New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1851-04-17

"a Ff
had been tusht. but tco detached Tor rs % lo'.
irw. Acting without concert and ia UNUSED
r-Esses the insurgents were EentfaHy o- .1A'- u
Bot they cut oil several small bodies OF tr'o5s'
and toak some arms sud smmunltiou' t'e! "o,
Ftructed the reads so that Tor 2 week ID HN"
srrived 10 thevsg itai. They carried IA ~
b Thew surprised a military party et D-ho yue'
within eisht miles Of Dublin. the result 10 Ia
several combats was such az % inspire tren &l'1
confidence. At Kucu'en n body oi rebels a.
taken post about the Church General u-nlAs
roce uQ with q troop Of forty borsemen, aHi W.T.
+ ont waiting Tor bis infantry dashed upon tleul--
I But the Irish pixies proved more tneu ulNte" o'
/ the horse and his rider The cavalry recol'si -
Again they rushed o. the srock A5ala norses
fell back ard aud riders rolled rom their saddles
Al tire thiTd charge the troop Wss almost "no"y
des,roved Two Captains and tweLty-tT 20 priva,es
/ were killed on the spot, and ten 90 BABY "olnI'
/ ed that most of them died soon after Enls Ii'tie
affair did much 10 remove the terror which the n
sureents at first bad felt Of the CHARGES OF cavalry
Though these sc,Ious were small, they spread
universal conservation Every man tfemoIed
under sense OF insecurity. Men on horseoack
were shot at from behind hedges. Oitenin aHgnt
uieht, armed men were seen stealing a9o1t tne
residences Of the gentry. The sky was Redeemed
with conhagratious. LOyalists, who renamed IN
the country were obliged 70 bolt and par ana gar
rson their houses. Others fled from their homes
! and sought safety in the towns Small military
centrase in large bodies.
But the county Of \ ildare was uniSVofao.s 60
this guerilla warfare. No mountains guard II rom
sDprosch No wild Businesses hide the peasant
from bis foe. Among the hills, climbing among
rocks and dertDg into the thick oresh tue peasant
wss the equal Of the soldier. But the extensive
/ Mains Of X ildare present no defense against an
army. They lie close to the capital, and were OF
course easily overrun. Troops OF cavalry secured
the country Hundreds laid down their arms
D Z
field and by retreating rapidly, nov to the bog OF
4 Allen. and now to the " icklow Mountains, they
kept the standard Of rebellion sioat. This very
band was the last that surrendered IN the war,
and then only on the promise OF general amnesty
ENcANrNENT oN VINEGAR HILL.
The first rising was headed by Catholic priest,
whose name soon became famous. Father John
Murphy was the son Of farmer. lie had been
educated at Seville in Spain. He now spread the
alarm of war by lighting fire on NIL which was
answered from a distance. A band OF insurgents
soon collected around him, with which he took
post On the hill Of Oulart a detachment OF ITO
picked men of the North Cork militia marched to
attack them. The terror which they had struck
into the poor peasantry left them not doubt that
they should easily scatter the rebels with great
slsuehter They fixed two voleys aud charged
furiously up the hill The Irish were seized with
panic at this FIRST onset Of regular troops and
broke their ranks and He'd Father John new 70
aso from the other side oithe hlll-that they were
surrounded that there vas no retreat-they must
CONQUER or die. Quick as thought they wheeled,
and rushed upon the troops, who were advancing
in some disorder, with such fury that oil bat i've
were instantly killed. These escaped only to
spread The terror Of the rebel arms.
The moral effect Of this first victory was I'M
mense A similar body Of insurgents had been
defeated that day on another hill few miles oil,
and had these too been scattered they wouldpe
hapshaye dispersed 70 their homes, and the rebel
lion been crushed in the bud. But this success
gave them confidence. 1t blew up their enshu-
siesm. AS they saw the uniforms OF more than
hundred dead soldiers the hill every
pcasapt felt strong in his courage and in his trusty
pike. The tdings flew fast. Fires blazed from
the hills. The instruction spread IN all quarters.
And thousands Of peasants came Hooking 70 the
camp.
Tie military who had been so mercess to the
peoUle had now their turn to fear. The men who
had escaped were pale with terror, as they told OF
the savage ferocity with which the rebels fought
They found that it was one thing to tie az an lfsh
peasant and whip him In their barracks, and quite
another to meet him when " his foot was on his
nHJivo lo@tb, ~yhe- his arm vas frsS, and pike
In shard. At Corey the whole population, troops
ard all abandoned the town, and lied for their
lives. Many came to the priests for protection,
aIdthiuking that their only safety was in becom'
ing Catholics begged TO be baptized. To the
honor Of the priests, be it said, that their inter
fereLce saved many lives. To the panic which this
battle caused, is to oe referred more than one dis
sIaceiul defeat OF the war.
Father Murphy did not sufler this enthusi-
asm 20 be lost. The next day he marched TO
attack Enniscortby This town is divided into
two pats by the river Saney, which Is crossed by
stone bridge. The insurgents approached on
the western side. They drove before them horses
ard cattle to disorder the ranks Of the enemy and
with loud shouts advanced to the attack. They
soon penetrated the town, which they set on fire.
Tee troops at the gates were forced fall back to
the bridge. Here they maintained most oostl'
nate defence Some idea of the severity OF the
engagement may be formed from the fact that one
company fired forty rounds each man. But the
river at this time was low, and by wading up TO
the middle, and some Of them up 20 the neck, the
rebels were able to cross, and to take the troops
in flank. The town was get on ire on the eastern
side Of the river. The order was given to retreat.
All was now horror in the town. Men, women
and children, mothers carrying their infants on
their backs, fed through the burning streets This
terrified multitude poured forth on the road to
Wexford, fourteen miles to the south. Happily
they were not pursued and succeeded in making
their escape.
The rebels, too content with their victory 10
chase the flying foe now set about establishing an
entrenched camp. The town of Enniscorthy lies
az the foot Of q lofty eminence, called Vinegar
Hill As the setting sun fell across the landscape
thousands Of armed peasants might be eeen climb
ing up the hight. As this was the center of their
operations for the rest ofshe war, we may mount
the hill with them, and take look at their camp.
On the summit stood an old windmill which
they converted into a guard.house for prisoners
On the tower they planted the green flag of Ire
land, which ioated in full view Of the country for
miles around. Along the edge OF the hill they
threw up an intrenchment, on which they planted
q few cannon. Sentinels were stationed around
the hill, and videts along the roads. The bell Of
the Church Of Ennscorthy, which had been taken
down, was swung between two beams TO mark
the hours for changing guard, and to strike the
alarm in case of a surprise.
The appearance Of the encampment was motley
ero-eh. 4 ieW white tents lotred the Gald nndar