BELFAST RB BOOKLET 2020 - Flipbook - Page 67
Ci t y of Belf ast Grand Bl ack Chapt er - Dem onst rat i on Bookl et 2020
Even by torchlight, William was still giving King's
head,
while
he
stood
final instruction, inspecting and assuring his communicating with his officers, and
men, before the final battle, on the morn.
giving the orders for battle.
The bird then descended to where the
His direction was that the river should
William had stood, but arose again from that
be passed at three different points: (a) on his right wing (to be princely spot, renewed his song with fervour,
commanded by Count Schomberg and before flying across towards the enemy camp
General Douglas), to and on the west of in the direction of Donore, seemingly to invite
the King, with his song, to follow that way.
a field near the Slane Bridge,
The Williamite army marvelled at this bird,
(b) in the centre, under the command
and accepted this indication of success and an
of the Duke of Schomberg, (in the front
omen of glorious victory.
of the Irish camp), and
The lark is now regarded as the symbol
(c) on the left wing, by the King of King William's army, and that of
himself, at a ford between his army and Orangemen.
the town of Drogheda.
At around 6 o'clock, the troops were ready
At length, King William retired to his tent for for action. The right wing of ten thousand men
a short respite from fatigue, then as all was (horse and foot), the former led by Count
still and silence reigned around, many
Schomberg, and the latter by
a soldier was wooed to a short
Lieutenant George Douglas,
repose ere the sun should rise
marched up along the river bank
and give many of them `light to
towards the Slane Bridge and
die'. Stretched out on the
effected a landing on the other
ground lay many a brave
side, even with the opposition
soldier of Orange destined
from
Sir
Neil
O'Neill's
perhaps to sleep the 'sleep of
Dragoons, whereby he himself
death'.
was killed in the contest.
The night was dark, and the
Schomberg
and
Douglas
heavens hung with black like an
advanced their troops being reimmense funeral pall as if foretelling the enforced by more infantry, and made such
fate of the following morning. The gloom instant deployment of their troops that the
was of short duration, for then it was the Irish retreated towards Duleek, closely
day of that memorable 1st July which arose followed by Schomberg's cavalry, who
in the glory of the summer sun, and set in enforced many casualties on the enemy.
the immortal victory.
In the meantime, in the centre and under the
King William arose shortly after the break of Command of Duke Schomberg the Dutch Blue
dawn and at about 5 o'clock he emerged from Guards, the French Protestants, the
his tent.
Enniskilleners, the Brandenburghers and the
On the instant of his Majesty's English were ordered to cross the ford
appearance, a lark was reportedly seen to opposite the village of Oldbridge, where the
ascend not far from behind Irish had the advantage of ground.
the Royal tent and kept
The water in the river was considerably at
poised in the air, pouring high level, obliging many of the troops to
forth the melody of his wade across chest high, holding their
wild and spirited song musketry above their heads.
directly over the
IN MEMORY OF THE FALLEN - 65 - AND THE FUTURE OF THE LIVING