Assault on the Blackwater Fort facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Assault on the Blackwater Fort
Part of the Nine Years' War
The Blackwater Fort in a 1587 sketch
Date 16 February 1595 Location Blackwatertown, County Armagh, Ireland 54°24′45″N 6°42′20″W / 54.4126°N 6.7056°W / 54.4126; -6.7056 Result Irish victory
Belligerents
Irish alliance	Kingdom of England
Commanders and leaders
Art MacBaron O'Neill	Edward Cornwall
Strength
~240	~26
Casualties and losses
23 killed (15 at fort, 8 more died of wounds)	few

On February 16, 1595, an Irish force attacked and took over the Blackwater Fort. This fort was held by the English in a place called Blackwatertown, in County Armagh. The Irish were led by Art MacBaron O'Neill, who was the brother of Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone. This attack showed that Hugh O'Neill was now openly fighting against the English King or Queen in Ireland.

What was the Blackwater Fort?

The attack happened at an English fort built on a bridge over the Blackwater River. This river marked the border between County Tyrone and County Armagh. The fort was built in 1575 by Walter Devereux, 1st Earl of Essex. It was meant to be a strong English outpost in the middle of Gaelic Ulster. It also helped to support Hugh O'Neill, who was an important Irish ally of the English at the time.

The fort had a square earth wall, like a protective fence. This wall was reinforced with two strong corners called bulwarks. It also had small openings for guns to fire through. In one corner, there was a wooden tower with four floors. This tower had a walkway at the top and a roof made of slate. It had two doors: one led to the walls, and the other to a basement. Each floor had holes for shooting at attackers. This tower looked over a road and the bridge. On the other side of the river, in Tyrone, there was a stone tower. This stone tower controlled who could cross the bridge, as the road went right through its large wooden doors.

Why did the attack happen?

Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone, was the leader of Tyrone. He was first seen as a friend of the English King or Queen. The English leaders in Dublin supported him. They hoped he would balance the power of other Irish lords in Ulster.

However, in the 1580s and early 1590s, the English started to take more control over the lands of Irish lords in Ulster. This made O'Neill unhappy. He decided to form an alliance with other Irish lords. Their goal was to get rid of English rule, and they hoped for help from Philip II of Spain.

From 1593, O'Neill secretly started a war against the English. He used his allies, like Hugh Maguire from Fermanagh and Hugh Roe O'Donnell from Tyrconnell. They fought the English in western Ulster. O'Neill pretended to still be loyal to the English. Meanwhile, he made his own power stronger in Ulster. He also brought the English's Irish allies in the north under his control. The Irish forces even attacked Enniskillen Castle and defeated an English army sent to help it.

O'Neill's alliance was not just in Ulster. He was also allied with Fiach McHugh O'Byrne in Leinster. O'Byrne was under pressure from English attacks in the Wicklow Mountains. He desperately asked Tyrone for help. He wanted Tyrone to raid the northern Pale to make the English leader, Lord Deputy William Russell, leave Wicklow. O'Neill asked to meet Russell to talk, but Russell thought it was a trick. So, to help O'Byrne, O'Neill made his first open move against the English.

How did the attack happen?

On the morning of Sunday, February 16, 1595, Art MacBaron O'Neill came towards the fort. He had 40 men with him. They looked like they were escorting two prisoners. As they crossed the bridge, one of the English guards noticed something. The Irishmen's guns had their matchcords lit. This meant their guns were ready to fire.

The English guards immediately started shooting. MacBaron's men forced their way into the stone tower. But the English inside moved to the upper floors. This stopped the Irish from taking the tower. Meanwhile, on the other side of the river, 200 Irish soldiers quickly climbed over the earth walls. They took control of the main fort area. The English soldiers and their families went into the wooden tower for safety.

The English fired back from inside the tower. They stopped MacBaron's attempts to burn the tower, not just once, but twice. Fifteen of MacBaron's men were killed trying to storm the towers. Eight more later died from their injuries. The fight continued until five o'clock in the evening. Then, MacBaron called for a stop to the fighting. He offered the English soldiers a chance to surrender.

The English, led by Edward Cornwall, were running very low on ammunition. They hesitated to surrender. But MacBaron then threatened to burn the fort down with everyone inside. So, the English agreed to surrender. MacBaron promised them safe travel to Newry.

What happened after the attack?

Losing the fort was a military setback for the English. But what was even more important was that Hugh O'Neill himself was there. The English commander said that O'Neill arrived after the surrender. He was very angry about how many of his men had died taking the fort. He was also upset that the English defenders had not been killed.

After the English soldiers and their families left, O'Neill watched. The bridge was destroyed, and the fort's defenses were torn down. Before this, there was no clear proof that O'Neill was involved in the attacks by Maguire and O'Donnell. But now, there was no doubt. The English Crown was officially at war with O'Neill.