Battle of the Yellow Ford
| date | August 14, 1598 |
|---|---|
| place | Close to the Blackwater River |
| output | Victory of the rebels |
| Parties to the conflict | |
|---|---|
|
Irish rebels |
English troops |
| Commander | |
|
Henry Bagenal (†) |
|
| Troop strength | |
| unknown (several thousand) | approx. 4000 |
| losses | |
|
200 |
1500-2000 |
Clontibret - Carrickfergus - Yellow Ford - Curlew Pass - Cahir Castle - Moyry Pass - Kinsale - Dunboy
The battle at Yellow Ford ( Irish Beal an Atha Buidhe ) took place on August 14, 1598 during the Nine Years War south of Armagh (Irish Ard Mhacha ) (in present-day Northern Ireland ). Opponents were the Irish rebel troops under Aodh Mór Ó Néill and Aodh Ruadh Ó Domhnaill ( English name Red Hugh O'Donnell ) and an English army under Henry Bagenal , who wanted to reach a fort on the Blackwater River from the city of Armagh. During this march, they were ambushed by the rebels and suffered heavy losses.
The battle
The area through which the English troops had to march was hilly, wooded and dotted with moors - ideal for an ambush. In addition, O'Neill had dug trenches and parapets built on the route he had foreseen . Shortly after leaving the city of Armagh, the English troops were caught in musket fire, which separated the various English companies from one another. An artillery gun also got stuck in the mud, which threw the remaining group back further as they tried to get the gun free again.
Even more chaos and desperation among the English troops arose when Bagenal was shot in the head and an English gunpowder warehouse exploded. The Irish troops took advantage of this confusion - the horsemen, followed by foot soldiers with swords, rushed into the battle in which the English troops were literally slaughtered. The remaining English soldiers tried to fight their way back to Armagh, which they eventually succeeded. But the Irish troops pursued them and now besieged the city. After three days of negotiations, the English troops were able to leave Armagh, but had to leave their weapons and ammunition behind.
The English troops suffered between 1,500 and 2,000 deaths during this battle - including 18 high-ranking officers. Several hundred soldiers also deserted to the rebels. Of the more than 4,000 soldiers who left Armagh, just under 2,000 returned. On the O'Neill side, about 200 were killed and 600 injured.
Literature (in English)
- GA Hayes McCoy: Irish Battles . Belfast 1990
- John McCavitt: The Flight of the Earls . Dublin 2002
Individual evidence
- ^ Mark Charles Fissel: War and government in Britain, 1598-1650 , p. 1. ISBN 0-7190-2887-6 (English), accessed on May 27, 2011