36 
 
 - Ill 73 
 
 - IV 95 
 
 - V '. . 159 
 
 - YI 154 
 
 - Yll 178 
 
 - YllI 212 
 
 END liF THE TABLE OF CONTENTS 
 
 13,219 — Abbeville, printing R. Housse. 
 
MEMOIRS 
 
 MILES BYRNE 
 
13,?19— AUUEVILLE. PRINTIXG R. HOCSSE 
 
MEMOIRS 
 
 MILES BYRNE 
 
 CHEF DE HATAILLON IX THE SERVICE OF FRANCE 
 Officer or the Legion of honour. Knight of i^nint-ILouifii. etc. 
 
 EDITED BY HIS WIDO^Y 
 
 VOL. II! 
 
 PARIS 
 
 G U S T A V E B S & A N G E E T C- 
 
 25, QUAI VOLTAIRE 
 
 NE^Y-YORK 
 
 49, WALTER STREET 
 
 1863 
 
INTRODUCTION BY THE EDITOR 
 
 Althoug-h the 3'' volume begins with an account of his 
 life at Paris in 1803, and of many of those he met there 
 at that time Mr Byrne thought it better to give the cam- 
 paig-ns of the Irish Legion in the service of France, in 
 the second volume, as a sequence to his narrative of the 
 irish insurrections of 1798 and 1803, making the two first 
 volumes of his Memoirs quite a military story. 
 
 The third volume is more personal and contains a good 
 deal of his own life when at Paris when on half pay, 
 with biographical sketches of some remarkable Irishmen. 
 — There is also a fragment of his campaigns in Greece, 
 which it is deeply to be regretted he did not finish. 
 
 Fanny BYRNE 
 
PRELBIINARY NOTE BY THE AUTFIOR 
 
 The first volume was a narrative of what I went through 
 during- the insurrection in Ireland in 1798 and that of 
 1803 etc. up to my arrival in Paris, august 1803. 
 
 The second volume is the history of the organization 
 of the Irish Legion by the First Consul in 1803, and its 
 campaigns and services from that period up to its being 
 disbanded in 1815 by the government of the second Res- 
 toration, after the battle of Waterloo. 
 
 This 3'' volume will tell how I passed my time at 
 Paris, from august till december 1803 when I started for 
 Morlaix, with some short biographical notices of several 
 of the principal irish refugees and patriots whom I met 
 in France at that period. 
 
NOTES 
 
 OF AN IRISH EXILE 
 
 OF 1798 
 
 I mentioned in the first volume, that Mr Emmett had 
 hired a room for me in the petite rue du Bac; it was a 
 mere closet, but it was all I wanted : as it was near his 
 house, I felt it a great consolation that I could be with 
 him every day, and continue to furnish him with still 
 further particulars about unhappy Ireland; hoping too, 
 that from his influence with the french government, we 
 should ere long obtain assistance for my beloved coun- 
 try. In consequence of this, I was happier than might 
 have been expected under such circumstances — but alas ! 
 this happiness was of short duration : for Mr Emmett on 
 learning the final and fatal news about his lamented bro- 
 ther « Robert, » left Paris with his family, and went to 
 reside at Saint-Germaiu-eu-Laye, that is, in a country 
 house he took in that neighbourhood. — Then my mise- 
 
6 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 rable closet became irksome to me and had no further 
 attraction, Mr Emmett being out of Paris. 
 
 The same newspapers which broug-ht the afflicting in- 
 telligence of the trial and execution of the ever-to-be- la- 
 mented Robert Emmett, contained a long list of « state » 
 prisoners, waiting their turn to be tried and executed : 
 amongst them were the names of my dear brother 
 Edward Kennedy, and my valued friend Philip Long. 
 These sad tidings were overwhelming indeed, as from a 
 merciless judge, thirsting for blood, like ^ orbury, and a 
 packed jury, no justice could be expected. I therefore 
 considered my dear brother and Phil Long as already 
 sacrificed. — The execution of Felix Roork, Denis Red- 
 mond, Macintosh, and his brother-in-law young Keernan, 
 appeared in the newspapers also. Shortly after I heard 
 of the trial and execution of the brave and virtuous pa- 
 triot Thomas Russell. — This heroic martyr to his coun- 
 try's freedom, left his niece Mrs Hamilton at Paris when 
 he set out for Ireland. I went to see this unhappy lady in 
 her cruel distress; she feared every moment she should 
 hear of the arrest and execution of her husband Mr W. 
 Hamilton also, he having accompanied her uncle from 
 Paris to Dublin , and from thence to the north of 
 Ireland. 
 
 I was sitting one day in my lonely closet, reflecting on 
 all these sorrowful tidings from Ireland, and of my own 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE ^ 
 
 melancholy prospects, when I received the kind visit of 
 Valentine Derry, brother of the catholic Bishop of Down 
 in Ireland, and the friend of the unfortunate Father 
 Quigly. He stood by him at his trial at Maidstone, and in 
 his last moments on the scaffold, and for this he had to 
 fly his country and escape to France, where he obtained 
 the situation of professor of english at the military col- 
 lege of La F16che. It being vacation time, Mr Derry came 
 to spend it amongst his friends and acquaintances at 
 Paris : fortunately for me, as he soon put me in a way to 
 live in the cheapest manner possible. That same day we 
 went to dine together at a traiteur's in the rue de la 
 Harpe ; — the traiteur was a Mr Moreau and he and his 
 wife kept a restaurant much frequented by the young 
 students. - Our dinner consisted of two dishes a mou- 
 ton au navet » six sous ; a « small beefsteak » seven sous ; 
 a quarter of a bottle of wine, two sous and a half; plenty 
 of bread, two sous; water at discretion. The meat was 
 tolerably good, and as M. Moreau was a capital cook, 
 every thing was well prepared, and the dinner varied 
 each day. I took a room on the second storey, with two 
 windows looking out on the street, for twelve francs a 
 month, the price I gave for the miserable closet I had 
 left in the petite rue du Bac. Mr Derry having lodged 
 with Mr et madame Moreau before he got his appointment 
 at the college of La Fleche, they were well disposed to 
 be obliging and to follow his instructions respecting the 
 way 1 wished to live. Every morning at nine o'clock, two 
 
^ MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 SOUS worth of boiled milk was brought to my room, with 
 a three sous loaf of bread. This loaf sufficed for breakfast 
 and dinner; so my two meals cost about eleven pence per 
 day, or twenty two sous; I dined between four and five 
 o'clock, the student's hour. - I only paid my bill at the 
 end of the week, when madame Moreau furnished me a 
 small note, signed « pour acquit femme Moreau. « As I 
 dined often with friends in town, this note seldom amoun- 
 ted to more than six francs. - Mr Derry told me the 
 insh refugees, with few exceptions, were living in this 
 frugal way, endeavouring to make their money last, as 
 I was doing and thus conforming myself to follow the 
 example of those brave irish patriots, who enjoyed opu- 
 lence and happiness, before they had to fly their country 
 to take refuge in France. It was not a difficult matter for 
 me, - I having known the starvation sufi-ered in the 
 mountains of the county of Wicklowin 1798. - Besides 
 those of my friends from whom I might have expected a 
 remittance, were now closely lodged in the Dublin jails 
 so I had no alternative left, but to live in the cheapest 
 manner possible. 
 
 Mr Derry was also' very useful to me in assisting me to 
 learn french. Reintroduced me to a french gentleman of 
 the name of Lesage, who had spent twentv years in En- 
 gland as professor of french, and he was now teaching 
 enghsh in Paris; he had so much to do, that I could only 
 get two lessons from him in the week, and at night • his 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYKNE ^ 
 
 brother was one of the professors at the college of La 
 Fleche. Good Mr Derry had to return to this college, va- 
 cation being over : I felt sorry enough at his departure 
 from Paris, he was such an obliging, kind-hearted man ; 
 but we soon met again at Morlaix, in the Irish legion, 
 in which he had first the rank of lieutenant and after- 
 wards he received the brevet of captain. Finding there 
 was no great likelihood of an expedition to Ireland, he 
 resigned his commission and went to America in 1806. 
 He established an academy at New-York and I have 
 heard he succeeded, which afforded me great pleasure to 
 learn. Mr Derry was learned, and a good french scholar, 
 and well fitted to be at the head of such an institution. 
 He was amiable and kind, and made friends wherever he 
 went. 
 
 It was now the first of October 1803, and I found I 
 could go on for two or three months still, with the little 
 money I had remaining, but this was all I thought that 
 I could accomplish in the way of living cheap, except by 
 too much privation. I hoped and trusted that in the in- 
 terval some happy change might take place, I therefore 
 kept up my spirits and went 'about seeing sights. That in 
 which I took the greatest interest then, was, the rapid 
 construction of the flat bottomed boats destined to be em- 
 ployed in invading England. The quay from the bridge 
 at the place de la Concorde, down the river, for more 
 than a mile long, was a complete dock yard and arsenal ; 
 
10 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 and every day I could see some of these small vessels 
 launched, and the keels of others put on the stocks to re- 
 place them. The quickness with which these vessels were 
 constructed and got ready for sailing from Paris, was 
 not surprising, as the First Consul himself frequently ins- 
 pected the dock yards and works. I saw him one day on 
 board of one of those flat bottomed vessels, getting her 
 rowed up and down the river by some thirty or forty sai- 
 lors. He was accompanied by his staff officers and aides- 
 de-camp. The vessel was rigged with little masts and 
 sails. I could not well distinguish his features, being too 
 far off. A few days before, I saw him at the balcony of 
 the Tuileries, but also imperfectly, as the crowd was too 
 dense in the gardens, it being the fete of the Republican 
 new year first of vendemiaire, or the 21st September. — 
 However I was more fortunate some time after. One sun- 
 day morning, I met on the Pont-Royal, Mr Moriarty, a 
 Cork gentleman, a friend of Mr Emmett, he told me the 
 First Consul Buonaparte had just passed the review of 
 the guards and returned to the palace, accompanied 
 by the second and third consuls, Cambaceres and 
 Le Brun, and that he would see these gentlemen 
 down stairs to their carriages when going away. 
 Mr Moriarty had the kindness to return to me to the 
 l)alace and to speak to the officer commanding the guard 
 at the bottom of the great stairs : after I had shewn my 
 « carte de surety, » he placed me in the best manner to 
 have a good view, and I had only to wait about ten mi- 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 11 
 
 nutes when I saw the conquering hero descending the 
 g-reat stair, slowly and in deep conversation with the two 
 other consuls, and as I had seen those gentlemen often 
 before, particularly Cambac6rfes, my attention was enti- 
 rely drawn to gaze alone on the young officer of whose 
 military exploits I had been so accustomed to hear, 
 and his presence brought to my recollection the happy 
 days when we used to read at the chapel the newspapers 
 giving an account of his brilliant campaigns from 1795 
 down to the peace of Campo Formio October 1797.-After 
 the insurrection of '98, I could not attend these chapels. 
 After seeing his two colleagues to their carriages, the 
 First Consul returned quickly; he bade the officer make 
 the men of the guard, who remained with presented 
 arms, carry them, after which he ran up stairs like a 
 young schoolboy. What struck me was, that though 
 he was sallow and pale, he was stout and well pro- 
 portioned, resembling much the portraits given of 
 him at that time. I was pleased to have seen him so well, 
 and went away satisfied and convinced that ere long 
 some assistance would be obtained for Ireland, Mr Em- 
 mett having recently got encouraging promises on the 
 subject. 
 
 When I 'arrived at Paris, I should immediately have 
 waited on Mr Arthur O'Connor, had I not heard that he 
 and Mr Thomas Addis Emmett were on the worst terms ; 
 circumstanced as 1 was with the latter, I could not think 
 
12 MKMOIHS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 of becoming acquainted with his enemy. No one howe- 
 ver regretted more than I did to learn that two such men 
 should not be on speaking terms with each other ; they, 
 whom my countrymen at home looked upon as their 
 most strenuous agents with the french government, and 
 as consulting with one another at every moment to see 
 what was best to be done. I enquired of my friend Hugh 
 "Ware, who had spent a long time in prison with 
 MM. O'Connor and Emmett, to know the cause of their 
 dispute. He told me he could never ascertain it, but that 
 lie believed it was nothing political; that he himself had 
 endeavoured to reconcile these gentlemen, but found it 
 impossible. Their misunderstanding must indeed have 
 been of a very serious nature, for Hugh "Ware was a real 
 peace maker, and no officer I ever knew prevented more 
 duels than he did. 
 
 This unfortunate misunderstanding between two of the 
 principal irish leaders, produced at this important mo- 
 ment, the worst effect, as it shewed clearly to the french 
 government that already the irish refugees could not 
 agree amongst themselves abroad ; consequently it might 
 be still worse when in their own country'. The french 
 government wished to arrange this matter through the 
 medium of general Augerau, whom the irish expected 
 would have the command of the french army destined to 
 set them free. Even this great soldier failed to make 
 MM. Emmett and O'Connor forget their differences, for 
 the good oftheir common country ; probably they thought 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILKS BYIINK 13 
 
 it of no consequence, but many of us exiles felt 
 grieved at the bad result which this protracted misun- 
 derstanding would create : every day I could hear so- 
 mething on the subjet discussed at the London coffee 
 house in the rue Jacob, then much frequented by the 
 Irish on account of the Argus newspaper being taken 
 there; which paper was published in english by the fa- 
 mous Goldsmith. It was in that newspaper that I read 
 all the sad tidings of my dear friends in Ireland. 
 
 The exiled irish whom I met in France, and who had 
 escaped at different periods previous to the insurrection 
 of 1798, were, Edward Lewens, Richard Mac Cormack, 
 William Lawless, John Tennant, Pat Gallagher, Puten- 
 hara Mac Cabe, Thomas Burgess, the two brothers Thomas 
 and William Corbet, Valentine Derry, John Mac Henry, 
 Read, Arthur Mac Mahon, etc. 
 
 Those who escaped after the insurrection and after ge- 
 neral Humbert's capitulation to lord Cornwallis, were, 
 William Barker, Jeremy Fitzhenry, captain Murphy, 
 Paul Murray, Counsellor James Joseph Macdonald, his 
 cousin G. Macdonald, Augustin O'Meally, John Gibbons, 
 his son Ned Gibbons, P. Powel, Father Gannon, Augus- 
 tin Gibbons, O'Kean, J. Mac-Guire, etc. 
 
 David Baillie Warden, Harrison, O'Mally and some 
 others, escaped to America, and from thence came to 
 France as american citizens. 
 
14 MEMOIRS OF Mll.ES UYRNE 
 
 The Irish patriots I met with, who had to expatriate 
 themselves in order to get out of prison, after many 
 years confinement, were, Hampden Evans, Arthur O'Con- 
 nor, Thomas Addis Emmett, John Sweetman^Mathew 
 Dowling, Hugh Wilson, Thomas Markey, John Sweeny, 
 Hugh Ware, Patt Mac Caun, etc. 
 
 I paid few visits, only to some of Mr Emmett's friends 
 and fellow prisoners, such as. Matt Dowling, John 
 Sweetman, John Sweeny, Hugh Ware, Hampden Evans ; 
 the latter having lost one of his daughters a short time 
 before I arrived, lived retired, in a comfortable house on 
 the boulevard des Invalides, opposite the rue Plumet 
 (now rue « Oudinot »). Mrs Tone, and other ladies such 
 as Mrs Gallagher, Mrs Hamilton , etc. , wives of the 
 exiles, were always well received by this excellent family, 
 consisting of the father and mother, young Hampden 
 and his three sisters Mary, Nancy and Sidney. The first 
 was afterwards married to William Lawless, when he 
 became colonel of the irish regiment; the second was 
 married to Mr George Putland, and the third to her cou- 
 sin Acton. 
 
 The refugees who with Mr Emmett and his family, fre- 
 quented Mr Hampden Evan's house, were, generally, 
 John Sweetman, Matt Dowling, Dick M'Cormick, Doctor 
 Mac Neven and William Lawless. 
 
 Mr John Sweetman was not only a true irish patriot; 
 he was learned and highly accomplished. He had a great 
 taste for the fine arts, having visited Italy often, and he 
 
MEMOIRS OK MILES BYRNE 15 
 
 was ever ready to accompany a friend to that interesting- 
 t'.ountry. I always felt the greatest pleasure in this wor- 
 thy gentleman's conversation : and he who entertained 
 in the first style at Dublin, was now living sparingly in- 
 deed at Paris. 
 
 Matt Bowling bore up with his misfortunes like a phi- 
 losopher of the olden times, retaining all his gaiety and 
 amiable manners which used to endear him so much to 
 the citizens of Dublin, who were in the habit of electing 
 him king of the island of Daulky. — I spent one evening 
 at his lodgings in company with Paul Murray and Arthur 
 Mac Mahon and he made us nearly forget we were far 
 away from our home; — he made us proud of being exiles 
 in a good cause. 
 
 Richard Mac Cormick was much esteemed by his coun- 
 trymen in Paris. He knew my poor step-brother Edward 
 Kennedy, who was then one of the state prisoners in Kil- 
 mainham jail, waiting to be tried by that infamous court, 
 with its packed jury, and presided over by the heartless 
 ruffian Norbury, 
 
 Edward Lewens having been sent on a mission to the 
 french government some time after Heche's expedition to 
 Ireland had failed, met Wolfe Tone in Paris, with whom, 
 he told me, he always consulted on irish aflfairs; yet 
 some of the exiles of that period thought that Lewens did 
 not exert himself sufficiently with the Directory, to 
 obtain for them the aid they so much needed. The french 
 government continually at war, had her resources much 
 
16 MEMOIRS OF MILKS BYRNE 
 
 exhausted, and no money to spare. Instead of seeking tcl^ 
 raise a loan in France, according to his instructions' 
 Lewens should have been the bearer of thirty or fortj 
 thousand pounds, to be offered to the Director Barras, t( 
 assist in defraying the expence of preparing an expedi- 
 tion of four or five thousand french troops to be sent in 
 fast sailing frigates to Ireland in June 1798, when we 
 were in great force in many parts of Leincester and 
 near the capital, in place of general Humbert'fi eighl 
 hundred, which only landed in august, when all was 
 over. — The rich catholic patriots, like Keogh of Mount 
 Geram, could not see the necessity of proposing money 
 to the french government, yet it would have been good 
 policy, and probably a surer way to success to have made 
 the offer in time, instead of speaking of loans in a coun- 
 try where money was so scarce, and so much wanted to 
 carry on the war — Lewens having studied in France, 
 knew the language, laws and customs of the country 
 well; he possessed talents and ability to fill the situation 
 of agent to the french government ; though it was a pe- 
 riod of vast difficulty — 1797, 98 and 99 — still some- 
 thing might have been obtained, had the irish leaders at 
 home been better advised. Under these difficult circums- 
 tances, Mr Lewens found it no easy matter to please his 
 countrymen either abroad or in Ireland; yet he had his 
 wife's uncle Mr Thomas Branghall residing at Dublin, 
 who enjoyed there the confidence of his fellow citizens, 
 and it was expected that Mr Branghall would have procu 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 17 
 
 red from them more precise instructions for his nephew 
 at Paris. — Be that as it may, I must say for myself, 
 that when I experienced such unjust treatment from the 
 minister of war, Clark, the duke of Feltre, none of my 
 friends were more indignant than Edward Lewens. Being- 
 retired on half pay at Tours, I received on the 2'' of Ja- 
 nuary 1817, an order to quit the town in twenty four 
 hours, and the kingdom of France in fifteen days, I came 
 at once to Paris, to protest against such injustice and to 
 seek redress, which could hardly be expected in that 
 dreadful time of terror. — Lewens was one of those to 
 whom I made known my plan of acting to get out of my 
 difficulties. — I lodged at the hotel de Calais, opposite the 
 diligence office, rue Montmartre, but as it was not safe 
 for my friends to come and visit me there, as I was wat- 
 ched by the police, I appointed Mrs Barker's house in the 
 rue du Vieux-Colombier as a place to meet them in. It is 
 gratifying to me even now, to think, how that worthy 
 woman and her son and daughter felt for my very disa- 
 greeable situation, indeed quite as if I had been one of 
 their nearest relations : and I can never forget with what 
 pleasure they used to see Lewens calling, because they 
 thought that his visits would cheer me, and worthy 
 Mrs Barker had always a cup of good tea for Lewens, 
 which he liked much. After taking leave of Mrs Barker 
 and her kind hearted son and daughter, we used to set 
 out together to go home. 
 
 I of course thought it my duty to accompany Mr Le- 
 
 T. Ill 2 
 
18 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 wens to his house, but he never would quit me, no mat- 
 ter how late, until he saw me a part of the way to my 
 lodgings ; and thus would he wish to pass the night, 
 talking and walking, without ever thinking of going to 
 rest. He delighted in controversy, on every subject, and 
 often would appear in a great passion whilst disputing, 
 yet he had a good temper, and was ever ready to listen 
 to refutation and truth, 
 
 Lewens did not enjoy at that time (1817), the influence 
 he had afterwards in the reign of Charles X when 
 his great friend the Bishop of Hermopolis, abb^ de Frays- 
 sinous, was minister of public instruction, and grand 
 master of the university of France. His son Laurence 
 Lewens, called in french de Lewens, and who had been 
 professor at the college Stanislas and private secretary to 
 the Bishop, is now chef de division of the « personnel, » 
 the most important situation in the ministry of public 
 instruction and Lewens himself was one of the inspectors 
 of the university ; a place generally obtained by great 
 learning and long services. Though Lewens was a good 
 scholar and a naturalized frenchman, his nomination 
 caused great jealousy amongst tiie professors : but when 
 they heard of the services he hi.d rendered to the abb^ de 
 Frayssinous in the time of the Directory, their clamour 
 ceased. 
 
 I must say, that on many occasions I found both 
 Mr Lewens and his son Lanrence, most obliging to friends 
 

 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 19 
 
 of mine. — Mr David Baillie Warden one of the true irish 
 patriots of 1798, escaped to America, and there became a 
 naturalized citizen ; he was appointed consul of tlie 
 United-States at Paris, which situation he filled with dis- 
 tinction for several years. 
 
 His valuable statistical work on America, published in 
 french and in eng-lish, created for him among-st literary 
 men at that period, a hig'hly honourable reputation. — 
 Mr Warden desired the title of member of the French 
 Institute as earnestly as others would that of count or 
 duke; learning this from our mutual friend Arthur Bar- 
 ker, I went at once to Mr Lewens to ask him to get his 
 son Laurence to use his influence to get votes for Mr War- 
 den amongst the members of the Institute who had the 
 right of naming their corresponding member. Mr Lewens 
 wished me to go myself to his son, who, he said, would 
 be too happy to have it in his power to serve any friend 
 of mine ; and indeed Mr Laurence Lewens soon gave a 
 good proof of what his father had advanced, for by his 
 kind exertions Mr Warden was named a few days after, 
 member of the Institute by a great majority. 
 
 After the change of the ministry, and the nomination 
 of the grand master of the university, a re-organization 
 of the medical school was ordered by the new minister, 
 abb(5 de Frayssinous. I called on my worthy friend doctor 
 Mac Mahon to ask him if he was not thinking of putting- 
 forward his claims, to obtain something in these new 
 
20 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 changes : he candidly replied, that he thought he was 
 entitled to a professorship, or at least that of agr^g^ (fel- 
 low), but that it would he difficult to obtain any thing, 
 as there were already so many inscribed for the situations 
 vacant at Paris. I asked him if he would allow me to 
 speak to Mr Lewens on the matter ; he having consented, 
 1 waited immediately on the latter, who seemed delighted 
 to have it in his power to be useful to Mac Mahon. Le- 
 wens went at once and spoke to the minister and procured 
 from him an interview for Mac Mahon on the following 
 morning. He met with a most gracious reception, the 
 minister saying to him. «Doctor Mac Mahon, you are enti- 
 « tied to something better than a professorship after your 
 « long services and cnmpaigns on the Rhine under gene- 
 « ral Moreau, etc. I will name you head librairian to the 
 « medical school, which place you are, from your edu- 
 « cation, your knowledge of languages, etc., so compe- 
 (f tent to fill. » Mac Mahon got a good salary and splen- 
 did lodgings in the medical school; this situation he 
 enjoyed quietly until his death in december 1835. 
 
 Knowing how agreeable it would be to Lewens, that 
 our friends then residing at Tours should hear of his 
 kind exertions to serve Mac Mahon their great friend, I 
 wrote to them, and in a few days I shewed him letters on 
 the subject I had had from colonels Ware, Allen, etc., 
 which flattered and pleased him exceedingly ; it was the 
 reward he desired most. 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 21 
 
 He always seemed to value much the consideration in 
 which he was held by the patriots of 1798. — In his last 
 moments, before quitting this world to go to a better, all 
 his thoughts and sympathies were for poor Ireland; and 
 two days previous to his death, I found him reading- 
 Wolfe Tone's memoirs, in his sick bed, and repeating 
 to me, what a true irishman Tone was I — His illness was 
 very short, being seized suddenly with hiccough and 
 black vomiting. The Bishop of Hermopolis, M. de Fruyssi- 
 nous, his school-fellow and friend, was his spiritual ad- 
 viser, and it was he who officiated and celebrated high 
 mass at the funeral service at the church of the Assump- 
 tion. The funeral was conducted by his two sons Lau- 
 rence and Hippolite, the latter at that time was a student 
 at the seminary of Saint-Sulpice and shorthy after was 
 ordained a priest. — Mr Leweus having belonged to the 
 university at the time of his death, the members of that 
 body assisted at the ceremony and followed the hearse to 
 the cemetery of Pere Lachaise, where he was interred. I 
 trust I need not add, that all the irish exiles then at Paris, 
 were present on this melancholy occasion. The distinctive 
 mark of inspector of studies, with that of the cross of 
 knight of the Legion of honour, were placed on the cof- 
 fin. No civil functionary could have more honour paid to 
 him than this irish patriot, residing in a foreign land, 
 away from his own home. 
 
 Mr Laurence Lewens continued, after his faiher's 
 death, still to be very obliging to his friends, and often 
 
22 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 used his influence in getting bourses at colleges for the 
 sons of men whose circumstances prevented them being 
 able to pay the full expences of the college education. 
 
 General Arthur O'Connor having a demand to make of 
 the french government respecting the pay of the Irish 
 oflScers not employed, and thinking the new ministry, of 
 which the abbe de Frayssinous was still a member, in Ja- 
 nuary 1828, might be favourable, asked me to introduce 
 him to Mr Laurence de Lewens. The latter being very 
 busy at the ministry during the week, appointed the 
 Sunday morning after when general O'Connor and I wait- 
 ed on him at his own house in the rue Vaugirard. Both 
 spoke english and french equally well, still Mr de Le- 
 wens wished the conversation to be in french, as he could 
 the more readily explain to the minister the object of ge- 
 neral O'Connor's demand, which was simply this; at the 
 formation of the irish legion, Alexandre Berthier, minis- 
 ter of war, afterwards prince Berthier, gave a document 
 in writing to general O'Connor, assuring him that the 
 irish officers, whether actively employed or not, should 
 always receive their full pay, as they would have no 
 home to retire to, like the native officers, after the dis- 
 oanding of their regiments. — M. Laurence do Lewens 
 soon understood the question perfectly, and promised to 
 explain the matter to the minister and procure from him 
 an audience for general O'Connor; this took place two 
 days after, when the minister, abb6 deFrayssinous kindly 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 23 
 
 took upon himself to bring the business before the go- 
 vernment and to use all his influence to have general 
 O'Connor's demand taken into consideration. Adding, 
 « general, I know well the sacrifices you have made in 
 « your own country, endeavouring to have the catholics 
 « there emancipated, and it will afford me great pleasure 
 « now, if I can in any way, serve you or your country- 
 « men. » Nothing could be more gracious than the re- 
 ception general O'Connor met with from the minister 
 and he seemed much struck with young Lewens' talents 
 and great kindness. I had to go to Fontainebleau on this 
 occasion, to engage colonel Markey, who resided there, to 
 use his influence with his friends, whom he knew when 
 he was a'de-de-camp to the minister of w^ar, the duke de 
 Feltre ; these gentlemen retaining under the Bourbons 
 government the offices they had at the time of the em- 
 pire; in short we had every reason to expect a favourable 
 issue to our demand, from the kind interest the abbe de 
 Frayssinous, theBishopof Hermopolis,took in the matter; 
 but unfortunately he resigned and quit the ministry be- 
 fore general O'Connor got any answer to his demand. — 
 All these details will shew the interest Edward Lewens 
 and his son took in irisli affairs when they possessed 
 great influence with the french government, under the 
 reign of Charles the tenth. 
 
 After this long digression, I must resume my narrative 
 of the way I spent the months of September, October and 
 
24 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 november at Paris in 1803. — My daily occupation was 
 learning french. — I thought I was not making much 
 progress ; however D"' Mac Neven encouraged me, and bade 
 me persevere. He advised me never to go out to walk with- 
 out my grammar or vocabulary, and to take care that 
 before I returned, I should have learned some new words. 
 I followed his advice and it was excellent. — No matter 
 what direction I intended to walk in, before setting out, 
 I wished always to call at the London coffee house, in 
 the rue Jacob, where I was sure to learn some news about 
 Ireland. One morning passing e.irly there, I saw madame 
 Lecomte behind her counter and only one man in the 
 coffee house, and this gentleman had a pile of old news- 
 papers on the table before him. Madame Lecomte told me 
 that (he « Argus » english newspaper had not arrived. 
 At the same time addressing the gentleman who was 
 busy reading, she said, « Mr Sweeny, this is the Mr Byrne 
 « I was telling you of. » On which he came and shook 
 hands with me, saying, « I have just arrived after a long 
 « journey; Mr Gallagher whom I have just seen, gave 
 « me your address. » We then left the coffee house toge- 
 ther, bidding madame Lecomte good morning. He going 
 a few doors further off to the h6tel d'Espagne, I accom- 
 panied him, when be began to tell me all about his for- 
 tunate escape from Ireland. Having gone to Cork, for the 
 purpose of co-operating in the intended rising, organized 
 by Robert Emmett, but hearing of its failure at Dublin, 
 he had to conceal himself the best way he could, and wait 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 25 
 
 for some opportunity to get back to France. At length a 
 fishing smack was procured at vast expence, and it land- 
 ed him on the coast of France, when he immediately 
 posted to Paris. 
 
 He had not shaved himself from the time he left Ireland 
 and of course his beard was very long and being very 
 black, he had quite a martial air. He was a very fine 
 looking man, about thirty two years of age and he had 
 the most beautiful teeth I ever saw in a man. — John 
 Sweeny was the great friend of Thomas Addis Emmett. 
 They were fellow prisoners at Dublin and at Fort George 
 in Scotland. He was one of those Irish patriots who had 
 to exile themselves for « ever » from the land of their 
 birth, in order to get out of confinement, at the peace of 
 Amiens. 
 
 Mr Sweeny went afterwards to lodge in the rue de la 
 Loi (now rue Kichelieu) along with "William Lawless. — 
 "We met frequently, and I felt great pleasure in talking 
 with him on Irish matters. — Our feelings and opinions 
 perfectly coincided on them. — He was a captain after- 
 wards in the Irish legion, but his military career was 
 short, for he resigned his commission after his unfortu- 
 nate dispute and duel with captain Thomas Corbet, in 
 1804. — In that duel they were both wounded, but Cor- 
 bet only survived his wound a few hours. Sweeny went 
 to live at Morlaix. He married there a lady who was re- 
 lated to the family of general Moreau's wife. 
 
 With Hugh Ware I was at once on the most intimate 
 
26 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 terms. — In our long walks we had always much to say 
 about the fig-hting in 1798. — Our sympathies on that 
 score, as indeed on almost every thing else, were alike, 
 and a friendship commenced between us in Paris, which 
 augmented in campaign, and on the battle field, and ne- 
 ver ceased afterwards. Ware's first cousin Joseph Parrot, 
 who accompanied him to France, and who had shared 
 with him in all the dangers of the insurrection, was 
 without exception one of the most brave and honourable 
 officers that could be. Their means of living, like my 
 own, being limited, we easily agreed on the way to spend 
 our evenings. "We generally met and walked in the gale- 
 rie de bois in the Palais-Royal, where we met other exiles 
 and heard all the news of the day. 1 frequently met Wil- 
 liam Lawless, but had scarcely ever any conversation 
 with him; his manner appeared to me rather cold and 
 distant. Of course I was the more surprised one day when 
 he called on me at my lodgings in the rue de la Harpe 
 and said to me, « Mr Byrne, you must not be displeased 
 « if I speak to you on a very serious subject. I under- 
 « stand you are not living as you should. I have therefore 
 « called on you to say, that 1 can lend you money, be- 
 ef cause I know where to apply to get more when my 
 « stock is finished, w'hich probably you may not. » — I 
 of course thanked him in the most grateful manner, and 
 told him, I had still sufficient for another month, k Yes » 
 he rei)lied « but you must not starve yourself. » — We 
 then took a long walk together and met doctor Mac Neven 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 27 
 
 in the evening by appointment. We dined together and 
 went to the play to see Brunet at the Vari^t^s. It was 
 the first time I had been in a french theatre, and indeed I 
 felt quite proud at being able to understand the french 
 well enough to enjoy the performance of this wonderful 
 comic actor in Jocrisse. When he stumbled in crossing 
 the stage, carrying the buffet, and broke the plates, etc., 
 I got into a great fit of laughter, which pleased both 
 Lawless and Mac Neven, as they thought I was too me- 
 lancholy, and they were glad to see me so much delight- 
 ed with the play. I felt very grateful to these worthy 
 patriots for their attention to me at that time. 
 
 It was doubly agreeable to me when Mr Emmett was in 
 the country, away from Paris. — I then could see how 
 wrong it is to judge of men too hastily and on a short 
 acquaintance. William Lawless instead of being cold and 
 distant, was the most agreeable, kind, companionable 
 man possible; highly educated, well versed in almost 
 every branch of science, speaking fluently and well, both 
 french and english ; in short, had his country obtained 
 her freedom, he would have shone in her senate as a first 
 rate orator, — I had no introduction to Mr Lawless, 
 though I knew his nephew John Lawless, from whom I 
 might have had one before I left Dublin, had I not been 
 hurried away, I therefore felt his generous offer to lend 
 me money in a foreign country the more warmly. — Our 
 friendship ceased not but with death, and I must ever re- 
 member him with gratitude and affection for his conduct 
 
28 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 on that occasion. — As to my advancement in the french 
 army, it so happened that general Lawless did not do any 
 thing to promote it when he was colonel of the irish re- 
 giment in 1813. — In 1808 I was a captain, and William 
 Lawless was still a captain. He however regretted much 
 that I did not get my brevet as superior officer at the same 
 time John Allen and Terence O'Eeilly got theirs, viz : in 
 1814, previous to Napoleon's abdication. 
 
 Colonel Lawless lost his leg on the 21st of august 1813, 
 when commandant Ware took the command of the regi- 
 ment as senior officer; after the battle of Goldberg, two 
 days later, on the 23<i of august, Ware was ordered by 
 our general of division Puthod, to propose, or make a 
 memoir of propositions to obtain promotion for those offi- 
 cers whom he said had distinguished themselves under 
 his command during the campaign. Several officers and 
 non-commissioned officers were carried on the proposition 
 for the decoration of the Legion of honour. — We were 
 four captains proposed for the rank of field officer chefde 
 bataillon, equivalent to lieutenant-colonel : Saint-Leger, 
 Allen, O'Reilly and I. — As « senior » I was first on the 
 list and consequently I thought that my commission 
 would be one of the first issued from the war office for 
 the irish regiment, therefore I never once suspected that 
 there would be what the french call a « passe-droit » 
 wrong in the matter. 
 
 Captain Allen only obtained the rank which general 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 29 
 
 [unot, duke of Abrantes, proposed for him in 1810, after 
 le had mounted the breach at the siege of Astorga, where 
 dj his bravery and brilliant conduct, the reputation of 
 the irish in the french army received still greater re- 
 aown. Poor Allen had the misfortune to be taken priso- 
 Qcr coming out of Portugal in 1811, by the Spaniards 
 and he was kept in close confinement till the end o 
 1812; this prevented him getting his well merited pro 
 motion. 
 
 Captain Saint-Leger, one of the bravest and most ho- 
 nourable officers that ever made part of any army; — 
 highly educated in the first colleges at Paris, being of 
 too delicate a constitution to continue the miseries and 
 fatigues of bivouacking as an infantry officer, he quit the 
 regiment and was appointed one of the staff officers 
 of general Maison, the commander and chief of the 
 first corps of the grand army in 1813. — This corps 
 having taken such an active and distinguished part in 
 the campaign of 1814, Saint-Leger was on the point 
 of obtaining his promotion, when the Restoration re- 
 tarded it. 
 
 Captain O'Reilly was the junior by two years of us 
 four; the second battalion to which he now belonged not 
 being yet reorganized, he got leave of absence to go to 
 Paris. — Colonel Lawless was already there and had joi- 
 ned his family. — O'Reilly availed himself of his in 
 
30 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 fluence at Paris with the minister of war « Clark « 
 duke of Feltre, and he succeeded in getting his brevet in 
 time, before Napoleon's abdication in 1814. 
 
 Both colonel Lawless and O'Reilly got promotion for 
 their brilliant conduct at the siege of Flushing in 1809, 
 fighting against the euglish there. They had the good 
 fortune to escape, and to save the eagle and the colours 
 of the regiment. That memorable siege was not forgotten 
 for the brave Irish who participated in its dangers, and 
 O'Reilly found the remembrance of it facilitated still more 
 at the war office his promotion and the making out of his 
 commission as chef de bataillon. My brevet was prepared 
 and ready to be signed and would have been delivered at 
 the same time, had I been in Paris : but after the disas- 
 ters at Lowenberg upon the Bober, the 28th of august 
 1813, where general Puthod was taken prisoner and 
 his division nearly destroyed, we few remaining of the 
 irish regiment who escaped, saving the eagle and our 
 colours, on reaching Bautzen, received an order from 
 prince Berthier who was there with the emperor, to re- 
 pair to our depot at Bois-le-Duc in Holland. The first bat- 
 tallion to which I belonged, was forthwith re-organized 
 and sent to the advanced posts at Grave on the Meuse, and 
 when Holland was evacuated by the freuch army in the 
 winter of 1813 and 1814, all our regiment was assembled 
 at Antwerp and made part of the garrison there, during 
 that memorable siege, under the orders of the governor ge- 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE M 
 
 neral Carnot, 'till the month of april 1814. 1 had the com- 
 mand of a battalion and was doing the functions of supe- 
 rior, or field officer : so that my disappointement was the 
 g-renter, when I learned that my brevet had not been sign- 
 ed before Napoleon's abdication, and that O'Reilly who 
 had never taken any part in Irish politics, had been nam- 
 ed even before Allen, whose services in Spain, and in- 
 deed wherever he was employed in the different cam- 
 paigns of the french army gained such renown as added 
 much to the irish reputation. 
 
 It was now too late to seek redress, the Restoration 
 and the hundred days of 1815 put a stop to our military 
 career. So I must again resume my narrative at Paris in 
 1803. 
 
 After William Lawless's friendly offer and kind atten- 
 tion to me, I frequently called on him, and always found 
 him good humoured and agreeable, and generally occupied 
 answering letters. He sometimes would give me one to 
 read, which perhips he had just received, from lord 
 Cloncary or some other valued patriot, and from the te- 
 nour of those letters and his answers to them, I could see 
 that the warmest friendship subsisted between him and 
 his correspondents. 
 
 In my visits to Mr Lawless, or to Sweeny who had an 
 apartment in the same h6tel, I was sure to meet some of 
 the irish exiles, who had had to fly from home. Patt Gal- 
 
32 MEMOIUS OF MILES liYR.NE 
 
 lagher was one of them. His name will never be forgotten 
 in Dublin, as the brave and faithful body guard to the 
 ever-to-be-lamented lord Edward Fitzgerald, who had 
 been obliged to change frequently his hiding place, from 
 house to house in the Liberty, in order to escape the po- 
 lice of the castle hacks. Gallagher was always one of the 
 most determined of lord Edward's escort when changing 
 his abode. — What a misfortune that half a dozen of 
 such resolute men as Gallagher were not placed at once 
 at Murphy's house in Thomas street ! — They would 
 have saved the darling of their heart and Ireland's glory, 
 and would have escaped with him to the Wicklow moun- 
 tains; then the insurrection would not have been depriv- 
 ed of the enterprizing experience of this valiant soldier, 
 whose presence at our camp, in the commencement would 
 have been equal to a great army, and would certainly 
 have caused a general rising of the patriots throughout 
 Ireland ; and the citizens of Dublin would have been 
 saved the eternal disgrace of having allowed this Irish 
 chieftain to be sacrificed, without making the least effort 
 in his favour. But indeed the only excuse for them is, 
 that they were taken by surprise and not prepared for the 
 event : though I am sorry to say, that I met in Paris, 
 after the restoration of the Bourbons, Dublin catholic ci- 
 tizens, passing themselves off as patriots, who were not 
 ashamed to say that they thought the infamous Reynold's 
 information a fortunate circumstance. These gentlemen 
 to be sure made part of the merchants and lawyers corps 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 33 
 
 of yeomanry, and perhaps prided themselves that they 
 escorted lord Edward to prison. Our conversation being 
 a private one, I shall not mention their names ; but an 
 irish catholic historian was not ashamed to g-ive his own 
 opinion in 1846 on Robert Emmett's unsuccessful attempt 
 to free his country and get rid of the insolent protestant 
 ascendency. Tiz : « I neither attempt to justify his plans 
 « in 1803, nor do I regret their failure; far from it; I 
 « believe their accomplishment would have been a cala- 
 « mity. » (See : « The united irishmen, their lives and 
 times, « by RR. Madden, M. D. Vol. Ill, page 287.) 
 Surely if lord Edward Fitzgerald and his brave-compa- 
 nions, the patriots of 1798 , were justifiable in seeking 
 aid from the french Directory to shake off the english 
 yoke, Robert Emmett must have been doubly justified in 
 1803, surrounded as he was, by the tried patriots of the 
 time, all of whom agreed with him, that the moment was 
 propitious, when the irish catholic « serfs » had their 
 chains closer rivetted than ever since the detested union 
 with great Britain, and the loss even of the corrupt pro- 
 testant parliament, which left them no hopes of redress. 
 — Certainly Robert Emmett had every reasonable hope of 
 obtaining assistance from the First Consul Buonaparte, 
 who was at that time so much exasperated against En- 
 gland, on account of her recent bad faith and perfidious 
 conduct in seizing and capturing french merchant ves- 
 sels before any declaration of war after the peace of 
 
 Amiens. The First Consul knew well that Ireland was the 
 T. ni 3 
 
34 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 weak and vulnerable part where England might be over- 
 thrown, and that the irish were ready to rise « en 
 masse, » as soon as an army of ten thousand French troops 
 were landed ; the number which had been stipulated for 
 between him and the irish chiefs. How then could any 
 irish catholic acquainted with these circumstances, say, 
 at any time since, that he was glad that Robert Emmett 
 did not succeed? All catholic Ireland being at that period 
 ready to rise, the moment a rallying point offered, with 
 perhaps the exception of some time-serving lord, who 
 would prefer to be a valet at the english court to being 
 an independant senator in his native land; or those ti- 
 mid mercenary would-be-historians or book-makers, to 
 enable them to be mean place beggars. They numbered 
 however very few in Robert Emmett's time, because as 
 catholics, they were not apt to fill situations at the castle 
 of Dublin, or in the provinces. 
 
 As I have frequently spoken of all those matters al- 
 ready in my narrative, I must be excused now if I repeat 
 them again, in writing of lord Edward's steady friend 
 Patt Gallagher, who at the formation of the irish Legion 
 in 1803 entered it at the same time I did, with the rank 
 of lieutenant. He soon after was promoted to that of cap- 
 tain, but in 1805, seeing no prospect of an expedition to 
 Ireland, and having an highly accomplished wife and 
 two fine children to provide for, he resigned his commis- 
 sion of captain and retired to Bordeaux, where he set up 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 35 
 
 as a ship broker, and soon began an extensive business 
 with the neutral maritime countries; but particularly 
 with the Americans of the United States. 
 
 Another of the irish exiles of '98 whom I was sure to 
 meet with when I called on Mr Lawless, was, John Ten- 
 nant, brother to that high - minded patriot William 
 Tennant of Belfast, the friend and fellow prisoner of Ar- 
 thur O'Connor, and Thomas Addis Emmett. John Ten- 
 nant in escaping from Ireland, was fortunate enough to 
 have had a surn of money in hand, which he placed ad- 
 vantageously, in the frencli funds, and the interest of 
 that money quite sufficed for all his expences at Paris. 
 He might have resigned his rank of captain also, having 
 the means of living independantly, but he preferred re- 
 maining in the french service, in order to perfect him- 
 self in the military profession, that he might be the bet- 
 ter able one day to render service to his native country ; 
 and having made the memorable campaign of 1799 in 
 Holland, attached to the staff of the french general in 
 chief Brune, who so completely, defeated the anglo rus- 
 sian army, commanded by that bigoted, drunken sot of 
 « so help me God » notoriety, the duke of York, Tennant 
 acquired a real liking and taste for the military profes- 
 sion ; and his bosom friend Lawless who had made the 
 campaign in Holland with him was equally desirous of 
 seeing real military campaigning under that renowned 
 warrior. 
 
36 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 The military career of those two distinguished irish pa- 
 triots began and ended at the same time. They were na- 
 med captains the same day in 1803 at the organization of 
 the irish Legion. In 1813 at Lowenberg in Silesia, where 
 Lawless was colonel, commanding the irish regiment, 
 Tennant was chef de bataillon ( or lieutenant-colonel ) 
 commanding the first battalion of the regiment. On the 
 19th of august 1813 Tennant was killed in our hollow 
 square, literally cut in two by a cannon ball; and on the 
 21st of august, the second day after, colonel Lawless at 
 the passage of the Bober, at the town of Lowenberg, and 
 in the presence of Napoleon, had his leg shot off by a 
 cannon ball. It was ray painful and melancholy duty to 
 get the grenadiers to dig a grave for poor Tennant, after 
 we had retaken our position and beaten the enemy off the 
 field of battle, on the 19th of august 1813. Whilst the 
 men were preparing the grave, colonel Lawless never cea- 
 sed weeping, and indeed both the officers and men who 
 were present, were much afi'ected and shed tears of sorrow* 
 over poor Tennant's grave. — 
 
 On the 21st I had the a'ffliction to see poor Lawless fall 
 off his horse, and to get six grenadiers to carry him on a 
 door, into the town of Lowenberg, where the baron Larrey 
 performed the amputation of his leg. When the boot was 
 cut away, and that he saw plainly the desperate wound, 
 he exclaimed « ah ! my poor wife and children ! » It was at 
 least soothing to him at the moment, to be told, by the 
 emperor's aide-de-camp, when he came by order to see 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 37 
 
 him, that he would be general of brigade, and baron of 
 the empire. Lawless was named general after some time, 
 but he never got the title of baron — the Restoration of the 
 Bourbons put a stop to Napoleon's promotions. — 
 
 Previous to going into campaign, John Tennant willed 
 the little property he had to his daughter. Richard Mac 
 Cormick being his executor, had the little girl educated 
 with great care in a convent at Paris, and when he was 
 allowed to return from exile, he took his lamented friend 
 Tennant's daughter with him to Dublin, where she mar- 
 ried a gentleman of the name of Murray. 
 
 When I arrived at Paris in 1803, the two Corbets were 
 employed as professors of english; the eldest brother 
 Thomas, at the Prytauee, and William at the military 
 college of Saint-Cyr. — The latter, tho' a very young 
 man at that time, had already acquired a great reputa- 
 tion as a patriot and sufferer for his country's freedom. 
 He was one of the students of Trinity college, Dublin, 
 expelled in 1797, along with Robert Emmett, for being 
 suspected of having « united-irish-men's principles, » 
 but his worst crime was, for having been present at an 
 aggregate meeting held in the roman catholic chapel in 
 Francis street, for the purpose of getting petitions signed 
 to obtain the emancipation of the Irish catholics. Several 
 speakers made a great display of eloquence at that 
 meeting; but Edward Lewens surpassed them all. He 
 became so exhausted at the end of his speech, that he 
 
38 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYKNE 
 
 fainted away, and was carried off from the meeting. My 
 step-brother Edward Kennedy was present at that meet- 
 ing, and he often told me of the great sensation Lewens 
 caused. The presence too of the students from Trinity 
 college was hailed with rapturous applause. 
 
 The Corbets escaped to France, and like the other Irish 
 exiles, were embarked from time to time on expeditions 
 to Ireland. — "William Corbet was one of the four Irish 
 patriots given up to the english consul Crawford on the 
 24th november 1798, at Hamburg, by that vile city and 
 senate, which in consequence of this cowardly act, be- 
 came disgraced in the sight of every civilized country in 
 the world. The four victims were, general Napper Tandy, 
 Harvey Morris, Blackwell and William Corbet. They 
 were imprisoned for many months at Hambourg, and 
 then chained and embarked on board an english ship of 
 the line for Ireland ; then put into Kilmainham jail, Du- 
 blin, there to wait their trial and execution, which would 
 soon have taken place, had not Buonaparte become all 
 powerful as First Consul at the head of the french go- 
 vernment about that time. The english ministry no 
 doubt feared he might make reprisals, but be that as it 
 may, Tandy and his fellow prisoners from Hamburg, 
 were kept in prison, till the peace of Amiens, though 
 Tandy's trial and acquital took place on the 19th of may 
 1800. William Corbet made a fortunate escape from Kil- 
 mainham prison, by means of a rope ladder, and got 
 safely back to France. 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 39 
 
 At the formation of the irish legion at Morlaix in 1803, 
 the two brothers Thomas and William Corbet, were na- 
 med captains in it; but poor Thomas Corbet did not long 
 enjoy his rank; he fell in the duel he fought with captain 
 Sweeny at Lesneven in 1804. 
 
 Captain William Corbet was more fortunate, though he 
 often met with difficulties. He finished his career honou- 
 rably and bravely. At the coronation of the emperor in 
 1804, captains William Corbet and Tennant were sent to 
 Paris to receive the standard with the eagle, and the irish 
 colours for the legion. — In 1805 Corbet and other offi- 
 cers of the legion, were detached from Quimper, to escort 
 young soldiers to the Tyrol and Venice. — In 1806 Corbet 
 retired on half pay and resumed his former situation as 
 professor of english at the military college of Saint-Cyr. 
 After remaining there more than a year, he thought it 
 would be unworthy of him to continue, whilst war was 
 going on, and all his comrades seeing real military ser- 
 vice in campaign. He therefore solicited to be again-put 
 into active service. On account of his brother's infortu- 
 nate duel, whilst in the irish legion, he had no desire to 
 return to it; he was employed as captain in the 70th re- 
 giment of the line, formerly « Berwick's, » and he made 
 the campaigns of Spain and Portugal with this regiment, 
 where there were still some of the irish brigade officers, 
 such as captain Brannan and others, whom I often met, 
 brave and worthy men. 
 
 The 70th regiment suffered much during the retreat 
 
^^ MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 from Portugal, and the battalion to which captain Corbet 
 belonged, lost more than half of its officers and men. The 
 colonel was killed at the head of the battalion, where 
 Corbet shewed great calmness and bravery; he lost in the 
 colonel his best friend, on whom he counted would have 
 proposed him immediately for advancement. 
 
 On the 3d of may 1811, Marshal Massena had his ar- 
 my concentrated near the town of Ciudad Rodrigo, for 
 the purpose of relieving the town of Almeida, occupied by 
 general Brenier and a french garrison of fifteen hundred 
 men and besieged by theenglish army. I here saw captain 
 William Corbet for the first time after his quitting the 
 irish Legion in 1806 ; tho' we made part of the same ar- 
 my, being of different divisions, we did not meet "till this 
 day, the evening before the battle of Fuentes Onoro, the 
 5th of may 1811. Corbet had very little to eat, fortunately 
 I was better off and shared with him some of my bread 
 and wine, sufficient at least for that night. 
 
 After the battle, marshal Massena was replaced in the 
 command of the army of Portugal by marshal Marmont. 
 The latter enquiring in the different regiments for an in- 
 telligent officer who could speak and write english and 
 french correctly, to be attached to his staff, captain Cor- 
 bet was appointed, and he soon evinced that he was 
 equal to the task. Being continually obliged to interro- 
 gate english prisoners and to draw up written reports, 
 he shortly afforded great satisfaction to the general in 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 41 
 
 chief Marmont, and soon became one of his favourite 
 staff officers, along with Fabvier, captain Denys Damrd- 
 raont, Baraguay-d'Hiliers, etc., and I must say of Corbet, 
 that I always found him ready to avail himself of his in- 
 fluence with the marshal, to render service to his com- 
 rades. 
 
 Captain Allen, who had so brilliantly distinguished 
 himself at the sieg-e of Astorga in 1810, had the misfor- 
 tune to be taken prisoner coming out of Portugal in the 
 month of march 1811, by the Spanish chief of guerrillas 
 Don Julian, Several months elapsed before we had any 
 tidings of Allen at the regiment; we feared the worst, 
 when one morning in the month of September 1811, 
 being with the battalion at the head quarters of marshal 
 Marmont, at Placencia in Estramadura in Spain, I recei- 
 ved a letter from Allen, dated from a fort near Cadix, 
 telling me of all he had suffered; the four sabre wounds 
 he had been afflicted with, and the cruel treatment he 
 had received from the Spaniards on his way to prison; 
 but of all thing beseeching me to exert myself in every 
 way possible, to have him exchanged, before being hand- 
 ed over to the english government, as it was expected 
 every moment that an order would be given to have all 
 the prisoners then confined in the Spanish forts, sent 
 forthwith to english prisons. — I shewed Allen's letter to 
 Corbet, who went instantly to marshal Marmont, to pray 
 him to use his influence to save Allen from falling into 
 the hands of his cruel enemies the English. — Marshal 
 
42 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 Marmont wrote the same day to marshal Victor, who 
 then commanded the french army before Cadix, to have 
 captain Allen, if possible, one of the first prisoners to be 
 exchanged against a Spanish officer, no matter what the 
 rank, explaining Allen's cruel situatioii, were he to be 
 handed over to the english. Captain Corbet exerted him- 
 self judiciously and assisted me on this occasion like a 
 good irish patriot. He could not forget his ow^n sad si- 
 tuation at Hamburg, when the cowardly senate of a 
 neutral State gave him up to the tender mercies of his 
 enemies at Dublin . — I sent by the same post with the 
 marshal's despatch, a thousand francs to general Somelin 
 chief of the staff of the french army before Cadix, praying 
 him to have it remitted to poor Allen in his prison ; which 
 was carefully done, without loss on the exchange. 
 
 Captain Corbet continued on marshal Marmont's staflF 
 'till the battle of Salamanca on the 22^' of July 1812 where 
 the marshal was "badly wounded, and had to leave the 
 command of the army to general Clausel. 
 
 Commandant O'Neill of the 47th regiment (formerly 
 Walsh's of the irish brigade), being wounded on the field 
 of battle, and taken prisoner by the english, captain 
 Corbet w-as named chef de bataillon to replace him in the 
 47th, and he being well known to general Clausel, felt 
 some relief for being deprived of marshal Marmont's pro- 
 tection. 
 
 As soon as Marmont's wounds were a little healed, he 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 43 
 
 got the command of a corps at the grand army with Na- 
 poleon in Germany ; he asked to have commandant Corbet 
 of the 47th regiment employed in his staff, which request 
 was at once granted, and Corbet left Spain with much 
 pleasure, to go and join the grand army, and to be once 
 more under the orders of marshal Marmont. He had the 
 satisfaction at the same time to see his young brother 
 Frederick Corbet appointed sous-lieutenant in the 147th 
 regiment- He was 18 years of age and just come from 
 college, to begin a long and honourable military career. 
 I met this young man for the first time in Saxony, a few 
 days before the battle of Lutzen. His school fellow lieu- 
 tenant Saint-Leger introduced him to me. 
 
 it will suffice to show the active service colonel Corbet 
 witnessed at that side of the Rhine in 1813, to say that he 
 was at the battles of Lutzen the 2'^ may; Bautzen 20tli 
 may; Wurtzen the 21st, Dresden the 26th august ;Leipzick 
 the 18th October, and Hanau the 30th of October 1813, the 
 last on the other side of the Rhine ; then add, the memo- 
 rable campaigns of 1813 and 1814 in France, the battles 
 and combats down to the abdication of Napoleon at Fon- 
 tainebleau, and it will be seen, that few officers saw 
 more active service during that period than Corbet. In 
 consequence, he was raised to the rank of colonel, and 
 was fortunate enough to get his brevet in time before 
 Napoleon abdicated. 
 
 After the restoration of the Bourbons in 1814, colonel 
 Corbet was namedchief of the staff to the duke d'Aumont 
 
44 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 who commanded the military district at Caen, in the de- 
 partment of Calvados, Normandy. — 
 
 Napoleon landing from the isle of Elba on the 7th of 
 march 1815, his rapid march on Paris without an obstacle, 
 joined every where on his way, not only by the popula- 
 tion en masse, but by the troops of every garrison town, 
 where this news so fatal to the Bourbon dynasty had 
 reached, the general duke d'Aumont at once decided to 
 quit his command; he proposed to the chief of his staff, 
 colonel Corbet, to accompany him to England, assuring 
 him that the government of that country would be too 
 happy to grant him a gracious pardon, etc. To all this 
 Corbet replied, that he could never think of deserting 
 France, his adopted country; that he thought the french 
 had a right to govern themselves and to choose the form 
 of government best suited to their wants, and as to him- 
 self, he would continue to serve faithfully and honoura- 
 bly as he had hitherto done, no matter what that form 
 was. 
 
 Colonel Corbet had at this critical moment, the satis- 
 faction of being useful to his general ; he saw the duke 
 d'Aumont safely embarked and sail for the english coast, 
 without molestation or hinderance from the citizens of 
 Caen. 
 
 After the battle of Waterloo on the 18th of June 1815, 
 and Napoleon's second abdication, colonel Corbet was 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 45 
 
 jilaced on the list of half-pay officers and allowed to re- 
 side at Paris. He was not employed till 1828, when the 
 french government sent an army to free the Greeks from 
 their cruel turkish hondage. Corbet and I solicited the 
 minister of war, to have the honour to be employed on 
 this expedition. Our request was granted, and we set off 
 on the 8th of august 1828 for Toulon, where we embar- 
 ked for Greece, in the second division, commanded by 
 general Schneider. "We landed and joined general Maison 
 at his camp before Navarino; here we separated. Colonel 
 Corbet got the command of Navarino and the citadel, af- 
 ter Ibrahim Pasha and the Egyptians had capitulated and 
 evacuated the country. I was sent to Patras, and after 
 the siege of the castle of Morde, I was named to com- 
 mand this fortress 'till 1829, when by order of marshal 
 Maison, I delivered it up to the greek troops, and went 
 from thence to Coron, where I had the pleasure some 
 months later, to install a greek garrison in it, and from 
 thence I went to Navarino, where colonel Corbet com- 
 manded, and there, after the revolution of 1830, I recei- 
 ved my commission of chef de bataillon in the 56th regi- 
 ment of the line, then at Grenoble in France, and com- 
 manded by colonel, afterwards marshal, Bugeaud. — I 
 cannot forget the day this illustrious soldier received his 
 brevet of general, in april 1831, how little he seemed to 
 value it, on account of twenty other colonels being nam- 
 ed at the same time, and an expression made use of in 
 the chamber of deputies that general's commissions were 
 
46 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 thrown as litter on this occasion, vexed him still more. 
 He said tome, « I see on this list of promotions, a colonel 
 « Corbet, who is on the staff in Greece; of course you 
 « know him, what are his services? etc. » I told him that 
 Corbet was named chef de bataillon at the battle of Sala- 
 manca in the 47th and that he served in the infantry. 
 « Then « he replied » he will know how to command and 
 « manoeuvre troops, not like many staff officers, who get 
 « advancement though they never manoeuvred a com- 
 « pany. » — He added, that chef de bataillon was the 
 rank he himself had in 1812, in marshal Suchet's corps 
 of army and he was satisfied that general Corbet merited 
 his promotion from all I told him on the matter. 
 
 When William Corbet received his commission of 
 mar^chal-de-camp (major general) he was appointed to 
 command at Argos, and he remained in Greece 'till the 
 french army of occupation there evacuated that country 
 and left the Greeks free in 1833 ; and when he arrived in 
 France he got the command of the district of Caen, de- 
 partment of Calvados, and afterwards at Tulle. In this 
 last town he remained till he attained the age of 62. Then, 
 by the regulations of the army, he w^as placed in the 
 cadre de reserve. In 1840 he came to reside in Paris, and 
 seemed to enjoy his new position. Eeceiving his full 
 pay, and only liable to be called on in case of war, he 
 took handsome lodgings, and became a member of the 
 circle or club on the Italian boulevards, spending his time 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE ^tV 
 
 agreeably enough, 'till 1842, when his health began ra- 
 pidly to decline. His brother thinking that change of air 
 might do him good, took him to Saint-Denis, where he 
 was himself employed, as aide-de-camp to general Gazan. 
 But nothing could remedy the disease of the heart he had, 
 and of which he died on the 12th of august 1842. He was 
 buried in the cemetery of Montmartre, where his affec- 
 tionate brother has had a handsome monument erected to 
 him. - General Corbet was officer of the Legion of ho- 
 nour, knight of Saint-Louis, and commander of the or- 
 der of the Saviour in Greece. He valued those distinctions 
 as highly honourable no doubt, but he would sometimes 
 say : « how much the more valuable, would they have 
 « been, had they been gained in the cause of my native 
 « country 1 » And to his last moment he lamented that 
 her independence was not obtained; and he seemed ever 
 anxious for some thing to arise between the governments 
 of France and England which might prove beneficial to 
 his own country . 
 
 In 1840 we frequently consulted about the way we 
 could be best employed to serve Ireland, in the event of a 
 war between France and England, which was then on 
 the point of being declared. I remember one day, after an 
 audience he had had with the minister of war on the si- 
 tuation of Ireland, he told me, that the minister, general 
 Schneider, was very desirous to have a conversation with 
 me, respecting the reliance which could be placed on the 
 
/ '^^ MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 « then Leader » of the Irish, when a french army should 
 land in Ireland. — When he saw that there was to be no 
 war with Eng-land, he would speak to me of going to the 
 United States of America, being sure, he said, that from 
 that country one day or other, Ireland would receive ul- 
 timate assistance etc. I think it only justice to Corbet's 
 memory to mention all these circumstances. 
 
 In the year 1798 Drogheda, like many other towns in 
 Ireland, at that period, saw her best citizens tortured and 
 imprisoned; two of them however, Thomas Burgess and 
 Toney Mac Can, had the good fortune to escape this cruel 
 persecution and get safely to Hamburg; there by chance, 
 they met Thomas Campbell, the poet : that generous,' 
 highminded Scotchman, hearing their sad story, was 
 struck with pity for their fate, and sympathizing in 
 their patriotism and love of liberty, and touched by seeing 
 men so young, forced to abandon for ever the land ol" 
 their birth, because they had wished to see it happy and 
 independent, and inspired by all his finest feelings, 
 wrote the beautiful and melancholy verses « the Exile of 
 Erin .) which alone would entitle him to be ranked as a 
 great poet. — 
 
 Burgess and Mac Can hastened to Paris to offer their 
 services to the french Republic^ then governed by a Di- 
 rectory They met Theobald Wolfe Tone at Paris ; he was 
 preparing to go on another expedition to liberate his 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 49 
 
 country, and he trusted it would be more successful 
 than the one under Uoche; but alasl he ag-ain was dis- 
 appointed, and fell a victim to the great zeal and 
 courage which he displayed on this last occasion. Ire- 
 laud should ever be proud of him and do honour to his 
 memory. 
 
 Thomas Burgess embarked in that expedition to Ire- 
 land; not being in the same ship with Wolfe Tone, he 
 escaped hack to France. He had a still more fortunate es- 
 cape at Hamburg on the 24th of november 1798, for he 
 sailed in the same expedition and vessel with general 
 Napper Tandy, and came with him to Hamburg after it 
 had failed. Not being in the hotel at the time Tandy, 
 Morris, Blackwell and Corbet were arrested and impri- 
 soned. Burgess escaped with the other Irish exiles re- 
 maining there, to Altuna in Denmark, where the public 
 authorities were not base enough to listen to the english 
 agents there. 
 
 When Burgess returned to Paris, having a taste for 
 the fine arts, he betook himself to painting, and studied 
 under the auspices of the celebrated painter « David ; » 
 after very assiduous application, he became a connois- 
 seur, so much so, that despairing of success, he abando- 
 ned the pursuit. He got over from Ireland his younger 
 brother John, whom he got placed in the military col- 
 lege of the Prytanee of Paris, where he studied, until he 
 got his commission as a sub-lieutenant in the Irish legion 
 at its formation in 1803. 
 
 T. HI 4 
 
50 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 Thomas Burgess knew music, played on the haq), gui- 
 tar and violin. He lived heyond measure frugally, in or- 
 der, he said, to be able to assist his nieces, his brother 
 John's daughters, in London. On his death in 1848, he 
 left all he possessed, three or four thousand pounds to 
 his nieces. — Arthur Barker and William Hampden 
 Lawless were the executors. The latter had a good deal 
 of trouble, but finally succeeded in having the business 
 arranged to the satisfaction of the misses Burgess. 
 
 Poor Thomas Burgess had in reality a generous 
 temper and was of an obliging disposition towards his 
 friends, but without meaning any harm, he caused often 
 serious differences between them, forgetting that a pri- 
 vate conversation should not be repeated, except when 
 authorized by the person with whom it has been 
 held. 
 
 In 1803 I met one day at the London coffee house in 
 the rue Jacob, William Putnam Mac Cabe, the well 
 known active organizer of the united Irish system, and 
 the great confident of lord Edward Fitzgerald. He seemed 
 desirous to know how I had made my escape from Du- 
 blin ; when I told him I had an American passport, he 
 asked me to lend it him for a few daj's and that he would 
 return it to me safely. — I did give it him, but could not 
 get it from him, until I sent my friend Hugh Ware to 
 wait on him, to whom he gave it instantly, making some 
 
MRMOIHS OF MILES BYRNE 51 
 
 silly excuse for having' kept it so long, as, that he did 
 not suppose I could ever want it, now that I had my 
 commission as a fri'uch ofEcer. — I could perceive that 
 the mass of the Irish exiles then in Paris, were astonished 
 at the great facility with which Putnam Mac Cahe could 
 so frequently pass over to England and Ireland, and re- 
 turn to France in the time of war. In one of his voyages, 
 he brought over young John Burgess, to be placed in 
 college at Paris; and in another part of my narrative, I 
 have mentioned having met Putnam Mac Cabe at Antwerp 
 in 1807. He then had two ladies with him, whom he 
 brought from Dublin, \irs Berthemy, sister to the cele- 
 brated Henry Flood, and her daughter. Our regiment 
 being then in garrison there, we invited these ladies and 
 Mac Cabe to dine with us at ttie hotel du Lion-d'Or, 
 where we had our mess table. — Mac Cabe shewed us a 
 beautiful rich case of pistols, he was bringing-, he said, 
 to offer as a present to his friend general Arthur O'Connor. 
 This was the last time I ever saw Mac Cabe ; though we 
 were both residing at Paris in 1820, and that I often 
 heard of him from one of my comrades, captain Mac 
 Guire, who was in the habit of visiting him : still it so 
 happened, we never met. The truth is, I did not want to 
 renew his acquaintance: I had heard so many contradic- 
 tory versions about his different escapes in Ireland, that 
 I had my doubts about the disinterestedness of his pa- 
 triotism. On his death in January 1821, captain Mac 
 Guire wrote to Mr Nesbet who was then at Bordeaux that 
 
52 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 Putnam Mac Cabe had named him one of his executors. 
 Some short time after, Mac Guire told me that Nesbet 
 and Mac Cabe's daughter were married. 
 
 Much indeed has been said on the failure of Mac Cabe's 
 cotton spinning speculations at the town of Rouen, by 
 some of the persons who were engaged with him in the 
 enterprise, MM. Glashan, J. Smith and others ; but for my 
 own part, I never could clearly understand whose fault 
 it was that the manufactory did not succeed : one thing- 
 is certain, that that worthy Irish patriot Philip Long lost 
 a good deal of money in the concern. 
 
 Of Putnam Mac Cabe's money transactions and the 
 mortgage he had on general Arthur O'Connor's estate in 
 Ireland, I only learned by the lawsuit in the court of jus- 
 tice at Orleans, which took place after the restoration of 
 the Bourbons in France, and which was published at the 
 time in the newspapers of the day. That general O'Con- 
 nor had to use his influence w ith the duke of Feltre, to 
 keep Mac Cabe out of the difficulties resulting from his 
 too frequent excursions to the other side of the Channel 
 during the war between France and England, there can- 
 not be the slightest doubt. 
 
 Of the many fine fellows who had to escape from Ire- 
 land after general Humbert's capitulation there in august 
 1798 and whom I met at Paris, counsellor James Joseph 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 53 
 
 Mac Donald was one of the most distinguished. They 
 were all no doubt equally brave and zealous in their 
 country's cause, but he seemed to possess the talents, 
 acquirements and energy necessary to become a great 
 leader : he was handsome and well informed, and he 
 spoke the french language fluently. — General Humbert 
 at once appointed Mac Donald to be one of his generals, 
 to command the irish forces flocking to join his standard 
 when he landed on the irish coast, and to have them ar- 
 med and organized forthwith in the best way possible, 
 under the urgent exigency of the moment; and Humbert 
 in his report to the Directory, said, that if he had had a 
 sufficient force to have made a longer stand in the coun- 
 try, that Mac Donald would have been invaluable to him, 
 that he was enterprising and quite equal to the difficult 
 task he was entrusted with. — At the formation of the 
 irish legion in 1803, counsellor Mac Donald was greatly 
 disappointed and vexed to find that he was to be only a 
 captain in the legion ; he expected at least to be named a 
 field officer, if not a general, the rank which he had held 
 with Humbert in Ireland ; he therefore refused to take 
 his commission of captain, and did not join with us the 
 french army at Brest, which was destined for Ireland. As 
 none but men holding commissions or enrolled in the 
 service of the irish legion were to be allowed to make 
 part of the expedition, lest the discipline might suffer, it 
 was prohibited to volunteers, not enrolled, to embark, 
 and Mac Donald on learning these regulations and after 
 
54 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 remaining- a month or two at Paris, took his hrevet of 
 captain and came and joined the legion in the neig*h- 
 bourhood of Brest; but in consequence of an altercation 
 he had with adjutant g-eneral Mac Sheehy, who was then 
 commanding' the legion, he resigned his commission and 
 went to reside at Cadix in Spain, where several of his re- 
 lations had been settled in commerce. His first cousin 
 James Mac Donald, a fine spirited young man, who es- 
 caped with him, died a short time before I reached Paris, 
 much regretted by all the refugees. 
 
 Captain John Murphy commanding a trading vessel, 
 happened to be in the bay of Killalo when general 
 Humbert effected his landing on the Irish coast in 1798. 
 The french general wished to send off a despatch to in- 
 form his government of the happj- event, and Murphy 
 being a true irish patriot, immediately volunteered to be 
 the bearer of it, which delighted Humbert, for he feared 
 that a french ship would have little chance of escaping 
 the english cruisers. The brave Murphy undertook this 
 perilous task to serve and redeem his beloved native land, 
 well aware that he sailed with a rope about his neck; for 
 had he been taken with french despatches he would have 
 been hanged forthwith at the mast head. But no seafaring- 
 man then living knew better than Murphy the irish 
 coast, the english Channel, and the french Harbours, and 
 every corner and bay where a vessel could approach the 
 french shore, he being much engaged in the smuggling 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 55 
 
 line; he therefore escaped and reached the french shore 
 in the shortest time that ever a passage was performed. 
 On landing Murphy instantly posted to Paris to present 
 general Humbert's despatches to the french government, 
 and the reception he met with was gracious, and flatter- 
 ing indeed to an irish heart. The Directory instantly pre- 
 sented him with pistols of honour. These and sabres were 
 then offered to the brave men who distinguished them- 
 selves in the service of their country, as the decoration of 
 the Legion of honour is now accorded for similar bril- 
 liant actions, and services rendered to the state. — Cap- 
 tain Murphy was then put at the disposition of the 
 minister of the marine, who had him carried on the Navy 
 « contrdle « or list of the officers of the french Navy, and 
 at a later period, the First Consul named him « Grand 
 Pilot )> to the french fleet at Brest, with the rank of cap- 
 tain of a frigate, equivalent to lieutenant-colonel in the 
 army. Murphy enjoyed the pay and emoluments of this 
 rank 'till the restoration of the Bourbons in 1814, when 
 he was put « en retraite, » with a miserable pension of 
 eight hundred francs a year, 
 
 With his means of living thus reduced, and having his 
 wife and six children in Ireland, to whom he had to send 
 regular support, poor Murphy had to apply to rich mer- 
 chants at Nantes for employment. The merchants know- 
 ing his skill and experience as a navigator gave him the 
 command of a fine ship, with which he made many suc- 
 cessful voyages, to diff"erent parts of the world; particu- 
 
56 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRXE 
 
 larly to the coast of Patagonia, in South America, where 
 the sea elephant fishery proved very profitable to his 
 employers. In 1823 he was returning to Europe with a 
 large cargo of fish, oil, etc., etc., when the crew of his 
 vessel mutinied, and seized him, his second in conimand, 
 and the mate of the vessel. All three were locked down, 
 and chained, and treated in the most cruel manner. The 
 sailors were tempted to this act having heard at sea that 
 Spain and France were at war; they thought they could 
 run the ship into a Spanish sea-port town and there sell 
 her and the cargo with safety ; but after fifteen day's vain 
 efforts to reach the Spanish coast, they became so terrified 
 at their perilous situation, that they brought the mate of 
 the vessel on deck, and told him, if he steered them sa- 
 fely into a Spanish sea-port, he should get the greatest 
 part of the prize money, when the ship and cargo was 
 sold, and that if he did not consent, they would kill him 
 instantly, and then ask the second in command to comply 
 with their request. The poor mate told them at once he 
 was ready to follow their orders, and after sailing and 
 tacking about for two days more, one fine night the mate 
 told these ignorant ruffians, that they were then on the 
 Spanish coast, and that to escape the french cruizers he 
 would steer the ship into the bay they saw before them, 
 where they could pass the night without risk, by putting 
 up Spanish colours. Next morning at day light, their 
 vessel was boarded by a french sloop of war in the Bay of 
 Douarnenez, four leagues from Quimper, department of 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 57 
 
 Finisterre in France and not in Spain. — Captain Mur- 
 phy was then vmchained, and he resumed the command 
 of the ship. The sailors were all arrested and sent off to 
 Brest, where they were tried and condemned to imprison- 
 ment and the galleys, etc. I met Murphy at Paris, after 
 this misadventure, and he was still looking- stout and 
 well, but not what he was when I first saw him in 1803- 
 He was then quite a splendid man, more than six feet 
 two inches in height, athletic and well proportioned and 
 about fifty years of age. He was considered one of the 
 best racket players that could be met with. He was sim- 
 ple and unassuming, and always generous and friendly 
 to his countrymen. — Being in garrison at Nantes with 
 my regiment the 56th of the line, in 1835, I s.iw poor 
 Murphy there for the last time, quite broken down, and 
 like his countryman Hamilton Rowan, who had been very 
 tall, become low in stature before he died. — They were 
 however, more than eighty years of age before this change 
 took place. Murphy's family lived near Rush, and some 
 members of it in the county of Meath. 
 
 It would seem that the refugees of every nation, in their 
 misfortunes, away from their homes, are apt to have 
 their disputes and disagreements on politics; it is not 
 wonderful then that the irish exiles had theirs. Captain 
 Murphy kept free of parties as much as he could, and ho 
 enjoyed, I may say without exception, the esteem of all 
 his countrymen in France. Indeed he was looked up to 
 as a kind of oracle through whom good tidings would be 
 
58 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 announced. I cannot forget how we used to say, that it 
 aug'ured well for us, when Murphy was sent for by the 
 minister of the marine, and that he passed the day at the 
 hotel of the admiralty, place de la Concorde, with the 
 french admirals in council, who were appointed to com- 
 mand the Brest fleet. 
 
 I also recollect, that in 1804, when our regiment was 
 in garrison at Lesneven, five leagues from Brest, with 
 what glee four or five of us would set out on horseback, 
 to dine with the wortliy captain Murphy at Brest, and 
 return the same evening, after we had visited those beau- 
 tiful ships of the line, 25 in number, with transport ves- 
 sels, sufficient to embark the three divisions of Augereau's 
 corps of army, just returned from the Spanish frontier, 
 and now destined for Ireland. In short, captain Murphy 
 was a favourite with all the Irish offi.cers, and much con- 
 sidered by the french Navy. 
 
 Mr John Gibbons a wealthy gentleman of the county 
 of Mayo, and upwards of seventy years of age, had to fly 
 from his home, altho' he took no part in the general ris- 
 ing of the people to aid the french on their landing. His 
 son Ned, being taken prisoner after general Humbert's 
 capitulation, was condemned to be hung, and the rope 
 was about his neck, when some humane person interfer- 
 ing, his sentence was commuted, and he was transported 
 to Botany Bay for life. But the father after hiding- in the 
 mountains for some time, and learning that all his pro- 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 59 
 
 perty had been plundered and destroyed, escaped to Paris, 
 and at the formation of the irish legion in 1803, being- 
 told it would be necessary to hold some rank in order to 
 be allowed to embark in the expedition for Ireland, re- 
 plied, that he was ready to accept that of corporal sooner 
 than remain behind. 
 
 He got a commission of lieutenant, but poor man, he 
 did not long enjoy his military life, for he died at Ant- 
 werp in 1807. He had however the great satisfaction of 
 seeing his son Ned before he died, the latter having es- 
 caped from Botany Bay, and got his brevet as a sous-lieu- 
 tenant in the legion. — This young man could never 
 forget the shock he got at the foot of the gallows in Ire- 
 land. 
 
 He fought bravely at Flushing in 1809, in the irish 
 battalion, commanded by colonel Lawless; the latter 
 being badly wounded there, could not tell whether Ned 
 Gibbons was killed or made prisoner by the english troops 
 when they entered Flushing. Nor did the council of ad- 
 ministration of the irish regiment in France, ever hear 
 what had become of two very distinguished officers, lieute- 
 nants Gilmor and Eagar. They were with colonel Lawless 
 w^hen he was wounded, and if they escaped, they could 
 have returned to France after the restoration, and have 
 received their pay up to 1814, for five years, which was 
 due to them, and which was paid to captain Mac Mahon 
 and others who were taken at Flushing. They were then 
 at liberty to quit, if it suited them. 
 
60 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 Austin O'Mally was another of the brave Connaught 
 exiles whom I met in 1803 at Paris, and from what I saw 
 of him in the campaigns we made together afterwards, 
 he must indeed have rendered great service to the french 
 in 1798, at the battle of Castlebar, by marching at the 
 head of his fellow countrymen who joined general Hum- 
 bert ; for he feared no danger, and fighting seemed to him 
 a pastime, and without being bad tempered or quarrelsome 
 captain O'Mally was very often engaged in duels, and 
 always got out of them honourably. — In one he had at 
 Carraix in 1804 with the adjutant major whom he wound- 
 ed, this officer being a friend of general Mac Sheehy's.the 
 latter through spite, sent O'Mally as a prisoner to the 
 chateau of Brest for fifteen days ; a most unjust punish- 
 ment, for his antagonist was in fault. Captain Hugh Ware 
 (afterwards colonel) was O'Mally's second and captain 
 William O'Meara (afterwards general), was second to the 
 adjutant major. Those brave and honourable seconds 
 shewed fair play, but they could not prevent the duel. 
 
 The battalion to which captain O'Mally belonged, 
 being in garrison at Bergen-op-Zoom in 1812, he was 
 sent from thence with his company to one of the dutch 
 Islands on that coast, where he married the daughter of 
 a french officer who commanded the place. Whether the 
 great difi"erence of the Spanish climate, from which coun- 
 try he had just arrived, and where he had spent nearly 
 five years, from that of Holland, contributed to his mis- 
 fortune, losing his sight completely, could not be well 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 61 
 
 ascertained ; but probably, the sudden transition from 
 heat to damp and cokl might have accelerated poor^'Mal- 
 ly's blindness. — Like a true hero, he now shewed more 
 courage than ever. He bore up with his cruel situation, 
 with the fortitude becoming- a soldier and an irish patriot, 
 and only lamented that he could no more hope to be use- 
 ful to his dear native land. He was still cheerful, and his 
 conversation more agreeable than before he became blind. 
 Captain O'Mally had two sons, and he obtained for the 
 eldest, when he was nine years of age, a bourse at the 
 military college of La F16che, and from thence he was 
 sent to the military college of Saint- Cyr, to complete his 
 studies; and poor captain O'Mally had the satisfaction of 
 seeing him named officer in 1835, with the rank of sous- 
 lieutenant in the 15th leger regiment then in Africa. — 
 Young O'Mally soon distinguished himself there; he 
 studied and learnt the arable language quickly, and for 
 that was employed in every expedition which took place 
 in the district. Often in the most perilous situations, 
 young O'Mally rendered the most important service to 
 his division, by his bravery and knowledge of the arabic ; 
 consequently he got very rapid promotion from rank to 
 rank, and having been promoted to that of lieutenant- 
 colonel in a regiment just as it received orders for the 
 East, when the russian war broke out, he had a wider 
 field to shew his military skill, and before Sebastopol was 
 taken, he was promoted to the rank of full colonel and . 
 got the command of the 73^ regiment. 
 
(j2 memoirs of miles BYRNE 
 
 One of the bad effects in Ireland, and one of the many 
 grievances produced by the protestant ascendency was, 
 that which forced the young- catholic clergy to go to 
 France and other foreign countries to finish their studies 
 to render them fit for the situation of priests in their na- 
 tive country. This was seen in 1798. — Could it be ex- 
 pected that young men educated in France, would not 
 sympathize with all their heart and soul with a french 
 army landing on the coast to drive their tyrants and task 
 masters from the land? It would have been unnatural if 
 they did not. — Father Gannan was one of those who 
 studied in France, and immediately on the french landing 
 in Ireland, he came and offered his services to general 
 Humbert, who at once appointed him his « fournisseur 
 g^n^ral, » or furnisher of provisions. In this situation 
 Father Gannan was not only useful to the French, but he 
 rendered the greatest service to the inhabitants of the 
 country, wherever the army passed; and as he spoke 
 french fluently, he soon became a great favorite with the 
 french officers; his appearance commanded respect, as he 
 was tall and handsome with dignified, agreeable manners. 
 — As general Humbert when he capitulated to lord 
 Cornwallis, could obtain no terms for the Irish who join- 
 ed him, Father Gannan had to suffer great misery, hiding 
 in the Cunnamara mountains, before he could escape. He 
 at length got away in a vessel bound for Lisbon, from 
 which town he wrote at once to the french ambassador 
 at Madrid, Lucien Buonaparte, who invited him kindly 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 63 
 
 to come and spend some time in the Spanish capital; after 
 remaining- there a short while, he proceeded to Paris, 
 where he g-ot the best reception. — When I first made 
 his acquaintance at Paris in 1803, he was parish priest 
 of a villag'e near Saint-Germain-en-Laye, and I recollect 
 wallcing- out to see him along- with J. Fitzhenry, one 
 morning-, and we spent two very agreeable days there. 
 We were invited to take tea at Mr Thomas Addis Em- 
 mett's; he lived in the neighbourhood, and Mrs Eramett 
 told me how glad she always was to see Father Gannan 
 coming to the house, for her husband's spirits were al- 
 ways cheered by his visits and conversation, as he was 
 never desponding about Ireland. 
 
 After the first restoration of the Bourbons, Father Gan- 
 nan got a better parish near Tours, and on account of the 
 great number of irish catholics who took up their resi- 
 dence there, he found it agreeable enough ; but after the 
 hundred days and the second restoration, he, like others 
 of his country was made to feel the eflPects of those sud- 
 den changes. 
 
 A law having passed appointing almoners to every 
 regiment in the army. Father Gannan obtained his com- 
 mission as almoner at Lille; in this situation, half cleri- 
 cal, half military, he finished honourably his long career; 
 but he was ever regretting his « sweet home. » 
 
 I met also at Paris in 1803, another of those irishmen 
 who had to come abroad and beg his way, in order to 
 complete his education. He openly declared, that he owed 
 
64 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 no kind of allegiance to an English unmerciful, bigotted 
 monarch, who kept his country in bondage. 
 
 Captain O'Kean had taken orders in France, but when 
 he saw all the european tyrants declare war against the 
 liberties of tliat nation, he at once volunteered to serve his 
 adopted country as a soldier. He soon distinguished him- 
 self on the field of battle and was raised to the rank of 
 captain; which rank he held in general Humbert's little 
 army, landing from the bay of Killalo on the Irish coast 
 on the 22^ of august 1798. At the battle of Castlebar 
 O'Kean was highly complimented for his undaunted bra- 
 very and exertions, by the french general in chief Hum- 
 bert. He knowing well that part of Ireland, and speakinfr 
 equally flueutly, english, french and Irish, rendered the 
 greatest service on many occasions, where had it not 
 been for his humane exertions, many w^ould have suffer- 
 ed severely, and although all this was averred and at- 
 tested by the protestant Bishop of Killalo, still poor 
 O'Kean narrowly escaped being put to death after Hum- 
 bert had capitulated, like Tone's brother and others. 
 
 A detailed account of this expedition, from its sailing 
 from the French coast, with general Humbert's final sur- 
 render, the manner in which the french prisoners were 
 treated on their way to prison, their exchange and return 
 to France, etc., was written by captain O'Kean. He being 
 ordered to rejoin his regiment, the 65th of the lino, gave 
 his manuscript to doctor Mac Neven, who promised to 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 65 
 
 have it published, along with other narratives he was 
 then coUectino- from those other exiles who had fought 
 in the insurrection of 1798, and I remember Hugh Ware 
 very busy making out a clear copy of O'Kean's manus- 
 cript for doctor Mac Neven, which was rather difficult, 
 as the notes were sometimes written in latin, sometimes 
 in englishand sometimes in irish. These difficulties were 
 surmounted however, both being good latin scholars, and 
 doctor Mac Neven knowing the irish language well. 
 
 Captain O'Kean served with distinction in many cam- 
 paigns in Germany ; particularly at the defence of Ratis- 
 bon in 1809, where his regiment alone, commanded by 
 colonel Coutard, defended the place against thirty thou- 
 sand austrian troops. 
 
 At the siege of Astorga in Spain, the irish regiment 
 and O'Kean's, the 65th of the line, formed the same bri- 
 gade commanded by general Thornier, and there O'Kean 
 was delighted to see his countryman John Allen mount 
 the breach in so gallant a manner; and as the irish re- 
 giment continued to be brigaded with the 65th during the 
 campaigns in Portugal, in 1810 and 1811, we saw O'Kean ^ 
 almost daily, which was a mutual pleasure; for he was 
 good humoured and generous to a degree. He never would 
 let the irish officers pass his quarters, or bivouack with- 
 out entertaining them to the best of his means. He was a 
 true admirer of the hospitality of his ancestors. 
 
 When the order of the legion of honour was decreed by 
 T. ni 5 
 
66 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 the First Consul, captain O'Kean was amongst the first of 
 his corps who were decorated with this cross : « The star 
 of the brave. » After the second Restoration of the Bour- 
 bons in 1815, poor O'Kean retired on a pension, quite 
 cast down to think that there was no more chance for his 
 beloved country for hope from France, then ruled by the 
 influence of lord Castlereag-h, the enemy of her greatness 
 and happiness, as he was of the nationality of Poland, 
 and indeed of the liberties of every other country on the 
 face of the globe. How could any good be expected from 
 one, who, when young, betrayed and sold his native 
 land, and then finished by bringing a cloud of falsitj^ 
 and hypocrisy over the fame of the nation that allowed 
 him to govern her so long? 
 
 Captain Macguire told me that when he was taken 
 prisoner off the coast of Ireland, he had just time to dress 
 himself in the uniform of a private soldier, which hap- 
 pened to fit him tolerably well, and as the prisoners were 
 brought to Scotland, where they remained until they 
 were exchanged, he had the good fortune to escape safely 
 back to France, without being discovered to be an English 
 subject. He told me also, that the french prisoners were 
 very well treated in the scotch depots, which was a great 
 contrast to the harsh treatment they had to endure in 
 England at the same period. — Captain Macguire resided 
 at Paris till he got his commission for the Irish legion 
 in 1803. After the Hundred Days in 1815, he retired on a 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 67 
 
 pension, which he did not enjoy long*, as he died in his 
 lodgings at the arsenal rue Saint-Antoine in the year 
 1822. -•■ 
 
 I met Jeremiah Fitzhenry at Paris in 1803. He had 
 taken an active part in the county of Wexford insurrec- 
 tion in 1798, being with Bagnal Harvey at the battle of 
 New Ross on the 5tb of June. — After the execution of 
 his wife's brother, John Colclough, he feared he could no 
 longer remain with safety in Ireland. He accordingly 
 came over to France with his wife and his two little girls. 
 He went to reside at Saint-Germain-en-Laye, where he 
 met his friend and countryman, Mr William Barker, who 
 had been living there with his family, after he had esca- 
 ped from Enniscorthy and had lost his arm at the battle 
 of Vinegar hill. 
 
 Fitzhenry 's lady was brought to bed of another little 
 girl at Saint-Germain, and he seeing that hostilities were 
 on the point of breaking out between France and England 
 in 1803, hastened to send his wife and their three chil- 
 dren back to Ireland : remaining in France himself, to 
 share with his countrymen there, the danger and the 
 honour of making part of another expedition to Ireland, 
 which was expected to sail shortly from Brest. 
 
 At the formation of the Irish legion on the 7th decem- 
 ber 1803, Jeremiah Fitzhenry got his commission in it 
 of captain. 
 
 As I have taken notes of the services and campaigns of 
 
68 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYHXE 
 
 the different battalions composing- this leg-ion, I must re- 
 fer to the narrative I have written on the subject, for an 
 account of Fitzhenry's military career, which began so 
 brilliantly in Spain, but with sorrow I say it, terminated 
 so badly there. It requires a short extract to shew why 
 he changed. 
 
 In 1808 there was an order from the minister of war, 
 for six hundred men of the Irish legion then at Flushing- 
 to march to Spain ; Fitzhenry being the senior captain 
 had the command of them. At Pampeluna he joined the 
 irish battalion of the legion that had been at Madrid from 
 1807, now greatly reduced by sickness and hard service 
 on the retreat with king Joseph behind the Ebro. — 
 Fitzhenry was ordered to reorganize this battalion with 
 the reinforcements which he brought from Holland and 
 which he did with surprizing activity and prompti- 
 tude. 
 
 The governor of Pampeluna, lieutenant-general count 
 de Buisson, witnessing all this, hastened to represent to 
 the emperor and prince Berthier, both then in Spain, the 
 fitness of Fitzhenry to command a regiment, etc. — He 
 had certainly the experience and qualities to be a first 
 rate field officer . No man rode better than he did : he was 
 then well mounted. He had two very fine horses, and he 
 soon shewed he could command better on horseback than 
 on foot, and he looked even much better when mounted. 
 He was a very handsome man, six feet high, and about 
 thirty six years of age, when he received his brevet as 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 69 
 
 chef de bataillon, signed by prince Berthier the 16th de- 
 cember 1808. 
 
 Fitzhenry and his splendid battalion, more than eight 
 hundred strong, all well disciplined and well equipped, 
 got orders to march to make part of the army then form- 
 ing at Burgos, to be sent against general sir John Moore 
 and the English. The death of this general, and the em- 
 barking of his troops at Corunna put an end to this 
 march. — Fitzhenry got orders to stop at Burgos with 
 his battalion, where he had the honour a short time after 
 to have it under arms to receive Napoleon, who was then 
 on his way back to France. The emperor had no other 
 guards but the irish troops during the hour and a half 
 which he spent in the bishop's palace, and general Dar- 
 mignac who commanded then at Burgos, gave a most 
 favourable account to his majesty of the irish battalion, 
 of Fitzhenry and the ofRcers, speaking in the most flat- 
 tering terms of tlieir military instruction, etc. It is true 
 many of them, such as Ware, Allen, Parrott, Saint-Leger 
 and others, were quite capable of commanding in a su- 
 perior rank to that which they held, and Fitzhenry hav- 
 ing such officers to assist him, rendered no doubt his 
 command more easy and agreeable. "Without vanity, I 
 pride myself on having been one of them; we were not 
 only comrades, but we lived together like brothers ; and 
 this made hard service and privations often less felt than 
 they otherwise would have been. 
 
70 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 General Thiebaud who replaced general Darmignac at 
 Burgos, as governor of the province of Old Castile, told 
 us that he owed his first rank in the army to an irish man, 
 general Morin, who chose him from amongst the volun- 
 teers to be a captain. Commandant Fitzhenry soon became 
 ou the best terms with general Thiebaud, and he and his 
 battalion being continually employed in the most active 
 manner in the different expeditions through the province, 
 the general thereby had a better opportunity of appre- 
 ciating the way it served, and it was well known that he 
 made the most favourable reports to the minister of war 
 ou the subject. But the battalion had to leave him in 
 the beginning of may. It was ordered to Leon to make 
 part of the army commanded by general Kellerman and 
 assembled there to march and attack the marquis de 
 Romana in the Asturias. On the 18th of may 1809 
 commandant Fitzhenry's battalion marched at the head 
 of general Chariot's brigade, from Leon, making the 
 vanguard of the army to Oviedo, meeting great obstacles 
 on the way, as every passage and defile w^as bravely 
 defended by the Spanish army. From Oviedo, Fitzhenry 
 was ordered to Gijon on the coast, and from this town 
 into the highest mountains of the Asturias, where his 
 battalion suffered much from want of provisions, and 
 cold and damp, though in June. A Spanish division 
 five times our number, was for several days on our flank, 
 but did not venture to wait and meet us, though we 
 were alone. However we at length perceived a french 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 71 
 
 brigade coming to join us, and then the Spanish army 
 vanished, and dispersed themselves as was their custom 
 at such a crisis. The marquis of Romana escaped, and 
 the expedition terminated. Fitzhenry got orders to 
 return with his battalion to Burgos, where he was com- 
 plimented by general Thiebaud, who told him, that « in 
 « consequence of the brilliant manner your battalion 
 a serves, the emperor has decreed the first Irish regi- 
 « ment of the legion, composed of four war battalions 
 « and a depot. » The first with the eagle at Flushing, 
 still commanded by Petersely ; the second by Fitzhenry, 
 then at Burgos ; the third at Landau on the Rhine, 
 Mahony chef de bataillon; the fourth nearly organized 
 at the depot receiving daily irish recruits by hundreds 
 from the depots of the english prisoners. 
 
 Colonel Daniel O'Meara, who was just returned from 
 Burgos where he was commandant of the place, was sent 
 to Landau, to take the command of the irish regiment, a 
 most injudicious appointment, as will be seen. General 
 Thiebaud could not help saying how unfit O'Meara was, 
 for many reasons. First he was then advanced in years, 
 and knew nothing about commanding, having only ser- 
 ved on the staff'; besides, he was prone to the glass. His 
 brother William O'Meara being married to the sister of 
 the duchess of Feltre was no doubt a great means 
 of getting on colonel Daniel with the generals under 
 whose orders he might be, as the Duke of Feltre was 
 then war minister and all powerful. But the appoint- 
 
72 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 ment of John Mahony to be chief of the third battalion 
 displeased us still more ; he had emigrated and taken 
 service in England ; made the campaign in Egypt against 
 the french army there; at the peace of Amiens in 1802 
 he sold his commission of captain in the british service 
 and with this money came to Paris, where he had great 
 success at the gaming tables, for many years, never 
 caring about military affairs, till 1809, when his luck 
 changed and he lost all. He then applied to general 
 Clark the duke of Feltre, minister of war, to obtain a 
 commission in the army ; unfortunately he got it for our 
 regiment. It was too bad indeed, to see such Irish 
 patriots as William Lawless, Thomas Markey, John 
 Tennant, Paul Murray, P. Brangan, etc., serving as 
 captains in the battalion commanded by this adventurer. 
 
 As the end of June 1809 when we reached Burgos, we 
 found that the Spanish bands of guerrillas, as they were 
 called, had become most formidable, so that Fitzhenry 
 and his battalion were constantly employed marching 
 against there irregular Spanish troops; which furnished 
 him new occasions to shew his fitness to command, and 
 general Thiebaud availinghimself of it, frequently gave 
 important commands to Fitzhenry, both of horse and 
 foot, and as senior officer, he commanded the french 
 troops that accompanied us in our difi'erent expeditions 
 satisfactorily. 
 
 Returning to Burgos at the end of August 1809, after 
 one of these expeditions in the mountains, we heard of 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 73 
 
 the siege of Flushing, where the first battalion of the 
 irish reg-iment brilliantly commanded by William Law- 
 less was greatly distinguished and spoken of. But un- 
 fortunately the greater part of the officers and men were 
 either killed or wounded, and from the reports, it was 
 feared that commandant Lawless was killed in the last 
 sortie made against the English before the town was 
 taken. We could learn no details about our friends and 
 comrades but we were grieved to think how many had 
 fallen, and that those who escaped death on the field of 
 battle, were prisoners of war with their cruel enemy. 
 
 General Solignac being named governor of old Castile, 
 instead of general Thiebaud, Fitzhenry's battalion was 
 in consequence more actively employed ; for the new 
 governor had received positive instructions to finish the 
 guerrilla war in his province , and for this he was 
 receiving reinforcements daily. — In January 1810, the 
 third irish battalion arrived from France at Burgos , 
 commanded by J. Mahony chef de bataillon. 
 
 Commandant Fitzhenry as senior took the command 
 of the two battalions united, until the arrival of colonel 
 Daniel O'Meara who was expected from France. 
 
 Marshal Mass^na's army composed of three corps was 
 ordered to Spain. The 2'* corps was commanded by gene- 
 ral Regnier ; the 6th corps by marschal Ney ; the 8th 
 corps by general Junot duke of Abrantes. This splendid 
 
74 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 corps had three divisions; the first commanded by lieute- 
 nant-general Clausel ; the 2^ by general Solignac, and 
 the third by lieutenant general Lagrange. — The Irish 
 regiment commanded by Fitzhenry, was- of the 2*^ divi- 
 sion, and of general Thomier's brigade. The duke of 
 Abrantes' head quarters were at Valladolid. General 
 Solignac's division was assembled at Rio Seco. 
 
 The 1st of march 1810, the irish regiment left Burgos 
 to join its division at Rio Seco, where colonel Daniel 
 O'Meara arrived from France, and took the command of 
 his regiment which had been commanded by comman- 
 dant Fitzhenry in his absence. 
 
 The 'duke of Abrantes was ordered to march with his 
 three divisions and make the siege of Astorga. The first, 
 general Clausel's, was at the advance posts ; the second, 
 division, general Solignac's, opened the trenches on the 
 first of april; and the irish regiment was day and night 
 on service in those trenches till the town was taken on 
 the 21st of april 1810. Fitzhenry and his battalion had 
 the honours of this memorable siege, for, independent of 
 captain Allen's brilliant conduct, which nothing could 
 surpass, he mounting the breach under the tremendous 
 fire of thousands of the enemy, and getting into the town 
 and taking possession of a house under the rampart, 
 which he defended all night, commandant Fitzhenry at 
 the head of his battalion passed the night at the foot of 
 the breach, ready to mount it at day light, and he had 
 his captain adjutant major Perry wounded, and his 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 75 
 
 adjutant Granget had his right, arm shot off. Indeed the 
 general in chief Junot, could easily appreciate the bril- 
 liant services he might expect from Fitzhenry's batta- 
 lion, after what he himself had witnessed that day in the 
 trenches before Astorga, and he was quite delighted 
 when the captain of the grenadiers Hugh Ware, came to 
 him and claimed his right to mount the breach the 
 « first ». The duke mildly replied, « dont I command? 
 « the arrangement and service is ordered, l)ut be quiet, 
 n you must soon have your turn. » Ware walked away 
 on getting this answer, when the duke exclaimed, « we 
 « are not in the habit of receiving many reclamations of 
 a that » kind, and what a daring fine looking officer he 
 « isl » — General Solignac replied, « I know him w-ell 
 « and I have « apostiled » a demand to the minister for 
 « his advancement ; but he must wait until there is a 
 « place vacant in his own regiment, as he cannot pass 
 « into the french regiments with promotion. » General 
 Thomier also spoke to the duke of Abrantes of Fitzhenry 
 and his battalion, in the handsomest manner. 
 
 In may 1810 when the duke of Abrantes was marching 
 with his army from Astorga to Toro and Salamanca, he 
 assumed to himself the responsibility of taking the com- 
 mand of the Irish regiment from colonel Daniel O'Meara 
 and giving this command to commandant Fitzhenry, w^ho 
 he saw was capable of conducting the regiment, and he 
 ordered colonel O'Meara to be placed on general Solignac's 
 staff until the minister of war employed him otherwise, 
 
76 MEM(»1KS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 The chief of the third battalion, commandaut Mahony, 
 being on the worst terms with his officers, they were 
 assembled and in presence of the generals Solignac and 
 Thomier, who heard their complaints and commandant 
 Mahony's justification of himself, it was decided that he 
 should be placed on the general in chiefs staff, and the 
 command of his battalion confided to captain Allen, whose 
 brevet was hourly expected, as it would no doubt be the 
 first promotion granted for the siege of Astorga, where 
 Allen in presence of all the generals displayed that he- 
 roic bravery for which he received the applause of the 
 whole army. Commandant Fitzhenry being appointed 
 to the command of the regiment by the duke of Abrantes, 
 who enjoyed such great influence with the emperor Na- 
 poleon hoped that ere long his brevet of colonel would be 
 granted. General Thomier assured Fitzhenry that the 
 duke was resolved to obtain it, even in spite of any obs- 
 tacle thrown in the way by the duke of Feltre, who was 
 not pleased that his two prot^g^s O'Meara and Mahony 
 were put aside. Under these circumstances Fitzhenry was 
 the more anxious to prove how capable he was of com- 
 manding the regiment, which was successively employed 
 at marshal Massena's head quarters at Salamanca, and 
 in June and July 1810 at the siege of Ciudad Rodrigo, 
 where captain Ware, who commanded a battalion d'elite, 
 received his brevet of chef de bataillon for the fourth bat- 
 talion at Landau. — After the town of Ciudad Rodrigo 
 was taken, commandant Fitzhenry and the two irish 
 
MKMOIKS OF MILES BYRNE 77 
 
 battalions were united at « Ledesma, » the head quarters 
 of the duke of Abrantes, and from thence marched to 
 make part of the camp formed at Saint-Felix-le-Grand of 
 the 8th corps; and from the camp of Saint-Felix-le-Grand, 
 Fitzhenry and the irish reg-iraent was ordered to the sieg-e 
 of Almeida and was employed in the trenches the nig-ht 
 the town was blown up in aug-ust 1810, and then into 
 Portugal and at the battle of Busaco in September ; and 
 the day after the battle, the irish reg-iment made the van- 
 g-uard in pursuit of the eng-lish army, to Coimbra, and 
 Torres Vedras and until this army was completely driven 
 behind its line of defence before Lisbon; and then it re- 
 mained at bivouack at the advanced posts before Torres 
 Vedras with general Thomier's brigade, and this brave 
 general never failed to report the distinguished way the 
 irish regiment was serving in this painful campaign, 
 where privations of every kind were so severely expe- 
 rienced. In January 1811 the regiment was ordered to 
 Torres Novas, the head quarters of the general in chief 
 marshal Massena, and strange to say, the poor soldiers 
 were worse off here for provisions than at the advanced 
 posts. Scarcely a distribution of Indian corn could be 
 made ; as to meat, that was out of the question. 
 
 In february 1811 the regiment were ordered to send a 
 <f c.;dre » (or frame) of a battalion, that isj the Serjeants 
 major, Serjeants, corporals and drummers to their res- 
 pective depots in France, and the private soldiers were 
 
78 MEMOIRS OF MILES HYRXE 
 
 incorporated in the war battalions remaining' in cam- 
 paign. 
 
 Captain Parrott was named to cojiduct the « cadre » 
 of the third battalion of the irish regiment to its 
 depot at Landau, where it was to be completed forth- 
 witli. 
 
 The first of march 1811 the 8th corps attacked the en- 
 glish advanced posts and the duke of Abrantes was 
 wounded on this occasion. 
 
 The 6th of march the divisions Clausel and Solignac, 
 united at Torres Novas, and in the night commenced that 
 memorable retreat, which lasted a month, for we only 
 crossed the frontier into Spain on the 5th of april 1811, 
 and during all this time, general Thomier never quit our 
 battalion, sharing in our dangers and privations like a 
 true soldier as he was, sleeping at our bivouack in pre- 
 ference to going any distance to seek a house. General 
 Thomier had a real friendship forcommandant Fitzhenry, 
 and he frequently told marshal Ney, who commanded 
 the rear guard of the french army during this retreat, 
 how well the irish battalion commanded by Fitzhenry, 
 was serving : indeed the marshal himself could soon 
 judge, for he often gave us direct orders which he saw 
 were promptly executed to his satisfaction. The battalion 
 in spite of the misery from want of provisions, still mus- 
 tered one of the strongest of the army ; arriving in Spain 
 the 5th of april 1811, when all our men who had been 
 away « marauding, » or seeking something to eat, to 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 79 
 
 keep themselves alive, rejoined the battalion, we had 
 nearly seven hundred men present under arms. 
 
 On the 6th of april in the night, commandant Fitz- 
 henry got orders to make a reconnaissance before day, of 
 the english advanced posts, with his battalion and a com- 
 pany of french cavalry. After he discovered the english 
 line in the morning, he returned to the camp, when he 
 received thanks from the general for the judicious way 
 he commanded this expedition, — It was the last he ever 
 performed. 
 
 On the 8th of april 1811 the regiments going to their 
 cantonments in the province of Salamanca, Toro, etc., 
 got rations of biscuit. Passing neer the fortress of Ciudad 
 Rodrigo, Fitzhenry got rations for his battalion also, 
 when we continued our march with the division on the 
 road to Salamanca. 
 
 After marching two leagues, an orderly brought com- 
 mandant Fitzhenry an order to return with his battalion 
 to reinforce the garrison of Ciudad Rodrigo. He desired 
 captain O'Mally, the senior officer, to return with the 
 battalion whilst he himself rode on to the head of the co- 
 lumn to speak with the general, from whom he got per- 
 mission to pass some days at Salamanca : it was the last 
 time he was seen by his battalion, for after remaining ten 
 days at Salamanca, he was ordered to return to his bat- 
 talion at Ciudad Rodrigo. 
 
80 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 On the 19th of april 1811, he set out escorted by se- 
 venty men of the regiment, leaving the hospitals conva- 
 lescent ; on the 22'' of april 1811, commandant Fitzhenry 
 and his little detachment marching from Ledesma 
 to Ciudad Rodrigo, were attacked by the Spanish chief 
 don Julian,- who was at the head of a thousand horse 
 and foot. — Fitzhenry and his men were made priso- 
 ners of war. 
 
 The wife of one of the soldiers escaped in the night and 
 brought this sad news to Ciudad Rodrigo, where the Irish 
 battalion was in garrison, and it is only justice to Fitz- 
 henry's memory to say, that both officers and men were 
 much grieved at his misfortune ; they always esteemed 
 him as a chief who knew well how to command his bat- 
 talion, and the regiment, when the battalions were 
 united. 
 
 Marshal Marmont having heard that Fitzhenry was 
 seen at the duke of Wellington's head quarters, wearing 
 his sword and at perfect liberty, preparing to return to 
 Ireland, ordered a council of war, or court martial, to have 
 him tried by « coutumacy. » The summer passed how- 
 ever in making enquiries, and it was only on the 2'i of 
 december 1811, that the court martial assembled in a 
 village four leagues from Placencia in Estremadura ; it 
 was presided by the colonel of the 17th regiment Ugev, 
 the six others officers were from the 22'* and 65th regi- 
 ments of the line, Four members of the seven voted he 
 

 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 49 
 
 country, and he trusted it would be more successful 
 than the one under lloche; but alasl he again was dis- 
 appointed, and fell a victim to the great zeal and 
 courage which he displayed on this last occasion. Ire- 
 land should ever be proud of him and do honour to his 
 memory. 
 
 Thomas Burgess embarked in that expedition to Ire- 
 land; not being in the same ship with Wolfe Tone, he 
 escaped back to France. He had a still more fortunate es- 
 cape at Hamburg on the 24th of november 1798, for he 
 sailed in the same expedition and vessel with general 
 Napper Tandy, and came with him to Hamburg after it 
 had failed. Not being in the hotel at the time Tandy, 
 Morris, Blackwell and Corbet were arrested and impri- 
 soned. Burgess escaped with the other Irish exiles re- 
 maining there, to Altona in Denmark, where the public 
 authorities were not base enougli to listen to the euglisli 
 agents there. 
 
 When Burgess returned to Paris, having a taste for 
 the fine arts, he betook himself to painting, and studied 
 under the auspices of the celebrated painter « David ; » 
 after very assiduous application, he became a connois- 
 gtseur, so much so, that despairing of success, he abando- 
 ned the pursuit. He got over from Ireland his younger 
 brother John, whom he got placed in the military col- 
 lege of the Prytanee of Paris, where he studied, until he 
 got his commission as a sub-lieutenant in the irish legion 
 at its formation in 1803. 
 
 T. Ill 4 
 
50 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 Thomas Burgess knew music, played on the harp, gui- 
 tar and violin. He lived beyond measure frugally, in or- 
 der, he said, to be able to assist his nieces, his brother 
 John's daughters, in London. On his death in 1848, he 
 left all he possessed, three or four thousand pounds to 
 his nieces. — Arthur Barker and William Hampden 
 Lawless were the executors. The latter had a good deal 
 of trouble, but finally succeeded in having the business 
 arranged to the satisfaction of the misses Burgess. 
 
 Poor Thomas Burgess had in reality a generous 
 temper and was of an obliging disposition towards his 
 friends, but without meaning any harm, he caused often 
 serious differences between them, forgetting that a pri- 
 vate conversation should not be repeated, except when 
 authorized by the person with whom it has been 
 held. 
 
 In 1803 I met one day at the London coffee house in 
 the rue Jacob, William Putnam Mac Cabe, the well 
 known active organizer of the united irish system, and 
 the great confident of lord Edward Fitzgerald. He seemed 
 desirous to know how I had made ray escape from Du- 
 blin; when I told him I had an American passport, he 
 asked me to lend it him for a few days and that he would 
 return it to me safely. — I did give it him, but could not 
 get it from him, until I sent my friend Hugh Ware to 
 wait on him, to whom he gave it instantly, making some 
 
MKMOIHS OF MfLES BYRNE 51 
 
 silly excuse for having- kept it so long", as, that he did 
 not suppose 1 could ever want it, now that I had my 
 commission as a fri>nch officer. — I could perceive that 
 the mass of the Irish exiles then in Paris, were astonished 
 at the great facility with which Putnam Mac Cahe could 
 so frequently pass over to England and Ireland, and re- 
 turn to France in the time of war. In one of his voyages, 
 he brought over young John Burgess, to be placed in 
 college at Paris; and in another part of my narrative, I 
 have mentioned having met Putnam Mac Cabe at Antwerp 
 in 1807. He then had two ladies with him, whom he 
 brought from Dublin, \irs Berthemy, sister to the cele- 
 brated Henry Flood, and her daughter. Our regiment 
 being then in garrison there, we invited these ladies and 
 Mac Cabe to dine with us at the hotel du Lion-d'Or, 
 where we had our mess table. — Mac Cabe shewed us a 
 beautiful rich case of pistols, he was bringing, he said, 
 to offer as a present to his friend general Arthur O'Connor. 
 This was the last time I ever saw Mac Cabe ; though we 
 were both residing at Paris in 1820, and that I often 
 heard of him from one of my comrades, captain Mac 
 Guire, who was in the habit of visiting him : still it so 
 happened, we never met. The truth is, I did not want to 
 renew his acquaintance : I had heard so many contradic- 
 tory versions about his different escapes in Ireland, that 
 I had my doubts about the disinterestedness of his pa- 
 triotism. On his death in January 1821, captain Mac 
 Guire wrote to Mr Nesbet who was then at Bordeaux that 
 
52 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 Putnam Mac Cabe had named him one of his executors. 
 Some short time after, Mac Guire told me that ISesbet 
 and Mac Cabe's daughter were married. 
 
 Much indeed has been said on the failure of Mac Cabe's 
 cotton spinning- speculations at the town of Rouen, by 
 some of the persons who were engaged with him in the 
 enterprise, MM. Glashan, J. Smith and others ; but for my 
 own part, I never could clearly understand whose fault 
 it was that the manufactory did not succeed : one thing 
 is certain, that that worthy Irish patriot Philip Long lost 
 a good deal of money in the concern. 
 
 Of Putnam Mac Cabe's money transactions and the 
 mortgage he had on general Arthur O'Connor's estate in 
 Ireland, I only learned by the lawsuit in the court of jus- 
 tice at Orleans, which took place after the restoration of 
 the Bourbons in France, and which was published at the 
 time in the newspapers of the day. That general O'Con- 
 nor had to use his influence with the duke of Feltre, to 
 keep Mac Cabe out of the difficulties resulting from his 
 too frequent excursions to the other side of the Channel 
 during the war between France and England, there can- 
 not be the slightest doubt. 
 
 Of the many fine fellows who had to escape from Ire- 
 land after general Humbert's capitulation there in august 
 1798 and whom I met at Paris, counsellor James Joseph 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 53 
 
 Mac Donald was one of the most distinguished. They 
 were all no doubt equally brave and zealous in their 
 country's cause, but he seemed to possess the talents, 
 acquirements and energy necessary to become a great 
 leader : he was handsome and well informed, and he 
 spoke the frencli language fluently. — General Humbert 
 at once appointed Mac Donald to be one of his generals, 
 to command the Irish forces flocking to join his standard 
 when he landed on the irish coast, and to have them ar- 
 med and organized forthwith in the best way possible, 
 under the urgent exigency of the moment; and Humbert 
 in his report to the Directory, said, that if he had had a 
 sufficient force to have made a longer stand in the coun- 
 try, that Mac Donald would have been invaluable to him, 
 that he was enterprising and quite equal to the difficult 
 task he was entrusted with. — At the formation of the 
 irish legion in 1803, counsellor Mac Donald was greatly 
 disappointed and vexed to find that he was to be ouly a 
 captain in the legion ; he expected at least to be named a 
 field officer, if not a general, the rank which he had held 
 with Humbert in Ireland ; he therefore refused to take 
 his commission of captain, and did not join with us the 
 french army at Brest, which was destined for Ireland. As 
 none but men holding commissions or enrolled in the 
 service of the irish legion were to be allowed to make 
 part of the expedition, lest the discipline might suffer, it 
 was prohibited to volunteers, not enrolled, to embark, 
 and Mac Donald on learning these regulations and after 
 
o4 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 remaining a month or two at Paris, took his brevet of 
 captain and came and joined the legion in the neigh- 
 bourhood of Brest; but in consequence of an altercation 
 he had with adjutant general Mac Sheehy, w^ho was then 
 commanding the legion, he resigned his commission and 
 went to reside at Cadix in Spain, where several of his re- 
 lations had been settled in commerce. His first cousin 
 James Mac Donald, a fine spirited young man, who es- 
 caped with him, died a short time before I reached Paris, 
 much regretted by all the refugees. 
 
 Captain John Murphy commanding a trading vessel, 
 happened to be in the bay of Killalo when general 
 Humbert effected his landing on the Irish coast in 1798. 
 The french general wished to send off a despatch to in- 
 form his government of the happy event, and Murphy 
 being a true irish patriot, immediately volunteered to be 
 the bearer of it, which delighted Humbert, for he feared 
 that a french ship would have little chance of escaping 
 the english cruisers. The brave Murphy undertook this 
 perilous task to serve and redeem his beloved native land, 
 well aware that he sailed with a rope about his neck; for 
 had he been taken with french despatches he would have 
 been hanged forthwith at the mast head. But no seafaring- 
 man then living knew better than Murphy the irish 
 coast, the english Channel, and the french Harbours, and 
 every corner and bay where a vessel could approach the 
 french shore, he being much engaged in the smuggling 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 55 
 
 line; he therefore escaped and reached the French shore 
 in the shortest time that ever a passage was performed. 
 On landing- Murphy instantly posted to Paris to present 
 general Humbert's despatches to the french government, 
 and the reception he met with was gracious, and flatter- 
 ing indeed to an Irish heart. The Directory instantly pre- 
 sented him with pistols of honour. These and sabres were 
 then offered to the brave men who distinguished them- 
 selves in the service of their country, as the decoration of 
 the Legion of honour is now accorded for similar bril- 
 liant actions, and services rendered to the state. — Cap- 
 tain Murphy was then put at the disposition of the 
 minister of the marine, who had him carried on the Nevy 
 a controle » or list of the officers of the french Navy, and 
 at a later period, the First Consul named him « Grand 
 Pilot » to the french fleet at Brest, with the rank of cap- 
 tain of a frigate, equivalent to lieutenant-colonel in the 
 army. Murphy enjoyed the pay and emoluments of this 
 rank 'till the restoration of the Bourbons in 1814, when 
 he was put « en retraite, » with a miserable pension of 
 eight hundred francs a year, 
 
 With his means of living thus reduced, and having his 
 wife and six children in Ireland, to whom he had to send 
 regular support, poor Murphy had to apply to rich mer- 
 chants at Nantes for employment. The merchants know- 
 ing his skill and experience as a navigator gave him the 
 command of a fine ship, with which he made many suc- 
 cessful voyages, to different parts of the world; particu- 
 
56 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 larly to the coast of Patagonia, in South America, where 
 the sea elephant fishery proved very profitable to his 
 employers. In 1823 he was returning to Europe with a 
 large cargo of fish, oil, etc., etc., when the crew of his 
 vessel mutinied, and seized him, his second in command, 
 and the mate of the vessel. All three were locked down, 
 and chained, and treated in the most cruel manner. The 
 sailors were tempted to this act having heard at sea that 
 Spain and France were at war; they thought they could 
 run the ship into a Spanish sea-port town and there sell 
 her and the cargo with safety; but after fifteen day's vain 
 efforts to reach the Spanish coast, they became so terrified 
 at their perilous situation, that they brought the mate of 
 the vessel on deck, and told him, if he steered them sa- 
 fely into a Spanish sea-port, he should get the greatest 
 part of the prize money, when the ship and cargo was 
 sold, and that if he did not consent, they would kill him 
 instantly, and then ask the second in command to comi)ly 
 with their request. The poor mate told them at once he 
 was ready to follow their orders, and after sailing and 
 tacking about for two days more, one fine night the mate 
 told these ignorant ruflfians, that they were then on the 
 Spanish coast, and that to escape the french cruizers he 
 would steer the ship into the bay they saw before them, 
 where they could pass the night without risk, by putting 
 up Spanish colours. Next morning at day light, their 
 vessel was boarded by a french sloop of war in the Bay of 
 Douarnenez, four leagues from Quimper, department of 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 57 
 
 Finisterre in France and not in Spain. — Captain Mur- 
 phy was then unchained, and he resumed the command 
 of the ship. The sailors were all arrested and sent off to 
 Brest, where they were tried and condemned to imprison- 
 ment and the galleys, etc. I met Murphy at Paris, after 
 this misadventure, and he was still looking- stout and 
 well, but not what he was when I first saw him in 1803- 
 He was then quite a splendid man, more than six feet 
 two inches in height, athletic and well proportioned and 
 about fifty years of age. He was considered one of the 
 best racket players that could be met with. He was sim- 
 ple and unassuming, and always generous and friendly 
 to his countrymen. — Being in garrison at Nantes with 
 my regiment the 56th of the line, in 1835, I saw poor 
 Murphy there for the last time, quite broken down, and 
 like his countryman Hamilton Eowan, who had been very 
 tall, become low in stature before he died. — They were 
 however, more than eighty years of age before this change 
 took place. Murphy's family lived near Rush, and some 
 members of it in the county t)f Meath. 
 
 It would seem that the refugees of every nation, in their 
 misfortunes, away from their homes, are apt to have 
 their disputes and disagreements on politics; it is not 
 wonderful then that the Irish exiles had theirs. Captain 
 Murphy kept free of parties as much as he could, and he 
 enjoyed, I may say without exception, the esteem of all 
 his countrymen in France. Indeed he was looked up to 
 as a kind of oracle through whom good tidings would be 
 
58 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 announced. I cannot forget how we used to say, that it 
 aug-ured well for us, when Murphy was sent for by the 
 minister of the marine, and that he passed the day at the 
 hotel of the admiralty, place de la Concorde, with the 
 french admirals in council, who were appointed to com- 
 mand the Brest fleet. 
 
 I also recollect, that in 1804, when our regiment was 
 in garrison at Lesneven, five leagues from Brest, with 
 what glee four or five of us would set out on horseback, 
 to dine with the wortliy captain Murphy at Brest, and 
 return the same evening, after we had visited those beau- 
 tiful ships of the line, 25 in number, with transport ves- 
 sels, sufficient to embark the three divisions of Augereau's 
 corps of army, just returned from the Spanish frontier, 
 and now destined for Ireland. In short, captain Murphy 
 was a favourite with all the irish officers, and much con- 
 sidered by the french Navy. 
 
 Mr John Gibbons a wealthy gentleman of the county 
 of Mayo, and upwards of seventy years of age, had to fly 
 from his home, altho' he took no part in the general ris- 
 ing of the people to aid the french on their landing. His 
 son Ned, being taken prisoner after general Humbert's 
 capitulation, was condemned to be hung, and the rope 
 was about his neck, when some humane person interfer- 
 ing, his sentence was commuted, and he was transported 
 to Botany Bay for life. But the father after hiding in the 
 mountains for some time, and learning that all his pro- 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 59 
 
 perty had been plundered and destroyed, escaped to Paris, 
 and at the formation of the Irish legion in 1803, being 
 told it would be necessary to hold some rank in order to 
 be allowed to embark in the expedition for Ireland, re- 
 plied, that he was ready to accept that of corporal sooner 
 than remain behind. 
 
 He got a commission of lieutenant, but poor man, he 
 did not long enjoy his military life, for he died at Ant- 
 werp in 1807. He had however the great satisfaction of 
 seeing his son Ned before he died, the latter having es- 
 caped from Botany Bay, and got his brevet as a sous-lieu- 
 tenant in the legion. — This young man could never 
 forget the shock he got at the foot of the gallows in Ire- 
 land. 
 
 He fought bravely at Flushing in 1809, in the irish 
 battalion, commanded by colonel Lawless; the latter 
 being badly wounded there, could not tell whether Ned 
 Gibbons was killed or made prisoner by the english troops 
 when they entered Flushing. Nor did the council of ad- 
 ministration of the irish regiment in France, ever hear 
 what had become of two very distinguished officers, lieute- 
 nants Gilmor and Eagar. They were with colonel Lawless 
 when he was wounded, and if they escaped, they could 
 have returned to France after the restoration, and have 
 received their pay up to 1814, for five years, which was 
 due to them, and which was paid to captain Mac Mahon 
 and others who were taken at Flushing. They were then 
 at liberty to quit, if it suited them. 
 
60 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 Austin O'Mally was another of the brave Connaught 
 exiles whom I met in 1803 at Paris, and from what I saw 
 of him in the campaigns we made together afterwards, 
 he must indeed have rendered great service to the french 
 in 1798, at the battle of Castlebar, by marching at the 
 head of his fellow countrymen who joined general Hum- 
 bert ; for he feared no danger, and fighting seemed to him 
 a pastime, and without being bad tempered or quarrelsome 
 captain O'Mally was very often engaged in duels, and 
 always got out of them honourably. — In one he had at 
 Carraix in 1804 with the adjutant major whom he wound- 
 ed, this officer being a friend of general Mac Sheehy's the 
 latter through spite, sent O'Mally as a prisoner to the 
 chateau of Brest for fifteen days ; a most unjust punish- 
 ment, for his antagonist was in fault. Captain Hugh Ware 
 (afterwards colonel ) was O'Mally's second and captain 
 William O'Meara (afterwards general), w'as second to the 
 adjutant major. Those brave and honourable seconds 
 shewed fair play, but they could not prevent the duel. 
 
 The battalion to which captain O'Mally belonged, 
 being in garrison at Bergen-op-Zoom in 1812, he was 
 sent from thence with his company to one of the dutch 
 Islands on that coast, where he married the daughter of 
 a french officer who commanded the place. Whether the 
 great difi'erence of the Spanish climate, from which coun- 
 try he had just arrived, and where he had spent nearly 
 five years, from that of Holland, contributed to his mis- 
 fortune, losing his sight completely, could not be well 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 61 
 
 ascertained ; but probably, the sudden transition from 
 heat to damp and cold might have accelerated poor^'Mal- 
 ly's blindness. — Like a true hero, he now shewed more 
 courage than ever. He bore up with his cruel situation, 
 with the fortitude becoming a soldier and an Irish patriot, 
 and only lamented that he could no more hope to be use- 
 ful to his dear native land. He was still cheerful, and his 
 conversation more agreeable than before he became blind. 
 Captain O'Mally had two sons, and he obtained for the 
 eldest, when he was nine years of age, a bourse at the 
 military college of La F16che, and from thence he was 
 sent to the military college of Saint-Cyr, to complete his 
 studies; and poor captain O'Mally had the satisfaction of 
 seeing him named officer in 1835, with the rank of sous- 
 lieutenant in the 15th leger regiment then in Africa. — 
 Young O'Mally soon distinguished himself there; he 
 studied and learnt the arable language quickly, and for 
 that was employed in every expedition which took place 
 in the district. Often in the most perilous situations, 
 young O'Mally rendered the most important service to 
 his division, by his bravery and knowledge of the arable ; 
 consequently he got very rapid promotion from rank to 
 rank, and having been promoted to that of lieutenant- 
 colonel in a regiment just as it received orders for the 
 East, when the russian war broke out, he had a wider 
 field to shew his military skill, and before Sebastopol was 
 taken, he was promoted to the rank of full colonel and 
 got the command of the 73^ regiment. 
 
(i'2 .MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 One of the bad effects in Ireland, and one of the many 
 grievances produced by the protestant ascendency was, 
 that which forced the young catholic clergy to go to 
 France and other foreign countries to finish their studies 
 to render them fit for the situation of priests in their na- 
 tive country. This was seen in 1798. — Could it be ex- 
 pected that young men educated in France, would not 
 sympathize with all their heart and soul with a french 
 army lauding on the coast to drive their tyrants and task 
 masters from the land? It would have been unnatural if 
 they did not. — Father Ganuan was one of those who 
 studied in France, and immediately on the french landing 
 in Ireland, he came and offered his services to general 
 Humbert, who at once appointed him his « fournit;seur 
 general, » or furnisher of provisions. In this situation 
 Father Gannan was not only useful to the French, but he 
 rendered the greatest service to the inhabitants of the 
 country, wherever the army passed; and as he spoke 
 french fluently, he soon became a great favorite with the 
 french officers; his appearance commanded respect, as he 
 was tall and handsome with dignified, agreeable manners. 
 — As general Humbert when he capitulated to lord 
 Cornwallis, could obtain no terms for the irish who join- 
 ed him, Father Gannan had to suffer great misery, hiding 
 in the Cunnamara mountains, before he could escape. He 
 at length got away in a vessel bound for Lisbon, from 
 which town he wrote at once to the french ambassador 
 at Madrid, Lucien Buonaparte, who invited him kindly 
 
MKMOIRS OK MILES RYKNE G3 
 
 to come and spend some time in the Spanish capital; after 
 remaining- there a short while, he proceeded to Paris, 
 where he got the best reception. — When I first made 
 his acquaintance at Paris in 1803, he was parish priest 
 of a village near Saint-Germain-en-Laye, and I recollect 
 walking" out to see him along- with J. Fitzhenry, one 
 morning-, and we spent two very agreeable days there. 
 We were invited to take tea at Mr Thomas Addis Em- 
 mett's; he lived in the neighbourhood, and Mrs Emmett 
 told me how glad she always was to see Father Gannan 
 coming to the house, for her husband's spirits were al- 
 ways cheered by his visits and conversation, as he was 
 never desponding- about Ireland. 
 
 After the first restoration of the Bourbons, Father Gan- 
 nan got a better parish near Tours, and on account of the 
 great number of Irish catholics who took up their resi- 
 dence there, he found it agreeable enough ; but after the 
 hundred days and the second restoration, he, like others 
 of his country was made to feel the effects of those sud- 
 den changes. 
 
 A law having passed appointing almoners to every 
 regiment in the army, Father Gannan obtained his com- 
 mission as almoner at Lille; in this situation, half cleri- 
 cal, half military, he finished honourably his long career; 
 but he was ever regretting his « sweet home. » 
 
 I met also at Paris in 1803, another of those irishmen 
 who had to come abroad and beg his way, in order to 
 complete his education. He openly declared, that he owed 
 
6't MEMOIRS OF MILES HYRNE 
 
 no kind of allegiance to an English unmerciful, bigotted 
 monarch, who kept his country in bondage. 
 
 Captain O'Kean had taken orders in France, but when 
 he saw all the european tyrants declare war against the 
 liberties of that nation, he at once volunteered to serve his 
 adopted country as a soldier. He soon distinguished him- 
 self on the field of battle and was raised to the rank of 
 captain; which rank he held in general Humbert's little 
 army, landing from the bay of Killalo on the Irish coast 
 on the 22d of august 1798. At the battle of Castlebar 
 O'Kean was highly complimented for his undaunted bra- 
 very and exertions, by the french general in chief Hum- 
 bert. He knowing well that part of Ireland, and speaking 
 equally fluently, english, french and irish, rendered the 
 greatest service on many occasions, where had it not 
 been for his humane exertions, many would have suffer- 
 ed severely, and although all this was averred and at- 
 tested by the protestant Bishop of Killalo, still poor 
 O'Kean narrowly escaped being put to death after Hum- 
 bert had capitulated, like Tone's brother and others. 
 
 A detailed account of this expedition, from its sailing 
 from the French coast, with general Humbert's final sur- 
 render, the manner in which the french prisoners were 
 treated on their way to prison, their exchange and return 
 to France, etc., was written by captain O'Kean. He being 
 ordered to rejoin his regiment, the 65th of the lino, gave 
 his manuscript to doctor Mac Neven, who promised to 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE *)/ 
 
 Colonel Harvey de Montmorency Morris had no need 
 of any appendage to liis name, he was brave and honour- 
 able and much liked by his countrymen in France. 
 
 Having- experienced much kind hospitality from my 
 friends at Paris in march 1812, before starting- for Bois- 
 le-Duc in Holland, I had a few of them to dine with me, 
 such as Harvey Morris, John Devereux, Thomas Markey, 
 captain O'Meally and Luke Lawless. The latter was ne- 
 phew to colonel Lawless and brother to « honest Jack 
 Lawless, » as O'Connell used to call him, when in good 
 liumour. — Luke Lawless w^as then a lieutenant on the 
 staff of the duke of Feltre, minister of war. He was hand- 
 some, and had a distinguished air, speaking and writing 
 french quite like a french man, and well fitted to be a 
 staff officer. The duke seemed greatly pleased with him, 
 and soon after promoted him to the rank of captain. — 
 At the restoration of 'the Bourbons in 1814 the duke of 
 Feltre not making part of the ministry then, captain 
 Lawless was sent to the irish regiment, in which he was 
 placed as one of the captains. 
 
 After the hundred days, in September 1815 the irish 
 regiment was disbanded and all the officers who compos- 
 ed it, were put on half pay; a general measure which 
 was applied also to the french army that had retired 
 behind the Loire. The french officers were ordered to go 
 
 to their respective homes and to reside there, with their 
 T. in 1 
 
^18 MEMOIRS OF MILES I'.Yr.M: 
 
 families, where they could be more easily watrhcd by the 
 jiolice agents. The irisli officers having no homes to go 
 to in France, were told to choose towns in certain parts 
 of France. — Captain Luke Lawless made choice of one, 
 and a few days after he arrived there, he received an or- 
 der from the minister of war, « the duke of Feltre, » to 
 quit that town in twenty four hours, and France in fifteen 
 days. His uncle general Lawless remonstrated with the 
 minister, saying, that his nephew who had been two 
 years on his excellency's staff, should be well known to 
 him as a man of honour, and could not have merited such 
 treatment, etc., etc. But all to no avail ; captain Lawless's 
 ci-imc was, that he did not go to Ghent when he knew 
 that tl:e duke of Feltre was there, and that he despised 
 those luean fellows who deserted and joined the enemies 
 of France at Waterloo, and were not ashamed to boast of 
 tlieir cowardly treason ; and not haviug the courage to 
 meet Lawless in the field, when he told them the great 
 contempt W'ith which all honourable officers must regard 
 their conduct, they wrote all kinds of falsehoods against 
 him to the minister of war, as they did of several of his 
 comrades. His case was one of the many instances of in- 
 justice and persecution occurring every day to the bra\e 
 officers of the french army during that cruel feriod of 
 Bourbon re ac ion. 
 
 Fortunately for captain Luke Ln.wless, he had been 
 bred to the law, was a councillor in L.-eland before he 
 became a french officer, and he soon distin<i'ui:?hed him- 
 
.MEMOIRS OF MILES P.YR.XE 09 
 
 self at tlie American Bar, where he was raised to the rank 
 ofjudg'e at Saint-Louis. 
 
 I met at Mr Thomas Addis Emmetfs house in 1803 a 
 Cork gentleman, a Mr Beamish, and all the refugees from 
 his county spoke of him in the hig-hest terms, as a gene- 
 rous, good patriot. 
 
 I felt assured that the Irish I saw at Paris then, were 
 patriots, otherwise they would have been sent to Verdun 
 as english subjects. 
 
 Some irish however, preferred the appellation of en- 
 glish subject to that of irish patriot, from interested mo- 
 lives. Amongst them, Mr John Masterson who had served 
 in one of the irish brigades before the revolution ; he had 
 property in the West Indies l.y his wife. He obtained 
 leave from the french government to reside with his fa- 
 mily at Brussells instead of Verdun. 
 
 Mr Cramer, one of the best irishmen I ever knew, was 
 detained at Verdun a prisoner, as a british subject : but 
 ^vhen his enlightened and pa'riotic principles were made 
 ■cnown to the french authorities at Verdun, he was al- 
 oweJ to travel through France as be pleased. He ulti- 
 nately settled at Tours, where he married a french young 
 ady, a mademoiselle Fereau. 
 
 Major Burke had been an officer in the irish brigade 
 md emigrated and took service in Eno-knd. Beino- in 
 
100 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE * 
 
 France ^vhen the hostilities beg-an in 1803, he was sent! 
 to ^^erdun, where he remained till the peace of 1814; he, 
 came after that to Paris, his promotion going on as if inr 
 active service, until he got the rank of major general in d 
 the english army. 
 
 These gentlemen all wished to see their native country 
 prosperous, taking however different views of wha1 
 might he thought necessary to make the people ther( 
 happy, and the inferences which might be drawn fron 
 the contrast, of their opinions, are not a little curious 
 Mr Masterson, a strict roman catholic, having spent som^ 
 time atRome and in Italy, was of opinion that if the iris) 
 catholics had the free exercise of their religion, as he ha 
 seen it practiced in Italy, they ought to be satisfied. - 
 His brother Edward, who was then a captain in the irisjii 
 legion, took a similar view of the question of Ireland i 
 
 that period. 
 
 Mr Burke was a catholic and one of his sisters was 
 nun at Brest : another was a partner with miss Ryan : 
 the great ladies school in the rue du Harley, boulevai 
 Saint-Antoine at Paris. Mr Burke's principles might' 
 called those of a tory ; however he thought that catholi 
 ought to sit in the House of Lords, and obtain the highe 
 rank in the british army. With these concessions, 
 thought the catholics should rest satisfied. Mr Burke w 
 a highly honourable man, and as to his bravery, it was 
 well known to the english prisoners at Verdun, that wl 
 never a duel was going to take place there, the secon 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES r.YRNE 101 
 
 would pi'eviously consult colonel Burke before going- to 
 the ground, to have his opinion how the matter might Lo 
 settled. — When his sister died at miss Ryan's in 1821, 
 he was ill of the gout, and he w^as very grateful to colo- 
 nel Montmorency and me for attending- her funeral and 
 calling' to let him know about the melancholy ceremony. 
 Mr Cramer was of a highly respectable protestant family 
 in Ireland and possessed a good estate there. No one felt 
 more indignant than he did at the unjust and cruel treat- 
 ment "the poor irisli endured from their landlords and 
 task masters. He despaired of ever seeing their situation 
 bettered under the english yoke. As to expect redress 
 from a parliament sitting at Dublin, he thought that a 
 farce; witness the continual struggles and efforts of the 
 greatest statesmen from 1782 to 1800, to maintain the little 
 liberty gained, by .the necessity of contenting the peo- 
 ple in the event of a foreign invasion. That danger over, 
 all hopes of emancipation vanished like smoke ; therefore, 
 Mr Cramer wished for a complete separation, and inde- 
 pendence of british rule; and he entertained the most 
 sanguine hopes that those blessings would be, one day or 
 other, easily acquired, as he considered the getting rid 
 of the english garrison in Ireland quite a secondary mat- 
 ter, because the Irish w^ould have it in their power to rise 
 « en masse » and disarm any foreign troops in the coun- 
 try. — As to the natives continuing to kill one another 
 on account of religion, he trusted that mania would 
 cease, if once a good government were established; and 
 
lO^! MEMOIRS OF MILES BYIi.NE 
 
 it ^vas for its consolidation in the first instance that he 
 feared difficulties migdit occur, from the want of union 
 between the chiefs and leaders of tlie people. « Apropos » 
 of his anxiety on this subject, he often spoke to me of the 
 bad feeling' and misunderstanding which existed between 
 Arthur O'Connor and Thomas Addis Emmett. Indeed, in 
 every thing regarding Ireland, Mr Cramer's feelings 
 were pure and disinterested and his views enlarged and 
 enlightened. He thought it would become one of the hap- 
 piest countries on the face of the globe, once independent, 
 with a good government, and her plains well cultivated; 
 considering her fine pasture lands, bills covered with 
 verdure to their tops, so fit for sheep walks; and the 
 many great rivers siisceptible of being utilized in various 
 ways. Her woollen manufactories, of which she had been 
 so foully deprived, would be again restored; her linen 
 and tabinets, both branches of trade superior in quality 
 to what was to be found in other countries, etc. The 
 waste lands once reclaimed, Ireland could furnish food 
 and employment for more than twenty millions of people. 
 — Nothing could retard the accomplishment of those 
 blessings but strife amongst the chiefs, for power, in the 
 commencement. To avoid that, Mr Cramer thought a dic- 
 tator should be named : he was well aware however that 
 it might not be an easy matter to find a person with the 
 virtues and the abilities necessary for so important a si- 
 tuator, and to whom such a trust could be confided with 
 safety to the people's welfare; for amongst the many dis- 
 
ME.MOIl'.S OF ;\1ILI:S UYUNE 103 
 
 tiiig'uislied Irish patriots whom he knew, both at home 
 and abroad, he seldom, or never met one of them that 
 did not want some of the requisites for such an important 
 part, 
 
 Mr Craine:- lj:'ing" a resident at Tours, was well acquain- 
 ted with the irsh officers retired there after the Hundred 
 days of 1815. — He was very intimate with general Law- 
 less, and colonels Ware and Allen. Knowing they were 
 friends and comrades of mine, he would often speak to me 
 freely of their bravery and worth. — Lawless's ttlents, 
 he would say, were of the highest order, and his general 
 instruction equal to that of the first men and tried pa- 
 triots which Ireland had produced. — Still John Allen 
 was the man he thought, that had the head, ths under- 
 standing and firmness proper to make him fit for exer- 
 cising a temporary dictatorship : he knew Allen would 
 reflect well before he gave his orders, but once given, 
 they should be punctually executed. 
 
 Mr Cramer w^as well educated and well read; his poli- 
 tical opinions and general Lawless's were alike, and they 
 agreed also with regard to Allen's capacity and want of 
 selfishness, and his fitness to fill a high situation without 
 danger to the state. 
 
 They were both well acquainted with the celebrated 
 greek scholar and french patriotic writer and martyr, 
 Paul Louis Courrier, \\ ho lived near general Lawless's 
 country house in the neighbourhood of Tours. 
 
10 i MEMOIRS OF MILES rAT.NE 
 
 In 1825 Ml' Cramer came to reside at Paris, rue Saint- 
 Domiuicjue-Saint-Germain, with his wife aud two daugh- 
 ters and a son, a little boy of four of five years of age 
 and his only son. He had the sorrow to lose this poor child 
 soon after their arrival in Paris, and being much cast 
 dov/n with tins event, his wife tried to rouse and cheer 
 him by having society at the house, often inviting his 
 friends to dinner. At one of these parties, he said to me 
 before dinner, « Byrne, you will meet one of my fellow 
 prisoners of Verdun at dinner; he is highly honourable, 
 but a tory ; of course you will not agree with him on po- 
 litics. » "When I learned that it was colonel Burke he al- 
 luded to, I told him we were friends, and had been long- 
 acquainted ; and that we had often spoke of him and the 
 different doings at Verdun during the war, and that one 
 day he said to me, « I believe that if Cramer had remain- 
 « ed at Verdun, he would have converted me to his wa^- 
 <f of thinking, at least about Irish affairs. » Mr Cramer 
 laughed and said colonel Burke understood a joke. As he 
 was speaking, colonel Burke arrived, and Mrs Cramer 
 telling him hov; we two had been speaking of him, — he 
 said, « then you will tell me at dinner, all the good things 
 « they said, » to which she readily consented, and a 
 cheerful conversation was kept up. 
 
 Mr Cramer unhappily became very ill at Paris, being- 
 attacked with spitting of blood, which caused much un- 
 easinots to his familv and friends. — He however was 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES RYP.NE "^'^ 
 
 soon cured of this dangerous malady, by the -ood advice 
 of a very able, young, Irish physician, Daniel Halliday. 
 _ While Mr Cramer remained at Paris, under the skilful 
 care and ^vatchfulness of his friend doctor Halliday, he 
 kept ^^^ell; hut going to travel, another attack of his 
 complaint, at Florence, suddenly carried him off in 1827. 
 
 His widow feared she might have great difficulty ahout 
 her children's property in Ireland, but her anxiety was 
 .oon relieved, by his brother's honourable and affection- 
 ate conduct. He immediately had her and the children 
 put in possession of all Mr Cramer's property, according 
 to his last will. 
 
 In the solitary walks I was accustomed to take in 1803, 
 in the garden of the Luxembourg, I frequently met the 
 last commander of Walsh's brigade « O'Neill; . he had 
 the rank of general of brigade and was « en retraite; » he 
 ^va^ asmall man, rather handsome, with fine features, and 
 nearly eighty years old Having been born and brought 
 v.p in Ireland he spoke english. He had the reputation of 
 l^eino- a just cliief, though a severe disciplinarian, and a 
 stric" observer of military rules and honours. Though 
 pvoud and haughty, as one of the descendants of the great 
 OWeiU of the North, still he was much liked by his offi- 
 cers. Captain Barker, who served in Walsh's regiment, 
 lukl me, they used to call their colonel « the monarch, « 
 in their chat amongst themselves. His son was then (1803) 
 
106 !MEMOir.S OF JIILF.S DYRNE 
 
 a captiiiii in Walsh's reg'iment which took the number 
 47 in the french army. I met this young officer in 1804 
 at captain Barker's, when we were in garrison at Quim- 
 per; and there commenced my intimacy and friendshii) 
 with colonel O'Neil, and which only ceased with his 
 death at the end of July 1844. He was one of my Lest 
 friends and comrades. 
 
 When colonel O'Neil was em[iloyed in the war office 
 us chef de bureau, he was ever ready to oblige his fa- 
 ther's countrymen ; and it was to his influence alon.o 
 Ihat I owed the honour of being aijpointed on the expe- 
 dition to Greece in 1828, on the staff of general Mai- 
 son, who was commander in chief of the french army 
 sent there to aid the unfortunate Greeks to shake off 
 the cruel turkish yoke. I must say, that the heartfelt 
 satisfaction I experienced on this occasion could only 
 have been surpassed or equalled on being similarly em- 
 ployed in obtaining tlie freedom and independence of my 
 own native land « Ireland. » — Though in the habit of 
 meeting general O'Neill, I did not wait on him; it was 
 very remiss of me indeed; also not having visited several 
 other officers then in great favour with the minister of 
 war Berthier ; such as, the general of division Clark; the 
 general of brigade Harty, adjutant general Dalton, etc., 
 etc. It was the latter who accompanied me to the grand 
 judge Rt'gn'.er's Hotel in the place Vendome the first dny 
 I arrived at Paris, when I met Thomas Addis Emmett and 
 doctor Mac Neven. The second time I met Mr Dalton was 
 
Mi:MOins OK :\iii,i;s r.Yr.NF. 107 
 
 in Spain in 1808. Tliough lie made the campaig'n of 
 Egypt and Nvas in great favour, he had to command a 
 regiment before he could get promotion, according to 
 "Napoleon's new decree on the staff officers who got their 
 advancement in the office of the war department without 
 having commanded troops. — Colonel Dalton was at the 
 head of the 59th regiment of the line coming from France 
 to Srain, and I was a captain, commanding an escort 
 conducting prisoners of war from Pampeluna to 
 Bayonns. 
 
 Colonel Dalton was soon promoted to the rank of gene- 
 ral of Ijrigade, but lie was only named lieutenant general 
 in april 1821. He was born in France and did not >peak 
 english ; he was exceedingly well mannered and about 
 25 years of age when I first saw him. He being on tlie 
 minister's staff, could have been serviceable to me., had I 
 waited on him. I did not like to intrude, or to pass for an 
 intriguer-, all I wanted was, to be certain, that I should 
 be comprised in the first expedition sent to Ireland. I 
 little imagined that I was doomed to witness the miseries 
 cf my unfortuimte coun'ry augmenting daily, under the 
 cruel eaglish yoke. 
 
 After the restoration of the Bourbons in 1815 general 
 count Dalton was named one of the inspectors general of 
 the army, and member of the committee charged with 
 the revision of the ordinance of the 1st of august 1791 on 
 the exercise and manoeuvres of the infantry. This revision 
 
108 MEMOIRS OF JULES ItYUNE 
 
 was only completed after the revolution of July 1830, and 
 the new ordinance was published the 4th of march 1831 
 by the minister of war marshal Soult, which was found 
 to be a great improvement on the old one, on account of 
 its clearness, simplicity and precision in the manoiuvres 
 and the evolutions of an army in line, and it did great 
 honour to general Dalton and his collegues of the com- 
 mittee. 
 
 When the reglement or ordinance on the manoeuvres 
 of the infantry came out in 1791, it was considered a vast 
 progress on tactics also : and another irishman had the 
 honour to be the editor of that w^ork, w'hich suificed for 
 the great armies of the republic and the empire. This 
 was, general count O'Connell, and he received the thanks 
 of the government for his editorship of the ordinance of 
 1791. 
 
 In 1832 lieutenant general count Dalton had the com- 
 mand of one of the divisions of the french army in Africa, 
 that of « Algerie , » and in 1834 he was named a member 
 of the committee or commission of the infantry and ca- 
 valry department at the war ofEce; it may be seen by 
 those different situations entrusted to general Dalton that 
 he was in favour with Louis-Pliilip's government as well 
 as with that of the elder branch of the Bourbons. He be- 
 gan his military career under the auspices of his worthy 
 uncle colonel Shea , the faithful companion of general 
 Heche, on the unfortunate expedition to Ireland in de- 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE l*^'^ 
 
 ccmber 179G. In the reig-n of Napoleon, colonel Shea Nvns 
 one of the senators and prefet of Strasbourg, department 
 of tlic « Bas-raiin. » At the Restoration he was named a 
 l;eer of France by Lonis XVIII. - When he had the mis- 
 fortune to lose his only son, his nephew, general Dalton, 
 not having children, and wishing to keep up the name 
 of Shea, he adopted the son of the widow Dalton, wife to 
 his other nephew, who had been a prefet under Napo- 
 leon. This young boy was called Dalton Shea, and his 
 grand uncle bequeathed him with the title of count, the 
 french peerage. 
 
 In 1830 young Dalton Shea, whilst waiting the age re- 
 quired to sU in the Chamber of peers at Paris, was mak- 
 ing a tour in the east, and passing through Cxreece was 
 taken ill. He had to quit his fellow travellers and remain 
 at Navarino in Moree, to recover from his indisposition. 
 He was convalescent and walking about, when the news 
 of the revolution of July arrived. I can never forget 
 that evening : we were a great number of officers taking 
 refreshments in a large coffee house at Navarino, when a 
 voung man, about eighteen years of age came in, with 
 an immense tri-coloured cockade in his hat. The captain 
 adjutantof the place, Detroismonts, who was at the same 
 table I was, seeing the three coloured cockade, said, « I 
 must go for the guard and ha.e that fellow arrested. » 
 _- « Why would you think of it? » 1 replied. « Are we 
 not all anxiously waiting for the order to take it and 
 ^vhich must come by the next mail"? » - " I "ever will 
 
"^ MRMOIRS OF MILES BYHNR 
 
 weav it, » — « I never wore it » said Detroismont. Cap- 
 tain Revel of the « g-enic, » at the same moment in a 
 pleasant tone said : « Mr Dalton Shea, I see that you anti- 
 cipate on the pleasure we shall have to morrow. » Tot his 
 Dalton Shea replied, pointing- to the tricoloured cockade 
 in his hat, « Gentlemen, thid is the corkade tl.at everv 
 true frenchman in France is wearing- to day : you mili- 
 tary men are not your own masters, you must wait or- 
 ders. » On which there seemed g-eneral approbation 
 through the coffee house. I could then see he was a g-reat 
 favourite with captain Revel, doctor deFoncelle and other 
 officers of the garrison at Navarino It was the only time 
 r ever saw Mr Dalton Shea; he sailed immediately to re- 
 join his travelling companions, at Smyrna or Constanti- 
 ple before I could make his acquaintance. When he be- 
 came of age, and sat in the Chamber of peers in the reign 
 of Louis-Philip, he acted an honourable and independent 
 part, and he did not avail himself, as he might have 
 done, of the great influence his great uncle Shea always 
 enjoyed with the Orleans family. — I mention these cir- 
 cumstances as Mr Dalton Shea was the nephew of lieu- 
 tenant-general count Daltun, the first french officer I met 
 when I arrived at Paris in 1803. 
 
 Adjutant general Mac Sheehy was sent from Ireland 
 to be educated under the care of his uncle doctor Mac 
 Sheehy; he, as well as a vast number of the Irish stu- 
 dents, offered his services to the french government, the 
 
MK.MOlltS ()|- .Mll.r.S r.YliNK 1 1 I 
 
 moment Wv^v beg-nn ^vith England in 1793. — Mac Sheehj^ 
 being- young aiul active soon got the brevet of captain, 
 and in 1798 he was employed in this rank on general 
 Bertliier's sta(T, in general Buonaparte's army to Egypt: 
 be spoke botli french and English well and wrote a fine 
 legible hand, a good recommendation for a stalT offi- 
 cer. 
 
 At the formation of the iris\ legion in 1803 the minis- 
 ter of war, general Berthier, appointed adjutant general 
 ?>rac Sheehy, to organize it at Morlaix, where the Irish 
 oOlcers, non commissioned officers, soldiers, etc., were 
 assembling for the purpose. He began judiciously, to re- 
 ] air as much as he could, ihc great mistakes made at 
 the war office and by the minister, in naming to inferior 
 ranks, as lieuten.ants and suh-lieutenants, men who had 
 the greatest claims on Ireland as patriots, such as Wil- 
 liam Barker, Hugh Ware, Dowdal and Allen, Val Derry, 
 O'Mally, etc., whilst others were appointed captains, who 
 scarcely had any claim to recommend them. 
 
 ]\Iac Sheehy sent a list of the officers whom he thought 
 were entitled to a higher rank, to the minister of war, 
 and very soon after he received their commissions of cap- 
 tains, which he was ordered to deliver to those brave 
 patriots Barker, Ware, etc.; lieutenant Thomas Markey 
 not being comprised on tlie list of captains, wrote to ge- 
 neral Augereau on the subject, Avith whom he was ac- 
 quainted and he got his brevet of captain immediately. 
 The omission of his name in the first list might be chance, 
 
112 MEMOIRS OF MILES RYRNE 
 
 and Mac Sheeby wished it to be tbougbt so, as be could 
 liave no interest, be said, in preventing Markey's ad- 
 vancement : in sbort, up to tbis period be bad sbewn tbe 
 greatest desire to obtain for tbe well deserving irisb pa- 
 triots tbe rank tbey sbould bold in tbe legion destined to 
 be completed in Ireland. Tbe bestfrencb instructors were 
 sent, by tbe orders of tbe First Consul, to tbe legion, to 
 teacb tbe officers tbe artillery exercise as well as tbe in- 
 fantry manoeuvres. 
 
 Every tbing seemed going on well and tbe minister of 
 war perfectly satisfied witb tbe degree of instruction and 
 progress reported to bim of tbe legion, wben, wbetber 
 from envy and jealousy at seeing Arthur O'Connor raised 
 1o tbe rank of general of division, then the highest in tbe 
 french army, without having passed through any of tbe 
 inferior ranks, — or for other motives, we could not learn, 
 but all at once adjutant general Mac Sheeby became any 
 thing but an impartial chief. 
 
 He knew the captains Corbet were on the most intimate 
 terms with general O'Connor, and that alone seemed to 
 suffice for him to become their enemy, though before lea- 
 ving Paris they were bis bosom friends, and at Morlaix 
 he named on arriving captain Thomas Corbet captain of 
 tbe first class of the legion, and bis brother William cap- 
 tain d'bablllement, or of the cloatbiug, a very lucrative 
 situation; especially in a regiment where everything 
 was to be furnished new, as in the irisb leo'iou. 
 
MEMOIHS OV MILES li\[\\E 113 
 
 The unfortunate duel between captain Sweeny and 
 cap'ain Tliomas Corbet had tlie very worst effect for the 
 officers, being- considered a political one on the score of 
 swearing' allegiance to Napoleon, and Mac Sheehy was 
 said to have been the cause of it, by telling Sweeny some- 
 tliiug that Corbet mentioned of him, in presence of the- 
 Mayor and french authorities at Carhaix in may 1804. 
 — In short adjutant general Mac Sheehy shewed he was 
 quite unfit to organize an irish regiment, and the com- 
 mand w^as taken from him at Lesneven, august 1804. He 
 soon got employed on the staff of the grand army and 
 was on the point of obtaining promotion, when he was 
 killed at the battle of Eylau tlie 7th of february 1807. 
 
 General Harty was born in Ireland , he came to France 
 when very young, and got a commission in the irish 
 brigade. — In 1792 Berwick's regiment was in garrison 
 in the fortress of Landau near the Rhine, lieutenant-co- 
 lonel O'Mahony had the command of it, as senior officer. 
 He one day marched the regiment from the town in the 
 direction of the Rhine, and after marching about a lea- 
 gue, halted the regiment. Captain Harty who commanded 
 the grenadiers company, seeing the quarter master, and 
 every thing belonging to the depot, following the regi- 
 ment, perceived at once that it was not for manoeuvring 
 or exercise, asked the colonel where he intended march- 
 ing? Lieutenant-colonel O'Mahony answ'Cred briefly, to 
 cross tlie Rhine and join our princes on the other side. To 
 
114 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRXE 
 
 this captain Harty replied, that might be very ^^•ell for 
 those who wished to do so, but for his own part, he would 
 not desert the country he had adopted. He immediately 
 harangued the regiment in an impressive, military tone, 
 and returned with it to Landau, leaving lieutenant-co- 
 lonel O'Mahony and a few officers who followed him to 
 go away and cross the Rhine to the enemy's camp. 
 
 Captain Harty received the grateful thanks of the go- 
 vernor of the garrison, and of the inhabitants of Landau, 
 when he returned there triumphantly at the head of Ber- 
 wick's regiment, which he had just saved from the foul 
 crime of deserting to the enemy with arms and baggage ; 
 and for his brave and honourable conduct on this occasion, 
 as w^ell as for his subsequent services, he early obtained 
 the rank of general of brigade from the government, and 
 the emperor Napoleon named him baron de Pierre 
 Bourg, 
 
 Whilst the irish legion remained in the department of 
 Finistere and the environs of Brest, in hope of being- 
 sent one day to Ireland, general Harty had generally a 
 command where it was stationed. 
 
 In 1804 he had a part of the legion under his orders at 
 Landerneau and he had the officers frequently to dine 
 with him, and when the legion w^as afterwards in garri- 
 son at Quimper, he came by order of the minister to ins- 
 pect it; and in 1807 at Antwerp our regiment made 
 part of his brigade, and the same year he commanded 
 our camp at West Caple in the Island of Walcheren. where 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES ItYRNi: 115 
 
 he, as well as almost all the men and officers of his bri- 
 gade were affected with the severe fever of that Island ; 
 so much so, that the camp had to be raised and the sick 
 sent to the hospitals of Middlebourg, Flushing, etc. 
 
 General Harty commanded the military district at 
 Munster in Westphalia in 1813; it was in this town that 
 I saw for the last time this truly brave, honest irishman. 
 We were seven officers and about sixty men, of our re- 
 giment, on our way back to our depot in Holland, after 
 the terrible disasters we escaped from in Silesia, and on 
 the Bober,at Lowenberg where our division under gene- 
 ral Puthod fought till it was nearly exterminated. General 
 Harty had us all to dine with him, and he did every thing- 
 he could to console us in our misfortunes. He wished 
 colonel Lawless, who had lost his leg at the Bober, to 
 remain a day or two to recover from his fatigues, but the 
 Cossacks appearing in force near the town in the mor- 
 ning, general Harty at the head of his brigade had to 
 march and attack them, so poor Lawless had to be off, 
 and thus could not avail himself of general Harty's kind 
 offer of hospitality. 
 
 General Harty's manner w'as frank and agreeable; lie 
 had no desire to shew off as a great hero, because he 
 thought he had only done his duty as any honourable 
 man would have done, circumstanced as he was in Ber- 
 wick's regiment at Landau in 1792. — General Clark 
 was his relation and when he became duke of Feltre and 
 war minister to Napoleon, he took great interest in ge- 
 
] Hi MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNF. 
 
 neral Harty's family; lie got his daug'hter miss Harty 
 married to lieutenant-general de Brice, and after the Res- 
 toration, his son became a distinguished officer in the 
 royal guards and later, a staff officer. This young man 
 had the misfortune to kill in a duel the son of colonel 
 Saint-Aulaire, on account of a pamphlet that the latter 
 published against the duke of Feltre. 
 
 General Clark was born at Landrecy in France; his 
 father was a major in one of the irish brigades. Young 
 Clark got rapid promotion in the french army after the 
 revolution, and he filled important situations in Italy, 
 whilst Buonaparte was general in chief there, and the 
 letter of the latter to him on the occasion of his nephew's 
 death, young Elliott, at the battle of Arcole, was much 
 spoken of when I came to Paris in 1803, by the irish pa- 
 triots whom I met there. It was as follows : 
 
 « Your nephew has been killed on the field of battle of 
 Arcole. That young man had familiarised himself with 
 arms. Often did he march at the head of the columns; he 
 would have been one day a distinguished officer. He has 
 died w^ith glory, facing the enemy, without a moment's 
 suffering. "What reasonable man would not envy such a 
 death? Who is there amongst us who has not regretted a 
 hundred times that he has not thus been withdrawn from 
 calumny and envy, and from the various hateful passions 
 which seem almost exclusively to direct the conduct of 
 men? » 
 
MEMOir.S 01' MILI'S MWWE 117 
 
 General Clark was not in favour with the government 
 of the L/ireotor^r during" the absence of Buonaparte in 
 Egypt, but after the 18 brumaire, his services were again 
 appreciated as they merited, by the First Consul, and his 
 fame afterwards as duke of Feltre and Napoleon's minister 
 of war from 1800 to his abdication at Fontainebleau on 
 the 8th of april 1814 is too well known to the historian, 
 for me to pretend to offer my opiniop on his career; yet I 
 cannot help mentioning what regards myself and some 
 of my comrades respecting his unjust and arbitrary de- 
 cisions towards us, when he became minister of war to 
 Louis XVIII after the Hundred Days in 1815. The Irish 
 regiment was disbanded at the same time that the french 
 army w^as disbanded, and the officers sent to their homes 
 on half pay. The Irish officers having no homes in France 
 had to choose towns, where they expected to enjoy their 
 half pay and protection. 
 
 Commandant Allen was on his way to the place he had 
 chosen, when the duke of Feltre had him arrested 
 at Paris and ordered to quit the french territory forth- 
 with. Thus without trial or the means of defence, was to 
 be banished from his adopted country, a,n officer whose ^ 
 
 Ay 
 
 brilliant conduct at Astorga in 1810 was the admiration i ^ 
 of the french army. Fortunately for Allen, general Arthur *^ 
 O'Connor, as soon as he heard of his arrest, waited on 
 the minister of war, the duke of Feltre, and got him to 
 revoke his cruel and most unjust order, and Allen was 
 allowed to go and reside at Tours. 
 
118 MEMOIRS OK MILES KYHNE 
 
 Three of the distinguished captains of the Irish reg-i- 
 ment, distinguished hoth for bravery and high education, 
 were by order of Clark the duke of Feltre, obliged to quit 
 France, without ever being able to know for what reason : 
 these were, captains Jackson and Luke Lawless, both of 
 whom went to America, and Town who went to Italy. 
 
 The Irish regiment being disbanded in September 18L5, 
 at Montreuil-sur-Mer, I w' as ordered, as a member of the 
 council of administration, to remain there with colonel 
 Ware, the quarter master and another member, to 
 settle and give up the accounts of the regiment. All 
 being terminated in may 1816, colonel Ware and I reti- 
 red to Tours, where we met commandant Allen, and 
 Hayne; with these friends and comrades, 1 was spending 
 my time as well as could be expected under such cir- 
 cumstances, and I hoped I had escaped the re-action and 
 persecution then prevailing against the officers of the 
 french army ; when, on the 2'' of January 1817, the prefet 
 of Tours sent for me to give me an order he had received, 
 he said, the day before from the minister of police. Being- 
 new year's day, he did not like then to communicate di- 
 sagreeable intelligence to me. The order was, that I 
 should quit Tours in twenty four hours and France in 
 fifteen days. On being handed this « Ukase, » I went ins- 
 tantly to general d'Autichamp, who commanded the mi- 
 litary division at Tours. He seemed quite surprised and 
 displeased that orders regarding military men were not 
 
MEMOmS OF WILES DYRNE 111) 
 
 forwardel to him to te delivered, audhe asked me where 
 I intended to g-o to. I tokl him to Nantes, if he would 
 have the g-oodncss to order the arrears and money due to 
 me to be paid. That I should sail for New- York by the 
 first vessel going- from Nantes; he replied, that having 
 no instructions whatever from the minister of war on the 
 matter, he could not interfere, but he thought that I 
 should pass by Paris, and there claim the money due to 
 me. « You have friends no doubt who can assist you at 
 Paris. » I said I had many, but that they were not infa- 
 vour, and consequently could not be of any use to me. I 
 mentioned to him having a letter of introduction to the 
 prince de Broglie, from his brother the prince and abbe 
 de Broglie, which my friend in Dublin, Andrew O'Reilly 
 had procured for me : « Then h said general d'Autichamp, 
 « take your feuille de route for Calais, and the coach to 
 Paris; you will thereby gain a few days, to make your 
 reclaimation about your money matters, and have time to 
 see my cousin the prince de Broglie, who is vice-presi- 
 dent of the Chamber of deputies. » I followed his advice, 
 took my place in the diligence for Paris and bid farewell 
 to my dear friends at Tours. — All the way to Paris, I 
 had to shew my feuille de route or passport, to the gen- 
 darmes, every time the coach stopped to change horses. 
 I however arrived safely the second night at Paris, and 
 lodged at the hotel de Calais, rue Montmartre and next 
 day went to call on my friend Mr Aubriet, who was chef 
 des huissiers at the Chamber of deputies. I told him I 
 
J-:?0 MI'.VOIUS OF MILES BYHNE 
 
 wanted to see the prince de Broglie. « There he is » he 
 answered, returning after him, he presented me to him. 
 The prince was going, on hearing the bell ring. He asked 
 me why I did not come sooner to Paris? That his brother 
 had written to him to use his influence to get me em- 
 ployed, and he hoped to have me placed in the royal 
 guards, etc. I said, a Prince it is on a disagreeable mat- 
 ter 1 have to speak to you at present, » and I shewed him 
 the order I had got to quit Tours and France He very 
 naturally seemed quite surprised, and asked me what I 
 could have done to merit such treatment. I answered that 
 I was conscious of never having done but my duty as an 
 officer and as a man of honour : and that all I required 
 was, to be tried by a court martial. The prince then told 
 me that he was to dine that day with the minister De 
 Gaze, and for me to call on him at seven o'clock next mor- 
 ning, rue Saint-Domini(^up, w^ 19. — I did so and got 
 him sitting up in bed busy writing. He made me sit down 
 beside him, and he then told me that the minister De 
 Gaze knew nothing particular about my affair, that the 
 duke of Feltre was frequently sending despatches through 
 the officers of the police to the civil authorities in the de- 
 partments and that it was in that way the order respect- 
 ing me was forwarded to the prefet at Tours. He added, 
 (( The minister has promised me that you should have a 
 permission to stop at Paris, to justify yourself; so you 
 must see the duke of Feltre and know from him what are 
 the charges brought against you, and come and let me 
 
ME.MOinS or MILES liYllNK 1^1 
 
 hear immediately the result of your interview with him. » 
 Nothing- could be kinder than the prince's reception; and 
 the 'uterest he took i>\ the matter, g-ave rae great hopes 
 ofsuccessandl returned cheerful to my lodging-sat nig'ht, 
 thinking- that I had beg-un ^vell, when I was handed a 
 letter from the chief of the police, ordering- me to appear 
 there at ten next morning. This chief said to me, « I have 
 « ordered you here, to know if you are ready to quit 
 « Paris and continue your route to Calais, and when you 
 « are to set off etc. » I answered, I should return and let 
 him know after I saw the prince de Broglie, who had had 
 the g-oodness to tell me that he would get me a permis- 
 sion to stop some time in Paris. « Oh then » he replied 
 « you will certainly obtain it, for he is on the most inti- 
 u mate terms with our minister. » — This chief de bu- 
 reau's name was Lebas, and he told me he knew the Irish 
 regiment at Landau. Finding him so amiable in his 
 manner I asked him if I could not learn something of the* 
 charges made against me. « Certainly, « he answered, 
 « you must see all we have here. » On which he rang a 
 bell and told a man to go and bring him the « dossier » 
 of a Mr Byrne, which had been sent there by the minister 
 of war, « Feltre. )> x^ccording to this curious document, I 
 was a « buonapartiste enrage, » that would never change, 
 a fourbe, etc., etc. I remarked to him, « this appears a 
 « contradiction; a « fourbe » is a man ever ready to 
 « change when it is for his -advantage to do so. » He po- 
 litely replied « We know the value of such denunciations. » 
 
12-2 mi:moihs ok jiilcs dyk.ne 
 
 — I thanked him for his attention, and I then went to 
 call on the prince de Broglie, who told me, that I need 
 not be uneasy, as to the police for some time, but that I 
 should without delay see the minister of war, and en- 
 deavour to make him listen to my reclamation. I followed 
 his advice and attended at the duke de Feltre's hotel, the 
 da}^ he g-ave his audience to the officers. When my name 
 was called and the door opened, instead of letting- me go 
 in, the minister met me at the door, took my paper 
 and threw it on the table and scarcely allowed me time to 
 open my lips, when he told the huissier (or usher) to call 
 another officer. I then could plainly see that I had no 
 chance of obtaining justice from the duke of Feltre; so I 
 resolved to go to Havre and from thence sail to New- 
 York. I wrote to g-eneral Lawless who wasliving with his 
 family at Moulins, to let him know my determination, 
 and praying him to write to Mr Emmett by me; lest he 
 might be told by the Bourbons « emissaries » at New- 
 York, that the emigrant officers had to leave France for 
 other things besides their politics. The following is the 
 letter which gvmeral Lawless wrote to Thomas Addis 
 Emmett on the occasion. 
 
 « My dear friend, 
 
 « Another act of summary justice gives me an oppor- 
 tunity of sending you this, as much with a view of ex- 
 pressing my sincere thanks for the services you have 
 
MEMOIKS OF MILES UYUNE 123 
 
 rondered my nephew, as to introduce to you anew, an old 
 acquaintance who thinks it necessary I should say some- 
 thing- to you of him. For many years I have known 
 Mr Byrne. I have always found him to justify the good 
 opinion of your ever to be regretted brother; you will find 
 his morals as pure as his bravery is unquestionable, and 
 I have seen both put to severe trials. — Do not be alar- 
 med, my dear friend, at the quick arrival of another re- 
 commandation, or imagine that I have set up a register 
 office for emigrants to your country. I could not refuse a 
 word in favour of the bearer, and do not mean to be trouble- 
 some in future. 
 
 « I refer you to Byrne for any information you may 
 desire to know. He allows me but a moment to write this. 
 — My wife joins me in kind wishes to Mrs Emmett and 
 for your joint prosperity. 
 
 « Yours ever, 
 
 « W. Lawless. 
 
 " Mouliiis, dt'partcment de rAUier, lUth January 1817. » 
 
 The worthy prince de Broglie was not only very sorry, 
 but much surprised at the bad recei)tion I had received 
 from my « countryman, » as he was pleased to call, ge- 
 neral Clark the duke de Feltre, war minister to the king- 
 Louis XVIII, etc., etc. He thought that he was rather 
 partial to the Irish. I told him the contrary was the case; 
 
124 ME.MOIISS OF MILKS BYU.NE 
 
 that ho was any thip.s^ but impartial to some of them. 
 Tliat Nvhilst he was bauishing- disting'uished irish offi- 
 cers who counted ten and twelve years service and cam- 
 paigns in the french army, without trial or judgment, 
 he was placing other irishmen in the gardes du corps 
 (king's body guards) who had no claim on France, and 
 giving commissions of sous-lieutenants to young irish 
 lads under eighteen years of age; and in 1814 he would 
 not give brevets to the students of the irish college until 
 they had completely attained the eighteen years re- 
 quired. 
 
 The prince de Broglie asked me if the minister recei- 
 ved my demand. I told him he took the paper and threw 
 it on the table without reading it <; His secretary » he 
 replied « will read it to him; so you may expect an ans- 
 « wer, but not probably for three weeks or a month on 
 « account of the great mass of such documents he will 
 « have to reply to; but keep your mind ea?}^ and havepa- 
 « tience Should the minister of police be written to, about 
 « your stopping in Paris, I shall let you know and tell 
 « you what you will have to do in the event of the duke 
 « of Feltre persisting in having you sent away. « — It 
 was generally thought that a change of ministry would 
 soon take place; M. de Caze becoming every day more in 
 favour with the king, and indeed more popular than hi.s 
 colleague the duke of Feltre, and that the latter woukl 
 only remain to finish the dirtv work he had so well be- 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRXE 12") 
 
 gun. However no change taking* place, and not having 
 got any answer to my demand, from the war office or the 
 minister, I resolved to see his excellency once more, and 
 this time I was advised to write in eno,'lish to him; that 
 h'' did not like the idea of such documents being publi- 
 shed in the American or liberal english newspapers. So 
 on the 12th of april 1817, I presented to him the following 
 letter, remarking that it was in english, as I knew his 
 lordship understood that language well: he said I might 
 speak if I wished in english. 
 
 TO HIS EXCKLLENCY MARSHAL DUKlil OF FELTRE, MINISTER 
 OF WAR. 
 
 « My lord, 
 
 « My reliance on the justice of your excellency is as 
 strong as the consciousness of my own innocence; both 
 conspire to convince me, that should any doubts still re- ♦ 
 main, your excellency will take no unfavourable decision 
 without affording m-C the possibility of justification. — 
 In such a supposition, a trial by court martial is all I re- 
 quire, and this, my lord, I feel assured you never will 
 deny me. If I am proved guilty, let me be punished and 
 dishonoured; if innocent, let me be re-instated in what is 
 now called in question, my honour and my character; — 
 to me, without these, life is not supportable; to maintain 
 them unsullied has been my study during nineteen years 
 
126 MEMOIRS OF Mll-ES BYRNE 
 
 incessant campaig-ns, find I feel convinced your excel- 
 lency cannot but applaud my determination to do so to 
 the end. 
 
 « I shall not trouble your excellency with the descrip- 
 tion of my situation; you know that my devotion to the 
 cause of France has cut me off from the resources I should 
 find in my own country. Deig-n then to judge what my 
 position must be, deprived as I now am, these four 
 months, of my only support, the half of my former ap- 
 pointments. 
 
 « To this state have I been reduced on a sudden wi- 
 thout any previous warning whatever for faults alledged 
 to have taken place two years ago, but of which I had 
 never heard until sentence of immediate banishment hal 
 been pronounced. 
 
 « I have the honour to be, etc., 
 « M. Byrne. 
 « Paris, the I'^tli april 1817. » 
 
 I was glad to see that he read my letter attentively and 
 put it on the chimney piece, in place of throwing it on 
 the table with the other papers. I said, « My lord, I might 
 « have added that I was named captain in 1808, now 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILKS liYRNK 127 
 
 « nine years, and never once was under an arrest; a proof 
 « that I obeyed my chiefs and executed their orders, and 
 « I was on the most friendly terms with them, throughout 
 « our campaigns and even with colonel Mahony; though 
 « probably he is the person who has denounced me to 
 « 3'our excellenc}', as « dangerous. » He replied « no » 
 that it came from the authorities where I had been in gar- 
 rison. I answered, the military authorities, the only ones 
 I had to do with, the marquis de Brias, governor at 
 Montreuil-sur-Mer, and lieutenant-general count d'Au- 
 tichamp at Tours, were both ready to attest the honou- 
 rable way I conducted myself whilst under their com- 
 mand. He said, he would see about « my affair; » and he 
 then began to talk to me about the Byrne families in Ire- 
 land, and of many others, as he was well versed in the 
 history of that unfortunate country. His reception and 
 conversation being so very amiable, I trusted I should 
 hear in a day or two that the unjust order for my ba- 
 nishment was revoked; but no, I was still left in sus- 
 pence for more than a month, as it was only on the 29th 
 of may 1817 that I received the following answer from 
 the duke of Feltre, though it was dated the 7tli of may. 
 But being sent to the military governor of Paris, lieute- 
 nant-general count d'Espinois with whom I had nothing 
 to do, instead of being forwarded to the minister of police, 
 to apprize him that I was re-instated on the army list, 
 and no more under his jurisdiction. 
 
128 MKMOinS OK MILES BYl'.NE 
 
 MINISTERE DE LA GUERRE. 
 BUUEAU DE LINFANTERIE. 
 
 Decision dii IG avril 1817. 
 
 « Le ministre secretaire d'Etat au departement de la 
 g-uerre previent M. Byrne (Miles), caj)itaine a rancien 
 3« regiment dtranger, qu'etant compris dansla categ-orie 
 des ofl&ciers strangers susceptibles d'etre mainteiius au 
 service du roi, 11 est admis au traitement accorde par les 
 ordonuances de Sa Majesty aux officiers de son grade en 
 non activity. 
 
 « II accusera reception au ministre de la prc'sente et 
 fera connaitre le lieu de sa residence. 
 
 « Paris, leT mai 1817. 
 
 « Le mar^chal due de Feltre. 
 
 « A M. Byrne, capilaine d"infanterie a rex-3« regiment eti;anger. » 
 
 Translation of the duke ofFeltre's answer to Mr Byrne's 
 letter of the 12th april 1817. 
 
 WAR OFFICE. 
 l.NFA.NTRY DEPARTMENT. 
 
 Decision of llie IGlh april 1817. 
 « The minister secretary of state for the war department 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILKS BYRNE 129 
 
 informs Mr Byrne (Miles), captain in the old 3'^ foreign 
 regiment, that being- comprised in the rank of foreign of- 
 ficers susceptible of being maintained in the service of the 
 king, he is granted the pa}^ ordered by his Majesty to offi- 
 cers of his rank in non activity. 
 
 « He will acknowledge the receipt of this present to 
 the minister and give in also the place of his residence. 
 
 .' Paris the Tfh may 1SI7. 
 
 « The marshal duke of Feltre. 
 
 " To Mr Byrne captain of infantry in tlie ox M foreign regiment » 
 
 Colonel Markey who had been several years aide -de- 
 camp to the duke of Feltre, told me, that he had for a 
 principle, to be serviceable to all those whom he once 
 acknowledged had been unjustly treated; and to make 
 them forget it, he had tliem advanced in rank as soon as 
 possible. He did not remain long enough in the war de- 
 partment for me to avail myself of this propensity of his 
 to render Service. He was replaced in the war department 
 b}^ marshal Saint Cyr. — The duke of Feltre w'hen out of 
 office retired to his country seat in the department of the 
 Bas-Ehin, quite dissatisfied with a court he had but too 
 well served. He did not long survive the Bourbons ingra- 
 titude. He left three sons, very big young men. — I was 
 very intimate with the second « Arthur; » he was a lieu- 
 tenant of cavalry and asked to be employed on the expe- 
 
 T. HI 9 
 
130 MEMOIRS OF MILKS BYRNT 
 
 (lition to Greece in 1828 on tlie staffofgeneral Sclineicler, 
 the friend of his family. I saw him frequently at Patras 
 in the Morea, and I must say, I never met any youn^ 
 man who possessed more enlightened or liberal opinions 
 than he did, on every subject. — He got a sickness, a 
 g-astric, in Greece, of which he died when he returned to 
 Paris. The duke and the younger brother have both died 
 since. So the title of duke of Feltre is extinct, as none of 
 them were married. 
 
 Extract from a work entitled « Histoire des Troupes 
 ^trangeres au service de France, » par Eugene Fieffe, 
 commis principal aux archives du rain isterede la guerre. 
 Paris 1854. 
 
 « Clakke ( Henri- Jacques-Guillaume). 
 
 « Comte d'Hunebourgjdue de Feltre, issu d'une famille 
 distingude, originaire d'Irlande, naquit a Laadreeies le 
 17 octobre 1765. Cadet gentilhomme a I'e'colemilitaire de 
 Paris le 17 septembre 1781, sous-lieutenant au regiment 
 d'infanterie de B.^rwick (1782), cornette dans le regiment 
 du colonel general des hussards, avec rang de capitaine, 
 en 1784; 11 se demit de cet emploi le 1" d^cembre 1789 
 pour passer a Londres en qualit(5 de gentilhomme d'am- 
 bassade. Rentre dans I'armee le 11 juillet 1790, il fut ca- 
 pitaine au 16<', puis 14" regiment de dragons, lieutenant- 
 colonel du 2'" regiment de cavalerie le 5 fdvrier 1792; se 
 signala a I'armt'e du nhin, a laprise de Spire, fut nommt? 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES 15YRXE 131 
 
 general de brigade provisoire le 19 mai 1793; suspendu 
 de ses fouctions au mois d'octobre de la ni^me annt^e et 
 bient6t reintt'gre, il futconfirme dans son grade, employe 
 pres le comite de salut public au cabinet topograpbique 
 et militaire le P"" mars 1795; nomme gendral de division 
 le 7 decembre suivant, et enfiu envoy6 extraordinaire 
 pres la cour de Vienna, il participa en cette qualite au 
 traitd de Campo Formio, en 1797. 
 
 « Eeformdlam^rae annexe, il devint ensuitecbef dud^pot 
 de la guerre le 27 novembre 1799, commandant du de- 
 partement de laMeurthe au mois de septembre 1800, am- 
 bassadeur en Toscane, conseiller d'Etat et secretaire in- 
 time de Napoleon pour les affaires de la guerre 1805. 
 
 « Apres avoir combattu a Ulm, il fut gouverneur de 
 Vienne, de la basse Autricbe, etc., se distingua encore a 
 Jena, devint gouverneur d'Erfurtb, de Berlin, de la 
 Prusse, et ministre de la guerre le 9 aout 1807. — Comte 
 d'Hunebourg'peu de temps apres : les vigoureuses me- 
 sures qu'il prit pour defendre Tile de Walclieren lui va- 
 lurenl le titre de due de Feltre en 1809. 
 
 « II cessa sesfonctions de ministre dolaguerre le Savril 
 1814, si(fgea h la cbambre des pairs le 4 juin, fut appeU 
 a la t6te du ministerede la guerre le 12 mars 1815, suivit 
 le roi a Gand, fut gouverneur de la 9* division militaire 
 ie 15 septembre, membre au conseil priv6 le 19, ministre 
 de la guerre pour la troisierae fois le 28 du m6me mois, 
 
132 MEMOIRS OF WILES BYRNE 
 
 g'ouverneui' cle la 14" division le 10 Janvier 1816; 61eve a 
 la dig"nit(5 de marechal de France le 3 juillet suivant, il 
 rcsiig-na le portefeuille de la g'uerre au mois de septembre 
 1817, et moiu-ut a Neuville (Bas-Rliin), leSSoctobre 1818. 
 
 n II fut chevalier de la couronne de Fer, grand cordon 
 des ordres de Saint-Hubert de Baviere, de la Fidelite de 
 Bade et de Saint-Henri de Saxe, grand-aigle de la Legion 
 d'honneur etcommandeur de Saint-Louis. » 
 
 There were three brothers of the name of « Burke » in 
 the Irish brigades; they were born in France, I only 
 knew the one who had been aide-de-camp to marshal 
 Davoust, the prince of Eckmuhl, and who was named 
 general of division by Napoleon the 17th of november 
 1813, for his bravery, having been wounded more than a 
 dozen times. After the Restoration of the Bourbons in 
 1814 lieutenant-general count Burke was named ins- 
 pector general and charged with the organization of the 
 three foreign regiments to be kept in the french service : 
 L>t Latour d'Auvergne, 2^1 Isenberg, 3'^ Irlandais. These 
 regiments were first assembled at Avesne and definitively 
 organized into three battalions each, at Montreuil-sur- 
 Mer, in the month of february 1815. The first and second 
 regiments were ordered to other towns, and the 3'i regi- 
 ment etranger irlandais remained in garrison at Mon- 
 treuil-sur-Mer. Having a conge or permission in 1814 to 
 go to Paris, I wailed on general Burke b.fore setting 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES IIYRNE 133 
 
 off, and I had a long- conversation with him about Ive- 
 hmd; he told me how he had embarked twice in 1798 for 
 the expeditions to Irehind in company with William 
 Hamilton (Thomas Eussell's nephew by marriage) of 
 whose patriotism he spoke in the handsomest manner, 
 and of iiis earnes'ness for the independence of Ireland 
 « but, » he added, « now all that is over; you have no 
 K i)retender for Ireland ; of course nothing- can be expec- 
 « ted from France. » He could then only think oflegi- 
 timac}^ and monarchy. — However on the 20th of march 
 1815 general count Burke waited on the emperor Napo- 
 leon and offered to his majesty all he possessed in the 
 world, « his heart and his sword; » Napoleon named him 
 governor of Givet, an important command. 
 
 After the hundred days and the second restoration of 
 the Bourbons, general Burke was a long time ere he 
 could get into favour, on account of the gallant and 
 brave defense he made of the fortress of Givet against 
 the allies after the battle of Waterloo; — yet in 1823 
 when a french army was ordered into Spain to put down 
 liberty there, and to restore the former despotism with 
 Ferdinand YII, the commander in chief the duke d'An- 
 gouleme thought fit to give the command of one of 
 the corps of his army to lieutenant-general count Burke. 
 The campaign finished, he w^as raised to the [leerage, and 
 continued to sit in the Chamber of peers till his death, 
 even in the reign of Louis-Philip. 
 
13't MEMOIRS OF MILKS BYRNE 
 
 One of general Burke's brothers was killed in a duel 
 at Guadeloupe in the West Indies, by Cavanagh an offi- 
 cer of the same reg-iment. The other brother emigrated 
 and entered the english service where he became major 
 general. Count Burke not being married, his titles 
 are extinct He was grand officer of the Legion of ho- 
 nour, etc. 
 
 I recollect a curious coincidence. In august 1814 whilst 
 at Avesnes inspector general Burke was preparing his 
 report to the minister of war on the merits and claims of 
 the brave Irish officers returning from the russian prisons 
 of Siberia, as well as those officers who escaped from 
 Flushing, and from the english pontons, Curran's very 
 ill-timed, and most silly letters from Paris in august 
 1814 to his friend counsellor Denis Lub^ were published 
 in the Dublin newspapers. The following article is from 
 one of them on the irish exiles. 
 
 « I had hopes that England might let them back. The 
 a season and the power of mischief is long past : the 
 « number is almost too small to do credit to the mercy 
 « that casts a look upon them. But they are destined to 
 (f give their last recollection of the green fields they are 
 « never to behold, on a foreign death-bed, and to lose 
 <r the sad delight of fancied visits to them in a distant 
 « grave. » 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 135 
 
 It caused no little indig-nation amongst the irisli offi- 
 cers wlio had read it, and several of them met at dinner 
 at the trois freres in the Palais-Royal, to talk it over. — 
 These were, g-eneral Lawless, who came in from Saint- 
 Germains for the meeting, commandant O'Reilly, caj)- 
 tain Luke Lawless, Edward Lewens and JohnSweetman, 
 etc. We were a mixture of civil and military at dinner. 
 
 General Lawless asked ArthurBarker, as the youngest 
 (for he was still a student at the Irish college) to read 
 those famous letters. — When read, general Lawless 
 turning to Lewens said, « You must have told Curran that 
 « our number was not worth the commiseration of Cas- 
 « tlereagh. » — « ^^ sir! » cried Lewins in a great pas- C^m 
 sion; « how could you think me capable of any such 
 « thing? » — General Lawless rejoined « Of the exiles 
 « at Paris, Curran only saw you and Corbet. — It would 
 (I have been better had he vented his s[)leen and ill hu- 
 « mour on something else ; he might have let the brave 
 « irish officers who have escaped the dangers of their 
 X various campaigns, be again placed on active service. » 
 
 To be just to the Restoration of 1814 an irish regiment 
 was re-organized in february 1815, in which were eom^ 
 prised the officers coming from the war prisons; thoiigK 
 to please Castlereagli, it was called the- 3*' feg-ini-ent 
 etranger irlandais. — -^y- '^^^ '""' jnjy iui::nou^no a-iol,-io 
 adirri has asansbiA orli'lo \iivi& erli ni llsa 
 
 Cuviran,; oir some othei*ijjeiii;bers ;of the former irish par- 
 
136 MEMOJRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 liament, would only have done their duty to their coun- 
 trymen who had hasarded every thing- for Ireland, had 
 he, or they asked for a general amnesty. Then the exiles 
 mig-ht have availed themselves of it to return and resume 
 their various professions, or enjoy their fortunes, in the 
 land of their hirth and the home of their affections. Those 
 who had lost all, ought to have been left undisturbed, to 
 serve their adopted country. Counsellor Lube, who had 
 at the time some of his relations in exile, would have 
 done well had he dissuaded Curran from publishing his 
 letters. Lewens could have made a handsome fortune 
 
 in Dublin by his profession, had he been allowed to 
 
 H 
 return. L' 
 
 General Kilmaine died before I came to Paris in 1803. 
 I knew one of his aides-de-camp Mr Viltard, who 
 married miss Jennings the general's sister. I had many 
 agreeable conversations with them both, about Italy, 
 Yenise and Lombardy, 
 
 Charles Edward Paul Jennings was born at Dublin, 
 19th October 1751. — He entered the service of France 
 1774. He went through various ranks and w^as at last 
 general of division may 1793. 
 
 He had served with distinction in America, under the 
 orders of Eochambeau, and he again distinguished him- 
 self in the army of the Ardennes and in that of the north. 
 But the multiplied proofs of talent, valour and patriotism 
 
MIi:M()lKS or Mll.RS IIYKM". 137 
 
 which he did not cease to give to the new government 
 of France did not shelter him from the proscriptions of 
 t!.e day; he was deprived of his rank, arrested, and would 
 have been tried and prohabl}' executed, when the revolu- 
 tion of the 9th thermidor (27 July 1794) in saving his 
 life, re[)laced him in the army. 
 
 He defended the Convention ag-ainst the factions in the 
 days of prairial an III (may 1795). Employed in the army 
 of Italy he added to his military reputation by many 
 brilliant actions. 
 
 Sent for to Paris for the execution of a plan of a land- 
 ing in Ireland, he was named provisionally chief of the 
 army of England in the absence of general Desaix, but 
 this expedition having been put off, he got a command 
 in the interior, then that of the army of Helvetia — He 
 gave up that position to Massena and came back to Paris 
 where he died on the 15th of december 1799, 
 
 Mantua defended by the Austrian general Wurmser, 
 surrendered to general Kilmaine, who blockaded it, 1st 
 february 1797. 
 
 The Directory sent him the following letter of congra- 
 tulation. 
 
 « Au GENERAL KiLMAINE, 
 
 '< La reddition de Mantoue rap])eUe, citoyeu general, 
 
138 MlvMOlUS OF >1ILES liYUM-: 
 
 au Direetuire exrcutif, qne vous y avez heureusemeiit 
 coutribue en commandant le blocus de cette place. Apres 
 avoir donn(5 des preuves reiterees de valeur et de talent 
 sur le champ de bataille, vous trouvez aujourd'hui, dans 
 le commandement de la Lombardie, une occasion interes- 
 sante de di'ployer de nouveaux moyens egalement pre- 
 cieus, et le Directoire compte toujours sur votre sagesse 
 et la purete de vos principes rdpublicains. » 
 
 (Notes de Fieffe , sur « THistoire des troupes etran- 
 g-eres au service de France^, » par Eugene Fikffe, 
 commis principal aux arcliives du ministerede la guerre, 
 Paris, 1854. ) 
 
 General Shelden was born in England; be had the rank 
 of lieutenant in the Irish brigade when the wars of the 
 revolution began, in whicb be took an active part and 
 soon distinguished himself and got the rank of general of 
 brigade in the french army. His widow madame SheMen 
 lived next door to us in the rue Montaigne at Paris. 
 Mrs Byrne and I saw a good deal of her and found her 
 agreeable and very communicative respecting the irish 
 in the french army. She herself was french, and her sons 
 were officers. 
 
 General Lyncli told me he was a captain at the battle 
 of Valmy in 1792 on the staff of the commander in chief 
 general Kellermann; after tbis victory and the peace of 
 
MK.MOIRS OF MILI-S RYRNK 139 
 
 1795, Prussia remained neuter for eleven years, till 1806. 
 — Lynch got rapid promotion to the rank of general of 
 division 8th march 1793. His health heing much impair- 
 ed, he was employed in France and named inspector of 
 troops at Tours, and in 1808 when we were on march to 
 Spain, general Lynch reviewed and inspected our batta- 
 lions. He was tall and handsome, and though consump- 
 tive he lived to be 86 years of age. 
 
 The history of those unfortunate Irish generals O'Moran 
 and Dillon is well known. They were both killed by their 
 own troops in the beginning of the Revolution. Their 
 sons served in the Irish regiment with me. Young O'Mo- 
 ran studied at the irish college and joined us at Lesneven 
 in 1804, as a sous-lieutenant : we were lodged in the same 
 house there, but as he was oul}^ seven years old at the 
 time of his father's death, he could not recollect any 
 particulars about him. Lieutenant O'Moran made part of 
 the irish battalion that marched from Flushing to Spain 
 in 1807, and in 1808 he was sent back to France to be 
 jilaced in an hospital, having become deranged, there he 
 died. 
 
 His father general O'Moran was born in Ireland, and 
 was considered an officer of great military acquirement; 
 he was named lieutenant-general the 3<i of October 1792. 
 How ofien would the governor of old Castile, general 
 Thiebault, tell us when we were under his orders at Bur- 
 
1 'lO ME.MOir.S OF MILES DYH.NE 
 
 g-os, in 1809, tluit he owed his rapid advancement to that 
 brave and ever-to-be-lamented general O'Moran ; he would 
 say. « He took iv.e out of tlvi ranks of the volunteers 
 « where I w^as a private soldier and had me named cap- 
 « tain forthwith. Having studied law, he saw I could 
 « render service as a staff officer. » 
 
 In reality, general Thi6bault was a highly educated, 
 accomplished man 
 
 General T'lCobald Dillon was massacred by his soldiers 
 near Lille in april 1792. He left two sons. In april 1810 I 
 met one of them captain Dillon ; he was one of the stafT 
 officers of tlie duke of Abrantes at the siege of Astorga, 
 and in 1811 he was named « chef de bataillon » of the 2'' 
 battalion of the irish regiment at Plasencia in Estrema- 
 dura, Spain. 
 
 Commandant Dillon could command his battalion very 
 well, in the manoeuvres, but unfortunately he could not 
 command that respect so essential for a chief. — He quit 
 the regiment at Antwerp in december 1813, to become 
 again a staff officer, and at the revolution of July 1830 he 
 w^as a lieutenant-colonel in one of the regiments of the 
 royal guards of Charles X and as his regi r.ent was dis- 
 banded, he was put on half pay. — His brother was a 
 sous-intendant militaire, and was much considered as an 
 administrator. 
 
MKMOIRS OF MILES BYRNK 141 
 
 In 1792, g-eneral Theobald Dillon, formerly colonel of 
 an iri.sli infantry reg'iment, in the service of France, at- 
 tempted a con}) de main on Tournay ;but he had received 
 orders to avoid fig'hting-. — Tliis order had been g-ivcn 
 hi in by Dumouriez, who thought that the appearance 
 alone of french troops would suffice to make the Austrians 
 retreat, and decide the Belg-ians to declare themselves 
 and take up arms. Dumouriez knew that the Belgians 
 were most desirous to be united to France, but he forg-ot 
 they were notyet insufficient force to declare and realise 
 their wishes. — Received by a hot fire, Dillon retreated. 
 It was at this moment that the enemy unmasked its batte- 
 ries. — Some bullets ploughed the files of french soldiers 
 and complet d the confusion. In vain Dillon tried to rally 
 those who were running away before they were pursued, 
 tumultuous cries, insults were heard around the general 
 who was struck by a pistol shot. The Austrians rushed 
 upon this disorganized body which fled to Lille. Scarce 
 were they intrenched in that place when they seized 
 the prisoners they had brought along with them and mas- 
 sacred them, as if they wished to revenge by a crime their 
 own cowardice. In their blind fur}^ some of these mise- 
 rable wretches sought the unfortunate Dillon; they found 
 him in a grange lying upon straw, exhausted by the loss 
 of blood ; they seized him and put him to death with their 
 bayonets, stripped him anddragged him about the streets, 
 cut him in pieces and burnt him on the great public 
 square. 
 
142 :memoirs of miles byrne 
 
 Names of officers born in Ireland who obtained the 
 rank of general in France under the different govern- 
 ments between 1789 and 1814. 
 
 Oliver Harty, made general of brigade the 15th of may 
 1793. — By the national Convention. 
 
 Thomas Keating, general of division, 13th June 1795. 
 
 — By the national Convention. 
 
 Charles-Edward-Paul-Jennings Kilmaixe, general of 
 division, 15th may 1793. — By the national Convention. 
 
 Isidore Lynch, general of division, 8th may 1793. — 
 National Convention. 
 
 Napper Tandy, general of brigade, 21st april 1798. — 
 By the Directory. 
 
 Arthur O'Connor, general of division, 24th february 
 1804. — Under the First Consul Buonaparte. 
 
 Patrick O'Keef, general of brigade, 15 may 1795. — 
 National Convention. 
 
 James O'Moran, lieutenant-general 3'^ artillery, 1792. 
 
 — By the Legislative Assembly. 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 143 
 
 John O'Neill, g-eneral of brigade, 15th may 1793. — 
 By the national Convention. 
 
 Richavd O'Shee, general of brignde, 4th jnly 1796. — 
 r?y the Directory. 
 
 I have been asked if general Murphy had not served in 
 the old Irish brigades. I said no, but that he had served 
 in a counting house, as a clerk, in Thomas street, Du- 
 blin, as marshal Mortier, thedukeofTreviso, did at Dun- 
 kirk, before he became a soldier. Murphy was young and 
 ■wrote well and with facility. He came to France in 1800 
 expecting to get a commission. The irish Legion, not 
 being yet formed, he engaged inafrench regiment, where 
 he could perfect himself in the language, having already 
 a considerable knowledge of the grammar. 
 
 The regiment into wdiich Murphy enlisted made a part 
 of the army encamped at Boulogne-sur-Mer, destined for 
 the invasion of England. His colonel « Ledru des Essai's » 
 was much considered as one of thebrave band who fought 
 at Marengo. He seeing that Murph}^ wrote a fine hand 
 took him to be his secretary. Previous to the army mar- 
 ching from the camp of Boulogne for the campaign of 
 Austerlitz, orders were given to all the regiments, for the 
 chiefs to propose fit subjects to fill the vacant places. 
 Murphy on this occasion got his commission of sub lieu- 
 tenant, and he continued still to write as before. 
 
\'i\ MEMOFRS OF MILRS P.YRNE 
 
 In this memorable campaign of 1805 Murphy's colonel 
 being wounded and raised to the rank of general of bri- 
 gade, he asked as a favour from the emperor Napoleon, to 
 have Murphy for his aide-de-camp, which was granted, 
 and at the same time that decoration then so difficult to 
 be obtained. Lieutenant Murphy was named chevalier of 
 the Legion of honour and aide-de-camp to general Ledru 
 des Essars. 
 
 It will suffice to shew that Murphy served in those 
 campaigns with distinction, that in 1813 he was colonel, 
 baron of the empire and chief of the staff of one of the di- 
 visions of marshal Marmont's corps of army in Silesia; 
 and at the battle of Leipsick October 1813 his general of 
 division, as well as the general of brigade being either 
 killed or badly wounded, colonel Murphy had to com- 
 mand his division at this terrible battle. 
 
 After the restoration of the Bourbons, prince Hohenlohe 
 who was colonel of the Legion Hohenlohe, being raised to 
 the rank of marshal de camp, or general, colonel Mur- 
 phy was appointed to the command of the Legion 
 Hohenlohe, and on the 22*^ of may 1825 he was promoted 
 to the rank of general of brigade, then called marshal 
 de camp, and during the reign of Charles X, general 
 Murphy was named one of the inspectors general of the 
 army ; and one year he had the honour of being sent to 
 the West India Islands to inspect the french troops there. 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 145 
 
 He sailed from Brest in a frig'ate which he had at his dis- 
 position, going" from Ishmd to Island till he had finished 
 his inspection, and then returned to France. 
 
 After the Revolution of 1830, general Murphy was na- 
 med to command the important fortress of Lille, and at 
 this period it was thought war w^as inevitaljle, which 
 shewed that his courage and talents were well known to 
 the minister of war. 
 
 In 1834 general Murphy had the command of the de- 
 partment of the Creuse, where he remained till he was 
 placed in the section of the generals who after they attain 
 62 years of age, enjoy their full pay and are not liahleto 
 he activel}' employed except in t'me of war. — General 
 Murphy went to reside at Nancy, and then lo Altenstat 
 (Bas-Rhin) where he finished a long and honourable mi- 
 litary career, in 1843. — He was married to a german 
 lady, by whom he had a son. Both his wife and his son 
 died some time before he died, so his latter days were but 
 melancholy. 
 
 He was a baron, commander of the Legion of honour 
 and a knight of Saint-Louis. 
 
 I found Murphy very ready to render service to his 
 
 countrymen. I recollect when Mrs Ryan wrote to mo from 
 
 Wexford in 1825 about getting her grandson Andrew 
 
 Kennedy into the french army, I went to consult my 
 
 good friend doctor Mac Mahon; he at once said « I will 
 T. ui 10 
 
14G MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 write to colonel Murphy, he is now at Brest, commanding' 
 the Hohenloe Leg-ion and we shall see what he will ad- 
 vise. » By return of post we had his answer, which was 
 a masterpiece of sound judgement and good sense and 
 good advice. It contained every thing that could be said 
 to dissuade young Kennedy from thinking of becoming 
 a private soldier in the time of profound peace, and 
 when no prospect of obtaining the rank of officer was 
 possible before passing through the inferior ones, which 
 might last many years, and he added in his excellent 
 letter : « Is our unfortunate country in that stat«', that a 
 « well educated young man, as you say Kennedy is, 
 « cannot get some honourable employment preferable to 
 « that of becoming a mercenary soldier lu a foreign Le- 
 <( gion and in a foreign country? » But he again added, 
 « If young Kennedy persists, I shall do all in my power 
 « to be useful to him as long as I may remain at the head 
 « of the regiment. » I enclosed this interesting letter to 
 Mrs Ryan at Wexford, and young Kennedy, who was 
 decided to try his fortune, set oflf at once and joined the 
 Legion at Brest. — But Murphy being promoted to the 
 rank of general shortly after, that is the 22ii o( may 1825 
 had not time to be of service to Andrew Kennedy, who 
 had, as Murphy foretold, to drag on for years before he 
 got the rank he so well merited. — Such were the times 
 after the reatoratiou. 
 
 Doctor Mac Malion and Murphy were great friends, 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES P.YP.XE 147 
 
 and I believe their friendship originated, as mine did 
 with Mac Mahon, from lieartfelt gratitude. He was use- 
 ful to both of us in the time of need. I never had a more 
 constant, or a better friend than doctor Mac Mahon ; in 
 my dullest moments, seeing him for an instant cheered 
 me up; and it was the same with general Murphy, who 
 liad his desponding fits also. 
 
 General Murphy spoke and wrote the french language 
 perfectly, and german also; but he was beginning to 
 forget his native tongue, that is, he was forgetting his 
 english, which gave him no concern, as he never inten- 
 ded to reside in England. He was born the 29th September 
 1779 atBalh^adam, Ireland. 
 
 I met at Paris two worthy officers of the former irish 
 brigades; commandant Begg and lieutenant-colonel 
 Bwanton. They were born in Ireland and did honour to 
 their native land : they did not emigrate, on the brea- 
 king out of the Revolution, to go to England and take 
 service as so many others did, to come and fight against 
 France, their ad optedcountry. Begg belonged to Walsh's 
 regiment, when general O'Neill was colonel of it; 
 they were great friends, and Begg had the melancholy 
 duty of having the poor general buried with all the ho- 
 nours due to his rank, his son being absent from Paris 
 at the time with his regiment. 
 
 Lieutenant-colonel Swanton served in Berwick's regi- 
 
148 MEMOIUS OF MILES BYP.XE 
 
 nient with general Harty; and his wife's brother captain 
 Chassery was the general's aide-de-camp iu 1804 at the 
 army destined for Ireland, then in the department of 
 Finistere. 
 
 Captain Chassery (Swanton's brother-in-law), by his 
 talents and bravery in the memorable campaigns where 
 he was employed, soon got from rank to rank to that of 
 general of brigade; this last honour he received at the 
 battle of W.iterloo, the day he was killed His death was 
 a sad affliction to poor colonel Swanton, his wife, son and 
 daughter. Young Swanton was a lieutenant in the irish 
 regiment and he made the campaigns of Germany in 1813 
 with the regiment. He was taken prisoner after our di- 
 sasters on the Bober, 29th of august, and sent to Russia, 
 where he suffered much, till he was exchanged in 1814. 
 After the hundred days, young Swanton studied to be- 
 come a staff officer, and on the 9th of may 1827 he was 
 named captain of the corps royal d'etat-major, and the 
 year after to the command in the Hautes-Alpes for en- 
 rolling the conscripts, the 11th may 1828. — His sister, a 
 fine young girl, had the greatest merit. By her talents 
 and knowledge of languages, she wrote and published 
 different little works, for one of which she had the Mon- 
 thion prize awarded her by the fi-ench academy ; these, 
 with the translations from the works of Thomas Moore 
 and Maria Edgeworth into french, enabled her to render 
 the last days of her aged and respected parents comfor- 
 table. — 
 
MK.MOIKS OF MILES liYUNE I'lO 
 
 Miss Swanton married Mr Belloc an eminent painter 
 and professor of drawing* at one of the colleges at Paris. 
 I had the pleasure of seeing Mr Casimir Perier bring' 
 miss Swanton to the altar at the church of Saint-Sulpice. 
 He was the friend of her family. 
 
 I met colonel Barry at Paris, he served in the irish bri- 
 gade with marshal Mac Donald, and in the same compa- 
 ny, when the latter, a young lad, came to join the regi- 
 ment with the rank of sous-lieutenant, or ensign. Barry 
 being lieutenant and a good instructor, was ordered to 
 teach the « maniement des armes, » or manuel exercise 
 to Mac Donald, and thus began the friendship of those 
 two young officers which subsisted till their death, — 
 When Mac Donald became general, he took Barry on his 
 staff, and he availed himself of the many battles he had 
 fought to ob'ain recompense for those who distinguished 
 themselves in the actions; and by this means Barry at 
 length got the rank of colonel. He was ordered to the 
 french West India Islands, where he had a comnnnd, 
 and wdiere he married a lady of the country by whom he 
 got a fortune. After the restoration of the Bourbons, co- 
 lonel Barry retired to Tours where he met colonels Ware, 
 Allen, and Hayne, and they were all great friends. 
 
 I only knew marshal Macdonald in the campaign of 
 1813 in Slk%ia, when he had the command in chief of 
 two corj s of the Grand Army, his own and the 5th corps 
 
loO Ml-.MOinS OF MILES BYRNT. 
 
 general Lauriston's, which Napoleon thought prudent to 
 place under his orders. 
 
 After the Kestorution I had to wait on him when he 
 was grand chancellor of the legion of honour, to get him 
 to sign some papers for me, and I can never forget his 
 kind reception. He hegan at once to speak to me of the 
 distinguished manner our regiment served in that un- 
 fortunate campaign; of colonel Lawless, of Ware, of 
 Tennant, and the great losses we sustained on the Bo- 
 her; his manner and his simplicity with me, was move 
 like a comrade than a general in chief. 
 
 ilarshal Macdonald was one of the five members who 
 composed the bureau gratuit, or commission, for regu- 
 lating the afTairs of the Irish college after the restoration 
 of the Bourbons. His colleagues were Hely d'Oyssel, 
 then a counsellor of state ; Lally ToUendal a peer of 
 France, lieutenant-general count O'Mahony and doctor 
 Mac Mahon; the latter being physician to the college, 
 and having studied there when young, and having a 
 perfect knowledge of the many changes wich took place 
 in the establishment subsequent to the Revolution, mars- 
 hal Macdonald and the other members of the com- 
 mission were generally guided by the information they 
 got from him respecting those who had a right to « bur- 
 saries » in this rich seminary, and the way the Irish ca- 
 tholics had vested money at different periods in the 
 french funds, and in land, for the support of their col- 
 leges in France. 
 
MEMOIRS OF MlLi:S BYKNE lol 
 
 Doctor Mac Malion rendered so much service to the 
 coiuinission, and made their task so easy, that he be- 
 came on the most friendly terms witli its members, par- 
 ticularly so with marshal Macdonald and Lally Tollen- 
 dal : the latter being- appointed at that time one of the 
 reporters by the chamber of peers on occasion of the great 
 conspiracy in the army, 19th august 1820, to try 65 offi- 
 cers accused of conspiring against the Bourbon's family, 
 seeing amongst the number of the officers he had to re- 
 port on, the name of an Irish man « O'Brien, » asked 
 doctor Mac Mahon if he knew him, and if not, to enquire 
 amongst his irish friends in order to find out something- 
 favourable about captain O'Brien, that he might put it 
 in his report to be laid before the peers then sitting as a 
 court of justice to try this vast military conspiracy, in 
 which so many generals, colonels , chefs de bataillon, 
 captains, lieutenants, etc., were engaged. The following- 
 are a few of the 65 names. General Merlin, colonels Fab- 
 vier, Pailhes, Deutzel, Baillon and Varlet. — Berard 
 chef de bataillon; — capitaiue Varlet; — lieutenant Hut- 
 teau, etc., etc. 
 
 Doctor Mac Mahon answered Lally Tollendal that he 
 knew already a great deal about captain O'Brien, from 
 one of his friends in whom he could confide, and he was 
 pleased to mention me as the person, that I had told him 
 how honourably O'Bi'ieu served in the irish regiment 
 from the time he joined it at Landau in 1809 as sub-lieu- 
 
152 ME.MOmS OF miLES CYRNK 
 
 tenant and as lieutenant in the campaign of Silesia in 
 1813, where he had the misfortune to he ^YOunded and 
 taken prisoner, and to he sent to Siheria. ^\'hen he was 
 exchanged, after the i eace and the restoration of the 
 Bourhons in 1814, lieutenant O'Brien rejoined the Irish 
 regiment and after the Hundred Days in 1815, on its 
 being disbanded at Montreuil-sur-Mer, he was put on 
 half pay. He however got soon re-employed. — The duke 
 of Feltre, then war minister, knew his father, lieutenant- 
 colonel O'Brien, in the irish brigade, and seeing the son 
 a fine young man, more than six feet two inches high, had 
 him placed in his rank of lieutenant in one of the le- 
 gions , and on the 2-lth of march 1819, the then minister 
 of war marshal Saint-Cyr, granted to O'Brien his com- 
 mission of captain. 
 
 Being with his regiment in garrison at Paris in 1820, 
 at the time of the conspiracy , it sufficed for captain 
 O'Brien to be seen in a coffee house frequented by captain 
 jN'antil, or any other of the conspirators to be suspected 
 of being- an accomplice. — But O'Brien had Irish blood 
 in his veins, and w'as incapable of doing any thing un- 
 worthy of a french officer and a man of honour. 
 
 Doctor Mac Mahon with the above information, and 
 aided by marshal Macdonald, succeeded in getting Lally 
 Tollendal to make a favourable report in the chamber of 
 peers, of captain O'Brien, and in consequence, he was let 
 out of prison and allowed to go and reside with his widowed 
 
Ml!:.MOinS 01" MILKS P.YUNK 153 
 
 niutlier and a young' brother at Baushand departenient 
 du Nord, and his name was not mentioned in the trial. 
 Lally Tollendal had to report on seven of the accused, out 
 of the 65 arrested, and O'Brien was the only one who 
 escaped being- brought to the bar of the chamber of Peers. 
 Tlianks to the exertions of doctor Mac Mahon to whom 
 he not only owed his liberation on this occasion, but his 
 being again put into activity of service, after remaining 
 several years on half pay. 
 
 O'Brien was appointed captain to the 11th regiment of 
 the line on the 28th September 1824, and he was raised 
 to the rank of chef de bataillon at the siege of Constan- 
 tine, October 1837, in Africa, where he made several cam- 
 paigns, and had his health much injured before he 
 reti red . 
 
 Brien's gratitude to doctor Mac Mahon was most 
 sincere and lasting; and Mac Mahon well merited it from 
 him and many others ; for he never ceased using his in- 
 fluence with his cousin colonel O'Neill who was chef du 
 bureau d'infanterie at the war office, to get him to serve 
 irishmen, or the sons of irishmen, officers in the french 
 army. Captain O'Brien was also very grateful to marshal 
 Macdonald and to Lally Tollendal. 
 
 Altho' born in France, Macdonald belongs to the glo- 
 rious famil}^ of general officers of foreign origin. — Niel 
 Macdnnald his father, was a younger son of the scotch 
 family of Macdonald of Clanronald. Ue accompanied 
 
l,Vl MK.MOIP.S OF MILES BYUNK 
 
 prince Charles Edward Stuart in liis flight iu 1746 and 
 came into France. 
 
 His son Stephen-James-Joseph Alexander Macdunald 
 was horn at Sedan in 1765. — After heing in various re- 
 <;iments he was aide-de-camp to Dumouriez and gained 
 on the field of hattle of Jemmapes his epaulets of colonel 
 of the 2<' reg-iment of infantry. General of brigade the 26 
 angust 1793, he distinguished himself in Holland and 
 merited the rank of general of division, novemher 1794, 
 and was again distinguished by his great bravery at the 
 fatal battle of Trebbia in Italy. — He was distinguished 
 forh is conduct in Italy again in the campaign of 1809, for 
 which he was named a marshal of France, duke of Ta- 
 rento, etc, grand eagle of the Legion of honour. 
 
 In 1810 he was commander in chief of the army of Ca- 
 talonia. In 1812 of the 10th corps in Russia. In 1813 of 
 the 11th and took an active part in the victory of Lutzen ; 
 was distinj.'uished at Bautzen, was beaten at Katzbach, 
 and was covered with glory at Wurschen, Leipzig, Ha- 
 nau, as well as in the campaign in France, 
 
 Under tlie2'J restoration marshal Macdonald was named 
 chancellor of the Legion of honour. He died at the cha- 
 teau of Courcelles near Gien (Loiret) in septemler 
 1840. 
 
 Lieutenant O'Keeff, a splendid young officer whose 
 father was raised to the rank of general of brigade 15th 
 may 1795 in the freuch army during the wars, had to 
 
MKMOIUS (IF .MILKS T.YUM': loa 
 
 remain bcveral years on the small half pay of a lieute- 
 nant, and his mother, a widow living on a scanty i)en- 
 sion, could not afford him mncli assistance. — Colonel 
 O'Neill had him placed in activity, and on the Sthof april 
 182u O'Keeff Was named captain adjutant major in th{' 
 3i<' reg'iment of the line. I saw his mother at Paris, but I 
 only met himself for the first time at Nantes in 1832 ; he 
 sometimes came to dine at our mess, and the officers of 
 the 56th seemed to like him very much He was acting- 
 then as captain reporter to one of the councils of war, or 
 court martial, in which capacity he shewed ability and 
 talent, having to plead against the first lawyersof Nantes. 
 O'Keeff was advanced to the rank of superior officer, and 
 he made campaigns in Africa as lieutenant-colonel, with 
 the o6ih regiment of the line, and he was promoted to the 
 rank of full colonel in the 6th regiment of liyht troops. 
 The President of the Republic raised him to the rank of 
 general of brigade in 1852. Unfortunately O'Keeff did 
 not enjoy those last honours long; his health was shat- 
 tered by the climate of Africa, and his brilliant military 
 career, like' that of many of his comrades, terminated too 
 soon, and before they had time to render the services the 
 country required from their experience and devotion to 
 the cause of freedom and nationality. — O'Keeff's father 
 died at Briancou near Grenoble. I never saw him, but I 
 heard much of his patriotic love of Ireland, his native 
 country and of his hatred of the euglish yoke. 
 
156 MEMOIRS OF MILES I'.YH.NE 
 
 General O'Keeff was replaced in the command of his 
 regiment the 7tli light infantry, by an irishman, Charles 
 Sutton de Clanard, cousin to marshal Bugeaud. — He 
 was horn at Wexford; his father the count de Clanard, 
 was an oiticer in the old Irish brigade, and at the revolu- 
 tion of 1789 emigrated and entered the service of En- 
 gland. At the restoration of the Bourbons, he sold his 
 commission of captain in the english service and return- 
 ed to France, accompanied by his wife an irish woman, 
 and his children, consisting of four sons and two daugh- 
 ters; in 1814 the dulce of Feltre obtained for him the pen- 
 sion of retreat as a lieutenant -colonel in the frencharmy, 
 and a bourse at the college of La Fleche, for his second 
 son Charles, who afterwards finished his studies at the 
 college of Saint-Cyr, and then received his commission of 
 sous-lieutenant in 1827, and he advanced from rank to 
 rank rapidly, having made several campaigns in Africa, 
 till he was named colonel of the Gth light infantry regi- 
 ment which took tbe number of 81, of the line. In 1857 
 Colonel Sutton de Clanard was promoted to the rank of 
 general of brigade by the emperor Napoleon III. 
 
 When I arrived at Paris in 1803, doctor Mac Mahon was 
 the physician of the irish college, where he had studied 
 under the ausjjices of his uncle doctor O'Reilly, one 
 of the physicians to Louis XVI. Doctor O'Reilly being- 
 suspected and obliged to conceal himself after the king's 
 execution, young Mac Mahon was also suspected, and 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 1^7 
 
 he narrowly escaped the terrorism of that dreadful period. 
 He told me how he was stopped one night at the place 
 Saint-Michael, hy a hatter who knew him; Mac Mahon 
 being- in the habit of bringing- his countrymen to that 
 man's shop to purchase what they wanted in his line. 
 This W'Orthy hatter told Mac Mahon that orders were i^i- 
 ven to have him and others arrested ; that a battalion of 
 volunteers, of which he was one of the captains, would be 
 reviewed next day in the court yard of the college Louis- 
 le-Grand, by the representatives of the people, previous 
 to its marching off to join the army of the Rhine; and be 
 advised him to hide the best way he could till then and 
 to be at the gate of the college with his musket when the 
 battalion would be marching out. Mac Mahon fortunately 
 had friends at the college where he spent the night, and 
 only came out when his captain the hatter was passing 
 who rudely pushed him into the ranks, with a severe re- 
 primand, saying, he hoped he had taken a last farewell 
 of' his mistress. Thus Mac Mahon got safely out of Paris; 
 at Saint-Denis his captain took care that he should be 
 appointed on the detachment which marched before day, 
 to escort the fourriers who were charged with preparing 
 the lodgings for the battalion at the etapes. By these 
 precautions Mac Mahon reached the army, then the only 
 sure refuge against the local persecutions existing 
 throughout France during that .terrible crisis : he soon 
 got an appointment in the military hospitals following 
 the armies, where he had the advantage of improving 
 
158 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 himself in his profession ; and after he had mnde several 
 campaig-ns under iMorean and other g-enerals in chief, 
 he was allowed to return to finish his studies at the me- 
 dical school of Paris, where he was soon received doctor 
 by the faculty there. 
 
 Mac Mahon in a short time acquired reputation as a 
 french physician and got Into great practice. I need not 
 say that he had no lack of Irish clients amongst the poor 
 exiles of Erin during his long career at Paris. — In 1825 
 lie was named by the minister of public instruction, head 
 librarian to the medical school. This honour, with that 
 of physician to the irish college, were the titles he prized 
 most. 
 
 After a short illness doctor Mac Mahon died in the 
 month of december 1835, greatly regretted by his nume- 
 rous french and irish friends. He was born in Ireland, 
 and ever did honour to the land of his birth : his friend- 
 ship was sincere and lasting, and no difficulty could 
 prevent him rendering service to a friend in distress. ■ — 
 In my notes I have mentioned somes instances of his 
 readiness to be useful to his countrymen abroad. 
 
 I must now speak of another wortliy irishman who not 
 only studied at the irish college, but had the honour of 
 saving that establishment in the time of Robespierre's 
 terror from being pillaged by a mob. — Mac Canna seeing 
 this gang approach stood at the gate with a pistol in each 
 hand and primed and loaded; he declared to them that 
 he would shoot the first man who attempted to break the 
 
MRMOIUS OF MILES BYRNE 159 
 
 door, and then he harangued them in the followino' man- 
 ner. « Know citizens, that this college was founded to 
 « educate the sons of the victims of despotism and ty- 
 «' ranny; they suffered martyrdom for the sake of equa- 
 « lity and the rights of man, and many of those who 
 « studied here , are now in the french ranks of th(> 
 army fighting on the frontiers against tlie european 
 « t^Tants, to prevent them profaning the sacred land of 
 (f liherty in France. As to me, I am going to embark on 
 « board a french warship where I expect soon to have 
 « an occasion to fight our worst enemies the Englisli. » 
 — Mac Canna had the satisfaction to see that his eloquent 
 harangue succeeded. The mob marched away, delighted 
 with him and exclaiming he was a « brave bon diable. » 
 He received, as he well merited, the thanks of the supe- 
 rior and inmates of the college for his courage and pre- 
 sence of mind in such a dangerous situation. — Mac 
 Canna sailed twice from the french seaports on expedi- 
 tions destined to aid the Irish in obtaining their indepen- 
 dence. These expeditions failing, ho embarked on board 
 a french privateer, where his services could tend to injure 
 England, a country he cordially hated. He succeeded ra- 
 pidly in this kind of warfare. — When our regiment was 
 encamped at Boulogne-sur-Mer in 1807 , we met Mac 
 Canna there, then a wealthy merchant, or « armateur, » 
 and a partner in one of the first houses He had married 
 a widow, and they were living in good style. — He 
 shewed himself here to he a useful and sincere friend to 
 
IGO MEMOIRS OF MILES BYP.XE 
 
 his countrymen. — Lieutenant Powell of the irish regi- 
 ment having- insulted at tlie review passed by g-eneral 
 Saint-Cyr, a captain Delorme, a prussian, who was follow- 
 ing the regiment expecting to get a company in it one 
 day, and who wished to be seen defiling before the general ; 
 and who came to take lieutenant Powell's place, who was 
 commanding the company in the absence of his own cap- 
 tain. « Shew your order « said Powell. « I have none » 
 replied captain Delorme « but I am your superior. » 
 Lieutenant Powell lost patience and pushed the captain 
 very rudely out of his way and continued to march as if 
 nothing had happened. The review finished, lieutenant 
 Powell was arrested and sent to the town prison, and 
 orders were given to have him tried forthwith by a court 
 martial, of which general Dafour was the president, a 
 great friend of Mac Canna's. The latter lost no time in 
 explaining to the general president, who Powell was, 
 and the part he had taken with general Humbert in Ire- 
 land, and who the prussian captain was, w-ho had aban- 
 doned both his king and country when they were in 
 distress. — He also got one of his friends, a major of a 
 french regiment to defend lieutQnant Powell at the court 
 martial when it would sit. 
 
 Other complications ensued before the trial took place ; 
 the lieutenants of the irish regiment assembled and de- 
 cided to force the prussian captain to prove that he was 
 worthy to wear the insign or epaulets of an officer. Lots 
 being cast, it fell on Allen to give the first challenge and 
 
MEMOIRS OF MH.ES BYRNE 161 
 
 he had no sooner delivered it, than he was arrested and 
 sent to the town prison. I must mention the part I took 
 on hearing of this occurrence, not as a boast, far from it. 
 Lieutenant O'Reilly and I met the prussian captain De- 
 lorme, in the fields comino: from the commander's house 
 where he had been making his report on Allen's being- 
 sent to prison. We stopped him, saying, he would receive 
 no more challenges, but that he should instantly receive 
 something else, if he did not comply with our request. 
 He asked time to go into town to get a second, and he 
 pledged his honour that he would not report us to the 
 general. He soon returned with a captain of a swiss re- 
 giment then in garrison at Boulogne-sur-Mer. O'Reilly 
 and he fought with small swords for about two minutes, 
 when he asked to repose an instant, putting the point of 
 his sword to the ground, which O'Reilly generously ac- 
 ceded to. Delorme seemed quite out of breath and could 
 scarcely speak. He then said, if he was allowed time, he 
 would endeavour to get into another regiment and if 
 he did not succeed, he would give iu his resignation. 
 
 It was feared that this duel and this last transaction 
 might be injurious to the officers in prison, Allen and 
 Powell, but our good friend Mac Canna's exertions and 
 his wide acquaintance amongst the french officers pre- 
 vented it, and he was of the greatest use to us. Allen 
 being ill in prison, was sent to the hospital, where gene- 
 ral Dufour and Mac Canna went to see him. I met them 
 
 T. HI 11 
 
1(V? MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNK 
 
 in the garden walking with Allen, who was highly flat- 
 tered and consoled by their visit : the general told us 
 that the court martial was convoked for the Saturday af- 
 ter at « Ambleteuse, » three leagues from our camp, to try 
 Powell, and as he would be well defended, we need not 
 have any apprehension on the matter. Indeed so far he 
 was right, for the day of the trial was a day of victory 
 for Ireland. Her claims on France were most eloquently 
 put forward, and Powell being one of those who had to 
 exile himself after general Humbert's surrender in Ire- 
 land to lord Cornwallis in august 1798, the able defender 
 was furnished with a theme which he certainly turned 
 to good account. « Gentlemen, judges, » said he, « you 
 « have to decide between captain Delorme, a prussian 
 « adventurer, who when he chooses, can return to his 
 « home, and even go and see his king at Berlin ■ — and 
 « an Irish man, lieutenant Powell, who had to expatriate 
 a himself and abandon all that was dear to him in his 
 a beloved country, when general Humbert capitulated 
 « without being able to make any terms for the brave 
 (' irish who flocked to his standard; you will prove to all 
 « those of them both at home and abroad, by your ver- 
 « diet this day, that they have no injustice to fear in 
 « France, and that the sacrifices Ireland has ever made 
 « for the french nation shall not be forgotten. Your 
 « decision will also shew to the general in chief, that if 
 « the commander of the regiment had done his duty, he 
 « would have put captain Delorme under arrest, for hav- 
 
MF.MOIUS OF !\HLES PA'RNE 163 
 
 « ing presumed to take the command of a company from 
 tt its immediate chief without his order; this neg-lect 
 !( must beexphiined to the general in chief who will soon 
 « see who the persons are who merited punishment. And 
 ft now gentleman, « said this eloquent defender, « let me 
 n tell you before I conclude, that you have here in your 
 < presence, in this court, brave Irish men who have been 
 « sold by their task masters the English, to captain De- 
 i' lorrae's king; that wily prussian monarch availed him- 
 « self of Ireland's cruel situation in 1798 to get men at 
 ( a cheap rate to work in his mines ; he sent his agents to 
 « New Geneva, a prison in Ireland, to pick from amongst 
 (' the unfortunate prisoners, who were under sentence of 
 « transportation for having joined the french when ge- 
 « neral Humbert landed on the Irish coast, able bodied 
 " men; those Irish patriots worked like slaves for years, 
 « in the prussian mines, when they were compelled to 
 « become soldiers, to complete his prussian majesty's 
 '( army, w'ho though in peace with the world thought 
 « it right to have his army greatly augmented to be ready 
 « to pounce on France the moment she met with any re- 
 « verses, and to join her enemies. Fortunately our vic- 
 (f tories in 1805 of Ulm and Austerlitz, frustrated this 
 ;< treacherous design against France, and the battle of 
 (' Icna in 1806 had the chains of hundreds of those brave 
 « Irish patriots broken, who had been eight years in bon- 
 « dage in his prussian majesty's states. » 
 The following are the names of a few of those present 
 
U'A MFMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 at this court martial, who were released after the battle 
 of lena. — Mallowney, wounded at Castlebar and senten- 
 ced to be transported; he was sent to New Geneva prison, 
 and there sold to the king- of Prussia; serjeaut major then 
 in the irish legion and afterwards captain in the Irish 
 regiment in Spain 1812. O'Brien, Dalton, Keagh, Doyle, 
 and Cane I knew in the insurrecection of 1798. Young 
 Gunning, the son of a county of Kildare gentleman, 
 elegant and handsome, but very delicate. I asked him 
 one day, how he could bear up with the hard work of 
 the mines. « Oh I » he replied « Patt Foster did his own 
 task and mine too ; otherwise I could not have survived. » 
 Foster indeed was equal to accomplish such deeds : he was 
 the son of a farmer and accustomed to country work ; he 
 was six feet two inches in height and about 25 years of 
 age ; very handsome, simple as a child and brave as a lion. 
 
 The major in his defence of Powell, took care to men- 
 tion two other officers his fellow sufferers who were pre- 
 sent in the court, « Mr John Gibbons, a wealthy country 
 « gentleman at Newport and his son Edward; for having 
 « allowed their horses to be employed to transport gene- 
 « ral Humbert's baggage, the son was transported to Bo- 
 « tany Bay. From thence he escaped. He is here a sous 
 « lieutenant in the Irish regiment, and his father is a 
 « lieutenant whilst the prussian Delorme is a captain. » 
 
 « Gentlemen, this is one of the many instances of what 
 « the unfortunate irish have suffered for France through- 
 
MEiMOIUS OF MILES nVRNE 165 
 
 (< out oui-wars with Eng-land, audi atn sure your verdict 
 « to day will satisfy them that before a french tribunal 
 « they may expect impartial justice. I have done. » 
 
 The court martial after a few minutes deliberation 
 unanimously acquitted lieutenant Powell. 
 
 Mr Mac Canna ordered a splendid breakfast at Amble- 
 teuse to be ready when the trial should be finished, to 
 which he invited his french and irish friends. I need not 
 say that « Erin go bragii » was toasted in bumpers of 
 sparkling- champaig-n ; and when the major's health was 
 g-iven, he who had so eloquently defended Powell, he re- 
 plied very modestly that he felt the greatest pleasure in 
 pleading not only the cause of Powell, but of the irish 
 exiles in general, who were well entitled to the sympath}- 
 of the french nation, and of every true french patriot. 
 « But gentlemen » he said, « my task was not a difficult 
 « one. My honourable friend Mac Canna handed me, as 
 « you say in English, my brief; he gave me in his own 
 « handwriting the statement of the case I had to plead, 
 « and allow me to tell you, none but a first rate french 
 « scholar could have dra\\n up such a document. I have 
 « studied the law before I became a soldier, and I flatter 
 « myself that I know my language tolerably well ; 
 « Mr Mac Canna not only v/rites french purely and cor- 
 « rectly, but he makes use of expressions not always 
 a familiar to people, except those who are highly edu- 
 « cated . » It was verv true that at that time those who 
 
166 MI'MOlltS OF JULES BYRNK 
 
 studied at the Irish colleg-e, became very good french 
 scholars; but Mac Canna would rather not have received 
 this compliment, lest it might diminish our admiration 
 of his friend's most clever defence of Powell. However we 
 spent a delightful day, thanks to Mr Mac Canna. We took 
 leave of him in the evening and returned to our camp in 
 high spirits, after this « half « victory, for Allen being 
 still in prison, we could not consider it otherwise. He 
 however was let out next day, when he sent a challenge 
 by captain Dowdall to the prussian captain Delorme, who 
 refused to fight Allen, but he signed a paper, saying, 
 that if he could not get exchanged into another regiment 
 before six months, he would give in his resignation. Thus 
 ended this very disagreeable business, and the regiment 
 was ordered to quit the camp and march to Antwerp im- 
 mediately. 
 
 The day after w^e arrived there, Allen and I were tak- 
 ing breakfast in a coffee house, when the post man brought 
 me a letter from our mutual friend captain Valentine 
 Derry, who had resigned and left the regiment a short 
 time before; being on the point of going to America, he 
 went out to Saiut-Germaiu-eu-Laye to take leave of some 
 friends he had there ; a letter was handed him to read, 
 written nearly three months before, by a major Plunket, 
 one of the old irish brigade officers retired at Boulogne- 
 sur-Mer. This letter contained silly remarks on our 
 shabby appearance the day our regiment arrived at Bou- 
 
MEMOIRS OF MII.ES BYRNE 167 
 
 log'tie after marching' eight k>iig-ues iu a very wet day in 
 the month of march. — Derry gave me in his letter a full 
 extract of major Plunket's ill-natured remarks. 
 
 After reading- Derry's letter, Allen asked for pen, ink 
 and paper, and whilst I wos looking over the newspa- 
 pers, wrote a letter of great length to major Plunket, 
 who seemed to us a harmless, gentlemanly old man, al- 
 ways dressed with silk stockings and kneebuckles. Mr and 
 Mrs Barker had him frequently at dinner, and it was at 
 their house I often met him. Captain Barker had served 
 with him in Walsh's regiment before the revolution, and 
 considered him a good irishman. — After citing the pas- 
 sage of poor Plunket's letter to his old comrade at Saint- 
 Germain, Allen asked him, if it was the green banner 
 with the golden harp without the crown, on one side, 
 and on the other in gold letters « Independence of Ire- 
 land, Buonaparte FirstConsul,R6publiquefran9aise» that 
 displeased him so much? that as to our uniform, that 
 was a matter of taste. We Irish patriots preferred it, be- 
 cause it was green, the colour cherished in our native 
 land, and our own adoption, preferable to the « Stuart 
 livery » now so stigmatized and disgraced in the ranks 
 of the english army. Was this the way you took to re- 
 quite the brave captain Barker's hospitality? You are a 
 sad specimen of the degenerated former irish brigades, 
 etc., etc. Allen could not speak or write on such occasions 
 but in the strongest terms. I wanted him not to send the 
 letter, that it was not worth taking notice of old Pluu- 
 
KiS MEMOIRS OF MILES CYRNE 
 
 ket's private coiTespondence, but he persevered, and by 
 return of post he had a letter from Mr Mac Canna stating 
 that major Pluuket asked him to be his second to fight 
 Allen, and that after reading the letter and hearing the 
 whole story, he refused, but told him, that he was 
 ready to accompany him to Saint Germain-en-Laye to 
 call out the fellow who had made such an use of a gen- 
 tleman's private correspondence ; that it was a fortunate 
 circumstance for him, that the irish regiment had mar- 
 ched away from Boulogne before the letter came to hand, 
 otherwise he would have had the whole corps of officers 
 to deal with, and would be forced to retract what he had 
 written in march, and it was now the middle of June. 
 Mr Mac Canna thus succeeded in satisfying poor Pluu- 
 ket, — and so the affair ended without a duel. Thanks 
 again to Mac Canna, who was a great peace maker 
 amongst his friends and acquaintances ; he was much 
 considered in consequence. He had however, sometimes 
 to go to the ground on his own account. He was a first 
 rate swordsman and had nothing to dread, though not 
 very young and getting quite corpulent. — He told me 
 how he took lessons in fencing every year, lest he should 
 not be able to defend himself .in the time of need. His ne- 
 phew Mullen, or Mac Mullen who joined the regiment in 
 1806 kept up a correspondence with his uncle, so through 
 him we continued to hear from time to time of our wor- 
 thy countryman Mac Canna. But Allen and I going to 
 Spain in 1808 and poor Mullen dying of the wounds he 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 160 
 
 received at the siege of Flushing in 1809, v>e were de- 
 prived of the pleasure of hearing- further particulars of 
 Mac Canna ; we heard that he ended his days at Boulo- 
 gne much regretted by his french and Irish friends 
 there. 
 
 I frequently met at Mr Emmett's a very wortiiy irish- 
 man, Mr Delany : he was a great friend of poor Thomas 
 Russell and his nephew William Hamilton. He studied 
 at the Irish college, and was considered a young man of 
 talent and an accomplished scholar. Delany's ambition 
 was to accompany Thomas Addis Eramett to Ireland, and 
 there to be employed under him in a civil capacity, in 
 the event of his country obtaining her independence He 
 had a very honourable situation as private secretary to 
 Mr Defermont, a councillor of state, and they were living 
 together on the most friendly terms. Young Delany came 
 from the Kerry mountains where he had learned the first 
 rudiments of grammar, and finished his studies in France. 
 I cannot forget how he would lament in the presence of 
 Mr and Mrs Emmett, the cruel privations sufl'ered by the 
 catholic population of Munster, particularly as regarded 
 education. No school masters to teach the children of 
 the unfortunate farmers, but no lack of little proctors. 
 
170 MEMOIHS OK MILES BYRNE 
 
 land and law ag-ents, to extort the last shilling from the 
 people, for the support of the protestant ascendency and 
 the dignity of the english lords, the scourge of poor Ire- 
 land. 
 
 Mr Emmett and doctor Mac Neven wished to publish 
 an elaborate article on the advantages the french com- 
 merce was likely to obtain by adhering to certain rules, 
 and as this article should appear in french as well as en- 
 glish the same day, and though these gentlemen wrote 
 good french, they thought fit to get Mr Delany to trans- 
 late it. When it was laid before the first consul, he seem- 
 ed to take no heed of it, till he was visiting the coast 
 in november 1803. Then he saw the purport of it, and he 
 wrote to Paris to have Mr Emmett and doctor Mac Ne- 
 ven's article published in the Moniteur and the Argus 
 newspaper, edited in english by Goldsmith. 
 
 Mr Lesage, the french gentleman from whom I was 
 taking lessons, and who had passed fourteen years in 
 London, and consequently was a good english as well as 
 french scholar, called on me when he had read Mac Ne- 
 ven and Emmett's article, and said he had seldom read 
 such beautiful french as those gentlemen had written, 
 and asked me to get him a copy of the one in english, 
 that he might compare them : he was indeed much de- 
 lighted witli the composition of both, but gave the pre- 
 ference to the french version. 
 
Mi:.M(llHS di' Mil.KS HYUM'. 171 
 
 Mr Delany obtained from the minister of war in 1809 
 a commission for his brother as sous lieutenant in the 
 third battalion of the irish reg'iment then in garrison at 
 Landau upon the Rhine. This battalion being- ordered to 
 join the second battalion in Spain, both were employed 
 ad the siege of Astorga, in anril 1810, in general Tho- 
 mier's brigade and 2*^ division general Soliguac's, 8th 
 corps, commanded by general Junot, the duke of Abran- 
 tes. 
 
 Captain Allen of the second irish battalion, having 
 mounted the breach at the head of his company of volti- 
 geurs, and having succeeded in getting into the town 
 and taking possession of a house where he defended him- 
 self against the enemy, waiting for reinforcements to 
 come in the morning, about midnight a detachment was 
 ordered to carry ammunition and provisions to Allen and 
 his men who passed the breach. Young Delany was the 
 officer who got the command, and he coolly and bravely 
 executed his mission, to the satisfaction of the general, 
 but he lost many of his men, and he got a ball through 
 his own arm. He returned through the trenches, to the 
 place where tlie surgeon of the irish regiment was busily 
 employed dresshig the soldiers' wounds. He was there 
 looking on for some time, when surgeon Prevot said, 
 « Mr Delany 1 beg your pardon, but my orders are, not 
 to allow any one to remain here except the wounded. « — 
 « Well, » replied Delany, « in that case I have a right to 
 « remuin, I have got a ball through my arm, and now 
 
17"? MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 « that your hurry is over, will you be good euoug-h to 
 « examine it? » The surgeon quite surprised and dis- 
 tressed said, « my instructions are to dress the officer's 
 « wounds first; why did you not tell me at once? » — 
 « Oh! » answered Delany « the poor soldiers you were at- 
 « tending, stood in more need than I did. » — Surgeon 
 Prevot having reported in the morning to the general in 
 chief all that regarded his own profession, did not omit 
 to mention Delany's humane patience, waiting to have 
 his wound examined nearly an hour till a dozen soldiers 
 had their wounds dressed. 
 
 The duke of Abrantes on hearing this report, ordered 
 Delany to be carried on the list for promotion, and he 
 soon received his brevet of lieutenant, and in the cam- 
 paign of Portugal was placed in the grenadiers company, 
 which I commanded. — In 1812 when our battalion was 
 ordered from vSpain to join the Grand Army in Germany, 
 I got permission at Bordeaux to take the coach to Paris. 
 I promised lieutenant Delany to write to him poste res- 
 tante at Orleans to let him know about his worthy bro- 
 ther from whom he had not heard for a long time. I was 
 much grieved on arriving at Paris, to learn, that the lat- 
 ter had been dead three months. He left no fortune, and 
 no debts. He spent his money in the most generous man- 
 ner, and he was surrounded by his irish friends at his 
 last moments; a great consolation for an exile! — 
 
 Lieutenant Delany was inconsolable when he read my 
 letter at Orleans, for he had lost a brother who was like 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILKS BYIINK 173 
 
 a father to him. A small compensation awaited him, Al- 
 tho' one of the junior lieutenants of the reg-iment, he was 
 promoted to the rank of captain, at the same time as 
 Mallowney, Jackson and Burke. When the Irish regi- 
 ment was dishanded after the hundred days in 1815, 
 captain Delany retired on half pay, and died a few years 
 afterwards at Boulogne-sur-Mer. 
 
 John Sweetman dead for the cause of freedom and jus- 
 tice can never he forgotten in Ireland. 
 
 John Teunant left his only child to the care of his 
 friend Richard Mac Cormick; this worthy exile, when 
 allowed to return to his native land, brought miss Ten- 
 nant with him. He had her married to a gentleman at 
 Dublin, a Mr Murray. 
 
 EDWARD MASTERSON. ' — Captain, the 7th december 
 1803. He quitted the english service and came to France 
 to visit his brother, John Masterson, who had been an 
 officer in one of the Irish brigades in France before the 
 Revolution, and who had acquired a fortune with a lady 
 he married in the Island of Antigua. This gentleman 
 being in France when the hostilities recommenced in 
 1803 preferred to be a prisoher of war, as an english 
 subject, in order to preserve his property. He however 
 kept up his acquaintance with his former comrades, who 
 did not emigrate. — General Clark befriended his bro- 
 ther; but poor captain Edward Masterson did not live 
 
174 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 long; enough to avail himself of the « mighty » patronage 
 of tli^ duke of Feltre ; he died near Bruges of the Flush- 
 ing fever in 1809. — He was married in 1805, to the 
 daughter of the marquis de Castrot at Quimper. He had 
 no children. 
 
 JOHN AHERAN. — Captain, 7th december 1803. He came 
 to France to finish his studies, and when war broke out 
 with England, he was one of the irish patriots w'ho offer- 
 ed their services to the french government. He twice 
 embarked for Ireland, and after the failure of those expe- 
 ditions, he had the good fortune to escape back to France. 
 The irish legion being on march to Mayence, in 1806, 
 poor captain Aheran died suddenly at Metz. 
 
 PATT MAC SHEEHY. — Captain at the formation of the 
 legion, 7th december 1803. He studied in France. Return- 
 ed to Ireland. Was employed as a tutor in rich catholic 
 families. In 1798 he was professor of french at Mr Jone"s 
 academy in the town of Gorey, and one of the yeoman 
 cavalry of that district during the insurrection. His cou- 
 sin adjutant general Mac Sheehy obtained for him the 
 commission of captain, when after a short trial, he was 
 found unfit for the rank. He was reformed, and retired 
 on a small pension. 
 
 TTRREL. — Captain, 7th december 1803. Never joined 
 the legion from the bad state of his health. He was one ; 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 175 
 
 of tlie irish exiles much considered by all his acquain- 
 tance. 
 
 JOHN SWEENY. — Lieutenant at the formation of the 
 irish leg-ion, 7th december 1803. Captain, the 22'J march 
 1804. His military career in the french service was not 
 of long' duration. After his duel with captain Thomas 
 Corbet in august 1804, he resigned his commission and 
 went to reside at Morlaix, where he married a lady of 
 the family connexion of general Moreau. 
 
 John Sweeny belonged to the city of Cork, where he 
 had taken an active share in the political affairs of 1798; 
 he was the friend, and fellow prisoner of Thomas Addis 
 Emmett in the jails of Ireland, and at fort George in 
 Scotland. He was a very handsome, fine-looking man, 
 possessed of the talents fitted to have made him a splen- 
 did officer. To see Ireland independent was his highest 
 wish, and no danger, however great, could prevent him 
 embarking in any scheme, or undertaking, to accomplish 
 it. Though on the list of the banished prisoners who 
 were never to return to their native land, yet the un- 
 daunted Sweeny did not hesitate to go there in 1803, 
 when he expected to be able to join and assist poor Ro- 
 bertt Emmett, It was with the greatest difficulty he effect- 
 ed his escape back to France, after he had heard the news 
 of the failure in Dublin the 22d July 1803. 
 
 HUGH WARE. — Lieutenant, 7th december 1803. Cap- 
 
17A MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 tain, 22'i march 1804. Chef de bataillon, July 1810. Gros 
 major, or lieutenant-colonel, march 1814. Colonel, april 
 1815, — decorated with the cross of chevalier of the Le- 
 S'ion of honour, 18th of June 1813. — 
 
 The Irish regiment which he commanded, being dis- 
 banded in the month of September 1815, at Montreuil- 
 sur-Mer, he remained there to g-ive up the accounts of 
 his regiment till may 1816, w'hen he retired on half pay 
 to the town of Tours, where he terminated his honourable 
 career the 5th of march 1846. His death was accompanied 
 with one regret, and one only, — that it was not in his 
 home, and in harness. — Honour to the warrior's 
 bones ! 
 
 Colonel "Ware was the most humane and generous of 
 men ; his hospitality and great generosity often left him 
 with an empty purse. — The experience he acquired in 
 the Irish insurrection of 1798 was of great use to him in 
 the french army, where he served w'ith such distinction; 
 it familiarized him to the dangers, and privations of 
 every sort which a soldier is sure to find in active cam- 
 paigns. The years in which Ware w^as so unjustly detai- 
 ned in the prisons of Dublin were not entirely lost ; he 
 spent his time generally in studying military tactics; and 
 being a great reader and endowed with a good memory, 
 he left the english dungeons with a thorough knowledge 
 of the french evolutions of the line, and often on the field 
 of exercise he would decide on some disputed manoeuvre, 
 although he probably had not read that passage from the 
 
MF.MOmS OF MILES BYRNE 177 
 
 diiy lie left Kilmainham jail. — In person, Ware was* 
 handsome and well mnde, tall, being more than six feet 
 high, powerfully strong- and active. — As to horseman- 
 ship, no one could surpass him; and this is a valuable 
 acquirement for a field ofHcer. — Much as been related of 
 him in the narrative of the campaigns of the Irish in the 
 service of France, but not all that might have been said, 
 for he was the bravest of the brave. 
 
 AUSTEN o'mally. — Lieutenant of the Irish legion, the 
 7th december 1803. — Captain, the 22^", march 1804. — 
 O'Mally made all the campaigns with his regiment in 
 Germany, Spain and Portugal down to 1812; being just 
 returned from Spain that year, to Holland, he was de- 
 tached with his company from the garrison of Bergen- 
 op-Zoom, to one of the islands on the coast, where from 
 the sudden transition of the climates his sight began to 
 fail, and finally he became quite blind. His military ca- 
 reer thus finished, he had to retire on a pension. He was 
 married to the daughter of the governor of the Island. 
 He had two sons. The eldest is the distinguished colonel 
 of the 73fJ regiment whose brilliant services in a period 
 of 17 j^ears, in Crimea, at Sebastopol, in Italy in 1859, 
 at the battles of "\[a.;-enta, Solferino, etc., are well known 
 in the french army, and still better b}^ the enemies of 
 France. 
 
 AUSTEN o'malley was one of the young irish patriots 
 
 T. Ill 12 
 
 "^ 
 
i^ 
 
 178 MKMOmS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 ^who came at the head of the country people to join the 
 french general, Humbert, \\\\Qn the latter landed with 
 his little army of eleven hundred men, at Killalo in the 
 month of august 1798; the failure of that expedition not 
 only ruined O'Malley's own prospects, but those of his 
 father and family ; their property was given over to be 
 pillaged by the english soldiers. — O'Malley escaped to 
 France with very limited means to support himself, still 
 such w'as his courage, that he could bear up with priva- 
 tions, hoping he should ere long be ordered to embark in 
 another, and a better expedition than Humbert's, to give 
 freedom to his unfortunate country. 
 
 WILLIAM BARKER. — Lieutenant at the formation of 
 the Irish legion, the 7th december 1803. Captain, the 22'' 
 of march 1804. Mr Barker's honouralde services previous 
 to the french revolution, as an officer of the irisli brigade, 
 Walsh's regiment and those he had in Ireland in 1798, 
 not fighting in the english ranks like the emigrants, but 
 for the independence of his country, should have entitled 
 him to the highest rank granted at the organization of 
 the Irish legion, but he was satisfied to have obtained the 
 rank which enabled him to make part of the expedition 
 destined to give freedom to his native land. — During 
 the siege of Flushing in august 1809, the night before 
 the capitulation was signed wnth the english, comman- 
 dant Lawless had the precaution to procure a boat and 
 have captain Barker with several other wounded ofticers, 
 
MEJIOIRS Ol' MII.FS BYRNE 17*3 
 
 sent across to the French coast ; thus he escaped once more 
 liis cruel enemies. — Mr Barker's health heg-an to decline 
 during his campaigns, suffering" from his wounds, and 
 lastly the terrible Walchereu fever completely impaired 
 it. Being' with the regiment in 1811 at Bois-le-Duc in 
 Holland, he there terminated his weary and honouralde 
 career, regretted much hy his comrades and friends, — 
 Never was there a more generous, or a better man than 
 William Barker. — 
 
 A great deal might be said about the heroic fortitude 
 of the irish women who had to accompany their proscri- 
 l)ed husbands, and seek a refuge on the continent, and 
 exile themselves for ever from the land of their birth. 
 Mrs Barker, after the battle of Vinegar hill on the 21st 
 June 1798, had to abandon her house and handsome es- 
 tablishment at Enniscorthy, and escape with her hus- 
 band, who had his arm amputated the same day, carrying 
 with her a little son, a year old. — What must have been 
 her anxiety at that awful moment, knowing that torture 
 and death awaited her husband as one of the chiefs who 
 commanded at the battle! It is only the love and courage 
 of a wife and a mother that can afford support under 
 such trials. They fled from place to place for weeks, hid- 
 ing to escape the blood hounds that were daily in search 
 of poor Mrs Barker and her charges. She however baffled 
 them all. — A vessel was procured, wdiich brought her 
 safe to Hamburg with her husband and child. 
 
180 MKMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 VALENTINE DEREY. — Lieutenant, the 7tb december 
 1803. Captain, 22<i march 1804. — Mr Derry seeing no 
 prospect of an expedition for Ireland (the army that had 
 been assembled at Brest under the command of marshal 
 Augereaii, ready to embark, being ordered away to the 
 campaign of Austerlitz), he gave in his resignation and 
 went to reside at New York in the United States, where 
 he established an academy. 
 
 Mr Derry took an active part in the politics of his 
 country in 1798. He was the brother of the catholic bis- 
 hop of the county of Down ; he was highly educated and 
 a good french scholar, and when he escaped to France, 
 he was appointed one of the professors at the college of 
 La F16che. — Derry was the friend of Father Quigly, and 
 when that unfortunate clergyman was tried and con- 
 demned at Maidstone in Kent, Derry liad the courage to 
 stay by him to his last moments on the scaffold ; then 
 he fled and abandoned his friends and home for ever. 
 
 WILLIAM DOWDALL. — Sub-lieutcnant in decemberl803. 
 Lieutenant, January 1804; captain, 22^ march 1804. — 
 Mortally wounded at the siege of Flushing in august 1809 
 he died of his wounds in the hospital at Ghent. Dowdall 
 took an active part with Arthur Connor in publishing 
 the famous newspaper « the Press » in 1797 and 1798. — 
 He was arrested and suffered a long imprisonment at 
 Dublin, and at fort George in Scotland, till the peace ol 
 Amiens in 1802, when he was liberated and allowed to 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 181 
 
 rf'turn to Ireland. Implicated in the unlucky attempt of 
 poor Robert Emmett in July 1803, he escapgd to Cadiz 
 where he received his commission to join the irish legion 
 at Morlaix in Britany. — William Dowdall was well 
 looking", well informed and active; he was doing the 
 functions of captain adjutant major in his battalion in 
 the sortie it made against the english army before Flush- 
 ing, Avhen he received his death wound. 
 
 PATT MACC ANN. — Lieutenant, 7th december 1803 ; 
 captain the 22^ of march 1801. Wounded at the siege of 
 Flushing in august 1809, he died in the hospital at Ghent, 
 after the amputation of his arm. His poor wife was with 
 him at the time; she died the month after at Brussels, 
 leaving a little girl ten years of age, unprovided for. — 
 Jilac Canu was in business at Dublin, when he was arres- 
 ted and thrown into prison till the peace of Amiens 1802, 
 when he was liberated on condition of expatriating him- 
 self for ever. He was residing at Bordeaux when he re- 
 ceived his commission or orders to repair to Morhiix. He 
 was well informed, and most gentlemanly in his man- 
 ners, and much esteemed by all his brother officers. 
 
 TATT BRANGHAN. — Captain in april 1804. He made 
 the campaigns and sieges with the irish regiment in 
 Spain and Portugal till the autumn of 1811, when from 
 the eftects of a wound, his health began to decline ; he 
 died at Bejar, a small town in Estraraadura, Spain. 
 
18-2 MKMOIUS OF MILKS HYllM-: 
 
 Poor Brang-hau had to abandon his wife and children 
 and escape to Bordeaux after the failure of the attempt in 
 Dublin, July 1803. His courage could not be surpassed. He 
 gloried in being in dangerous situations; he never des- 
 ]jaired of seeing his country one day independent, and for 
 the accomplishment of that great end, there was no peril 
 to which he would not cheerfully expose himself. He 
 was a good Irish patriot, — always ready to sacrifice his 
 all for the good of his native land, 
 
 THOMAS MARKEY. — Lieutenant at the formation of 
 the Irish Legion the 7th of december 1803. C.iptain in 
 aprii 1804. — Captain aide-de-camp to the minister of 
 war, the duke of Feltre, 1810. — Chef de bataillon, aide- 
 de-camp, 1812. — Gros major, or lieutenant-colonel com- 
 manding the depot of a french regiment at Brest in 1814. 
 Put on half pay, 1815; re-employed in 1823, and iigain 
 on half pay after the Spanish campaign till 1833, when 
 he obtained the maximum, full pension of retreat. — De- 
 corated with the cross of chevalier of the Legion of ho- 
 nour, and with the cross of Saint-Louis. — Markey reti- 
 red to Fontainebleau, where he ended his days peacefully 
 on the 6th of april 1854 at the advanced age of 84 years. 
 
 Few Irish patriots suffered more than Tiiomas Markey. 
 At Drogheda in 1798 he was tried b^' a court martial and 
 condemned to death; he wa.s on the point of being exe- 
 cuted, when a respite came, and his punishment was 
 tluMi commuted to transportation for life. He was bound 
 
MF>MOI!'.S OK MILES BYRNK 1S3 
 
 with chains, thrown on board the convict ship in Howtli 
 Harbour, w'herc he suffered all kinds of indignities for 
 several months; he was removed to Kilmainham jail, and 
 became the fellow prisoner of Emmett, Arthur O'Connor, 
 jMac Neven, Hugh Ware, etc. At the peace of Amiens in 
 1802 he was allowed to expatriate himself for ever. He 
 w'ent to reside at Bordeaux, where he met general Napper 
 Tandy, with wdiom he would form many schemes for the 
 independence of Ireland. — Tandy died in 1803 and be- 
 queathed to Markeyhis sw'ord of honour, which the latter 
 prized as the greatest gift that could be bestowed on 
 him. — Markey w^as handsome and graceful, middle si- 
 zed; he was W'itty in conversation, with the manners of 
 a highly well bred man in society. He w-as extremely 
 hospitable, and did the honours of his table like a true 
 Irishman. 
 
 TATT GALLAGHER. — Lieutenant the 7th december 
 1803. Captain, 22'i march 1804. — The expedition to Ire- 
 land not taking place, he went to reside at Bordeaux with 
 his wife and children. Patt Gallagher was one of the 
 brave and faithful men who often, at the risk of their 
 lives, guarded and escorted poor lord Edward Fitzgerald 
 through the streets of Dublin in 1798. He escaped to 
 Paris the same year, and therehemetmany of his former 
 friends. 
 
 .JAMK-:i .iD-sLi'H MAC dunalu — Cuptuiu iu 1803. He re- 
 
18't MEMOIRS OF MILES DYUNE 
 
 sig'ued and went to Cadiz iu 1805. He was one of the 
 irisli gentlemen of influence who first joined general 
 Humbert at Killalo in august 1798, and the commander 
 in chief cf the small french army appointed him « gene- 
 ral » to command the Irish insurgents. He could not 
 have chosen a braver, or a more honourable man than 
 Macdonald. He was a barrister, and a man of very dis- 
 tinguished manners. 
 
 GKEGOiEE. — A french man. Captain and quartermaster 
 of the Irish Legion. He was token prisoner by the en- 
 glish army at the capitulation of Flushing in august 
 1809, and returned to France after the peace of 1814. 
 
 PATRICK SAiNT-LEGER. — Surgeon-major to the Irish 
 Legion at its formation the 7th december 1803. Knowing 
 well his profession, he rendered great service for several 
 years, 'till he fell a victim to the Walcheren fever in 
 1809. Young Saint-Leger made the best studies possible 
 at Paris, under the guidance of his able father D'' Saint- 
 Leger; he was of great use to the Irish officers on account 
 of his perfect knowledge of french, english and german 
 — Besides this, he was the best of comrades. 
 
 JOHN GIBBONS. — Lieutenant, 7th december 1803. His 
 health was impaired by his long and severe sufferings, 
 hiding in the Mayo mountains after general Humbert's 
 capitulation, and before he could escape to France. This, 
 
MKMOllSS Ol' MII.F.S RYUNE 185 
 
 with the loss of his property, he could not bear up 
 ag-ainst, and died at Antwerp 1807. 
 
 PAUL MURRAY. — Sub-Iieutsnant, 7th december 1803, 
 lieutenant, 22'' march 1804, captain in 1809. Murray 
 made the campaigns and sieg-es with the irish regiment 
 in Spain and Portugal with distinction in the years 1809, 
 10, and 11. He retired on a small pension in 1814. In the 
 hundred days in 1815 he was re-employed and joined 
 the irish regiment at Montreuil-sur-Mer. He remained 
 with it till it w'as disbanded in September 1815. He then 
 retired to Dunkirk, where he ended his long career in 
 1853. — Paul ]\Iurray took an active, spirited and ho- 
 nourable part in the insurrection in Ireland in 1798, for 
 which he had to obandon his friends and country. — No 
 officer was ever better liked by his comrades than Mur- 
 ray ; he was truth and honour in every transaction 
 through life. 
 
 MILES BYRNE. — Sous-licutenaut at the formation of 
 the irish Legion, 7th december 1803. Lieutenant, 22'' 
 march 1804. Captain, 16 december 1808. Chef debataillon, 
 4th September 1830. — « Titres et decorations. » — Che- 
 valier de la Legion d'honneur, le 18 juin 1813. Chevalie 
 de I'ordre royal et militaire de Saint-Louis, le 23 mai 
 18'25. Officier de la Legion d'honneur, 13 novembre 1832. 
 — Naturalise fraucnis le 20 aout 1817, par lettres de 
 declaration de naturalit^du meme jour. 33 year's service. 
 
I8() MKMOIUS OF MILES BYP.Nl': 
 
 17 campaig'tis, those in Ireland comprised. Extracts from 
 the registers of the 56th reg-iment of the line, the last iu 
 which Miles Byrne had served; signed hj^ the members of 
 the council of administration of the 56th regiment of the 
 line at Courbevoie, the 6th June 1835. All taken from the 
 wai* office, which classes as campaigns, the « insurrection 
 d'Irlande » 1798 et sapresenceauxdiverses armeesfranoai- 
 ses en Hollaiide,Espagne, Portugal, AUemagne, Moree, etc. 
 
 The following circumstances impeded the advancement 
 of jM. Byrne. — He being with his regiment in garrison 
 at Antwerp, when that town was besieged in 1814, and 
 the communication intercepted with the war office at 
 Paris, he was prevented receiving his brevet of chef de 
 bataillon. Captain O'Reilly who happened to be at Paris, 
 got his commission; they were proposed the same day 
 for that rank, on the field of battle at Goldberg in Silesia 
 the 23d of august 1813. Then the changes and-re-org-ani- 
 zation of the army after the restoration of the Bourbons 
 caused more delay, though the minister of war, marshal 
 Soult, endeavoured to repair the injustice, by his letter 
 of the 13th of february 1815 to M. Byrne, promising that 
 the first place vacant in any of the four foreign regiments 
 should be for him ; but the hundre 1 days, and the second 
 restoration finally put an end to further hopes. In Sep- 
 tember 1815 the irish regiment was disbanded; the offi- 
 cers were placed on half pay, and whilst iu that si- 
 tuation, could not obtain promotion. Notv^ithstanding 
 
.mi;m(iii;s ok .miij:s r.YiiM-. 187 
 
 M. Byrne was a naturalized frenchman, and tlio' he had 
 friends in the war office, he could not get employed be- 
 fore 1828. Thus his military career was stopped for more 
 than twelve years. After the revolution of 1830 he ascertai- 
 ned that it was to the english influence with Charles the 
 tenth's government, to prevent certain Irish officers from 
 being employed, amongst whom he had the honour of 
 ])eing comprised, that he owed his failure in his long 
 military career. 
 
 I'ATRiCK POWEL. — Lieutenant, the 7th of december 
 1803. — Retired on reformed pay in 1808. Powell was 
 one of the first to join general Humbert at Killalo in au- 
 gust 1798, and after long hiding in the mountains he es- 
 caped to France. 
 
 KDMUND SAiT^T-LEGER. — Sous-lieuteuant, the 7th de- 
 cember 1803. Lieutenant, 22'^i march 1804. Captain, IGth 
 december 1808. Chef de bataillon du corps royal d'etat- 
 major, 1826; decorated with the cross of chevalier de la 
 Legion d'honneur, the 18th of June 1813. Chevalier de 
 Saint-Louis, 182-4. — Saint-Leger served with the grea- 
 test distinction in all the campaigns with the Irish regi- 
 ment in Spain and Germany till 1814^ when he was ap- 
 pointed captain on the staff of general Maison, who had 
 the command of the first corps of the french army then 
 making head against the allies marching on Paris. — 
 After the restoration of t!ie Bourbuns, general Maisun 
 
188 MIvMOlP.S OF MILKS BYUNE 
 
 commaaded the military division at Paris, and Saint- 
 Leger continued to be one of his confidential staff officers, 
 and he was on the point of obtaining the promotion he 
 had so v/ell merited, when Napoleon landing, drove king 
 and ministers away. Ho however remained at his post, 
 and did not think of « deserting to Ghent. » Had. he re- 
 mained in Paris after the loss of the battle of Waterloo, 
 there was no kind of favour that would not have been 
 offered to him; but no, the brave Saint-Leger had true 
 Irish blood in his veins, he could not wait to witness the 
 triumphant entrance of Wellington and Blucher,he pre- 
 ferred marching with the army of the Loire and sharing 
 in all its misfortunes and humiliations after the second 
 restoration of the Bourbons, rather than lend himself to 
 such time-serving baseness. His honourable conduct on 
 that memorable occasion could not be pardoned bv' the 
 ruling party. — Poor Saint-Leger died at Paris in 1831, 
 but he did not enjoy any of the happy results of the re- 
 volution of July 1830. 
 
 TERENCE o'reilly.— Lieutenant, January 180-4. Captain, 
 1810. Chef de bataillon, march 1814. Decorated with the 
 cross of chevalier de la Legion d'honneur in 1809, after 
 the siege of Flushing, where he, with commandant 
 Lawless, saved the eagle of the Irish regiment, and es- 
 caped from the english to Antwerp. — O'Reilly com- 
 manded a company of voltigeurs of the iiish regiment at 
 the battles of Wurschen in Saxony and Goldberg in Si- 
 
iMEMOIUS OF MILES BYRNE 189 
 
 lesia ; and afterwards a grenadiers company, with brave- 
 ry and distinction. In the hundred days, he was attached 
 
 to the staff of general , and after the battle of 
 
 Waterloo, and the second restoration, he retired on half 
 pay to the town of Evreux, where he finished his days 
 quietly. — O'Reilly was a well informed officer and a 
 good comrade. 
 
 AUSTEN GIBBONS. — Lieutenant at the formation of the 
 Legion, the 7th december 1803. He retired on reform pay 
 in 180G. — Gibbons left Ireland after general Humbert 
 capitulated in 1798. He was bred to the sea, and had 
 commanded merchant ships. 
 
 THOMAS REED. — Lieutenant, 7th december 1803. He 
 retired on reform pay in 1806. — Reed took an active 
 l)art in the politics of the north of Ireland, for which he 
 had to abandon his home and escape to France in 1798. 
 Fortunately for him, he brought with him a small sum 
 of money, the interest of which sufficed for his frugal 
 habits of living. — He was more than fifty years of 
 age. 
 
 JOHN ALLEN. — Sous-lieutenaut in december 1803. 
 Lieutenant, 22^1 march 1804. Captain, the 16th december 
 1808. Chef de bataillon, march 1814. Decorated with the 
 cross of chevalier de la Legion d'honneur after the siege 
 of Astorga, april 1810. —He retired on half pay, after the 
 
190 MF.MOIRS OF MILES RYRXR 
 
 irish regiment was disbanded in September 1815, to the 
 town of Tours, where he s-pent several years, and after- 
 wards to Caen in Norraanly, where he terminated his 
 honourable career on the 10th of february 1855. 
 
 Allen's brilliant services are often mentioned in the 
 narrative of the campaigns of the irish officers, though 
 not so often as they might have been ; for in every ins- 
 tance he shewed himself a man of the greatest energy 
 of character, of the most undaunted bravery and of the 
 highest principles of honour. His political career was 
 equally honourable, for no irish patriot ever detested their 
 english task masters more than he did, nor was ever 
 more ready to sacrifice life, and all that is dear to man, to 
 shake off their oppressive yoke. — Allen's imprisonment 
 in the Tower of London, his trial at Maidstone along with 
 Arthur O'Connor, 1798, and his escape from Dublin in 
 1803 after the unlucky attempt of the ever-to-be -lamen- 
 ted Robert Emmett, cannot be forgotten if the history of 
 Ireland, of that melanchol}' p(n'io(l, be ever published. 
 
 JOHN CUMMINS. — Sous-Heutenant in december 1803. 
 Lieutenant, 22<i march 1804. Retired on reformed pay in 
 1806. — Cummins had been one of the state prisoners in 
 Dublin, who was allowed to expatriate himself in 1802. 
 He went to reside at Cadix, from whence he came to join 
 the irish legion at Morlaix in 1803. 
 
MEMOIUS OF MILES BYltXK 191 
 
 J. MORTSOX. — Lieutenant at the formation of the le- 
 gion in december 1803. — Diedat Flusliing-s in 1808. His 
 health was broken down from his various suffering's and 
 many wounds. — He came to France in 179G, and volun- 
 teered as a private soldier in a french regiment of the 
 line, with which he made several campaigns in Italy, 
 and was raised to the rank of sous-lieutenant; wounded 
 at the battle of ^larengo, h:3 remained a long time in the 
 hos[)ital before he recovered. — He was a brave soldier, 
 and simple as a child in his manners, 
 
 JOHN mac; henry.— Lieutenant, 7th december 1803. He 
 diedat the hospital of Landernau, 1805, of an operation in 
 his knee. He was one of those brave northern patriots 
 who had to abandon their homes in 1797. 
 
 Having mentioned some of the distinguished men who 
 studied at the Irish college, I shall relate all I knew about 
 that excellent establishment. When Icameto Paris it was 
 struggling and beginning to recover from the effects of 
 the Revolution. 
 
 The property purchased in France by tlie Irish families 
 at home, whether in the funds or in land, for the support 
 of the seminaries abroad, to educate the unfortunate ca- 
 tbolic children who were deprived of this blessing in 
 their native land, was greatly diminished, as was all 
 such founded properties at that period. — The Concordat 
 made bv the First Consul with Rome, bad the best effect 
 
192 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 on the station held by the Irish college; for from being- a 
 mere boarding shool under the name of « Le cheval vert, » 
 (or green horse), it ultimately resumed the title of a col- 
 lege. When I came to Paris in 1803, a Mr Mac Dermot 
 conducted the school of the « cheval vert, » no doubt with 
 great order. He had a handsome country house and park 
 and a good deal of land at Montrouge. — I recollect 
 being- invited out there with some of my comrades in 
 1814 to breakfast with Thomas Burgess, who lodged in 
 the mansion till Mac Dermot's executors had the whole 
 cuncern sold to the society of Jesuits, who built there 
 their college on a great scale. 
 
 The uniting the property and revenues of the different 
 seminaries in France wath that of the irish college at 
 Paris, at first met with considerable difficulty, and it was 
 only in 1806 that the venerable and worthy abbe Walsh, 
 then the superior of the irish college, obtained from the 
 emperor Napoleon the following decree, which finally 
 settled the matter. 
 
 Napoleone Magno, Francorum Imperatore, rege Italiae, 
 exiit decretum his conceptum verbis : 
 
 « La reunion en un seul et m6me etablissement des 
 a diverses institutions d'hommes fondees en France et 
 « dans les pays reunis a son territoire, en faveur des ca- 
 « tholiques Irlandais, Anglais et Ecossais,... est defini- 
 « vement confirmee. » 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 193 
 
 Hocmarmor grati animi testem ovans posuitMr Walsh, 
 adm""' gen''s 
 
 Kal. Marth MDCCCVI. 
 
 •• Then the revenues or rents of the seminaries of Bor- 
 deaux, Nantes, Douai, Louvain and the Scotch and En- 
 glish at Paris were received by the administration of the 
 Irish college, rue des Irlandais at Paris. — Ahh6 Walsh 
 was the superior, and he was well seconded by the abbe 
 Mac Nalty, the econome or steward and manager of tbe 
 establishment. The Irishmen's sons who got bourses in 
 the college at this period, were sure to receive an excel- 
 lent education, as the masters and professors were men 
 of erudition, and high learning; besides, tbe Irish stu- 
 dents had the advantage of following the high classes 
 at the LyceeNapoldon, « Henri IV, o then in high repute, 
 for its able professors, and its being adjacent to the irish 
 college proved a great advantage to the sons of the exiles 
 of Erin. I well recollect many of the fine fellows who 
 were educated there : the Mac Mahons, Mac Cannas, Mac 
 Sheehys, Delanys, Blackwells, Saint-Legers, Swantons, 
 Walls, O'Briens, Barkers, Corbets, Glashens, O'Morins, 
 O'Mara's, Smiths, etc. 
 
 Tbe irish college continued to b« much favoured by the 
 p.vernment, and it's superior, abbe Walsh, was much 
 IHccd and esteemed by the students and their parents. — 
 When I passed through Paris in 1S12, I visited younc 
 
 13 " 
 
194 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 Barker and others at the irish college; they told methey 
 were well fed and well taken care of. — All was going 
 on well, till the disasters brought upon France by the 
 invasion of foreign armies in 1814. Then the college, 
 after the restoration of the Bourbons, had to undergo 
 many changes, like all such establishraer.ts. The irish 
 catholic Bishops claimiug the right to appoint the supe- 
 rior of the college, the professors, etc , in short, to resume 
 the power they had prevhus to the revolution, all of 
 which they readily obtained. A i arish priest in the 
 neighbourhood of Dublin, Father Long, was sent by the 
 irish catholic Bishops to preside over the college as supe- 
 rior and administrator. But thelanding of Napoleon from 
 the isle of Elba in march 1815, and the retreat of the 
 Bourbons from France, threw Father Long and tU 
 Bishops completely out of power. 
 
 An Irishman by birth, Mr Ferris, who had b en in or- 
 ders in France, and who had made the campaigns in tht 
 army of Conde with distinction, as captain quarter mas 
 ter, when allowed to return to Paris, had studied law anc 
 soon became well known to th j emperor's government 
 He obtained the situation of superior of the irish college 
 in the Hundred Days, till the loss of the battle of Water- 
 loo brought back Father Long to resume his functions ai| 
 the head of the irish college, with more influence thar| 
 he enjoyed the first time ; having through the primate o: 
 Ireland, doctor Curtis, obtained the patronage of the duke 
 of Wellington. — Encouraged no doubt by this mighty 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES RYRXE I95 
 
 man, the irisli catholic Bisliops endeavoured to g-et all 
 the property belonging- to irish seminaries in France 
 transferred to Ireland, to be annexed to Maynooth col- 
 lege. — Mr Ferris on learning this, had a very able pro- 
 test drawn up, and had it signed by the irish officers in 
 the French service and had it priiited and published. He 
 proved, that to have the property transferred, would be 
 a violation of the testators intentions, when they vested 
 money in the french funds and in land, to be employed 
 for the education of catholic children coming from Ire- 
 land. After great exertions on the part of Ferris, with 
 the french government, shewing the bad policy of any 
 compromise, the Bishops were obliged to renounce their 
 scheme of having tlie property transferred from France 
 to Ireland, and to content themselves as before with the 
 privileg-e of sending from their respective dioceses those 
 who had a right to bourses on the college. 
 
 It appeared strange to see the Bishops attempting such 
 a transfer, before they had any hopes of catholic eman- 
 cipation. To be sure it was one way of shewing- their de- 
 votion to their task masters, to deprive the irish rebel 
 and exile of the means of having- his son well educated 
 in France, in the event of another war between the two 
 countries. 
 
 It was to be regretted that doctor Murray took such 
 an active part in endeavouring to effect this transfer of 
 the irish property. He should have known that the french 
 
196 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRXE 
 
 o-overnment could never consent to such a measure. — 
 He seemed greatly distressed that general Lawless should 
 have signed Ferris' paper, and he got the general's sisters 
 to write to him on the subject. — I recollect waiting on 
 D' Murray in 1818 at the irish college, to leave him let- 
 ters and a parcel from Ireland, and of meeting there doc- 
 tor Curtis, then catholic primate of all Ireland, whom I 
 knew in Spain in 1811 at Salamanca, as superior of the 
 irish college there. He was much changed; from being 
 a tall, portly man, he was (luite bent and broken. It was 
 said of him, that he had rendered great service to the 
 duke of Wellington in Spain, and that he had gained for 
 himself a reputation not quite in accordance with the di- 
 gnity of an « irish » catholic clergyman. 
 "^ Mr Ferris was rich and cared little about the emolu-i 
 ments of superior of the irish college. His ambition was, i 
 to shew to Father Long and the irish Bishops, that he| 
 had more influence with the french government than they 
 had; and indeed he soon gave thenj a proof of it, by get- 
 ting himself once more appointed superior of the college 
 and having Father Long sent back to resume his duties 
 as a parish priest in the neighbourhood of Dublin. 
 
 This time 1819, Uv Ferris though superior, was under 
 the control of a « bureau gratuit, » or commission, nameJ 
 by the minister ol public instruction, composed as 
 follows, Hely d'Oyssel, councillor of state president: 
 marshal Mac Donald, grand chancellor of the Legion ol 
 
MIvMOlHS OF MILES RYRNK 197 
 
 honour; Lally Tolendal, a peer of France; lieutenant ge- 
 neral count (TMahony and doctor Mac Mahon pln^siciau 
 to the Irish college. — This bureau gratuit or commis- 
 sion, assembled once a week at Ferris' appaitment, rue 
 des Posies, where he was splendidly lodged in that part 
 which belonged to the englisli college. — Poor Francis 
 Plowden had at the same time a small apartment on the 
 third storey in the same house, and was receiving from 
 the Irish college, as professor of english twelve hundred 
 francs a year, tho' he gave no lessons. This sum of mo- 
 ney was the principal m.eans he had to support himself, 
 though he had many rich relatives in England at that 
 time, and he was often in very distressed circumstances, 
 till his daughter miss Plowden came to live with him 
 and took both him and his son-indaw, the earl of Dundon- 
 nell and his child, to reside at Bellevue, where Mr Plowden 
 and lord Dundonnell died in 1830 and 1831. — 
 
 When the scotch and english had their seminaries se- 
 parated from the Irish college, their revenues being so 
 small, they got a few bourses in the freuch colleges equal 
 to the amount of their revenues. 
 
 The members of the bureau gratuit relied much on doc- 
 tor Mac Mahon's information; as he had studied at the 
 Irish college, they were generally guided by his advice, 
 and took their decisions accordingly. Ferris not always 
 agreeing with the commission, had one day an alterca- 
 tion with the president Hely d'Oyssel. The latter having 
 
''^8 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYHNE 
 
 made use of insulting language to him, Mr Ferris asked 
 me to be his second along with a french officer, a friend 
 of his; I could not refuse, although I thought it quite 
 impossible for him to hold a pistol an instant in his 
 hand, on account of the palsy with which he was afHio 
 ted. I therefore endeavoured to dissuade him from sen- 
 ding a message to Mr Hely d'Oyssel, mentioning the 
 advantage the latter would have, — « Nevermind, » he 
 replied, « I shall rest my pistol on my left arm, and let 
 my antagonist do the same. » He then gave me the chal- 
 lenge to read, calling on Mr Hely d'Oyssel to meet him 
 in the morning, and that he should be accompanied by 
 two friends who would arrange all matters, and fix the 
 rendez-vous with his seconds. 
 
 This letter was written in the most gentlemanlike 
 style, as indeed every letter Mr Ferris dictated was. 
 
 The answer to this challenge was in terms more insul- 
 ting than the verbal insult which had caused it. Mr Hely 
 d'Oyssel added, that if he could discover the addresses of 
 the « spadassins » seconds, he would have them forthwith ' 
 sent sixty leagues from Paris. Mr Ferris immediately 
 wrote to him, that they were, count Mac Namara, depu- 
 ty governor of the pages of his majesty Louis XVHI, — 
 and lieutenant general count O'Mahony. He apprised 
 the.-e gentlemen of the use he had made of their names, 
 rank, titles, etc., and told liis antagonist that he dared 
 not speak to them on the matter, and added, that a coward 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES RYIiXE 190 
 
 who is afraid to fight, is al'svays the most vindictive and 
 dangerous as an enemy. 
 
 M. Ferris resigned his situation of superior to the irish 
 college, and went to live in the rue des Filles du Calvaire 
 and kept his carriage. He purchased a handsome coun- 
 try house and land near Soissons, where he ended his 
 days peaceably many years after, 1828. 
 
 The ahbe Carney, who was born in Ireland and had 
 studied at the irish college in Paris, was appointed su- 
 perior of it in 1822, to replace Mr Ferris, and he being 
 on the most friendly terms with D' Mac Mahon, as indeed 
 he was with every one who knew him, for he was disin- 
 terested, amiable and obliging to his friends, the college 
 became again well organized, and the minister of public 
 instruction being satisfied that under the administration 
 of abbe Carney, aided by D"' Mac Mahon, every thing- 
 would go on well, he therefore thought the bureau gra- 
 tuit might cease its functions. 
 
 Abbe Carney got a worthy irish man, who had been a 
 fellow student with him and D'' Mac j\Iahon to be appoin- 
 ted econome, or sfeward to the college. Mr Lilly Walsh, 
 though a layman had his apartment in the college; be- 
 coming old, he preferred that situation to that of profes- 
 sor of euglish, and from his knowledge of the way col- 
 leges dealt W'ith the furnishers of provisions, he rendered 
 
200 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 great service to the irisli seminary, where he ended his 
 days in 1827. 
 
 The abbe Carney %vas allied to one of the first families 
 of France, the Castelbajncs, and one of tbe members of 
 that family, lieutenant-general the marquis de Castelbi- 
 jac felt the deepest gratitude to him for the services he 
 had rendered to some of the females of his family during 
 the days of terror of the Revolution ; and indeed abbe 
 Carney would often relate the sort of service he had per- 
 formed. "When the esplanade or Champ-de Mars of the 
 military school was ordered to be made by the popula- 
 tion of Paris, both men and women went there to work, 
 to dig and wheel the earth. x\bbe Carney assisted the la- 
 dies of his acquaintance to perform their task, and the- 
 reby obtained for them in the evening, a civic card, si- 
 gned by one of 1he representatives of the people, which 
 at that critical period ^^as one of the causes of saving 
 them from persecution. By shewing this card to the pa- 
 trols and frequent domicile inspectors, they escaped 
 being arrested as suspected persons. 
 
 Abbe Carney w'as temj'erate, and cared little about 
 what he had to cat or drink himself, tho' generous and 
 hospitable to his guests, v;hom he used to entertain 
 whilst at table, with many amusing anecdotes, as well 
 as with good cheer ; he was always gay and good hu- 
 moured, never speaking harshly of any one. He was low 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES DYIINE 201 
 
 in stature, well-made, with a very agreeable, benevolent 
 countenance, tho' not handsome. — He had very little to 
 live on before he became superior of the Irish college, and 
 still with that little, he was ever endeavouring to be use- 
 ful to his friends and countrymen. I met him one day, 
 with rather a large parcel under his arm; he told me it 
 was one of his pantaloons he was taking to a poor exile 
 of Erin. He hoped it would fit him, for he was to present 
 him at ten o'clock to a french family, where he expected 
 to have him placed as tutor or preceptor. 
 
 Another day, when he was at the head of the college, 
 I asked him if he knew a Mr Quin, a gentleman who had 
 emigrated, and was now residing at Paris. « To be sure 
 I do, » he replied « we were school fellows, comrades, 
 « and groat friends ; he comes often to see me. » I then 
 mentioned a young gentleman, a friend of mine in Lon- 
 don, who wished to have an introduction to Mr Quin's 
 son, the editor of the « New Times. » « Oh! you shall have 
 it without delay. » And he immediately wrote a long- 
 letter to Mr Quin his friend, the father of the editor, and 
 told me to go at once and hand it to him. Seeing it con- 
 tained three close written pages, I read it with attention, 
 but exclaimed : « Abb6 Carney, how could you think of 
 « me being the bearer of such a letter, so full of fiat- 
 « tering things about myself? « He took the letter from 
 « me, saying : « It contains nothing that is not well 
 « known ; however, as it shocks your modesty, altho' 
 
"20'2 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 « letters of this nature are generally left open, I shall 
 « seal mine. « On which he put the Irish a Erin gobragh » 
 in a mass of green wax. 
 
 Such was the kindness of his nature, that he never 
 seemed happy but when occupied in rendering service to 
 his friends. The reverend Dean Eyan being on his way 
 to Rome in 1823, stopped a few days at the irish college 
 with abb^ Carney, who introduced hira to his names' 
 sake and country woman miss Ryan. This lady kept 
 the great boarding school in the ruedu Harley, faubourg 
 Saint-Antoine. She was elderly and feeble, tho' still re- 
 taining- her former vivacity. She felt highly flattered and 
 honoured by Dean Ryan's visit, and invited him in the 
 most pressing manner to make her house his hotel, when 
 he should be returning from Rome. She shewed him his 
 apartment, the chapel, etc. He at once accepted this kind 
 invitation and availed himself of it shortly after, when he 
 had terminated his mission at Rome, and he spent three 
 weeks or a month, agreeably enough, rue du Harley, be- 
 fore returning to Ireland. 
 
 The year after, 1824, miss Ryan died, and named Dean 
 Ryan her executor, leaving to him her splendid house 
 and concerns rue du Harlev, and fifteen thousand francs 
 per annum, with large sums in the funds, which Dean 
 Ryan was intrusted with, to be appropriated to the use 
 of certain convents in Ireland. He came to Paris at once 
 and took possession of his new acquisition, and I recol- 
 lect being at a great dinner party he gave in the autumn. 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES HYUNE 203 
 
 1824, as a house warning- on the occasion. We were more 
 than thirty at table : William Murphy of Mount Merion, 
 Mr Sarjeant and his sons, general Lynch, colonel de 
 Jtlgntmorency ]\Iorris, councillor Mac Cabe, and his bro- 
 thers, etc., etc. We spent a jovial evening-, returning- 
 « quietly, » as irish men, half seas over, to our homes at 
 midnight. 
 
 Poor abbe Carney did not long enjoy his situation as 
 superior of the Irish seminary. After a few days illness 
 he died in 1825, much regretted by all who knew him. 
 His funeral service was cidebrated in the chapel of the 
 college, where were assembled a great concourse of his 
 coutrymen, with numbers of the french nobility; the 
 Castelbacjacs family attended and were anxious to have 
 the religious ceremony executed with all the pomp of 
 the roman catholic church. Ladies were allowed to be 
 present, in the gallery of the chapel, and a special per- 
 mission was obtained to have him buried in the vault of 
 the chapel, and after making three rounds of the college 
 court yard, in the most solemn manner, the procession 
 returned to the chapel, when the coflSn was descended 
 into the vault; and there the remains of the worthy 
 abbe Carney lie, enclosed in a double cofFin, a lead one 
 inside. 
 
 The reverend Dean Ryan was proposed by some of the 
 ii-ish Bishops, to succeed abbe Carney, as superior of the 
 
■^O't MEMOIUS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 irisli college. The grand master of the university and 
 minister of public instruction, on their recommandation, 
 appointed him superior of theirish college in 182"); abbe 
 Langan, prefet of studies ; abbe Lynch, econome or 
 steward; the reverend Mr O'Higgins one of the profes- 
 sors, only remained a short time; he went to Rome, and 
 when he returned to Ireland, was named Bishop of Ar- 
 dagh. 
 
 Dean Ryan had very pleasing manners; he was well 
 looking, amiable and hospitable. Still with all these qua- 
 lities, and the purest intentions for the good of the col- 
 lege, he w^as unable to make things go on there as he de- 
 sired. He however persevered during the year 1826, when 
 the minister of public instruction thought it adviseable 
 to have an irish clergyman who had studied in France, 
 at the head of the administration of the irish seminary. 
 — Father Magrath a parish priest of the county of Wa- 
 terford, who had r. ceived his education when young, at 
 the irish college, w'as appointed superior of it in 1827. — 
 The reverend P. Mac Sweeny who was advantageously 
 known as a professor at both Carlow and Maynooth col- 
 leges, was named prefet of studies, in the place of abbe 
 Langan. — Things soon resumed a better aspect, and 
 the worthy D^ IMac Mahon was delighted to meet once 
 more his old friend and school fellow Father Magrath; 
 the latter confided the management of the establishment 
 at once to his prefet of studies, whom he knew had the 
 
MKMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 205 
 
 capacity and talents fit for the undertaking. One day 1 
 dined at the college with Father Magrath, in company 
 with his countryman Mr Rivers; by their conversation I 
 could plainly see that he longed to be back again in his 
 parish, and very shortly after, he did return to resume 
 his functions of parish priest. He had the satisfaction to 
 see his prefet of studies, the reverend D'' Mac Sweeny ap- 
 pointed in his place, superior and administrator of the 
 irish college. — This learned and distinguished clergy- 
 man governed it for a period of twenty two years, during 
 which time by his judicious administration, he augmen- 
 ted the revenues, and purchased at Arcueil a country 
 house and domain for the college, where the students 
 went on thursdays, und in vacation time resided there 
 day and night. 
 
 Tiie minister of public instruction being well pleased 
 with the judicious changes made in the administration 
 of the irish college, by the reverend D"' Mac Sweeny, had 
 him named knight of the Legion of honour, the 25th of 
 april 1847. (Seethe « Annuaire delaLdgion d'honneur, » 
 page 464. — Chevaliers de la Legion d'honneur. ) 
 
 In the month of June 1847 I met D' Mac Sweeny at the 
 waters of Vichy. He w'as suffering much from a rheuma- 
 tic complaint. He hurried back to Paris, to have the 
 young students prepared for the general examination, 
 previous to the vacation. I asked him if he had not good 
 
206 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 professors at the college, in whom he could confide; he 
 replied he had; that ever since abhe O'Longhlan was na- 
 med prefet of studies, he was quite sure all would he well 
 conducted during- his absence. I was truly g-lad to hear 
 him speak in such high terms of the worthy abbe 
 O'Long-hlan for whom I had a sincere friendship. 
 
 C" Mac Sweeny had the charge of the administration 
 of tlie Irish college in the most precarious and unsafe 
 times for such places; viz : during the revolution of July 
 1830, and afterwards at the revolution of fehruary 1848, 
 and then during the cruel insurrection of June the same 
 year, when such numl'ers were killed and wounded in 
 the streets adjacent to the college, and intrenchments, 
 barricades, etc , thrown up all round the premises, par- 
 ticularly at the end of the rue des Irlandais, leading into 
 the rue des Postes. Ftill the college was respected by all 
 ])arties ; the insurgents at one time during the action, 
 wished to make use of the windows, to fire out on the 
 troops. They were however dissuaded from this plan, by 
 abb6 O'Longhlan and the professors telling them, a se- 
 minary should be neuter and s :cred, etc. 
 
 D'' Mac Sweeny got over the crisis of the two revolu- 
 tions and kept every thing safe for the advantage of the 
 college; — the Irish students going on tranciuilly, as if 
 nothing had occurred. — 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES RYRNE 207 
 
 In the month of december 1849, D'' Mac Sweeny feeling- 
 his health getting daily more impaired, asked }iermis- 
 sion to be allowed to retire. The minister requested him 
 to remain at the head of the college till another superior 
 was appointed. He then granted him a retiring pension 
 of five thousand francs a year, the largest that ever was 
 given to any one from the revenues of the Irish esta- 
 blishment. It was a rare thing for a pension to be obtai- 
 ned, as it required long services. It required iii the otlier 
 administrations of the university, thirty years at least to 
 "have a right, and then the pensions, comparatively 
 speaking, were v^ry inferior to D"" Mac Sweeny's. The 
 following is the decree inserted in the » Bnlletin des 
 lois, » n° 104, the 31st december 1849. 
 
 BULLETIN DES LOIS DE LA REPUBLIQUE FRANCAISS. 
 
 Partio supplement ; ire. 
 K° 10 i. 
 
 K" 2617. — Decret qui accorde une pension a M. I'abbe 
 ^lac Sweeny, administrateur des fondations irlandaises 
 en France. 
 
 Dii 31 Decembre !819. 
 
 Le President de la Republique, 
 
 Vu la deraande formee par M. I'abbe Mac Sweeny, ad- 
 ministrateur des fondations irlandaises en France, ten- 
 
208 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 dant h obtenir une pension com me remuneration des ser- 
 vices qu'il a rendus en cette qualite; 
 
 Vu I'article 10 de rordonuance du 17 decembre 1818, 
 qui dispose que des pensions pourrontetre accordees aux 
 administrateurs des fondatious britanniques apres trente 
 ans de service effectif ; 
 
 Considerant que M. Tabbe Mac Sweeny, quoique ue 
 reunissant que vingt-deux annees de service, a contracts 
 des infirmites dans I'exercice de ses fonctions; que ces 
 infirmltes out ^te constatees, et qu'elles ne lui permettent 
 plus de rester cbarge de la direction du college irlandais 
 de Paris; 
 
 Attendu, d'ailleurs, que cet administrateur a, par sa 
 Ijonne gestion, augmente d'une maniere notable les re- 
 venus de I'etablissement confie a ses soins, et qu'il est 
 jus^e de reconnaifre par une pension Timportance de ses 
 services. 
 
 "Surle rapport du ministre de I'instruction publique et 
 des cultes. 
 
 Decrete : 
 
 Art. l^^ Une pension annuelle et viagere de cinq mille 
 francs, imputable sur la totalite des revenus des fonda- 
 tions irlandaises etablies en France, est accordee a 
 M. I'abbe Mac Sweeny, administrateur de ces fondatious. 
 
 Art. 2. Cette pension commencera a courir du l^"" Jan- 
 vier 1850; elle sera payable au commencement de cbaque 
 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 209 
 
 trimestre, comme les d(^.pensos du personnel dn college 
 irlandais de Paris. 
 
 Art. 3. Le ministre de rinstruction publique et des 
 cultes est charg-(^ de rexecution du present dccret. 
 
 Fait h I'Elyst^e-National, Ic 31 d^cembre 1849. 
 
 Sign^ : Louis-Napoleon BONAPARTE. 
 
 Le ministre de rinstruction publique et des cultes, 
 
 Signe ; E. Parieu. 
 
 Li 1850 the reverend doctor Miley was appointed su- 
 perior of the irisli seminary at Paris, and a french cler- 
 gyman, I'abbi Coeur, was named at the same time, the 
 administrator of the college, or seminary, with D"" Miley; 
 each having his separate functions to perform. 
 
 Having given a relation of matters concerning the Irish 
 college at Paris in 1803, I must mention the great excite- 
 ment and joy of the irish exiles there at that period, no- 
 vember 1803, when they heard of the march of general 
 Augereau's corps of army from the frontiers of Spain, 
 Bayonne, to be encamped near Brest, to be ready to em- 
 bark for Ireland. 
 
 Mr Thomas Markey who was following the staff of ge- 
 neral Augereau's army apprized his friends of its rapid 
 
 T. Ill 14 
 
210 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 march from the Spanish frontiers to the coast at Brest, 
 where twenty five sails of the lino with transport vessels 
 sufficient to embark thirty thousand troops were lying in 
 harhour. 
 
 Captain INTurphy who ha I the rank of g-rand pilot to 
 the french fleet at Brest, received orders to repair there 
 without delay, to be at the disposition of the admiral 
 commanding- the fleet. All this indicated to us that an 
 expedition on a great scale would soon sail for Ireland, 
 and at the same time we knew that Thomas Addis Em- 
 mett and Arthur O'Connor had stipulated with the First 
 Consul many things respecting Ireland, when a french 
 army should be landed there; first it was to be conside- 
 red as an auxiliary one, as the french army in the United 
 States under general Rochambeau's was; then it should 
 be guaranteed that in any tre.ity of peace between France 
 and England, the independence of Ireland should be 
 maintained, etc. Ten thousand troops with twenty thou- 
 sand stand of arms, was all that the Irish chiefs required 
 to be landed, to accomplish their ends ; and one day at 
 Saint-Cloud, the Firbt Consul said to Augereau in the 
 presence of Arthur O'Connor : « general, remember, you 
 « are to be with your army in Ireland, as general 
 « Boehambeau was in America. You will receive and 
 « execute the orders of the Irish government, etc. » 
 Mr Thiers, though not very impartial or explicit about the 
 negociations carried on between the french government 
 and the irisli independent leaders, still allows that they 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES RYRXE 211 
 
 obtained terms from the frenoli ministers, which tlie 
 First Consul confirmed. In his « History of the Consulate 
 and Empire, » vol. iv, page 4G7. M. Thiers says. « The 
 « minister Decres had conferred \vith the Irish refugees, 
 « who had already tried to separate their country from 
 « England. They promised a general rising, in the event 
 t of 18,000 french troops landing, with the materials of 
 n war complete, and a great quantity of arms. They sti- 
 « pulated also, as the price of their efforts, that France 
 « should make no peace without exacting the indepen- 
 « dence of Ireland. The First Consul consented to all 
 « these demands, on condition that a body of twenty 
 « thousand irish at least, should have joined the french 
 « army, and fought along with it during the expedition. 
 « The Irish were confident and full of promises, like all 
 « emigrants. However, there were some amongst them 
 « who gave no great hopes, who even promised no effec- 
 « tive aid from the people. » 
 
 As I thought Mr Thiers could not produce any proof 
 of his assertion against the willingness of the irish pa- 
 triots to embrace every opportunity to shake off the eng- 
 lish yoke, I wrote the following note to general O'Con- 
 nor on the sul)ject, in order that he might remonstrate 
 with ^Ir Thiers on his false a])preciation of the irish re- 
 fuo-eo.s in France. 
 
 I 
 
212 
 
 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 I'ari?, '?5fli July 1845. 
 
 « Dear general, 
 
 « I have just been reading the fourth volume of Thiers' 
 History of tlie Consulate, and I find a couple of pages 
 respecting our intended expedition to Ireland in 1303, 
 which in case you may not yet have received the book, I 
 have copied off for your ]'erusal. 
 
 « Yours : M. Bybne. 
 
 « Lieutenant-general, 
 « A. CoNDORCET O'Connor. 
 
 « Chateau de Cignoii. « 
 
 The answer I got was very long — the principal points 
 were as follows, 
 
 « My dear Byrne, 
 
 « I thank you for the extract you have sent me. I am 
 just beginning my memoirs ; you may rest assured I 
 will do my utmost to vindicate the men of 1796, 1797, 
 1798. and 1804, from all their detractors in France and 
 in Ireland. 
 
 « Sincereh' yours, 
 
 « A. CoNDORCRT O'Connor. 
 
 « All chateau de Bignon. 31st jiily 1845. » 
 
MEMOIRS OK MILES BYRNE 213 
 
 The above few lines from g-eneral O'Connor, will suffice 
 to shew how keenly he felt on Thiers' misstatement of 
 the irish exiles in France. 
 
 In november 1803 D'' ilac Neven wishing- to complete 
 as much as possible the materials he was collecting- for 
 the history of the irish insurrection of 1798, before we 
 received orders to march to the coast, used to have eacli 
 of us in turn at his lodgings, rue de Bussy, to hear him 
 read over what he had already written, to make correc- 
 tions, and to furnish him with other notes, if we recol- 
 lected any thing new, to illustrate what we had already 
 given. 
 
 Hugh Ware, Parrot, and Mac Dermot on the county of 
 Kildare insurrection; Fitzhenry, Paul Murray and I on 
 the county of Wexford, and county of Wicklow battles 
 and fighting. Councillor James Joseph Mac Donald, cap- 
 tain Murphy, O'Meally, the Gibbons, Father Gannon, 
 Powel, etc., for the account of general Humbert's expedi- 
 tion, landing and capitulation, 
 
 D'' Mac Neven's time was no well regulated that he 
 could get through a i:reat deal of business in a short 
 time. He lived near the medical college and attended the 
 public lectures there, and though knowing hew ould soon 
 have his commission as captain in the french army, or 
 perhaps a higher rank, he did not neglect improving 
 himself in his medical profession which he liked. 
 
^14 MK.MOIRS OF MILKS IIYU.NE 
 
 He liked walking-, and whilst enjoying- tbis bodily 
 exercise, he would be continually asking questions and 
 taking notes. — I recollect our last walk together at 
 Paris ; be appointed me to cull on him one Sunday mor- 
 ning early. We went first to the garden of plant:5, wbeie 
 be wanted to see one of tlie professors of botany, and 
 when he had finished his business with this gentleman, 
 we crossed over the river in a boat, where the bridge of 
 Austerlitz was built some years later; then passed by the 
 place where stood the famous Bastille, demolished in 1789. 
 
 D'' Mac Neven wanted to visit the country house of the 
 Jesuit Pere-Lachaise, and to make some enquiries of the 
 inmates, — Seeing me look with surprise, as we passed 
 through this cemetery or burying ground (for it was the 
 first time I bad been there), at the way the coffins were 
 piled one over another in a long deep trench about seven 
 feet wide, and badly covered at the surface, he asked me 
 how we buried our dead during the rebellion? I told him 
 that altho' we could not procure cofiins, at least we had 
 them better covered than they were there, in that ditch 
 before us. — I spoke to him of an eminent physician with 
 whom he had been acquainted, Mr Barney Murray of 
 Gorey. Tbis gentleman, though more than eighty years 
 of age,, would ride to our camps to have every thing bu- 
 ried which he thought might cause infection, such as 
 skins of animals, etc., and on account of this conduct, he 
 was afterwards imprisoned as a rebel chief, aud narrowly 
 escaped being- put to deatb. — 
 
MEMOinS OF MILES HYHNE 215 
 
 D'" Mac Neveu observed that too much care could not 
 be taken to prevent pestilence ; that it was disg-usting- to 
 see g'reat churches in populous cities made burying* 
 grounds ; that every time a vault was opened, a plag'ue 
 might be caused. « The Directory did well, he continued, 
 to put an end to having churchyards burying grounds 
 in Paris, and this high ground stands well for a ceme- 
 tery, if there was more care taken to have the dead pro- 
 perly covered as you said, and it costs nothing to be bu- 
 ried in this open trench. However, separately a grave 
 costs two pounds and is liable to be dug up again after 
 five years. A grave of six feet by three, to purchase the 
 ground for ever, costs more than twenty pounds; which 
 would you prefer? — The two pounds one, provided the 
 lease could to be renewed, I answered. » He laughed 
 and we went on to look at one or two tombstones or mo- 
 numents, the only ones then erected at Pere-Lachaise. — 
 Some twenty years later, it became a city of aristocratic 
 monuments. In december 1824, I had the melancholy 
 commission from poor Mrs Lawless, to purchase ground 
 for two graves, one for her husband, general Lawless, who 
 died on the 25th december 1824 and the other for herself, 
 beside it, where she was buried the 25th of august 1854. 
 — We left this city of the dead to walk to the hill of 
 Montmartre, arriving there, the peoi le were coming out 
 of the church, when I said : « I fear we are not in time 
 '( for mass ; but perhaps there will be another. » D"" Mac 
 Neveu then asked me how we did for mass in the insur- 
 
216 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 rection. I told him we had to do without it, as all our 
 chapels where mass were celebrated on sundaj^s, had 
 been burned by the Orangemen, and the priests all hiding, 
 with the excei)tion of Father Roche, Father Kearns and 
 thu two fathers Murphy, and these four brave martyrs 
 had no means of celebrating mass, their vestments or sa- 
 cerdotal garments being all destroyed. Father John Mur- 
 phy had escaped to a w^ood, from whence he saw his 
 chapel and dwelling house, burned to the ground, robes 
 and every thing else he possessed. — Though these pa- 
 triotic clergymen could not say mass, they preached 
 openly and boldly and hourly, to our fighting men, the 
 necessity of the strictest obedence to their chiefs and 
 leaders, to avoid cruel reprisals and revenge, which 
 could only tend to tarnish our just cause, and on no ac- 
 count ever to profane places of worship, no matter of 
 what religious persuasion they belonged to; to observe 
 respect to the female sex, etc. I remarked to D'' Mac Ne- 
 ven how punctually the orders of these priests were 
 adhered to ; that no protestant church was desecrated or 
 burned, nor one instance of females being molested, 
 u Well, » he said, « what a iiity it is that their memories 
 « should be calumniated by that vile bigot sir Richard 
 « Musgrave. Pie being a prostitute for hire, nothing bet- 
 « tcr could be expected from an historian of his stamp. 
 « So we will sjeak no more of lord Castlereagh's hire- 
 K lings and tools. » 
 I have said this was the last day I walked with doc- 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 117 
 
 tur Mac Neveu at Paris, and I may add, the last time we 
 s[ oke of the affairs of Ireland of 1798 and 1803, as a few 
 (lays after, appeared in the » Moniteur » the decree for 
 the organization of the Irish legion; our occupations 
 became changed, and more important; to me the time 
 spent with doc' or Mac Neven I felt to have been useful 
 to me in every stage of life ; he gave me advice on almost 
 every thing whieli might occur,, and no one was more 
 capable of giving wise council than he was; on tempe- 
 rance, in our way of living, dress, etc. — He said to me 
 une day : « you seem to take care of your teeth; « dont 
 t^liew them too much when » you laugh, notlike a certain 
 friend of ours. » I knew he meant captain Sweeny, who 
 had the most beautiful teeth I ever saw. — Doctor Mac 
 Neven was rath r under the middle size, extremeh- well- 
 made and strong, with a fine chest, broad shoulders, 
 superb head and a manly expressive countenance. He 
 was in every sense of the word a perfect gentleman, 
 both by education and manners. His courage morally and 
 physically was often tried ; indeed he was bravery itself; 
 his acquirements would have soon prepared him to be- 
 come one of the first statesmen Ireland could produce, 
 had she had the good fortune to be free and independent. 
 I have read with interest some of doctor Mac Seven's 
 works, such as his travels in Switzerland, pieces of irish 
 history, })ublislied at New York in 1807, his letters on x 
 the state of Ireland, during the reign of O'Connell there 
 and his controversy on many points with this agitator. 
 
■^18 :\IFJ10I1',S OK MILES BYUNE 
 
 — It i6 evident doctor Mac Neveu residing- in u free 
 country lilce America, would have published the mate- 
 rials he collected to write the history of Ireland during- 
 the period from 179o down to 1804, had he thought it 
 would have been productive of any good to his native 
 land; the probable cause of his not publishing- them was, 
 that he scorned to be thought a mere book maker, or a 
 money speculator, wishing to make out a livelihood. 
 
 Though one should avoid speaking of unmeaning quar- 
 rels and duels, still when they occur at the moment that 
 the dearest interests of one's country are at stake, and 
 tend to retard political advantages on the point of being 
 obtained, it is due to truth and justice to mention them ; 
 therefore I must enter into some details respecting a duel 
 which was thought would take place between doctor 
 Mac Neven and general Arthur O'Connor, when the for- 
 mer resigned in august 1804: his commission of captain 
 in the irish legion, to go and reside at New York in North 
 America. 
 
 The legion was in garrison in the town of Carhaix, 
 department of Finisterre, in the month of may 1804, when 
 the First Consul Buonaparte was proclaimed Emperor of 
 the French. The troops of the garrison, with the civil and 
 military authorities were assembled in the ])lace d'armes, 
 the oath or c serment » was read, when all present rai- 
 sed their right hand, saying- : « Je jure, » I swear. Then 
 
.■MHMOIliS 01' MILKS BYHNE 219 
 
 one hundred cunnun isliottj lired; illuminutious at nigdit 
 finished this ceremony. Next day the mayor and liis « ad- 
 joints ') met at the municipality or to^vn house, adjutant 
 ocneral Mac Sheeliy aud captain Thomas Corhet, in order 
 to sij^'n the proces-verhal, or report, to be forwarded to 
 the home department and the war minister at Paris, of 
 theunanimous mannerthe splendid ceremony terminated. 
 — Captain Corhet being- there as member of the council 
 of administration to sign the proces-verhal, thought fit 
 to remark that an officer did dot hold up his hand and 
 swear, and he named captain Sweeny. — 
 
 General Mac Sheehy on returning to his house had the 
 wickedness to send for captain Sweeny, and to tell him 
 what Corbet had been saying of him at the municipality, 
 
 I on which Sweeny came to tlie field where all the officers 
 were assembled for exercise. He asked Corbet if he had 
 made use of such expressions. Corbet replied, he hud no 
 account to render to him of what took place at the muni- 
 cipality; on which Sweeny struck him such a blow" on 
 the face that Corbet fell to the ground, and I had to grasp 
 Sweeny in my arms and pull him away being quite close 
 to him at the time, or probabably he would have conti- 
 nued his attack. They were both immediately placed 
 
 ^ under forced arrest, with sentinels at their doors. — 
 When marshal Augereau heard of this unfortunate dis- 
 imte, he sent off from Brest the chief of the staff of his 
 army general Donzeleau to make an enquiry about the 
 atfair; he was accompanied by general Arthur O'Connor. 
 
220 MEMOIRS OF MILES B\RNE 
 
 The enquiry finished, the corps of irisli officers, in their 
 splendid full uniform, paid a visit to the generals before 
 they set out for Brest. — General O'Connor made a s}.eec]i 
 in eug-lish, in which captain Mac Neven thought there 
 were allusions to himself which the general would not 
 have made, only for the difference of their military 
 rank. 
 
 It was the first and only time that the Irish officers of 
 the legion paid a visit « en corps » to general O'Connor. 
 As they were not under his orders in any manner, it was 
 not required. He remained at Brest, attached to the staff 
 of the army, whilst they were learning the artillery 
 and infantry exercise in the towns adjacent to Brest. 
 
 At the end of July 1804 the Irish legion was ordered 
 from Carhaix to goto he in garrison at Lesneveu, asmal 
 town five leagues from Brest. A few days after its arrival 
 there, the commander of it received a despatch from the 
 general in chief marshal Augereau, informing him that 
 the arrest of captains Corbet and Sweeny was raised, to 
 apprize them of this decision, and to return to them their 
 swords forthwith. Those officers chose seconds, went to 
 the field and fought with pistols. Both were wounded. 
 Captain Corbet died of his wound the same night; cap- 
 tain Sweeny had the ball extracted from his wound and 
 he soon recovered. Captain Mac Neven was his second, 
 and captain "Ware was Corbet's. 
 
 Shortly after this unfortunate duel, captain Mac Ne- 
 ven sent in his resignation to the war minister Berthier, 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 221 
 
 and as soon as it was accepted, he wrote a challenge to 
 g-eneral Arthur O'Connor then at Brest, in which he 
 mentioned, that he would remain a month at Bordeaux 
 before sailing for America, inviting- him to fix a rendez- 
 vous, etc. He wrote two copies of this challenge, one of 
 them for marshal Augereau, the other for general Donze- 
 leuu, chief of the staff of the army. Mac Neven wished that 
 three officers of his comrades should read those letters, 
 seal them, and put them into the post office box. — As I 
 was one of the three officers, I feel I owe to my country to 
 mention all these circumstances, of two men whose great 
 sacrifices and imprisonment and long sufferings for the 
 sake of freedom endeared them so much to the Irish peo- 
 ple. It is to be regretted that their personal animosit}^ 
 should have been made known so publicly to the french 
 government, as it tended « not » to the advantage of the 
 irish exiles who continued to serve in the french army 
 at that period. 
 
 William James Mac Neven's commission of captain in 
 the service of France, was dated 7th december 1803. He 
 resigned in august 180-4 to go to reside at New York, 
 United-States of America. Died 1842 or 18-43. 
 
 Arthur O'Connor's commission of general of division 
 in the french service, was dated the 24th february 1804. 
 He received the full appointments or pay of a general 
 disponible, not in command, till 1815, when he got a re- 
 
•}1i MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 tiring pension- of six thousand francs a year, which he 
 enjoyed until his death on the 25th of april 1852. 
 
 At tlie end of november 1803 our excitement was great- 
 er than ever, thinking of scarcely any thing except the 
 study of military tactics, and expecting hourly to' receive 
 our brevets. 
 
 I had bouglit when I arrived at Paris, the reglement, 
 or ordonnance on tlie exercise and manoeuvres of infan- 
 try, and I began to know tolerably well the theory; and 
 as I had had some practice in Ireland in fighting against 
 regular troops, I felt satisfied I could make my way like , 
 other officers. 
 
 At lenglh t!ie First ConsuFs decree appeared to have 
 an irish legion in the service of France organized, to 
 1)6 composed of infantry regiments, with artillery and 
 cavalry attached to it. This legion was to be completed 
 on landing in Ireland, to twenty five thousand men. 
 
 Our commissions or brevets of officers in the service 
 of France, were dated the 7th of december 1803, and on 
 receiving them, we had orders to march to Morlaix. ^Ve 
 were to go by regular etapes or day's marches, or if we 
 wished we might take the coaches, and the distance being 
 148 leagues, we had twenty one days to make the jnur- 
 ney. — Hugh Ware and I decided to make it on foot, as 
 we should be the better prepared for campaigning after 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILKS ItYllNK 223 
 
 siioli a long- march in winter. — Those officers who had 
 money to jay their phices in the conch, coukl spend fif- 
 teen days more with their friends at Paris, and arrive at 
 Morhiix the day fixed by the « feuille de ronte, « or mili- 
 tary order of march. 
 
 One day Mr Thomas Addis Emmctt read me a letter 
 he had just received (at Paris) from William Dowdall. 
 stating-, that he, and John Allen, and a young- man of 
 the name of Sandy Devereux, had escaped safely to Ca- 
 :liz, after many risks and perils. He asked me questions 
 about Devereux. « As to Allen and Dowdall » he said « I 
 ■i known them sufficiently myself, to answer for them.» 
 [ told liim that Devereux was one of our hurling- asso- 
 3iates at Donnybrook Green ; that he was from the county 
 3f Wexford and employed in the mercantile firm of Cor- 
 nelius O'Loug-hlan and company in Dublin ; that I did 
 int think he was committed in our unfortunate affairs. 
 — « No? but you see by this letter that he has acted a 
 iioble part. — » 
 
 Young- Devereux took out a passport for himself to g-o 
 ;o transact business at Cadiz for his employers. He went 
 md left this passport with Allen and Dowdall where they 
 were hiding-, that they mig-ht endeavour to make out 
 )thers for themselves, and to imitate it as nearly as pos- 
 iible. He requested them to have a similar one to theirs 
 nade for him, as he would destroy the original passport, 
 est it might be the means of discovering- the false ones. 
 

 224 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 and that lie would take his chance with them through 
 thick and thin. — 
 
 A Mr Cumming-s who had been one of the staite priso- 
 ners in Dublin, when he was allowed to expatriate him- 
 self, went to Cadiz to practice there as a physician. He 
 wrote to Mr Eniraett to pray him to obtain for him ai 
 commission in the irish regiment in order that he might 
 be of the expedition destined for Ireland. 
 
 A Mr O'Kelly an officer of one of the irish regiments 
 in the Spanish service being at Cadiz when Allen and 
 Dowdall arrived there, wrote also to Mr Emmett that he 
 wished to make part of the french army to be sent to ob- 
 tain the independence of his native country. 
 
 Mr Emmett gave the names of these five gentlemen to 
 the minister of war, recommending them as true irish 
 patriots, and immediately commissions of sub lieutenanti 
 were sent to Cadiz for John Allen , "William Dowdall, 
 Sandy Devereux, doctor Cummings and O'Kelly, with 
 orders for them to repair forthwith to Morlaix where the 
 irish legion was assembled. 
 
 It being remarked that whilst many of the distinguish-' 
 ed and meritorious irish patriots got only the rank of 
 ensigns and lieutenants, others with very inferior claims, 
 got that of « captain, » the highest rank then given, 
 Mr Emmett remonstrated with the minister of war Ber- 
 thier, who promised him that adjutant general Mac Shee- 
 hy charged with the organization of the legion, should 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILKS DYRNE 2-25 
 
 have precise instructions at Morlais, to report to the war 
 office on the subject, and that he might rest satisfied the 
 injustice should be repaired, as soon as Mac Sheehy's 
 report was received. Some of the injustice was remedied, 
 thoug-li not for a month or two later. William Barker, 
 Patt Mac Canna, Patt Gallagher, Valentine Derry, Au- 
 gustin O'Meally, John Sweeny, Hugh Ware, and Wil- 
 liam Dowdall received their commissions as captains, and 
 several sous-lieutenants received theirs of lieutenants at 
 the same time. 
 
 Previous to our leaving Paris for the coast, a young 
 man arrived from Dublin, Terence O'Reilly ; he was the 
 bearer of a letter of introduction from a doctor Sheridan 
 to doctor Mac Neven ; the latter had just time to present 
 him to general Dalton, before quitting Paris for Morlaix, 
 and as O'Reilly spoke french well, he got on better than 
 I others at the war office. He got his commission of lieute- 
 \ nant in the month of January 1804 and joined the irisli 
 legion at Morlaix. I am persuaded that he did not consi- 
 der it a triumph to have obtained a higher rank, and to 
 be placed over so many of his countrymen, such as th? 
 following, Paul Murray, Edmond Saint-Leger, Joseph 
 Parrott, William Dowdall, John Allen, and many others, 
 v.iio had only the rank of sous-lieutenants at that time. 
 However O'Reilly's advancement afterwards was slow 
 indeed. It was only after the siege of Flushing in 1809, 
 where he distinguished himself in the Irish battalion 
 
 T. Ill 15 
 
2'26 MEMOIRS or MILES BYRNE 
 
 there, fighting against the English, that he was recom- 
 pensed with the cross of the Legion of honour, and later 
 he was named captain in the first battalion of the first 
 irish regiment, then in garrison at Landau near the 
 Rhine, in 1810. In the campaigns of 1813 and 14 O'Eeilly 
 served with distinction, and he had the good fortune to 
 get his brevet of chef de bataillon before Napoleon's abdi- 
 cation in 1814. — After the Restoration of the Bourbons, 
 and the battle of Waterloo, commandant O'Reilly retired 
 to Evreux, where he finished his days. 
 
 I have often had to mention him in my notes on our 
 campaigns, and I trust I may be excused now for this 
 anticipation. I esteemed U'Reilly as a brave and an ho- 
 nourable officer, and I liked him as an obliging, good 
 comrade, and I cannot forget, that he was one of those 
 that expressed regret that I had not obtained my com- 
 mission of Napoleon of superior officer before tiie downfall 
 
 of Napoleon. 
 
 « 
 
 I have mentioned before in this narrative of having 
 met irishmen in Paris, who had come from the United- 
 States, as citizens of that great Republic. — One of 
 them, Mr Harrison, was from the north of Ireland, and a 
 friend of William Lawle,^s and Juhn Tennant of Belfast; 
 and as I was a good deal with these gentlemen, I became 
 acquainted with Mr Harrison, and I must say, I always 
 found him very good-natured and obliging. Holding a 
 highrankin the « mysteries » of Free Masonry, his french 
 
MKMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE '-^'^ i 
 
 acquaintance was considerable. Previous to the departure 
 of liis irish friends from Paris;, to join the legion at Mor- 
 laix,Mr Harrison gave them a grand dinner, to which he 
 invited also several of his french friends. I recollect when 
 we were going from the drawing room into the dining 
 room, Mr Harrison told his guests that one half of the 
 table would be served with an irish dinner, and the other 
 with a french one. The french gentlemen were placed at 
 the irish half of the table, at the head of which sat 
 Mr Harrison with Mr Thomas Addis Emmett on his right 
 hand and a french councillor of state on his left. — John 
 Tennant sat at the foot of the table. This end was to be 
 served in the french way, and was occupied by the irish 
 guests. Patt Gallagher seeing nothing but soup and some 
 small « plats » of « hors d'oeuvres, » and the other end 
 covered with large joints and dishes such as hams, chic- 
 kens, etc., exclaimed he hoped our friend Harrison was 
 not going to make us dine on frogs, to shew off his wit. 
 — This caused much laughter, and when explained to 
 the french gentlemen, they entered into the joke and en- 
 joyed it. Whenever a piece of game was served at our 
 end, Mr Harrison would ask if the frogs were dressed to 
 our liking. At the head of the room stood entwined a 
 large green flag, with a golden harp in the center, « with- 
 out « the crown and « Erin go bragh » (Ireland for ever 
 ■written also in gold letters. The tri-coloured drapeau 
 and the « star spangled banner » on each side of the green 
 flag of Erin, had for us exiles a delightful effect; — we 
 
2'28 MEMOIRS OF MILES DYRNE 
 
 felt happy and grateful to Harrison for his kind and ge- 
 nerous entertainment. 
 
 After the Restoration of the Bourbons, when I resided 
 at Paris on half pay, I was certain to meet Mr Harrison 
 any day between twelve and two o'clock, at breakfast, or 
 reading the newspapers, at the Cafe de la Rotonde, Palais- 
 Royal. He had the reputation of knowing how to buy 
 and to sell freiich stock, and liked to be thought rich. He 
 had his oddities. He used frequently to go to fashionable 
 places of resort, such as Epsom races and afterwards re- 
 turn cheerfully to Paris and resume his former way of 
 living. He asked me one day to dine with him, and gave 
 me a rendez-vous to meet him on the terrace of the Tuil- 
 leries garden at four o'clock. It was in w'inter, yet he 
 said, he should like to take a little walk before dinner, to 
 sharpen the appetite ; we went outside tlie barriere de 
 TEioile, there he went to the restaurant of the Veau qui 
 tette; he saw the eatables on the kitchen table ready to be 
 cooked; he ordered soup, filet de boeuf saute, a roast fowl 
 etc., to be prepared in an hour when we should return. 
 After walking for h.ilf an hour on the avenue of Saint- 
 Cloud we came back and found our table prepared in a 
 room with a good fire. I certainly enjoyed not only the 
 good fare, but the repose, for I had been more than two 
 hours on my legs without resting. A tremendous storm 
 and rain came on, so we were weather bound till nine at 
 night, as there was no possibility of getting a coach 
 When the rain ceased we walked thruue-li the mud to 
 
MI'MOmS OF MILKS liYHNE 229 
 
 the cafe do Minerve near the french theatre, and after 
 taking- two tumblers of brandy punch, we separated. 
 Next day I saw him at his reception room, as he would 
 call the caf{^ de la Rotonde, looking" fresh and healthy. 
 « Dont you think » he said, « I could have made cam- 
 « paig-ns with you? » — « Yes, I replied » provided we 
 « could bivouack every night as we did the last. » — He 
 laughed heartily and AA^as quite vain of having made, as 
 he said, one campaign with me. He was always gay and 
 good-humoured. 
 
 In the spring of 1828 Mr William Tennant of Bel- 
 fast, the fellow prisoner and friend of Arthur O'Connor, 
 and Thomas Addis Emmett. and the broth' r of comman- 
 dant Tennant, with two of his daughters was stopping- 
 at Paris. I w-as invited one day to dinner by Mr Ten- 
 nanl;, to meet Mr Harrison. The latter began a long story 
 about some service he said I had rendered to Mr Ten- 
 nanfs nephew in 1826, when he w^as on his way to 
 Greece, with a young man of the name of Emerson. I 
 replied rather displeased, that it was no great service to 
 go w'ith him to buy his sw^ord, pistols, etc. « Never mind 
 « Mr Byrne « said i\Ir Tennant, « Robert wrote to me at 
 (' the time of the whole transaction. » — Harrison then 
 asked me, w"ith a great laugh, « if I had chosen Mr Em- 
 erson's « arms? » — I knew he was going to Greece as 
 tlie correspondent of some english newspaper, and very 
 likely as such, rendered service to the unfortunate Greeks, 
 then fighting for their independence, 
 
'230 MKMOIUS 01" MILES liYHNE 
 
 Mr Emerson married the youngest daug-liter of Wil- 
 liam Tennaut and added this name to his own. He has 
 since been a member of the House of Commons in Lon- 
 don, and g'overnor of the Island of Ceylon. — 
 
 I never was at a loss to learn something of the great 
 men, and great doings going on in the north of Ireland, 
 or in the United- States of America whilst Harrison 
 lived. 
 
 One day walking with Mrs Byrne in the Champs-Ely- 
 sees, we stopjied to speak to him, when he exclaimed 
 « you dont congratulate me, sir, on the nomination of 
 « my cousin Harrison to the presidency of the United- 
 (< States! « — Poor Harrison! He died lonely indeed, at 
 Paris, in a miserable lodging in the rue Montmartre. 
 Altho' possessed of a good deal of pro^^erty, he had neith- 
 er friend, nor relation near him at the time. But such is 
 the way old bachelors are doomed to end their days, 
 when they become too secluded in their habits from their 
 families. Harrison not liking female relatives to be about 
 him, lest they might interfe.e with his eccentric manner 
 of living, did not enjoy the comforts which from his 
 wealth he was « entitled to. « 
 
 I 
 
 Not being encumbered w"ith much luggage, my effects 
 were soon packed up, and I had nothing to buy, !or every 
 article for the equipment of the officers had been sent to 
 the depot of the Irish legion at Morlaix. — Amongst 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILF.S BYUNE 231 
 
 them, a quantity of superfine dark green cloth, sufficient 
 for the uniforms of 150 officers; and as our master tailor 
 had at his disposition all the tailors of Augereau's army, 
 a short lime would suffice to have them made up. 
 
 The officers were advised to have small portmanteaus, 
 not weighing: u orethan fourteen pounds, which they could 
 easily carry under their arm, g'oing on board the fleet at 
 Hrest, and also on landing- on the coast of Ireland, when 
 they would answer as pillows at the bivcuac. I had one of 
 this description already, which held my two shirts, stock- 
 ings, slippers, etc. So I had not to buy a portmanteau. Ha- 
 ving now all things settled ready to set out on my mnrch, 
 save to pay my farewell visits to those dear friends whom 
 I soon expected to have the happiness of meeting in Ire- 
 land, (alas ! ray expectations were not realized!) my first 
 visit was to Mr Thomas Addis Emmett and his amiable 
 lady, his son Eobert, with his two little sisters, one of 
 them born in the prison of Dublin, and the other in that 
 of fort George in Scotland. 
 
 Mr Emmett kindly enquired of me about my money 
 matters, saying, that he had rec''ived another remittance 
 of sixty pounds, from that gi nerous, worthy, Irish pa- 
 triot, lord Cloncurry, to be distributed amongst the iri^h 
 refugees wdio might stand in need of money. — I had to 
 shew him a few half guineas, I had still remaining, to 
 convince him that I had sufficient with my feuille de 
 route money, to make the journey to Morlaix, and I told 
 
232 MKMOIUS OF MILRS RYRNF. 
 
 htm I owed nothing-, etc. He opened a trunk to shew me 
 two bag's of silver, containing lord Cloncurry's remit- 
 tance, and which he had just brought from the ban- 
 kers. 
 
 Mr Emmett paid me some compliments on the saving- 
 way I had lived, and then we embraced and separated. 
 Alas! for ever. His son Robert, about nine or ten years 
 old was waiting in the outer room. He took the sma'l 
 cord or chain from his watch, and asked me to keep it 
 for his sake; which I did carefully, until 1813, when my 
 baggage fell into the hands of the enemy on the Bober. 
 
 Mrs Gallagher staying with Mrs Emmett I took leave 
 of her also. — This lady was handsome and highly ac- 
 complished, and worthy of her patriotic husband. — I 
 had the pleasure of dining- with them at Bordeaux in 
 1812, when I was returning from Spain, and I was happy 
 indeed to see them so prosperous ; he was in the ship- 
 broking trade, and he was carrying on a vast business 
 with the Americans. Their children were grown up very 
 handsome. Poor Gallagher's health was then delicate. — 
 He died at Bordeaux ihe following year, much regretted 
 by his country men and friends. — To his last moment, 
 he spoke of lord Edward Fitzgerald with the greatest ve- 
 neration. 
 
 My next visit was to Mr Hampden Evans and his fa- 
 milv. His son young Hampden, and my fellow traveller 
 
>ii:moip.s or mii,i:s r,\n\v. ^33 
 
 from Bordeaux, returned there, and married a young 
 frencli lady. It ^vas only some years after that he g-ot a 
 commission in the irish reg'iment. — I was then far from 
 thinking- that I should have at a later period, the honour 
 of being' so well acquainted with two of his sisters, Mary 
 (Mrs Lawless), and Nancy 'Mrs Putland.) 
 
 Miss Evans having- married an officer, one of my friends 
 and comrades, it was natural that I should be on good 
 terms with her, on account of her husband, "William 
 Lawless, whose military career I had witnessed, but 
 there were other reasons which made her a favourite with 
 all the irish exiles. Having- a g-ood fortune, on returning- 
 to Ireland she would be sure of being well married there, 
 but one of those exiles pleased her, she loved him secre- 
 tly, he did not even suspect it, ne\er having; paid her 
 more attention than he did to her sisters, and probably 
 miss Evans' secret would never have been known to her 
 family, but for the siege of Flushing- by the eng-lish in 
 aug'ust 1809, — At tlie news of this town being taken, 
 the destruction of the irish battalion defending it, and its 
 commander William Lawless being killed, etc., etc., 
 Mary Evans fell sick, and for more than six weeks her 
 ilife was despaired of, and nothing could cheer her. 
 
 '5 
 
 ' Mrs Tone being in the habit of going to Mr Hampden 
 Evans's house, and being on the most intimate terms 
 with the young ladies his daughters, might have sus- 
 
2'i\ MKMOIUS OF MILKS ItYllNi: 
 
 I ected something' of miss Evans' secret, but this secret 
 was only divulged, when she heard the man she loved 
 was no more. She then told her mother, saying-, life to 
 her was not now worth preserving-, and wondering how" 
 Mrs Tone could have survived the death of her heroic 
 husband : to be sure, she would add, her three children 
 must be broug-ht up worthy of such a father. Hearing- 
 continually every one who came to her father's house, 
 speaking- with admiration of the achievements of Theobald 
 Wolfe Tone, and of the purity of his character, she glo- 
 ried in the hope, and flattered herself, that the man she 
 loved so dearly, would one day quite surpass him, w^heu 
 their country wouldbe free. 
 
 When the news of commandant Lawless's miraculous 
 escape from Flushing- to Antwerp with the eagle and the 
 colours of the regiment, arrived at Paris, Mr Evans beg- 
 ged his friend John Sweetman to come to the house, 
 when his daughter would be allowed by the doctor tci 
 receive visits, in order to prepare her by degrees, to learn 
 the joyful news, lest a sudden communication of it mighli 
 be injurious to her : he also prayed Mr Sweetman to pre- 
 vent commandant Lawless (in the event of his getting 
 leave of absence to come to Paris) calling at his house 
 before he had had an interview with him. 
 
 That evening at tea, Mr Sweetman, as usual, Avas ask- 
 ed the news of the day, miss Evans lying on the sofa, ano 
 listening- to the conversation. He said, that it was re 
 ported in some of the newspapers that officers believed tc 
 
MKMUIUS OF MII.KS liVl'.M-, 2Xi 
 
 liuve been killed at Flushing- had escaped to Antwerp, 
 their names not being- g-iven. On the following" day he 
 was more explicit, and then the conversation was chan- 
 ged to some other topic. — The next evening- Sweetnian 
 came to tell them that a lieutenant O'Reilly of the Irish 
 reg'iment was one of those who arrived at Antwerp. 
 « Then » said miss Evans, « perhaps Mr Lawless is not 
 dead. » The whole family expressed their opinion, that 
 as he and lieutenant O'Reilly Were g-reat friends, they 
 probably escaped together, and that it would be known 
 next day at the war ofBce. 
 
 Mr Sweetmau promised to go there in the morning to 
 enqnire, and to call in the evening as usual, when he 
 hoped to have good news to tell them. — Mr Lawless was 
 already arrived, but very ill and confined to bed, not 
 from the effects of his wound, now nearly well, but with 
 an attack of the Flushing te>er, when Mr Hampden Evans 
 called to see him. — Their interview was of an affecting- 
 nature. He told JNlr Lawless how his friends in L'eland 
 were endeavouring- to obtain him permission to return 
 there with Itis family, and as his daughter Mary was 
 attached to him, he consented to their marriage. Matters 
 on this head were soon agreed to between them, and then 
 miss Evans was allowed to read all the newspapers con- 
 taining the orders of the day of the army at Antwerp, 
 giving an account of commandant Lawless's arrival 
 there, with the colours and eagle of the irish regiment; 
 
-36 .MKMOIKS OF MILKS BYRNE 
 
 of his brilliant conduct during- the sieg-e of Flushing-, his 
 miraculous escape from thence, etc., etc. 
 
 I was in Spain at this period. — After consulting my 
 own notes and correspondence, besides a mass of letters 
 put at my disposition by general Lawless's son and by 
 our mutual friend Arthur Barker (these letters having 
 belonged to their families), I find, that it was in the 
 month of november 1809 that commandant Lawless ar- 
 rived in Paris, after his escape from the Island of Wal- 
 cheren, and I also find by these letters, that the emperor 
 Napoleon was glad to receive one of those brave soldiers 
 who at the head of his battalion fought so bravely against 
 Pitt's brother, general lord Chatham wuth his thirty 
 thousand seamen and forty thousand of the best land 
 troops that England could produce, whilst he, Napoleon, 
 was far away with his grand army at Wagram, etc. He 
 was also greatly pleased that commandant Lawless had 
 saved the eagle he had given to the regiment and that it 
 had not fallen into the hands of the English, and he na- 
 med him immediately knight of the Legion of honour, 
 and lieutenant-colonel of the Irish regiment, and the 
 year after, full colonel of it, in place of Daniel O'Meara, 
 put on half ])ay. The regiment being composed of four 
 battalions and a depot, was in garrison. The first batta- 
 lion in the Island of Goree, Tennant commandant. 
 The second battalion at Berg-op-Zoora, Dillon comman- 
 dant. The 3ti battalion at Wilhemstadt on the Meuse, 
 Ware commandant. The fourth battalion at Bois-le-Duc, 
 
MEMOlllS OF MILES BYRNE 237 
 
 Hayne chief of it. The depot in the same town, J. J. Ma- 
 hony major of it. The above were the stations of the bat- 
 talions when I arrived from Spain atBois-le-Duc in march 
 1812, and there I met Mrs Lawless for the first time after 
 her marriage; eight years and four months having- inter- 
 vened since I saw her at Paris in december 1803. 
 
 At general Lawless's death on the 25th december 1824, 
 Mrs Lawless purchased ground at Pere-la-Chaise, for two 
 graves beside eacli other, with a double head stone. One 
 was inscribed to general Lawless, the other was unlet- 
 tered, and could be so seen down to 1854. — The follow- 
 ing article is from the « Nation » newspaper, Dublin 2'^ 
 September 1854. « Mrs Lawless, widow of general Law'- 
 loss, of the irish legion, died at her residence in Paris, 
 rue de la Ferme des Mathurins, on w^ednesday night, the 
 23J august 1854. Mrs Lawless was born in Ireland, but 
 was early in life an exile from her native land, with her 
 father, Hampden Evans esq. of Portran, the friend of 
 lord Edward Fitzgerald and of Thomas Addis Emmett, 
 and one of the distinguished band of irish patriots of 
 1798, who devoted life and fortune to the independence 
 of Ireland. Mrs Lawless was worthy of her illustrious hus- 
 band and father, possessing a very sound understand- 
 ing, and being ever actuated by the purest and the no- 
 blest sentiments. Throughout life she shewed the most 
 tender and affectionate nature towards her husband and 
 children, and to all connected with her. » 
 
•238 MEMOIRS OF MILES I'.YRNE 
 
 Mr Hampden Evans' two other daughters vrere married 
 after tliey returned to Ireland. Nancy, to Mr George Pu- 
 tlaud, a wortliy gentleman, with a large fortune. — Their 
 Dublin residence in Lower Mount street, soon became 
 well known for the charitable fancy balls and other 
 splendid entertainments given there, as well as for the 
 annual distribution of articles of cloathing and covering 
 for the poor. — At their country mansion of Bray, their 
 benevolence and bounty was still greater : the widows 
 and orphans of the unfortunate men lost at sea, and be- 
 longing to that neighbourhood, were sure to get pensions 
 from Mrs Putland. Indeed this amiable lady identified 
 lierself with every liberal and generous manifestation for 
 the good of her native land. 
 
 After the Restoration of tlieBourbons, she and her hus- 
 band came to France to visit her sister and general Law- 
 less at their country house near Tours, and for many 
 years Mr and Mrs Putland were in the habit of spending 
 the winter at I'aris, when general Lawless and his family 
 came also there to be near them. — I w"as living then at 
 Paris, on half poy, and I found it very agreeable to meet 
 these amiable families, as well as many of my old com- 
 rades and friends, whom I w'as sure to see at their hou- 
 ses. — Mrs Putland gave very splendid entertainments 
 and saw some of the best french society, as well as dis- 
 tinguished persons of other nations, — Paris being then 
 so much frequented by foreigners of the highest station, 
 j^lrs Putland's hotel, phice Vendome, became one of those 
 
MKMOIHS OK MILES IJYHXI' 239 
 
 greatly considered on account of the guests received ; 
 sucli as, Lafayette, lord Cloncurry, and the patriots of 
 their stamp of every other country. 
 
 In 1822 a young and valued friend ofmine, doctor Hal- 
 liday, vs'ent with Mr and Mrs Putland as their physician 
 to Rome, and a tour on the continent, and through this 
 gentleman I learned many acts of their generous bounty, 
 and their sympathy for the persecuted ]tatriots, wherever 
 they passed. 
 
 I shall mention one circumstance which will shew 
 3irs Patland's warm irish, patriotic feelings. Knowing 
 that she was well acquainted with general Lafayette's 
 family, and tliat Mr Gustave de Beaumont, son-in-law to 
 ]\Ir George Lafayette hadjustpublislied his work on Ireland 
 in 1839, in which I observed the omission of the names 
 of the principal protestant and catholic leaders, martyrs, 
 during our struggles in 1798, I asked Mrs Putland to 
 behind enough to shew Mr de Beaumont some notes, I 
 had felt it my duty to make on his book, on account of 
 the incorrect information he had received in Ireland : 
 she readily took charge of my notes for M. de Beaumont 
 and accompanied them with a letter from herself in which 
 she expressed to him her regret that he had omitted her 
 father's name amongst the patriots of 1798. This letter 
 shewed her fine feelings, and how worthy she was of 
 beino- the dana-hter of Hami'den Evans. 
 
240 MEMOIRS OF MILES r.YR.NE 
 
 Mrs Putland gave a large dinner party at her hotel, 
 place "Vendome, to which Mrs Byrne and I were invited, 
 to meet monsiear and madame de Beaumont and to whom 
 Mrs Putland introduced us. — I must say I was quite 
 satisfied and pleased with M. de Beaumont's frank man- 
 ner, telling me at once that he thought I ought to publish 
 any thing I found not correct in his book on Ireland, etc. 
 — I had agreed in consequence with a printer to publish 
 a certain number of copies of my notes, when I saw 
 Mr de Beaumont's name as one of the candidates to be a 
 member of the french academy ; and as one of his claims 
 to this honour was, his recent « admirable work » — 
 « L'Irlande sociale politique et religieuse » — I felt it 
 was not the time to publish any criticism upon it. Be- 
 sides, he w'as the first french gentleman of station who 
 for a long time, had written on the suff'erings of Ireland 
 under her task masters , in such held, eloquent lan- 
 guage. 
 
 I will here give a copy of Mrs Putland's letter, and my 
 notes on M. de Beaumont's book. 
 
 raris, 1e 6 fevrier 18 Wo 
 
 « Ma cliere dame, 
 
 « Un grand admirateur do monsieur de Beaumont, le 
 colonel Byrne, ayant appris qu'il preparait une nouvelle 
 t^dition de soil bel ouvrage sur I'lrlande sociale, politique 
 fct religieuse, m'a prie de lui faire passer quelques obser- 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 241 
 
 vations que lui a sug-g-t^re'es la lecture d'un oiivrag-e d'un 
 ordre tellement superieur et p!ein de verites. — Mais 
 monsieur le colonel ayant pris part lui-raenie c^ la lutte 
 entre le gouvernement anglais et la partie liberale de 
 rirlande, a ete a m6me de savoir bien des circonstances 
 oublieesouinconnues a ceux qui n'avaientpas les memes 
 avantag-es, ou les monies inter^ts h connaitre la veritt^. 
 Moi. fille de Hampden Evans, qui, bien que protestant, 
 a risque sa vie et une belle position dans la cause de son 
 pays, je n'aime pas k voir son nom oubli6 et sans Thon- 
 neur qu'un tel devouement merite. 
 
 « Je vous prie de croire a ma haute consideration. 
 « Votre d^vouee, 
 
 « A. D. PUTI.AND. ,, 
 A madame de Beaumont. 
 
 TRANSLATION OF MRS PUTLANd's LETTER TO MADAME DE 
 BEAUMONT 
 
 « My dear Madame, 
 
 « A great admirer of monsieur de Beaumont, colonel 
 Byrne, having learnt that he was preparing a new edi- 
 tion of his excellent work on the social, political and re- 
 ligious state of Ireland, has begged me to forward to him 
 some observations which have occurred to him on read- 
 
 T. Ill 16 
 
242 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 ing a work of so superior a style and so full of truth. — 
 But colonel Byrne having himself borne a part in the 
 struggle between the english govei-nment and the liberal 
 party in Ireland, has been able to know well many cir- 
 cumstances forgotten, or unknown to those who had not 
 the same advantages, or interest in knowing the truth. 
 I, a daughter of Hampden Evans, who though a protes- 
 tant, hasarded his life, and a high position in the cause 
 of his country, do not like to see his name forgotten and 
 without the honour that such devotion merits. 
 
 « I pray you to believe how sincerely. 
 '< I am yours, 
 
 « A. D. PUTLAND. » 
 To madame de Beaumont. 
 
 NOTES ON M. DE BEAUMONT'S WOEK « l'iRLA.NDE SOCIALE, 
 POLITIQUE ET RELIGIEUSE. » 
 
 The increased importance which Ireland has of late 
 years acquired in the politics of Europe, as well as the 
 intrinsic merit of monsieur Gustave de Beaumont's most 
 excellent work entitled « I'lrlande sociale, politique et 
 religieuse » has induced one deeply interested in the sub- 
 ject, to make the following observations on a few mista- 
 kes which M. de Beaumont has been led into. These 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE ^'tS 
 
 observations are not written from any. desire to cavil at 
 ^vhat M. de Beaumont has written in so good a spirit, 
 but rather to aid him in diffusinp; a more general know- 
 ledge of the question amongst liis countrymen, already 
 so well inclined towards Ireland. 
 
 As the insurrection in Ireland in 1798 is connected 
 with all that has occurred in that country since that pe- 
 riod, a knowledge of many of the details is necessary, in 
 order to understand the history of Ireland anterior to its 
 union with Great Britain, as well as to understand its 
 condition since that union took place. 
 
 M. de Beaumont does no justice to the many distin- 
 guished Irish protestants who sacrificed their lives and 
 fortunes in the cause of the independence of their coun- 
 try. To those not acquainted with the history of the in- 
 surrection of 1798, a perusal of his work would convey 
 the idea that none but the poorest and most miserable 
 peasantry of Ireland were engaged in the efforts made at 
 that time to shake off the yoke of England; and also, that 
 they, after calling in the aid of France, had shrunk from 
 the danger, and had not dared to face the english forces 
 when the moment came for the stand to be made. The 
 facts are very different and well known to all those who 
 have studied the history of Ireland during that period. 
 
 The colour given by Mr de Beaumont to this insurrec- 
 
244 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 tion, representing" it as a mere revolt of ignorant, wretch- 
 ed peasants, is not only erroiieous, but if viewed in that 
 manner, one cannot comprehend how lord Edward Fitz- 
 gerald, and Mr Wolfe Tone came to take a part in it, for 
 M. de Beaumont cannot avuid mentioning these tv.'o il- 
 lustrious patriots in making allusion to the insurrection. 
 
 The united irishmen who rose against the english go- 
 vernment, had at their head a great number of enlighten- 
 ed men, both catholics and protest ants, and of great 
 wealth, who occupied a distinguished rank in society. 
 Amongst many others I could cite, I shall confine myself 
 to namina,- some of the most remarkable. 
 
 PllOTESTAKTS 
 
 Lord Edward Fitzgerald. 
 Arthur O'Connor. 
 Bagnell Harvey. 
 Cornelius Grogan. 
 Hampden Evans. 
 Tennant of Belfast. 
 Hamilton Rowan. 
 J. Russell. 
 W. Hamilton. 
 W. Corbett. 
 T. Corbett. 
 
 Thomas Addis Emmett. 
 
 Napper Tandy. 
 
 The two Shiers. 
 
 Sam Nelson. 
 
 Councillor Sampson. 
 
 Chambers. 
 
 Mat Dowling. 
 
 Captain Perry (Anthony). 
 
 Wolfe Tone. 
 
 Robert Grahame. 
 
 Captain Keogh. 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 245 
 
 TROTESTANTS AND PRESBYTERIAN MINISTERS 
 
 Edward Hudson. 
 
 Hug-h Wilson. 
 
 Robert Hunter. 
 
 Sir Simon Butler, Bart. 
 
 John Russell. 
 
 Thomas Wrigdit. 
 
 William Levington Webb. 
 
 William Hamilton. 
 
 Richard Kirwan. 
 
 Sir Deane Swift, Bart. 
 
 William Weir. 
 
 Thomas Bacon. 
 
 Georg-e Gumming'. 
 
 Joseph Cuthbcrt. 
 
 Reverend W. Steele Dikson. 
 
 Doctor Drcnnan. 
 
 W. Putnam Mac Cabe. 
 
 Henry Haslett. 
 
 William Sinclair. 
 
 T. Sinclair. 
 
 Robert Mac Gee, M. D. 
 
 Israel Milliken. 
 
 Gilbert Mac Hirain. 
 
 Robert Byers. 
 S. Kennedy. 
 Robert Hunter. 
 Robert Orr. 
 Hug-h Grimes. 
 William Koan. 
 James Burnside. 
 James Greer. 
 Rowley Osborn. 
 Mac Turner. 
 William Sims. 
 John Robb. 
 James Hope. 
 
 Reverend Steele Dickson. 
 Reverend William Porter. 
 Reverend Mr Barber. 
 Reverend Mr Muhon. 
 Reverend Mr Birch.' 
 Reverend Mr Ward. 
 Reverend Mr Smith. 
 Reverend Mr Stevelly. 
 Reverend Mr Mac Neill. 
 Reverend Mr Simpson. 
 
 PROTESTANTS 
 
 John Colclough. 
 Reverend Mr Jackson. 
 Henry Munroe, 
 
 Arthur Mac Mahon. 
 D. B. Warden. 
 Oliver Bond. 
 
246 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 Teeling-. 
 
 Sir Edward William Crosbie, 
 
 Bart. 
 Henry Hug-hes. 
 Nicholas Gray. 
 William Young. 
 Mac Cracken. 
 Robert Simms. 
 Reverend William Sinclair. 
 Doctor MacDonnell. 
 
 MILES BYRNE 
 
 John Tennant. 
 Mr Lowry. 
 
 Doctor Dickson of Portaferry. 
 Reverend Mr Porter. 
 Reverend Mr Simpson. 
 Reverend Mr Sinclair. 
 Reverend Mr Willy. 
 Reverend Mr Hull. 
 Reverend Mr Glandy. 
 
 ( 
 
 Aud above thirty more presbyterian ministers, all 
 equally respectable by their abilities and for the conside- 
 ration they enjoyed in the country. 
 
 CATHOLICS 
 
 Garret Byrne (Ballymanus). 
 William Byrne. d" 
 William Michael Byrne (New- 
 town Mount Kennedy.) 
 Esmond Cane. 
 
 Fitzg-erald (county Wexford). 
 Edward Roche. 
 Michael Redmond. 
 P. Redmond. 
 William Lawless. 
 Edward Kennedy. 
 
 James Farrell. 
 
 Edward O'Reilly. 
 
 Mat Byrne (of Reveillor). 
 
 Doctor Esmond. 
 
 J. Devereux (general). 
 
 M. Aylmer. 
 
 Ledwidge. 
 
 O'SuUivan. 
 
 Dillon. 
 
 John Sweetman. 
 
 Ferdinand O'Donnell. 
 
 LORD EDWARD FITZGERALD. — Brother of tho duke of 
 Leinster, accompanied l)y Arthur O'Connor, had dU in- 
 terview with general Hoche at Basle in Switzerland in 
 
MEMOIRS or MILES DYRNE 2'l7 
 
 the spring of 1796. Returned to Ireland, he was one of 
 the principal organizers of the system of the United irish- 
 men, and having been bred a soldier, was to have the 
 command. 
 
 In the spring of 1798, having been denounced before 
 all was ready for the general rising, he was obliged to 
 hide, but was betrayed and discovered by Reynolds (a 
 United Irishman), to the agents of government. He at- 
 tempted to defend himself, and shot two of the police 
 men who had come to seize him, but being w'ounded in 
 the struggle died a few' days after in prison of his wounds. 
 Lord Camden, the Viceroy, refused, tolet his brother lord 
 Henry Fitzgerald see him when dying. 
 
 BAGNELL HARVEY. — A gentleman of large landed pro- 
 perty from 5,000 liv. sterl. to G,000 liv. sterl. per an. in 
 the county of Wexford. He commanded the insurgents at 
 the battle of Ross and was afterwards taken prisoner 
 and executed in the town of Wexford. 
 
 coRNELTus GROGAN. — A gentleman of more than 
 11,000 liv. sterl. per an. in the county of Wexford. A most 
 benevolent, excellent man. He was executed at Wexford 
 and his property confiscated. 
 
 ARTHUR O'CONNOR. — A member of the Irish parliament 
 in 1795. He made that year the finest speech that ever 
 had been heard in parliament, in favour of catholic eman- 
 
248 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYP.XE 
 
 cipation, for which he was desinherited by his uncle lord 
 Longueville. He was one of the most active in organizing 
 the United Irish. In endeavouring to get to France, in 
 1798, he was taken prisoner in England and w'as tried at 
 Maidstone, along with Allen, Quigly and others; being 
 there acquitted, he was brought back to Dublin on ano- 
 ther charge and sent a prisoner to fort George in Scot- 
 land, where he remained till the peace of Amiens in 1802. 
 He was only liberated on condition of expatriating him- 
 self for ever. On coming to France in 1802, he was 
 named by the First Consul a lieutenant general and ap- 
 pointed to command the Irish in the expedition tolreland 
 in 1803. He married the only daughter of the marquis 
 Condorcet. 
 
 HAMPDEN EVAMS. — One of the patriotic voluntters of 
 1780, possessed a large fortune of 8,000 liv. sterl, or 10,000 
 liv. sterl. per an. — Father of a numerous family, he 
 W'as one of the most active from the first commencement 
 of the system of the United Irish, and took a leading part 
 in it, offering to sacrifice his life and the greater part of 
 his fortune in the cause of his country. He was sent a 
 prisoner to fort George and liberated at the same time 
 and on the same terms as Arthur O'Connor. He came to 
 Paris where he brought up his family. 
 
 THOMAS ADDIS EMMETT. — One of the first lawyers in 
 Dublin and one of the most virtuous and most patriotic 
 
MlilMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 210 
 
 of meu. He was a member of the Irish Directory with 
 lord Edward Fitzg-erald and was arrested in 1798. He was 
 sent to fort George. Liberated and expatriated in 1802 
 like the other prisoners of fort Georg-e. He was chosen by 
 the irish in Paris in 1803 to be the agent from the provisio- 
 nal government of Ireland to the First Consul and french 
 government, which situation he held till 1805, when find- 
 ing there was no prospect of an expedition to Ireland, he 
 got his passports and went to America, where the Con- 
 gress passed a decree, by which, contrary to tbe usual 
 term of ten years, he received his naturalization 24 hours 
 after landing there. He rose to great eminence as a 
 lawyer in his newly adopted country and died at New- 
 York. 
 
 NAPPER TANDY. — A Wealthy man in Dublin. He was 
 one of the first and most active of the united irish. He 
 escaped early to France where he got the rank of general 
 of brigade. He embarked three times in the different ex- 
 peditions for Ireland. The last time, the vessel in which 
 he was, was wrecked on the coast of Denmark. He went 
 to Hamburgh, where he was given up by the senate to 
 the English. He was kept a prisoner at Dublin until 
 1802; it was in consequence of the senate of Hamburgh 
 thus violating the laws of neutrality and giving up to 
 the english government Napper Tandy, colonel Black- 
 well, William Corbet and Harvey Morris, that Napoleon 
 in 1800 levied so high a fine on the town of Hamburgh 
 
'250 MKMOIP.S OF MILES BYKNF. 
 
 after taking- Hanover. He threatened to put several of his 
 english prisoners to death, if the english government da- 
 red to execute these irish gentlemen. 
 
 THE TWO SHIERS. — Two brothers. One of them a 
 lawyer in high repute at Dublin. Curran made a great 
 speech in their defence at their trial. They were both 
 executed at Dublin in 1798. 
 
 HAkiLTON ROWAN. — A man of very large property. 
 A volunteer of 1780, and one of the first and most active 
 in organizing the united irishmen. He made his escape 
 in a remarkable way to the continent. 
 
 He lived to return to his country and to see catholic 
 emancipation carried, sitting under the gallery of the 
 House of Commons in London the night the bill was pass- 
 ed in the spring of 1829. 
 
 WILLIAM HAMILTON. — A couucillor HOW in America, 
 
 THOMAS RUSSELL. — A prisoner at fort George, an 
 exile, and returning to Ireland in 1803 and being enga- 
 ged in Robert Emmett's affairs, he was tried at Dublin, 
 then taken to the North and put to death. He had been 
 originally an officer in the army. 
 
 WILLIAM CORBET. — Now a general in the french ser- 
 vice. He was one of those given up a prisoner to the en- 
 
JIliiMOIUS 01'' MIM'S DYUXli 251 
 
 g-lisli by the senate of Hamburgh, in violation of tlie laws 
 of neutrality in 1798. He escaped in a wonderful manner 
 from the jail at Kihnainham near Dublin. 
 
 CAPTAIN PERRY. — A g'entlemau of fortune in the 
 county of Wexford. A ver}^ fine character, brave and pa- 
 triotic. He was taken a prisoner before the insurrection 
 of 1798 broke out. His hair was cut off, and a hot pitch 
 cap put on his head by the soldiers of the North Cork 
 militia. He was released out of the prison of Gorey, when 
 the town was taken by the insurgents and made thuir 
 general. He retained the command through the different 
 actions. When all was over, he was taken prisoner with 
 a priest of the name of Kerns, and both were executed 
 without any trial. 
 
 CATHOLICS 
 
 Sutton. 
 Sweeny. 
 
 J. Hay (of Wexford). 
 John Cormick. 
 Hugh "Ware. 
 John Allen. 
 Quigiy. 
 Merth Mernay. 
 Joseph Mac Donald. 
 John Gibbons. 
 Austin O'Mally. 
 Pat Mac Can. 
 Wal. Derry. 
 
 Richard Mac Cormick. 
 
 John Keog-h. 
 
 Edward Byrne (of Mullyna- 
 hach). 
 
 P. Murray. 
 
 Thomas Murray. 
 
 Reverend Quig'ley (executed 
 at Maidstone). 
 
 Reverend Kearns (executed at 
 Kildare). 
 
 Reverend John Murphy (exe- 
 cuted at Tullow). 
 
 \V. Murphy. 
 
Peter FinnerU'. 
 John Mac Can. 
 Thomas Doorley, 
 Doctor Mac Nevcn 
 W. Barker. 
 Georg-e Lub^. 
 T. Markey. 
 Tony Mac Can. 
 T. Burg-ess. 
 Francis Breen. 
 Furlong-. 
 John Kelly. 
 Nicholas Murphy. 
 Thomas Cloney. 
 Thomas Brangball 
 Edward Lewens. 
 Garrett Grahame. 
 Philip Neill. 
 E. Tennet.. 
 
 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 J. Doyle. 
 
 D. Kervin. 
 
 Robert Carthy. 
 
 P. Byrne. 
 
 Reverend Philip Roche (exe- 
 cuted at Wexford). 
 
 Reverend Michael Murphy (kil- 
 led at the battle of Arklow). 
 
 Reverend John Redmond (exe- 
 cuted at Gorey). 
 
 Charles Teeling-. 
 
 Bartholomew Teeling-. 
 
 Bernard Mahon. 
 
 Reverend F. Kavanagh. 
 
 Reverend Mac Stafford. 
 
 Reverend H. O'Keon. 
 
 Reverend M. Prendergast. 
 
 Reverend Mr Hairold. 
 
 Reverend Dennis Taaffe. 
 
 All these protestant and catholic gentlemen, and a 
 great many more, equally respectable, were either killed 
 in fighting against the english troops, or executed by 
 the english government after the insurrection was sup- 
 pressed, or put into prison or obliged to expatriate them- 
 selves Many are yet living in France and America, in 
 which countries they have distinguished themselves in 
 various professions, and have received the honours and 
 rewards due to their merit. 
 
 It is not just in an author to seek to throw a veil over 
 the history of efforts made by virtuous and patriotic men 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES DYRNK 253 
 
 in the cause of the independence of their country; and it 
 is not easy to comprehend, how Mr de Beaumont coukl 
 do it, he, who is evidently the advocate of liberty, and 
 ap[)arently disposed to do justice to the oppressed Irish. 
 One can only attribute it to his aversion to a part of tlie 
 Irish aristocracy, on account of their conduct towards 
 their unfortunate country, and particularly those of them 
 who live out of Ireland, and who have no sort of sympa- 
 thy with the irish people, although possessing- property 
 in Ireland. Amongst those who took a part in the insur- 
 rection of 1798 there w'ere a great number of catiiolic 
 gentlemen, holding land as farmers but descended from 
 those who had been deprived of their property in land, at 
 the time of the Reformation, and under Cromwell, and 
 above all under William tlielll, merely because they were 
 catholics. They were allowed to take leases of land for 21 
 and 31 years, but never to buy it before the year 1782. 
 
 There were also amongst those who joined the insur- 
 rection of 1798 many rich merchants, lawyers, advoca- 
 tes, doctors of medicine both catholic and pi'otestaut, and 
 some protestant dissenting ministers. In short, a great 
 many men who were held in high esteem and considera- 
 tion either on account of their wealth, or their families, 
 character, talents, or their enlightened opinions. 
 
 Mr de Beaumont might have found all these particu- 
 lars in the Memoirs of Wolfe Tone; and if he had read 
 
254 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 the (; History of the rebellion in the county of Wexford » 
 by Mr Hay, he would have seen what class of men ac- 
 ted then against the british government. — The work 
 published by doctor Mac Neven at New York in the year 
 1807, and written conjointly by him and Mr Thomas 
 Addis Emmett (and w-hich he does not appear to have 
 consulted), would have shewn him the wise and patriotic 
 views of these able men and he would have conceived a 
 higher opinion of the chiefs or leaders of the national 
 movement in 1798. M. de Beaumont would not have pas- 
 sed over so slightingly the events of that epoch; they 
 merited certainly a higher place in the history of the po- 
 litical state of Ireland. — In fine, it w'as the men of 1798 
 who prepared catholic emancipation and parliamentary 
 reform, and all which has been obtained by the catholic 
 association, or that future associations will obtain ; and 
 though these men have been despoiled of all they pos- 
 sessed in the land of their birth, and have been separated 
 from all they cherished most in it, still they have the 
 consolation of knowing, that the efforts that they made 
 to free their country from oppression, have not been made 
 in vain. 
 
 Mr de Beaumont sa^'S* : « That at all times Ireland has 
 « been the object, or weak point of England, to be attack- 
 « ed by her enemies. That when republican France 
 
 ' Sec page 327, of the 2d volume of M. Gustave de Beaumont's work 
 rirlande sodale, politique et religieuse ». (f. b.) 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 255 
 
 « struggled against the european coalition, of which 
 « Enghand was the soul, she could imagine no better way 
 « of resisting it, than by transporting an army into Ire- 
 « land; and that with this view, she made in less than 
 « two years, three successive expeditions. Certainly 
 « these divers attempts at invasion have not been suc- 
 « cessful, and Ireland has always responded so badly to 
 « the attempts of the foreigner, that she has no right to 
 « be reckoned an auxiliary on whom the enemies of Kn- 
 « gland can count with certainty. » 
 
 Here are the facts. Neither the french Directory nor the 
 consular government kept the promises made to the Irish 
 patriots, who only asked for ten thousand men, and 
 40,000, stand of arms. 
 
 Disappointed by general Hoclie and his army not lan- 
 ding in december 1796, as they expected, and reduced to 
 despair by the persecution of the english government 
 whom their appeal to France had irritated more and 
 more against them, they began an insurrection, which 
 was but partial. 
 
 The general insurrection which was projected in 1798 
 after the definitive system of the « united Irish » had 
 been organized, fuiled because lord Edward Fitzgerald 
 and several other chiefs were betrayed or arrested. — 
 The insurrection only broke out in three or four counties, 
 such as Wexford, Kildare, Carlow and Wicklow. -- The 
 
256 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 countj^ of Wexford alone sustained for a long time the 
 shock of the whole bi-itish force, and won the victory on 
 manj^ striking- occasions. — If general Humbert had lan- 
 ded with his thousand frenchmen, in the month of June 
 1798 when the |)atriots of the county of Wexford were 
 still under arms, instead of landing in tlie month of au- 
 gust, when they were dispersed and discouraged, all Ire- 
 land would have risen; that which she wanted was a 
 rallying point; her independence would have been im- 
 mediately proclaimed, and every shadow of an english 
 government, or Orange faction have been annihilated or 
 forced to surrender. 
 
 Altho' general Humbert had landed too late, and when 
 the spirit of the united irish was quite broken, still as he 
 advanced into the country, he found the people every 
 where ready to join him; but they were without arms, 
 and he had not brought those w'hich had been promised 
 them. Humbert surrendeVed to lord Cornwallis, who was 
 at the head of 30,000, men ; and the unfortunate irish wdio 
 had followed Humbert, were left on the field abandoned 
 to the mercy of the english. — Many of those irish pa- 
 triots were immediately shot and many were transported 
 or hung. 
 
 England having been obliged during the war with 
 France, to keep constantly more than forty thousand 
 men in Ireland, or on the coast of great Britain, watching 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES DYRXE 2;)7 
 
 the movements of tliat country; and as she could have 
 employed these troops most advantag-eously on the con- 
 tinent, Ireland aided France most efficaceou sly, though 
 indirectly, in her war with Eng-land. 
 
 Had M. de Beauaiont read general Foy's oh.servations 
 on the insurrection of Ireland, perhaps he would have 
 formed a different opini'jn. — In the 2'' hook of the 1st 
 vol : of general Foy's works, published by his widow, are 
 the following observations. 
 
 « England had also a Vendee ready to break out : that 
 « was ff Ireland, » oppressed as it was under the douljle 
 « weight of political and religious oppression. The an- 
 « nals of that country, from the day it v/as invaded by 
 « its neighbour at the end of the 12th century, are a long 
 « recital of expropriations and massacres. Towards the 
 « close of the year 1795 a fleet and an army under the 
 « command of general Hoche, were sent by the executive 
 « Directory of France, to free the unfortunate Irish. — 
 « The ships were scattered by a storm, a few shewed 
 « themselves on the west coast of Ireland, but none ever 
 « attempted a landing-. 
 
 « The year following the treaty of Campo Formio re- 
 
 « established peace on the continent. The french troops 
 
 « were collected in great bodies on the coasts of the 
 
 « Ocean and the Mediterranean; and the different french 
 T. ni 17 
 
258 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 « armies took the names of the countries they were des- 
 « lined to invade. 
 
 « Ahnost the whole force of France, divided into seve- 
 « ral corps, and commanded by the most illustrious 
 « general of the republic, Buonaparte, made a part of 
 « the army of England. 
 
 « Mr Pitt who then directed the councils of our ene- 
 mies, availed himself of these circumstances to rouse 
 the military spirit of the people of England- The 
 alarms which our threats had awakened were all at 
 once dissipated when it was known at London to what 
 point th'e armament from Toulon was directed. — If 
 Buonaparte and his brave soldiers liad landed in Ire- 
 land, instead of being transported into Egypt, other 
 fortunes would have awaited the world. But romance 
 was preferred to history. — Ireland expected us, — Ire- 
 land wdiich clings to us, and which resembles the french 
 character by the ardent and impressionable genius 
 of her people and by hatred for the common enemy. 
 <( Although neglected by their allies, the Irish took 
 up arms in the month of may 1798. The insurrection 
 had been foreseen. — The Island was covered W'ith eu- 
 glish troops of the line and militia devoted to the go- 
 vernment : they fought with cruelty in an unjust war. 
 The commanders did nothing but sack and deci- 
 mate. 
 « No succour came from abroad to the united irish. Of 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 259 
 
 « various incomplete expeditions sent out from the ports 
 « of France; one only reached its destination, and then 
 « it came too late. It was composed of a thousand men 
 « a sort of forlorn hope, commanded by Humbert, an 
 « ignorant but ii)tre})id soldier, who had the rank of ge- 
 « neral of brigade. » 
 
 M. de Beaumont speaks of the vicious and depraved 
 character of the irish, as of a fad never to be doubted. — 
 (See the 6tli chapter of the 1st vol.) 
 
 On what grounds does he supjiortsuch an accusation? 
 Does he cite a single fact to support it? No. — For the 
 most simple comparison between the criminal statistics 
 of Ireland and those of France and of England would have 
 convinced him, that there are infinitely more crimes 
 committed in France and in England than in Ireland. 
 
 M. de Beaumont says, the irish are lazy, idle, etc. But 
 this is rather a vague accusation and quite without foun- 
 dation. The irish labour very diligently in England and 
 Scotland, in the United States and else where, and we 
 have never heard it said, that they refused to work in 
 Ireland, when the government or individuals gave them 
 employment. 
 
 To shew that the irish are not more disposed to crime, 
 
260 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 cruelty and violence than the frencli oi* Die english, one 
 has only to consult the statistics of crime to be found in 
 the annals of tlie courts of justice in the three countries. 
 But the regard shewn by tlie insurgents to women of all 
 ranks during the insurrection of 1798 and their respect 
 for the protestant cliurcheS; are convincing proofs in fa- 
 vour of the national character. They gave themselves up 
 to no reprisals, altho' their churches and chapels were 
 de.iiolished by the euglish troops. 
 
 In page 350 of the 1st volume of M. de Beaumont's 
 work, there is the following passage, speaking of the 
 irish : « he has notoriously a sort of invincible aversion to 
 « truth. Between truth and falsehood, tho' he may be 
 « quite desinterested, one may reckon on his preferring 
 « the lie. » 
 
 It is not necessary to contradict such an assertion. — 
 It sufHces to appeal to the human heart to refute it. 
 
 Purity of morals between the sexes is a virtue that the 
 irish possess in a high degree, and which is acknowled- 
 ged by M. de Beaumont, and even by the bitterest ene- 
 mies of the irish nation. As the virtues go hand in hand, 
 it is impossible for a people wdio are distinguished by 
 the exercise of one, not to possess others; and when 
 one thinks of the sentiments of honour and tenderness 
 which animate those who practice this virtue, they ought 
 
JIEMOIRS OF MILES UYUXE 261 
 
 not to be regavded or spoken of as a people witliout virtue 
 or principle. 
 
 Among'st the wives and daughters of the other irish 
 exiles of whom I Iiad to take leave before starting- for the 
 coast in december 1803, was, Mrs Tone, with her thiee 
 children, two boys and a girl. The latter was a fine grown 
 girl of twelve or fourteen; she had the misfortune to lose 
 her and one of her sons at Paris, some time after. Fortu- 
 nately her other son lived to publish his heroic father's 
 admirable memoirs, which prove to the world, that Ire- 
 land would have been a free country, governing herself, 
 had the general in chief, Koche, been on board the 
 same vessel as Theobald Wolfe Tone, in the Bay of Ban- 
 try, on Christmas day 1796. 
 
 Mrs To'.ie was in every respect worthy of being the 
 companion of her lamented husband. She was very well 
 mannered and ver\' obliging to her friends. I recollect in 
 1806 when our regiment was on march to Mayence, that 
 captain Barker had to leave his son Arthur, then nine 
 years of age with Mrs Tone, who kindly kept him nearly 
 a month with her own childrc!!, till he was placed in the 
 irish college, where he finished his education in 1815. 
 Mr and Mrs Barker were ever grateful to Mrs Tone for 
 her kindness on this occasion ; and indeed their son 
 Mr Arthur Barker, though so young then remembers 
 
262 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 being- the playmate of Tone's children as an event not to 
 be forgotten. 
 
 Though Mrs Jackson, the widow of the reverend 
 W. Jackson, one of the first martyrs to the independence 
 of his native land, had but a small pension to live on, 
 still she had her son and daughter very well educated. 
 Mrs Jackson was clever and w^ell informed, and her chil- 
 dren availed themselves of this advantage. They were 
 clever and sprightly. — Miss Jackson was married to a 
 merchant at Havre. — In 1820 ilr Warden and I signed 
 a paper for her to obtain a passport for Italy, where she 
 went to visit her mother and brother who were residing 
 at Leghorn. 
 
 Of all the exiled irish ladies in Paris in 1803, poor 
 Mrs Hamilton was the most to be pitied; she had heard 
 of the melancholy end — the trial and execution — of her 
 beloved uncle Thomas Russell on whom she doated, and 
 every hour she feared she would hear that her husband 
 had shared the same fate, a reward being offered for his 
 apprehension. It appeared impossible for him to procure 
 a safe hiding place, or tlie means of escaping from a 
 country, where terror of ever}' description was reigning-, 
 with martial law and all its horrors. However William 
 Hamilton was not sold and betrayed into the hands of 
 his enemies, as was the unfortunate Russell. 
 
MRMOIUS OF MII.KS BYUNF 263 
 
 To fiiiirfh my visits, I li:ul still to call on MM. John 
 Sweetman, Mat Bowling', Eichard Mac Cormick, Edward 
 Lewins, Delany, D'' Mac Mahon, etc. These patriots were 
 .'^topping at Paris, hoping they might soon he called on to 
 co-operate in their civil capacity with us, once we were 
 landed in Ireland. Poor Arthur Mac Mahon had an attack 
 of paralysis the day before I left Paris. — My friend and 
 former comrade Paul Murray, not feeling the same acti- 
 vity and power of marching that he had when we were 
 together in the Wicklow mountains in 1798, the day after 
 he received his commission, set off for Morlaix on foot, 
 intending to take the coach occasionally, when tired with 
 walking. 
 
 Hugh Ware and I agreed to set out on foot and to 
 march the whole way to Morlaix, without incurring the 
 expence of either horse or coach-hire. He came to sleep 
 at my lodgings in the rue de la Harpe, the night before 
 we set off : he having had to give up the hired furniture 
 he had liad at liis own lodgings. — At break of day we 
 took our little portmanteaus under our arms and brought 
 them to Mr William Lawless's apartment in the rue de la 
 Loi (ruede Eichelieu) ; he kindly promised to bring 
 tb.em wilh l;is own baggage by the coach to Morlaix. He 
 told us tbat he, Mac Neven, Sweeny, Tennant, Gallagher 
 and Lacy had retained the six inside places of the dili- 
 gence, or stage coach, leaving Paris for Morlaix ten days 
 after, and we might be sure of our portmanteaus on arri- 
 ving' there. 
 
264 MK.MOIIIS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 We then took leave of captain Lawless, who was still 
 in bed, and we marched off to Versailles, where Ware 
 had given a rendez-vous to his cousin Joseph Parrott, 
 captain Macguire, Lambert, John Reilly, Fitzpatrick, and 
 James Mac Egan, a lad of fourteen years of age After 
 we had breakfasted and visited the chateau, waited to see 
 the famous clock strike, and the cock turn out and flutter 
 its wings, the only remaining fixture in this once re- 
 nowned palace, the scene of intrigue, debauchery and ar- 
 tificial greatness, we set out again, to make another 
 etape (or day's march and halt) on the road to Eam- 
 bouillet, where we got billets of lodg iig and passed the 
 night. 
 
 Hugh Ware being an admirer of country scenery, a 
 judge of land, and of architecture, well read and versed 
 in history, it was a great advantage to me to have him 
 as my fellow traveller. He would wish to (examine every 
 mansion or chateau near the road, and tell us something 
 of their antiquity or renown. That part of Normandy 
 through which we passed to Alencon, was rich and well 
 cultivated. One night it blew a terrible storm. Next mor- 
 ning we found on our march, the road in many places 
 strewed with fine trees, torn from their roots by this 
 whirlwind. We said, what a pity that the expedition 
 was not ready a-t Brest, as the english fleet, must now 
 be off to Torbay, from its blockading station before 
 Brest. 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILKS BYRNE 265 
 
 It was after such a storm tliat general Hoche's fleet 
 sailed with his expedition in 1796 for Ireland, and pas- 
 sing- at Rennes, ithroiight to our recollection that he had 
 his head quarters in that town previous to embarking, 
 and that it was there that he got the proclamation trans- 
 lated and printed in the portuguese language, by a priest 
 of that nation, in order to baffle the english spies, who 
 thought in consequence that Hoche's expedition was des- 
 tined for Portugal. — 
 
 This part of Britany through which we were passing, 
 reminded us of our own country ; the climate nearly the 
 same; fine pasturage to be seen on every side; the cattle 
 generally of an inferior race, cultivation much neglected, 
 and the poor people only beginning to recover from the 
 bad effects of their civil wars. However our journe^^' con- 
 tinued to the end to be agreeable indeed; marching four 
 or five leagues before breakfast, and six or se\en again 
 before we reached the tow-n where we passed the night; 
 and though in the month of december, we had time to 
 take a view of the churches, or any thing curious, before 
 going to dinner. 
 
 We remarked that the country people returning from 
 their fairs and markets, gererally had taken a hearty 
 glass of cider brandy, and their dresses were quite diffe- 
 rent as we approached Morlaix. We arrived at this town 
 
266 jiEMOins OF miles byrne 
 
 ufter along- day's march, late at night, and next morning- 
 paid our visits. 
 
 We had the satisfaction of again meeting -many of our 
 friends. Lawless, Mac Neven and the other officers who 
 travelled by the coach, only arrived the day before us. 
 We got billets of lodging. Mine was with a Mr Premcour, 
 a receiver of contributions, by whom I was raost gra- 
 ciously received. I had invitations from this gentleman 
 and his lady to evening parties, which was a great ad- 
 vantage to me in learning french. 
 
 My valued friend Val Derry had arranged for our mess, 
 at the hotel de France, where we had an excellent table, 
 and in the best part of the town, near the bridge, on the 
 quay. Mr and Mrs Barker lived next door, and Thomas 
 Markey was just arrived from Bordeaux. He gave us a 
 splendid account of general Augerau's army, with 
 which he had been on the frontiers of Spain. It was now 
 assembled in the neighbourhood of Brest, read}" to em- 
 bark for Ireland. The adjutant general Mac Sheehy, who 
 was charged with the organization of the legion, accom- 
 panied us to the magazine, where we received our swords, 
 epaulettes, etc., and he gave orders to the master tailor 
 and boot maker respecting our uniforms. Five days after, 
 I had mine, and I was completely equipped and ready to 
 embark. — General Mac Sheehy was exceedingly busy 
 receiving the officers who were arriving every day and by 
 every stage coach from all parts of France, and giving* 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES nVUNE 267 
 
 his orders to have them equipped forthwith, read}^ to 
 embark. — We were truly glad to see Allen, Dowdall, 
 Sandy Devereux, Cummings and O'Kelly arriving after 
 their long journey from Cadiz. Allen and DowdalTs es- 
 cape was fortunate indeed, for the state of Ireland w'as 
 such at the time they were hiding in the neighbourhood 
 of Dublin, that it was thought impossible for them to 
 procure means of getting away. 
 
 Morlaix was the rendez-vous of the Irish exiles in Ja- 
 nuary 1804. Mr et Mrs Barker met amongst them many 
 of their former friends, and I recollect spending a most 
 agreeable day at their house, when they entertained at 
 dinner a number of the officers; such as adjutant general 
 Mac Sheehy, Mac Neveii, Lawless, William O'Meara, 
 Mandeville, Masterson, O'Gorman, Derry, Fitzhenry, 
 etc. Captain Barker seemed quite happy to have at his 
 table that day, officers who had been in the Irish brigade 
 before 1792, and others wdio were by his side at the battle 
 of Vinegar Hill on the 21st of June 1798, where he lost 
 his arm fighting for Ireland's rights. — Our evenings 
 w'ere spent agreeably enough, and our morning occupa- 
 tions were highly amusing ; learning the position of a 
 soldier without arms, marching in quick and ordinary 
 time; learning the manual exercise with the musket, etc.; 
 we had the best french instructors, who told us, we 
 should in a short time be capable of becoming instructors 
 ourselves to teach others. 
 
268 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 Unfortunately adjutant general Mac Sheehy, notwith- 
 standing his great activity and talents as a staff officer, 
 was not equal to the task of organizing a political corps 
 like the irish legion, composed of patriots, all of whom 
 had suffered in their country's cause, but differing on 
 many points as to the best way of redressing her grie- 
 vances. He was young, and w^anted experience in irish 
 matters. The following narrative which I wrote from 
 notes that I kept on the service of the irish legion, will 
 shew in a great measure why Mac Sheehy failed in his 
 mission. 
 
 My friend colonel O'Neill being engaged collecting ma- 
 terials for writing the history of the irish brigades in 
 the service of France, 'till they ceased in 1792, asked me, 
 in 1837, to furnish him with notes on the organization, 
 services, and campaigns of the irish legion, and particu- 
 larly about the first regiment of this legion, which had 
 been so much distinguished in Spain and in Germany, 
 at Flushing, Astorga, Lowenbergon theBober, Antwerp, 
 etc., down to the month of September 1815, when it was 
 disbanded at Montreuil-sur-Mer. — Nearly a year after I 
 had given my notes to colonel O'Neill, I was not a little 
 surprised when he told me one day that he was going to 
 get them published along with a small manuscript he 
 got from Mr Warden, on the affairs of Ireland in 1797 
 and 1798, extremely w^ell written, as indeed every thing 
 Mr Warden wrote was ; it was relating to the period he 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES CYRNE 269 
 
 was concerned in, till he escaped to America. — T obser- 
 ved to colonel O'Neill that my notes were not prepared 
 for the press; to which he re[)lied, that competent judges 
 to whom he had shewn them, told him they mig-ht be pu- 
 blished in the shape they were; and he then read to me 
 part of the introduction he was preparing for his first vo- 
 lume, at the head of which was to be Mr Warden's work, 
 consisting- of about twenty pages. — ■ A few days after 
 tins, poor O'Neill had a slight attack of apoplexy, and in. 
 consequence his physicians ordered him to refrain from 
 the application of either reading or writing. He how'ever 
 had his friend colonel Mac Sheehy going as usual to the 
 archives at the war office, taking notes and collecting 
 materials for the history of the Irish brigades; and he 
 employed my friend Mr RafFerty to translate all these 
 notes; for he intended to have Ids work published both 
 in english and french at the same time. He could not 
 have chosen a more fit person than Mr RafFerty, for he 
 Cjuite entered into the spirit of the undertaking, like a 
 true Irish patriot as he was, and though he had a situa- 
 tion which kept him very busy, he contrived to find time 
 for the translation, and O'Neill was sure it would be well 
 done, as Mr Raff'erty was a good french scholar, and he 
 wrote the english language in a pure, bold style. He had 
 to translate also many latin inscriptions; for colonel 
 O'Neill went down into the vaults of the churches where 
 any Irish were buried, in order to copy from their tomb- 
 stones, names, deeds, etc. 
 
'270 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 Colonel O'Neill was at great expence getting notes from 
 the archives of foreign countries, where irish troops had 
 served, as he intended his history to comprise those of 
 Austria, Naples, Spain; — from Spain particularly he had 
 got some very valuable documents, through his corres- 
 pondent at Madrid, about the three irish regiments 
 which had been in the Spanish service : Ultona, Ireland 
 and Hibernia; a friend of mine, captain Canton, who 
 .had served in one of those irish regiments in Spain, 
 being at Paris at the time, also furnished colonel O'Neill 
 with many notes and a great deal of information respec- 
 ting the Spanish armj^, and the way the irish were em- 
 ployed in it. 
 
 At the royal library in the rue Richelieu, colonel O'Neil 
 got the gazettes or newpapers of the reign of Louis XIII. 
 in which there was mention of the irish then in the 
 french army; from these, and the military annuaires, or 
 army lists, he got many things he wanted to aid him to 
 complete his biographical history of the Irish who had to 
 fly from their own country and learn the military profes- 
 sion in a foreign land. 
 
 Altho' colonel O'Neill was prohibited by his medical 
 adviser, any serious application as to writing, still his 
 work advanced under his direction, and he wished much 
 to see it printed and published at Paris in english and 
 french. — 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYUNE 271 
 
 About the middle of July 1844. we had a most 
 agreeable visit from colonel O'Neill, alas! it was the last. 
 He came to invite Mrs Byrne and me to dine with him 
 and spend the evening' at madame de Beaulieu's, where 
 we were sure to be well entertained. He was in high 
 spirits and looking extremely well. He was very fond of 
 music, played on the flute, guitar, clarinet, violin, etc., 
 etc. Madame deBeaulieu had an excellent piano. — This 
 very amiable lady was the daughter of one of Benjamin 
 Franklin intimate friends, when he resided at Paris as 
 the representative of the United States of America. She 
 used to shew us, with much pride, a little wax figure 
 which her father had got made of this great statesman in 
 his simple dress of the republican minister, and some of 
 his hair was carefully preserved and put on the head 
 of the statuette. 
 
 Poor O'Neill seemed very happy that evening. He not 
 only played on various instruments, but sang well, and 
 that evening sang several airs, Mrs Byrne accompanying 
 him on the piano. 
 
 A few days after, be was writing a letter, when he felt 
 another attack of apoplexy ; he had just time to ring for 
 his servant, fall on the floor and bid him send for a priest, 
 the doctor and his cousin young O'Neill, professor of 
 mathematics at the college of Sainte-Barbe. To the latter 
 he gave the key of his desk, saying, when I am no 
 
272 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 more 3^ou will get my will there have it executed. The 
 doctor had every thing applied which is usual m such 
 cases. He then left him with his confessor. I was sent for; 
 when I arrived he was speechless. He died in the night 
 after a long suffering. — 
 
 Young O'Neill being his executor and heir had the fu- 
 neral service, and indeed every thing else, honourably 
 conducted. — Some days after, poor O'Neill's savings, 
 amounting to about thirty two thousand francs, w'as di- 
 vided according to his will. To his man servant and his 
 wife, he left six thousand francs, all his clothes, bed li- 
 nen, and the greater part of his valuable furniture, — 
 To madame de Beaulieu three thousand francs. — To co- 
 lonel Mac Sheehy one thousand francs. — To Mr Barker 
 five hundred francs. — After paying the physician, fu- 
 neral, churchservice expences, a handsome monument 
 in the cemetery of Mont-Parnasse, young O'Neill had the 
 remainder with his library, and his study furniture. To 
 me he left his sword and general Foy's memoirs in four 
 volumes. -— To Mrs Byrne a work she had read but re- 
 turned to him, which he knew she would like to have, 
 as the author of it was an acquaintance of her lamented 
 brother Francis Horner at Paris' in 1814. Viz : « Travels 
 
 ' See a letter from Francis llorncr to Mr Dugald Stewart. In the « Me- 
 moirs and correspondence of Francis Horner, » 2d vol., page 203, of the 
 1st or London edition: and 2d vol., page 196. of the 2d or Boston edition. 
 
 (F. B.) 
 
MEMOinS OF MILES BYRNE 273 
 
 iu the east, » by monsieur Chevalier, biblioth(5caire en 
 chef, or head librarian to the Pantheon library and the 
 college of Kenry the fourth. M. Chevalier had been tutor 
 to sir Francis Burdett. He was the friend of colonel 
 O'Neill. — Unfortunately this work had been lent to 
 some one, and young O'Neill could never learn to whom. 
 He regretted much that he could not execute that part of 
 his cousin's will, which deprived him of the pleasure of 
 giving Mrs Byrne this memorial of colonel O'Neill. This 
 work is, Mr Chevalier's travels in the east, at the time 
 he was attached to the french embassy at Constan- 
 tinople. 
 
 Young O'Neill brought me back my Mss notes, and he 
 kindly gave me poor O'Neill's portrait, copied from the 
 original. I told him if he intended to go on with the 
 work his cousin had begun, I should be happy to give 
 him all the assistance in my power. He replied that he 
 had not time for such an undertaking then, but that the 
 papers and materials collected should be carefully pre- 
 served. 
 
 He was highly educated, having finished his studies at 
 the polytechnique school. He was destined for the artil- 
 lery, but in consequence of being short-sighted, he be- 
 came a professor of mathematics and he is considered one 
 of the first, as the college of Sainte-Barbe, where he gives 
 
274 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 liis lectures, prepares more young- men for the polytech- 
 uique school than any of the others in Paris. 
 
 I was very g-lad to have g-ot back my manuscript, and 
 as it had been carefully read and revised by my lamen- 
 ted friend, I was the more desirous to have it published 
 one day along- with my memoirs of what I had witnessed 
 in Ireland before coming- to France. 
 
 Colonel O'Neill, after reading- my notes, asked me to 
 make one change only, which was, to say, that it was 
 the a ministry, » and not the minister of war, Clark, the 
 duke of Feltre, who had, in the most brutal manner gi- 
 ven orders in 1815 to have several disting-uished Irish 
 officers arrested and sent out of the french territory, the 
 land of their adoption, and after all their campaigns and 
 honourable services. I was sorry 1 could not comply 
 with his request, as it would have been inconsistant and 
 ungrateful of me. For one of the ministers, the duke de 
 Caze, who was then charged with the police of all France, 
 allowed me to stop at Paris, in order that I might have 
 time to remonstrate against the crying injustice of the 
 duke of Feltre, the war minister, who persevered in insis- 
 ting that 1 should quit France, and so late as 1817, when 
 it was expected at least the persecution of the half pay 
 officers had abated. Alasl that was not the case, which 
 will be seen in the biographical notice on general 
 Clark, duke of Feltre, in this volume. I repeated to 
 
 1 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 275 
 
 colonel O'Neill my regret that I could not make the 
 cliang-e in my notes he desired. 
 
 I feel it necessary to mention these circumstances now, 
 because the 2'1 volume of my memoirs commences with 
 those notes on the organization of the irish legion iu the 
 service of France, under the Consulate, the Empire, and 
 the Eestoration of the Bourbons. 
 
 As I have already mentioned the names of some of the 
 irish exiles I met at Paris in 1803, I must also speak of 
 the brave irish patriots with whom I became acquainted 
 after the peace of 1815. 
 
 I met at Tours in 1816 Mr John Lube of Summer Hill, 
 Dublin; he was residing" there with his wife and chil- 
 dren, and his house soon became an agreeable rendez- 
 vous for Ware. Allen, Hayne and myself ; indeed it could 
 not be otherwise, as all our opinions and sympathies 
 harmonized with each others; besides, Mr Lube's brother 
 George, who had had to escape to America, had been the. 
 companion of William Aylmer, and Hugh Ware in the 
 insurrection of 1798; and Mrs Lube's brother, was John 
 Coimick, at whose house in Thomas street, Dublin, lord 
 Edward Fitzgerald frequently met his numerous friends. 
 Mr Curmick escaped to the Uriitcd States, where he set- 
 tled, and never was allowed to return, though he was 
 led to exptct that a permission would be given him, in 
 
276 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 1822, to go to Ireland for a few days on family affairs ; I 
 met him at Paris in company at that period with gene- 
 ral Lawless and Edward Leweus, both these gentlemen 
 seemed satisfied with the account Mr Cormick gave them 
 about the way he effected his escape to America, etc. 
 
 In 1818 Mr John Lube left Tours and came with his 
 family to reside at Paris, and as I had permission from 
 the minister of war to stop there until I was employed, I 
 again found Mr Lube and his amiable wife endeavou- 
 ring to make their house agreeable to the irish who fre- 
 quented at that period the french capital. I saw at their 
 evening parties many persons of great celebrity after- 
 wards; such as, young Balzac, counsellor Lalor Shiel, 
 counsellor Denis Lube, the companion of th" great John 
 Philpot Curran ; he was Mr Lube's eldest son. With him 
 I spent many agreeable days, he was so ent.rtainin,:,'- 
 and full of anecdotes on irish affairs. 
 
 I recollect meeting Mr Lube one morning in the spring 
 of 1818 in the Luxembourg gar:len ; he told me he was 
 going to Dublin for a short time on business, and that he 
 wished to wait on the reverend D'" Murray, the catholic 
 archbishop of Dublin, who was then stopping at the irish 
 college at Paris, to take charge of his commissions for 
 Ireland. I accompanied Mr Lube to the college, as I had 
 some small parcels to give to his Lordship, which were 
 committed to my care by his friends in Ireland ^Ye met 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE " 277 
 
 at the college in company with D"" Murray, the catholic 
 primate cf all Ireland, the reverend D'' Curtis, whom, T 
 knew in Spain in 1810 at Salamanca, where he was su- 
 perior of the ir'sh college, ere he became the stipendary 
 of the eng'lish general Wellington, and, as they say in 
 Ireland, disgraced his cloth; — we did not renew our ac- 
 quaintance. I found him, from being a tall, splendid 
 looking man, as he was when I saw him, now completely 
 broken-dow"n and stooping. 
 
 I always remember the morning of the 13th of februa- 
 ry 1820. Mr Lube was very busy seeing to the coach of- 
 fice two irish ladies who w-ere returning to Dublin, when 
 he heard of the assassination of the duke of Berry; he 
 feared the coach might be delayed in consequence. — 
 Mr Lube resided at the hotel of the duke de Clarence in 
 the rue Gienclle-Saint-Germain, just near my lodgings 
 in the rue des Saints-Peres, so that we met frequently, 
 which to me, at that dull period for french half-pay oflS- 
 cers, was indeed a great pie : sure. 
 
 A good irish patriot Mr Parks had, like John Cormick 
 to go and seek a home in some of the cheap back settle- 
 ments of the United States of America, where he had to 
 live W'ith his wife and two children, a son and a daughter, 
 on very limited means, for several years, till a near rela- 
 tion bequeathed to him a large fortune. He then came 
 with his family to live in Paris, and through our mutual 
 
278 MEMOir.s 01' miles dyune 
 
 friend Mr Warden, the american consul, we became ac- 
 quainted, wliicli was to me another source of pleasure, 
 as Mr Parks was one of the frankest and best of men. He 
 used to delig'ht in giving- a description of the frugal way 
 he had to live in America, and his own occupations there, 
 cutting wood, making the fire, getting the kettle boiled 
 for tea, before his wife got uj) in the morning. — 
 
 Mr Parks occupied an hotel in the rue Vaugirard 
 which belonged to Mr Boulay ( de la Meurthe) one of the 
 last faithful ministers of Napoleon, and as his family kept 
 an apartment for themselves, where they generally resi- 
 ded in winter, they were very much at the balls and eve- 
 ning parties given by Mr Parks and his amiable family, 
 and where I saw a great deal of the best french societ^^ 
 I there became acquainted with colonel Simon Laurier 
 who was one of the many victims of the re-action and 
 persecution carried on against the half pay officers after 
 the second abdication of Napoleon; he was cashiered and 
 deprived of course of his half pay ; he however, did not 
 despond; he betook himself to a species of commerce, 
 which, with every thing else, tended to bring to light 
 the injustice of the Bourbon government. — He allowed 
 wine merchants to put his name over their shops, and 
 retail and sell wine for the benefit of colonel Simon 
 Laurier. He was assisted, in this undertaking by the 
 high minded, independent patriots of the day, particu- 
 larly so, by the worthy Laffite. — I met in 1834, being in 
 garrison with the 56th regiment at Nantes, colonel 
 
MEiMOIUS OF MILKS BYllNE 279 
 
 Simon Laui'ier, who was then commanding- the de- 
 partment. Of course we had many a pleasant chat ahout 
 our friends at Paris, and the g-reat changes that had 
 taken place there in the interval. — He was witty, and 
 amiahle in his manners. He g-ot promoted soon after to 
 the rank of general of brigade. 
 
 An irish famil}^ of which I had heard much, as posses- 
 sing- all the sentiments of true patriots, arrived in Paris 
 in 1820 . — Mr John Prat Winter of the county of Meath, 
 at whose house sir Francis Burdett stopped, during the 
 memorable trial of Roger O'Connor at Trim. Mr Winter 
 came to Paris with his large family, consisting of, his 
 wife, five sons and four daughters. They first took up their 
 abode at a boarding house, n» 30, rue Cassette, until he 
 had his house, n° 17, boulevard; des Invalides furnished, 
 where he resided for several years, and w'here he recei- 
 ved some of the best french and foreign society. 
 
 Mr Winter's sons were well educated, distinguished 
 young men, and real irishmen. Arthur, the second son, 
 like all the family longed to sec Ireland well governed, 
 and independent, but seeing no chance, at that period, of 
 her shaking off the english yoke, he wished to go and 
 fight with the Greeks, and aid them to obtain their inde- 
 pendence. His father had subscribedlargely to their sacred 
 cause, as he was the friend of lord Byron. He readily 
 consented to allow liis brave young son to proceed to 
 Greece and join lord Byron at his head quarters at Misso- 
 
280 MEMOIRS OF MILES CYRNE 
 
 longlii, where he was npi'ointed one of the principal 
 staff officers. After the lamented death of lord Byron, 
 young- Winter joined the greek army in the mountains 
 and shared with them, all their miseries, dangers and 
 glories, for nearly two years, till from fatigue, a bad 
 wound and sickness, he finished his honourable career in 
 a village called « Gastonni » on the road from Pyrgos to 
 Patrass, and as I had the command of the former town 
 and district for a short time in 1828, I learned all the 
 sad tidings about my dear friend young Winter, which 
 brought to my mind the afffiction of his family in Paris, 
 when tliey heard of his death His poor father used to 
 take such pleasure in reading to me his son's letters from 
 Greece, and his sanguine hopes of success iu the noble 
 cause he was fighting for; and though the melancholy 
 death of lord Byron threw a damp over him, still he did 
 not despair. Such w^as his Irish fortitude to bear up 
 against adversit}^, and few indeed of the vast number of 
 « Philhelenes » who fought for grecian freedom, had 
 made greater sacrifices to obtain it thau he had done, 
 abandoning his family and home, where he could enjoy 
 every comfort, except that of seing his own country as 
 she ought to be, « great, glorious and fr^ e. » 
 
 Every member of Mr Winter's family that I had tbe 
 pleasure of meeting at his house, were, like himself, 
 truly Irish ; his brother, though a clergyman of the 
 church of England, wished a perfect tolerance and equa- 
 lity between every religious persuasion, and conse- 
 
:mI'Moihs of miles uyp.ne ?81 
 
 quently an end put to the protestant ascendency in 
 Ireland, Avliich he would say was the worst of despo- 
 tisms. His sister, miss AVinter, washighly educated, liberal 
 and strong' minded. She had an independent fortune of 
 her own, and made a good use of it. She, wdth her nephew 
 John Winter sjent a long time at Rome ; he was 
 studying the fine arts, and succeeded in painting. 
 
 Mr "Winter being appointed guardian to two orphan 
 boys, sons of his cousin, of eight and nine years of age, 
 had them brought over to Paris to make part of his fami- 
 ly, and he had them sent to a french-day-schocl. One even- 
 ing that the eldest of these boys was sitting beside me, on 
 a sofa, I ashed him how he got on at the school with the 
 frencli lads. ■< Oh! » he replied « very well, for if they 
 « were to look angry at me. Bill would soon knock them 
 a down. » I then asked him what profession his brother 
 Bill was intended for. — « Oh ! ■> he said, « 1 am to have 
 « a fortune, and I shall be rich enough to make Bill a 
 « captain Rock. » 
 
 The children being sent to bed, Mr Winter wished to 
 know the conversation I had had with young Bumford. 
 When I repeated it, he exclaimed : « That's John's teach- 
 ing, » meaning his butler who had been one of the in- 
 surgents of 1798. Wben I added « John Prat? » there was 
 a general laugh. « Oh! no, Mr Byrne, » said Mr Winter, 
 « I dont want to make captain Rocks of the boys, but I 
 « trust I shall be able to have them well educated in their 
 
282 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRXE 
 
 <( own country, without sending- either of them to Ox- 
 (( ford or Canihridge; and once of ag-e, they will judge 
 « for themselves the part they will have to act as irish 
 « citizens and patriots. » — « Captain Eock » had just 
 been published (1824). Young Bumford not only saw all 
 the family enchanted with it, but he had to be reader for 
 the servants who could not read, so it was not w^onderful 
 at his age, that he hoped for the renown of the « Eocks » 
 for his brother, who though younger, was much stron- 
 ger and stouter made than he was. 
 
 Some months before Mr Winter left Paris, he sold his 
 furniture and gave up his house on the boulevard desln- 
 valides, and hired a handsome furnished apartment in 
 a more central part of the town, the rue Godot de Mau- 
 roi, a street near k what was to be » the Temple of Glory, 
 now the church of the Madeleine. — Mr Winter conti- 
 nued as usual, to receive a great deal of choice company 
 at his new residence, and he made with his amiable fa- 
 mily, many ag'reeable excursions to the country in the 
 neighbourhood of Paris. To one of these I was invited, 
 not as a partner, but as a guest. We were fourteen in 
 number, two coaches, twelve inside, and two outside. 
 We spent the first day at Mortfontaine, the beautiful 
 mansion of king Joseph Buonaparte. We saw^ the fleet of 
 ships on the lakes, the groves, the gardens, etc. This 
 residence belonged, or was then occupied by Mr Shickler, 
 a Prussian gentleman who kept it in the greatest order, 
 
MEMOIRS OK MILES I5YUNE '283 
 
 quite superior to what it was in the king's time. Mr Sliick- 
 ler being- immensely rich, he spared no expence on his 
 establishment. I never saw any thing to equal his sta- 
 bles, the mangers of which were of white Italian marble. 
 And the same luxury was lavished on every other part 
 of the concerns. When we arrived, Mr Shickler was busy 
 getting his fleet ready to sail, but he postponed his 
 voyage until our visit was over, and shewed us the great- 
 est attention and politeness whilst it lasted. 
 
 Our second day's excursion was to Ermenonville, once 
 the residence of the celebrated Jean-Jacques Rousseau, 
 and where the proprietor of the vast domain and chateau, 
 Mr Girardm, spared no expence to perpetuate the rem.em- 
 brance of the philosopher; throughout what is called the 
 desert, are slabs of stone bestrewed, half covered with 
 moss, and on which are inscribed lines from Rout^seau's 
 various works; and altho' Mr Winter was not a great 
 admirer of his, still we spent the first day visiting them, 
 as he wished to explain to us many incidents and curious 
 anecdotes to which these inscriptions referred. — We 
 thus passed the morning in the desert, and the evening 
 gaily at the hotel « Jean Jacques, » where we had right 
 good fare. 
 
 Next morning we went to visit the small island in the 
 lake, where Rousseau had chosen his final abode. The 
 monument was simple, with approiiriate inscriptions, 
 anil carefully preserved tho'his remains were transferred 
 to the Pantheon at Paris, to be placed in that temple be- 
 
28i MRMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 side Voltaire, Mirabeau, etc. « Aux grands hommes, la 
 patrie reconnaissaiite. » — We then took a drive throiig-h 
 the beautiful fore-t of Ermenonville; it being the after 
 season, and the trees beginning to lose their verdure, we 
 saw many artists talcing shetches and. studying the au- 
 tumnal tints. 
 
 Mr Winter returned with his family to Ireland in 
 1827, leaving amongst his wide circle of friends and ac- 
 quaintances at Paris, a great blank, for he was indeed 
 much esteemed, and much regretted by them all. He was 
 fond of an intercourse with young people of literary pur- 
 suits, and I recollect meeting Mr Salvandy frequently at 
 his house. 
 
 Mr Winter published a work on the best way of edu- 
 cating and governing the irish people. His style was pure 
 and refined. He did not agree with some catholics who 
 were anxious to have mass celebrated in the language 
 that the people could understand. — He thought it better 
 to make no change. — Would to God all the protestant 
 gentlemen in Ireland were patriots as John Prat Winter 
 was ! 
 
 Mr William Murphy of Mount Merrion, better known 
 as Billy Murphy of Smithfield, Dublin, was one of those 
 brave irish patriots who was appointed by the united irish 
 organization to have co-operated in the county of Kildare 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 285 
 
 with lord Edward Fitzg-erald, William Aylmer, Hugh 
 Ware, etc., in the rising* of 1798. — Poor lord Edward 
 having- met with his cruel and untimely end, Mr AVilliam 
 Murphy effected his escape to Lisbon, where he took re- 
 fuge till the bloodthirsty executions, tortures, imprison- 
 ments, etc., had in some degree abated; he then ventured 
 to return to bis native land, and resume his station in 
 Dublin, as a sales' master and a merchant By his talents 
 and industry, he soon realized a great fortune, carrying 
 on all with the utmost assiduity and honour in his com- 
 mercial transactions. He became the close friend of the 
 immortal Henry Grattan, and of the truly siivcere pa- 
 triot lord Cloucurry, and took an active and an influen- 
 tial part in the politics of that period with those states- 
 men. 
 
 Although I had often spent agreeable evenings at 
 Mount Merrion with Mr Murphy aud his amiable family, 
 it was only at Paris, in 1824, that 1 could properly appre- 
 ciate his worth and talents, aud the immense services he 
 might have rendered to Ireland as one of her senators, 
 had she been independent and able to make her own 
 laws. — It being Mr Murphy's first visit to Paris, he had 
 much to see, and as I was unemployed at the time, we 
 were together almost every day seeing sights. He took 
 handsome lodgings in the rue Saint-Honore, near the 
 church of the Assum[)tion. He brought his daughters, 
 Margaret and Fanny, from the Sacre-Coeur, wdiere they 
 
286 MOOIUS OF MILES DYUNE 
 
 had been for tlieir education, to join their mother, and 
 their elder sister Katherine, and their brother John, so 
 they were a party of six : four ladies and two gentlemen. 
 
 One Saturday I brought them tickets to go next day 
 Sunday, to the king's chapel, to hear high mass and 
 where all the royal family were to be present. — Gentle- 
 men not being admitted into the chapel in pontaloons, 
 and Mr Murphy not having brought his « ball dress » 
 from Ireland, he had to get silk small clothes made up 
 in haste for the ceremony at the chapel ; they were so 
 badly made that all the young folks, as well as he him- 
 self laughed at his appearance. ~ However they were all 
 well placed in the chapel, and were amused Avith the 
 siglit. — As the palace of the Tuilleries could onh' be 
 visited when the king drove out, Mr Murphy and his fa- 
 mily availed themselves one day of his majesty's absence 
 to see every thing. It was the last time Louis XVIII 
 left the Tuilleries alive . he died on the 16th of Septem- 
 ber 1824. 
 
 One day Mr Murphy told me, that if a tract of marshy, 
 waste Ian 1, or a lake (such as Mrs Doyle Lawless had 
 purchased near Carcassonne in the south), was for sale, 
 in any part of France, he would buy it, provided it was 
 susceptible of improvement, and that he had commission- 
 ed his friend Mr Donaveu to be on the look out, as he had 
 resided a good deal in France. On my asking if there were 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 287 
 
 not waste lands in Ireland. « Oh ! » he replied « thous- 
 « ands of acres susceptible of becoming- the finest land ; 
 n but what security have we, unemancipated catholic 
 « serfs, to make such purchases in Ireland? We have no 
 « Buonaparte there to encourage and protect us , as 
 « Airs Lawless had at Carcassonne. » He added, thai lord 
 Cloncurry and he had often and often sjioke of the great 
 blessing it would be to the poor iris^h to have the waste 
 lands cultivated. But their plans and schemes on the 
 matter could be of no avail, till a law was enacted on the 
 subject; and he feared that the english and scotch mem- 
 bers in the House of Commons would never pass such a 
 one. And it was that fear which made it grievous to 
 think that a nation of so many millions of inhabitants 
 were deprived of the right of making their own laws. 
 
 In every conversation I had with Mr Murphy on the 
 state of Ireland, I learned something new from him of 
 her wants , and the possible remedies for these great 
 evils; and indeed I was much struck with his >imple, 
 bold language, sound opinions and noble sentiments in 
 speaking over all these matters. It made me think what a 
 useful member he would have been in an irish parlia- 
 ment. The splendid fortune which he realized for his fa- 
 mily, is a proof that he would have been adequate to fill 
 the situation of financial minister, or chancellor of the 
 irish exchequer. 
 
288 MEMOIRS OF .MILES BYRNE 
 
 Mr Murphy regretted that there was no good history 
 of Irehand, and said that tlie antiquaries could not agree 
 as to the origin of the piUar towers. He wished to huy 
 Mac Geoghan's history bublished in french in 1758, hut 
 strange to say, we could not get it, although before the 
 restoration of the Bourbons in 1815, it was to be had at 
 many of the old book shops. My friend abbe Lynch who 
 was arranging the library of the irish college, gave me 
 a copy, whicli I got bound in two volumes, and sent it 
 by my young friend James Power to Mr Murphy in 1826- 
 It was the second edition of Mac Geoghan's history of 
 Ireland. 
 
 One Sunday we went to see M. Denon's museum of na- 
 tural history and egyptian antiquities on the quai Vol- 
 taire Though none were admitted without a permission 
 signed by the oriental antiquarian himself, still all the 
 rooms were crowded. Mr Mur[)hy being interested in the 
 egyptian collection, wished me to ask M. Denon for ex- 
 planations. I told him as miss Fanny spoke such good 
 french she would be sure to get all the information he 
 desired : she was then about twelve years of age, and 
 very handsome. The moment she spoke to M. Denon, he 
 was so struck with her beauty and manner, that he made 
 her take his arm and conducted i;s through every part of 
 the museum, explaining every thing to Mr Murphy, in 
 the most amiable way possible; so that all the attention 
 and honours were paid to our party, thanks to miss Fan- 
 ny's knowledge of french. 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 289 
 
 Mr Murphy returned to Ireland and left miss Fanny 
 at a boarding- school in England. Mrs Murphy, John, and 
 the two young' ladies Katherine and Margaret went to 
 spend the winter at Tours, but they saw the great fune- 
 ral procession of Louis XVIII going to Saint-Denis, be- 
 fore leaving Paris ; and the next year 1825 in the month 
 of June they witnessed the grand entrance of Charles X 
 coming from Rheims, after being anointed and crowned 
 there, going to Notre-Dame, where the Te Deum and a 
 great ceremony took place. 
 
 They returned in the autumn of 1825 to Ireland for 
 miss Murphy's marriage to Mr Johnstone. — When John 
 was married he came to reside in Paris (rue Monsieur), 
 for some time. — I recollect spending the evening in his 
 company the day before I set out for Greece in 1828, at a 
 dinner party given by our worthy friend colonel de 
 Montmorency Morris. — We saw a great deal of William 
 and James Murphy, every time they were in Paris. I must 
 say better, or more unassuming young men I never 
 knew. 
 
 I have often mentioned how my military c ireer was 
 stopped by being placed on half pay in 1816, and remai- 
 ning in that situation 'till 1828 before I got employed, 
 tlie law being, that no officer could obtain promotion 
 but those presen with their regiments. As I was al- 
 lowed to reside at Paris during that long period, I had 
 thus an opportunity not only of spending my time nd- 
 
 T. Ill 19 
 
290 MEMOIRS OF MILKS BYRNE 
 
 vantageously, following the public lectures at the french 
 colleges, but of knowing- what was going- on in unfor- 
 tunate Ireland, and of becoming acquainted with many of 
 her best citizens who were continually visiting the 
 capital of France, after the restoration of the Bourbons 
 in 1815. This in some degree compensated for the loss I 
 sustained in not getting the advancement I was entitled 
 to in the french army. According to regulation then, one 
 half of the captains were promoted to the superior rank 
 by seniority; and as I was at the top of the list, I 
 should soon have been named lieutenant-(;olonel. 
 
 I was very glad to meet doctor Drumgold ; he was on 
 his way back from Rome, where he had been sent in 
 1819, by a catholic committee that occasionally met in 
 Dublin, to regulate matters with the Holy See. His mis- 
 sion was much spoken of at that time, on account of the 
 altercation his co-partner, the Wexford Friar, Father 
 Hayes, had with the Pope's prime minister cardinal 
 Gonsalvi. The latter had the reverend Mr Hayes arrested 
 and put into prison, for having used some intemperate 
 language, as he said; however as Father Hayes, though 
 educated at Rome, was not a roman subject, he soon got 
 out of i)rison. 
 
 Doctor Drumgold gained great notoriety without, lie 
 assured me, ever having merited it. The irish Orangemen 
 u>sed to drink his health after « the glorious, pious and 
 immortal memory « as the man who let the cat out of the 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 291 
 
 Lag", meaning the treatment reserved for them, the mo- 
 ment the protestant ascendency was put down. 
 
 Doctor Drumgokl was not only a well bred and well 
 educated man, but exceedinj^ly tolerant and humane. 
 He was no doubt a staunch, good roman catholic, ready 
 any day to die for his religion and country. — He lodged 
 at a boarding house, rue Cassette, n° 36 ; as I lived close 
 by, we were mucli together, and followed the public lec- 
 tures at the different colleges, but more particularly 
 those at the college du Plessis, on account of the eminent 
 professors employed there, Th(^nard, Guizot, Villemain, 
 Cousin, Lacretelle etc. The last, one day in his lecture, 
 was praising queen^ Elizabeth beyond measure, as the 
 greatest of potentates, without making the slightest al- 
 lusion to her cruelties and turpitudes towards her Irish 
 subjects. Doctor Drumgold thought fit to write to him 
 in consequence of this omission, and gave him long- 
 extracts from every history that had been published, on 
 the way Ireland had been governed during that long and 
 infernal reign of the virgin queen Elizabetb, etc. Nothing* 
 could be more candid and amiable than Monsieur Lacre- 
 telle at his nest lecture. After reading, as was his cus- 
 tom, the notes which he had received in the interval, he 
 dwelt particularly on the one concerning Ireland, and 
 added, that he had not terminated queen Elizabeth's 
 reign. It will suffice to state, that ere he finished, she 
 was painted out, worse, if possible, than Cromwell, for her 
 monstrous, cold-blooded murders in Ireland. — Doctor 
 
'^92 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 Dfumgoldcametlieiiaway satisfied, and saying, what all 
 who attended Monsieur Lacretelle's lectures thought, that 
 he was one of the best and most impartial of lecturers, 
 both on ancient and modern history. 
 
 Mr Lewens being desirous that his friend doctor Drum- 
 gold should hear to advantage the eloquent divine, the 
 bishop of Hermopolis, the abbt5 de Frayssiuous, at one of 
 his conferences then so much followed at the church of 
 Saint-Sulpice, had places one Sunday kept for us near 
 the pulpit. — On leaving the church, Lewens said, « Well 
 '( doctor, I hope you are pleased with all you have 
 « heard. » — « Quite the contrary » was the reply. « I 
 « did not expect to find a pulpit profaned with the name 
 « of Louis the fourteenth. It is too bad to be mixing up 
 « such men w-ith religion. I feared mademoiselle de La 
 « Valliere and all his other mistresses would have been 
 « mentioned also. » 
 
 Lewens could not get him to change his severe re- 
 marks, or to think more favourably of the conference. 
 Such was Drumgold's honesty and frankness, and pro- 
 found knowledge of history. — He said he had formed 
 his judgment and would stick by it. 
 
 I called one morning on doctor Drumgold, and found 
 him greatly distressed, indeed shedding tears. He was 
 reading a letter from his sister. — He said : « she is not 
 « dead to be sure, but she is so to me, for she is going- 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 293 
 
 « into a convent. » — « I am the cause of all » he ex- 
 claimed, « by staying- away so long- from home, where 
 « we lived so happily tog-ether. » Not being- married, 
 the separation was more distressing- to him. This was 
 the worthy Drumg-old, whom the Irish Orangemen pain- 
 ted out as a cruel fanatick, capable of having- them all 
 murdered. 
 
 Doctor Drumg-old had been to visit g-eneral Lawless, 
 colonel Ware, and Allen at Tours, and he spoke with de- 
 light of the ag-reeable time he spent with those brave 
 " exiles from Erin. » At general Lawless's country house 
 Rochefouret, near Tours, there was a large room with 
 three beds; Lawless used to quit his own, to spend the 
 night in that room and have a real chat with such 
 guests as Drumg-old, Allen, etc. Doctor Drumg-old 
 thoug-t Allen w^as a man of such firmness of character, 
 that he would have been fit to fill the highest situation in 
 Ireland. 
 
 Doctor Drumg-old returned to Ireland by Brussels in 
 the winter of 1820 and 1821. — 1 gave him a letter of in- 
 troduction to m}^ friend the reverend Mr Cowman, wdio be- 
 longed to the cathedral church of that city. — This 
 worthy priest introduced him to some of the first fami- 
 lies of the place, from all of whom he received the grea- 
 test attention and kindness, during the three weeks he 
 remained there. 
 
 Before he left Brussels, he wrote me a long letter on 
 
29't WF.MOinS OF WILES BYRNE 
 
 the political state of the country ; and often have I since 
 remarked the justness of his views, and observations. — 
 Castlereag-h and Wellington, he said, think they have 
 secured the peace of the world, by making Holland a 
 great kingdom for the prince of Orange. They little 
 thought, he added, that the Belgians detest the Dutch 
 yoke, if possible more than the Irish do the english one, 
 and will avail themselves of any occasion to shake it off, 
 even to become french, if no other alternative is left 
 them. Such were doctor Drumgold's opinions at that dark, 
 desponding period, when the despots of the holy alliance 
 were in all their might using every stratagem in their 
 power to oblige the people every wdiere to relinquish 
 all hopes of having any participation in the govermentof 
 their country. 
 
 Poor father Hayes did not long enjoy the notoriety 
 he acc^uired at Eome with doctor Drumgold. He returned 
 to Wexford to see his family, and endeavour to recover 
 his health which was much impaired. He came to Paris 
 for medical advice; two of his sisters accompanied him, 
 and a few days after their arrival he expired at his lodg- 
 ings in the rue de Bcaune, sitting in his chair, convers- 
 ing to the last moment with his friends, and not suffe- 
 ring the least pain. 
 
 The good, worthy doctor Halliday, who attended him, 
 had the funeral arrangements and church service, 
 all properly done. He was interred in the burying 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES HYIiNK 295 
 
 g-foiiiul of Pere-la-Chaise, with the usual ceremonies. 
 From the little I saw of Mr Hayes, he appeared to me a 
 very amiable man, with very pleasing- manners; and 
 thoug-h in the last stage of a decline, his conversation 
 was very animated and very bold, when speaking of the 
 poor Irish. He was considered highly educated, and well- 
 informed on every thing respecting the government, or 
 rather a misgovernment » of Ireland under her foreign 
 rulers. - — AVhat a pity it is. that such men are called 
 away prematurely. He was only thirty three years of 
 age when he died. 
 
 Mr Harvey pro})rie1or of the Dublin newspaper, the 
 Freeman's journal, one of the best organs and advocates 
 of the catholic rights and interests published in Ireland, 
 came to Paris on the death of his uncle, colonel O'Kelly- 
 which took place in that city in 1818. — Mr Harvey and 
 his onh' child miss Harvey inherited large fortunes be, 
 queathed to them by this relative. Mr Harvey came to 
 Paris upon business, and for th-e education of his 
 daughter. 
 
 I w^as much with him, and I must say that I learnt 
 much from him on irish politics, lie being the editor of a 
 newspaper so widely circulated and so much read ; 
 having correspondents in every part of the country he 
 knew well the political feeling of the true lovers of irish 
 freedom, and he often told me curious anecdotes of their 
 schemes and plans to force an intolerant and bigotted 
 
296 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 euglisli parliament to grant a catholic relief bill. « One 
 of these lovers of freedom », prepared with Mr Harvey, 
 in his private study, an article for theFreeman's journal. 
 A few days after, at a great meeting, he heard this 
 article spoken of in a very unbecoming manner, as he 
 thought, and by the person at whose instigation it was 
 written. He thought he owed to himself as well as to the 
 interest of the newspaper which he directed not to let 
 such unfair criticisms pass unnoticel, and in conse- 
 quence he askedafriend, Alderman Mac Kenny, to require 
 an explanation. This gentleman said : « My dear Harvey, 
 « you are a young editor, and if you wish to forward the 
 « views of those men, who think every thing the^^ 
 « say necessary, for obtaining the smallest concession 
 « from the british government, you must expect some- 
 « times to hear unpleasant language. » — Mr Harvey's 
 rejoinder was, that he was sorry liberty could not be 
 gained without such sacrifices. 
 
 ^Ir Harvey passed several years on the continent, par- 
 ticularly in Italy and France; in the latter country he 
 resided a good deal at Paris and Versailles. In both 
 places he saw some of the first society, and gave many 
 splendid entertainments Miss Harvey being handsome 
 and highly accomplished, had of course many suitors, 
 and offers of marriage from many of the first nobility- of 
 France, dukes, counts, etc. Such titles would no doubt 
 have been tempting to a young Jady, not professing the 
 
>Ii:.>101l!S or MILES r.YRNE 207 
 
 fine patriotic ii'ish feeling-s of miss Harvey; but to her 
 they were of no value in comparison of being- the wife of 
 young- Henry Grattan, the son of the immortal G rattan 
 of 1782. This decision on her part gladdened the heart of 
 her father beyond meiisure, — He said, he had all his 
 wishes realized in seeing his daughter united to the son 
 of the great champion of Irish freedom. Mr Harvey re- 
 turned to Dublin in 1827, but he did not live to enjoy the 
 happiness of seeing his beloved daughter's marriage, 
 which only took place after his demise. 
 
 An irish gentleman, Alderman Mac 'Kenny came to 
 spend some time at Paris with his family ; he was a 
 ■staunch irish patriot and had acquired the sympathy and 
 esteem of the catholic population of the city of Dublin, 
 for he was one of the first protestant Lord Mayors who 
 ventured to check the insolence of the orangemen, and to 
 prevent, them, on the anniversaries of the first and 
 twelfth of July, from degrading and disgracing them- 
 selves by intoxication and all kinds of ruffianly conduct 
 towards those citizens who did not wear the orange 
 colours ; he was abused by these fellows for not giving 
 the festival toast of the « glorious, pious and immortal 
 memory », when he presided as lord mayor ; as it had 
 always been given by his predecessors, his omitting 
 it was a crime never to be forgotten or forgiven by 
 them. 
 
298 MEMOIRS OF MILES DYRNE 
 
 I saw Alderman Mac Kenny with great pleasure. He 
 was frank and kind in his manners. Through him I 
 learned a great deal about the political state of Ireland. — 
 Being on the most friendly terms with O'Connell and 
 Shiel, he frequently spoke to me of their vast talents, 
 their disinterestedness, and the great services that might 
 be expected from their exertions to force the english par- 
 liament to concede a real emancipation, and by which 
 the tithes, minister's money and other evils would be 
 abolished. These were ^Ir Mac Kenny's opinion in 1825. 
 — Tw^o or three years later, when he returned to Paris, I 
 found him less sanguine on many points, though he 
 allowed it would be gaining a great advantage to have 
 catholic members sitting in a british house of parlia^ 
 ment. He feared however that their numbers never would 
 be sufficient to obtain justice for Ireland. He told me, he 
 completely coincided with lord Cloncurry and others of 
 his friends, in thinking that nothing short of the Irish 
 having the power of making their ow'n local laws could 
 avail to remove the existing evils; still he lioped a catho- 
 lic relief bill might be granted, because it would afford 
 an opportunity to Irish orators to expose to the world 
 the grievous state of their unfortunate country. 
 
 Alderman Mac K enny speaking one day of O'Conuell's 
 too violent language in his speeches, said, that he had a 
 serious conversation with Shiel on the subject, and that 
 they w'ere obliged to agree, that as « John Bull » was 
 
:\iE>I01RS OF i\III,F.S HYRNE 290 
 
 contiimally throwing' dirt at tliem, it required a person 
 to fling- it back, and that no douht that task had been 
 well performed. Mr Mac Kenny was very impartial, and 
 reg-retted much that the political state of parties needed 
 such reprisals. 
 
 Mr Richard Dillon was a Dublin gentleman who pri- 
 ded himself on having been the fellow state prisoner, in 
 the noble cause of Ireland's freedom, with such patriots 
 as Hampden Evans, Thomas Addis Emmett, doctor Mac 
 Neven, Arthur O'Connor, etc. Living near Oliver Bond's 
 house in Bridge street, and hearing on the 12th of march 
 1798, that his friend was in distress, he went in to see 
 him, when he w^as arrested and brought off to prison, 
 with the provincial delegates, William Michael Byrne, 
 etc. Although he had nothing whatever to do with the 
 meeting to be held on that memorable day, w^hen the 
 perfidy of the notorious informer Reynolds came first to 
 light, that monster betrayed and sold his fellow man and 
 his country to the foreigner for lucre. He obtained high 
 situations and emoluments from the british government, 
 and lived on the continent with his family in the greatest 
 luxury, on the blood money paid him in advance. 
 
 Mr Dillon resided many years at Paris, with his 
 daughter and her family; when they went to live at 
 Dijon, he preferred remaining at Paris, to enjoy the so- 
 ciety he could not find in a provincial town. Although 
 
300 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 more than seventy years of age, he was very cheerful, 
 indeed quite like a man of thirty. He was very hospitahle 
 and generous, and availed himself of every occasion to 
 procure amusement for his friends. On one of these he 
 wished to treat me to a Saint-Patrick's day dinner, got 
 up in honour of Ireland's great poet, « Thomas Moore ». 
 It took place at the Cadran hleu on the boulevards, and 
 was presided over by « Wellesley Pole Long, nephew, to 
 the duke of Wellington. — I did not accept Mr Dillon's 
 kind invitation, because I thought a french officer on half 
 pay, who had fought against the English in Ireland in 
 1798, and in Spain and Portugal in 1809-10 and 11, 
 would not feel it very agreeable to be listening to the 
 speeches and toasts, laudatory of the heroes of Waterloo; 
 though I should have been delighted to have heard the 
 author of the beautiful verses : 
 
 <i There is not in the T\"ide world a valley so sweet 
 
 « As that vale in whose hosom the bright waters meet ! » , 
 
 That country ( the vale of Avoca), was the home of my 
 dear mother's ancestors, the Grahams, and her birth j)lace, 
 and where I, when a youngster, spent many happy 
 days, roaming on the banks of the Avoca, and in the 
 cherry orchard of the wooden bridge, etc. 
 
 The Saint-Patrick's day dinner went off pretty well, 
 with choice toasts from the chair, and many gay songs, j 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 301 
 
 appropriate to the occasion, sung by Erin's g-reat bard. 
 I'liR company however broke up rather early, that is to 
 say, the chairman Long Wellesley, Thomas Moore and 
 several others retired. But the majority remained at the 
 table to finish the great festival, as it ought to be cele- 
 brated on such a day. — Another chairman, and another 
 croupier were named, and drinking in bumpers was 
 resumed in honour of distinguished Irishmen, when a 
 young man, (the son of Mr Thomas Warren of Dublin, 
 and Mr Dillon's great friend), heard a name Vint did not 
 please him, and turned down his glass and said, that he 
 hoped they were not going to add to those already drank, 
 Reynold the informer. On which a cry was heard of 
 « put the fellow out! » Warren jumped up, and defied 
 the cowardly scoundrel to repeat the cry. A patrole of 
 french soldiers was called in, and Warren was conducted 
 to the guardhouse. He not being in uniform, handed his 
 card to the officer in command. — On it was written 
 ((lieutenant Thomas Warren, garde du corps » (king's 
 body guards). This ofiicer hastened back to the Cadran 
 bleu with Warren to endeavour to discover the foreign 
 scamp who had had the audacity to offend one of his ma- 
 jesty's officers, but all had fled, except w^orthy Mr Dillon 
 wlio waited witli his carriage to bring his friend Warren 
 home, and young Barron of Waterford. 
 
 Early next morning Warren came to ask me to be his 
 second. He related to me all the particulars about the 
 
302 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 Saint-Patrick's day dinner, but said, as yet he could not 
 tell me the name, nor the address of the man with whom 
 he was to fight the duel, he hoped however that our 
 friend Mr Dillon would be able to inform us; so we drove 
 off at once to the boulevard Montparnasse, to the residence 
 of Mr Dillon. Tho' this gentleman agreed with all the 
 account given by Warren of the « row », and of the cry 
 « put the fellow out! » he could not say who the person 
 v/as that had uttered it. — Mr Warren had then no 
 other alternative but to get the following article published 
 in Galignani's newspaper. 
 
 « The gentleman who made use of the expression « put 
 « the fellow out! » at tlie Saint-Patrick's day dinner, is 
 « respectfully invited to send his address to lieutenant 
 « Warren, hotel des gardes du corps, quai d'Orsay, the 
 « 18th march 1820. » 
 
 The editor of the newspaper refusing to insert the ar- 
 ticle, Warren left several copies of it in the reading 
 room at Galignani's; those with other copies he distribu- 
 ted amongst the officers of the garrison, his comrades, 
 sufficed to make all Paris hear shortly of the row^ at the 
 Cadran Bleu on the boulevards, and how it terminated. 
 
 At a family dinner, where abbe Powel and I were the 
 only guests, Mr Dillon in speaking of the dangerous po- 
 sition of the state prisoners in 1798, his son-in-law not 
 agreeing with him on every thing, he exclaimed « John 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 303 
 
 Boyleu, you were doing your duty as a « loyal subject,)) 
 in the merchant corps of yeomanry, as Daniel O'Connell 
 was doing' his, in the Lawyer's corps, escorting poor lord 
 Edward Fitzgerald from Thomas street to the prison of 
 Newgate, whilst we the prisoners at Kilmainham jail 
 expected every moment to be butchered by the hired as- 
 sassins of the castle. — A bow of assent being given to 
 all he said, Mr Dillon resumed his good humour and fill- 
 ing two small glasses with brandy said : « Come, abbe 
 « Powell, as we should say in Ireland, let us take a drop 
 « of the « creature » after our « fish, » not a morsel of 
 which composed the dinner, and it happened to be a da}^ 
 of abstinence. The abbe lodging at the Irish college, went 
 away early. — Mrs Boyleu wanting to apologize for not 
 having fish, on account of living so far from a market, 
 made her father enjoy his joke the more. 
 
 Mr Dillon one morning shewed me a nice green driss 
 coat, which his tailor had just brought him home. We 
 dined the Sunday after at Mr Frank Thorp's rue de la 
 Paix, n^^ 11. — I could see that the dinner party was 
 mostly Irish, as Mr Dillon shook hands with them all 
 on entering the drawing room; he then sat down beside 
 a lady to whom he said: « Mrs Butler, knowing I should 
 « have the pleasure of meeting you here at dinner, I put 
 a on my best green coat. Oh ! the sweet, lovely colour, so 
 « cherished in our own dear little Island, green Erin, 
 « beyond the seas, etc. » On asking my friend, doctor 
 
3U4 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 Halliday who the lady was, to whom Mr Dillon was 
 paying such court, he replied : « She is the daughter of 
 the notorious Hunter Gowan, hut as he had fourteen 
 daughters, she may he one of those who did not approve 
 of their father's cold hlooded murders, house burnings, 
 etc., and other outrages committed by him in the county 
 of Wexford previous to the insurrection of 1798. » 
 
 Mr Dillon was a good patriot, with a great deal of irish 
 humour. — After spending many years away from his 
 native country, he returned there to terminate his long 
 and honourable career, with his daughter and numerous 
 grand children, at an advanced age. 
 
 Mr Frank Thorp realized a handsome fortune in Ire- 
 land, as an exchange broker ot Dublin. After the 
 restoration of the Bourbons he came to reside in Paris 
 (rue de la Paix, n° 11), in 1815. He bought into the 
 french 5 per cent stock or funds, when they were 
 very low, « fifty thousand pounds sterling, » and when 
 those funds rose above jmr, he used to say, «■ we'.l, my 
 « fortune is doubled without any trouble; the least I can 
 « do, is to have some people occasionnally to dine witli 
 « me from the country where 1 made it. » — And 
 indeed he was most hospitable and gave very splen- 
 did entertainments, both at dinner and in the evening. — 
 When we happened to meet in our walks he frequently 
 begged me, if I had no other engagement, to come and 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 305 
 
 share their family dinner, wliich were very sociable and 
 pleasant; the party consisted of Mr Frank Thorp, his 
 wife, her sister IMrs Todrich, doctor Todrich his step-son 
 and brother-in-law, and our good friend doctor Halliday. 
 The ladies were very kind and amiable in their manners, 
 and I was very happy at these little dinners. Besides, 
 doctor Halliday was one of my best friends and one of 
 the truest Irish patriots I almost ever knew. He was an 
 accomplished, gentlemanly young man, a great linguist, 
 speaking and writing french and Italian like a well 
 educated native of France and Italy. The french physi- 
 cians allowed that doctor Halliday had the great advan- 
 tage of having been received at Edinburgh as well as at 
 Paris, doctor of the faculty of both these universities 
 where he took out his degree, and where he made the 
 most profound studies. He was quite at the head of his 
 profession, when it pleased God to call him away from 
 this world to a better, when in the prime of life, not forty 
 years of age. 
 
 His love of Irish freedom equalled that of Robert Em- 
 mett, or of* any of his cotemporaries. He used to read to 
 me sometimes extracts from a manuscript he intended 
 one day publishing on Ireland's wants, and the remedies 
 to be sought for from a foreign parliament. The compo- 
 sition was beautiful, breathing the bold aspirations of 
 a people seeking their rights and determined to be free ; 
 but his health became so impaired that he could not 
 
 finish it. — His brother who published the irish gram- 
 T. Ill 20 
 
^^05 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 mar would have rendered service as a linguist, but he 
 died young also. 
 
 There was no sacrifice, pecuniary or otherwise, that 
 doctor Halliday was not ready to make to forward the 
 interests of his native land. 
 
 In 1833 sir Jonah Barrington wishing to get printed 
 and published in english at Paris, his « Rise and fall of 
 the irish nation, « and not being very flush of cash, doc- 
 tor Halliday brought him to stay in his house, n° 11, rue 
 de la Paix, and paid a person to aid him in having the 
 manuscript copied and prej ared for the press. The volume 
 was soon printed and published. Doctor Halliday paid all 
 the expencc. He hoped that book might contribute to keep 
 alive amongst the irish, the love of their country and its 
 independence ; and though it did not contain many par- 
 ticulars wliich occurred at that sad period of 1800; still 
 it was well to have it, not on account of its being dedi- 
 cated to lord Plunket, the « father of the Hannibals, » 
 but because it might prove useful at some future time to 
 historians telling the way the irish got rid of their foreign 
 yoke. 
 
 In 1836 doctor Halliday was about asking permission 
 from the government at Paris, to establish there a small 
 infirmary, where he could have a few beds, and treat at 
 his own expence there, the poor irish in Paris, who had 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 307 
 
 110 means themselves to pay medical attendance and what 
 was necessary for them in their sickness, in order to get 
 cured. Before this plan could be accomplished, the poor 
 follow finished his own honourable and humane career, 
 much lamented by his friends and acquaintances in 
 France as well as in Ireland. 
 
 One circumstance I must mention, to shew what a kind 
 friend he was. — When I received my appointment in 
 august 1828 to g-o upon general Maison's staff on the ex- 
 pedition to. Greece, I wrote to those of my comrades in 
 the provinces, whose commissions I had been in the ha- 
 bit of executing at Paris, that I was quitting that city 
 for « Moree. » Doctor Daniel Halliday hapj-ened to be at 
 Dieppe at the time; his reply was an affectionate letter, 
 with an order on his banker for a thousand francs, think- 
 ing I might be in want of money for my out fit ; and I re- 
 collect with pleasure, how he in 1835 assisted in getting 
 my dear Fanny and me married, engaging Bishop Lus- 
 combe to come to marry us at the Embassy, etc, etc. — 
 She only knew him for a short time, still she could well 
 appreciate his great worth. 
 
 Doctor Todrich being one of the eminent physicians at 
 Dublin, and a member of the college of surgeons there, 
 had to go frequently to the mansions of the gentry in the 
 country in his professional capacity, and from him I 
 heard a great deal about one of my fellow rebels of ninety 
 eight. — Doctor Todrich was at lord Povercourt's in the 
 country, the day the famous and brave Michael Dwyer 
 
308 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 surrendered himself to his lordship, to be transported to 
 Botany Bay, after his many marvellous escapes in the 
 Wicklow mountains for five years; what was wonderful, 
 and one may add « beautiful, » he was not betrayed dur- 
 ing that long period, though a great reward w-as offered 
 for his discovery and detection. To the honour of the 
 poor mountaineers, not one could be found to be bribed by 
 british blood money. 
 
 Baron Larrey, Napoleon's surgeon general, being inti- 
 mate with doctor Todrich, was often a guest at Mr Frank 
 Thorp's table. I recollect one day the company being 
 greatly entertained w'ith his simple relation of his own 
 duties in the campaigns of the french army. — Mass^na, 
 he said, being generally in command of a corps away 
 from the emparor's head quarters, he was the only one of 
 the marshals with wliom he was not acquainted, "till the 
 battles of Essling and Wagram in 1809 ; then under dif- 
 ficult circumstances they became intimate. — Great 
 rafts of trees floated down the Danube by the enemy, 
 carried away the bridges leading into an Island where 
 Massena's corps of army was placed. His communication 
 with the emperor's head quarters being completely in- 
 tercepted, he had to pass a terrible night in that island 
 without provisions; the nest morning baron Larre}' went 
 to report to marshal Massena. He found him stretched on 
 the ground, wrapt up in his mantle, like a great a boar, » 
 and with a beard of several day's growth. — « Well, 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYUNE 309 
 
 « doctor, » he asked, « how are our poor wounded g-et- 
 « ting' on? » — « Tolerably well, marshal, » replied Lar- 
 rey, « I have just had a g-ood cup of bouillon distributed 
 to each, u ~ « What, » he excl.iimed « bouillon? could 
 you let me have sonn;? » A cup of it was broug-ht him, 
 which he drank off and never enquired what meat it was 
 made of. The next day when he met the emperor, he 
 thought he could not g-ive too much praise of the care 
 doctor Larrey had taken of the wounded. — Napoleon said 
 with a smile. « Yes, marshal, but my fine artillery hor- 
 « scs made the soup you found so good, and my soldiers 
 « cuirasses served as pots to boil it in, » etc. 
 
 Five years afterwards, one morning' in 1814 g'oing 
 along" the quai Voltaire to the hospital of la Charite, rue 
 des Saints-Peres, to visit the sick and wounded there, 
 baron Larrey was accosted by a man in an old blue out- 
 side coat, whom he did not recognize. « How, » said this 
 person, « you dont recollect Massena? » — « Oh I prince, 
 « you were always in uniform when I had the honour of 
 « being- with you. I beg- your pardon, » replied Larrey. 
 After some more conversation, Massena invited him to a 
 family dinner, which the doctor accepted with pleasure, 
 as he was desirous of knowing; the ladies as well as the 
 young' men of Massena's family. However the day of the 
 dinner, he was surprised on entering the drawing room, 
 to see no ladies, but about thirty men, all in coloured 
 clothes, wearing decorations and ribbons, some of them 
 
310 MEMOIRS OP MILES BYRNE 
 
 with oiie leg, others with one arm, etc. « Doctor », said 
 Mussina, « I asked you to a family dinner; well every 
 (( one of us here, was of the family in the island on the 
 « Danube, the night you procured to us all such good 
 H bouillon, and rendered also other services to several of 
 « those gentlemen. Allow me to present you, general, 
 « colonel, etc., » continued the marshal, till he named 
 all the guests of the dinner party. Baron Larrey declared 
 to us, it was one of the happiest days he ever spent, 
 which w'e readily believed. 
 
 Though I frequently saw baron Larrey at the grand 
 army of Silesia in 1812, and that it was he who amput- 
 ated our colonel, general Lawless at Lowenberg on the 
 Bober, the 21st of august 1813, I never had any conver- 
 sation with him 'till this day, and I must say, I was very 
 glad to have made the acquaintance of so remarkable and 
 worthy a man; and I regret not having taken more notes 
 of the many interesting anecdotes he told us of Napoleon, 
 and allthefrench marshals and generals of his time. — 
 To hear accounts of valiant men is always agreeable, 
 but it was doubly so then, when they were kept in the 
 back-ground and persecuted, as was the case after the 
 Restoration of the Bourbons in 1815. 
 
 Remaining as I had to do, so many years on halfpay, 
 unemployed at Paris, I had often the melancholy duty of 
 accompanying the funeral car of great warriors to their 
 last abode at Pere-Lachaise, and there to hear speeches 
 
MEMOir.S or MILKS MllNE 311 
 
 and orations pronounced over their graves, by officers to 
 whom their noble deeds were well known. General Thie- 
 baud was affecting- and eloquent over marshal Massena; 
 and as I had the honour of serving* in the army comman- 
 ded by that great captain in Sp.iin and Portug-al, I in- 
 deed felt those speeches dee[)ly, — as I did those made 
 some time later over g-eneral Foy, general Lawless, etc. 
 
 The evening as well as the dinner parties were always 
 ag-reeable at Mr Thorp's. Two or three card tables for 
 ecarte (then so much in vog-ue) , were placed in the 
 drawing" room, encircled by ladies and gentlemen betting 
 on either side, and an animated conversation going on at 
 the same time. One night poor Ireland was the theme. 
 Some of the company remarking how absurd it was to be 
 keeping up agitation continually in that country, count 
 Noe, a peer of France and chamberlain to Louis XVIII, 
 took up the defence of the Irish. He said that he hoped no 
 one could doubt his principles as a royalist, and a lover 
 of kingly government, but were he an Irishman, he 
 would be an « agitator, » a rebel if necessary, to force 
 the english to give the same laws to Ireland that she en- 
 joyed herself, and to emancipate the catholics there, and 
 put them on a perfect ec[uality ^Yith the other inhabitants 
 of Ireland. I must say I was much taken and pleased with 
 count Noe's frank and generous defence of my unfor- 
 tunate country. Coming from a gentleman of his station, 
 and who had served for many years in the british army. 
 
312 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 made it of still greater value than if it had been made by 
 a person who did not know England so well as he did. 
 
 Amongst the ladies who I often met at Mr Thorp's 
 were, Mrs and miss Wiseman, the mother and sister of 
 a young- man then studying- for the church at Rome, and 
 who has since been appointed by his Holiness cardinal of 
 Westminster. 
 
 Mr Thorp's country house when residing in Ireland, 
 w^as near Butter's town lane ; the parish priest of that 
 chapel, the reverend Father Ryan, came to spend some 
 time at Paris. He received the kindest attention from 
 Mr Thorp and his family; they considered him as one of 
 their old friends and thought they could never do enough 
 to make his visit agreeable. He told me that though 
 Mr Frank Thorp was not a catholic, he was always one of 
 the first to subscribe largely to every charitable collection 
 for the poor of his parish, and he used to say to him in 
 Paris, « reverend doctor, tho' I » am away from the green 
 Island, you may count on me as if I were there, when- 
 ever you are in want of money for your poor. Many traits 
 of the kind have I heard of Frank Thorp, from his ac- 
 quaintances whom I met in Paris, 
 
 In 1826 Mr James Power, his mother and sisters came 
 to France, and brought mo a letter of introduction. They 
 spent nearly a year at Paris and Versailles. A more wor- 
 thy family could not be. I was much taken with James 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES 15YUNE 313 
 
 Power's g'ood opinions. He often spoke to me of the ho- 
 nourable way his father had realized a very large fortune, 
 and of the great anxiety he felt himself that he should 
 make a g'ood use of it, when he came to inherit it. — la 
 the year 1827 Mr Jolin Power and a part of the family 
 came to Paris. He was a man of a good understanding 
 and of no pretence; his only ambition then seemed to be, 
 to be considered a good Irish citizen : at that time he was 
 not thinking of being a « baronet. » He often regretted 
 that the catholic population of Dublin, had no burying 
 ground, like that of Pere-Lachaise at Paris. T went with 
 him to get all possible information. On his return to Du- 
 blin he consulted with his friends there about purchasing 
 ground there for the purpose, and contributed to carrying 
 it out, as indeed he did to all the charitable institutions 
 of his country. 
 
 Mr and Mrs Dillon (of Dame street, Dublin), and their two 
 daughters, were at Paris at the same time that the fami- 
 ly of the Powers were there. Mr Dillon died soon after at 
 Bellevue near Sevres and his widow and daughters retur- 
 ned to Dublin. — To the moment I started for Greece in 
 1828, I had the pleasure and advantage of meeting at Pa- 
 ris frequently, good Irish patriots, and thereby I acquired 
 a knowledge of the political state of Ireland, and of the wish 
 prevailing there of being emancipated. Through Mr James 
 Power, I became acquainted with Mr Cassidy of jMunste- 
 revan. This gentleman called on me the day I was lea- 
 
bli MEMOIRS OF MILES liYIlNE 
 
 ving- Paris for Greece. He was desirous to g-et a manus- 
 cript left with him by his wife's uncle, Judge Johnstone, 
 printed and published at Paris. My friend Mr Arthur 
 Barker was kind enough to promise me that he would 
 assist Mr Cassidy and have all done to his mind. The 
 book was a commentary on the memoirs of Theobald 
 Wolfe Tone, major general in the service of the republic 
 of France, in which the moral and physical force of Ire- 
 land is discussed and examined from authentic docu- 
 ments, by colonel Philip Eoche Fermoy. 
 
 NARRATIVE OF MY CAMPAIGNS IN GREECE 
 
 Nothing could surpass my joy when I got my com- 
 mission on the 8th of august 18"28, to make part of a 
 french army going to procure the independence of 
 Greece; indeed it was nearh' equal to what I felt on 
 leaving Paris in 1803 for Brest, then hoping that I should 
 accompany a french army destined to liberate Ireland 
 from the english yoke. Alas! the poor Irish were not so 
 fortunate as the Greeks were in 1828 to get rid of their 
 task masters. 
 
 The english ambassador sir Charles Stuart finding that 
 colonel Corbet and I were appointed on the staff of general 
 Maisou the commander in chief of the french army going 
 
■MK.MOlltS OF SULKS ItYIlM!; 315 
 
 to Gi-eece, waited on the minister of war, general de 
 Coux, to say, that it would be « agreeable » to his « go- 
 vcrnment » if we were not employed. The minister told 
 him, we were naturalized frenchmen, and only appointed 
 in our turn by seniority, according to the law and mili- 
 tary rules; besides, from our honourable service, we 
 were well entitled to the appointments we had leCeived. 
 The minister was quite glad when colonel O'Niel told 
 him that we had left Paris for our destination, as he 
 thought that the ambassador might go to speak to the 
 king. 
 
 When colonel Corbet and I arrived at Toulon, the first 
 division with generals Maison, Higonet, and Tiburce 
 Sebastiani, had sailed. The second division comman- 
 ded by general Schneider, with which we embar- 
 ked, sailed a few days after. Our voyage, or passage, was 
 very tedious, on account of the vast number of transport 
 vessels, more than sixty sail, carrying, and loaded with 
 provisions, and escorted by warships; all this for the 
 unfortunate Greeks in the Morea, where nothing reigned 
 but devastation. 
 
 Notwithstanding our long passage, we arrived off the 
 roast of the Morea, nearly at the same time as the general 
 in chief with the first division. He gave orders imme- 
 diately to land our little army, consisting of 15 thou- 
 sand men then. We soon knew the force of the enemy we 
 
316 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 had to meet in the field : it was of course composed of all 
 the turkish army and an army of twenty five, or thirty 
 thousand egyptians, organized by european officers, and 
 commanded by the famous Ibrahim Pascha, the son of 
 Ali Pascha the vice-roy of Egypt, 
 
 General Maison had taken all the necessary measures 
 to have made the egyptian army prisoners of war; their 
 want of discipline, not resembling any thing like regular 
 troops, would have rendered it an easy task. The infernal 
 english diplomacy wished to lessen every chance which 
 could gain honour and. fame for the frencti army, and 
 interfered. 
 
 The three admirals, the french, russian and the 
 english, took on themselves to allow Ibrahim Pascha to 
 embark with all his army and return to Egypt, leaving 
 all the strong places in theMorea in the possession of the 
 Turks, viz : Navarino, the citadel of Coron, Moden, 
 Patras, etc. 
 
 Having had a letter from one of the chiefs at the war 
 office, colonel O'Niel, to the chief of the staff of the 
 french army, I was sure to be actively employed. — The 
 first of October 1828, colonel Trezell brought me des- 
 patches to take to general Schneider, who was embarked ' 
 with his brigade and had orders to sail to Patras. The 
 same day general Maison passed the review of the 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES DYUNE 317 
 
 two other brigades and the regiment of cavalry. Ibrahim 
 Pascha wishing- to see the review, having all his fine 
 horses embarked for Egypt, I had to escort him from 
 ^^ here he landed on the coast to the camp, more than a 
 league; he seemed delighted with the review, particu- 
 larly with the cavalry. It was remarked that he drank 
 plenty of wine at breakfast. 
 
 The 2'i of October 1828 I was ordered to go and take 
 the command of the town and district of Pyrgos. I 
 marched with a regiment of cavalry and a few companies 
 of infantry, quite sufficient to open the road and beat 
 any Turkish army we should meet. I had orders to cor- 
 respond with the general in chief at his camp at Nava- 
 rino, and with general Schneider at Patras. 
 
 Durin^^ the few days I commanded at Pyrgos, I learned 
 many particulars respecting the brave young Arthur 
 Winter. After lord Byron's death at Missolonghi, he and 
 many others of those brave « Philhelenes », left the town 
 and went to join the greek army in the mountains. He 
 received a wound there, but it was not of that that he 
 died; he was suffering the greatest want and misery for 
 a long time before. What a pity that such men should be 
 under the rule of foreign tyrants, and not able to live in 
 their native land! — 
 
 General Schneider attacked the citadel of Patras and 
 
318 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 forced the turkisli garrison to capitulate and surrender 
 forthwith. Those troops were « parked » for several days 
 on the beach, w-aiting for transport vessels to take them 
 to Smyrna. I was ordered to Patras and appointed a 
 member of a sanitary commission which was to meet 
 every day. 
 
 Every precaution became necessary, for we risked 
 losing more men by sickness than we did by fighting 
 against the turkish army. 
 
 General Maison had witnessed how the irisli regiment 
 served in Silesia, in the campaign of 1813, for we were 
 in the same corps with him the 5th and on the 21st of 
 august 1813 at Lowenberg on the Bober. He saw' colonel 
 Lawless have his leg carried away with a cannon ball, 
 and ten minutes after, he received a desperate wound in 
 the breast himself. Again before Antwerp in 1814 he had 
 the irish regiment under his orders at the advanced posts 
 before the town. 
 
 The chateau de Moree, two leagues distance from^ 
 Patras, was a fortress of the greatest importance to the 
 turkish government, and had a garrison of seven 
 thousand troops ; general Maison summoned the governor 
 to surrender. He got an insolent answer, and of course 
 decided at once to besiege the fortress, the chateau de 
 Morde. A camp of french troops was instantly organized 
 before the place and a regular siege begun. The trenches 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES RYRNE 319 
 
 were obliged to be opened at a great distance, on account 
 of the country offering- no hillocks to cover the approach. 
 When the breach was made and practicable, the garrison 
 surrendered at discretion, and their arms, pistols, sabres, 
 yataghans, etc., w^ere distributed amongst the french 
 troops as trophies. General Maison appointed me to com- 
 mand the chateau de Mor^e; a great honour indeed, as it 
 was considered one of the first of the turkish empire. It 
 and the fort of Romelia on the other side of the gulf com- 
 pletely impeded the passage of ships into the gulf of 
 Lepanto, for the cannon balls nearly carried across it, 
 it is so narrow at that part. 
 
 Colonel Corbet had the command of the citadel of 
 Navarino, and the advantage of seeing the ships of the 
 line coming from France, sailing into the bay there, 
 whilst I had that of witnessing the works making and 
 carrying out the fortification at the chateau de Murt'e. — 
 Several companies of the sapeurs of the genie w^ere 
 employed there augmenting and improving all the out 
 works; amongst the officers commanding these troops, 
 was the patriotic Cavaignac, who afterwards filled the 
 high station of chief of the executive of the fiench Re- 
 public, under the constituent assembly in 1848. 
 
 The greek admiral Miollis assembled his little fleet to 
 attack the fort of Romelia; he had a sixty gun frigate 
 made a present to him by the Americans of the United 
 
?,10 MEMOIRS OF MILES RYRNE 
 
 States ; after a bombardment of two hours the fort capi- 
 tulated, to the great joy of the poor Greeks; they had then 
 the passage free without obstruction on either side, into 
 the gulf of Lepanto. 
 
 The obstructions were to come now from the diplomacy. 
 Eng-land did not wish to see Greece become a strong 
 independent state, on account of her Ionian islands; nor 
 did Russia, lest it might be an obstruction at a future 
 day to her views and designs up on Constantinople. 
 France was disinterested and in every instance wished 
 to see the Greeks allowed to govern themselves. 
 
 In 1829 Capo d'Istria decided to besiege the town of 
 Lepanto by sea and land. 
 
 The Pallycars, or irregular greek troops, evinced great 
 courage; whilst the little fleet was bombarding the lower 
 part of the town, they attacked the upper part which 
 stood on a hill, and after hard fighting and great losses, 
 they succeeded in getting possession of a part of the 
 town, where they had to fortify themselves and kept open 
 the communication with their camp. 
 
 The turkish pascha finding he had no chance of rein- 
 forcements, consented to capitulate with Capo d'Istria's 
 brother. — I was anxious to visit the town, and went 
 with a few of the officers from the chateau de Moree. We 
 found the venerable old pasha, the governor, much dis- 
 gusted to be marched a prisoner of war from the town 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 321 
 
 that had belonged for such a length of time to his ances 
 tors, and to be escorted by greeks troops, was humiliat- 
 ing indeed. The Turkish pride could put up with any 
 thing sooner than this last mortification. 
 
 A more judicious thing could not have been thought of 
 than to have allowed the Greeks to have all the merit 
 of taking Lepanto, for it caused a gloom to be cast over 
 the turkish nation, whilst it elated and raised the spirits 
 of the Greeks. 
 
 Capo d'Istria began to shew his talents and aptitude to 
 govern, to the country. He had such gracious manners 
 that we were much taken with him. One day he came to 
 visit the ch&,teau de Moree, I told him how I wished to 
 present to him the officers employed there with me, and 
 how much they all desired to have this honour. — With- 
 out having the appearance of saying any thing to flatter 
 them, he paid them the greatest compliments. « It is not 
 enough » he said « to say, you execute and obey the or- 
 « ders of your chiefs, you execute and obey the dictates 
 « of a good conscience; there is not one of you that is 
 (t not doing more than he need, because it is for the 
 « sacred cause of liberty, and to aid the unfortunate 
 (f Greeks to shake off the Turkish yoke; and now gen- 
 ie tlemen, allow me in their name, and in my own, to 
 'I offer you our most grateful thanks. » 
 
 Several Greeks of the first families of Patras were 
 
 T. Ill 21 
 
322 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 with him ; they were accompanying him to the town of 
 Lepanto. 
 
 I had the garrison under arms when he was going 
 away; we were on the beach, where a boat waited to take 
 him to the frigate. He came and shook hands with all 
 the oflScers, and embraced me in the most affectionate 
 manner. 
 
 Capo d'lstria had already done a great deal with the 
 littlemeanshehad, to encourage industry and good institu- 
 tions; he had schools established in the poorest villages, 
 and in less than a year, every child of ten years of age 
 could read and write. But the protecting powers, parti- 
 cularly England and Russia, wanted to fix the limits or 
 boundaries of Greece before the enemy was driven out of 
 the country. They could not agree, only they made it 
 evident they were not disinterested in the aid they were 
 furnishing to the unfortunate Greeks, when it was 
 known, that a position was created for the husband of 
 the princess Charlotte of England, prince Leopold, who 
 announced his nomination to Capo d'lstria. — The 
 greek government then recommended him, on account 
 of the great necessity of the country, to be sure to bring 
 plenty of money with him, and to be decided to change 
 his religion. — Then he might rest satisfied he would be 
 well received. 
 
 The president Capo d'lstria finding that prince Leopold 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 323 
 
 declined accepting- the title of king of Greece, became 
 more energetic and determined to make the Morea an 
 independent state, with its own institutions, thinking 
 the Greeks would soon learn to govern themselves with» 
 out foreign aid. He took no heed of the war then going 
 on between Russia and the sultan, tho' he knew well 
 that the Turkish garrison of Varna had to capitulate 
 after a protracted siege of several months, and the rus- 
 sian army was thought to be on its march to Constan- 
 tinople — The president wishing to raise a regular army, 
 asked for a french general who would undertake the dif- 
 ficult task of organizing it. General Trezell accepted the 
 mission and acquitted himself in the most disinterested 
 manner, receiving no pay but what he got from France, 
 as a french officer. He not only organized and disciplined 
 the battalions, but he lived amongst them, marching and 
 countermarching. He formed a camp at the « Piroeus, » 
 where they learned the french manoeuvres and evolutions 
 of the line. 
 
 The composition of the battalions as to the officers was 
 excellent. The chiefs were men who distinguished them- 
 selves either with general Fabvier or other greek leaders 
 or chiefs during the war; and the other officers were 
 young Greeks, equally well noted for their bravery. 
 
 The composition of those battalions was according to 
 the french system. 
 
 A « chef de bataillon, » a captain adjutant major, an 
 
324 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 adjutant sous officier, formed the staff, eight companies 
 to the battalion ; a captain, lieutenant, sous lieutenant, 
 to each company, with a serjeant major and fourier, four 
 Serjeants, eight corporals, two drummers ; all comprised 
 with the private soldiers, amounted to one hundred in 
 each company. At the head, the grenadier company, six 
 centre companies with the company of voltigeurs or light 
 flank company. I have seen four of these battalions orga- 
 nized as above stated, and at exercise and raanoeuvering 
 with precision as french troops. This proved the aptness 
 of the Greeks to learn and improve themselves. The offi- 
 cers understanding, and I believe speaking french, the 
 instructors sent from the french regiments had less trou- 
 ble in teaching them. 
 
 Thus whilst a regular army was rapidly progressing 
 in its organization, to be able to defend a greater extent 
 of territory than the Morea, the french government spar- 
 ed no expence to have all the fortifications of the different 
 towns and citadels repaired and extended, according to 
 modern science; particularly the ch&.teau de Moree where 
 I commanded, and there my daily recreation after the 
 service and reports of the morning were concluded, was 
 to accompany the officers of the « genie, » who were 
 charged with superintending the works going on in 
 the diflferent parts of the fortification. 
 
 I spent my time very agreeably besides. In my quality 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 325 
 
 of governor of the castle, I had to do the honours and to 
 receive the curious tourists and visitors, who generally 
 consisted of the navy officers arriving at Patras, after 
 some long voyage. They used to hire horses immediately, 
 in order to go and visit every thing worth seeing in the 
 environs, and as the distance was only two leagues and 
 a half, I was always sure to be favoured with the visits 
 of these brave seafaring men. 
 
 The recent siege, when a Turkish garrison had to ca- 
 pitulate and surrender to the french general Maison, gave 
 great celebrity to the chateau de Mor^e. Three or four of 
 those naval officers were visiting the place one day, when 
 one of them asked me, if I had not been in garrison at 
 Flushing in 1808. — I said I was, on which he put out 
 his hand and wished to know if I recollected him. « Oh 
 a yes, I do; you are the young ensign who often dined 
 « beside me at Holder's hotel on the quay, when you had 
 « permission to spend the day on shore; you belonged to 
 « the french ships of the line that were guarding the 
 « mouth of the river Scheldt. » He was quite flattered by 
 what I said, and although twenty years had elapsed, he 
 still recollected the names of several officers of the Irish 
 regiment, and was sorry to hear that captains Dowdall, 
 and Mac Cann and others, with whom he was acquainted, 
 were killed at the siege of Flushing by the english in 
 1809. 
 
326 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 He was captain of a frigate, and one of the first to be 
 promoted, his companions told me. They also told me 
 how very slow the advancement was in the french navy. 
 — Of course I told them it was equally so in the 
 army. 
 
 I must say, that throughout my campaigns, the inter- 
 course I have had with the navy officers, has always been 
 most agreeable, and from many of them I have received 
 thegreatest attention. Admiral Rosamel, during the short 
 time he had the command of the fleet stationed at Nava- 
 rino, shewed me the greatest kindness. 
 
 On marshal Maison returning to France, general 
 Schneider got the command of the army of occupation 
 left in Greece. — General Higonet being a member of 
 the chamber of deputies, returned to France, as did gene- 
 ral Tiburce Sebastiani. 
 
 General Schneider established his head quarters at 
 Modon. The lieutenant colonel of the 58th regiment com- 
 manded at Patras, and I had to correspond with, and 
 send by him, regular reports to head quarters. 
 
 General Trezell accepti'd the rank of major general in 
 the greek service but not the emoluments of the situation; 
 his french appointments quite sufficed, for he was a real 
 soldier, who could live on very little and bear up against 
 privation better than military men in general. He cared 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 327 
 
 little how or where he slept. I recollect one night he 
 would not allow me to have a bed prepared for him; he 
 wrapped himself up iu his mantle and slept on the floor, 
 and he was the first up in the morning, quite brisk and 
 refreshed and ready for another march. To add to these 
 qualities, his love of liberty and good institutions for his 
 own country was the dream of his long career. He glo- 
 ried in the participation he had in procuring the inde- 
 pendence of Greece ; to him the greeks were indebted for 
 the rapid military instruction they acquired in one year. 
 
 In the autumn of 1829, the fortifications of the chateau 
 of Moree being completed by the engineers, I got orders 
 to receive a greek garrison of the regular troops, to have 
 them installed in the fortress, and to give up the arms 
 and ammunition of every sort there, to the greek com- 
 mander, taking his receipt. 
 
 When I had all matters terminated with this officer, I 
 took my leave of him and marched with the french garri- 
 son to Patras, where we embarked for Coron. — And 
 now I must say, that never before did I execute a milita- 
 ry order with greater pleasure. Gratifying indeed it was 
 to an exile to have had the mission to give up this impor- 
 tant fortress to the descendants of the heroes who so of- 
 ten fought on the shores of the gulf of Lepanto against 
 the cruel Turks. 
 
 The weather being very fine, our voyage to Coron was 
 
328 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 like a sailing party of pleasure, in sight of the Islands 
 every day. I was on board the frigate « Venus ; » it was 
 crowded with officers. The captain made me a very com- 
 fortable bed in his saloon, and not being troubled with 
 seasickness, I enjoyed myself much. — In passing the 
 isle of Ithaca, I was reminded of Ulysses and Tele- 
 macbus. — 
 
 When Coron was taken in October 1828 the Turks with 
 their garrison evacuated the town. The poor greek popu- 
 lation that was living outside in huts under the walls of 
 the place, were allowed by the french general to occupy 
 the Turkish houses. Of course they took the best, so that 
 the troops on landing were for some days before they 
 were properly installed ; but the officers of the genie soon 
 had barraks prepared, and we found many advantages 
 at Coron over the chateau de Mor^e, as to provisions, and 
 many other things, so that our sojourn at Coron was 
 much more agreeable. I found it particularly so, as the 
 brave 58th of the line, which was with me at the chateau 
 of Morde, completed the garrison of Coron. I had many 
 friends amongst its officers, such as de Selve, Francois, etc. 
 
 The church, which had been a Mosque, was nicely 
 cleaned and brushed up, and the greek orthodox service 
 was regularly performed there and was well attended. 
 
 On the fourth of november 1829, the fete of Charles X, 
 a great ceremony with high mass, « Te Deum, » etc., 
 was celebrated in this temple with all the usual greek 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 329 
 
 splendour, which indeed far surpasses the roman catho- 
 1 ic church for the gorgeous dresses, etc. Our chaplains 
 being- all absent or sick, we attended the f^te in honour 
 of Charles X in the greek church. 
 
 General Schneider came to inspect the 58th regiment, 
 and spent a few days at Coron before he returned to his 
 head quarters at Modon. — He told us we might expect 
 to pass the winter at Coron, and that we ought to endea- 
 vour to spend our time as cheerfully as possible. — It 
 passed away. — "We took pleasant walks every evening 
 after dinner, returning to a coffee house to take refresh- 
 ments, play at some game etc., 'till eleven o'clock. — I 
 availed myself of the little military duty I had to per- 
 form at Coron, to go and visit Sparta, Mistra, Messina 
 and other ruins ; but at that time the country was cove- 
 red with modern as well as ancient ruins ; nothing esca- 
 ped the Turkish savages. All was a scene of desolation 
 wherever they had passed. I can never forget the sight 
 of the poor greek children, half naked, sallying from be- 
 hind the ruins of the burnt villages with little bits of 
 white paper or white rags of some kind, on switches, to 
 welcome us on our march from Navarino to Patras, in 
 October 1828. Indeed it was consoling to see the unfortu- 
 nate inhabitants shewing th^ir gratitude to the french 
 army in the best way they could. From Pyrgos a depu- 
 tation of the people of the town met us near the river and 
 brought pastiches and grapes for the soldiers. I was 
 
330 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 quite proud to see this as I remained to command the 
 town and district for some days, to encourage the inha- 
 bitants who were still away, to return to their houses. It 
 was curious to see some of them having great difficulty to 
 discover their own former dwellings, so levelled and 
 ruined was every house and garden. 
 
 In the month of december 1829 general Schneider re- 
 ceived orders to return with the army of occupation to 
 France, after he had seen that the Greeks had taken pos- 
 session of their towns and strong places. 
 
 They had then a regular government, with all the ele- 
 ments to have an army of their own, quite adequate to 
 guard their frontiers against a turkish invasion. The 
 french troops were to be embarked at Navarino to return 
 to France. The 58th regiment left Coron and marched to 
 Navarino. 
 
 I remained at Coron with the genie and a company of 
 artillery for ten days, waiting the arrival of a battalion 
 of the greek regular troops, to the chief of which I had 
 orders to give up the place, as I had done at the chateau 
 of Morde, making an inventory of the arms, stores, 
 etc. 
 
 Whilst waiting the arrival of the greek troops to come 
 and take possession of the town of Coron, a terrible ex- 
 plosion took place at Navarino; the lightning fell on the 
 powder magazine of the citadel, blew up the walls, and 
 shattered and split open all the houses. On that which 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 331 
 
 colonel Corbet and his secretary occupied, some stones of 
 several hundredweight fell; however they had the good 
 fortune to escape unhurt. The first battalion of the 54th 
 regiment was embarked before the explosion took place ; 
 the 2d battalion being still in the citadel, had a great 
 number killed and wounded, as had the company of 
 sapeurs and artillery. It was lamentable to see so many 
 of those fine fellows with their legs and arms amputated ; 
 were it after fighting a great battle, they would often 
 say, it would be all fair to leave our members on the field 
 there, but to lose them this way, is too bad. 
 
 When I gave up the town of Coron to the greek com- 
 mander, I marched with the french troops to Navarino, 
 there to wait our turn to embark for France. Colonel 
 Corbet had the goodness to have one of the houses in the 
 citadel ready for me, and its being adjacent to his, I 
 found myself quite comfortable. We dined together and 
 took pleasant walks in the evenings, and expected to have 
 still to stop ten or fifteen days before vessels sufficient 
 to embark us all would be assembled in the bay of Nava- 
 rino, when one night despatches for general Schneider 
 came, with counter orders, not to embark any more 
 troops, and that all those that had not yet sailed, should 
 be landed and kept to assist the « Genie » in having the 
 citadel rebuilt, and the powder magazine made proof 
 against bombs and lightning. 
 
332 MEMOIRS OF JULES BYRNE 
 
 This counter order caused great disappointment to the 
 officers and troops who expected to return to France. 
 Colonel Corbet and I were glad to remain, knowing as we 
 did that Greece then needed french aid and french pro- 
 tection more than at any other moment, in consequence 
 of the party spirit fomenting through the country against 
 the president Capo d'Tstria. 
 
CONCLUSION 
 
 Mr Byrne was at Navarino when the revolution ofjuly 
 1830 took place at Paris, and it was there he received his 
 commission as chef de bataillon of the 56th regiment of 
 the french line, then in garrison at Grenoble. 
 
 He lost no time in sailing for France, and made a most 
 agreeable voyage aboard a french ship of war, the cap- 
 tain of which, like almost all the french naval men he 
 ever had intercourse with, he found a most gentlemanly, 
 wellmannered man. — As a superior officer coming as a 
 passenger aboard a ship of war, he of course enjoyed 
 many advantages and comforts. 
 
 When he joined the 56th regiment at Grenoble, it 
 was commanded by colonel Bugeaud, afterwards marshal 
 Bugeaud. 
 
 From Grenoble the 56th went to Besancon, from 
 Besancon to Dijon, — and in 1832 it marched from 
 Dijon to Brittany where it was sent to help to put down 
 
334 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 the insurrection which had been got up by the duchess 
 de Berri and her partisans. 
 
 Mr Byrne intended writing a very full account of his 
 
 campaigns in Greece, and of the five years he passed in 
 the 56th, of the civil wars in Brittany, etc. His intention 
 unfortunately not having been completed, for he has left 
 but 24 pages of manuscript regarding his services in 
 Greece, it now remains to be told the very great satisfac- 
 tion he ever expressed which he had in serving in the 
 56th. 
 
 Amongst the superior officers, lieutenant-colonel Thiery 
 (afterwards general Thiery), and Mr Viaris were his 
 great comrades. Their abilities and intelligence, their 
 opinions and whole character, the services they had seen, 
 all made their society a very great resource to him. 
 He formed friendships too with several excellent men 
 amongst the captains. 
 
 He was ever fond of the society of the young; the ge- 
 nerous tone of their sentiments, their hopefulness of the 
 future, were all in unison with his own feelings, and he 
 found the lieutenants and sous-lieutenants of the 56th a 
 very choice set of young men. Many of them have since 
 risen very high in their profession. 
 
 The 56th on coming to Paris in 1835, was stationed at 
 Courbevoie and Ruel, and while Mr Byrne was at Cour- 
 bevoie he gave in his resignation to Louis Philippe. He 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 335 
 
 was in perfect health, but seeing no prospect of war, he 
 thought that after such a long military career and so 
 many hard campaigns, he might retire with honour. 
 
 On leaving the 56th he was much affected by the 
 expressions of regret of the lieutenants and sous-lieute- 
 nants, who came in a body to his apartment to bid him 
 farewell and to invite him to a splendid dinner. There 
 the many beautiful and affectionate and respectful 
 speeches that were made in his honour quite overpowered 
 him. 
 
 As he fixed on Paris for his home on retiring from 
 active service, he had the pleasure of receiving his 
 former brother officers frequently at his house there. 
 
 When at Nantes in 1832 he received the cross of officer 
 of the Legion of honour from Louis-Philippe. — It was in 
 1813 that he was made a chevalier (or knight) of the 
 Legion of honour by Napoleon I. In those days the num- 
 ber so distinguished was very limited. 
 
 Mr Byrne being of a very social disposition, had much 
 enjoyment in the society of his large circle of friends 
 either living at Paris or coming there occasionally. It was 
 very gratifying to him to find such old comrades in exile 
 as colonels Allen and Ware, preserving to their last days, 
 the vigor of their minds and all their fresh feelings 
 towards Ireland. — When the 56th went from Dijon to 
 Brittany, colonel Ware met Mr Byrne on the bridge at 
 Tours, on the arrival of the troops there in boats. They 
 
336 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 had not met for several years, so as the regiment was to 
 be off in the morning-, the two friends did not think of 
 going to bed, but sat up all night enjoying each other's 
 conversation. 
 
 Mr Byrne had great pleasure in the society of women 
 of cultivation of mind, who possessed also generous 
 feelings towards the oppressed, as he himself had. But 
 no guests were more welcome to his house, than intelli- 
 gent, high-minded, young Irishmen and Scotchmen. 
 
 His great friend and comrade Mr Viaris on taking his 
 retreat, came and settled in Paris, to be near his 
 daughters mesdames Tourgueneif and Vigogne. On his 
 death in the summer of 1859, Mr Byrne wrote the fol- 
 lowing article for one of the public journals. 
 
 « GAETANO VIARIS, of a uoble family at Turin, was a 
 young officer in a Piedraontese regiment at the time when 
 his country was annexed to France (in September 1802). 
 Being desirous to follow up his military career under the 
 great Napoleon, he took service in the 111th regiment 
 composed of Italians; in which he soon arrived at the 
 rank of captain. His regiment was attached to general 
 Friant's division, and under that intrepid leader distin- 
 guished itself greatly at the battles of Austerlitz (1805), 
 Iena(1806). Friedland and Eylau (1807), and Essling and 
 Wagram (1809). At the grand army the emperor seeing 
 the name of captuin Viaris so often in the orders of the 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 337 
 
 day of his division, named him a baron of the Empire. 
 Napoleon announced this honour with that gracious fa- 
 miliarity of manner which he sometimes assumed in or- 
 der to sig-nify his especial favour. At a review of the re- 
 giment, after asking- Viaris his name, he took hold of 
 him hy a button and said. « Monsieur Viaris, tu es ba- 
 te ron, n'es-tu pas content? » — » Ah yes! Sire » ex- 
 claimed the delighted Viaris, « and I hope I shall know 
 « how to die for your majesty, to prove it. » — « Nay, 
 « rather endeavour to live to serve me, » rejoined the em- 
 peror. After the battle of lena, Viaris was decorated with 
 the cross of chevalier of the Legion of honour. He recei- 
 ved the cross of ofHcer of the Legion of honour on the 30th 
 of may, 1837. He prized these rewards of his merit as a 
 soldier far beyond all hereditary titles. 
 
 At the battle of Moscow, and in the retreat from Russia , 
 the 111th regiment, ever' in the thick of the fight, suffer- 
 ed dreadfully. In 1813 Viaris wag placed on the staff of 
 marshal Davoust at Hamburg. Like Antwerp, that city 
 was not evacuated by the french troops till after the res- 
 toration of the Bourbons in 1814. 
 
 The emperor Napoleon, on his return from Elba, in 
 march. 1815, appointed M. Viaris chef de bataillon in 
 the imperial guard. He remained- one of the last upon 
 the field of Waterloo, and there he received the last of his 
 many wounds. 
 
338 ME.-\10IKS OP MILES BYRNE 
 
 He did not follow the emperor to Saint-Helena, but 
 went into exile in Switzerland, hoping' to be able to orga- 
 nize some plan for the freedom of his native land. Pied- 
 mont having been detached from the french Empire, was 
 under the yoke of the Holy Alliance, tlie worst of tyran- 
 nies. After some tim;^ he was compelled to leave Geneva, 
 which was completely under the rod of Austria, and to 
 seek a new place of exile. He repaired to Edinburgh, with 
 his wife, an accomplished german lady, and their four 
 children. There they met a most hospitable reception, 
 and were treated with every respect and friendship. 
 
 In 1828 Mr Viaris returned to France, and after the 
 revolution of July 1830, he was appointed to the command 
 of a battalion of the 56th regiment of the line. It was 
 at Grenoble that he joined his regiment; and there he 
 met an irish exile in the service of France, who was 
 returning from the greek war of independence, and 
 who had just been appointed to command another batta- 
 lion of the 56th. Between these two arose a friendship, 
 made up of a sympathy of habits, feelings, and opinions, 
 such as is known only to military comrades, and which 
 never declined till poor Viaris was no more. 
 
 The french army now engaged in the glorious mission 
 of liberating Italy, and chastising the tyrants who at- 
 tempted to enslave Piedmont, ought to feel that they 
 are paying a debt of honour, when they think of the 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 330 
 
 torrents of blood shed by such men as Viaris in the 
 service of France. Oh I that he wer^^; alive now to rejoice 
 in the triumph of the arms of France and Italy! 
 
 The military career of Viaris was quite arrested by the 
 restoration of 1815, yet, after the revolution of 1830 he 
 might have obtained rapid advancement had he availed 
 himself of the influence of his friends who were well 
 with the court. But he could not stoop to solicit court 
 favour. His only ambition was to maintain his patriotic 
 independence. And but a short time before his death 
 he said to a friend, who gently upbraided him with his 
 uncompromising attitude towards the court : « Were all 
 to be acted over again, I would do as I have done. » 
 
 « Gaetano Viaris lived and died the pattern of a true 
 soldier. » 
 
 The son of Monsieur Viaris is now a colonel of artil- 
 lery in the service of France and high on the staff in 
 Africa. 
 
 Adolphe Danner , a lieutenant in the 56th under 
 M. Byrne, di.<tinguished himself greatly in the war of the 
 Crimea, and received for that a decoration of rank in the 
 order of the Bath from the queen of England. 
 
340 HIEMOIHS OF MILES BYIiXE 
 
 He is uow a general of brigade and commanding at 
 Perigueux. 
 
 The « baron E. Maire, » the sou of a distinguished offi- 
 cer who received bis title of baron on the field of battle from 
 the emperor Napoleon, was a sous-lieutenant in M. Byrne's 
 battalion of the 56th. He is now colonel of the 8th regi- 
 ment of the line. 
 
 At the battle of Solferino in June 1859, he received 
 three gun-shot wounds, besides several contusions from 
 split shells. He had to command his regiment of which 
 he was lieutenant-colonel, at that battle, his colonel hav- 
 ing been disabled at the fight at Montebello. — The bat- 
 tle of Solferino began at foui- in the morning; before 
 mid-day, colonel Maire saw 18 officers fall quite near 
 him. By 5 in the afternoon 22 were hors de combat. 
 Colonel Maire wrote to Mr Byrne in the month of novem- 
 ber from the hospital at Milan, where he had remained 
 in consequence of his wounds, after the battle, and sig- 
 ned his letter, with much affection your « ex sous-lieu- 
 tenant. )) 
 
 Another officer w'ho distinguished himself in Italy, 
 and in whom Mr Byrne felt much interested was, colonel 
 O'Mally , afterwards when in China, promoted to the 
 rank of general. He is the .-on of his old brother officer 
 in the Irish legion, captain Austin O'Mall}'. It was ever 
 a gratification to Mr Bvrne to hear of the honours j^ain- 
 
MRMOIRS OF miLES BYRNE 341 
 
 ed b}^ his brother officers or their sons. — He might be 
 said to have a disposition for happiness to his Uist days 
 as when starting into life That which cast a cloud on 
 his enjoyments was, thinking of the melancholy condi- 
 tion of his poor fellow countrymen in Ireland. 
 
 It filled him with anger and with sorrow when he 
 considered the rich produce of Ireland, her vast agricul- 
 tural exports, the luxur}^ in which the upper classes in 
 Ireland live, and yet, the deplorable state of the great 
 mass of the people, so completely without the common 
 comforts of housing, cloathing or food. 
 
 He felt a devotedness of attachment to Ireland, which 
 perhaps only an exile can comprehend. He saw that na- 
 ture had done much for Ireland and her people, and that 
 with wise and energetic and benevolent exertions on the 
 part of the influential classes, the peasantry might be 
 comfortable and happy, and the land of his birth and his 
 affections « great, glorious and free. » 
 
 On reading these memoirs, it is impossible not to feel 
 indignant at the injustice and persecution Ireland has 
 suffered from England, and by which such a man as 
 Miles Byrne was forced to throw himself into all the mi- 
 series of civil war. That war was not raised to support 
 the claims of a pretender to the throne, or to aid one sect 
 or faction against another, but it was the honest effort of 
 virtuous, patriotic, high-minded men, having a deep 
 
342 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 stake in the country, to better it's condition, and to throw 
 off an oppressive government which has ever regarded 
 irishmen as aliens. 
 
 When these generous and patriotic men failed in their 
 efforts to emancipate their native land, they were obliged 
 to seek a home on a foreign shore. — They found it, and 
 likewise the honours they so well deserved. 
 
 On friday, the 24tli January 1862, Mr Byrne died, at 
 his house in the rue Montaigne, « Paris. » 
 
 Throughout his life he enjoyed a course of good health, 
 favoured by his very sober habits; thus he had none of 
 the maladies of old age. 
 
 He had had a cold, but only kept his bed the last two 
 days; suffering nothing, except a degree of weakness 
 which he thought would go off with his cold. — Preserv- 
 ing as he did, his usual cheerfulness, his clear, vigo- 
 rous mind, his warm affections and lively interest in 
 what was going on in the world, there appeared no cause 
 for alarm. 
 
 That last friday, my sister Mrs Power having received 
 letters from our niece lady Lyell in London, and from 
 her sisters at Florence, he was particularly anxious to 
 hear their contents. — He was much interested in hear- 
 ing about America from lady Lyell, as she wrote so 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRiNE 343 
 
 much from what she heard from her distinguished and 
 valuable American friends at Boston and New-York ; 
 the letters we had from Florence were equally interest- 
 ing' to him, as my brother and his family were living 
 in very choice italian society there. 
 
 From Mr Byrne's earliest years, he regarded the go- 
 vernment of the United States of America, as founded by 
 Franklin, Washington, Jefferson, etc., with the greatest 
 admiration ; — and with veneration, for its giving a re- 
 fuge, an asj'lum, to the oppressed and persecuted of othei 
 nations. — He was greaily grieved at the civil war bet- 
 ween tbe States of the north and the south, but he felt 
 hopeful of the ultimate result, and had no fear of the 
 union being broken up; on the contrary, he expected it 
 would probably be stronger than ever, and also be puri- 
 fied from the blot of slavery. — His aspirations after the 
 emancipation and regeneration of Italy, were equally ar- 
 dent. — His love of freedom and the well-being of his 
 fellow creatures was confined to no country or race, and 
 he was ever ready and active to do good and to serve 
 others. 
 
 Never was there a more affectionate friend or relation, 
 feeling keenly and deeply the sorrow caused by the 
 death of such friends as coloiiel Ware and colonel O'Niell. 
 The tender interest he took in the children of his friends 
 and relations shewed his gentle nature ; he knew how to 
 talk to the young, and he used to speak with pride and 
 
344 ME.MOII'.S OF MILES BYP.NE 
 
 gratification of the promise of future abilities, which he 
 thought he saw in some of liis young nephews, the sons 
 of one of our nieces. 
 
 Those now alive who knew him will remember well 
 his fine tall manly figure and his sweet countenance 
 beaming with benevolence. 
 
 All his admirable and amiable qualities made his loss 
 be felt the greater and more affiicting. 
 
 He was very cheerful and happy-looking all friday ; 
 about eleven o'clock at night, he appeared to be falling 
 asleep, — but alas, life was gone I 
 
 He lies interred in the cemetery of Montmartre He was 
 followed to his grave by manj' mourning friends, who 
 knew well how to appreciate his virtues and high qua- 
 lities. — 
 
 The inscription I have put upon his tomb tells the simple 
 truth. 
 
 Fanny BYRNE. 
 
MEMOIRS OF .MILES DYUNE 345 
 
 ICI P.EPOSE 
 
 MILES BYRNE 
 
 CHEl- 1>E nATAll.l.ON AU SERVICE I)E FRANCE, 
 
 OFFICIEU 1)E LA LECION d'HOiNNEUR, 
 
 CHEVALIER DE SAINT LOUIS. 
 
 NE A MOXASEED, DANS LE COMTE DE 
 
 WEXFORD EX IRLANDE, 
 
 LE 20 MARS 1780, 
 
 MORI A PAR. IS 
 
 LE 24 JANVIER 1862. 
 
 DANS SA LONGIJE CARRIERE 
 
 IL s'EST TOUJOURS DISTINGUE PAR LA DROITURE 
 
 ET LA LOYAUTE DE SON CARACTERE 
 
 ET PAR L'ELEVATION DE SES SENTIMENTS. 
 
 SINCEREMENT ATTACHE A L'iRLANDE 
 
 SON PAYS NATAL, 
 
 IL A FIDELEMENT SERVI LA FRANCE 
 
 SA PATRIE ADOPTIVE. 
 
APPENDIX 
 
 Copy of a letter fi-om colonel Maire of the 8th regiment 
 of the line to Mr Byrne. 
 
 << Milan, 5 novembrc 1859. 
 « Mon bou et cher commandant, 
 
 « Lorsque j'ai recu votre aimable lettre du 2 juin, qui 
 ne m'estparvenue que le 15, les mouvements rapides que 
 nous operions dans la Lombardie me laissaient peu d'ins- 
 tants disponibles ; j'avais d'ailleurs la responsabilite du 
 commandement du regiment depuis Montebello ou mon 
 colonel avait ete blesse. J'attendais done le premier mo- 
 
3i8 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 ment de repit jtour voiis tcrire une lettre aussi long-ue que 
 possi!)]e, quaud la bataille de Solferino est arriv^e sur les 
 entrefaites. L'eng-agement avait commence a quatre heures 
 du matin; vers le milieu de la journee j'avais deja vu 
 tomber autour de moi dix-huit officiers et je restai senl 
 ofEcier superieur, blesse moi-meme, mais pas assez grie- 
 vement, pour abandonner encore la partie : a cinq 
 heures du soir, le rog-imcnt avait vingt-deux officiers 
 hors de combat, et j'avais pour ma part re;;u trois coups 
 de feu et deux Eclats d'obus. 
 
 « Malgr6 la gravity de mes blessures, je me suis tire 
 d'affaire. Apres un sejour de quatre mois a Tambulance, 
 j'entre en convalescence et j'espere que I'usage des eavix 
 I'annde procbaine completera ma guerisou. 
 
 « Je dois dire qu'on m'a indemnise de mes blessures 
 en me nommant colonel du 8*^ de ligne, quand j'avais a 
 peine un an de grade de lieutenant-colonel. Je compte 
 rentrer en France dans une liuitaine de jours pour rejoindre 
 mon nouveau regiment. 
 
 « II n'y a qu'une quinzaine de jours que je peux me 
 permettre d'ecrire, et je ne le fais encore qu'avec assez de 
 difficultes, ce qui vous expliquera mon affreux griffon- 
 nage. 
 
 « Je compte aller a Paris vers le mois de Janvier quand 
 je serai un peu plus consolide, et je serai tres-lieureux de 
 vous Y voir ainsi que madame Byrne, que je prie de vou- 
 loir bien agr^er mes plus respectueux hommages. Et 
 vous, mon bon et cher commandant, veuillez recevoir la 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 349 
 
 nouvelle assurance des sentiments les plus affectueux et 
 les plus devoues de votre ex-sous-lieutenant. 
 
 « Baron E. Maire. » 
 
 P. S. — Si vous voyez Ferdinand Danner, soyez assez 
 bon pour lui offrir mes^oonnes amities. 
 
 E. M. 
 
 Upon Mr Byrne's lamented death at Paris, on the 24th 
 of January, 1862, there appeared in the « Union « (a Paris 
 journal), the lullowing- article, written by an old brother 
 officer lieutenant-colonel Mac Sheehy. 
 
 NECROLOGIE 
 
 « Le 27 Janvier ont eu lieu a Saint-Philippe du Roule, 
 les obseques d'un de ces hommes heroiques dig-nes d'etre 
 cites en exemple aux generations presentes et futures. Le 
 chevalier Byrne, vaillant officier de notre ancienne armee, 
 etait un chef de bataillon en retraite, chevalier de Saint- 
 Louis, officier de la Legion d'honn;'ur, Tun des derniers 
 survivants de Tinsurrection iriandaise de 1798, a laquelle 
 il prit une part glorieuse, notamment aux combats 
 d'OulardHill et de Cariffrew Hill. 
 
350 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 « Quancl les forces si considerables envoyees d'Angle- 
 terre et commaudees par lord Cornwallis dureat con 
 damner I'lrlande a n'^tre plus qu'une province anglaise 
 et que Robert Emniett vouluttenter un dernier effort pour 
 delivrer sa patrie, en 1803, Byrne fut encore un des plus 
 fermes et des plus actifs soutiens de cette uouvelle insur- 
 rection, qui echoua encore comme la pr^cedente. On sait 
 le sort qui attendait Robert Emmett. Son frere dut gagner 
 I'Amerique, ou il devint un avocat distingue. 
 
 « Byrne put s'e nbarquer pour la France et mettre son 
 6pee au service de sa nouvelle patrie d' adoption. Incorpore 
 dans I'infanterie, il tint d'abord garnison en'^Bretague et 
 fit partie de cette legion iriandaise qui, emule glorieuse 
 de Tancienne brigade de ce nom, fournit tant de braves 
 soldats, dout les uoms se trouvent encore dans tons les 
 rangs de Tarm^e, depuis le sous-lieutenant jusqu'au 
 mareclial de France. 
 
 « Byrne, apres avoir gagne ses premiers grades a Lan- 
 dau, a Mayence, au camp de Boulogne, se distingua 
 surtout en Espagne et en Portugal. En 1814, Carnot le 
 mit k Tordre du jour lors du siege d'Anvers. En 1828, il 
 partait pour I'expedition de Grece, et recut le comman- 
 dement du chateau de Moree. Au retour, il fut nommei 
 chef de bataillon au 56^ de ligne : ce fut son dernier regi- 
 ment ; aussi, un de ses anciens lieutenants, « le colonel 
 Danner », en accompagnant les restes du vieux gentil- 
 homme irlandais a sa derniere demeure, a-t-il, d'une voix 
 profondement emue, prononce ces paroles : 
 
MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 351 
 
 a An bord de la tombe du digne commandant Byrne, 
 a je viens representer ses anciens compagnons d'armes, 
 « ceux surtout au milieu desquels il avait atteint le 
 « terme de sa carriere militaire. 
 
 '( II avait laisse parmi nous, avecle modelc de ses longs 
 « et hoDorables services, le souvenir bien plus rare des 
 « sentiments les plus elevt^s, du coeur le plus loyal, le 
 « plus genereux. 
 
 « C'est ce culte de haute estime et de vive affection 
 « dont nous Favons entoure, de pres ou de loin, dans sa 
 « noble vieillesse, que nous venous encore professer ici, 
 « dans les regrets que nous lui temoignons, et qui seront 
 « cliez nous ineffacables comme sa m^moire. 
 
 « Au nom de tons vos anciens amis de I'armee, au nom 
 (I de vos eleves du 56« regiment, adieu ! uotre brave et 
 « excellent commandant, adieu ! » 
 
 MILES BYRNE under the name of colonel X.. by J. Jl. from a letter 
 to the << Irishman » a Dublin newspaper, dated, Paris, I5!h 
 January 18G0, 
 
 a Many a stately old « militaire » is to be seen in the 
 streets of Paris, with wh te moustache and the small red 
 rosette on his breast; but there is « one » amongst those 
 war-worn ancients whom I wish I could bring vividly 
 before the e^-es of your w ader, for a reason w'hich will 
 presently appear. Walking on someof these bright winter 
 
352 MEMOIRS OF MILES BYRNE 
 
 days along' the avenue of the Champs -Elysees, you may 
 see a tall fig-ure, the splendid ruin of a soldier d'elite, 
 bearing- himself still erect under the weight of eighty 
 winters. Aged as he is, the impression which his aspect 
 gives you is not that of a feeble venerableness. The grey 
 eye is keen and proud; the thin face bronzed and worn 
 by war and weather, and the whole bearing of that an- 
 tique roman head, give the idea, not of decrepitude, but 
 of a certain dashing gallantry. The features are very fine 
 and delicately cut, with the undefineable thorough-bred 
 look, mobile and plastic to every impulse of feeling', of 
 merriment, resentment, benignant kindliness, as they 
 could have been even in the flush of his golden youth. 
 For in truth he is of those rare l^eings who never grow 
 old; and though he should fill up his century of years, 
 he will not be venerable. 
 
 « You perceive that he has the cross of an officer of the 
 legion of honour, and twined with the rosette of that 
 orders is the chocolate-coloured ribbon of the Saint-He- 
 lena medal — a decoration which our Anglo-Saxon bre- 
 thern do not admire, 
 
 « An old officer, then, of Napoleon-le- Grand. His rank 
 is that of chef de ba'aillon, equivalent to that of colonel in 
 the british service, and for all present purposes it will do 
 well enough to call him colonel X... — He has marched 
 over half Europe, and stood full often at the head of his 
 
.llKMOinS OF MILKS BYI'.NE '^h'.y 
 
 reg'iment on tlio, « rough edge of battle » ; served in 
 Spain, in Germany, in Greece, and at Flushing-, so that 
 I suppose he has well won his decorations and ap- 
 pointments. 
 
 « In all this there is nothing- extraordinary. Five hun- 
 dred french officers, now living, have done all this; and 
 walk when so incline in the Champs-Elysees, fine old 
 heroes, too, with fire still glowing under the grey a.shes 
 that strew their heads, and a spirit of fight yet, in any 
 stirring cause. Nevertheless, if you knew all, you would 
 gaze still more earnestly on the face of colonel X... than 
 on that of any of his compeers; for in truth he is the last 
 link that connects our enlightened (but rather shabby) 
 generation with yet older and more terrible scenes than 
 those in which he won his crosses. Other and earlier me- 
 mories cloud at times his clear grey eyes; and through 
 and beyond the battle smoke and thunder of all Napo- 
 leon's fields, he has a vision of the pikemen of New 
 Iioss, and hears the fierce hurrah on Oulard hill. 
 
 « That is to say, this colonel X... bjfore he served under 
 
 Napoleon the first, served under Father John Murphy. 
 
 He was but a youngster of eigbteen, when an uncle and 
 
 his son-in-law, gentlemen of Wexford county, were shot 
 
 down in cold blood at their own doors by a detachment of 
 
 the « Ancient Britons » lest they might have been perhaps 
 
 implicated in the united irish society, or would, could, 
 T. lu '23 
 
354 MK.MOIiiS OF .MII,!:S P.YliXK 
 
 or should be there after implicated. Bands of the peasantry 
 ^vhose houses had been burned down, ^vere ranging- the 
 liills, and at length, in disperation, under FatherMnrphy 
 and the tall youigster, now colonel X... they Avent to 
 meet the Wexford militia cavalry on their march, bar- 
 ricaded the road before them and behind, went in on 
 them with j)ikes and forks, — sandone ofthe captains, one 
 observer and one serjeant escaped alive to tell the tale that 
 tlie rebels were « up. » 
 
 « Shortly after, on Oulard hill, tlie insurgent stood 
 ranged, with a common meering ditch in front, waiting 
 the assault of several regiments advancing to attack 
 them. The regiment of North Cork militia led the assault 
 and arrived first on the brow of the hill, when the light- 
 limbed pikemen, with the same young X... in their front, 
 leaped the ditch, and swept down upon the North Cork in 
 a tempest of steel. 
 
 « The men were fresh, the pikes were thirsty; the 
 soldiers would have run if they could, l)ut these agile 
 mountaineers, long of wind and unembarrassed by 
 knapsack, were u])on them in a few strides, and the North 
 Cork militia being suddenly abolished, disappeared 
 from all army lists and muster « efTectives » from that 
 day. 
 
 « Thruughout all the campaign of those few but bloody 
 weeks, X... had his share both in victory and in defeat. 
 He and his men were bi'aten at Arklow ; but on the other 
 
WK.MOir.S OF MILES HYUXI': 355 
 
 hand lie had the gratification of destroying general ^Val- 
 pole's force. 
 
 « Again, he unluqipily missed the righteous sacrifice 
 of Ballyellis, where those atrocious « Ancient Britons », 
 basest and bloodiest of Carhamptou's banditti, were piked 
 to the last bandit. 
 
 « At Vinegar hill, he led a band of pikemen, and 
 through that long and disastrous day, helped to keep the 
 last strong hold of the insurrection against a british 
 army of twenty thousand men. 
 
 « When all was lost, he joined Holt amongst the 
 Wieklow mountains, and kept the banner of the cause 
 flying to the last. In fact it w-as not until, by the 
 failure of Emmett's attempt, Ireland was ruined and lost 
 for that generation that he entered the french service in 
 the Irish legion. 
 
 i( Here then, is cne of the « french colonels » who has 
 somewhat to add to the account they keep open. He, as 
 well as they, has the debt of Waterloo to balance; the 
 stain and sting of Saini-Helena to wash out; and over 
 and above, he throws into the debtor side of the book, Vi- 
 negar hill to be atoned. Not that there is the slightest 
 shade of malignity in the noble old man; nor so much as 
 a vindictive feeling; but there stands the account open. 
 He knows that a just God reigneth on the earth; as a 
 
356 mi:moiiis of miles r.YisNi-: 
 
 frenchman and as an irishman, lie feels that the balance 
 must be struck; and, whenever the shifting scenes of 
 diplomacy appear to open a prospect that a kind Provi- 
 dence is about to bring the hour of fipal settlement, even 
 now, ■ — even in this his day, — a flush burns on the 
 ancient warrior's thin cheek, and the hand that has 
 swayed the sword for two generations trembles like a 
 « maiden's. » 
 
 END OF THE THIRD AND LAST VOLUME 
 
 13,'3I9— Abbeville, Imp. R. Housse. 
 

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