guard were in a very few
minutes shot by the marksmen from the windows, upon which the rest
fled; not one of the Rebels ventured afterwards to appear upon the
Bridge, so that the communication with the Western road was in a
great measure preserved, the importance of which to the little
garrison in Clonard will appear in the event of the day.

The enemy being thus defeated in their first onset in both points
of attack, became exasperated to an extravagant pitch of fury, and
determined upon the most savage revenge. A large party contrived to
penetrate into the garden, by the rere, and some of them immediately
rushed into the Turret. The Yeomen stationed there were upon an
upper floor--they had the precaution to drag up the ladder by which
they ascended;--the Rebels endeavoured to climb upon each other, so
as to reach the upper story, but they were killed as fast as they
appeared; others then ran their pikes through the cieling, and
fired shots but without effect--the conflict was obstinate--twenty
seven of the Rebels lay dead on the ground floor, when at length, a
quantity of straw was brought and set on fire. The building was
soon in flames; two of the yeomen, Mr. Michael Cusack and Mr. George
Tyrrell, endeavouring to force their way through the smoke were
immediately put to death; the rest of the party viz. Mr. Allen,
young Mr. T. Tyrrell, and two others escaped by leaping from a
window twenty foot high into an hay-yard, from whence under cover of
a wall which divided it from the garden they escaped into the house.

Having succeeded so well by the effect of conflagration, the enemy
set fire to the Toll house and some other cabbins on the left near
the Bridge, for the purpose of embarassing and confusing the
garrison; during this operation, they were seen throwing their
dead into the flames, for the purpose, it was thought of evading
discovery.

The Battle had now lasted near six hours: about five in the evening
the approach of succour was descried from the house--the hopes of
all were elevated and they fought with renovated vigour.

One of the guard who had been excluded by the sudden shutting of the
gates in the morning, finding he could be of no other use, repaired
to Kinnegad, represented the situation of his friends at Clonard,
upon which fourteen of the Kinnegad Infantry, under Lieutenant
Houghton, and eleven Northumberland Fencibles, under the command of
a Serjeant, immediately collected and with great gallan