Part of the regiment afterwards proceeded to Arklow, in the neighbourhood of which place the rebels were in great force. On the morning of the 9th of June, 30,000 insurgents advanced to attack the town with three guns and such a multitude of pikemen, that they appeared like a moving forest. Thrice they attacked the town, headed by their priests in clerical vestments, and evinced astonishing intrepidity; but were unable to make any impression on the steady valour of the King's troops, though they had an advantage in numbers of twenty to one. The celebrated Father Murphy was cut in two by a cannon-ball while in the act of heading one of the attacks, waving a green flag, and shouting "Liberty or death." The contest was continued until evening; and the Fourth Dragoon Guards and Fifth Dragoons repeatedly charged, and in every instance routed the rebels with immense loss. The Fencible regiment of Ancient Britons also distinguished itself, and its Colonel, Sir W. Williams Wynne, was overpowered, and a rebel was in the act of piking him, when Corporal James M'Connel, of the Fourth Dragoon Guards, rushed forward to his aid, and slew the rebel. Captain William Smith also distinguished himself at the head of his troop of the Fourth Dragoon Guards in a particular manner. About eight o'clock in the evening the rebels retreated, leaving the ground literally covered with slain, their loss being estimated at between 6000 and 7000 men.

After repulsing the enemy at Arklow, dispositions were made for a combined attack of the King's forces on the rebels' stronghold at Vinegar Hill,[20] in the neighbourhood of Enniscorthy; and the Royal Irish Dragoon Guards marched to the scene of conflict under the orders of Major-General Wilford. The design of the Commander-in-Chief was to surround the post; and with this view 15,000 men, with artillery in proportion, advanced by four different routes. The first division commanded by Lieutenant-General Sir David Dundas; the second under Major-Generals Sir James Duff and Loftus; the third under Major-General Needham; and the fourth under Major-Generals Johnson and Ross: the last was to attack the town of Enniscorthy, situate at the base of the hill, and to drive the rebels from thence. The troops having arrived at their stations (excepting Major-General Needham's division), the attack commenced about seven o'clock on the morning of the 21st of June, with a sharp cannonade. The rebels sustained the fire of the artillery and troops for nearly two hours, when they gave way and fled through the space which should have been occupied by the third division (hence called Needham's gap) in the greatest confusion towards Wexford; the cavalry galloped forward in pursuit, and made a dreadful slaughter among the fugitives. In their haste to escape from the sabres and bayonets of the King's troops, the rebels left behind them their cannon (fourteen pieces), with an immense quantity of plunder collected from the neighbouring towns and gentlemen's houses; also a number of muskets, pistols, and swords, and a great quantity of pikes, scythes, and other implements of destruction. The loss of the Fourth Dragoon Guards was, four men killed, and ten wounded; besides a number of horses killed and wounded. After the action the regiment proceeded to its former quarters at Maryborough and Mount Mellick, where it was kept in constant readiness for further operations; and detachments were employed on various services.

The remains of the rebel army continued to make an unavailing resistance, and endeavoured to force the passes which separate the counties of Wexford and Carlow. On one occasion, a party of the Fourth Dragoon Guards and a small body of the Wexford militia disputed the passage of the river Barrow at Gore's Bridge, against an overwhelming force of rebels; after displaying much intrepidity and heroism, and losing many men in killed and wounded, the soldiers were overpowered, and 27 taken prisoners: 7 of the captives were supposed to be Orangemen, and were instantly shot, and their fellow-soldiers were forced to be their executioners.

In July, the Fourth Dragoon Guards marched, under the command of Colonel Thewles (accompanied by Major-General Sir James Duff), to attack, in conjunction with other troops, a considerable body of rebels who had taken post at Kildare. On the advance of the King's forces, the insurgents, after a short resistance, set the town on fire and retired to a position on the curragh of Kildare. Here they were attacked, overpowered, and routed by the cavalry, with a loss of 250 killed and many wounded. Previous to the termination of this sanguinary affair, Lieutenant-General Sir David Dundas arrived with a body of troops, to whom the surviving rebels surrendered,—the General having authority to give protection to such of the insurgents as should lay down their arms and return to their allegiance.

From this period the rebellion may be considered suppressed; some of the most obstinate of the rebels, however, continued in a body and committed many enormities; and the French endeavoured to revive the conflict by sending General Humbert, with upwards of 1000 men, all desperate characters, who landed at Killala on the 22nd of August. The Fourth Dragoon Guards were immediately ordered to march for Connaught, but the French having been made prisoners, the order was countermanded, and the regiment returned to its quarters at Maryborough. Thus was this unnatural contest terminated; but the repeated atrocities of the Catholics led to equally frightful retaliations, and the sanguinary hatred engendered by religious antipathy and a thirst for revenge produced a fearful catalogue of crime after the rebels were subdued. The loss of the insurgents during this rebellion has been estimated at 50,000 men, and that of the royalists at 19,000 men.

1799

Scarcely were the troubles in Ireland terminated and the country restored to tranquillity, when the regiment received orders to hold itself in readiness for foreign service, and, having marched to Dublin, it there received a draught of men and horses from the 6th Dragoon Guards.

Embarking from Dublin in August, 1799, it landed at Liverpool, from whence it proceeded by forced marches to Northampton, expecting to form part of the Anglo-Russian army, destined to attempt to rescue Holland from the power of France; but the Dutch not seconding the efforts made for their deliverance, the troops were withdrawn, and the Fourth Dragoon Guards continued at Northampton during the remainder of that year.

During the summer the regiment received orders to cut the horses' tails, which had been worn of the natural length since 1764, and the operation occasioned the loss of several valuable horses, which died of locked-jaw.

1800