the firing
actually commenced from this quarter upon their Cavalry before the
entire guard could be collected, and the gate leading into the
Court yard was under such necessity closed to the exclusion of
several, so that when Lieutenant Tyrrell came to ascertain his
strength, he found he had only _Twenty-seven_ men, including his
own three sons, the eldest of whom was only seventeen years old!
Such a critical situation required the coolness of a man innured
to military danger, and all the exertion, firmness and skill of a
veteran soldier. But although Lieutenant Tyrrell never had served in
the Army, his own good sense supplied the want of experience, and
his native courage furnished resources adequate to the magnitude of
the occasion. He found his men as zealous as himself, determined to
maintain their post and to discharge their duty to their King and
Country, or fall in such a glorious cause. After sending a supply of
ammunition to the advanced post at the Turret, and stationing other
out-posts, he retired into the house with the main body, from which
he selected the best marksmen, and placing them at particular
windows gave directions that they should not fire without having
their object covered, he had the rest of the men secured behind the
walls and incessantly employed in loading musquets and carabines for
the marksmen at the windows.

The firing as we have observed commenced from the Turret at the
extremity of the garden. About 300 of the Rebel Cavalry lead on by
one _Farrell_ formed their advanced guard, and approached the Turret
in a smart trot, without appearing to apprehend any danger. The
first shot was fired by young Mr. Tyrrell, which mortally wounded
Farrell, and being followed by a general discharge from the rest
among the body of the Cavalry, threw them into great confusion, in
which state they fled out of the reach of the firing. The Infantry
however coming up, many of them contrived to pass the Turret under
cover of the wall, and numbers were posted behind a thick hedge on
the opposite side of the road, from which they kept up a smart fire
against the Turret, but without doing any material mischief.

The Infantry who had passed the Turret being joined by a party who
came by a cross road (for it seems their plan was to surround the
house by advancing in different directions) they stationed a guard
upon the Bridge to prevent any reinforcement arriving in that
direction. About ten or a dozen of this