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and the tension between the two groups on the march may have caused some desertions. These difficulties led to a loss of momentum, and the attack was delayed. McCracken was forced to make adjustments to his plan of attack, which had envisaged a simultaneous overwhelming assault on the town from four
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At this critical juncture, British reinforcements from
Belfast arrived outside the town and, assuming it to be held by the rebels, began to shell it with their artillery. This prompted more desertions and the rebel army began to disintegrate, but their withdrawal was protected by a small band under
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When the military entered the town, they began a spree of looting, burning and murder, of which the most enthusiastic perpetrators were reported to be the
Monaghan militiamen, who were anxious to prove their loyalty and expunge the shame of the recent executions of their comrades for sedition. The
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After routing the cavalry, the rebels attacked the remainder of the garrison, which then began to pull back to the safety of the castle wall; this was mistaken by a newly arrived rebel column as an attack on them, causing them to flee in panic. In the confusion, the county commander, Lord O'Neill,
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The rebel withdrawal was mistaken for a full retreat and the cavalry moved out to pursue and rout the supposed fleeing rebels. The cavalry effectively ran into a gauntlet of rebels who were protected by a long churchyard wall and stationed in houses along the main street, suffering heavy losses to
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The attack finally began shortly before 3pm when the rebels began a cautious march through the town. As rebel front ranks arrived to face the garrison's defensive line, artillery opened fire on the rebels, causing them to pull back out of range. Large clouds of dust and smoke were thrown up which,
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town of
Templepatrick was burned to the ground and Old Stone Castle was razed to the ground. McCracken, Hope and their remaining supporters withdrew northwards, establishing camps of ever dwindling size along the route of their retreat until news of the defeat at
673:, many displayed reluctance for the coming fight and stayed on the hill in reserve or deserted later so that probably fewer than 4,000 actually took part in the attack. The United Irishmen in Ulster were mostly
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had been severely damaged in a brutal disarmament campaign the previous year, and the new leadership were less radical and were not willing take to the field without
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James Hope which fought a successful rearguard action from the church grounds along the main street, which allowed the bulk of the rebels to withdraw safely.
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On 6 June, McCracken and James Hope issued a proclamation calling for the United army of Ulster to rise. The initial plan met with success, as the towns of
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Guy Beiner, Forgetful
Remembrance: Social Forgetting and Vernacular Historiography of a Rebellion in Ulster (Oxford University Press, 2018), pp. 384–386
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Meeting House. A part of the
Scottish Quarter in the town was also burned by the garrison as it was perceived to be a stronghold of rebel sympathisers.
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and armed volunteers but they also had four artillery pieces and the delay in the rebel attack had allowed them to send requests for assistance to
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in preparation for the march and attack on Antrim town, where an emergency meeting of the county's magistrates called by the county governor,
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United Irish membership in Antrim decided to hold a number of meetings independent of their leaders. The outcome was the election of
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Commemoration of the centenary of the battle, marked by a nationalist parade in
Belfast on 6 June 1898, provoked loyalist riots.
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on 7 July and was hanged in
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from where reinforcements were already on the way. The garrison formed themselves at the base of the demesne wall of
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would desert and join him, as disaffection was believed to be widespread, evidenced by the execution of four of the
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together with the fires from the
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as their adjutant general and the decision to rise immediately. McCracken, together with
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to take to the field in support of their southern comrades. However, the organisation in
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to the front and cavalry to the rear with their flanks anchored by the Market House and
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was only narrowly beaten off by troops stationed behind the demesne wall.
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After waiting for two weeks while the rebellion raged in the south, the
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The
Peerage of the United Kingdom of Great Britain & Ireland
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caused their final dispersion. McCracken was arrested by
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The town was garrisoned by a small force of about 200
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618:McCracken had high hopes that many members of the
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812:The Battle of Antrim – Antrim`s Story in 1798
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669:Although almost 10,000 rebels assembled at
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111:Learn how and when to remove this message
16:Battle during the Irish Rebellion of 1798
626:militia for treason in Belfast in May.
916:Battles of the Irish Rebellion of 1798
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794:. F.C. and J. Rivington. p. 876.
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843:. Irish Historical Press. p.
569:on 23 May had prompted calls from
551:John O'Neill, 1st Viscount O'Neill
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921:Military history of County Antrim
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530:was fought on 7 June 1798, in
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839:The Courts Martial of 1798-9
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536:Irish Rebellion of 1798
328:Irish Rebellion of 1798
289:~150 killed and wounded
233:Commanders and leaders
926:Antrim, County Antrim
788:John Debrett (1816).
696:Lt-Col William Lumley
534:, Ireland during the
281:Casualties and losses
156:Antrim, County Antrim
561:The outbreak of the
45:improve this article
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630:Rebellion in Antrim
593:Henry Joy McCracken
547:Henry Joy McCracken
411:Newtownmountkennedy
249:Major Daniel Seddon
239:Henry Joy McCracken
686:Garrison at Antrim
276:8 Artillery Pieces
60:"Battle of Antrim"
854:978-1-902057-00-2
821:978-1-9162576-2-7
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101:December 2018
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62: –
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56:Find sources:
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34:This article
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664:Lord O'Neill
652:James Dickey
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617:
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563:United Irish
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475:Vinegar Hill
455:Ballynahinch
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273:
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212:British Army
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175:Belligerents
131:Part of the
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43:Please help
38:verification
35:
18:
895: /
741:magistrates
648:Randalstown
613:County Down
601:Antrim town
510:Tory Island
500:Ballinamuck
470:Foulksmills
435:Scullabogue
416:Three Rocks
406:Gibbet Rath
401:Enniscorthy
391:Oulart Hill
286:~400 killed
244:John Storie
146:7 June 1798
910:Categories
880:54°43′19″N
775:References
644:Portaferry
597:James Hope
589:grassroots
557:Background
543:insurgents
515:24 October
480:Ballyellis
450:Saintfield
356:Prosperous
255:Col Durham
242:James Hope
71:newspapers
883:6°13′52″W
755:Aftermath
745:artillery
712:artillery
679:Defenders
640:Ballymena
605:artillery
495:Collooney
490:Castlebar
465:Big Cross
460:Ovidstown
396:Kilthomas
386:Tara Hill
361:Kilcullen
351:Rathangan
225:Loyalists
199:Defenders
671:Donegore
624:Monaghan
567:Leinster
431:New Ross
421:Bunclody
371:Dunlavin
262:Strength
246:John Orr
151:Location
710:, with
704:Lisburn
700:Belfast
620:militia
609:Belfast
545:led by
505:Killala
485:Clonard
268:~4,000
85:scholar
851:
818:
766:yeomen
692:yeomen
578:Ulster
571:Ulster
445:Arklow
440:Antrim
381:Harrow
376:Carlow
366:Carnew
163:Result
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733:pikes
636:Larne
540:Irish
92:JSTOR
78:books
849:ISBN
816:ISBN
702:and
656:Bann
646:and
526:The
346:Naas
143:Date
64:news
845:137
47:by
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