Siege of Carrickfergus (1689)
Siege of Carrickfergus | |||||||
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Part of Williamite War in Ireland | |||||||
Carrickfergus Castle | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Williamites | Jacobites | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Marshal Schomberg |
Charles MacCarthy More Cormac O'Neill | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
Unknown | 500 | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
200 | 150 |
The siege of Carrickfergus took place in August 1689 when a force of Williamite troops under Marshal Schomberg landed and laid siege to the Jacobite garrison of Carrickfergus in Ireland. After a week the Jacobites surrendered, and were allowed to march out with the honours of war.[1]
Background
Carrickfergus was a traditional stronghold of
After the Break of Dromore on 14 March, Richard Hamilton's Jacobite forces had swept through Eastern Ulster bringing all of County Down and Antrim under their control. Carrickfergus and its surrounding area were securely under Jacobite rule as Hamilton advanced to lay siege to Derry, one of the few remaining Protestant strongholds in Ireland. What had initially seemed as though it would be a quick victory began to drag out through the summer, particularly as some Jacobite forces had to be diverted to confront the defenders of Enniskillen. Meanwhile, a series of relief forces were being prepared in England. Percy Kirke led an expedition to Derry, where the siege was finally broken on 28 July. In the face of the sudden defeat, Jacobite forces began to withdraw from Derry and employed a scorched earth policy as they retreated.
Landing
A second major wave of reinforcements was assembled at
By 13 August the expedition was in sight of the
The landing added to a series of setbacks for the Jacobites including their failures at Derry and Enniskillen and the defeat of a Jacobite force at the
Siege
As Schomberg wanted to march on Dublin before the winter set in, he intended to move rapidly to reduce Carrickfergus. He marched through to Belfast, sending out patrols to prevent plundering in the area by the retreating Jacobites.
On 14 August, expecting an imminent siege, the Jacobites had set fire to the town's
During that night the Williamites dug trenches in an attempt to move as close to the walls possible, prompting intense exchanges of fire. Schomberg's artillery targeted the
During another parley, Schomberg rejected a demand that the garrison be allowed to surrender with the honours of war, to be able to march away with their weapons to the nearest Jacobite garrison, and insisted on unconditional surrender. Many of the garrison wanted to agree to the terms, but a group led by Colonel Owen MacCarthy and Governor MacCarthy More were determined to hold out. Williamite fire had created a breach near the North Gate, but at night, the defenders desperately tried to fill it in and make other running repairs on the defences.[8]
To add to the pressure on the defenders, Schomberg ordered Royal Naval vessels in the harbour to join in the bombardment. Although the garrison had good stocks of food, they were already running low on gunpowder. By the evening of 27 August, with Henry Wharton's regiment poised to make an assault against the breach, the Jacobites ran up a white flag and agreed to surrender. Schomberg had reversed his earlier position and was now willing to grant them the honours of war, allowing the garrison to march to Newry with their weapons and baggage.[9]
Aftermath
Many of the town's buildings had been hit during the artillery duel. On the morning of 28 August the garrison, accompanied by their families and other
In response to Schomberg's landing, King James called out the militia across Ireland, and began making preparations to defend Dublin.[12] After leaving Sir Henry Ingoldsby's regiment to garrison Carrickfergus, Schomberg and his main force departed the town on 28 August. However, Schomberg's progress southwards was slower than he intended, and having reached Dundalk by 7 September he had to halt his force there due to lack of supplies, which were still being shipped through the increasingly distant Carrickfergus.[13]
Faced with a large Jacobite
In June 1690 William of Orange landed at Carrickfergus, shortly before beginning the campaign that would lead to his victory at the Battle of the Boyne the following month.
References
Bibliography
- Barratt, John. Battles for the Three Kingdoms: The Campaigns for England, Scotland and Ireland, 1689-92. Sutton, 2007.
- Childs, John. The Williamite Wars in Ireland. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2007.
- McNally, Michael. Battle of the Boyne 1690: The Irish Campaign for the English Crown. Osprey Publishing, 2005.