The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1871-07-27
oTTUMwA wAPE1Lo COUNTY, IOWA THURSDAY, a. 1871


The Battle of tho Boyne, which
the belligeteht Protestant and Cath
olic Irish are so anxious to fight oeer
again, occurred on the 1st Of July,
1890 0. g., on the Boyne river, in the
southern part of Meath county, Ire
and. The Catholic James II. had
been driven from his kingdom, and
the Protestant William and Mary oi
Grange were upon the English
throne. Jamos had broken faith
with his English Protestant support
ers by doing everything he could
devise to re establish the Catholic
faith in the kingdom, and relied for
support on his co.re1igionists, who
did not then number q hundredth
part of the nation. The difficulties
arising from the religious squabbles
melted by his conduct, the struggle
between himself and Parliament for
supremacy, the terror with which
the judiciary under the infamous
Jeffrles inspired the people, and
finaliy the invitation Of the Protes.
tant nobility of the kingdom to Will.
liam Of Orange to tome over and
become King of England, constitute
tho chief causes of the Epglish revo-
luton Of 1888, in November OF which
yest William landed In England at
the head of 1000 mon. James was
abandoned by the army and the peo-
pie, and fed to France. The High
land clans Of Scotland and the Irish
Catholics took up arms in favor of
James while he was rusticating in
France. Louis XIV also espoused
his cause and furnished him with q
feet, with which he set sail for Ire
land in the spring of 1859. In June
of the following year William set
out for Ireland, and two days later
James was on his way to tho Irish
camp pitched on the frontier of
Leinster. Under both monarchs q
motley army was collected, express
ing Catholicity and Protestantism
rather than genuine love of land or
hope Of military glory. With Will
liam were Protestants of England,
Ireland and almost every spot on
the continent; the bulk of James
army was French and Irish. Jan es
desired a pitched battle between
Leinster and Ulster; bdt as William
marched forward James retreated,
until the valley of the Boyne was
feached, and on the banks of the
beautiful river the Orange and the
Green decided to end the issue.---
James had probably 10000 men,
Their ineficiency in that struggle
was certainly not owing to coward
ice, for Irish troops have been on
almost every battlefield Of Europe
among the pest fighters, and their
record in our own rebellion is not
eclipsed by that Of any other nation
ality. But they had been go vicious
ly trained that they were good tor
nothing as steady soldiers, and star
vation and misery do not put back
bone in men. James himself was no
soldier.
At day break on the first of July,
both armies were in motion. On the
morning Of the previous day William
had breakfasted ON tho grass, and a
group of Irish officers, looking over
The stream which was not at that
point two hundred feet wide, discov-
cred the royal colors and sent shot
enough over to wound William in
the arm, fil' the English with dismay
and craze the allied French and Irish
with delirious JOY. for they believed
the victory already won. But de-
spite his wound William remained
nipeteen hours in the saddle, and on
the morning Of the first reviewed his
troops, who were wild with enthusi-
asm.
The struggle began at once and
was soon ended. Against the advice
of his generals William determined
to attack his foes, and compel por-
ton of his army to make march
through the river. The water
reached to the mons arm-pits. While
this movement was attracting the
attention OF the waiting Irish, vii.
liam prepared to pass the river above
Drogheda with the center of his
army. AS the English infantry
breasted the stream, shouts Of exul-
tation arose from heir foes on the
oppos te bank, yet the moment the
Englishmen touched the shore, the
whole Irish line broke in disorder
fled under the very eyes of the brave
Tyrconnel, WHO stood aghast with
astonishment, and the victory was
already accorded TO the Protestants
Whole regiments of the Irish fed
like sheep, "throwiDg away arms
colors and cloaks and scampered of
to the hills without striking q blow
or firing shot Chicago Post.