James fled with such rapidity, that he reached Dublin that night. He stopped there a very short time ; and af ter having advised his partizans to submit to William, he continued his route, and embarked at Waterford for France. His army also retreated by Dublin ; but they directed their march towards Athlone and Limerick, highly dissatisfied with James's conduct during the battle, and with his deser tion of them after its unfortunate issue.
The King did not attempt to pursue the defeated army; but having received the submission of the garrison of Drogheda, he advanced slowly to the south, and encamped about two miles from Dublin. A proclamation was im mediately issued, promising pardon and protection to the lower orders of men who had remained at home, or should return thither, and give up their arms ; but expressly ex cluding from pardon the leaders of the rebellion. Com missioners were also appointed to seize all forfeitures ris ing from the rebellion.
As the enemy's forces had retreated to Athlone and Limerick, it became necessary to take measures for follow ing and reducing them. Accordingly, after William had permitted his army to rest a short time, he detached ten regiments of infantry, and five of horse, towards Athlone, while he himself marched southward with a larger force. Athlone was first attacked ; but William's troops being re pulsed, their commander judged it prudent to give up the enterprize, and to march to join the King. The great ob ject of the monarch was the reduction of Limerick. He began his approaches to this city, which was very strong, on the 9th of August. The garrison was commanded by Boileau, a Frenchman, who took every measure that skill and experience could suggest for the defence of the place. One of his first enterprizes was to intercept an escort, and succeeding in this, he gave fresh spirit to his troops, and an earnest to William of the difficulties he might expect to encounter. The King, however, was naturally of a in per not easily damped or dispirited. He proceeded n his plans, and, on the 18th of August, was enabled to open his batteries. On the 27th, having effected a breach, an as sault was ordered ; but after this attempt had been carried on for the space of three hours, William was obliged to re treat, with a loss of 500 killed and 1000 wounded ; and soon afterwards he ordered the siege to be raised, and his army to retreat to Clonmell. Thence he himself proceeded to Waterford, and embarked for England. On his depar ture, the command of the forces was lett to Count Sohnes and Ginckle, and the care of the civil government to two lords justices.
The Earl of Marlborough, afterwards so famous, had, before 'William raised the siege of Limerick, sailed from Portsmouth with 5000 men ; and, landing near Cork w i Cork, he reduced this place and Kinsale. This event, so prejudi
cial to the cause of James, as almostimmediately follow ed by the departure of Boileau and his French soldiers from Limerick, between whom and the Irish there had long been much jealousy.
The Irish were not, however, dispirited by these events. On the contrary, they prepared for an attack on the gar rison at Mullingar, and, for this purpose, had collected forage for 5000 cavalry for five days at Athlone. Ginckle, on learning this, resolved to anticipate the attack, and, marching at the head of 3000 men from Mullingar, he at tacked a considerable body of the Irish, who were encamp ed at Bally more. The attack succeeded ; the enemy fled ; but, rallying at a place called Grenoge, they again gave battle, and were again defeated, and thrown into complete disorder. By this defeat, their plan.of offensive operations against the English garrisons was frustrated.
The partizans of James would probably have given way to despair, had not their hopes been kept up by the pro mise of supplies from France ; but only officers came, and among them Saint Ruth, who was empowered by James to take the command of all his troops in Ireland. This gene ral, after having learnt the number of the forces which he was to command, and of those by which he would be op posed, deemed it prudent to act solely on the defensive; and he therefore strengthened his posts on the west side of the Shannon, while with his main army he took his sta tion behind Athlone.
Against Saint Ruth, thus situated, Ginckle resolved to commence offensive operations. On the 18th of June, he came in sight of the town ; a breach was soon made in the wall of what is called the English town, and that part was taken by storm ; but it seemed impossible to reach the Irish town, the bridge being broken down, and the Shan non being here extremely deep, and at the same time very narrow. Ginckle, under these circumstances, twice at tempted to repair the bridge, but the works were destroyed. His officers and troops, instead of being discouraged, were eager to ford the river, notwithstanding the obstacles and dangers to which they would be thus exposed ; and the general giving way to their impetuosity, they rushed into the stream, gained the opposite shore, and in spite of the enemy's incessant fire, in half an hour were masters of the town. I his disaster increased the mutual hatred of the Irish and French ; and of it, and the hatred thus increas ed, Ginckle endeavoured to take advantage, by issuing a proclamation, offering pardon to those who would desert James. This offer, however, produced little effect : and it was evident that the cause must be entirely decided by force of arms.