propagating of the gospel of Christ, the establishing of truth and
peace, and restoring that bleeding nation to its former happiness and
tranquillity." His first act was to remodel the Irish army, making "a
huge purge of the army which we found here: it was an army made up of
dissolute and debauched men"; and the general issued a proclamation
against swearing and drunkenness, and another against the "wickedness"
that had been taken by the soldiery "to abuse, rob, and pillage, and too
often to execute cruelties upon the country people," promising to
protect all peaceable inhabitants, and to pay them in ready money for
all goods. Two soldiers were shortly hanged for disobeying these orders.

Having made a general muster of his forces in Dublin, and formed a
complete body of fifteen thousand horse and foot, he selected a force of
ten thousand stout, resolute men, and advanced on Drogheda (in English,
Tredagh). Drogheda is a seaport town on the Boyne, about twenty-three
miles due north of Dublin. It was strongly fortified, and Ormonde,[41]
as Clarendon tells us, had put into it "the flower of his army, both of
soldiers and officers, _most of them English_, to the number of three
thousand foot, and two or three good troops of horse, provided with all
things." Sir Arthur Ashton, an English Catholic, an officer "of great
name and experience, and who at that time made little doubt of defending
it against all the power of Cromwell," was in chief command.

Cromwell's horse reached Drogheda on September 3d, his memorable day;
some skirmishes followed, and on the 10th the batteries opened in
earnest, after formal summons to the garrison to surrender. A steeple
and a tower were beaten down the first day; all through the 11th the
batteries continued, and at length effected "two reasonable breaches."
About five in the evening of the second day the storm began. "After some
hot dispute we entered, about seven or eight hundred men; the enemy
disputing it very stiffly with us." But a tremendous rally of the
garrison--wherein Colonel Castle and other officers were killed--drove
out the column, which retreated disheartened and baffled. Then the
general did that which as commander he was seldom wont to do, and which
he passes in silence in his despatches.

"Resolved," says Ludlow, "to put all upon it, he went down to the
breach; and calling out a fresh reserve of Colonel Ewer's men, he put
himself at their head, and with the word 'our Lor