Assault on the Blackwater Fort

Last updated

Assault on the Blackwater Fort
Part of the Nine Years' War
Blackwater Fort.png
The Blackwater Fort in a 1587 sketch
Date16 February 1595
Location 54°24′45″N6°42′20″W / 54.4126°N 6.7056°W / 54.4126; -6.7056
Result Irish victory
Belligerents
O'Neill Clan.png Irish alliance Flag of England.svg Kingdom of England
Commanders and leaders
Art MacBaron O'Neill Edward Cornwall
Strength
~240 ~26
Casualties and losses
23 killed (15 at fort, 8 more died of wounds) Few

On 16 February 1595, a Gaelic Irish force assaulted and captured the English-held Blackwater Fort at Blackwatertown in County Armagh. The Irish were led by Art MacBaron O'Neill, brother of Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone, and marked Tyrone's break with the English Crown as he openly waged war against the English forces in Ireland.

Contents

The Blackwater Fort

The assault focused on the English fort which sat at a bridge on the Blackwater River, marking the border between Counties Tyrone and Armagh. It was built by Walter Devereux, 1st Earl of Essex, in 1575 as an outpost of English military strength in the heart of Gaelic Ulster, but also to secure the power of the main Irish ally in the region Hugh O'Neill, Baron of Dungannon. The fort was composed of a square earthwork bawn "twelve score yards in circuit" reinforced by two bulwarks and punctuated with gun loops in its ramparts. [1] In one corner stood a wooden tower, four storeys tall, topped with a wooden walkway and a slate-covered building. It was accessed by two doors, one led out onto the ramparts, another led to a cellar. Each storey had defensive firing loops, also known as spike holes. [2] This tower overlooked a road and bridge across the river. At the other side of the river, on the Tyrone side, was a stone tower. The stone tower controlled access to the bridge, as the road ran through it via large wooden doors.

Background

Hugh O'Neill, lord of Tyrone, was thought an ally of the English Crown and he was supported by the English authorities in Dublin as a counterweight to the power of other native lords in Ulster such as Turlough Luineach O'Neill. However, encroachment by English authorities on the liberties of the native Irish lords in Ulster during the 1580s and early 1590s caused O'Neil to create an alliance of Irish lords, which looked to throw off English rule with the help of Philip II of Spain. [3] From April 1593 O'Neill orchestrated a proxy war against the English using Hugh Maguire, Lord of Fermanagh and Hugh Roe O'Donnell, Lord or Tyrconnell. They engaged the English in the west of Ulster while O'Neill, outwardly still loyal to the Crown, strengthened his power base in Ulster and subdued the Crown's Irish allies in the north. [4] The Irish laid siege to Enniskillen Castle and defeated an English force sent to relieve it.

O'Neill's alliance was not limited to Ulster as he was allied to Fiach McHugh O'Byrne in Leinster. He had come under increasing pressure from Lord Deputy William Russell's military expeditions into the Wicklow Mountains. In desperation, Fiach McHugh asked that Tyrone offer help or at least raid the northern Pale to draw Russell out of Wicklow. [5] O'Neill requested a meeting with Russell to discuss how to proceed but this was dismissed by the Lord Deputy as a ploy to draw him out of O'Byrne's lands. Therefore, to help O'Byrne, O'Neill made his first open move against the Crown.

The Assault

On the morning of Sunday 16 February 1595, Art MacBaron O'Neill approached the fort from the direction of Armagh with 40 men, escorting what appeared to be two prisoners. As they crossed the bridge one of the English warders noticed the matchcords of the Irishmen's matchlock calivers were lit, a sign that they were ready to fire. [6] The English opened fire and MacBaron's men forced their way into the stone tower, but the English withdrew to the upper storeys and prevented the Irish from taking the tower. Meanwhile, on the other side of the river, 200 Irish soldiers swept over the earth ramparts and took the bawn. The English soldiers and their families retreated to the wooden tower. Defensive fire from within kept the Irish back and twice the warders thwarted MacBaron's attempts to burn the position. [7] Fifteen of MacBaron's men were killed attempting to storm the towers, and eight more would later die of their wounds. [8] The stalemate lasted until five o' clock in the evening when MacBaron called for a ceasefire. He offered the garrison terms for their surrender. The English, led by Edward Cornwall, were critically low on ammunition but still prevaricated until MacBaron threatened to burn the fort to the ground with all in it. The ward's surrender was agreed and MacBaron guaranteed their safe passage to Newry. [9]

Results

The loss of the fort was doubtless a military setback for the Crown, but of more significance was the presence of the Earl of Tyrone in person. According to the English commander, O'Neill arrived after the surrender and was outraged at the losses suffered in taking the fort, and was angry that the defenders had not been executed. After the English soldiers and their families left, O'Neill looked on as the bridge was demolished and the fort's defence slighted. Up until this point there was no concrete proof that O'Neill was active in the attacks by Maguire and O'Donnell in the west of Ireland. Now there was indisputable proof that the crown was at war with O'Neill.[ citation needed ]

Bibliography

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Blount, 8th Baron Mountjoy</span> English statesman (1563–1606)

Charles Blount, 1st Earl of Devonshire, KG was an English nobleman and soldier who served as Lord Deputy of Ireland under Queen Elizabeth I, and later as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland under King James I.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone</span> Irish earl (c. 1550–1616)

Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone was a Gaelic Irish lord and key figure of the Nine Years' War. Known as the "Great Earl", he led the confederacy of Irish clans against the English Crown in resistance to the Tudor conquest of Ireland under Queen Elizabeth I.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Turlough Lynagh O'Neill</span> Irish Lord

Sir Turlough Lynagh O'Neill was an Irish Gaelic lord of Tír Eoghain in early modern Ireland. He was inaugurated upon Shane O’Neill’s death, becoming The O'Neill. From 1567 to 1595, Sir Turlough Luineach O'Neill was leader of the O'Neill clan, the most powerful family in Ulster, the northern province in Ireland. He was knighted in 1578.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hugh Roe O'Donnell</span> Irish clan chief and military leader (1572–1602)

Hugh Roe O'Donnell II, also known as Red Hugh O'Donnell, was an Irish clan chief, Lord of Tyrconnell, and senior leader of the Irish confederacy during the Nine Years' War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nine Years' War (Ireland)</span> 1593–1603 Irish war against Tudor conquest

The Nine Years' War, sometimes called Tyrone's Rebellion, took place in Ireland from 1593 to 1603. It was fought between an Irish confederacy—led mainly by Hugh O'Neill of Tyrone and Hugh Roe O'Donnell of Tyrconnell—against English rule in Ireland, and was a response to the ongoing Tudor conquest of Ireland. The war began in Ulster and northern Connacht, but eventually engulfed the entire island. The Irish alliance won numerous victories against the English forces in Ireland, such as the Battle of Clontibret (1595) and the Battle of the Yellow Ford (1598), but the English won a pivotal victory against the alliance and their Spanish allies in the siege of Kinsale (1601–02). The war ended with the Treaty of Mellifont (1603). Many of the defeated northern lords left Ireland to seek support for a new uprising in the Flight of the Earls (1607), never to return. This marked the end of Gaelic Ireland and created the groundwork for the foundation of the Plantation of Ulster.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of the Yellow Ford</span> Part of the Nine Years War in Ireland (1598)

The Battle of the Yellow Ford was fought in County Armagh on 14 August 1598, during the Nine Years' War in Ireland. An English army of about 4,000, led by Henry Bagenal, was sent from the Pale to relieve the besieged Blackwater Fort. Marching from Armagh to the Blackwater, the column was routed by a Gaelic Irish army under Hugh O'Neill of Tyrone. O'Neill's forces divided the English column and a large earthwork stalled its advance. Bagenal was killed by an Irish musketeer, and scores of his men were killed and wounded when the English gunpowder wagon exploded. About 1,500 of the English army were killed and 300 deserted. After the battle, the Blackwater Fort surrendered to O'Neill. The battle marked an escalation in the war, as the English Crown greatly bolstered its military forces in Ireland, and many Irish lords who had been neutral joined O'Neill's alliance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fiach McHugh O'Byrne</span> Lord of "Clann Uí Bhroin"

Fiach mac Aodha Ó Broin was Chief of the Name of Clann Uí Bhroin and Lord of Ranelagh during the Elizabethan wars against the Irish clans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hugh Maguire (Lord of Fermanagh)</span> Irish nobleman (died 1600)

Hugh Maguire was an Irish nobleman and military commander who served in the Nine Years' War. As Chief of the Maguire clan and Lord of Fermanagh, he was the first of the Gaelic chiefs to openly rebel against Elizabeth I's conquest of Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blackwatertown</span> Village in County Armagh, Northern Ireland

Blackwatertown is a small village in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It sits on the River Blackwater, in the townland of Lisbofin, at the border with County Tyrone. The village is around 8 kilometres (5 mi) north of Armagh city, and the villages of Benburb and Moy are nearby. Blackwatertown had a population of 376 in the 2011 Census. The River Blackwater enters Lough Neagh west of Derrywarragh Island and is navigable from Maghery to Blackwatertown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charlemont, County Armagh</span> Village in County Armagh, Northern Ireland

Charlemont is a small village in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It sits on the right bank of the River Blackwater, five miles northwest of Armagh, and is linked to the neighbouring village of Moy by Charlemont Bridge. It had a population of 109 people at the 2011 Census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Clontibret</span> Battle fought during the Nine Years War

The Battle of Clontibret was fought in County Monaghan in May 1595, during the Nine Years' War in Ireland. A column of 1,750 English troops led by Henry Bagenal was ambushed near Clontibret by a larger Gaelic Irish army led by Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone. The English column had been sent to relieve the besieged English garrison at Monaghan Castle. The English suffered very heavy losses, but a suicidal cavalry charge apparently saved it from destruction. The Irish victory shocked the English and was their first severe setback during the war.

The Battle of Moyry Pass was fought during September and October 1600 in counties Armagh and Louth, in the north of Ireland, during the Nine Years' War. It was the first significant engagement of forces following the cessation of arms agreed in the previous year between the Irish leader Hugh O'Neill and the English Crown commander, the Earl of Essex.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tír Eoghain</span> Gaelic kingdom of ancient and Medieval Ireland

Tír Eoghain, also known as Tyrone, was a kingdom and later earldom of Gaelic Ireland, comprising parts of present-day County Tyrone, County Armagh, County Londonderry and County Donegal (Raphoe). The kingdom represented the core homeland of the Cenél nEógain people of the Northern Uí Néill and although they ruled, there were smaller groups of other Gaels in the area. One part of the realm to the north-east broke away and expanded, becoming Clandeboye, ruled by a scion branch of the O'Neill dynasty. In one form or another, Tyrone existed for over a millennium. Its main capital was Dungannon, though kings were inaugurated at Tullyhogue Fort.

Sir Henry Bagenal PC was marshal of the Royal Irish Army during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.

Henry MacShane O'Neill was an Irish flaith (nobleman) and a son of Shane O'Neill. He was the leader of the MacShanes in the late 16th century and early 17th century, and sought control of the O'Neill Clan, fighting with his brother Art against Hugh O'Neill.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siege of Enniskillen (1594)</span> Siege in Ireland during the Nine Years War

The siege of Enniskillen took place at Enniskillen in Fermanagh, present day Northern Ireland, in 1594 and 1595, during the Nine Years' War. In February 1594, the English had captured Enniskillen Castle from the Irish after a waterborne assault and massacred the defenders after they surrendered. From May 1594, an Irish army under Hugh Maguire and Cormac MacBaron O'Neill besieged the English garrison in the castle, and in August they defeated an English relief force. A second relief force was allowed to resupply the garrison, but the castle remained cut off. Eventually, in May 1595, the English garrison surrendered to the Irish and were then massacred.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of the Ford of the Biscuits</span> Battle in Fermanagh, Ireland during the Nine Years War

The Battle of the Ford of the Biscuits took place in Fermanagh, Ireland on 7 August 1594, during the Nine Years' War. A column of almost 650 English troops led by Sir Henry Duke was ambushed and defeated by a Gaelic Irish force under Hugh Maguire and Cormac MacBaron O'Neill at the Arney River. The English column had been sent to relieve and resupply Enniskillen Castle, which had been under siege by the Irish since May. The English suffered at least 56 killed and 69 wounded, and were forced to make a hasty retreat.

The Battle of Belleek, also known as the Battle of the Erne Fords, was fought on the River Erne near Belleek in Fermanagh, Ireland, on 10 October 1593. It was part of the buildup to the Nine Years' War. The battle was fought between a Gaelic Irish army under Hugh Maguire, lord of Fermanagh—who had begun a revolt against the English—and an English Crown expeditionary force under Sir Henry Bagenal, supported by Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone. Maguire's force was defeated, but the bulk of his army was unscathed. Hugh O'Neill would later join Maguire in war against the English.

Mabel O'Neill, Countess of Tyrone was an Anglo-Irish noblewoman best known as the third wife of prominent Gaelic Irish lord Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone.

References

  1. O'Neil, The cockpit of Ulster, p. 185
  2. A drawing of the fort is held in the National Archives, Kew see The plot of the Blackwater Fort, 1587 (T.N.A., MPF 1/99). It is reproduced in O'Neill, 'The balloon goes up in Ulster', p. 55
  3. See Morgan, Tyrone's Rebellion, Chapter 7
  4. O'Neill, The Nine Years War, pp 40-5
  5. Confession of James Fitz Morris Fitzgerald brother to Walter Reoghe, 13 and 17 Feb. 1595 (T.N.A., SP63/178, f.124).
  6. Declaration of Henry Marche, 20 Feb. 1595 (CSPI, 1592-6, 298).
  7. O'Neill, The Cockpit of Ulster, p. 186
  8. O'Neill, The Cockpit of Ulster, p.186
  9. Advertisements sent to Sir Henry Duke by several espials, 20 Feb. 1595 (T.N.A., SP 63/178, f. 122).