Irish Rebellion of 1798: Encyclopedia II - Irish Rebellion of 1798 - The Rebellion Spreads

Irish Rebellion of 1798 - The Rebellion Spreads

In Wicklow large numbers rose but largely operated away from settled areas and engaged in a bloody rural guerilla war with the military and loyalist forces. "General" Joseph Holt led up to 1,000 men in the Wicklow Hills forcing the British to commit substantial forces to the area until his capitulation in October.

In the north-east, Presbyterian rebels under Henry Joy McCracken briefly occupied Antrim town on 7 June before being defeated on 13 June. In Down, after initial success at Saintfield, the rebels led by Henry Munro were defeated in the longest battle of the rebellion at Ballinahinch.

The rebels had most success in the south-eastern county of Wexford, where they seized control of the county but a series of bloody defeats at New Ross, Arklow, and Newtownbarry prevented the effective spread of the rebellion beyond the county borders. 20,000 troops eventually poured into Wexford inflicting defeat at the battle of Vinegar Hill on 21 June. The dispersed rebels spread in two columns through the midlands, Kilkenny and finally towards Ulster. The last remnants of these forces fought on until their final defeat on 14th July at the battles of Knightstown Bog, Co. Meath and Ballyboghill, County Dublin.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "The Rebellion Spreads", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki