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Major General KIRK'S LETTER To his Grace the Duke of HAMILTON,
Dated from the Isle of Inch, August the 5. 1689.
THE Officers I sent to Inchkillin has had such good success, that Obliges me to trouble Your Grace with this Express, which was brought me last Night from these Parts.
Last Wednesday the Irish had the greatest Blow ever they had since Skerfallows, from our Men, for in the Night before, we sent about eight Troups of Horse, and three Foot Companies towards Luneskea, and about six in the Forenoon, Collonel Anthony Hamilton came against them with a Regiment of Dragoons, three Troops of Horse, and a considerable Body of Foot, at whose Approach our Men Retired about two Miles, Fi∣ring still at the Enemy in the Rear, and then haulted: The Irish came furi∣ously on, and our Men received them with their small Shot, and Killed about twenty of them; and, upon this the Irish Retired, and our Men Advanc∣ed, and put them immediatly to the Rout, and had the Chase of them through the Town of Luneskea, and all the way to Donagh, and then stop∣ped, having come within view of the Body of the Irish Army, who were strongly posted betw••xt Donagh and Newtoun-Butler, our Men then Retired to the place where this Skirm••sh began, expecting the rest of our Army, and all this time we lost not one Man, and had only about half a Dozen Woun∣ded, but Killed of the Enemy about a hundred and fifty, and took thirty five Prisoners: About ten of the Clock the rest of our Army came up, and joyned with us, and then we were about 1200 Horse, and 1500 Foot, and so we Marched toward Newtoun-Butler, where at the steep Hill on this side of the Town, the Enemy had p••sted themselves very advantageously, and kept the place about half an hour, Firing most desperatly at our Men, but they are the worst Marks-men in the World, for not one Man of ours was touched, but of their Men we Killed about half a score, and than they retired in very good order through Newtoun-Bulter, (having set the Tower and all the Houses about on Fire before) and our Men pursued them to another steep Hill, be∣yond Newtoun, where they had their Cannon placed, and then they all faced about upon our Men, having seven Cannon placed upon the Hill above the Road, and a great Bogg on each side, that no Horse could pass; but our General, Colonel Wolsley (who was up to the Elbows in Blood, he likes us, and we like him very well; sent a Detachment of Foot through the Boggs on each side of the Road, and they played with their Cannon and small shot at them, but with the same success that they had formerly, for nor one of our Men were touched with the Cannon, and but six of our Men Kil∣led with small Shot whereas our Men Killed about an hundred of them on the spot where their Cannon was placed; Killed their Gunners, took their Cannon, and then the whole Army took the Chase, and ours after them, the Horse keeping the Road, and all their Foot betaking themselves to the Bogg, that lay next to Lough Erne; and being all strangers in the Countrey,