The Fremont weekly journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1867-1877, 1871-07-28
The Battle of the BOVINE.

| Inc Dattle or the BOyne, which
the belligerant Protestant and Catho-
lie Irish, are so anxious to fight over
again, occurred on the 1st of July,
1890, o. s., on the Boyne river, in the
southern part of Meath county, Ire
land. The Catholic James II, had
been driven from his kingdom, and
the Protestant William and Mary of
Orange were upon the English
throne. James had broken faith
wish his English Protestant sup
porters by doing everything he could
devise to re establish the Catholic
faith in the kingdom, and relied for
support on his co-religionists, who
did not number hundreth part of
the nation. The difficulties arising
from the religious squabbles melted
by his conduct, the struggle between
himself and Parliament for suprema-
lcy. The terror with which the iu-
dietary under the Infamous Jefries
inspired the. people, and finally the
invitation On the Protestant nobility
of the kingdom to William of Orange
to come over and become King of
England, constitute the chief causes
of the English revolution of 1858, in
November Of which year William
landed in England at the head of IA
900 men. James was abandoned by
the army and the people, and fed to
France. The Highland 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 a fleet, with
which he set sail for Ireland in the
spring of 1859. In June of the fol-
lowing year William set sail for Ire
land, and two days later James was
on his way to the Irish camp pitched
on the frontier of Lienster. Under
both mOnarchs motley army was
collected, expressing Cathoicity and
Professionalism, rather than genuine
love of land OF hope Of military glory.
With William were Protestants of
England, Ireland and almost every
spot on the continent; the bulk of
James army was French and Irish.
James desired a pitched battle be-
tween Leinster and Ulster; but as
William marched forward James re-
treated, until the valley of the Boyne|
was reached, and on the banks
of the beautiful river the Or
ange and the Green decided to end
the issue. James had probably 30
900 men. Their in efficiency ii that
struggle was certainly not owing to
cowardice, for Irish troops have
been on almost every battle field of
Europe among the best fighters, and
their record in our own rebellion is
not eclipsed by that of any other ma
tionality. But they had been so
viciously trained that they were good
for nothing as steady soldiers, and
starvation and misery do not put
backbone in men. James himself
was no soldier.
At daybreak on the 1st Of july,
both armies were in motion. On the
morning of the previous day, Viii
liam had breakfasted on the grass,
and a group of Irish officers, looking
over the stream which was not at
that point two hundred feet wide,
discovered the royal colors and sent
shot enough over to wound William
in the arm, fill the English with dis
may, and craze the allied French
and Irish with delirous Joy, for they
believed the victory already won.
But despite his wound William re
manned nineteen honrs in the saddle,
and on the morning Of the first re-
viewed his troops, who were wild with
enthusiasm.
The struggle began at once and
was soon ended. Against the ad-
vice of his generals, William deter
mined to attack his foes, and COM
PEELED a portion othls army-to make
march through the river. The
water reached to the men s armpits.
While this movement was attracting
the attention of the waiting Irish,
William 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 their foes on the
opposite bank, yet the moment tue
Englishmen touched the shore the
whole Irish line broke in disorder,
fed under the very eyes of the brave
Tvrconuel, who stood aghast with
astonishment, and the victory was
already accorded to the Protestants.
Whole regiments of the Irish fed
| like sheep, "throwing away arms,
coIors and cloaks, and scampering
off to the hills without striking a
blow or firing a shot"