The Irish standard., 1901-08-17

Nine months Of blood and slaughter
begun Aug. IA, 1649, and lasting till
May of the following year, is the cruel
record of Oliver Cromwell in his en-
deavor to conquer Ireland and stamp
out the Catholic religion. In March,
1649, he was made commander of the
forces, and on Aug. 13 he set sail for
Milford Haven and landed in Dublin
the following day. He brought with
him 5000 foot, 1000 horse and an
abundant supply Of all kinds of mill
tary stores
A short time previous parliament
had passed an act, commanding that
no officer or soldier, either by sea or
land, shall give any quarter to an
Irishman, or to any Papist born in
ireland, and that all Irishmen and all
Papists shall be excepted in all capitu-
lations and agreements, and that upon
the taking Of every such Irishman or
Papist they shall be put to death.
A few days later Cromwell was
Joined by other forces, and was ready
to take the field with an army Of 1900
men. O'Connell, in his 'Memoirs of
Ireland" thus says Of Cromwell's de-
parture for Ireland: 81 now come to
the master demon; he who stepped his
hands in the blood Of his sovereign,
and came to Ireland reeking from that
crime; in order, by horrible cruelties
committed on the Irish, to acquire pop
ularity in England
On Aug. "a, Cromwell issued proc
lamation that he had assumed the su-
preme command, and promising pro-
lection to call well minded persons" !"
On Sept. 1 he marched for Drogheda,
which was garrisoned with 5000
troops under the command of Sir Ar
thur Ashton. Cromwell arrived before
the town on the Sd, and put his bate
ries into position seven days later. OF
the siege and the capture of the town,
Cromwell thus wrote: "I don't believe
than any officer escaped with his life,
save only one"
"After gaining entrance to the town."
says DR.. Lingard, "the conquerors d.
rected their fury against the townsmen
and on the next morning (Sept. 12),
1000 unresisting victims were massa-
cred within the walls Of the great
: church. No distinction was made"
DR.. Warner, Protestant clergyman,
in his account of this massacre, agrees
with Lingard that the slaughter was
terrible. Cromwell in his message to
the English parliament thus speaks Of
this massacre, saying 'That they (the
1rish) had the insolence on the last
Lords day to thrust out the Protest
ants (from that church,, and to have
the Mass said there"
Carte, the English historian, thus
writes: Gall the officers and soldiers Of
Cromwell's army promised quarter. But
when they had once all in their power
and feared that no hurt could be done
them, Cromwell gave orders that no
quarter should be given.'' The Mar
quis of Ormon says that on this
occasion Cromwell exceeded himself,
and anything he had ever heard of,
in breach of faith and bloody inhuman-
ity; and that the cruelties exercised
there for five days after the town was
taken would make as many pictures Of
tnhumanity as the Book of Martyrs I"
And Leland thus adds: "a number
Of ecclesiastics were found within the
walls and Cromwell ordered his SOL
diers to plunge their weapons into the
helpless wretches." Lord Clarendon
also gives the following account Of
the barbarities: "The enemy entered
the works." he said, "and put every
man to the sword and after entering
the town they executed all manner of
cruelty, and put all the inhabitants
man, woman and child-to the sword"
For five days the streets of Drogheda
ran with blood, says Lingard. ENG.
land" says O'Connell, Gin what letters
of blood have you not written your
cruel domination in Irelandw
Lecky says: '"The sleges Of Droghe-
da and Wexford and the massacres