The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1872-12-08

Morning Star and Catholic Messenger.
NEW ORLEANS. SUNDAY. DEcsMBER 8. ls7a
\ concluded from sixth psgel II
Athlone stands on the river Shannon, part
" on one bank and partly on the other,
Of the town that is on the Leinster side is
called the English town )" that upon the
Connaught side is called the " Irish town."
When the English army advanced against
the town of:Athlone, in the first siege, Colo
mel Richard Grace, who held the town,
beat back the English many times-aye,
sight times more than his number-with 80
much bravery, that the whole army 81
England was obliged to retire from before
Athione, and give up the eiege.
Then, William advanced upon Limerick.
He brought with him the whole strength of
his army. He had, when he went to Lime
rick, 26, 600 men in regular line Of battle.
In the town of Limerick there was an army
Che immortal Sarsfeld, and partly of
French, under . general named Lasun.
When the great EDglish army, with its
King, was approaching tho city, tho French
general, seeing it 60 defenseless, actually
left the town with his troops, swearing that
plea" Sarsfeld, with the Irish, remained.
( William advanced before the town and bat
tered it with his cannon, until no made .
breach thirty-six feet wide; and then he
aesanlted it with Il, 900 Of bis picked men.
They actually entered the town, and were
On back over the broken interior wahs-
beaten 30 that, whilst even the wcuen.o of
n Limsfick entered into the contest, fighting
side by side with the men-after three
hours and q half Of fighting, William,
Prince of Orange withdrew from the as
seult, and left 1000 dead men in the breach
OF Limerick; 1000 men and 155 officers
wers destroyed in that assault on limerick.
The next day King William sent a message
10 the city, asking them for leave to bury
his dead and the answer he got was !:
~ BegOne-we will give you no leave; take
yourself away, and We will bury your
head!
In the second siege of Athlone, in the
Following year, the English town was occu-
pied by Colonel Fitzgerald. General St.
I Ruth, with the Irish army, lay two miles
sway ON the other side Of the Shannon.
Tho Enslish town was assailed by 5000
men, against the 400 who defended it.
Fitzgerald and his Irish troops remained,
and stopped the whole English army, and
were left, before they crossed the bridge
and gave up that portion of the town. Be-
fore they crossed the bridge they broke ono
81 the arches, and then crossing over they
Joined the garrison. The Epglish army,
with all their artillery, battered that Irish
standing there, or q stone upon q stone.
= Before they forced the Irish troops to re-
4 tire, the English attempted to plank over
the broken arch Of the bridge. They
4 had. their guns ranged to sweep it..
Eleven Irish soldiers came cut to tear
A14 ola noof thAnN inf he
river, and such was the sweeping fire of
she English artillery, that out of the eleven
only two of the poor fellows survived.
Again the English advanced to the attack,
and again eleven other I,ish sergeants OF
she various regiments came out 10 the face
Of all their artillery, and deliberately de-
troy edthe wooden bridge they were max
ing over the Shannon. And when the town
vas taken at last, it was mere heap OF
4 xf1ins. 1t was taken, not through any want
Of bravery on the part of the Irish soldiers
French general, St. Ruth, who refused to
succor them or stand by them.
S or Aughrm 1 will not speak; because
Mr.. Froude himself acknowledges that at
Aughrim, the Irish soldiers fought brave
". And because l have for this English
gentleman, really and truly, sincere re
gard and esteem, 1 would ask him to dc
8YuaG WOuiO uO III WSho AL uAs
position I would ask him to reconsider
the word in which he seems to imply 9
faint of cowardice ON Iri6hmen, at home
and abroad, and, in the name of God, tc
take that word back.
In 1861 the second seig8 of Limerick be-
gan and 80 gallant was the resistance, &c
brave the defence, that William OF Orange
who was q brave man,-and if left to him
self would have been a tolerant and milo
man,-he bore no ill-will to the Irish, be-
cause he was a stranger to them, and only
came to Ireland simply as warrior in thu
service of war;-he saw in the Irish high
spirited and brave people; and he wa
obliged to come to terms. In the capituia
zion articles signed for the Irish, they re
ceived honorable terms from the royalty o
England. By those very articles, thei
rights as citizens and as Catholics were rec
ognized to every liberty Of conscience ans
of religion. Scarcely was the treaty o
Limerick signed by the Lords Justices
than French feet entered the Shannon:
q French feet of eighteen ships of tn,