"British forces at Battle of Vinegar Hill 1798..?" Topic

Does anyone know the make up of the British forces some 10,000 strong at the Battle of Vinegar Hill in Ireland in 1798…?

I know its in the Napoleonic Wars Data Book… but i dont have it with me.

Shipka, does this battle have another name ? According to
the Napoleonic Wars Data Book, there were only 2 actions
in Ireland (at least, in 1798 – I didn't look at previous
or successive years)). All of the following info is
from the Napoleonic Wars Data Book:

Thus: Castlebar, 27 Aug 1798. French – Humbert (GdeB)
w/2nd Bn, 70th Demibrigade of the line; about 1 coy each
from Infantry Regiments Lamourex, Lee, O'Meara, La Chatre
and Feydur. 11 men of the 12th Huss.; 1/2 Squadron of
the 3rd Chass a Cheval. Total French ~1,200. French
losses not known exactly, but cited as 'very light'

British: MG Lake w/1 coy 6th foot; 1 Sq. Lord Roden's
Fencible Dragoons; 1 Bn each of the Longford and
Kilkenny militias; 1/2 Bn Fraser's Fencibles; 1 coy
Galway Volunteers; 4 Sqn's 6th DG (Dragoon Guards ??)
Artillery (not enumerated). Total British ~ 5,000.
British losses cited as 400 men, 10 guns and 8 colors.
From the NWDB: "Apart from the 6th Foot, the artillery
(100 men) and Roden's Fencible Dragoons, the Anglo-
Irish force panicked and fled. The quantity of
colours claimed to have been taken seems most excessive
for the regiments present."
French win; sources given as Fortescue, Bodart, Charrie

Ballinamuk 8 September 1798 French, as above, but ~1,100
men and with 'artillery' (captured from previous ???)
but not enumerated. French losses: all captured, 12
guns, 1 colour (2nd Bn, 70th DemiBrigade).

British: FM Lord Cornwallis w/1 coy 6th Foot; 1 Sqn
Lord Roden's Fencible Dragoons; various Irish
militia regiments; artillery (not enumerated).
British total: ~ 8,000. British losses: none.
NWDB comment: 250 Irish rebels were taken. Lots were
drawn among them and 36 were hanged. Pte. Toole of the
Armagh Militia took the French colour which can now be
seen in St. Patrick's Cathedral, Armagh.

British win. Sources: Fortescue, Bodart.

Vinegar Hill was 12th June 1798 (Napoleonic Source book) or 21st June (wikipedia link )

I was sure it was in there…

Richard Brooks (Cassell's Battlefields of Britain & Ireland) has it on 21st June. Unfortunately the only information contained therein regarding the British forces is that they numbered 10,000 and had 12 guns. There is a mention of a unit named the Dumbarton Fencibles which implies that at least some of the British force were militia.

Apparently Digby Smith's information is incomplete !

Edwulf, these (NWDB and Napoleonic Source Book) seem to be
two different books. I assure you, my copy of the NWDB,
ISBN 1-85367-276-9, does NOT mention a battle of Vinegar
Hill.

Edit: Haythornthwaite's book – OF COURSE ! Thought I
recognized the title…

I stand corrected. Digby Smith's info is NOT incomplete.

Vinegar Hill was not, according to an historian friend
of mine (faculty at UNC) strictly speaking, a Napoleonic
battle (just as Bladensburg was not) since it was
an internal affair (United Irish versus Crown forces).

Right on, Mr. Smith…

This is not a complete list but its a start:

7th Dragoons
Durham Fencibles
Royal Irish Artillery
Dumbarton Fencibles
Suffolk Fencibles
Antrim Militia
Cavan Militia
North Cork Militia

"Inclosed is a return of the ordnance taken on Vinegar-hill, in which are included three taken from us on the 4th of June: — " Return of ordnance taken from the rebels on Vinegar-hill, 1\st June, 1798.
3 Six-pounders, brass.
1 Three-pounder.
7 One-pounders.
1 5 1/2 inch howitzer.
1 4 1/2 inch howitzer.

13 Total.

Rounds of ammunition. 17 Six-pounders. 30 One-pounders. 11 5 1/2 inch howitzers."

"Return of the killed, wounded, and missing of the King's troops, in the attack of Vinegar-Hill and Enniscorthy, June 21, 1798 :—

OFFICERS KILLED.

Lieutenant Sandys, Longford militia, attached to 1st battalion; Lieutenant Barnes, 13th foot, attached to 4th battalion.

WOUNDED.

Major Vesey (now Colonel Vesey), Dublin county militia; Colonel King, Sligo militia; Captain Dunne, 7th dragoon-guards; Captain Shundea, 60th regiment of foot, 5th battalion; Lieutenant Barker, Kildare militia, attached to 4th battalion; Lieutenant Hill, Mid-Lothian fencible cavalry.

Ninth Dragoons—1 rank and file killed.

Mid-Lothian—1 rank and file wounded.

Hompesch's Hussars—2 rank and file wounded.

Dunlavin Yeomen Cavalry—1 rank and file wounded.

89th Regiment of Foot—1 rank and file killed.

1st battalion Light Infantry—1 serjeant wounded, 2 rank and file killed, 18 wounded, and 3 missing.

Royal British Horse Artillery—1 rank and file wounded.

Sligo Militia—2 rank and file killed, 2 wounded.

Suffolk Fencible Infantry—2 rank and file wounded.

5th battalion 60th Regiment—1 serjeant missing, 5 rank and file killed, 5 wounded.

4th Light battalion—1 serjeant 3 rank and file killed, 22 wounded, 1 missing.

Royal Meath Militia—1 serjeant killed.

Roscommon Militia—1 rank and file wounded, 1 missing.

Dublin County Militia—2 rank and file killed, 6 wounded."

List of the officers of the several regiments and corps of fencible cavalry and infantry: of the officers of the militia 1797:

link

Same information as above but providing some formation structure:

"Return of the killed, wounded, and missing, on the 21st of June, in the Attack of Vinegar Hill, and the Town of Enniscorthy.

Lieutenant-general Dundas's corps — major-general sir James Duff's brigade—89th regiment, 1 rank and file killed.

Needham's brigade — 7th dragoon guards, 1 captain wounded.

Wilford's brigade — 9th dragoons, 1 rank and file killed.—Dunlavin yeoman cavalry, 1 rank and file wounded. First battalion of light infantry, 1 subaltern killed, 1 serjeant wounded, 2 rank and file killed, 18 ditto wounded, 3 ditto missing. Sligo militia, 1 field officer wounded, 2 rank and file killed, 3 ditto wounded. Suffolk fencibies,2 rank and file wounded.

Names of officers killed and wounded.— Colonel King of the Sligo corps, wounded. Captain Dunne, of 7th dragoon guards, wounded. Lieutenant S. Sands, of the Longford corps, killed.

Major-general Johnson's corps — Royal British artillery, 1 rank and file wounded. Mid Lothian, 1 subaltern wounded, 1 rank and file wounded. Hompesch's hussars, 2 rank and file wounded. Fifth battalion, 60th regiment, 1 captain wounded, 1 serjeant missing, 5 rank and file killed, 5 ditto wounded. Fourth battalion, 1 subaltern killed, 1 ditto wounded, 1 serjeant killed, 3 rank and file killed, 22 ditto wounded, 1 ditto missing. Royal Meath regiment, 1 serjeant killed. Roscommon ditto, 1 rank and file wounded, 1 ditto missing. Dublin county ditto, 1 field officer wounded, 2 rank and file killed, 6 ditto wounded.

Names of officers killed and wounded.—Lieut. Baines, of 13th foot, attached to 4th battalion killed. Major Veley, of Dublin county regiment, wounded. Capt. Schneider, of 5th battalion, 60th regiment, wounded. Lieut. Barker, of the Kildare, attached to the 4th battalion, wounded. Lieut. Hill, of the Mid-Lothian, wounded.

Total, 2 field officers wounded, 2 captains wounded, 2 subalterns killed, 2 ditto wounded, 2 serjeants killel, 1 ditto wounded, 1 ditto missing, 16 rank and file killed, 62 ditto wounded, 5 ditto missing."

"Lieutenant-general Dundas commanded the centre column, supported by a column upon the right under major-generals sir J. Duff and Loftus ; a fourth column, upon the left, was commanded by the hon. major-general Needham."

It is with great gratitude I also beg leave to mention the able assistance I received from major-generals Hewitt and Cradock, and from colonel Handheld, on this, as I do on all occasions; and should be extremely wanting to myself, as well as to lord Glentworth, lieutenant-colonel Blyth and lieutenant-colonel Read (who did me the honour to volunteer their service, and accompany me from Dublin), were I to omit expressing the high sense I entertain of their active and useful aid to me this morning. I also beg leave to mention in the same warm terms; my aide-de-camp, captain Nicholson."

"and I am happy in expressing my obligations to captain Bloomfield, commanding the British, and captain Crawford, commanding the Irish royal artillery"

"I cannot say too much in favour of Captain Bloomfield, B. H. artillery, and Captain Thornhill, commanding the Royal Irish flying artillery"

<<There is a mention of a unit named the Dumbarton Fencibles which implies that at least some of the British force were militia.>>

Fencibles were not militia; they were regular troops who were only required to serve in Great Britain or Ireland (ie they could not be sent overseas – principally the W Indies).

I concur with SM. Militia, Fencibles, Yeomanry and Supplementary Militia (also known as 'Volunteer Infantry') were distinctly different things:

Militia regiments were infantry, conscripted by ballot and serving for five years. If a war was on, they served as full-time 'regulars' and were often sent to far-flung corners of the country. However, they could not be sent overseas, which included Ireland (unless they were Irish Militia, of course). For example, in 1797 when the French landed at Fishguard, the Pembrokeshire Militia were away defending Felixstowe, while the neighbouring counties' militia were defending other ports in Kent and Norfolk, as well as putting down riots in Cumbria.

Fencibles were full-time volunteer regiments raised for home service, but this time including Ireland. There were infantry and cavalry regiments of Fencibles. Again, when the 1797 Fishguard landings occurred, the Pembrokeshire Fencible Cavalry were in Ireland.

Yeomanry were part-time volunteer cavalry, raised ostensibly for local defence, though they were occasionally sent much further afield to deal with riots, etc.

Supplementary Militia – usually referred to as 'Volunteer Infantry' – were true part-time local defence troops and were the infantry equivalent of the Yeomanry. Service in the Supplementary Militia meant the the volunteer's name would be removed from the 'regular' Militia ballot. These units occasionally contained cavalry and artillery, though at the CO's personal expense (e.g. the Towyn Volunteer Legion, which contained a company of infantry, 20 light dragoons and a 2pdr grasshopper gun). Annoyingly, the Supplementary Miltiia are often referred to as 'Fencibles' – even in official correspondence. Virtually every account of 1797 refers to 'Fencibles', even though there were absolutely no Fencible regiments involved in the Fishguard campaign – only Militia, Yeomanry and Supplementary Militia.