The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1914-08-15

est part of the Notifications, Crom-
we'll had selected for attack, as 1T
could afford safe entrance for his
horse, and shelter for them on the in
side under the church walls. The
other breach was in the south wall of
the town. About five o'clock he sent
forward his storming parties. Se:en
hundred men entered the breaches,
but earthworks had been thrown up
inside, and the garrison defended
them with such desperate bravery
that the fierce assailants were driven
back through the breaches with con-
siderable loss. Some accounts men
ton three separate assaults, but his
dispatch to the Parliament Crom-
we'll says the entertainments were
carried at the second assault. Can
ron were placed so as to shoot down
some of the Irish horse WhiaI were
posted behind the works to encour-
age the foot, and Colonel Wall,
whose regiment was defending the
breaches. having been killed, his men
became discouraged and wavered.
1t was probably at this moment that
Cromwell's officers and men prom
Used quarter to the Irish. but the pre-
else time at which this was done is
involved in obscurity. That quarter,
however, was offered, is unquestion-
able. Various contemporaries, as
Clarendon and Carte, assure us of
the fact; and they add that the
promise was kept as long as the gar
rison resisted, but" says the latter
historian. when they found all in
their power, and feared no hurt that
could be done to them, Cromwell be.
ing told by Jones that he had now
the flower of the Irish army in his
hands, gave orders that no quarter
should be given" The besiegers had
before this gained tower in which
there was a gally-port, but the pas
sage was so blocked up with the
bodies of the dead that it was usiess
to them. However, being now mas
ter of the two branches, they intro
duced their cavalry through that at
st. Mary's Church, and by the other
gained access to the great Tuatha de
Danann tumulus called the ilill-
mount, the sides of which were
strongly defended with palisades, be-
hind which the besieged disputed the
ground for some time, though they
yielded on the promise of quarter.
The brave governor, Sir Arthur AS
ton, with the officers of his staff, Sir
Edward Verney and Colonies War
rem, Fleming, and Byrne, retreated
into the old mill on the top of the
mound, where they were disar:ncd
and slain in cold blood. AS this
position commanded the. town all re-
sistance must have been USE
less; and the besiegers pouring in
through the two breaches. crossed
the bridge pell-mell with the flying
garrison, and were thus in possess
sion of the north side of the town.
Drogheda was gained. but the work
of slaughter had only commenced.
The officers and soldiers of the gar
rison were the first to be exterminat-
ed. Out of 5000 choice troops only
about thirty men were saved, and
these were reserved by Cromwell for
deportation to Barbados. He him
self says. "Our men were ordered
by me to put them all to the sword"
The fury of the fanatical conqucrors
was then let loose against the un.
armed townspeople; and every man,
woman and child of Irish extraction
that could be found within the de-
voted city was most brutally murder
ed! This savage butchery occupied
five whole days. It was on the morn
ing of the 18th that Cromwell's
troops came to the great church of
st. Peters, on the North side of the
city. To this sacred edifice upwards
Of thousand of the principal i.ha5-
itants had fled for protection but
every one of them was put 20 the
sword; and as palliation Of tie
massacre of these innocent people.
Cromwell tells the Parliament that
"they had the insolence on the last
Lords day to thrust out the Profess
tants (from that church) and to have
the Mass said there" All the eccle-
siastics were, as a matter of course.
put to death, or, as Leland insolent-
ly expresses it, Cromwell ordered
his soldiers to plunge their weapons
into the helpless wretches!" A num-
Der Of people had sought refuge in
the church steeple. which was con-
structed of timber. and Cromwell
tells us that he ordered fire to be ap-
piled. Some were burned, and the
rest were slaughtered as they at
tempted to escape. A multitude of
respectable women, comprising all
the principal ladies of the city, con-
cealed themselves in the crypts I'M
der the chOir NJ tho oh,,rch h,,f