Colonel Sir John Edgeworth having been guilty of irregularity in procuring clothing, viz., purchasing the old clothing of disbanded Roman Catholic soldiers, from the Jews, to supply the recruits, instead of providing new clothing, was deprived of his commission; and on the 1st of May, 1689, the colonelcy was conferred on Edward Earl of Meath: Major Newcomb was appointed lieut.-colonel, and Captain Frederick Hamilton major.
Early in May the regiment marched into Wales.
Meanwhile the Prince of Orange had been elevated to the throne; but Earl Tyrconnel, who had been nominated lord-lieutenant of Ireland in the preceding year, had retained that country in the Roman Catholic interest; King James had arrived there with a body of French troops, and the whole country was subject to him, excepting Enniskillen and Londonderry, which were defended by Protestants. To rescue the suffering Protestants of Ireland from the power of their enemies, King William assembled an army at Chester, under Marshal Frederick Duke Schomberg; and the Earl of Meath's regiment being selected for this service, marched to Highlake, where it embarked for Ireland, and landing at White-house, near Belfast, on the 22nd of August, joined the troops under Duke Schomberg, who had commenced the siege of Carrickfergus, which fortress surrendered a few days afterwards.
The regiment advanced with the army to Dundalk, where a camp was formed on low, wet ground, which occasioned great loss of life among the troops from disease. No action of importance occurred during this campaign, and the regiment passed the winter in quarters at Lisburn, where it furnished a daily guard at Duke Schomberg's quarters: its ranks were completed by zealous Protestants, who were eager to enrol themselves under its colours, and it was the strongest corps in the army.
1690
In the summer of 1690, King William arrived in Ireland, and the officers and soldiers of the regiment had the honor of serving under the eye of their Sovereign. They took part in the memorable battle of the Boyne, on the 1st of July, when the army of King William forced the passage of the river in the face of the French and Irish forces under King James, and gained a decisive victory.
From the Boyne the regiment marched with the army towards Dublin, and at the general review at Finglass, on the 7th and 8th of July, it mustered six hundred and seventy-eight rank and file. It afterwards proceeded towards Limerick, where the defeated army of King James had rallied, and was prepared to make a determined stand. On arriving before the town, the regiment was detached, with three other corps, against Castle-Connell, which surrendered on being summoned.
The British battering train was destroyed by a detachment of the enemy, before it arrived at the camp; but the King resolved to prosecute the siege, and on the 20th of August the grenadiers of the regiment, commanded by Captain Needham, with those of Lord Cutts's regiment under Captain Foxon, entered the trenches to storm one of the outworks near the south-east corner of the wall. At two o'clock in the afternoon the signal was given, when the grenadiers rushed forward under a heavy fire, threw a shower of hand-grenades into the outwork, and scaling the wall with distinguished gallantry, captured the fort, killing about fifty men, and making a captain and twelve men prisoners: the remainder of the garrison escaped into the town. The grenadiers maintained the post they had captured; a sortie of the enemy was repulsed; and when the soldiers of the regiment were relieved, they retired: as they withdrew, Captain Needham was killed by a random shot from the town.[11]
A breach being made in the wall, and the approaches carried to the foot of the glacis, the King ordered a general assault to be made, on the 27th of August, by half the grenadiers of the army, supported by seven battalions, to capture the covered way and two towers near the breach: the Earl of Meath's regiment was one of the corps selected for this service. The assault was made with great gallantry; but, owing to some misapprehension of orders, the attack failed, and the several regiments engaged were forced to retire to the trenches, with the loss of five hundred officers and soldiers killed, and upwards of a thousand wounded.
The regiment had Lieutenant Latham and Ensign Smith killed; Lieut.-Colonel Newcomb died of his wounds; Colonel the Earl of Meath, Lieutenants Blakeney and Hubblethorn, wounded; and upwards of a hundred soldiers killed and wounded.[12]