The Battle of Castlebar occurred on 27th August during the Irish Rebellion of 1798 when a combined force of 2,000 French troops and Irish rebels routed a force of 6,000 British troops in what would later became known as the Races of Castlebar. August 27 is the 239th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (240th in leap years), with 126 days remaining. ... 1798 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 53. ... Statistics Province: Connacht County Town: Castlebar Code: MO Area: 5,397 km² Population (2002) 117,428 Website: www. ... General Humbert (1755-1823) was a French revolutionary general famous for his failed invasion of Ireland in 1798. ... Gerard Lake, 1st Viscount Lake (July 27, 1744 - February 20, 1808), was a British general. ... The Irish Rebellion of 1798 (Éirí Amach 1798 in Irish), or 1798 rebellion as it is known locally, was an uprising in 1798, lasting several months, against the British dominated Kingdom of Ireland. ... The Battle of Ballymore-Eustace was one of the events in the United Irish rebellion of 1798. ... In one of the first engagements of the 1798 rebellion, a force of over 1,000 rebels attacked Naas, the strongest Crown garrison in county Kildare, following the successful mobilisation of United Irishmen, Defenders and rebels throughout county Kildare on the night of 23rd May. ... United Irish taking of Prosperous, Co. ... // Battles of Kilcullen 24th May 1798 The battle of Kilcullen was one of the first engagements in the Irish Rebellion of 1798 consisting of two seperate clashes between a force of United Irish rebels and British military. ... Battle of Carlow, 25th May 1798 Following the outbreak of the 1798 Rebellion on 24th May in county Kildare, Carlow rebels assembled on the night of the 24th and set off at dawn to attack the County town and picked up more volunteers along the way. ... The Battle of Tara Hill was fought on 26 May 1798 between British forces and Irish rebels involved in the Irish Rebellion of 1798, resulting in a heavy defeat for the rebels and the end of the rebellion in County Meath. ... Battle of Oulart Hill 27th May 1798 The battle of Oulart Hill took place on 27th May 1798 when a rebel gathering of 1,000 annihilated a detachment of militia sent from Wexford town to stamp out the spread of 1798 rebellion in county Wexford. ... Gibbet Rath massacre, Curragh, Co. ... Battle of Three Rocks, Wexford 30th May 1798 The battle of Three Rocks was a United Irish victory during the 1798 rebellion against a British artillery column marching to reinforce Wexford town against anticipated rebel attack. ... The battle of Bunclody or Newtownbarry as it was then called, was a battle in the Irish Rebellion of 1798, which took place on 1st June 1798 when a force of some 5,000 rebels led by Catholic priest Fr. ... The Battle of Tuberneering was fought on June 4, 1798, between Great Britian and Ireland. ... The Battle of New Ross took place in county Wexford in south-eastern Ireland, during the Irish Rebellion of 1798. ... The Battle of Antrim was fought on June 7, 1798, between Great Britain and Ireland. ... The Battle of Arklow took place during the Irish Rebellion of 1798 on June 9th when a rebel force from Wexford, estimated at 10,000 strong, launched an assault into County Wicklow, on the British-held town of Arklow, in an attempt to spread the rebellion into Wicklow and to... The battle of Ovidstown, Co. ... The battle of Foulksmills (also known as the battle of Goffs Bridge) was a battle on 20th June 1798 between advancing British forces seeking to stamp out the rebellion in Wexford during the Irish Rebellion of 1798 and a rebel army assembled to oppose them. ... Combatants Irish Rebels British Army, Hessian Mercenaries Commanders Rebel Council Gerard Lake Strength 20,000 15,000 Casualties 1,000 (inc. ... The battle of Ballyellis on 30th June 1798 was a clash during the 1798 rebellion between a surviving column of the dispersed Wexford rebel army and pursuing British forces which resulted in a total victory for the rebels. ... The Battle of Ballinamuck was the last land battle of the 1798 Rebellion in Ireland. ... The Irish Rebellion of 1798 (Éirí Amach 1798 in Irish), or 1798 rebellion as it is known locally, was an uprising in 1798, lasting several months, against the British dominated Kingdom of Ireland. ... The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. ...

Background

The long awaited French landing to assist the Irish rebellion had taken place five days previously on 22 August when almost 1,100 troops under the command of General Humbert landed at Cill Chuimín Strand, County Mayo. Although the force was small, the remote location ensured an unopposed landing away from the tens of thousands of British soldiers concentrated in the east in Leinster, engaged in mopping up operations against remaining pockets of rebels. The nearby town of Killala was quickly captured after a brief resistance by local yeomen and Ballina also taken two days later following the rout of a force of cavalry sent from the town to oppose their march. Irish volunteers began to trickle into the French camp from all over Mayo following the news of the French landing. General Humbert (1755-1823) was a French revolutionary general famous for his failed invasion of Ireland in 1798. ... Statistics Province: Connacht County Town: Castlebar Code: MO Area: 5,397 km² Population (2002) 117,428 Website: www. ... Statistics Area: 19,774. ... Killala (Irish: Cill Ala) is a village in County Mayo, Republic of Ireland. ... Yeoman is an antiquated term for farmers, tradesmen and other members of the early English middle class. ... Ballina town center Ballina (which derives from Béal an Átha [mouth of the ford] or Béal Átha an Fheadha in Irish), is the second largest town in County Mayo in the Republic of Ireland, and was the largest until Castlebar surpassed it between the 1996 and 2002 Censuses. ... Kircholm, a 1925 painting by Wojciech Kossak. ...

The Lord Lieutenant, Lord Cornwallis, requested urgent reinforcements from England but in the interim all available forces were concentrated at Castlebar under the command of General Lake, the victor of the battle of Vinegar Hill. The build-up of the British forces at Castlebar had reached 6,000 soldiers with dozens of artillery pieces and huge supplies by dawn of the 27th August. Official standard of the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland The Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (plural: Lords Lieutenant), also known as the Judiciar in the early mediaeval period and as the Lord Deputy as late as the 17th century, was the Kings representative and head of the Irish executive during the... Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis (December 31, 1738 – October 5, 1805) was an English military commander and colonial governor. ... Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my right) Englands location (dark green) within the United Kingdom (light green), with the Republic of Ireland (blue) to its west Languages English Capital London Largest city London Area – Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population –mid-2004... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 53. ... Gerard Lake, 1st Viscount Lake (July 27, 1744 - February 20, 1808), was a British general. ... Combatants Irish Rebels British Army, Hessian Mercenaries Commanders Rebel Council Gerard Lake Strength 20,000 15,000 Casualties 1,000 (inc. ... Historically, artillery refers to any engine used for the discharge of projectiles during war. ... (Redirected from 27th August) August 27 is the 239th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (240th in leap years), with 126 days remaining. ...

Preparations

Leaving about 200 French regulars behind in Killala to cover his rear and line of withdrawal, Humbert took a combined force of about 2,000 French and Irish on 26th August to march on and take Castlebar. The obvious nature of his objective presented the reinforced British there with the apparent advantage of being able to deploy their forces to face a head-on attack from the Ballina road and their forces and artillery were accordingly arranged. However, local rebels advised the French of an alternative route to Castlebar through the wilds along the west of Lough Conn, which the British thought impassable for a modern army with attendant artillery train. This route was successfully taken and when Lake’s scouts spotted the approaching enemy, the surprised British had to hurriedly change the deployment of their entire force to face the threat from this unanticipated direction. Killala (Irish: Cill Ala) is a village in County Mayo, Republic of Ireland. ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 53. ... Historically, artillery refers to any engine used for the discharge of projectiles during war. ... Lough Conn is a lake in County Mayo in the province of Connaught in Ireland and covers about 14,000 acres (57 km²). With its immediate neighbour to the south, Lough Cullin, it is connected to the sea by the River Moy. ...

Attack

The British had barely completed their new deployment when the Franco-Irish army appeared outside the town at about 6.00 a.m. The newly sited British artillery opened up on the advancing French and Irish and cut them down in droves. French officers however, quickly identified an area of scrub and undergrowth in a defile facing the centre of the artillery line which interfered with, and provided some cover from, the British line of fire. The French launched a bayonet charge, the ferocity and determination of which unnerved units of the militia stationed behind the artillery. The militia units began to waver before the French reached their lines and eventually turned in panic and fled the battlefield, abandoning the gunners and artillery. Some soldiers of the Longford and Kilkenny militias ran to join the rebels and even joined in the fighting against their former comrades. A unit of cavalry and British regular infantry attempted to stand and stem the tide of panic but were quickly overwhelmed. Scrub has a number of meanings: Look up scrub in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The US Marine Corps OKC-3S bayonet A bayonet (from French baïonnette) is a knife- or dagger-shaped weapon designed to fit on or over the muzzle of a rifle or similar weapon. ... The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... Longford (An Longfort in Irish) is the county town of County Longford in the Midlands of Ireland. ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 52. ... Kircholm, a 1925 painting by Wojciech Kossak. ...

The "Races of Castlebar"

In the headlong flight of thousands of British soldiers, massive quantities of guns and equipment were abandoned, among which was General Lakes personal luggage. Although not pursued a mile or two beyond Castlebar, the British did not stop until reaching Tuam, with some units fleeing as far as Athlone in the panic. The panic was such that only the arrival of Cornwallis at Athlone prevented further flight across the Shannon. WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 53. ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 53. ... Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis (December 31, 1738 – October 5, 1805) was an English military commander and colonial governor. ... The River Shannon (Irish: Sionainn), Irelands longest river, divides the West of Ireland (mostly the province of Connaught) from the east and south (Leinster and most of Munster). ...

Although achieving a spectacular victory, the losses of the French and Irish were high, losing about 150 men, mostly to the cannonade at the start of the battle. The British suffered over 350 casualties of which about 80 were killed, the rest either wounded or captured, including perhaps 150 who joined the rebels. Following the victory, thousands of volunteers flocked to join the French who also sent a request to France for reinforcements and formally declared a Republic of Connaught. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...