ough promises of quarter which were afterwards
perfidiously violated, and their assertion is supported by the testimony of
Ormond in an official letter written from the neighbourhood to Lord Byron.
"Cromwell," he says, "having been twice beaten from the breach, carried it
the third time, all his officers and soldiers promising quarter to such as
would lay down their arms, and performing it as long as any place held
out, which encouraged others to yield; but when they had all once in their
power, and feared no hurt that could be done them, then the word no quarter
went round, and the soldiers were, many of them, forced against their wills
to kill their prisoners. The governor and all his officers were killed
in cold blood, except some few of least consideration that escaped by
miracle."--Sept. 29, Carte's Letters, ii. 412. It is possible, though
not very probable, that Ormond suffered himself to be misled by false
information. It should, however, be observed, that there is nothing in his
account positively contradicted by Cromwell's despatch. Cromwell had, not
forbidden the granting of quarter before the storm. It was afterwards, "in
the heat of the action," that he issued this order. But at what part of the
action? On what account? What had happened to provoke him to issue it?
He tells us that within the breach the garrison had thrown up three
entrenchments; two of which were soon carried, but the third, that on the
Mill-Mount, was exceedingly strong, having a good graft, and strongly
palisaded. For additional particulars we must have recourse to other
authority, from which we learn that within this work was posted a body of
picked soldiers with every thing requisite for a vigorous defence, so that
it could not have been taken by force without the loss of some hundreds of
men on the part of the assailants. It so happened, however, that the latter
entered it without opposition, and "Colonel Axtell, with some twelve of
his men, went up to the top of the mount, and demanded of the governor the
surrender of it, who was very stubborn, speaking very big words, but at
length was persuaded to go into the windmill at the top of the mount, and
as many more of the chiefest of them as it could contain, _where they were
disarmed, and afterwards all slain_."--Perfect Diurnal from Oct. 1 to Oct.
8. Now Cromwell in his despatch says "The governor, Sir Arthur Ashton, and
divers considerable officers, being there (on the Mill-Mount), our men