Following victories including the relief of Derry and the capture of Carrickfergus, Schomberg marched his forces south from Ulster. Arriving on 7 September 1689, Schomberg established his camp close to the town of Dundalk in County Louth. He did not originally intend to stay long there, but instead use it as a staging post on the way to the capital at Dublin. However a shortage of supplies led to delays. Between September and November, 5,674 troops died of illness.